Recently, there was a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal regarding robot-assisted surgery. It reported the results of two articles published in JAMA that demonstrated that robotic-assisted surgery cost more and took longer without achieving superior results to laparoscopic surgery on average. With this, my LinkedIn account lit up. Here are several of the comments that came through: “I've come to assume that robotic surgery is better. Read more. MORE

I often say that electronic health records (EHRs) is like Skynet in the Terminator. I expect to turn around from my screen someday, and Arnold will lift me by my throat saying, “You haff not been doing yuh meaningful use.” We practice in a time when EHR confounds us by freezing, crashing and chaining us continuously to our work, as we spend evenings and weekends on documentation. Read more. Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. MORE

In 1994 when I was a first year gastroenterology fellow cell phones were expensive and scarce. When I was on call I stayed close to the house and my personal land line phone. If I was paged out at dinner I used a pay phone or begged the hostess to borrow the house phone. So we petitioned our division chief to buy a cell phone for fellow use during weekend call. It was only for emergencies when we couldn’t access a pay phone. MORE

We love being in control. There is something so satisfying in taking a situation into your own hands and attempting to bring about desired results. Not only is the process itself more rewarding, but you form more of an attachment to a situation if you are held responsible for it. And, similarly, you will strive to work harder to achieve the desired results since you are more invested in the process. Your health works in the same way. MORE

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night, perhaps hundreds of times. These gaps in breathing are called apneas. The disorder occurs when tissues in the upper throat collapse at different times during sleep, thereby blocking the passage of air. It most commonly affects middle-aged and older adults and people who are overweight. According to a recent study, 13% of Indians are under the threat of suffering from OSA. MORE

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On October 25, 2017 the FDA released its guidance on "Deciding When to Submit a 510(k) for a Software Change to an. Existing Device". A draft of this guidance was released in August 2016 and I commented on that draft here. The scope of what was changed is not easy to discern, especially since the draft is no longer directly available and the URL for the final guidance is the same as that for the previous draft. MORE

In 1987, James Gleick wrote the book Chaos which was a layman’s description of different instances where chaotic behavior was displayed in systems. MORE

Since connectivity runs on software, and some medically related software is a medical device, and medical devices are regulated by the FDA, those involved in connectology must pay at least some attention to what the FDA is saying about the subject of medical software that is not an inherent part of some other medical device. MORE

Three years ago, St. Luke’s had to take a pause in its Epic journey to make sure everyone was headed in the same direction. The detour, says CIO Marc Chasin, was well worth it. Rolling out Epic across an organization the size of St. Luke’s isn’t a project; it’s a journey that requires an enormous effort to stay on course. It also requires a lot of change, and when that becomes too much, leaders must be willing to hit pause. MORE

By applying a structured, scalable approach, NewYork-Presbyterian was able to build NYP OnDemand from a concept into one of the most comprehensive telehealth programs in the country, says Daniel Barchi. Columns Featured Innovation Telemedicine Blog Daniel Barchi NewYork-Presbyterian MORE

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Since a very young age, no one looks forward to going to the doctor’s office. Whether it’s for a routine check up, a scheduled visit due to an illness, or a quick procedure, we have always dreaded walking into that waiting room. While we may not be anxious about an exam or a shot like we were as children, adults still detest having to schedule that appointment, but for many other reasons. MORE

As technology continues to advance past one’s wildest dreams, it should come as no surprise that many fields are adapting and developing at a rapid pace as well – mostly for the sake of keeping up with the times. This trend is no exception in the medical field, where new technologies, drug trials, and other various treatments are pitched and introduced frequently. Although, it is important to note that these techniques are not put into practice quite as often. MORE

Care managers play a vital role in patient engagement, treatment plan adherence, and more – what tools can help them to perform these vital tasks more efficiently? Care managers organize patient care , handle insurance matters, investigate treatment plans for patients, and so much more during the course of their day. MORE

Giving a patient a lengthy list of all of the things that they can and cannot do weeks before an upcoming surgery or operation is overwhelming. Begin to Ease Patient Preparation with text messaging. In the time leading up to a surgery, patients are likely becoming increasingly anxious and preoccupied by stress about the procedure, concerns about how they will complete day to day tasks afterward, and a myriad of other issues that they will have to work through prior to their procedure or surgery. MORE

The 2017 Connected Health Conference (CHC) is right around the corner, after months of planning, organizing and confirming a terrific lineup of speakers and events. I am delighted that we’ll be gathered at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston October 25-27. It is a must-attend event if you are in any way interested in the growing field of digital health. MORE

You can now receive important Clocktree account notifications via popups! These popup notifications are small messages that appear in a corner of your device’s screen, whether you are logged into Clocktree or not. They will alert you to upcoming appointments or new secure messages. Since the popup notifications are securely sent, they can include sensitive information like the client’s name and profile picture, a feature that is not possible for email and text messaging. MORE

Today there is a rising number of children in the US affected by asthma and diabetes. School nurses are treating a wider range of issues than ever before. Even though this increase is known, only 40% of elementary schools in the US have a full time nurse on staff. The use of telemedicine can expand the reach of school nurses and their ability to care for a wider range of illnesses. Having telemedicine access in schools could change the way chronically ill children are educated. MORE

During a time of such chaos and destruction in Florida, it has been extremely hard to provide healthcare access to those in need. Within the last three days Florida Hospital has incorporated telehealth technology into their system of care. This platform now enables those who are unable to travel or prevented from reaching their usual services and care providers a virtual care option. Florida Hospital has been using eCare to reach so many affected by hurricane Irma. MORE

The most discussed issues in healthcare today are cost savings and access to care. There is no denying their rightful preeminence in the public discourse. Something which has received more attention in the past but has been surpassed by the aforementioned topics in both lay and healthcare policy press has been patient safety. Perhaps the best definition of patient safety is that of the World Health Organization. MORE

As an anesthesiologist, my goal is to make the hospital a better, more efficient place to work so that I may provide the best possible care to my patients from the moment they come under my supervision. As part of this, improving a patient’s health record – and our access to it – by using effective mobile technology is an important step to providing holistic care. MORE

Technology makes this an exciting time for health care. Not only are technological advances making health care better, they’re also making it more affordable. To get a taste of the potential of where health and technology are going, you only need to look as far the recent Fortune article titled, “ Prepare for a Digital Health Revolution ," or to search through the more than 300,000. Read more. Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. MORE

Diabetes researchers have long noticed that labs have different rates of success breeding mice to have the equivalent of Type 1 diabetes. At first, many scientists attributed this to poor management of genetic drift in some labs, but this theory didn’t hold up. If you transferred a group of mice from a lab with a lower rate of diabetes to a lab with a higher rate, the transferred group would soon exhibit the same rate of diabetes found in the new surroundings. MORE

As Chief Medical Officer at BaseHealth , Dr. Nick van Terheyden (aka “ Dr. Nick “) serves as the voice of the physician at the company. He provides strategic insights in product development and marketing as BaseHealth works to bring to market a predictive, evidence-based and data-driven population health management platform. MORE

I spoke recently with Dr. Rob Lamberts – @doc_rob on Twitter – about EHRs and direct primary care. I first met Doc Rob through our involvement in the late lamented Grand Rounds (the notable medical blog carnival – you can find some editions here ). You should read his blog, Musings of a Distractible Mind , and perhaps you will be able to divine the origins or meaning of his deep interest in llamas. MORE