Top Healthcare and Technology Blogs: Volume 2

Because I am the Social Media Specialist for Practice Fusion, I read a lot of blogs. Blogs on everything in healthcare – whether we’re talking patients, doctors, or self-proclaimed tech geeks. In the second installment of my quest for Health IT/EMR related blogs, I wanted to shed some light on a few of the not-so-well-known blogs on the web. The little guys who might not be as visible, but have just as much voice and quality content as the well-known bloggers.

The Social Doc
Dr. Jay Parkinson is a New York City doc with a thing for technology. Fast Company calls him “the doctor of the future” and he sure is ahead of the game in terms of using technology to better serve his patient’s needs. When he first started out in Brooklyn, his patients had to follow a few steps: 1. Visit his website 2. Check out his Google Calendar 3. Choose a date/time 4. His iPhone would be alerted of the apt 5. He would then make a house call 6. They would pay him via PayPal and lastly 7. Dr. Parkinson would then follow up with an email, IM, videochat, or in person. Talk about a doc-patient relationship; this guy is on par! His blog speaks of life experiences, medicine and its ever-changing landscape.

Policy People
Feeling confused about all the new health acronyms and new government acts popping up? Luckily for all of us, there’s the Health Affairs Blog, a blog that fills you in on what is going on in the Health Policy world. This blog is packed with information on everything from access to care to personal experiences from doctors, nurses and patients. The Washington Post calls them “a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in medicine, healthcare and healthcare policy” and I can’t argue with that!

Former Hospital CEO
Paul Levy wants to make one thing clear- he’s not running a hospital… anymore, that is. “Not Running a Hospital” is a blog written by a former CEO of a large Boston, MA hospital. Relive the world of healthcare through the shoes of a once big man on campus as he blogs about everything from new medications to life in the hospital. He’s an advocate for patient-driven care and is passionate about eliminating preventable harm, an issue in which our EMR plays a key role (e.g.: Clinical decision support features).

Inside the ER
His title says it all: “Ramblings of an Emergency Physician in Texas”. Former USMC infantry doctor, GruntDoc, also known as Allen, takes you on a laughter-inducing tour of his life in the Emergency Room he profiles his everyday life and general thoughts on the healthcare sector. He pays homage to his nurses and to his patients who brighten his day. His latest piece on why Oprah doesn’t know medicine made me really chuckle. Sorry Oprah, I’m with Allen on his one!

Is your favorite blog not up here? Don’t you worry! This is the second installment of many pieces on the top healthcare blogs out there, so suggestions are much appreciated!