The latest edition of the SEP Diet is now available on Amazon

At some point in the distant past, someone, let’s call him Bob, figured the cost of an aspirin. In a hospital, this includes the cost of ordering it, documenting it being given, billing it, paying the nurse to make sure it’s delivered and taken, stocking the pharmacy etc. It’s of course not the single cost … Continue reading Hospital Retail Pricing For Dummies

That all content wants to be free. Did you know that MLK’s “I have a dream” speech is copyrighted and unavailable without licensing fees? Did you know Martin Luther King’s children still issue takedowns on Youtube if video of King giving the speech is posted online? Did you know it is ILLEGAL in the United … Continue reading I Have A Dream

(This document appeared briefly on a republican study committee Web site chaired by US Congressman Jim Jordan but was removed within 24 hours. I have copied it here for historical reference.) Page | 1 RSC Policy Brief: Three Myths about Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix it: November 16, 2012 RSC Staff Contact: … Continue reading RSC Policy Brief: Three Myths about Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix it

I’m helping my brother-in-law get some of his previously published and as-yet unpublished works on the Kindle store. You can check his print and eBook titles out at http://amazon.com/author/mhickins His work is hilarious, often shocking, but well worth a look see. Amazon Prime members can get free stories on their Kindle. Go download!

Yes, it’s true. I wanted to build the Illinois Health Care Report Card just so I could finally write a blog post laden with Blues Brother quotes. You could say I was on a mission from God. Our Lady of Blessed Web Site Acceleration don’t fail us now. Jokes aside, the IPRO eServices team has never worked … Continue reading No Ma’am, We’re Statisticians

A bit of a departure from my usual transparency efforts, but this week we launched our Clinical Data Portal, a Web-based portal that allows physicians to upload clinical data directly from the chart or from an electronic medical record software and be assessed instantly on their clinical performance. Physicians who score high enough automatically start receiving … Continue reading Physician Performance Assessment

Over the past six years I’ve been building consumer-oriented report health care cards pretty much non-stop. The field is young and short on evidence, but it’s interesting work with noticeable impact. However, the truth is that the largest portion of readers of these report cards are not consumers, but providers. To that end, I have … Continue reading Why Not The Best? A New Web Site for Quality Improvement Professionals

Having received several questions about fellow Welshman Aneurin Bevan’s creation of a National Health Service in the United Kingdom, I am posting here chapter five of his book, “In Place of Fear”. In it, Nye reflects on the opposition he dealt with, questions that arose and the early years of the Service. I think much … Continue reading In Place of Fear: A Free Health Service

I am a geek. A hacker. A smart dude. I think a lot of myself, and once in awhile it’s warranted. Which is why, when my Internet phone service stopped working I called and complained, and when I didn’t get the answers I wanted, or a smart-enough-sounding tech support person on the phone, I haughtily … Continue reading A Puppy Ate My Internet