August 2006

Docs Like Bush

As reported in AISHealth.com, Aug. 24, continuing his support for the adoption of nationwide health IT, President Bush on Aug. 22 signed an executive order requiring federal agencies that administer or sponsor health programs to adopt and use interoperable health IT standards and quality-improvement measures.

The order states, "As each agency implements, acquires, or upgrades health information technology [HIT] systems used for the direct exchange of health information between agencies and with non-federal entities, it shall utilize, where available, [HIT] systems and products that meet recognized interoperability standards."

According to the order, which becomes effective next Jan. 1, HHS, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program all must comply with the order. In a conference call Aug. 22 with health care industry executives, HHS Sec. Mike Leavitt said organizations that contract with those federal agencies — such as private health plans that participate in Medicare — would also be required to adopt the same standards outlined in the order.

In response to Bush's executive order, e-Health Initiative CEO Janet Marchibroda said, "The ongoing support and keen insight demonstrated by President Bush...on the issues at the intersection of health care quality and information technology are critical to move forward and to make both better patient care and interoperability a reality."  

"These orders won't have much effect at all," Stephen Davidson, professor of health care management and management policy at Boston University's School of Management, told Information Week. According to the magazine, Davidson said, "The missing link is that not many doctors have systems that talk to each other....and even if the software works in the way it's supposed to work, the benefits of those systems go to the payers and the patients."

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 26, 2006 at 1:31 PM
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Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line

Part Four in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

I've received several requests for the Powerpoint presentation of my session "Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line" Webinar I gave a few months ago. Given the readership of healthcare marketers of this blog, I wanted to offer it here. Contact me via Comment to the post if interested in receiving a copy of the presentation.

On a separate topic, my colleague and fellow blogger Bryan Scanlon wrote an insightful piece on the pitfalls of "invention defense." Here's more:

"Far too often companies rely on what worked before; and unfortunately, what didn't work for the last VP of the marketing who lasted just ten months. I'd like to identify a couple additional key make or break points that keep re-appearing and are related primary to public relations, branding and marketing. Today we'll tackle one called "Invention Defense."

Common in companies with strong, smart technical founders, "invention defense" usually hits when the market gets 2-4 strong players duking it out. Inevitably, one company keeps jumping up every time a new entrant emerges---or a competitor does something new or interesting---to remind the market that they were first. "We invented the space. That makes these new guys crap."

Continue reading "Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 23, 2006 at 12:50 PM
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Executive Order Up

Healthcare IT vendors should be aware of a President Bush executive order on healthcare IT. It presents media possibilities for comment. On August 22, 2006, President Bush signed an executive order that requires the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management to collect more information about the quality and cost of healthcare they provide and share that data with each other and with beneficiaries.

The order directs the agencies to work with the private sector and other government agencies to develop and enact programs to measure quality of care. The agencies would also work to identify practices that promote high-quality care. The information will enable consumers to make informed choices among doctors and hospitals, and it will help support doctors and hospitals in their efforts to improve care and lower its costs.

The order also calls for the agencies to use interoperable electronic health records “where available,” and requires the agencies to compile information on the prices they pay for common services available to their members. Agencies must have the new programs in operation by January 1, 2007.

The President said he hopes the Federal action will be followed by similar commitments in the private sector, and in the state and local government. The U.S. House of Representatives also recently passed a measure (HR 4157 “The Health IT Promotion Act of 2006”) that serves to remove legal barriers to the provision of IT technology to physician.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 22, 2006 at 4:39 PM
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Lunch and Learn

Support your local healthcare IT events:

Sponsor: Mass Technology Leadership Council
Event Title: Healthcare IT Lunch & Learn with Health Industry Insights
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 8, 12:00 pm
Location: BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts, Landmark Ctr., 401 Park Dr., Boston
Registration is required, contact me via Comment to this blog post

Event Details: The Mass Technology Leadership Council presents an executive Lunch & Learn with Health Industry Insights Vice President Scott Lundstrom. Lundstrom will explore the latest trends in healthcare IT adoption, providing insightful market data, research highlights, success stories and actionable analysis. As public and private sectors move the healthcare industry toward wide-spread IT adoption, both providers and payers are improving not only quality of care but also their bottom line. Data mining, integration and evidence-based medicine are driving personalized care management, pay-for-performance and healthcare transparency. Join us for this executive briefing 'Lunch and Learn' session.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 17, 2006 at 1:21 PM
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Marketing View on Blogging

Blogging has moved from fringe to mainstream marketing. Healthcare technology has its tribe of bloggers, and the vendor big boys such as Microsoft and IBM run respectable healthcare blogs. Schwartz sat down with blog design and strategist Steve Turcotte, president of Backbone Media Inc., to discuss how blogging should be pursued by healthcare IT vendors. Turcotte explores such issues as:

- Why blogging, and why now?
- What is good corporate blogging strategy?
- What about commenting outside of your corporate blog?
- How do you transparently comment without spin?

Read on for insightful advice for your own blogging efforts...

Continue reading "Marketing View on Blogging" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 10, 2006 at 2:27 PM
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