Tim Wilson
ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
- 8/14/2011
Beware the cost of 'systems creep'
Canadians are familiar with concerns about the cost of delivering healthcare, and with how financial burdens may increase as expensive therapies are delivered to an aging population. This is considered in the context of our singular, cash-burning delivery model, generically referred to as the healthcare “system,” which is larded with internal choke points and inefficiencies. However, my greater worry is the weakening of the Canadian model and the proliferation of poorly integrated, inefficient “systems.” - 8/7/2011
The personal health record: boom or bust?
I have been enthusiastic about personal health records, but there are those who believe—and with good cause—that the adoption of PHRs will be more evolutionary (patient-driven and slow) than revolutionary (stakeholder-driven in a few short years). - 8/2/2011
With Ontario Telemedicine Network, video comes home
It can be hard to know when to leap when it comes to investing in cutting-edge technology. Canadians tend to be “fast-followers” who wait and see how the technology waters settle before we jump. Now, OTN, which is used by more than 3,000 healthcare professionals and is one of the largest telemedicine networks in the world, is transforming care in a way that is cost-effective. - 7/24/2011
Smart phones: In the hospital they are a privilege, not a right
When it comes to smart phone and tablet use in hospitals, privacy remains a concern. Training seems to be key here, though the overall lack of awareness with regard to privacy in healthcare environments can be frustrating in the extreme. As it stands, a lot of CIOs—many of whom are also privacy officers—are playing catch-up. - 7/17/2011
Big technology investments need big data
There are so many medical advances these days – most of which involve cutting-edge technology – that it can be hard to assess their relative merits. Usually the technology is seen as admirable simply for what it can do. But there is another discussion too, which involves a tougher assessment of cost and need. - 7/10/2011
Infoway’s Emerging Technology Group a good idea – if done right
The news that Canada Health Infoway has established an Emerging Technology Group to “identify and guide the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in health care” is welcome. - 7/3/2011
Doctors are CFOs, too
In response to a recent blog post of mine that discussed various strategies for increasing EMR adoption, a physician commented that forcing doctors to use EMRs would be “a total failure” and “looked upon by future generations as a major tactical mess.” - 6/26/2011
Demise of Google Health good news for Microsoft and Telus
Google has announced that Google Health will be discontinued as a service after January 1, 2012, because it “didn’t catch on the way we would have hoped.”
