Knowledge Rocks! » E-commerce

The Other Side of Digital Health

Joel Alleyne — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:21:11 +0000

Business Week publiched an article challenging the broad asumptions concerning the benefits of digital health initiatives. It is worth reading along with the sidebar article highlighting Newt Gingrich’s Health-Care Mission.

In a nutshell, this article provides links to research and cases where the promise of electronic health has not been realized. It is always good to see the other side.

Business Week on Health IT

Joel Alleyne — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:15:39 +0000

Business week maintains a good collection of health IT articles worth browsing. You may want to check on this periodically.

eGovernment

Joel Alleyne — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:06:02 +0000

The Atlantic magazine carried an excellent article recently on electronic government. This article highlights some of the possible applications of technology to streamlining government services.

Information integration and organizations

Joel Alleyne — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:36:57 +0000

For a number of years, I have explored a concept (or framework) I call “Information Integration“. Whether we are looking intra-organizationally, at groups or inter-organizationally, information has a number of roles to play. For example, information acts as a vector for the transfer of knowledge (boundary spanning) or as a means of coordination. But one role that interests me is a role I call information integration.

Here is the concept in a nutshell:- information, used effectively, can act to facilitate integration inside and across organizational boundaries; information binds organizations together (glue) and acts (like plumbing) as a mechanism for communications and the exchange of ideas. Communications in this case, can be transactional (e.g. EDI) or conversational (as a means of exchanging ideas and negotiating shared understanding).

Looking for an example? Consider the electronic health record (EHR) and all of the work being done in many jurisdictions to reach this holy grail. One of the opportunities that the EHR affords or provides (or, I should say, “should” provide) is the opportunity to bind the various organizations (physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, long term care facilities, etc.) that exist across the spectrum of care to coordinate and collaborate for the benefit of the patient. The EHR is not only a place where we ‘store’ information but is a vehicle for exchanging / sharing information about a patient.

Thoughts?