Even this message will eventually disappear.
That’s it folks.

You may be wondering where I went and why content on this page has been thin and infrequent.

There are several reasons for this.

When I started this site I did so with high hopes of building a place to read about healthcare technology.  At the same time, however I also started the Mobile Strategy Blog … At the beginning it was difficult to concentrate on both sites and keep customers happy.  Then I started my assignment at the Ministry of Health which later turned into an assignment at eHealth Ontario.  Due to my work with the government and the media attention that eHealth Ontario had this year I thought it would be in everybody’s best interest to not update these pages and to not write about eHealth in Ontario.  Which I didn’t.  So I concentrated on my project with the government and wrote on mobile strategy (in the other blog).

Today I am no longer at eHealth Ontario.  Yet at the same time I have lost my appetite to write about the topic and have actually even bit somewhat disillusioned (both as a taxpayer and as an internal consultant) at the what has happened.

In the next few weeks I will be decommissioning this site and if it does come back – which I certainly hope it will – the topics will be much closer to my areas of expertise inside healthcare: operational performance, process optimization and change management.  I have also managed to build my network inside healthcare to include other specialists in these areas which will come in handy if we do launch something here.

So that is it.

If you need me or would like to connect with me please do so at the links below:

Here is another goodie from the Mobile Strategy Blog … go ahead subscribe…

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Take Tunstall’s RTX3371 Wireless Telehealth Monitor, for example. The device just cleared the U.S. FDA and uses a slower GPRS cellular radio to receive and send data.

Vital signs are wirelessly collected from other compatible devices like weight scales and blood pressure units; the stats can then be forwarded on to doctors or hospitals by using the integrated cellular radio. As if that weren’t enough, the RTX3371 offers voice functionality for questionnaires on how a patient is feeling.

I still want to see this done by just one device… my smartphone.

1. Can you define EHR, EMR, PHR and PM in simple terms?
2. How large is the unserved market for HIT?
3. How many companies are currently competing in the small practice/ ambulatory EHR market? Are there any clear leaders in terms of client base or innovation?
4. What does “meaningful use” really mean? Do you think physicians currently feel compelled to wait for clearer language from the government on the interoperability standards before investing?
5. What other details about meaningful use are listed in the bill?
6. Will Healthcare Smart Cards replace PHRs?
7. Will clinicians be able to migrate easily from one EHR to another?
8. What is the roadmap for interoperability?
9. “After standards are adopted in 2009, the National Coordinator shall make available at a nominal fee an electronic health record, unless the Secretary determines that the needs and demands of providers are being substantially and adequately met by the marketplace. Nothing in the legislation requires that entities adopt or use the technology made available through this provision.” -from HITECH Act. Do you see this as a viable solution for small practices who want to wait it out and go with a cheaper software product?
10. Do you see PHR’s and EHR’s as separate markets currently and what about in the future?

Cell phones are now a common part of our everyday lives. But not
only is the technology taken for granted, its wide-reaching potential
is largely unrecognized. The technology that is found in cell phones
and PDAs is currently being applied to improve health services in developing countries.

The United Nations Foundation (UNF)
and Vodafone Foundation (VF) Technology Partnership is using mobile
health (mHealth) technology to support UN programs in developing
countries. Innovative mHealth projects are powering the collection of
health data, supporting diagnosis and treatment, and advancing
education and research in even the most remote and poverty stricken
environments.

In health care, time is of the essence. With
mobile technology, data can be quickly and accurately collected,
allowing health workers to coordinate their efforts and track the
success of health campaigns. This technology can also be used in
disaster and outbreak response, to track the spread of an epidemic in
real time. With the most up-to-date, easily accessible information and
communications, mHealth is revolutionizing healthcare delivery in much
of the developing world.

Read the rest here.

The trend, known as information therapy, involves delivering reliable health information directly to patients to help them manage their conditions and make treatment choices. Health plans also are offering online self-management programs and virtual coaching sessions for a wide range of health issues.

“Information therapy can help bridge the transition from [doctors] doing things to and for people, to helping them become active participants in their own care,” says Paul Wallace, medical director of health and productivity management programs at Kaiser and a director of the nonprofit Center for Information Therapy, which promotes providing patients with information as part of the process of medical care.

Read the entire story by following the link above.

All of this holds exciting possibilities for the world of mobile health. Just as “eHealth” emerged as a buzzword in the early days of the Internet and later became an industry unto itself, “mHealth,” short for “mobile health,” is poised to see exponential growth in the U.S. in the coming years.

mHealth has the potential to transform healthcare among consumers as much, if not significantly more than the Internet has.  The relatively more portable, personal, and single task–focused characteristics of mobile are ideal for tracking and modifying health behavior, which is at the core of most health businesses and public initiatives. Around the globe, especially in regions where Internet or phone access is spotty at best, mHealth programs are already stepping in to fill this connectivity gap for millions of people. Progress in the U.S., however, has been slower – largely because of the pervasive use of the Internet and the types of mobile devices and plans available to consumers.

…

A recent Manhattan Research survey suggests these forays into mHealth are well-timed: over ten million online adults have looked up health information on their cell phones in the last year.

The outlook for mobile marketing and mHealth looks slow and steady, but certain. To remain competitive, marketers and product developers would do well to keep an eye on this developing market to maintain a competitive advantage as mobile becomes a critical piece of consumer channel mix over the next 18 months.

• Patient
• Care
• Accessible
• Accountable
• Awareness
• Connected
• Contextual
• Collaborative
• Consumer
• Community
• Choice
• Digital
• Electronic
• Experience
• Interactive
• Intuitive
• Mobile
• Networked
• Ownership
• Personal
• Participatory
• Preventive
• Private
• Relevant
• Real Time / Timely
• Secure
• Simple
• Shared
• Social
• Transparent
• Trusted
• Valuable

Of course each one of these has to be placed in context and I am sure that a lot is missing and some don’t fit here.  What do you think?  Please add your comments and relevant links below.

———–

Updates from the comment section:

• Empowerment
• Segmented
• Differentiation
• Responsive

But it struck me.

Which of the two phrases in the title should be the one we focus on as we move forward into pushing the healthcare conversation forward?

Clinically Relevant (Clinical Relevance)

or

Patient Centered

Does it make a difference?  Would it change our behaviours?  Will it affect our focus?

If we use one more than the other, will this affect our outcomes in transforming healthcare?  (Oops, you are right, the goal is not to transform healthcare but to improve patient outcomes.   In the process of improving outcomes it just happens that the delivery of health care services will also be transformed.)

I do believe it makes a difference… but need to think through it some more.   Please let us know what you think.