News

Summaries of open source, health care, or health IT news and information from various sources on the web selected by Open Health News (OHNews) staff. Links are provided to the original news or information source, e.g. news article, web site, journal,blog, video, etc.

See the following -

Why EHRs Do Not Work For Doctors

Rex Bowden | ePrecribe.com | August 19, 2013

When the concept of electronic health records (EHRs) were introduced a few years ago, the reasoning was the idea of creating “meaningful use” for patients. [...] With all of these terrific benefits for patients, why are so many physicians and hospitals dragging their feet about implementing EHRs? Read More »

Why Electronic Medical Records Are Failing To Meet Expectations

Holly May | HIT Consultant | May 10, 2013

Once celebrated as the next big thing in the healthcare world, electronic medical records (EMRs) have a long way to go in terms of physician satisfaction, according to survey data from AmericanEHR Partners released in March at HIMSS 2013. Read More »

Why Elon Musk Is A Utility Executives's Worst Nightmare

Todd Woody | Quartz | October 16, 2013

Attention US utility executives: You have a decade at most before the boom in renewable energy makes your century-old business model as relevant as a rotary telephone. In the time it takes to get a transmission line built in California, solar energy production and other new technologies could render obsolete the monopoly business of selling electricity at a fixed price for a fixed profit to a captive audience of consumers.

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Why EMR Companies Don’t Care About Usability

David Do | KevinMD.com | June 26, 2013

I overheard nurses praising the pilot of a new technology with the promise of improving communication, safety, and saving on healthcare spending. The innovation: two-way texting. That’s one of the many indicators that hospitals are stuck the technological stone age. Read More »

Why EMR Implementation As Just An IT Project Seldom Succeeds

Cliff Bleustein | EHR Intelligence | September 3, 2013

I have worked with dozens of hospitals to plan, implement, and optimize their EMR, so I’ve learned a great deal about what creates a successful implementation. I’ve also worked to remediate problems for hospitals that have experienced major difficulties or outright failure with EMR implementation, and have learned important lessons about what can go wrong. Read More »

Why Epic's Market Dominance Could Stifle EHR And Health IT Innovation

Brandon Glenn | Medical Economies | April 25, 2013

Epic is the nearly undisputed king of the electronic health records world. About 40% of the U.S. population has its medical information stored in an Epic electronic health record (EHR), and the company often sits atop research firm KLAS' rankings of best-available EHR systems. Read More »

Why Facebook Home Will Blow Android Into Smithereens

Jason Perlow | ZDNet | April 5, 2013

You think Google's Android OS is hopelessly fragmented now? This is just the beginning. Read More »

Why Firefighters Fear Solar Power

Mike Riggs | The Atlantic Cities | September 11, 2013

A 300,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse in Delanco, New Jersey, burned down last week, and the local fire chief says solar panels are partly to blame. No, the 700 solar panels on top of the Dietz & Watson warehouse didn't cause the fire, but their presence did dissuade Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt from putting his team on the roof. Read More »

Why Firefox -- yes, Firefox -- will become the mobile OS to beat

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry | CITEWorld | March 7, 2014

To the skeptics, Firefox OS doesn't stand much of a chance against the juggernaut that is Android. After all, Android is already free and open source...But hold on. There are a few things this narrative doesn't take into account. Read More »

Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before

Richard Stallman | Wired.com | September 28, 2013

Much has changed since the beginning of the free software movement: Most people in advanced countries now own computers — sometimes called “phones” — and use the internet with them. Non-free software still makes the users surrender control over their computing to someone else, but now there is another way to lose it: Service as a Software Substitute, or SaaSS, which means letting someone else’s server do your own computing activities.

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Why Getting To A Digital Health Care System Is Going to Be Harder Than We Thought Ten Years Ago

David Shaywitz and Tory Wolff | The Health Care Blog | January 1, 2012

A leading scientist once claimed that, with the relevant data and a large enough computer, he could “compute the organism” – meaning completely describe its anatomy, physiology, and behavior. Another legendary researcher asserted that, following capture of the relevant data, “we will know what it is to be human.” Read More »

Why Giving Birth Is Safer In Britain Than In The US

Kate Womersley | Digg | September 1, 2017

At 11:58 pm this past June 25, Helen Taylor gave birth to her first baby, a boy, at West Suffolk Hospital in the east of England. At 11:59 pm, with 15 seconds to spare before midnight, his sister was born. The obstetrician and her team were pleased; the cesarean section was going smoothly, fulfilling Helen’s wish that her twins share a birthday...

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Why Government Must Embrace Failure As A Mission Critical Value

Mike Bernard | GovDelivery | September 10, 2012

In the current heated political climate, lots of air time is given to the failures of the opposing party... This kind of rhetoric highlights two important issues that need to be addressed: 1.The right kind of failure can actually be quite helpful. 2.Negativity about failure obscures true successes. Read More »

Why Health Care Tech Is Still So Bad

Robert M. Wachter | New York Times | March 21, 2015

Last year, I saw an ad recruiting physicians to a Phoenix-area hospital. It promoted state-of-the-art operating rooms, dazzling radiology equipment and a lovely suburban location. But only one line was printed in bold: “No E.M.R.” In today’s digital era, a modern hospital deemed the absence of an electronic medical record system to be a premier selling point.

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Why Health Execs Don't Understand The ROI Of HIT

Jeff Rowe | Government Health IT | October 26, 2012

A new report finds that many healthcare executives are dissatisfied with their organization’s efforts to determine the return on investment (ROI) on recently installed EHR systems. Read More »