Medicine & Technology 27 Jan 2005 11:04 am
More on the proposed digital health network
I posted a couple of days ago about the proposed system for digitizing medical records. Well eight of the tech industry's biggest players have jumped on the bandwagon. Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle to name a few. That's pretty cool, I guess, but then again there's a shitload of money to be made. Normally they all compete with each other in one arena or another, but they have formed an ambiguously-named alliance called the "Interopability Consortium" to "hasten the development of a digital health network."
"The challenge is to turn a call for change in the nation's health care system into actual change," said Neil de Crescenzo, who heads the health practice for I.B.M.'s business consulting services. "We got together to try to speak with one voice to the federal government and other stakeholders, and say this is an approach we will all stand behind."
Dude, like, no way. (Emphasis mine.)
Anyway, they want to start a nonprofit "company" called the "National Health Technology Standards Corporation." (Honestly, who comes out with these names?) They want to speak with "one voice" because they'll all make a boatload of money by keeping hoarding all of the business rather than letting other players get involved. Can't say I blame them; I'd do the same thing. 
on 26 Aug 2005 at 9:00 pm 1.polyscience.org » Medicare to give away its medical software for free said …
[...] As someone who has been very interested in digitizing all medical records, this is very cool. The software used at VA hospitals — VistA — is among the best in the world. [...]
on 24 May 2008 at 7:17 am 2.Daniel said …
I read similar article also named More on the proposed digital health network, and it was completely different. Personally, I agree with you more, because this article makes a little bit more sense for me