Open notes: opens conversations and builds trust between people and their doctors
People foresee that, in the future, the most trusted ‘channel’ for their engaging in their health will be…conversations with my doctor. This was found in the 2008 Edelman Health Engagement Barometer survey of health citizens polled in five countries — China, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Those health citizens favoring the physician-conversation channel will welcome OpenNotes into their doctor-encounters behind the exam room door. The July 20, 2010, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine talks about an initiative to, literally, open up doctors’ notes to their patients. As Dr.Tom DelBanco, et. al., attest in the article, “‘open notes’
Meaningful use: mandates, menus and morality
“We are only as good in treating patients as the information we have,” opined Dr. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology in the Department of Health and Human Services, during yesterday’s launch of the new regulations on the meaningful use (MU) of health information technology. In the health care world, yesterday featured a star-studded line-up (live and via webcast) that ushered in the long-awaited meaningful use regulations that provide the roadmap for the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) for providers, hospitals and doctors alike. Simultaneously, Dr. Blumenthal’s 4-page summary of the reg’s was featured in a tidy, useful article in the New
On the Tiger Team and the insecurity of health information
Millions of health records for patients in the U.S. have been breached or compromised in the first half of 2010. Here’s a list derived from an ongoing search via Google News Alerts I monitor using the keywords, “health information and breach:” FedEx lost seven CDs of personal health information (PHI) from the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in Bronx, NY, enroute to Siemens Medical Solutions, in March. This information affected 130,495 patients. The FAA believes that PHI for over 3 million U.S. pilots may be at-risk of breaching, according to a report published in June by the US Transportation Department. The FAA’s
A Tale of Two HIMSS – the dynamic of urgency vs. pragmatism
It was the best of times, and the worst of times. Well, perhaps not the worst, but a time to pause and reflect on the power and the money. Thus I turn to a Tale of Two Cities. As I depart Chicago and the 47th annual conference of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, I recall two different meeting-experiences: the convention floor, with its mood of upbeat urgency, brightly colored booths and activity; and the education sessions and hallway conversations that featured pragmatic, real-world challenges. ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with its $19+
Google and Cleveland Clinic — a tidy project built for disruption, and a word on privacy
The Google–Cleveland Clinic health records venture has been announced. Cleveland Clinic is a leader among providers when it comes to health IT, so Google has chosen well. This is a small, quick pilot between two mega-brands in their respective spaces. Word is that the project will last only a couple of months. While Cleveland Clinic has electronic health records for over 100,000 patients, this project will have an N of 10,000. I will be exploring more about the project with Googlefolks at HIMSS next week. For now, I’m in research mode. I’ve already come across several useful posts
Health Populi’s Tea Leaves for 2008
I “leave” you for the year with some great, good, and less-than-sanguine expectations for health care in 2008. These are views filtered through my lens on the health care world: the new consumer, health information technology, globalization, politics, and health economics. Health politics shares the stage with Iraq. Health care is second only to Iraq as the issue that Americans most want the 2008 presidential candidates to talk about, according to the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll. Several candidates have responded to the public’s interest with significant health care reform proposals. But major health reform – such as universal access
Hackathons are intense, fast-paced events where interdisciplinary teams come together to solve complex problems. In this SEE YOU NOW Insight from Episode 46: What The Hack? I collaborated with inspiring nurse innovator Rebecca Love to discuss why it's critical to bring nurses into the hackathon mix to address some of the most pressing problems in healthcare.
I'm once again pretty gobsmackingly happy to have been named a judge for the 2026 CES Innovation Awards, focusing on digital health, longevity, and fitness. Preceding every year's global conference, CES receives hundreds of applications from innovators around the world building tech-based solutions to big challenges. So glad to be part of this annual initiative to see what global health-tech pioneers are cooking up to address and scale the health and well-being of fellow health citizens, globally.
You can see the results of the Digital Health Awardees here on the #CES2026 website.
Stay tuned to Health Populi in early January as I'll be attending Media Days and meeting with innovators in digital health, longevity, and the home-for-health during CES 2026 in Las Vegas. I'll be at the conference for an entire week meeting with clients and exhibitors at the biggest-meeting-of-the-year on consumer-facing technology. I'll be reporting daily from Vegas here in the blog, sharing with you insights about the latest breakthroughs, products, and services that enable people to manage health, well-being, and medical issues in their own hands and homes.