From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on May 01, 2012
The HIT world is moving at a ferocious pace with constant change, including Allscripts board battles, ICD-10 dates, McKesson’s Better Health 2020 announcement, MU checks, consolidation, investment firms buying up HIT companies, and payers that play both friend and foe.
Over the last few months, I have gone on a dizzying tour of many key HIT vendors, where I met a lot of people (most were vendor executives, but they’re people too). I found myself asking how big the differences between vendors are. One constant I seem to find amidst the sea of change is the people. And the biggest differentiator, I would say, is their ability to listen.
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on April 03, 2012
Turning a corner should be a simple thing. However, while watching “Cars” with my kids the other day, I was reminded that it’s not always that simple. In the movie, Doc Hudson instructs Lightning McQueen to turn his wheels into the skid to maintain better control when traveling at high speeds on a dirt road. For me, watching Cerner’s customer satisfaction feedback over the past few years has been equally gripping.
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on March 05, 2012
What if vendor booths at HIMSS told the rest of the story?
I enjoyed wandering the halls at HIMSS this year. Much like Las Vegas, the booths are majestic, the signage is overwhelming, and it feels like a fantasy world. On the last day, I had a strange thought: “What if every booth only messaged the true, unembellished reality of the company? What would the new taglines be?” Instead of every vendor on the show floor presenting itself as a surefire solution to your accountable care problem, what would the real story be?
With this thought in mind, I walked by several booths and added my own taglines. Many would be pleasantly surprised. I walked by one very small booth that has a fantastic product. The vendor gets in the way of their own message, even though they have multiple Best in KLAS awards. Their sign might say something like, “Don’t let the small booth fool you. We invest in our product instead of marketing.”
For some of the new vendors that really do have innovative solut
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on February 01, 2012
When was the last time you were wowed by your mechanic, or computer tech, or tax specialist? I personally can’t remember ever being blown away by the quality of a radiator flush (but if you have, please submit the contact information for your mechanic below!).
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on December 15, 2011
If you don’t pay any attention to the NFL, you may have missed the fact that the Green Bay Packers are undefeated this year. As last year’s Super Bowl winners, the Packers seem like good bets to repeat again this year, and maybe even be the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to be undefeated through an entire season. Why is it so difficult to repeat as Super Bowl champions, let alone go undefeated? Think about the injuries, the coaching changes and the big egos, to say nothing of the fact that you go around with a bulls-eye on your chest. Everyone is out to knock off the champion.
From the Founder
by Kent Gale on November 30, 2011
It is wonderful to be back amidst so many friends and associates in this world of healthcare, having just returned from a year in Portugal. My sweetheart and I had an amazing opportunity to work with and help the unemployed. While there, we discovered amazing recipes for salted codfish, a true Portuguese delicacy. The variety of Bacalhau recipes reminds me of the appetite I have encountered in U.S. healthcare for getting just the right solution to match provider organizations’ needs and desires. It didn’t take long in my recent conversations to see that much has changed relative to medical imaging and getting the most out of a PACS. It can be best described by a provider executive that has an appetite for a more progressive solution for PACS.
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on October 28, 2011
I have to admit that hanging out with 500 of the best and brightest CIOs in the industry at the CHIME conference this week makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Everywhere I turned there were great ideas about how the most challenging issues get solved and speakers that turned everything I knew on its ear. Mike Leavitt, former U.S. Secretary of Health, shared his theory of “economic dispassion” at the conference. In a nutshell, he said that pressures will be coming both to our country and our health system that will cause forced innovative restructuring (think of Greece, Argentina, Portugal, etc). What feels like an “optional” political flavor-of-the-month right now will become an economic imperative.
From the Research Desk
by Austin Cameron on October 14, 2011
During my humanitarian trip to Namibia this past July, I traveled to a remote Himba village I’ve visited and researched a number of times. The Himba are an exotic people who have maintained their traditional, relatively primitive way of life for centuries. This particular village doesn’t get many visitors, but it is clear that they have come to associate foreigners (particularly Americans and Europeans) with three things: wealth, somewhat mysterious and strange lives lived in far away places, and medicine.
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on September 28, 2011
I’m sure everyone remembers where they were ten years ago on 9/11. Me, I was at an Epic user conference in Madison, WI on that horrible day. This year I ventured back to Wisconsin and Epic’s conference to see what has changed over the past decade.
From the Head of the KLAS
by Adam Gale on August 30, 2011
Sorry, living in Utah you get a lot of “hecks” and “darns.” But seriously, what the heck is going on with version 6? You know, this is the MEDITECH that had essentially owned the market for mid-sized hospitals and basically printed money in the basement as hospitals flocked their way. When you have nearly 2,000 full systems sold, you have little to prove. I think, until recently, you could count all MEDITECH defections on two hands. Not hard to see why, when there are so few integrated options out there, especially ones that don’t flatten your wallet.