The First in the Breech This week I am talking to Luis Saldana, MD (@lsaldanamd), an Emergency room physician and CMIO Clinical Informaticist who was at the center of the first Ebola case that reached US shores in 2014. He is a clinician first but like many in the profession went through a period of […]
This week I explore the success of one country that ranks second in the world for their response to COVID19. Can you guess who it is? They spend 2.4% of their GDP on health or approximately $72 per person They have 6 doctors per 100,000 people They have around 14,000 cases of COVID19 infection 284 […]
Democratizing Access with Technology This week I am joined by Michael Robinson (@Robinsonhealth), Vice President Healthcare North America for VMWare. Michael has an interesting international background that provides additional perspectives and insights on how we bring innovation to healthcare and democratize access. As he puts it Technology is the true democratizer of access to healthcare We […]
What is it about crisis and tragedy that inspires the human spirit to behave in the way that ultimately I think we all want to see? Think back to how you felt and behaved after 9-11 I know I can vividly remember where I was, who I was with, and the days that followed in […]
This week I am talking to Maggie Ehrenfried, Managing Director, Development LifeNet International (@LNInternational). LifeNet International is an organization working hard across Sub Sharan and East Africa to change that. This non-profit which touts its incredible efficiency operates through an “amplification of local resource” model to build and strengthen in-country capacity in the healthcare delivery chain. They […]
Telemedicine is Good Medicine Historically medicine required a patient to visit a doctor to share their problem and be examined. After the examination, the physician makes a diagnosis and treatment is administered. The downside to this, especially in developing countries like Africa, is that many people do not have access to a physician, or have […]
Is the iPhoneX and overpriced luxury or does it represent fantastic value when you consider the features and functions it delivers and the opportunity to improve your health? Seeing a mobile device as a phone is much like the perception that the Apple Watch is a watch – it’s really not. They selected that form factor and […]
Music with a Message I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend U2 Joshua Tree concert recently – it was a great spectacle, a big trip down memory lane 30 years on from the release of that album and a lot of fun. Aside from the ringing ears I really enjoyed the experience. It […]
It’s the artificial holiday that celebrates the play on words from Star Wars movies – a rallying cry The list of suggested actions from the Starwars site may not be to everyone’s taste and includes everything from Holding movie marathons Dress up as a Star Wars Character Star wars food including blue milk! Getting a Star Wars […]
Malaria World Malaria day is today – Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Recognizing global efforts to control and perhaps one day eradicate this major killer that disproportionately affects my home country of Africa. The WHO African Region continues to shoulder the heaviest malaria burden, accounting for an estimated 90% of malaria cases and 92% of malaria […]
Designing an Effective Population Health Program Population health is the topic du jour for the health care industry, and I’m glad to see us all focusing on this important issue. But there is a lot of confusion as to what, exactly, constitutes population health. Or more correctly, an effective population health system. A good population […]
2015 was an incredible year in technology and healthcare; from new consumer technology and personalized devices coming to market to the introduction of new supercomputers that reduce the time and cost of healthcare data analysis. It’s been great to see how innovation continues to penetrate the medical profession, improving patient services and care. As we […]
A recent report published by Jane Sarsohn-Kahn for the California Health Foundation: Digitizing the Safety Net Health Tech Opportunities for the Undeserved offers some deep insights into reaching the population most in need of help but often left out in the discussions of the latest and greatest technology to break into the news cycle. As pointed out […]
Back in 1985 the world was introduced to the Doc and Marty McFly in the iconic movie “Back to the Future” which as followed by 2 sequels – we were treated to a trip into the future that took us to October 26, 2015 at 4:29 as you can see from this clip from the […]
I was raised in Gabon on the equatorial west coast of Africa and though I’ve never practiced there, I consider myself African and continue to be interested in the delivery of healthcare on the continent. Though health resources are scarce, my colleagues there have made creative use of the tools available. In Gabon, and indeed […]
This week I will be at the Medicine 2.0 Conference on a panel Bridging the Patient Digital Divide moderated byMelody Smith Jones and includesLauren Still andNick Genes The session was put together by Melody to take on the oft talked about but perhaps poorly understood “Digital Divide”. Patients spend less than 1% of their time with doctors […]
After all the hype and knee jerk politics and media I was delighted to read this piece Ebola US Patient Zero: lessons on misdiagnosis and effective use of electronic health records by Upadhyay, Sittig and Singh (PDF file here) A thoughtful piece that drilled in to the detail of events surrounding the arrival and subsequent […]
This graphic Offers a timely reminder that the US Government delayed a second time the implementation of ICD10 coding system that is used in the rest of the world There is no code for Ebola in ICD9 – just a non-specific 078.89: Other specified diseases due to viruses which covers: Disease SynonymsAcute infectious lymphocytosisCervical myalgia, epidemicDisease […]
Nelson (Rolihlahla) Mandela or Mandiba as he was know to many was an inspiration for many with his incredible strength and especially his compassion and moral courage despite his 25 year incarceration. His strength contributed to the Rainbow Nation. In the words of another early lost talent Bob Marley: I Want you to know I’m […]
I’ve said it before – Africa like many of the under developed countries is exploding with great use cases for mHealth. This piece: Kenya Has Mobile Health App Fever tracks the explosion of #mHealth.Promoted and supported by the Kenyan Medical Association and Shimba Technologies the latest release MedAfrica offer ready access to medical information and […]
