Monthly Archives: January 2007

2007 HIMSS

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Sadly, I won’t be attending HIMSS this year – too many big projects. I can’t say I have ever taken full advantage of the event, but as I get older the networking means more to me.

There is going to be another blogger meet-up at HIMSS this year. Last year we pulled something together at the last minute and it was really enjoyable. I found those in attendance to be sincere people that were at HIMSS to discuss healthcare IT. Thanks to Shahid Shah for keeping this going. Shahid is also writing the HIMSS conference official blog, check it out.

Did anyone else get this invitation to lunch with Steve Ballmer? I ask the question for two reasons:

  • this could be a setup to kidnap me since I am Microsoft’s biggest critic in healthcare.
  • I was wondering if one would really get face time with Ballmer, or if I would be in a crowd of 1,000 other schmucks.

I wonder how much time Ballmer does stuff like this. I am sure he does a great meet and greet.

Nike+, Toyota Prius and Healthcare IT

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When Affinity’s new CEO arrived he immediately asked for more real-time data regarding financial performance. For a long time we have been satisfied with monthly reports, but like most large organizations we are moving toward real-time measures. Wal*Mart is the real-time enterprise leader.

In my personal life there are a couple of examples where real-time feedback and better performance metrics have had instantaneous impact on my behavior.

When I first got my Toyota Prius in 2005 I was glued to the display which provided me real-time feedback regarding how I drove my car effected my gas mileage. I no longer drove by the spedometer, instead I tried to maximize the use of my electric motor to stretch my gas mileage. This is a great example of how people will change their behavior when they have accurate, timely and meaningful information.

This Christmas I received a Nike+ from my wife. Once I put the sensor in my shoe, my iPod nano began to track my runs. Not only could I check my current pace while running, I could trend my runs on the well-designed Nike web site. Being a person that loves measures this has inspired me to run more. If you have a Nike+ let me know and I will invite you to a challenge. My user name is Caffeinated.

These personal life examples have made me think about what kind of impact I could have on my organizations by providing more meaningful, timely and accessible data.