Health IT

Tired of waiting for Washington to fix health care, doctors across America are doing it themselves. I just attended a conference in Dallas where hundreds of physicians exchanged ideas on how to improve the quality of care they deliver, make their clinics more efficient—and rediscover the joy of practicing medicine. In future posts, we'll touch base with some really smart and dedicated people we met there and highlight specific innovations that got our attention—new ways of reaching hard-to-serve populations, managing chronic diseases like diabetes, involving patients in their own care, new twists on "shared visits."

Brief update - As expected, the Pennsylvania House did approve a scaled-back version of Gov. Ed Rendell's health coverage plan this week. Rendell has now embraced the compromise and strongly urged the state Senate—which has been more skeptical about the finances—to pass it. As coverage expansion needs to go hand in hand with insurance market reform, particularly to help small businesses and individuals purchase policies, Rendell is also pushing for an insurance package in the House. AP has the details.

You know the clichés about bloggers in their pajamas? Well, we think the Health Care Blog has found the medical world's equivalent - a young doctor in Brooklyn who runs a "virtual office" from a laptop in his bedroom. (On the youtube video, however, he was not in pajamas). We don't agree with Parkinson about everything - his cyber-savvy practice catering to young, uninsured but artsy New Yorkers who can't afford insurance but can pay $175 for an occasional visit from a young artsy New York doctor (Parkinson is also a photographer) isn't a model for fixing U.S. healthcare today and it's easy to be cavalier about being uninsured until you get a high-cost illness or are struck by that proverbial bus. But we like seeing creative ways of harnessing efficient and patient-friendly high tech into doctor's practices. Parkinson's patients, for instance, can book their own appointments at their convenience in his online calender without anyone putting them on "hold." And we were fascinated not just by the post on him but also the comments it has provoked from readers.