Social Media Backfire

Alright, you caved in and decided to give SM a try. You decreased your schedule by one hour a day to work on it.  What’s the difference? You are already operating at 25% less efficiency since your EMR went live three months ago. You have been tweeting, face booking, and are now following about 1000 tweeters. You look at the number of your followers…..what? 45? Must be some kind of mistake. Any physician into social media, (or anyone for that matter) needs to get feedback along the way, and there are several routes to accomplishing this without investing huge amounts of time. Social Media Examiner is a great place to start your investigations. SME is a good introduction to the subject of analyzing the responses to your social media efforts....

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Politicians and Physicians

"The New Health Law: Bad for Doctors, Awful for Patients."                                                 Writing this particular edition has been gratifying for two reasons. 1. I took the time to research and  read the material I have linked for you  and to watch these videos, expanding my knowledge base for discussing these issues with colleagues, patients, and congressional representatives.  Our representatives are often give limited, few and inadequate choices by advisors who are self-appointed...

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Aurora

  I found this video to be enchanting. I hope you will enjoy it as well. The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo....

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Fueling Medical Social Media in the Real World Today

  Where do patients turn to for health information? from: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Hospitals and University Social Media Sites: Johns Hopkins Medicine Mayo Clinic Cleveland Clinic Henry Ford Health Systems The University of Maryland Medical Center Index The Online Social Media Governance Guide The Online Social Media Governance Guide- Hospitals and Health Care The Social Media Management Handbook...

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Dual Citizenship for Social Media

  Words of Caution:   An article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, for April 19 Ideas and Opinions section, physicians Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA and Bradley H. Crotty, MD call attention to the challenges created by the expanded use of Internet tools by physicians to reach patients at work, while simultaneously using the same tools to keep in touch with friends and family in their personal lives. Any and all physicians who use social media for private and professional work need to realize the ‘blur’ that these internet creates in segregating personal from public information. Search engines usually ignore this and cannot compartmentalize private vs. public issues. “This online presence presents a host of challenges for physicians...

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Social Media in Medicine III

Most physicians are now aware of Social Media. The game is still out if it will be incorporated into medical practice or hospitals. It has it's serious flaws in regard to privacy and HIPAA regulations. Apart from that restriction Social Media offers many choices and possible applications for a medical practice (clinic) or hospital setting, Social media is a highly fluid niche. What began as a recreational hobby has evolved into a digital medium which has caught the eye of venture capital and others in the internet space. Billions of dollars are being poured into startup ventures and some established media sites that have piddling cash flow at the moment. Their forecasted value is based upon world wide exposure and the attendant potential...

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Freedom?

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Outrage on the Health Train Express

Let us all pause for a moment on this Passover Seder Night and ask “why is this night different from all other nights"?” Listen up. We are in the midst of a budgetary crisis. Standard & Poor's is about to downgrade the U.S. Government as a reliable debtor, health care reform threatens to bankrupt  the  Government, and we are told if we do not make the changes we will go bankrupt anyway. In  the midst of EMR arguments pro and con, transparency issues, outcome studies, and plans for ACOs from  out of Michigan comes this late breaking story from the American College of Surgeons.  I somehow or other know now why I never went after that  FACS title, FAAO was enough. The New York Times ran this story by Tara Parker-Pope...

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EYE MD A New Blogspot

  Just what is needed in bloggerville, another medical blog. This one is on a topic very near to my heart, after 30 years of eye surgery, treatment of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, plastic surgery of the eyes, and my favorite area….pediatric ophthalmology…here’s a sample…Buzz on Over to Eye MD. You will find it at http://eyeinfo4you.blogspot.com  Here’s a “Trailer” Eye MD Friday, April 15, 2011 A New Blog Spot Get ready, this blog is going to have some really cool, interesting and accurate information about the science of the visual system, clinical practice, sources for eye care, innovative treatments, and what can we  expect in the next ten years. How will Health Reform impact your Eye Health? Warning !  Some of...

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So, What’s the Problem, Duh !

  INDIANAPOLIS -- Health insurer UnitedHealth Group's earnings rose 21 percent last year and so did the compensation it gave CEO Stephen Hemsley . The 58-year-old executive received a pay package totaling $10.8 million from the Minnetonka, Minn., managed care company. That includes a salary and performance-related bonus amounting to $4.7 million and stock and options valued at $6 million. UnitedHealth is the largest health insurer based on revenue. Its net income climbed 21 percent last year to $4.6 billion, and its share price rose 18 percent. That's higher than the increase recorded by the Standard & Poor's 500 index in 2010. ENUFF SAID !!! Technorati Tags: United Healthcare,pay for peformance,CEO,shareholders,compensation,health insurance...

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The Billion Dollar Soap Dispenser

Kathleen Sibelius promises $ 1 billion for fighting hospital infections?  This is insane… She doesn’t even work there anymore and is a lame duck A billion dollars, for what? Soap & Water. Sounds like the $100,000 dollar toilet (or was it a wrench?)   Deficit spending in the middle of political outrage….   del.icio.us Tags: deficit spending,sibelius,politics,health train express NPR...

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Social Media and Medicine II

  In my continuing series on medicine and social media, Healthcare IT News has weighed in with a survey and a colorful pie chart. What spectacular timing…..must be a resonance in the dark matter of the universe.  Vladimir’s Blog lists the Top Social Media Sites (about a year old) "I would love to change the world, I just don't have the source code yet." The poll was conducted by Health IT News of it’s readers. The results: Nearly half of the respondents think doctors should use social media as a way to foster a healthcare community. Out of those who think that doctors should embrace social media, only 16% believe that doctors should use such platforms to connect with their patients. Only 13% of participants think that doctors...

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Social Media and Physicians

  Most physicians are now aware of Social Media. The game is still out if it will be incorporated into medical practice or hospitals. It has it's serious flaws in regard to privacy and HIPAA regulations. Apart from that restriction Social Media offers many choices and possible applications for a medical practice (clinic) or hospital setting, Social media is a highly fluid niche. What began as a recreational hobby has evolved into a digital medium which has caught the eye of venture capital and others in the internet space. Billions of dollars are being poured into startup ventures and some established media sites that have piddling cash flow at the moment. Their forecasted value is based upon world wide exposure and the attendant potential...

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ACO ? Unintelligible Idea..makes no sense.

  A Mid-Week Review with Sheryl Skolnick, Ph.D. ACO makes no sense: Listen to this expert opinion. “We must be missing something”.  Please excuse the opening advertisement Listen to internet radio with ACOwatch on Blog Talk Radio...

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EMR update from MGMA

The Medical Group Management Association just released it’s annual survey about electronic medical records. This 2011 report is based upon 2010 data. The data represent the aggregate experience of more than 120,000 physicians in medical practice., MGMA conducted a study funded by PNC Bank, to explore the barriers and benefits of EHR adoption from 4,588 healthcare organizations. The Study reveals: Expected productivity loss during transition is the main barrier to EHR implementation, according to study participants who still use paper records. Study participants are pleased with their EHRs overall, despite some not seeing an increase in productivity - Nearly 72 percent of EHR owners said they were satisfied with their overall system, but only...

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