Computers, Health and Boston

A couple of items of note on computers and health AKA  health information technology: Even though the federal government is spending $2 billion to wire the health system, Heathcare IT News reports that, Vish Sankaran, speaking in Boston for the federal HIT effort, said: "We don't want the federal government to be in this business …

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Wonks, Rolling Stone and Dr. Blumenthal

1) It wasn't the cover with cosmetically and electronically enhanced Megan Fox that caught my eye -- it was Rolling Stone and I was at the gym.  I should read it more. The recent issue includes a well-documented story about health reform town hall protesters by Tim Dickinson. From "The Lie Machine":    According to internal documents …

NY Times Book Review:The Heart of Power

You read about it here first. Maybe. From BHN 7/15. The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office  starts with FDR and looks at how each recent president approached health reform. Lyndon Johnson was “the most effective health care president in American history,” according to the authors, Brown historian James A. Morone and Obama …

Blumenthal on Kennedy and Changes at Commonhealth

Commonhealth, WBUR's group blog on health care, has a new editor -- former WSJ reporter Rachel Zimmerman.    I’ll be expanding the list of guest contributors, so if you have strong opinions about cost, delivery, access or quality of care in this state, please contact me at zimmerman08@gmail.com. (And if your opinions include photos, charts, …

Obama’s health reform blueprint

The Congressional debate over the health reform is starting to give me a headache. I worked in D.C. and know how these committees work. Tweak, tweak, back and forth, give here, take there. Forever.   The process can be dizzying – momentum, debate, stalemate,  trillion dollars budgets,  Ways and Means, Waxman, guidelines, computers, Dodd, HIT,  lobbyists, activists,  AARP, …

Blog roundup: Employers and health reform

I’m always impressed at the range of perspectives to emerge every two weeks in the Health Wonk Review, a collection of blog posts.  The latest edition – hosted by the BNET Healthcare Blog --looks at the role of employers in health reform. As always, you’ll find comments from economists, health policy experts, lawyers, consumer advocates …

Health week in review and a peek at doctors’ notes

See the BHN week in review, hosted by Mass Device, where we try to untangle the news about what kind of health information systems will qualify for federal funds. We also ask -- How much of that eco- friendly drug company tower in Kendal Square was paid for by national health care systems in places …

Fun with Health Information Technology — An “Interoperetta”

The actual title of this bit of wonky fun:  "HITECH:An Interoperetta in Three Acts."  Also on You Tube. Here, Maryland doctor Ross Martin finds true harmonization. He also comes up with rhymes for two Boston heavies -- Obama HIT man David Blumenthal and John Halamka, the CIO at Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center.   Dr. Blumenthal, Won’t you …

Mass reform and Mass Device

Coming to you today from the public library in Gatesville, North Carolina. Yes, that means last night  I had to watch the Bruins go down surrounded by Tar Heels.   But, you can find my week in review report on MassDevice.com. It includes a link to Senate testimony from Brandeis professor and long time health policy point man Stuart Altman.

New Partners/Harvard HIT blog

Partners has a new blog on -- jargon alert -- clinical informatics.  Might  be worth checking out since the federal HIT effort is headed by Partners doc David Blumenthal. He recently brought Partners' HIT boss on board to help out.  For more on Dr. John Glaser, see BHN's March interview. The Partners site includes links, news and its own content.  Today it leads …