The ONC Cures Act Final Rule (Cures Rule) is the biggest health care law you’ve never heard of. But it’s a law that's going to fundamentally shift the way we see patients and their information. It will change how physicians talk to patients about information. It will shift the way health professionals connect patients to their information. So what is it and what does ... Continue Reading about Cures Act Final Rule – How It Will Change Medicine
Apple Watch Series 6 – Why Watch Your Blood Oxygen?
This week apple released the Apple Watch Series 6. The premier feature is the pulse oximetry sensor on its underbelly that measures peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). I love Apple products. In fact, in the past I’ve suggested that if Apple released an Apple Hat I would buy it. Despite my blind love for all things Apple I began to wonder this week why we ... Continue Reading about Apple Watch Series 6 – Why Watch Your Blood Oxygen?
Medical Misinformation | Can Doctors Control Social Media?
If you have a moment check out Medical Misinformation - Vet the Message, an editorial published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It’s written by 22 editors-in-chief of major cardiovascular journals and builds the case for medical misinformation as a modern crisis for doctors and patients. This nugget caught my eye: Purveyors of social media must ... Continue Reading about Medical Misinformation | Can Doctors Control Social Media?
5 Reasons We’re Unprepared for Apple Watch ECG
Today Apple released the Apple Watch Series 4 watch. Later this year they will add functionality that allows users to record an ECG. This would make Apple Watch one of the first FDA-cleared over-the-counter devices with an electrocardiogram. Here are 5 reasons we’re not ready for this. 1. No bandwidth Right now the idea of individuals taking personal tracings is ... Continue Reading about 5 Reasons We’re Unprepared for Apple Watch ECG
Data Confrontation – Who is Responsible for a Patient’s Data?
This week marks the release of the Apple Watch Series 4 with the capability of EKG. From their wrist, users can record a rhythm that they can send to their doctor. Through most of history, data like EKGs were collected by hospitals and health professionals. This changes things. As watches move from fitness trackers to medical devices, questions emerge such as, what ... Continue Reading about Data Confrontation – Who is Responsible for a Patient’s Data?
Health Data Without Wisdom is a Spreadsheet
Increasingly EHR systems like Epic are automatically releasing test results to patients. This release of health data should be a good thing. But when a machine delivers data alone we fail to help patients achieve understanding of what it means. Personal health data without knowledge and wisdom is just a spreadsheet. We have to figure out how to help patients ... Continue Reading about Health Data Without Wisdom is a Spreadsheet