FROM THE FOUNDATION

Quest Diagnostics Taps ELINCS for Data Hub

Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic testing, has implemented the ELINCS lab standard in its national data exchange hub, making it easier for physicians to electronically access Quest Diagnostics lab results.

Paper to Electronic Charts Made Easy

Community clinics with experience making the transition from paper to electronic records share the strategies, techniques, and insights they learned along the way.

Telehealth Project to Provide Dental Care

Low-income families will receive free dental care, thanks to the Virtual Dental Home, a telehealth project supported by CHCF and other funders. The four-year pilot project will eventually operate in nine California communities.

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Perspectives

12/08/2009

Celebrating the Small Wins: Respite From a Feast of Grand Visions

As we work toward grand and hopeful visions for health care reform and health IT subsidies, let's not lose sight of the small victories that occur daily on the ground. This year, we've seen challenges overcome on several fronts that remind us that actual progress is being made. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

10/16/2009

The Meaning of Meaningful: Worrisome Trends on Road Already Traveled

If there wasn't the potential for $19 billion in incentive payments, would we really care as much about what "meaningful use" means?  Will tying payments to meaningful use actually result in higher quality and more cost-effective health care? By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

08/21/2009

Inside Baseball: The Great Debate About Government-Run Health Care

All competitive markets have some form of central regulation and control.  Whether you call them rules, laws or regulations, they allow competitive markets to work better -- whether they're selling health IT or baseball.  And a central body needs to define those rules, whether it is a baseball commissioner or the federal government. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

05/18/2009

Commodifying Content Through IT: Could Physicians Be Next?

Though physicians may take comfort in practicing out of brick-and-mortar service businesses, a significant part of health care is essentially a content business. Will all professional knowledge ultimately become Googlefied? Or are there limitations to where the disruptive nature of IT can reach? By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

03/11/2009

HIT = $ x MD^2: a New Theory on Expenditure Relativity

Will a $19 billion injection create the health IT utopia we all imagine?  Or will it lead to hasty adoption of inadequate systems that only erode the crumbling infrastructure of medical practices for years to come? By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

11/12/2008

We're No. 2! Health Reform Remains Strong in Election Season Polls

For the first time in more than a decade, there is hope that health care reform will remain a top issue in the post-election season. But a brief look at our past reveals a vast array of hazards that could derail the best of intentions. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

08/19/2008

Playing With Fire: The Hazard of Analogy in Health Care

Comparing health care to grocery stores makes concepts easy to grasp and easy to remember, but such analogies may be more trouble than they're worth. The beauty and curse of some of the best analogies are that they often oversimplify or create emotional similarities that don't reflect reality. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

06/04/2008

Interoperability and Privacy: Are They Mutually Exclusive?

Turf war between Google and Facebook over online information illustrates pivotal questions confronting health care: Who will own patient data? How will it be shared? Who will enforce privacy? Ultimately, are interoperability and privacy mutually exclusive? By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

01/08/2008

(You Must Have a) Happy* New Year! A Script for the Future?

While many in the health community support mandating adoption of certain forms of health IT, the practice isn't always the best or most practical solution. Where should we really be focusing our policy efforts in 2008? By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

10/15/2007

Disconvergence: The Increasingly Fluid Nature of Online Communities

Online communities are quickly becoming an important forum for patients and providers to share information about health care. There is a tremendous potential for business and social value in these communities, but it is uncertain whether these networks will experience long-term success. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

08/17/2007

Dangerous Numbers: Misconstrued Data Hazardous To Health Care

Numbers can clarify information, but they also can be used to mislead. When it comes to IT adoption, it is important to put numbers in context to understand the entire health care landscape and to make sure that proposed solutions are focused on the core problems in the system. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

06/04/2007

The Opacity of Health Care Transparency Efforts

Transparency has become the new buzz word in health care, as consumers become more empowered in making decisions about their care. While the approach has some benefits, iHealthBeat columnist Dr. Tom Lee says that transparency is not the simple solution that it seems. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

04/17/2007

Human vs. Technology

Electronic health record designers could learn a thing or two from the advances that companies such as Apple are making in the world of designing elegant human-technology interaction. However, is the human-technology interface a potential long-term benefit, barrier or battleground for improving information management in health care? It seems to be all three. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

02/16/2007

Coming to a RHIO Near You

Will the health IT initiatives getting mainstream media attention today have the staying power to develop long-term, practical solutions for the future? iHealthBeat columnist Tom Lee considers the Hollywood-esque marketing hype and theatrics associated with health IT initiatives and previews what's to come on IT's big screen this year. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

08/14/2006

The Topping Point

Perhaps it's just the summer heat, but I'm starting to feel that regional health information organizations, national health information infrastructures and electronic health records might not be that sexy anymore. By Thomas H. Lee M.D.

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