Blogs

Many organizations make a point of saying their people come first. They then go on to clarify that statements by saying that people are their most important asset, their most valuable resource, ...  In fact, Personnel Departments are now generally referred to as Human Resource Departments. Does that sound like your company really thinks that 'people' come first? Do you really think they've got your back Read More »

For a long time, the 'Open Access' movement has primarily campaigned for free and unrestricted access to scholarly information and research articles via the Internet. However, as the movement has continued to spread and pick up momentum, it has shifted its focus to also now include books, monographs, and other media.

Instead of publishers using copyright to restrict access and use of information, new open access licenses now allow authors to retain ownership of their works and grant the public the right to access and creatively reuse their works. New licences, such as those developed by Creative Commons, are now used by many open access publishers like the Public Library of Science (PLoS) and BioMed Central (BMC).

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I was recently reading a blog by Thomas Papagiannis on "Open Data and Financial Crisis", particularly with regards to cities.  It was a timely piece given the recent issue of Time Magazine on the bankruptcy of Detroit and a growing number of other cities across the U.S. Read More »

Americans can comparison shop online for almost anything today. This ought to apply to the healthcare industry as well. How much are hospitals or clinics charging for medical procedures and other healthcare services? Where is the online Amazon, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart site that you can go to and check the prices before heading off to see your doctor. Read More »

I have had some major issues with IT Architects over the years and the many prolific and useless dissertations they produce that are usually of little real value or practical use to senior IT managers responsible for day-to-day operations.  That does not mean that I don't appreciate the need for a good, practical IT architectural blueprint or roadmap that will help one make better decisions about the technology to acquire and implement to best meet the operational business needs of the organization for the future. What follows is a high level management introduction to 'Open' Health IT Architecture for those who are new to this whole arena. Read More »

Back in 2007, after Hurricane Katrina, I co-authored a story entitled "Murder by EHR" to showcase the benefits of having electronic health records (EHR), especially in major disaster situations. With the arrival of Hurricane Irene, I decided to reprint the story here for your entertainment and information. It's a bit longer than my normal blogs. Read More »

By 2020, availability and use of genomic information will contribute to revolutionizing how consumers will make better choices about their personal health.  This became apparent to me and others in the audience during demonstrations at the recent AMIA 2013 Symposium, on how genomics is increasing shari Read More »