I was prompted to think of ERs by a WSJ op-ed by Dr. Paul Auerbach. In it, he argues that non-emergency visits to the ER aren't going to stop, much as we might wish patients to do a better job of evaluating when they are actually suffering an "emergency." He notes the limited access to timely care from primary care physicians, and how it is not reasonable to expect people to make such rational evaluations when they or their loved ones are suffering. As he says, "You can't teach patients economics lessons when they don't feel well."
iTriage
See the following -
2012 Health Datapalooza: Open health data is no longer a government initiative, it's an American initiative
One hundred applications and websites, all powered by open data, took center stage at the [Health Datapalooza]. In their honor, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park announced a revamped HealthData.gov during his opening keynote address Tuesday. “More and more innovation is happening with more and more data being made available,” Park said. “Health data is no longer a government initiative. It is an American initiative.”
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9 Healthcare Innovations Driven By Open Data
...IBM and the Cleveland Clinic announced that Watson was turning to more serious pursuits and had "enrolled" in medical school. It's been a productive partnership: Last month, they launched a new Watson program using genomic data to find the best options for cancer patients...
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Feds' Top Entrepreneur Shaking Data From Government's File Cabinets
Todd Park's job is to unleash the power of innovation inside the oh-so change-resistant walls of government, and he appears to love it. Read More »
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HHS CTO on the Power of Connection
A learning system for health is not a new concept. It is an ancient instinct to share our experiences and stories. But technology allows us to widen the network of people we can talk with, increase the velocity of those conversations, inject them with more source material, then archive and make them searchable. For patients and caregivers, building that system means connecting people who share a diagnosis so they can share insights with each other – and with researchers. For example, the FDA is now partnering with PatientsLikeMe to explore how patient-reported data can shed light on drug safety.
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Obama touts free and Open Data, says it creates jobs
As the government cuts its own employment, federal agencies are trying to stimulate job creation by making vast amounts of government data freely available. Read More »
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To ER Is Human...To Build an App to Find the Right Caregiver Is...
Todd Park—Changing Behavior and Changing Policies Panel (Part 3)
Two megatrends are locking in: Massive incentive change and information liberation, says Todd Park, CTO of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The federal programs must lead the way in changing from fee-for-service to incentives for value in healthcare. Read More »
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