Next-generation gene sequencing (Flickr user andylepp)

The newest challenge for innovators in next-generation DNA sequencing is finding ways to effectively apply it to everyday medicine outside of the research lab. Mayo Clinic and personalized medicine firm Cancer Genetics Inc. have formed a new company to do just that.[read more]

medical billing problems

Everything we read suggests the day is nearing when all hospitals and doctors will use computers instead of paper. But despite the progress being made to eliminate it in hospitals and clinics, there remains an insidious blizzard of paper in the health industry that seems to be only getting worse--medical billing.[read more]

Microbes / shutterstock

Imagine the network of connections that link bacteria with patients, their immune systems, the healthcare facility itself, and everyone working in and passing through that facility. What a complex array of relationships and interdependencies! Now superimpose on this complexity our desire and need to impose order.[read more]

Online reputation (via patientSI)

Think of social business intelligence as listening to posts across the entire spectrum of social media outlets. From what they learn on social channels, healthcare organizations could change their practices or positioning, refine the personalized information pushed out to individuals, create more focused contact lists, and more.[read more]

Hospitals & content management

More than a few marketing-savvy hospitals have grown from a simplistic and static Web presence to a dynamic, multi-layered Internet encounter with their many audiences and various messages. Hospital administrators and communications professionals have embraced content marketing.[read more]

The FDA has given the OK to digital health startup Nephosity to market its image viewing mobile app for diagnostic purposes. Nephosity said it received 510(k) clearance for use of its app in situations where a clinician doesn’t have access to the traditional means of viewing CT scans, MRIs and X-rays.[read more]

Future of prevention / shutterstock

Is Google competing with IBM’s Watson? Undoubtedly yes. On the other hand, I’m guessing Google is disenchanted with the consumer health space after the demise of its personal health record (PHR). And IBM seems to be focused on clinician decision support.[read more]

What's the definition of insanity?

This edition of the Health Wonk Review is a bit tongue-in-cheek, as I offer some interesting definitions of well-known words and make light of some of the more despair-inducing aspects of the world of health policy. Buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride![read more]

elder care robots / shutterstock

The aging population plus fewer family caregivers, fewer available human aides and relentless advances in technology are making the routine use of robotic assistants for the elderly all but inevitable. If and when I get old and am on my own, I’ll be ready for my robot or robots.[read more]

Primary-care physicians / shutterstock

As health systems maneuver to dominate regional markets, physician employment has become their principal lever. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are now precious commodities that can manage populations and steer patients into the system’s services.[read more]

EHR implementation race

According to a recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, only 31 percent of solo practitioners have an EHR system that meets the requirements for Meaningful Use Stage 1, compared to 62 percent of mid-sized practices and 82 percent of larger healthcare facilities.[read more]

Improving patient experience

“Consumer” engagement impacts patient engagement and patient satisfaction. And that strategy should include mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets to help you reach consumers through the convenient tools they use most often.[read more]