I know all of you have huge amounts of time on your hands, right? Of course, that is not true. We are all terribly pressed for time. One way that many busy professionals have learned to increase their exposure to recent information in their fields of expertise is through listening to podcasts on an iPod [...]
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) recently launched a Privacy & Security Mobile Device project. Today I received an email about it. Privacy and Security Mobile Device Good Practices Project Launched ONC’s Office of the Chief Privacy Officer (OCPO), in working with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), recently launched [...]
We live in the world of mental health billing. When you live in that world, it is very easy to forget that not everyone else lives where you do. Some folks have never heard of what we do. Others just visit our world when they must. As you know, there are massive changes happening in [...]
Before I get too far into this post, let me be clear about a couple of assumptions. 1. I am an advocate of Healthcare Reform. I was disappointed in the bill that finally passed because I believe it was not a strong enough protection for consumers. Given that, I am glad we have a healthcare [...]
Are you a resolution-maker? Are you gearing up to lose those extra pounds you put on last year? Have you set new goals for your productivity, your work ethic, your family time or your compassion? Some statistics show that 40 – 45% of adult Americans make New Year’s resolutions; if you do so, you have lots of company. [...]
Last month I told you about a novel I had read that fascinated me. Now I am here to tell you that both the first book, Daemon, and its sequel, FreedomTM , are must-read books for individuals who are concerned about the way the U.S. is moving . . . . or not moving. When I say [...]
In 1992, when Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States for the first time, I was a member of the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP) of the American Psychological Association. CAPP is charged with general governance oversight of the Practice Directorate, the part of APA responsible for promoting “the practice of [...]
I am feeling particularly grateful right now. We spent the past weekend working hard for our bicycling club’s annual fundraiser, the Horrible Hundred. I have written about our work on this ride in the past, but this year I have been feeling especially grateful for our wonderful team. Without them . . . their willingness to [...]
Do you play multi-player interactive games on the internet? How involved are you in the world of those games? Have you ever wondered how those games relate to the real world…or if they do? I recently finished reading Daemon by Daniel Suarez. I was so fascinated by the ideas in the book that I just downloaded [...]
Several years ago, I signed up with the federal Office of Civil Rights online Privacy listserv so I would get notifications about HIPAA. I have been delighted with that subscription over the years. If you are an organization that provides healthcare services, you too should subscribe. Today I received a new sort of notice from [...]
I have been thinking a good deal lately about how to motivate myself and others in my life. When I was a psychotherapist, I spent lots of time helping patients understand their motivations and utilizing those motivations to help them create change in their lives. Knowing what drives us to do things is important to achieving [...]
According to a newsletter aimed at the insurance industry, 70% of comments made about health insurers on social media sites in the past year were negative. FierceHealthPayer reports: It’s time to face the facts–the American public dislikes health insurance companies. And that’s putting it mildly, considering that 70 percent of all opinions and comments about [...]
I was a little surprised at my reaction of sadness Wednesday night when I heard of Steve Jobs death. I have never used an Apple computer or any other Apple product, so I could not be considered a fan by anyone’s definition. And yet, I feel a real loss. I know that many of you were [...]
On September 22, 2011, I attended a webinar sponsored by the Business Operations for Behavioral Health Collaborative, a SAMHSA-funded joint venture of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the National Association of Community Health Centers, NIATx, and the State Associations of Addictions Services (SAAS). The topic of the webinar was Health Information Exchange and [...]
Are you a Jeopardy fan? If you are, I am sure you know that in January of 2011, IBM’s supercomputer, Watson beat two of Jeopardy’s all time money winners, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. Watson is an Artificial Intelligence that can understand questions posed to it in natural ‘human’ language. WellPoint, a BlueCross collaboration, is [...]
Last week I asked you if you were using a Personal Health Record (PHR). I got only one response…from a college friend who is a technical writer. John is involved with a PHR company called medkaz. This company believes that all electronic medical records should be driven by and owned by the patient. Accordingly, they have developed [...]
In August, the National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, spoke about the need for a ‘targeted strategy’ to involve consumers in eHealth. He is concerned that all of the efforts being expended to acquire EMRs and for eligible providers (EPs) to achieve meaningful use of those EMRs must become more patient-centered. One provision [...]
I have been struggling with a topic for this week’s blog. The only thing that has come across my path that feels compelling is the hummingbird who showed up at our coral honeysuckle on Sunday. Unfortunately, integrating that ruby throat into my article does not seem like an easy task. Sometimes, I feel like I [...]
I am sure many of you remember the reports dating back to 2005 that celebrity patient files were being viewed by casual lookers…employees who had access to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System electronic medical record (EMR) but who had no legitimate reason to view those records. Well, the Department of [...]
This morning I read an editorial (An ounce of prevention could heal a pound of pain) by Dina Overland of the FierceHealthPayer newsletter. She decided to use her platform as the editor of a newsletter that is aimed at insurance payers to directly address those payers about prevention of healthcare problems and diminishing future costs. She focused on an [...]
