The combination of medical devices and healthcare information technology (HIT) is very much upon us. When most people think about this merger of technical fields, they are drawn to think of the way in which mobile phones are being used in medical applications, some very much in the manner of medical devices such as ultrasound […]
Building a Mickey Mouse Organization
Each year the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano on March 19 and the Summer Solstice occurs on June 21. July 1 is also a date to remember, as it should strike terror in hearts of those who find themselves in need of hospitalization. This is because July 1 is the traditional date on which […]
General Hospital
General Hospital is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production (according to Wikipedia). What a perfect metaphor this is for the real hospital industry, which is facing more drama than ever. This week I visited two hospitals, one a very large and well-known academic […]
Your Cell Phone IS Trying to Kill You
Many people are talking about (or actively trying to ignore) the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration that cell phones might actually cause cancer. WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer did a review of dozens of published studies on cell phones and cancer before classifying cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic.” “Possibly carcinogenic” is a […]
How Health Insurers Can Avoid Being Blockbuster in a Netflix World
Talking about health insurance is a good way to clear a room. It is a rare person who is excited to interact with their insurance company or who can understand the explanation of benefits they receive in the mail detailing all of the things that the insurance carrier has decided not to pay on their […]
Hair of the Dog
In the category of “duh, do they really need to spend money to study the obvious?” an April 2011 study in the Archives of Surgery reports that surgeons who are hung-over from excessive alcohol intake make a significantly higher number of medical errors as compared to those who do not drink to excess the night […]
There is Only One Pretty Child in the World, and Every Mother Has It
There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb Nobody ever thinks their kids are ugly, but it is especially gratifying when you get independent verification that they are, well, awesome. As a venture capitalist, my portfolio companies come to feel like my kids. I am invested in […]
There is Only One Pretty Child in the World, and Every Mother Has It
There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb Nobody ever thinks their kids are ugly, but it is especially gratifying when you get independent verification that they are, well, awesome. As a venture capitalist, my portfolio companies come to feel like my kids. I am invested in […]
Hands Off the Merchandise
You may think of it as the first week of Christmas, but there are some out there that think of this first week of December as National Handwashing Awareness Week. Pay attention Hallmark–another greeting card opportunity is upon you. I’m sure the one you sent me, blog reader, is in the mail. Christmas has Santa […]
All Hospitals Need to Know They Learned In Kindergarten
On October 20, 2010 HealthGrades released their Thirteenth Annual Hospital Quality in America study, which analyzed mortality and complication rates at all of the nation’s 5000 non-federal hospitals using 40 million hospitalization records obtained from CMS. The study found that patients treated at hospitals rated as “5-star” by HealthGrades had a 72% lower risk of […]
