Incentives to Boost Health IT Adoption in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has seen an impressive uptake of health IT because of incentives from health plans and a state-mandated deadline to have computerized physician order entry (CPOE) implemented in all hospitals within four years. Plus, with all those medical universities like Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, and U Mass Amherst, you have a state with a huge resource of technologists and scientists developing EHRs that are tailored for their health systems.

Pharma Job Fair

Pharm Country Career Fair
Monday, March 30, 2009, 2pm to 7pm
Radisson Valley Forge
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Looks like you can get information about business school if you're interested in getting an MBA during these difficult economic times.

Companies include:

Aerotek Scientific, LLC
Almac Clinical Technologies
CSL Behring
Fox School of Business - Temple University
Globus Medical, Inc.
Merck Research Laboratories
Morphotek
Octagon Research Solutions, Inc.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Shire
Siegfried (USA), Inc.

Find out more at BioSpace: http://www.biospace.com/

ZAGG Invisible Shield

If you need to protect your cell phone, PDA, smartphone, pager, iPod, iPhone, UMPC, or any other gadget, I would suggest the ZAGG Invisible Shield. They make some incredible device protectors that go beyond protecting the screen. I used to protect everything, but recently I've decided that it's not really worth the hassle because I switch gadgets too frequently (I admit I am trying to change that). I've also found that as long as I'm careful, I usually don't end up with any scratches. However, if you're clumsy, then you should definitely protect your device.

Sony Vaio P

So, when will Sony add a backlit keyboard to their Vaio P series? I'm a big fan of Sony products, but I will not purchase the Vaio P unless it comes with a backlit keyboard. I'm willing to pass on a touch screen (unless we're talking about a convertible tablet), but I must insist that the device have an illuminated keyboard.

Why am I so insistent? Well, I spend a fair amount of time doing work while I'm sitting in my bed and my wife is asleep. I have a USB light that shines down on the keyboard, but this can be quite disruptive. My wife has a MacBook Pro that has a backlit keyboard and it's a great machine (but a bit too big for my uses). I like tiny gadgets - that's just who I am. I used to use my OQO model 02 (which does have illuminated keys), but that's just too small and the fan is too loud. So, I often sit in bed typing on my Lenovo Thinkpad X200 tablet and using the USB light that has a bright LED on the end.

Why Do I Write About Non-Clinical Opportunities for Physicians?

Why do I write about non-clinical opportunities for physicians? After all, I may be helping others who will may be competing against me for certain job positions, right? If I help, educate, and train all these doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and nurses to fill non-clinical roles, then what will I do when it comes time for me to make a transition? What's the purpose of this site?

Well, I think one of the main reasons why I have this site is so that I can help those who feel lost during that time of transition. I've seen many people go through medical school, hate clinical medicine, and realize that they need other options. They feel lost and confused. They need someone to talk to, but they're unable to find the right person who can provide advice, guidance, and counseling. I hope to provide some of that help to individuals who seek information. I recognize that I can't answer all the questions that come my way, but I'm well connected with other physicians who may be able to help. I want to help. After all, isn't that what made us pursue medicine in the first place?

Professional Matchmaking

No, not the romantic type of matchmaking so please don't start getting any strange ideas. I met a medical school graduate who had some questions about life as an MD/JD. You don't have to be an MD/JD to understand legal medicine - there are some expert witness physicians who know the legal system inside and out. Since I don't have a law degree, I didn't feel qualified to answer the questions I was being asked. So, I directed this person to an MD/JD who I knew and did some matchmaking as a professional courtesy. The world of legal medicine is very broad and unless you've worked as a physician attorney, I don't think you'll have the right type of perspective to give advice and direction. LinkedIn is a great social network where you can meet and help other people.

HealthAtoZ is now MyOptumHealth

In my previous life, I worked at HealthAtoZ. Since they were acquired by OptumHealth (a UnitedHealth Company), they have gone through some changes. Tomorrow, HealthAtoZ users will be redirected to MyOptumHealth.com

If you've never taken a health risk assessment (HRA), you may want to see how you score. Do you wear your seat belt? Are you a smoker? Do you exercise regularly? These are some of the types of questions that can be used to assess your health risk. This type of information can go into your personal health record (PHR) and be used to help your healthcare provider manage your conditions.

Do You Twitter?

I admit, I haven't been a huge user of Twitter. However, I've recently been bitten by the Twitter bug and I've started to explore the world of Twitter. If you care to follow me, then click here:
http://twitter.com/DrJosephKim

Iris Browser Update

The Torch Mobile Iris Browser has been updated again. It's a good mobile browser for my XV6800 Windows Mobile PDA/Smartphone, but I occasionally get an "out of memory" error if I visit busy web pages. Like many other mobile browsers, you can zoom in and out very easily and scan pages quickly. I've also been playing around with Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, Skyfire, and Pocket Internet Explorer. Proxy servers speed things up if they're configured properly.

ACPE Survey Reports a Dramatic Increase in Health IT Utilization

The title says it all. According to a recent survey conducted among ACPE members, the use of health IT has doubled compared to five years ago. About 1,000 members participated and roughly 65% report using an electronic health record (EHR). So, is this reflective of other physicians? Or, do physician executives have a stronger affinity for technology and do they better appreciate the value of EHRs? If you have an interest in becoming a physician executive, then I would suggest that you strengthen your technology and computer skills. I think that future executives will be expected to have strong technology backgrounds so they can understand the full implications of leveraging health IT to improve public health.

HIMSS 2009 - Imprivata OneSign

If you're attending HIMSS 2009, you may want to check out Imprivata OneSign. Their tagline is: "The Single Sign-On Choice for Healthcare." Looks like they will be in booth #7339 at HIMSS. Imprivata OneSign is an appliance-based authentication and access management solution that is changing the way organizations secure their networks, applications and integrated IT/building access. OneSign has received top ratings in product reviews at InfoWorld, SC Magazine, PC News Weekly, Federal Computer Week, IT Week, CNETand Web Week.

Growth in Health Information Technology and Nanotechnology

In my opinion, two of the largest areas of growth will be in health information technology (health IT or HIT) and nanotechnology (especially as this relates to drug development and biotechnology). So, if you’re a “techy” person, health IT may be the perfect fit. Join AHIMA and HIMSS, get familiar with CCHIT, and get a job at Walmart so that you can sell pre-loaded EHRs on Dell PCs. For those who are in the science field (biology, biochem, chemistry, organic chem, molecular bio, etc.), learn as much as you can about nanotechnology. I studied mechanical engineering at MIT before the days when nanotechnology was of much interest to anyone. If I were to go through college today, I think I’d major in something that would be strongly relevant to nanotechnology (mech E is relevant, but so are many other fields like materials science, bioengineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering, etc.).

2009 NRMP Residency Match Results

The 2009 NRMP residency match results made history: there were more positions and more matches than ever before in the history of the match. This year, there were 246,471 PGY-1 positions and 165,838 US seniors. I wonder how the match will evolve as the healthcare system changes in this country. Primary care specialites are not popular right now, but I can't help but wonder how that will change if we see a true universal healthcare system in this country.

Verizon 3G Network Problems

I've still been having some intermittent 3G connection problems with Verizon Wireless. I hope they've made all their upgrades by now. Maybe it's my phone. I wonder how often people have problems on other carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and others. Overall, I've been happy with Verizon Wireless, but these recent network outages have been very frustrating.

Non-Clinical Jobs on Sermo

I've started seeing more non-clinical jobs posted on Sermo these days. If you're looking for a total change in your career, you may want to take a look at some jobs in medical communications, marketing, consulting, and pharma/biotech. The Sermo job board typically lists clinical jobs, but occasionally you'll see some non-clinical opportunities. If you're a US physician, I encourage you to join Sermo.

Dell Adamo Laptop

So, what do you think about the Dell Adamo ultra-thin and light laptop? It looks really nice, but at $2k, it's hard to justify. Plus, a non-user replaceable battery? What's the purpose of an ultra-light mobile PC if you can't replace the battery when you run out of juice? That just doesn't make any sense to me and I think that the Apple MacBook Air has set a poor example.

I have had several Dell PCs and I even use one right now to run Mac OS X (x86 mod/hack running OS X 10.5.2). I also run Ubuntu and XP, so it's currently configured for triple-boot. I've been happy with Dell and I've recently purchased some from the Dell outlet for a small medical office practice. I think the Adamo has tremendous potential, but the lack of a removable battery is a deal breaker for me. I'l stick with my Lenovo Thinkpad X200 tablet and continue to use that until someone comes out with a battery that will last over 24 hrs.

NEJM Perspective: Integrated PHR

There's an interesting perspective about the concept of an "integrated PHR" in the NEJM this week. Dr. Paul Tang and Thomas Lee discuss the evolution of the personal health record (PHR) industry. Google Health, Microsoft Health Vault, and WebMD all offer PHR services. The integrated PHR is an extension of the EHR system that is used in a doctor's office. It's a great concept, but problems may occur if you visit different physicians who all use different EHR/EMR solutions. Plus, if you travel accross the country, you may run into similar issues. Personally, I'm a huge fan of integrated PHRs that potentially offer patients more services like online scheduling and secure online communication with the healthcare team.

So what does the future of PHRs look like? The stand-alone PHR has distinct advantages and disadvantages. The integrated PHR has different pros/cons. Which will dominate in the healthcare sector? Will both get integrated somehow?

Major Growth of Small Businesses

Because of the current economic climate, I think we will start seeing many different types of small businesses start to pop up everywhere. Corporate executives are getting laid off and many are having a difficult time finding a new job. Others are going back to full-time school with hopes that opportunities will be available when they graduate. Entrepreneurs are getting excited because our country is entering uncharted territory and there are some unique business opportunities. If you're a practicing clinician, you probably have more stability compared to people working in banking/finance/investments/etc. However, I feel that this is also a unique time for clinicians to put their heads together and come up with some opportunities to leverage the potential future needs/wants of doctors and other healthcare professionals who may face some major changes under this new administration. We all know that healthcare IT is moving forward with tremendous traction because of Obama. This includes EHR/EMR/PHR and other elements of health-related information technology. We also know that if some type of universal healthcare coverage rolls out, then primary care clinicians will have additional burdens placed on them. So, what are we to do? Start a company? Are you ready to take out a small business loan? Will the banks be willing to provide loans during times of such economic uncertainty?

Improving Leadership Skills

We probably don't do enough to improve our personal leadership. The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) has some great courses on physician leadership, but only a small percentage of US physicians are members of ACPE. Even a smaller percentage are pursing a master's degree in either medical management (MMM) or business administration (MBA). So, if you can't enroll in a degree program, then you may want to try either Dale Carnegie Training or Fred Pryor Seminars & CareerTrack. Participation in these courses can strengthen your career and also help you refine important leadership skills.