March 2011 Blog Posts (15)

I absolutely love these kinds of stories!  The fact that technology can improve health care and health delivery/access in Africa and other nations is fantanstic!

http://www.canada.com/health/Africa+turns+cellphones+better+health/4529199/story.html

I guess its not just industry that is confusing the FDA when it comes to the the internet and social media.  It continues to be fascinating as to how all of this plays out.

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A recent poll by Capstrat and Public Policy Polling showed that while Americans are comfortable and apt to use the Internet for access to PHRs, medical billing and medical appointments, they are reluctant to use social media to communicate with their MDs. 85% of respondents said they prefer a traditional means of communication with their…

In the February issue of Informationweek a meaningful use timeline was published. It may be very helpful for those selling healthcare IT products & services.  Then next important date? April - Practitioners begin attesting that they comply under [the] Medicare program."  May is when incentive payments begin!

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I recently came across a twitter update which shared details of Ovarian Cancer Action’s new campaign – a Facebook application to raise awareness of the disease and its symptoms.

What caught my attention is that the application is called ‘ireallylike’, which threw me off guard – why would you call a Facebook app for ovarian cancer ‘ireallylike’? Surely another name would have been more…

Having worked with a few EMR vendors, I've come to appreciate what a big purchase this is - so choosing the right solution is critical.  Here is a good article from KevinMD about the EMR selection process. 

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/03/supportive-physicians-management-implement-ehr.html#more-51573…

Huffington Post did an interesting piece today re: MDs on Twitter that explored different usages and goals for physician presence on the popular social media site. The piece spotlights TwitterDoctors.net, representative of a new crop of physicians (1300 to be exact) who are using social media to comment on health and medical issues. It's all good for education and learning, assuming these doctors aren't dispensing medical advice - a big no-no for physicians. JAMA explored this further in its…

By Palmer Reuther

Just got done reading this press release from Makovsky titled "Healthcare Social Media Using All…

A New Jersey Plastic Surgery Practice has formed an online community to help share information with their clients and more importantly, give them a platform to engage with other patients undergoing similar treatments and procedures. The practice looks to create a strong bond with current and new patients, using multiple social platforms including Facebook and the practice blog. It’s an…

Ed Silverman wrote a whole piece on PR firms representing medical societies and pharma which he feels is a conflict of interest. 

http://www.pharmalot.com/

Much to the excitement of digital lovers everywhere, South by Southwest Interactive starts this Friday! And this year includes a Health Track full of healthcare social media goodness. I can’t wait to hear about all of the great discussions and ideas that come out of the conference.  If you’ll be in attendance, you’ll want to check out this Med Men blog post listing the can’t–miss health track…

There are more than 200 million (yes 200 million!) healthcare applications available to consumers and healthcare professionals right now, and that number is expected to increase threefold by 2010 according to recent research. The same research found that 70% of people worldwide are interested in…

As a parent, I cringed at this article in USA Today by Byron Acohido. Predators are looking beyond online chatrooms to stalk children. With the rising popularity of mobile devices and social media, there are more opportunities than ever for potential sex offenders, pornographers and predators to threaten our kids.  

The article highlights that as technology changes, parents have a tough time…

With traditional media types working hard to carve out a new revenue stream in the wake of falling print sales and ad revenue, we’ve seen a variety of different business models being tested. From the iPad only newspaper to national newspaper apps and…