Untitled Document

March 17, 2008

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1. Looking Up Britney's Dress Was Free, But 13 Play Dearly for Ogling Her EMR

Facts and Background

UCLA Health System will try to fire at least 13 employees and discipline six physicians for inappropriately accessing electronic medical records from the recent psychiatric hospitalization of Britney Spears, the health system announced Friday.

Opinion

Surely no one was surprised, other than that the employees didn't sell the information to tabloids.

Musings

So why weren't the doctors fired? They were community based, probably, but why should only lower-ranking employees lose their livelihoods?
It's not too late to file a HIPAA complaint.
If you fired every hospital worker who has ever looked inappropriately at the records of friends, family, or public figures, you'd have a very large, empty building.
Would you be tempted?
There's no doubt that the symbiotic paparazzi relationship encouraged by the truly pathetic Spears has made every aspect of her life public already, so surely there wasn't much left to learn from her non-psych EMR.
Oops, they did it again: UCLA fired workers for the same privacy transgressions during Spears' 2005 childbirth.

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2. Ohio Dots the I in its Standards for Practice-Friendly EMR Contracts

Facts and Background

The Ohio State Medical Association announced Thursday that its Standards of Excellence program is underway, wherein the organization will identify physician EMR vendors that have agreed to offer physician-friendly contract terms and discounts.

Opinion

This is an ingenious, free, and voluntary way to increase EMR adoption by encouraging vendors to reduce physician risk. Kind of like CCHIT, except ingenius and free.

Musings

Initially named vendors: e-MDs, Greenway, iMedica, Misys, and Sage.
Products offered by the participating vendors must also be certified by CCHIT.
Physicians can get a free contract consultation from OSMA's partner, consulting firm The Coker Group.

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3. Cerner Looks to Inhaler to Cure Its Heavy Breathing for Earnings Growth

Facts and Background

Cerner announced Tuesday it will sponsor inhaler technology research at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in return for an exclusive license to commercialize it.

Opinion

Reading between the lines, did Cerner client UNMHS put the squeeze on Cerner to help out, or was Cerner so hard up for earnings growth that it was willing to get into a line of business in which it has no obvious expertise or track record? I'll take Door # 2, Monty.

Musings

A Cerner spokesperson claimed the company signed the deal "to benefit people." Those holding CERN shares, presumably.
Cerner claims that its own independent data mining uncovered the need for such an inhaler. Seems unlikely, at least without some drug research help.
Cerner is the probably the only publicly traded HIT company with the talent, resources, and vision to pull off a transition to something more profitable than peddling information systems. Its competitors already do it (GE, Cardinal, McKesson). But, it's not an easy or quick switch.
Justifiable gripes aside, Cerner's customers could at least take comfort that their vendor wasn't distracted by other lines of business like their conglomerate competitors. Not so now.
Can life sciences acquisitions be far behind?

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