12/27/2011 Discussions of IT security in healthcare usually centre on privacy concerns. However, a recent study by the Ponemon Institute, titled “2011 Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy and Data Security," shed light on the complexity of the data loss phenomenon.
12/19/2011 As Canadians discuss the standard issues in the healthcare debate – rising costs, an aging population, poor access to doctors – we often ignore the silver lining: we are living longer, healthier lives. And a big part of that good news is increased activity in research and development, which should not only create economic activity and deliver health benefits, but also lower costs.
12/13/2011 This blog likes to focus in technological innovation in healthcare, but when it comes to decreased mortality rates, it seems that good old best practices are the key to getting the improved results.
12/5/2011 As the debate continues on how to transform Canada’s healthcare system – and how best to fund it – a recent study out of the United States suggests that a neutral ownership policy might be in the patient’s best interest.
11/28/2011 Screening for cancer makes intuitive sense, especially given the fact that our medical technology is becoming more effective at finding the early signs. However, the media and medical community have been abuzz of late over the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care’s guidelines recommending that women under 50 not have screening mammograms.
11/21/2011 Canadian Standards Association document adds more pressure to move to a private care model.
11/14/2011 McKesson Canada’s announcement that it's launching RelayHealth, a new web-based service for communication between patients and healthcare providers, doesn’t come as a complete surprise. However, it does add a new ripple to the debate regarding to how best to navigate through the rising tide of electronic records.
11/7/2011 Could boomers be the first generation to actually reduce the cost of caring for seniors?
10/31/2011 A recently released report from the Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes and Sanofi stresses the importance of coaching when managing chronic disease. Though not emphasized in the report, the future may see another important link to cost-effective self-management: the digital personal assistant.
10/24/2011 Technology has been blamed for the rise in obesity in North America, and now it looks as if technology is coming to the rescue, too.
10/17/2011 We all know that Canada has a problem with access to primary care physicians. The College of Family Physicians wants every Canadian to have a doctor by 2020. Alberta has taken the challenge online, and the results are interesting.
10/11/2011 The CMAJ has reported that patient navigators are now the norm in Canada. The idea is to have an individual who can guide an individual through what can be long and complex treatments, particularly for cancer.
