ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
- 6/10/2012
Value-based healthcare, technology, and you
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has recently come out with a study that has an optimistic view of our healthcare system. According to BCG, Canada is well positioned to take advantage of what it calls “value-based healthcare.” - 6/4/2012
Hospitals face big data crunch
When it comes to information technology, storage doesn’t usually grab the headlines. But hospitals are now faced with incredibly complex requirements. Medical records include images that take up a lot of space, are not easily searchable and must be kept for the lifetime of the patient. - 5/27/2012
Avoiding a 'Faceplant' in healthcare IT
- 5/21/2012
Of jumbo jets and hospital-acquired infections
One of the greatest challenges facing our healthcare system is the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections. It is an interesting problem in that it involves three competing interests that are common to Canada’s ongoing healthcare discussion: medical practices, funding issues and technological solutions. - 5/14/2012
Doctors are central to administrative efficiency
In the United States, by some estimates almost one-third of all healthcare costs are administrative, with insurance billing and bureaucracy acting like a ball and chain that must be dragged everywhere. It would be nice to think that Canada doesn’t have this problem, but of course we do. - 5/6/2012
Research and innovation are not a pet project
Canada’s tax base is fuelled by its resource-based economy. Sadly, there has been less attention paid to research and innovation in other sectors. Technology, and more specifically technology in healthcare, is seen almost as a pet project. - 4/29/2012
Physicians’ embrace of technology is central to healthcare innovation
A project-based partnership was recently announced between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation to foster innovation in healthcare delivery. - 4/22/2012
Medical technology – too much of a good thing?
In the rush to get more advanced technology into healthcare settings, something that requires significant financial commitment, we would do well to stand back and determine how efficient we are being when it comes to testing. - 4/15/2012
Technology’s hidden cost
Anyone who has had to adopt a new technology platform – even if only for personal use – knows that it takes some getting used to. At first, you don’t feel so efficient. Things are slower, and the learning curve is never as fast as you’d like it to be. - 4/8/2012
Canada’s healthcare IT infrastructure forecast – only partly cloudy
As government agencies cobble together a strategy for cloud adoption within Canada’s healthcare system, the primary challenges will be how to deal with the inevitable "hybridization" of IT infrastructure.