This is the third installment in a series on the gun control issue. In our first episode we examined data that demonstrate a correlation between fewer guns and an increased variance in the homicide rate. In the second we explored game theory as a hypothesis to explain this phenomenon. This time around we’ll look into […]
Read more "Gun Control, Part 3: Back to the Present"In my last post we undertook a cursory analysis of data related to firearm ownership and homicide rates across various jurisdictions. We concluded that strict gun-control laws and reduced firearm ownership are correlated with increased variance in the total homicide rate: In other words, the worst-case scenarios are worse under strict gun-control laws and lower rates […]
Read more "Gun Control, Part 2: Shall we play a game?"Articles like this one began to appear soon after last month’s tragic massacre in Connecticut. The logic embodied in them is straightforward: Guns are designed to kill people, and more guns mean more dead people, therefore fewer guns mean fewer dead people. The reasoning is so patently obvious, in fact, that anyone who argues against common-sense gun […]
Read more "Gun Control: Four Must-See Graphs"Looks like HIStalk picked up my recent post on Epic over the weekend. I’ve been an avid reader of Mr. H since 2004, so to say I’m excited about the mention would be an understatement. To all the folks clicking through, please feel free to weigh in with a comment or even subscribe! Mr. H […]
Read more "Picked up by HIStalk"Mr. H posted the following yesterday: From Barry: “Re: Epic. A market research report suggests that Epic is backing off its push for inpatient installations and going with an ambulatory-only sales approach to plant the seed for future inpatient sales.” That was reported by two consultants quoted in the report, with an additional consultant saying […]
Read more "Why Epic Might Refocus on the Ambulatory EMR Market"It’s been two and a half years since McKesson executed a major shuffle of the executive suite in its Technology Solutions business, and we’ve now seen what I’d consider to be the first major announcement since that change: The company is halting development on its Horizon inpatient clinical and revenue cycle products and doubling down […]
Read more "McGuessin’: The McKesson Strategy Guessing Game"A recent post by Ezra Klein of The Washington Post seems to call into question the utility of preventative measures as compared with treatment of advanced disease states. Klein quotes a book called “Prevention vs. Treatment” edited by Haley Faust and Paul Menzel, specifically a chapter written by Louise Russell who in turn “draws heavily […]
Read more "Prevention vs. Treatment?"Today Microsoft and GE announced a new joint venture that combines Microsoft’s Amalga, Vergence, and ExpreSSO products with GE’s Qualibria and eHealth offerings in a new company to be named later. GE’s Michael J. Simpson will be CEO of the new company, and Peter Neupert has announced his retirement from Microsoft. I’m not surprised by the […]
Read more "Thoughts on today’s Microsoft/GE Healthcare joint-venture announcement"(Originally published 3/21/2007 on zachmortensen.net) The term moral hazard is generally used within the insurance industry to describe the tendency of the insured to increase their risk tolerance once their risks are hedged by insurance. For example, a consumer with a homeowner’s insurance policy might decide against returning home to double-check that she had turned […]
Read more "Moral Hazard in Healthcare IT"(Originally published 11/27/2006 on zachmortensen.net) Last week software-development pundit Joel Spolsky ranted about the obtuse design of the shut-down menu in the recently-released Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. A few days later, a former Microsoft engineer named Moishe Lettvin posted a reply that gives us a telling behind-the-scenes look into why large software systems fail, […]
Read more "The Million-Dollar Menu"
Zach Mortensen 