A pilot, a doctor, and a patient safety advocate have proposed a National Transportation Safety Board for patients to reduce high rates of medical errors and chronic waste of resources. The paper highlights key similarities between healthcare and aviation: “[H]igh risk and complexity, dependency on human performance factors, and the potential to generate highly reliable performance only if basic safety principles are provided by invisible support systems.” Dr. Charles R. Denham, founder and chairman of the Texas Medical Institute of Technology, wrote the paper with Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger; actor turned patient safety advocate Dennis Quaid; and aviation safety expert John J. Nance.
Complying with data security regulations is giving a false sense of security, according to a a survey of 350 senior health information technology and data security officers. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society survey suggests that physician practices are the most vulnerable to a security breach.
Allscripts had a bad day yesterday with a disappointing Q1 earnings report, a resulting drop in stock price and the firing of chairman Phil Pead. Allscripts customers waiting on an updated EHR–due in September–may lose confidence in the company and decide to look to a competitor.
Bad news from the FDA about Repligen’s pancreatic imaging agent caused the company’s shares to drop 40%. The FDA says a complete response letter is in the works.
Experts in big data and big biology said the life sciences industry needs to focus on scalability, trustability, profitablity and engagability to achieve the goals of quantified health. Larry Smarr, founding director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, discussed these ideas at a event this week in San Diego.
