MDS - Mobile Dexterous Social

I must be on a robots kick right now. I love robots and I especially love the fact that so much is happening at my favorite schools (MIT and UMass Amherst).

MDS doesn't stand for Myelodysplastic Syndrome if you're with the MIT Personal Robots Group. Instead, it stands for: Mobile Dexterous Social

Meet Nexi

Nexi has a face that is capable of displaying various emotions. This was made possible through collaborative efforts with Xitome Design. Doesn't the chassis remind you of a Segway? The chassis was developed by the Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics - University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of Nexi involves the social learning component. How do robots learn to interact with people? If Nexi can mimic human expression, that can elevate the level of communication with people. After all, we're naturally expressive beings and emotions play a key part of our lives.

Non-Clinical Careers and Opportunities for Physicians

- updated -

For more info, please visit (and bookmark) my other blog that is devoted to non-clinical opportunities: http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/

If you're a physician and you're considering a non-clinical career, you may be wondering about all the opportunities out there. I get asked about this all the time. Over the years, I've had a chance to meet different physicians working in various companies and industries and here are my observations.

The following may apply even if you're not a physician. If you're a clinician (nurse, NP, pharmacist, PA, etc.), many of these opportunities may still apply.

First, ask yourself what you enjoy. After all, if you don't enjoy clinical medicine, you don't want to end up doing something else you're not going to enjoy. Then, start networking like crazy. Leverage all the online social networking sites (like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, etc.) and get reconnected with old colleagues, classmates, and friends. Find out what people are doing. They may help you get connected to some key people. You may find some of the best opportunities this way. If you're a woman, you may want to check out MomMD (www.mommd.com).

The following list of opportunities is clearly non-exhaustive. This list is based on my personal interactions with people in these roles and as I meet more people, this list grows.

Here is my growing list of non-clinical opportunities for physicians (not in any particular order).

1. Healthcare administration - Are you a seasoned healthcare executive? Do you enjoy making administrative decisions? Then join the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) and run a hospital or a managed care organization. If you have a strong interest in managed care, then check out the NAMCP (National Association of Managed Care Physicians). You may want to get an MBA or an MMM (masters in medical management) if you don't already have one. A valid medical license is required for most (if not all) of these positions.

2. VC, finance, market research, etc. - Got an MBA? If not, are you thinking of getting one? Some will argue that once you have an "M.D." after your name, it may not matter as much where you get your MBA. However, I would argue that your MBA is your path to networking opportunities, so where you get your MBA is critical if you want to have a solid network. Once you get your MBA, you can work for venture capital (VC) firms, dig into market research companies, or work for Wall Street. Heard of the Gerson Lehrman Group (www.glgroup.com)? No clinical experience necessary for many of these opportunities. In fact, many joint MD/MBA students have ventured directly into very successful careers this way. Also, an MBA is not necessary if you have some good business skills and understand the healthcare industry.

3. Writing and medical communications - Do you enjoy writing? Many physicians and non-physicians have very successful careers as medical writers. The field is open to people who enjoy fiction writing, publications, research, or other types of writing. You can get involved working on journal publications, developing promotional content for marketing campaigns, or developing CME programs. Join the AMWA (American Medical Writers Association) and look for opportunities. You can work from home as a freelance writer and have a very flexible schedule. Or, you can work for a publisher or another type of healthcare communications company. You can find a list of some companies by looking at the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC) website. No clinical experience necessary.

4. Technology and Informatics - Want to develop or improve an electronic health record (EHR) system? Do you love informatics? Then join the CCHIT (Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology), the AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association), and the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). Clinicians use EHRs and patients (or consumers) use PHRs (Personal Health Records). There are many companies attempting to integrate the data between PHRs and EHRs. There is a national initiative to improve and standardize public health informatics, so now is a great time to enter this industry. No clinical experience necessary, but you should be familiar with ICD, CPT, and other billing codes used in this industry.

5. Disease management - Managed care organizations (MCOs) are always looking for better disease management (DM) programs for their plans. Some MCOs develop their own DM plans and others outsource them to external companies. These companies create and deliver various services to managed care organizations, including DM, wellness programs, personal health record (PHR) services, etc. Do you ever get educational pamphlets from your own health plan? Who puts them together? Who designs and develops these wellness and preventive health programs? It's not always WebMD. There are other companies that provide similar services.

6. Pharma/Biotech/Device - If you're a medical specialist, there are many opportunities to do research for these companies. If you don't enjoy research, then you can develop marketing strategies. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements have become very popular these days. See all those ads in the medical journals? Get ready for that "corporate America" lifestyle if you plan to venture into industry. You may be working even more hours and carrying a Blackberry instead of a pager, but if you climb that "corporate ladder" and play the corporate game, you may qualify for an early retirement.

7. Expert witnessing - Personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home care, etc. There are firms that specialize in specific areas (like nursing home cases). Want more information? Take a look at www.seak.com

8. Public health - Get an MPH, join the APHA (American Public Health Association), and find a local health department. Or, join the CDC and travel the world. Develop strategies to improve population health. Some pharmaceutical companies also have public health sections and are very devoted to public health and international health (Pfizer in particular comes to mind). Bridge gaps in healthcare disparities.

9. Consulting - The world is open. Want to work for yourself or for a company? Many healthcare companies are looking for experts to help them develop, refine, and improve their products and services. It may be hard to get started unless you've already established connections. Once again, networking becomes critical.

10. Research - Academia vs. private vs. industry vs. CRO. You don't have to go into industry to do research. Look for a Contract Research Organization (CRO) in your area. Join the ACRO (Association of Clinical Research Organizations). Start with PPD (no, this is not the TB skin test).

11. Executive recruiting - Physicians can work as an executive recruiter to hire and place other physicians. You can also work your way up and manage other recruiters who do the hiring. Remember, these 'head hunters' get paid a commission based on the salary of the person they place. The $ earning potential can be tremendous if you're successful.

12. Start a company - Have an innovative idea? Start a company! New companies seem to be sprouting all the time. Stay connected with people and keep your eyes open for new ideas. Get an MBA and meet people who can help you get a concept off the ground.

Not sure where to start? As I mentioned above, start building your social and professional network. Reconnect with people and ask many questions. Find people who are in various positions and ask them what they like/dislike.

Join some associations to build your network and to find companies. Note that some associations are specifically for physicians, but many are open to all types of healthcare professionals. Also, even those that are specifically for physicians (such as the ACPE) offer affiliate memberships for certain non-physicians.

ACHE: American College of Healthcare Executives
ACPE: American College of Physician Executives
ACRO: Association of Clinical Research Organizations
AMDIS: Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems
AHIMA: American Health Information Management Association
AMIA: American Medical Informatics Association
AMWA: American Medical Writers Association
APHA: American Public Health Association
CCHIT: Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
NAMCP: National Association of Managed Care Physicians

National Association of MD/MBA Students
http://www.md-mba.org/


Thinking about getting an MBA? Take a look at some of these articles and consider the ROI (return on investment) of your education:

http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=322635
http://www.acponline.org/clinical_information/journals_publications/acp_internist/mar03/mbas.htm
http://www.physicianleadership.com/articles/physician_MBA.htm
http://www.mommd.com/mdmba.shtml
http://www.physicianspractice.com/index/fuseaction/articles.details/articleID/378.htm


Finally, you may want to take a look at these programs, since they may offer excellent networking opportunities:

MBA in a Day
http://www.mbainaday.com/physicians.html

SEAK - Non-clinical careers for physicians
http://www.seak.com/semncc08.htm

SEAK - MBA skills for physicians
http://www.seak.com/semncc08mbaskills.htm

Hope all this is helpful. I'm always revising this as new information comes in, so check back to see what's new.

For more info, please visit (and bookmark) my other blog that is devoted to non-clinical opportunities: http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/

Speaking of robots... how about a medical robot for your grandma?

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are developing robots to help elderly individuals living alone. These robots can check certain vital signs (using a stethoscope), call 9-1-1, and provide video conferencing services. Want to learn more?

Take a look at the uBOT-5

This is a great example of technology improving home health care. Elderly individuals need an easy way to contact emergency services. Of course, if they're unconscious, making that 9-1-1 becomes impossible. That's why they need to have a robot in the house.

I can't wait to see where this technology goes. I bet the next robot version will look more like R2-D2. Then all the Baby Boomers who grew up on Star Wars will need to have one!

See roboworld in 2009!

The next time I visit Pittsburgh, I'll have to make a trip to see roboworld. Carnegie Science Center today announced plans to open roboworld, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive permanent robotics exhibition, in spring 2009.

I've always been a fan of robotics and I truly believe that robots will change the face of healthcare. Robotics have revolutionized surgical techniques and capabilities. Remote surgery is possible. Microsurgery. Nanosurgery?

I remember building my robot for the MIT 2.007 (not the year, but the course #) Design and Manufacturing course. Every year, the contest changes. My year, a bunch of ping pong balls dropped out of the "Niagara falls" (it was called "Niagara Balls") and our robots had to collect those balls and place them in our bin. I had fun driving my robot around the table collecting balls and dropping them into my bin. I miss those MIT days.

Physician Renaissance Network (PRN)

The Physician Renaissance Network (PRN) is another nice resource for those of you considering a career change. Various non-clinical job opportunities are constantly posted on this site. Also, you can read about some physicians who have ventured off in different non-clinical directions.

On a side note, PRN is a medical term often used in the hospital setting. It stands for "pro re nata" (Latin) and it means "as needed." Those of you who are non-medical may find this interesting. So, your doctor may prescribe some pain medications "PRN" - meaning that the nurse will only give you some pain pills if you ask for them.

Ghost writing - a dying practice

The practice of "ghost writing" seems to be dying quickly. Merck is being heavily scrutinized because of everything that happened with Vioxx, and this week, JAMA has published some case studies about this very practice.

What does all this mean for those medical communication companies that develop articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals? Well, for starters, all author information will need to be fully disclosed in every publication. We've started to see this in several journals. Clinicians are listing and acknowledging the names of writers who may be employed by medical communications companies. However, some proponents are arguing that medical communications companies should not even be involved in writing any of the content for these manuscripts. Does this mean that professional medical writers may need to start looking for other opportunities?

The buzzword these days is "transparency." Companies and clinicians must fully disclose all relevant information and be completely transparent. This is happening in the world of CME. Professional education that is CME certified should be fair-balanced, free of bias, and evidence-based. All faculty members who develop or present CME programs are required to fully disclose all affiliations that may potentially influence of bias their message.

Transparency is being taken a step further these days. In a bold move, Lilly began a new CME grant transparency process and started posting data about their CME dollars. People can see how Lilly is spending CME dollars. Take a look at their grant office registry report:

https://www.lillygrantoffice.com/grant_registry.jsp

The buzzword "transparency" will continue to permeate industry. The FDA, the OIG, and all other stakeholders will demand full transparency whenever research is published. Perhaps those ghost writing companies will need to refocus and find other opportunities...

Medscape is now FINALLY copying Sermo

Medscape, perhaps the largest online resource for healthcare professionals, is finally copying Sermo with their "Physician Connect" physician-only online community. Medscape has had forums and other features to foster an online community, but uptake and usage has been very low. WebMD has really dominated the online healthcare space, so I'm surprised it's taken Medscape so long to come up with something like this. WebMD has been gobbling up other online professional resources like Medsite, eMedicine, and theHeart.org. These are all being placed under the "Medscape" umbrella of services.

I remember when Medscape was born. Most users at the time was using Netscape, so the name medscape really made sense. Now, hardly anyone uses Netscape to browse the web. Safari, Firefox, and Opera have taken over. Can we come up with some creative names based on these browsers? Medfari? Medfox? Medopera?

By the way, just like Sermo, Physician Connect requires physician validation.

the DMAA - Disease Management to Care Continuum

Can you keep track of all these acronyms? Here's an interesting twist. The DMAA stands for: The Care Continuum Alliance. Shouldn't that be the CCA? They used to be called the Disease Management Association of America, but now they've re-branded their association to be called the Care Continuum Alliance. They still have their journal titled "Disease Management" and their focus continues to be on population health.


Here's a description from their corporate website:

We believe the highest achievable health status is attained through the promotion and alignment of population health improvement by:

• Promoting a proactive, patient-centric focus across the care continuum;
• Convening health care professionals across the care continuum to share and integrate practice models;
• Emphasizing the importance of both healthful behaviors and evidence-based care in preventing and managing chronic conditions;
• Promoting high quality standards for and definitions of key components of wellness, disease and, where appropriate, case management, and care coordination programs as well as support services and materials;
• Identifying, researching, sharing and encouraging innovative approaches and best practices care delivery and reimbursement models;
• Establishing consensus-based outcomes measures and demonstrating health, satisfaction, and financial improvements achieved through wellness, disease and case management, and care coordination programs;
• Supporting delivery system models that assure appropriate care for chronic conditions and coordination among all health care providers including strategies such as the Chronic Care Model, the physician-led medical home concept, and the disease management model;
• Encouraging the widespread adoption and interoperability of health information technologies;
• Advocating the principles and benefits of population health improvement to public health officials, including state and federal government entities;
• Underscoring the level of commitment to population health improvement and timeframes necessary to realize the full benefits.

The Importance of Social Networking

The Internet now allows us to reconnect with so many old friends, colleagues, and classmates. Social networking has become a buzzword and several online sites have popped up over the last several years. More recently, social networking sites have gotten sophisticated and have built capabilities to help you build your network and connect with even more people.

The three that I mainly use are:

Linked In

Plaxo

Facebook

I've had a chance to reconnect with many old classmates, colleagues, and friends. It's been very interesting to see what people are up to these days. They're all scattered over the world in so many different industries. These online social networking sites make it so easy to keep everyone updated with your latest information. It's great to see photos, baby pictures, and more. Get connected and build your network!

Too Discombobulated?

It seems like my blog is way too discombobulated. Therefore, I've decided to create separate blogs to focus on my areas of personal interest.


Non-clinical opportunities for healthcare professionals
http://nonclinical.blogspot.com/
Whether you're a physician, a nurse, a pharmacist, an NP, a PA, a technician, or some other type of healthcare professional, you should know about the different non-clinical opportunities that are out there.

Mobile technology, gadgets, etc.
http://mdjkim.blogspot.com/
How I stay constantly connected. I don't have a BlackBerry. Instead, I rotate different UMPCs and gadgets to stay connected all the time. Interested in getting a tablet PC or a UMPC? Then read on!

Healthcare and technology
http://mdjosephkim.blogspot.com/
I love seeing advances in different aspects of healthcare. Although much is happening in the health IT sector, other changes in hardware and software are occuring. It's exciting just to catch a glimpse every now and then.


We'll see how long this lasts. If I don't have time to keep them up, then I'll consolidate to a single blog once again.

Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs)

What exactly is a Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs)? Get ready to read some acronyms!

According to Wiki, RHIOs are key to the US National Health Information Network (NHIN). A RHIO is a specialization of the Health Information Exchange (HIE). Health information exchange (HIE) is defined as the mobilization of healthcare information electronically across organizations within a region or community.

According to HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), the terms “RHIO” and “Health Information Exchange” or “HIE” are often used interchangeably. RHIOs are the building blocks of the proposed National Health Information Network (NHIN) initiative proposed by David Brailer, MD, and his team at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT).

Currently, there are several state RHIOs, some local RHIOs, and a handful of rural RHIOs. The AHRQ reports that several hundred RHIOs or RHIO-type organizations have been formed. Will we reach our goal by 2014?

Want to learn more?

Brush up on your acronym-developing skills and check out some of these additional resources:

Computer-based Patient Record Institute (CPRI)
National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT)


So, what is a RHIO?

SEO + Blogs + Social Networking = Internet Marketing 2.0

"SEO + Blogs + Social Networking = Internet Marketing 2.0"

I saw this phrase at MyTypes, so I don't claim any credit.

What does this all mean?

For starters, SEO = Search Engine Optimization

The rest should be self-explanatory. So, who wants to market themselves by leveraging all the various Web 2.0 resources?

Have you ever wondered how search engines work? Why do results pop up differently if you use Google vs. Yahoo vs. another search engine? Do you ever compare results?

Which major corporations have a blog on their corporate site. Do you think they all will eventually? Wouldn't it be interesting to read the personal blogs of every C-Level executive?

I've been inspired by the CEO of the company called OQO (makers of the smallest fully functional computer in the world). Dennis Moore is the CEO and he has his own blog here:
http://dbmoore.blogspot.com/
I use my OQO and I love reading other stories that get posted.