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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Bad Health IT: "People Aren’t Educated on How to Use the Internet"

The ultimate "blame the user" excuse for bad health IT comes from, of all places, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Washington Free Beacon <a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/harry-reid-people-arent-educated-on-how-to-use-the-internet/">http://freebeacon.com/issues/harry-reid-people-arent-educated-on-how-to-use-the-internet/</a> <time class="entry-date" datetime="2014-03-26T13:16:44+00:00" pubdate="">March 26, 2014 1:16 pm</time> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said the fault of struggling to sign up on the Obamacare exchanges didn’t lie with the faulty website, but with the people who weren’t “educated on how to use the Internet.” Explaining the reasoning behind the latest Obamacare delay, Reid said too many people just didn’t know to use their computer properly and needed more time. Apparently, it had nothing to do with the well-documented <a href="http://youtu.be/AAtgsizDWV0">failings of the website</a> that have embarrassed the White House for months.  [Really?  What an amazing theory about IT difficulties - ed.] “We have hundreds of thousands of people who tried to sign up who didn’t get through,” he said. “There are some people who are not like my grandchildren who can handle everything so easily on the Internet, and these people need a little extra time. It’s not — the example they gave us is a 63-year-old woman came into the store and said, ‘I almost got it. Every time I just about got there, it would cut me off.’  </blockquote> Obviously due to user error, not due to poor health IT. <blockquote class="tr_bq">We have a lot of people just like this through no fault of the Internet, but because people are not educated on how to use the Internet.”</blockquote> It's not the software designer's or website's fault, it's the fault of Americans, most of whom are dummies and who should know how to get around bad health IT's flaws.  Wow. That's why physicians complain about health IT too, no doubt.  They're dummies. Maybe Mr. Reed should speak with the inventor of the Internet, former Veep Al Gore, about that.  Mr. Gore can perhaps write a better "Internet Instruction Manual for Dummies." (I'll bet most of the dummies who "do not know how to use the Internet" have no problems using Amazon.com or eBay.) -- SS

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Bad Health IT: "People Aren’t Educated on How to Use the Internet"

The ultimate "blame the user" excuse for bad health IT comes from, of all places, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: Washington Fr...

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James Fallows - The Atlantic - "The Use and Misuse of Information Technology in Health Care"

<a class="author-name" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/james-fallows/">James Fallows</a>, a national correspondent for The Atlantic, wrote "The Use and Misuse of Information Technology in Health Care: Several Doctors Reply" at <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/the-use-and-misuse-of-information-technology-in-health-care-several-doctors-reply/284601/">http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/the-use-and-misuse-of-information-technology-in-health-care-several-doctors-reply/284601/</a> It includes several physician responses to an interview with health IT hyper-enthusiast David Blumenthal, former ONC director, at <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/the-paper-cure/358639/">http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/the-paper-cure/358639/</a>. It would be a poor use of your time for me to add commentary.  Simply read the pieces at the links above. The doctors' responses piece speaks for itself. (Actually. I will add commentary:  the sum total of all my posts on health IT here at HC Renewal blog dating to 2004, and all my writing at my site at <a href="http://cci.drexel.edu/faculty/ssilverstein/cases">http://cci.drexel.edu/faculty/ssilverstein/cases</a>/ dating to 1998.) -- SS

James Fallows - The Atlantic - "The Use and Misuse of Information Technology in Health Care"

James Fallows , a national correspondent for The Atlantic, wrote "The Use and Misuse of Information Technology in Health Care: Several ...

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This EHR "glitch" killed three-year-old Samuel Starr - but patient safety was not compromised

Actually, safety was compromised. I have written repeatedly that the term "glitch", an often-seen euphemism (usually accompanied with the phrase "but patient care/patient safety was not compromised"), is really a term for life-threatening health IT bugs and malfunctions.  See query link <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/glitch">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/glitch</a> for examples of health IT "glitches" (retrieves multiple posts). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyDXrISVqufhC1OX4Qiik6pFNxIueFaUkAZrjyxcKT2cpNF9zcS9pQkHYWyZMp8RxM6gPn8BG3vZAXtqUOUpVbf5Fv4AHrXgzHfB_JoT6Ou4Kup25VRYDSx5S_okwyCWmdy3K5LekH52x/s1600/Main-Samuel-Starr-3204412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyDXrISVqufhC1OX4Qiik6pFNxIueFaUkAZrjyxcKT2cpNF9zcS9pQkHYWyZMp8RxM6gPn8BG3vZAXtqUOUpVbf5Fv4AHrXgzHfB_JoT6Ou4Kup25VRYDSx5S_okwyCWmdy3K5LekH52x/s1600/Main-Samuel-Starr-3204412.jpg" width="150" /></a></div> Here's a "glitch" that tragically killed this boy: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Three-year-old boy dies after new NHS computer system delays heart treatment Mar 05, 2014 By James Tute <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/samuel-starr-death-nhs-computer-3209365">http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/samuel-starr-death-nhs-computer-3209365 </a> Coroner Maria Voisin rules that new booking system meant he did not receive life-saving treatment A three-year-old boy died in his parents' arms after a new NHS computer system failed to schedule him for a vital heart scan, a coroner has ruled. Samuel Starr was born with a congenital cardiac defect and needed surgery not long after he was born in 2010. Although he made a good recovery doctors said he would need regular tests to check on his progress. But he did not have a scan until 20 months after his first major operation because of a delay following the introduction of a new computer system, Cerner Millennium. When he finally had the appointment doctors found Samuel needed open heart surgery. During the procedure, Samuel had a stroke. A month later, after further complications, he died in the arms of his devastated parents, Catherine Holley and Paul Starr, at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.</blockquote> There are some in my field who would (and have) called incidents like this "anecdotes" or "bumps in the road." Yet, as I've recently posted, an internationally-renowned healthcare safety tester, ECRI Institute (<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/02/peering-underneath-icebergs-water-level.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/02/peering-underneath-icebergs-water-level.html</a>), and the medical malpractice insurer of the Harvard medical community, CRICO (<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/patient-safety-quality-healthcare.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/patient-safety-quality-healthcare.html</a>), have confirmed cases like this are no mere anecdotes.  I estimate from their numbers, and from cases known to me personally and from descriptions of others, that on the order of ten thousand (that's likely low) patients annually are being injured and/or die as a result of bad health IT in the U.S. alone.  Lack of transparency about such incidents impairs knowing the true numbers. <blockquote class="tr_bq">Ms Holley wept as she told the hearing of the moment she kissed her son goodbye, saying: "He was a kind and gentle boy with a great understanding of the world. "As we read Samuel his favourite stories, he died in our arms." Avon Coroner Maria Voisin, recording a narrative conclusion, ruled the booking system meant Samuel was not seen and did not receive treatment.</blockquote> This case somewhat reminds me of the case of a newborn whose x-ray test was done, but never looked at due to a bug in the software that scheduled films to be read, see <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/babys-death-spotlights-safety-risks.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/babys-death-spotlights-safety-risks.html</a>, case #2 <blockquote class="tr_bq">Concluding a three-day inquest at Flax Bourton Coroner's Court in North Somerset, Ms Voisin said: "Samuel Starr was born with a complex cardiac disease. "He required surgery and regular check-ups at outpatients to manage his conditions.  "Due to the failure of the hospital outpatients booking system there was a five month delay in Samuel being seen and receiving treatment. "Samuel's heart was disadvantaged and he died following urgent surgery."</blockquote> Just a "glitch." <blockquote class="tr_bq">Doctors diagnosed that Samuel had a restricted pulmonary artery - causing blood to easily flow away from his heart to his lungs - during a 20-week scan in pregnancy ... On March 3, 2010, Samuel underwent open heart surgery at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. He was discharged six days later and referred to the Paediatric Cardiac Clinic at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath for check-ups. In October 2010, Samuel had his first check-up, in which an echocardiogram, also known as an "echo", was carried out. Ms Holley said she was told the procedure would be next carried out early in the new year. But it did not happen until April 2011 and an echo was not performed.  Paediatric cardiologist Dr Andrew Tometzki told the inquest he did not "deem it necessary" on that day to carry out the echo scan. Dr Tometzki then ordered a further review - where an echo scan would be carried out - in nine months' time. Samuel's parents did not receive information about the check-up and raised their concerns with community children's nurse Clare Mees. Ms Mees, who works for Sirona Lifetime Services, said she would chase up the matter with Dr Tometzki's secretary. Medical secretary Annabelle Attridge insisted she had taken details and forwarded them on to a dedicated appointments team. However, the inquest heard "glitch problems" with a new booking system meant the appointment was not logged.  </blockquote> Apparently not due to human fault: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Paediatric clinic co-ordinator Donna McMahon said while Samuel's medical records had been created on the new Millennium computer programme, no appointments had been transferred across.</blockquote> Just a "glitch."  Just a "bump in the road." <blockquote class="tr_bq">Ms McMahon said she was first aware of the appointment delay when she received an email from nurse Ms Mees in May 2012. Samuel did not have the vital check-up until June 21. Coroner Ms Voisin added: "This overall failure led to a five month delay in Samuel being seen by his cardiologist. "This meant Samuel had not been seen for five months and had not had an echo for 20 months." His parents were horrified when Dr Tometzki informed them Samuel required heart surgery that spring.</blockquote> Just a "glitch."  Just a "bump in the road." <blockquote class="tr_bq">... "Just hours before his operation Samuel was dancing around the ward and telling the nurses all about Spiderman - we had to remind him to quieten down," Ms Holley said. Samuel's chest was closed on August 8. As he was brought out of sedation on August 9, he suffered a stroke and cardiac arrests. "It is clear that if the surgery had been performed earlier, the procedure would have been the same," Ms Voisin said. But she said expert evidence found that as time went on "the more complicated the surgery is, as the more disadvantaged the heart is and the more difficult it is to get over the operation".</blockquote> Delays in care of fragile patients - in this case a young child, but in many other cases, ED and ICU patients of all ages - is very unwise. <blockquote class="tr_bq">Samuel's condition continued to deteriorate and on September 6 his parents were recommended for treatment to be withdrawn after he had a second cardiac arrest. The coroner said she would not write a report making recommendations to the hospital, as changes had already been implemented.</blockquote> Likely, workarounds to bad health IT, inviting future catastrophe. In my view, many cases such as this never make headlines, as the findings ignore the role of the IT and blame people, cases are settled with gag clauses, patients (who survive) or family are never told of the role of the IT, or lawsuits prove too expensive or too unpleasant to pursue. But patient safety is never compromised by "glitches", and regulation will just stifle innovation. My condolences to the parents.  I've suffered a death in my own family as a result of health IT, and I'm a specialist in the field.  Laypeople have no chance. One should pray the next child affected in this way is not one's own. -- SS Mar. 25, 2014 addendum:   Also see these related posts, the first mentioning "teething problems", another euphemism for potentially-deadly EHR malfunctions: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Cerner's Blitzkrieg on London: Where's the RAF?  <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/08/cerners-blitzkrieg-on-london-wheres-raf.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/08/cerners-blitzkrieg-on-london-wheres-raf.html</a>  North Bristol Hits Appointment Problems: Another "Our Lousy IT Systems Screwed Up, But Patient Safety Was Never Compromised" Story <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2012/01/another-our-crappy-computers-screwed-up.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2012/01/another-our-crappy-computers-screwed-up.html</a></blockquote> -- SS

This EHR "glitch" killed three-year-old Samuel Starr - but patient safety was not compromised

Actually, safety was compromised. I have written repeatedly that the term "glitch", an often-seen euphemism (usually accompanied w...

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Turnabout is Fair Play - Why University of Illinois Students, Faculty and Alumni Should Question the Dean of Medicine about Novartis' Ethical Misadventures

Since 2006, we have posted repeatedly about  what was then a new species of severe conflicts of interest.  This occurred when leaders of academic medical institutions or other health care non-profit organizations or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also serve as members of <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/boards%20of%20directors">boards of directors</a> of for-profit corporations  whose products and actions have major effects on health care. Most recently, we <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/03/american-board-of-internal-medicine.html">discussed </a>the cases of the current CEO of the National Quality Forum and past CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine who was found to be on the board of for-profit hospital group purchasing organization Premier Inc, and had been on the board of its privately held but for-profit predecessors.  We also <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/incoming-president-of-iom-outed-as.html">discussed</a> the case of the incoming president of the US Institute of Medicine and former Chancellor of Health Affairs at Duke University who was on the boards of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic and Pepsico. We also recently <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/03/better-late-than-never-jama-article.html">posted</a> about the first time these sorts of severe conflicts of interest issue have been addressed in a large circulation medical journal.  A commentary in JAMA called for many such conflicts to be banned. The JAMA article, and much of the discussion surrounding the NQF and IOM cases focused on how loyalties to outside for-profit corporations could affect leaders of academic and other non-profit organizations.  However, we also noted (e.g., <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-carefusion-dr-denham-nqf-leapfrog.html">here</a> and <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/incoming-president-of-iom-outed-as.html">here</a>) how company directors should be accountable for the actions of their companies, even if they also happen to also be academic or non-profit leaders.  Thus, academic and non-profit leaders may find themselves in the awkward position of being held accountable for unethical or even illegal actions of the companies on whose boards they sit.  Such corporate actions may contradict the mission of the institutions whose leadership is their primary job, and whose mission they are supposed to uphold.  While we were writing about these somewhat convoluted, but very important issues, a fellow blogger discovered yet another academic leader serving on the board of a health care corporation, while simultaneously the media reported multiple examples of that corporation's ethical misadventures on his watch.  Those who care about that academic institution ought to question whether a leader accountable for such misadventures is fit to continue to lead.  Yet so far, no one has publicly juxtaposed this leaders' responsibilities to his institution's mission and how the corporation over which he is supposed to exercise stewardship has been taking actions that contradict that mission The Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Is a Director of Novartis Paul Levy, blogging on Not Running a Hospital, <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/01/time-to-fire-somebody.html">noted </a>a print advertisement for the Intuitive Surgical daVinci robot.  The advertisement implied endorsements by academic surgeons at the University of Illinois.  Levy suggested that surgical faculty acting as salespeople for a device company appeared to violate the university code of conduct.  This <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/01/where-is-ui-board-of-trustees.html">concern was heightened</a> by the status of several of the surgeons in the advertisement as clinical and academic leaders.     Mr Levy then <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-fish-rots.html">discovered</a> that the Dr Dimitri Azar, Dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, to whom these surgeon report, was on the board of Novartis, the multinational pharmaceutical and device company.  Dr Azar's position is easily verified by consulting the <a href="http://www.novartis.com/about-novartis/people/board-directors.shtml">Novartis web-site</a>.  Mr Levy further discussed the case <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-much-should-dean-be-paid-who-should.html">here</a> and <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/02/all-in-days-work-700000-450000.html">here</a>.  Then he  <a href="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-matter-of-public-trust.html">reviewed</a>  the extensive dealings between the University of Illinois and Novartis and its subsidiaries, raising suspicion that the Dean's known involvement with the company may have lead to its favorable treatment by the university. But wait, there is another major dimension to this problem.  Novartis' Recent Ethical Misadventures Novartis, over which Dr Azar is supposed to be exerting stewardship, has made a series of ethical missteps according to recent media reports.  I will summarize them in chronological order according to the date of media publication. Novartis, Roche Fined for Anti-Competitive and Deceptive Practices in Italy to Encourage Sales of Lucentis According to a March 5, 2014 <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/business/international/italy-fines-novartis-and-roche-in-collusion-case.html">article</a> in the New York Times, Novartis was fined for anti-competitive and deceptive practices,  <blockquote class="tr_bq">Italian antitrust authorities said on Wednesday that they had fined two Swiss pharmaceutical companies, Novartis and Roche Holdings, a total of $250 million for colluding to keep doctors from prescribing a relatively inexpensive eye treatment in favor of a more expensive drug. <div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="436" data-total-count="723" itemprop="articleBody">The authorities said the two companies had sought to steer doctors away from Avastin, an anticancer drug developed by Genentech that has been used for years as an off-label treatment for common eye problems. Instead, they said, the companies had tried to 'channel demand toward the much more expensive drug Lucentis, through an artificial distinction between the two products,' essentially by overstating the dangers of Avastin use.</div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="235" data-total-count="958" itemprop="articleBody"> </div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="235" data-total-count="958" itemprop="articleBody">It is not the first time such substitution efforts have brought an unwanted spotlight: Genentech got into trouble in the United States in 2010, when it was found to be offering doctors <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/business/04eye.html?pagewanted=all" title="Previous coverage of the rebates.">secret rebates</a> to prescribe Lucentis over Avastin.</div> Novartis, which holds the rights to market the two drugs outside the United States, has been fined 92 million euros by the Italian regulators. And Roche, which acquired Genentech in 2009, was fined 90.5 million euros, for a total of about $250 million in the Italian case. </blockquote> Given that many drug companies have been cited for marketing their products for unapproved, or off-label uses, it is ironic that in this case, Novartis managers said they were shocked, shocked by the ruling because it could encourage off-label use: <blockquote class="tr_bq"> Novartis said in a statement that the Italian decision 'openly encourages and promotes the widespread unlicensed intravitreal use of Avastin contrary to the requirements of European and Italian regulatory law,' and 'undermines the European regulatory framework designed to protect patient safety.'</blockquote> The NY Times also reported that one method the two companies were alleged to use to encourage Lucentis rather than Avastin use was to launder their message through patient advocacy groups, <blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="230" data-total-count="4756" itemprop="articleBody">The Italian authorities discovered numerous messages between Roche and Novartis in which the two companies discussed what kinds of communications would be needed to induce doctors and hospitals to adopt the more expensive product.</div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="230" data-total-count="4756" itemprop="articleBody"> </div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="313" data-total-count="5069" itemprop="articleBody">According to one such message from early 2013, cited in documents in the case released Wednesday, growing cost pressure in Italy and France to use Avastin had 'reinforced the political dimension of the debate,' and 'further reinforcement of the Lucentis value proposition to all stakeholders is critical.'</div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="239" data-total-count="5308" itemprop="articleBody"> </div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="239" data-total-count="5308" itemprop="articleBody">Another message called for the companies to 'work with diabetes patient groups to increase voiced concerns about safety risks of unlicensed therapies' — a reference to Avastin — for an eye condition known as diabetic macular edema.</div></blockquote><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="239" data-total-count="5308" itemprop="articleBody"> </div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="239" data-total-count="5308" itemprop="articleBody">Novartis Paid Doctors to Act as Marketers for Starlix and Other Drug</div><div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="239" data-total-count="5308" itemprop="articleBody"> </div>After the New York state attorney general filed suit against Novartis, a March 15, 2014 Newsday <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/novartis-gave-doctors-thousands-to-prescribe-pills-feds-allege-1.7404245">article</a> included interviews with physicians that suggested how the company turned them into disguised marketers: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Dr. Howard Brand says he had one goal when he gave a speech at a Miami hotel in the early 2000s -- to tout the diabetes pill Starlix for the pharmaceutical company Novartis.  The giant Swiss drugmaker, which reported $57.9 billion in global sales in 2013, paid the Stony Brook endocrinologist $1,500 for his talk at a doctors' meeting, Brand said in an interview. Novartis also paid for Brand's airfare and his weekend hotel stay, he said. 'It was self-serving, but I also thought it was a benefit to patients,' said Brand,...</blockquote> Furthermore, <blockquote class="tr_bq"> Brand, the Miami speaker, said in an interview that investigators had not approached him about the payments he accepted. He said Novartis paid him a total of $10,000 to $12,000 for speeches, mostly at restaurant dinners it sponsored. The payments, which Brand said he received before 2010, are not reflected on the Novartis website. ' Even [with] the notion that we were paid solicitors, I think people really paid attention,' he said. 'Of course, a lot of doctors just enjoyed going to dinner.' Brand said he accepted more than $60,000 in speaker's fees from drugmakers, including Novartis, in one two-year period. </blockquote> Another physician allowed that Novartis furnished the material for his "educational" talks, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Dr. Howard Hertz, a Babylon internist, confirmed that he had received $4,000 from Novartis in 2010 and 2011 for talking about its hypertension drugs to colleagues. Hertz said he dealt with a Novartis sales rep who brought information about the company's pills to his office. 'He would educate me about the product, give me slides to study,' he said. Hertz said the slides were on CDs and made him an expert on Novartis drugs such as Diovan, a blood pressure pill, Lotrel and Valturna. He said he spoke mostly about Diovan and Lotrel. 'We had dinners whereby I would speak about the products and speak to the colleagues,' Hertz said. 'I became somewhat of an expert in these products.'</blockquote> Note that Dr Hertz's expertise seemed to come exclusively from information provided by a company salesperson, making it obvious that he was not hired for his prior expertise as a physician. The prosecutors allege that Novartis' payments of some $65 million amounted to illegal kickbacks.  This is only an allegation.  However, it seems obvious that Novartis paid physicians to act as salespeople.  Newsday asked bioethicist Arthur Caplan about these actions, <blockquote class="tr_bq">'To even hear about it just takes my breath away,' Caplan said. 'It sounds like egregious, inexcusable violations of agreed upon legal and ethical standards . . . with an inexcusably complicit group of physicians,' Caplan said.</blockquote> Japanese Hospital Investigation Alleged Novartis Manipulated Research A March 17, 2014 <a href="http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/tokyo-hospital-exec-says-novartis-employees-deeply-involved-leukemia-drug-t/2014-03-17">article</a> in FiercePharma stated that Japanese investigators found that Novartis had manipulated clinical research to make its results appear more favorable to the company's products, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Novartis employees were more involved in a Japanese drug study than previously suspected, a Tokyo hospital official said. In an investigative report released last week, the University of Tokyo Hospital said doctors not only let Novartis  employees collect patient data from various trial sites but also allowed the Swiss drugmaker into its records on all 255 trial participants, Japanese media reports. Plus, at least one Novartis employee was involved in planning the trial, designed to compare side effects of multiple leukemia treatments, the hospital found, according to Japan's Mainichi news. Those treatments included Tasigna<a href="http://www.fiercepharma.com/tags/tasigna"></a>, the company's follow-up to the hugely successful Gleevec (imatinib). In fact, according to NHK World, hospital director Takashi Kadowaki said Friday that Novartis employees were 'virtually managing the study.' </blockquote> <a href="http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140315p2a00m0na006000c.html">According to Mainichi</a>, this sort of clinical research manipulation is taken very seriously in Japan, <blockquote class="tr_bq"> Senior Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare officials called the case a serious situation and said the researchers involved showed a lack of ethics. They called for a detailed investigative report from the hospital and are considering punitive measures. The ministry will consider a new law to prevent corruption in clinical tests in the wake of a scandal involving the clinical trial of antihypertensive drug Valsartan.</blockquote> It is obvious this story is not from the US, because the drug company has already apologized, <blockquote class="tr_bq"> A representative for Novartis Pharma's PR division said, 'We want to apologize to patients and doctors. We must refrain from comment on the investigation, which is being handled outside our company.'</blockquote> Indian Regulator Cancels Import License Alleging Fraud by Novartis to Market Veterinary Drug A March 18, 2014 <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/novartis-might-face-legal-action-penalty-for-faking-documents-114031800760_1.html">article</a> in the New Delhi Business Standard told how Indian regulators accused Novartis of fraud, opening with, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Swiss drug maker Novaris is likely to face legal action for allegedly faking documents to seek registration of its veterinary product Tiamulin Hydrogen Fumarate (80 per cent granules) in India. The drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)), has already cancelled the company’s import licences as well as existing registration certificate for the product.</blockquote> Summary So in just the last few weeks, evidence appeared that Novartis engaged in collusive anti-competitive and deceptive practices marketing drugs in Italy, paid physicians to act as marketers in the US, manipulated drug studies in Japan, and lost an import license in India due to alleged fraud.  By the way, in 2013, Novartis was fined for anti-competitive practices in its marketing of Fentanyl by the European Commission (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-camels-aching-back-johnson-and.html">here</a>), and in 2011 its Sandoz subsidiary settled allegations of misreporting prices in the US for $150 million (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/12/legal-settlements-have-become-so-common.html">here</a>)   Other Novartis misadventures from 2010 and earlier appear <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/Novartis">here</a>.  So Novartis has quite an impressive, if not infamous record of ethical failures. While he is Dean of medicine at the University of Illinois, Dr Dimitri Azar is also a director of Novartis, and hence has a fiduciary duty for the company's stewarship.  While questioning Dr Azar's role in the participation of his faculty in advertising for Intuitive Surgical, perhaps those who care about the reputation of the University of Illinois and its ability to fulfill its mission ought to ask how the poor ethical track record of the company Dr Azar is supposed to be overseeing reflects on his ability to defend the mission of the university and the medical school. While parties that enable or enter into arrangements that create conflicts of interest in health care may be thinking mainly of the advantages that they may accrue, many of these arrangements create accountability and obligations, even if they are honored mainly in the breach.  If leaders of academic medicine and health care non-profit organizations insist on becoming directors, and hence stewards of for-profit health care corporations, they ought to be held accountable for the actions of these corporations, and how these actions reflect on their primary obligations to the academic and non-profit organizations they have also pledged to serve. True health care reform would make health care leaders accountable for putting patients' and the public's health ahead of their own self-interest.

Turnabout is Fair Play - Why University of Illinois Students, Faculty and Alumni Should Question the Dean of Medicine about Novartis' Ethical Misadventures

Since 2006, we have posted repeatedly about what was then a new species of severe conflicts of interest. This occurred when leaders of aca...

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EHR recall: Use of this affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death

Here is another example of a grossly defective health IT product, this from last year but only posted by FDA publicly on 3/14/2014 at <a href="http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm389356.htm">http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm389356.htm</a><a href="http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ListofRecalls/ucm389328.htm" target="_blank"></a>: "There was an occurrence where the patient case data did not match the patient data when the case was recalled in the Anesthesia Care Record (ACR) in that it included data from another case. Use of this affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death." One wonders why problems like this are found in the field when real patients are involved, not in the testing lab...could it have to do with lack of regulatory oversight? Other examples of recalled bad health IT that I know of, including FDA-initiated recalls, are here:  <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2012/07/health-it-fda-recall-philips-xcelera.html" target="_blank">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2012/07/health-it-fda-recall-philips-xcelera.html</a>, <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/12/fda-recalls-health-it-software-because.html" target="_blank">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/12/fda-recalls-health-it-software-because.html</a> , <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-good-way-to-cynernetically-harm-or.html" target="_blank">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-good-way-to-cynernetically-harm-or.html</a>. Also note the FDA advisory:  Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these products to <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/" target="_blank">MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program</a> either online, by regular mail or by FAX: <div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ListofRecalls/ucm389328.htm" target="_blank">http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ListofRecalls/ucm389328.htm</a>  McKesson Technologies, McKesson Anesthesia Care – Patient Case Data May Not Match Patient Data Recall Class: Class I  Date Recall Initiated: March 15, 2013  Product: McKesson Anesthesia Care  Use: The device is a computer-based system which collects, processes, and records data both through manual entry and from monitors which are attached to patients, such as in an operating room environment. The system provides clinical decision support by communicating potential adverse drug event alerts proactively during the pre-anesthesia evaluation and at the point-of-care. The system is generally indicated in the anesthetizing environment when the anesthesia provider decides to perform a patient assessment, to generate a paper and/or electronic record of the administration of anesthesia to a patient, and to document care.  Recalling Firm: McKesson Technologies, Inc. 5995 Windward Parkway Alpharetta, Georgia 30005  Reason for Recall: There was an occurrence where the patient case data did not match the patient data when the case was recalled in the Anesthesia Care Record (ACR) in that it included data from another case. Use of this affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death. Public Contact: Customers with questions may contact McKesson Customer Support at <a href="tel:1-800-442-6767" target="_blank" value="+18004426767">1-800-442-6767</a> (option 3). For questions regarding this recall, call <a href="tel:404-338-3556" target="_blank" value="+14043383556">404-338-3556</a>.  FDA District: Atlanta District Office  FDA Comments: On March 15, 2013, the firm initiated a Clinical Alert which was distributed to potentially affected customers. Phone calls were placed to each customer, followed up by an email. The firm provided their customers with written copies of the communication and Clinical Alert; and obtained acknowledgement that they read and understood the issue and preventive action to take. Customers with questions were instructed to contact McKesson Customer Support at <a href="tel:1-800-442-6767" target="_blank" value="+18004426767">1-800-442-6767</a> (option 3). For questions regarding this recall, call <a href="tel:404-338-3556" target="_blank" value="+14043383556">404-338-3556</a>. Class I recalls are the most serious type of recall and involve situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of these products will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.  Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these products to <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/" target="_blank">MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program</a> either online, by regular mail or by FAX.</blockquote> I encourage clinicians to take advantage of MedWatch with regard to bad health IT, anonymously if necessary to avoid internal repercussions or retaliation from executives who've spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the IT, and whose bonuses and promotions might be tied into its "success." -- SS</div>

EHR recall: Use of this affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death

Here is another example of a grossly defective health IT product, this from last year but only posted by FDA publicly on 3/14/2014 at http:/...

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Better Late than Never - JAMA Article Advocates Banning Academic Medical Leaders from Serving on Many Health Care Corporate Boards

Will wonders never cease? Eight years after we started posting about this issue, it has made it into a large circulation medical journal, albeit not completely A JAMA Commentary Decries Leaders of Academic Medical Centers Serving on Boards of Organizations with Conflicting Priorities A recent JAMA commentary(1) noted the importance of conflicts of interest affecting top leaders of academic medicine, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Conflict of interest is particularly relevant for those in the upper echelons of academic health system leadership—presidents, vice presidents, provosts, deans, chief executive officers, and the senior administrators who report to them. </blockquote> (The article oddly omitted discussing conflicts of interest affecting the boards of trustees of such institutions, who are charged with their stewardship.) Anyway, the authors' rationale was that, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Unlike most faculty and staff, senior institutional officials are involved in financial and business decisions, including purchasing, resource allocation, and development of corporate partnerships, and have fiduciary responsibility to the entire institution. In addition, it is critical that the public, students, employees, and faculty maintain confidence in the integrity of institutional leaders. Leaders have a responsibility to set an example for others in their institution, especially for those training to be health care professionals. Independence and integrity of judgment are core precepts of professionalism. Every employee, faculty member, and student in an academic health system should feel confident that their leaders are making decisions based on the best interests of the institution and not driven by biases secondary to financial connections to outside corporate entities. </blockquote> So, <blockquote class="tr_bq">Having a fiduciary responsibility to 2 separate entities is at best a very difficult situation. Will the leader direct business inappropriately to the outside company on whose board he or she sits? Will the leader inappropriately use information about the institution he or she leads to influence decisions by the outside corporation? It is difficult to separate these types of activities and decisions. In addition, there are administrative costs associated with the management of this level of conflict, and such relationships might have a 'chilling effect' on other companies that could do business with the academic health system. Beyond service on fiduciary boards, undertaking any paid role (consulting, participation on advisory boards, etc) with an outside entity with interests that overlap those of the leader’s institution raises the same issues. </blockquote> The authors stressed that the most intense conflicts are generated by service on the boards of directors of "organizations with interests that overlap those of the academic health system."  Presumably they would have included among such organizations health care corporations that sell goods or services that might be used within academic medical centers, and/or be the subject of teaching or research by faculty at these centers, although the article did not make that explicit. The authors suggested such conflicts are not infrequent, noting a survey by Campbell et al of department chairs in academic medical institutions that showed a majority had some sort of relationships with industry, although they did not specify what these relationships were.  In fact, the Campbell article did report that 11% of department chairs admitted to being on the board of directors of companies that had activities that related to the chairs' academic or administrative responsibilities.(2) Finally, the authors called for banning most such conflicts <blockquote class="tr_bq">the fiduciary responsibilities of presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, chief executive officers, and those who report to them should preclude a paid relationship with an outside entity in related and relevant areas,...  </blockquote> Note however that they did offer some loopholes. <blockquote class="tr_bq">unless a case can be made that there is a compelling institutional interest in the leader’s service in such a role, or if the role with the outside organization is outside the scope of the leader’s role at the academic health system.</blockquote> Despite the omissions and loopholes, this is a very significant article.  It is the first challenge to such severe conflicts of interest affecting academic medicine to appear as an article in a major medical journal, at least to my knowledge.  You Heard It Here First However, on Health Care Renewal we have been attempting to challenge such conflicts for at least eight years. In 2006 we first <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/03/new-species-of-conflict-of-interest-in.html">discussed</a> a newly discovered species of conflict of interest in health care, in which leaders of medical or health care organizations were simultaneously serving on boards of directors of health care corporations. We posited these conflicts would be particularly important because being on the board of directors entails not just a financial incentive.  It ostensibly requires board members to "demonstrate unyielding loyalty to the company's shareholders" [Per Monks RAG, Minow N. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Governance-Robert-G-Monks/dp/1405116986">Corporate Governance</a>, 3rd edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. P.200.]  Of course, after the global financial collapse of 2008 made us sadder and a little wiser, we realized that many board members actually seem to have unyielding loyalty to their cronies among top management.  However, in any case, the stated or actual interests of a member of the board of a health care corporation, like a pharmaceutical company or medical device company, could be very different and at odds with the mission of an academic medical institution or a non-profit ostensibly dedicated to improving health care quality. Vivid Cases Would Strengthen the Argument It is odd that the JAMA article included very little evidence about the occurrence of such conflicts of interest.  It really is not hard to find.  Since 2006, we have discussed numerous cases of such conflicts of interest. The case that first attracted <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/01/california-nightmares-more-troubles-at.html">our attention</a> was that of Marye Anne Fox, the then Chancellor of the University of California - San Diego, a major campus of the state university that includes a medical school.  January, 2006 media reports noted that Chancellor Fox was simultaneously servingon 10 corporate boards, including those of two health care corporations, Boston Scientific, a medical device company, and Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc (PPDI), a for-profit contract research organization.  At the time, I wrote, <blockquote class="tr_bq">having ultimate leadership responsibilities for a medical school and medical center, while also having ultimate fiduciary responsibilities for the management of a medical device company and a contract medical research company amounts to the biggest conflicts of interest I have ever seen.   </blockquote> Nonetheless, beyond local media, the case got little attention at the time.  What attention it did get focused on the magnitude of Chancellor Fox's commitments to outside organizations, not the conflicts they apparently caused (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/02/academic-medical-leaders-as-corporate.html">here</a>).  Chancellor Fox apparently retired from the PPDI board in 2008 (look <a href="http://www.grace.com/about/leadership/BoardOfDirectors.aspx">here</a>) but did not retire from the Boston Scientific Board until 2011 (look <a href="http://www.massdevice.com/news/boston-scientific-co-founder-john-abele-leave-board">here</a>).  Since then, we found many more striking cases. -  A month later, there was the <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/02/tale-of-three-ironies-university-of.html">case</a> of the president of the University of Miami, a board member of for-profit health insurance company UnitedHealth, whose lowest paid employees were on strike to protest their lack of health insurance, among other issues. -  It turned out the UnitedHealth board in particular seemed to be a refuge for multiple academic leaders, at least one of whom seemed partly responsible for allowing the then UnitedHealth CEO to collect many backdated stock options (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-entangled-web-unitedhealth-case.html">here</a>).. -  Then there was the 2008 case of the conflict of interest involving an anti-health company.  After Virginia Commonwealth University was criticized for taking money from giant tobacco company Philip Morris for medical research, it turned out that the then president of the university, Eugene Trani, was on the board of another tobacco company, Universal Corp (see post <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2008/05/worse-variant-of-new-species-of.html">here</a>). -  Then, in 2009, some attributed the problems at George Washington University's medical school that caused it to be put on probation to the conflict of interest of its provost and vice president for health affairs, John F Williams, who also sat on the board of Universal Health Services, which owned the university hospital (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/02/conflicts-of-interest-and-george.html">here</a>).  We posted about a number of other colorful cases since then (look <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/boards%20of%20directors">here</a>) Although this evidence is admittedly case based and therefore anecdotal, it could be used to highlight the importance of the problem and develop support for its solution. A Welcome Addition to Previous Recommendations about Countering Conflicts of Interest For whatever reason, this issue somehow seemed to escape the attention of many of those who have written about conflicts of interest in health care.  Even those who advocated taking a harder line on conflicts of interest have generally avoided this issue. Brennan et al made recommendations about reducing conflicts of interest in 2006, but focused on students and faculty, not top leaders and executives (see post <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/02/academic-medical-leaders-as-corporate.html">here</a>).(3)  The 2009 <a href="http://www.iom.edu/Activities/Workforce/ConflictOfInterest.aspx">Institute of Medicine report</a> set relatively tough standards for managing conflicts of interest affecting clinical research and teaching, which unfortunately since have largely been ignored.  It did call for senior institutional officials to disclose their conflicts of interest, and for institutional boards of trustees to form conflicts of interest committees that would exclude conflicted individuals, but otherwise did not address conflicts of interest affecting academic leaders or institutional trustees.  The 2013 <a href="http://www.pewhealth.org/reports-analysis/reports/conflicts-of-interest-policies-for-academic-medical-centers-85899514090">Pew Charitable Trusts Conflicts-of-Interest Policies for Academic Medical Centers </a>suggested restrictions on conflicts affecting faculty, trainees, and students, but again did not mention senior institutional leaders or boards of trustees. Conclusion So it is very nice to see that the issue of what we once called a new species of conflict of interest finally has made the big time.  Whether it now gets any traction remains to be seen.  Unfortunately, since conflicts of interest can be so profitable for the directly affected parties, I fully expect they will continue to oppose any restrictions.  The money they have made will likely be used to deploy marketing and public relations personnel and legal counsel to counter any attempts to try to make this aspect of health care more honest. As we have said again and again, the web of conflicts of interest that is pervasive in medicine and health care is now threatening to strangle medicine and health care.  For patients and the public to trust health care professionals and health care organizations, they need to know that these individuals and organizations are putting patients' and the public's health ahead of private gain. Health care professionals who care for patients, those who teach about medicine and health care, clinical researchers, and those who make medical and health care policy should do so free from conflicts of interest that might inhibit their abilities to put patients and the public's health first.  References 1. Pisano ED, Golden RN,Schweitzer L. Conflict of interest policies for academic health system leaders who work with outside corporations.  JAMA 2014;311(11):1111-1112. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.788  Link <a href="https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1841978">here</a>. 2.  Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Ehringhaus S et al.  Institutional academic-industry relationships.  JAMA 2007;298(15):1779-1786. doi:10.1001/jama.298.15.1779.  Link <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=209192">here</a>. 3,  Brennan TA, Rothman DJ, Blank L et al.  Health industry practices that create conflicts of interest.  a policy proposal for academic medical centers.  JAMA  2006;295(4):429-433. doi:10.1001/jama.295.4.429  Link <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=202261">here</a>.

Better Late than Never - JAMA Article Advocates Banning Academic Medical Leaders from Serving on Many Health Care Corporate Boards

Will wonders never cease? Eight years after we started posting about this issue, it has made it into a large circulation medical journal, al...

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Forbes contributor Nicole Fisher, claimed proponent of healthcare human rights, writes long article on EHRs that neglects to mention patient harm

The field of health IT lives a charmed life. Even self-stated human rights advocates in healthcare won't seem to broach the topic of EHR-related harms and lack of informed consent processes regarding their use in a patient's care, even when authors openly state their concerns for patient and human rights. This is despite known harms at potentially alarming levels as indicated by organizations including the IOM, FDA, ECRI Institute, AHRQ, Harvard Med Mal insurer CRICO, The Joint Commission, NHS in the UK, and others. Forbes contributor Nicole Fisher (<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/</a>) published an article in Forbes dated 3/18/2014 and entitled "Electronic Health Records - Expensive, Disruptive And Here To Stay" (<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2014/03/18/electronic-health-records-expensive-disruptive-and-here-to-stay/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2014/03/18/electronic-health-records-expensive-disruptive-and-here-to-stay/</a>). You can read the article at the above link.  It focuses on physician distraction and dissatisfaction, poor usability and usefulness, expense, and related issues.  Of course, quotes from HHS figure prominently. Nowhere, however, is mention of EHR-related harms to patients, such as reported by the aforementioned organizations mentioned - as in this very small sample list of posts, which contain links to source: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare: "CRICO Malpractice Claims Analysis Confirms Risks in EHRs" <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/patient-safety-quality-healthcare.html">hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/patient-safety-quality-healthcare.html</a> Peering Underneath the Iceberg's Water Level: ECRI "Deep Dive" Study of Health IT "Events" <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/02/peering-underneath-icebergs-water-level.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/02/peering-underneath-icebergs-water-level.html</a> Internal FDA memorandum on HIT risks <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/08/smoking-gun-internal-fda-memorandum-of.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/08/smoking-gun-internal-fda-memorandum-of.html</a> IOM Report - "Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care" <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/11/iom-report-on-health-it-safety-nix-fda.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/11/iom-report-on-health-it-safety-nix-fda.html</a> EHRs and Deadly glitches <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/glitch">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/glitch</a> (multiple posts) Not to forget issues of breach of privacy:  <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/medical%20record%20privacy">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/medical%20record%20privacy</a> (multiple posts)</blockquote> Nor are mentioned the issues of the experimental, unregulated nature of this technology, and the lack of any informed consent process regarding patient's rights to decide whether or not to have these systems used in their care. The only mention of "unintended consequences" links to "<a href="http://www.emrandhipaa.com/guest/2014/03/11/unintended-icd-10-consequences-inadequate-clinical-documentation-can-negatively-impact-physician-profiles-icd-10-tuesdays/">Unintended ICD-10 Consequences: Inadequate Clinical Documentation Can Negatively Impact Physician Profiles</a>." This is in my view disappointing, and seems to be yet another extraordinary healthcare IT industry accommodation, remarkable for an author with the following bio (emphases mine): <blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/</a> Nicole Fisher is the Founder and Principal at HHR Strategies, a health care and human rights focused advising firm. Additionally, she is a Senior Policy Advisor and health policy expert on health economic analyses mainly focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and health reform, specifically as they impact women and children. Nicole runs a Health Innovation and Policy page at Forbes.com highlighting and advising companies, ideas and people that are changing the health care landscape. She is also currently pursuing her PhD at the University of North Carolina in the Health Policy and Management Department. Her writing has appeared in other publications such as Health Affairs, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Journal, Wright on Health, The Health Care Blog and Health Services Research. Before pursuing her PhD in health policy, Nicole earned her Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri. Her health care and policy work at those institutions had an emphasis on underserved populations, women's and children’s issues. She presides on several Boards for domestic and international health organizations and frequently speaks on health reform and human rights.</blockquote> One might conclude the computer has more rights than the patient and the clinician via this Forbes piece. Finally, although I am a domain specialist (<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2013/february/18/scot-silverstein-health-information-technology.aspx">http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2013/february/18/scot-silverstein-health-information-technology.aspx</a>), I am getting rather tired of having to point out the obvious to major media outlets and writers, in essence doing their homework for them.  I'm sure other bloggers feel the same way.  The title of the Forbes piece should have been "Electronic Health Records - Expensive, Disruptive, Deadly." To the author of the Forbes piece and other HIT writers, here is the face (and gravestone) of someone injured by this "disruptive" technology.   <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-mother-passed-away.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-mother-passed-away.html</a> A few babies too:  <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/babys-death-spotlights-safety-risks.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/06/babys-death-spotlights-safety-risks.html</a> A family man:  <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-death-that-wasnt-very-sweet-how_24.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-death-that-wasnt-very-sweet-how_24.html</a> I know of others from my legal work supporting the EHR-related injured and deceased that I cannot mention.  And I am but one person. If health IT were causing rapes** and child abuse, rather then merely causing mundane severe injuries and equally mundane deaths, would the media would pay more attention? -- SS ** I sadly note that EHR's without proper security measures in force actually did enable rape-like behavior in 2011, as at "EHR as Molestation Candidate Selector: What was this Resident looking for in the EHR before 'examining' female patients?" at <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-was-this-medical-resident-looking.html">http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-was-this-medical-resident-looking.html</a>.

Forbes contributor Nicole Fisher, claimed proponent of healthcare human rights, writes long article on EHRs that neglects to mention patient harm

The field of health IT lives a charmed life. Even self-stated human rights advocates in healthcare won't seem to broach the topic of EHR...

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