Along the Path, Many Thanks to Give

Since I began down this path of exploring, researching and reporting on the healthcare IT (HIT) market many have helped along the way.  Some have been active mentors, others passive but all have helped me learn about the myriad of issues that revolve around HIT, a market in which I still feel at times I am drinking from fire hose to get up to speed.  Following are those who I am particularly grateful to for their guidance.

Karen Bell: First got to know Karen while she was at ONC where she spearheaded many initiatives including the Consumer Engagement workgroup.  Karen has provided me a literal font of knowledge on HIT policy issues that continues today.

Will Crawford: Through Will and Ken Mandl, both of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, I was invited to my first truly meaningful event, PCHRI in 2007.  Will, who was the COO of sorts for the Indivo Health platform and prior to that at CMS, has been very instructive on the many issues regarding the technical underpinnings of HIT, particularly as it pertains to consumer-centric health platforms.

Carol Diamond: In her role at the Markle Foundation, Carol has introduced me to many of the leading thought leaders in the HIT market, people I simply would not have found on my own, or certainly not as easily.

Adrian Gropper: As one of the founders of MedCommons and prior to that AMICAS, as well as being an MD, Adrian is a literal fountain of knowledge on healthcare issues,be they policy, medical and most important to what I do, HIT.  Adrian has been and continues to be a prime mentor.

John Halamka: I’ve met John at plenty of events, more recently those where we are both presenters and John has been a more passive source of knowledge wherein I frequent his blog to get an inside perspective on the life of a healthcare CIO as well as dutifully take notes when he is up on stage.

Mr. HIStalk: Though he goes under this pseudonym in his blog that I am a subscriber to, his insights and those of his readers provide an excellent overview of wht is happening in the market on a weekly basis.  Mr. HIStalk is also not afraid to call it as he sees it, which has help me to separate the wheat from the chaff in what is often times a very confusing, complex and convoluted market.

Matthew Holt: First met Matthew at the Connected for Health conference in 2007.  Matthew gave me wise advice then and since, though we spar at times, keeps me sharp and on target when I turn my sights on many of the developing applications in the Health 2.0 space.

Michael Leavitt: Karen Bell provided me the opportunity to present to then Sec. Leavitt when he was head of HHS.  Sec. Leavitt demonstrated to me both the challenges of trying to change the healthcare sector to better serve US citizens and through his example demonstrated to me two things: First, instituting change in healthcare is extremely difficult, but is an extremely worthy cause worth fighting for.

Joe Kveder & Joe Ternullo: Both Joes are associated with the Center for Connected Health and through their generosity and guidance they have allowed me the opportunity to attend their annual conference and more recently, have invited me to moderate the sessions that pertained to personal health platforms.  This has provided me an opportunity to learn about the role of telehealth in care and also gave Chilmark Research greater visibility in the market.

Vince Kuratis: I met Vince as well early in my journey and he has always been there for me to bounce ideas off of and provide his unique and in-depth experience on health, particularly around such aspects as disease management, telehealth, privacy & security and market construct.

Ken Mandl: Ken, a professor at Harvard Med School and with Children’s Hospital has invited me to couple of closed events, the most recent being the ITdotHealth event where the Health Internet was first floated as an idea. Ken is always pushing the envelop on what HIT may become, the critical role that the consumer can play and is a strong advocate for consumer control of their health records.

Of course, a list like this is never complete and there are countless others who have helped me in my journey to establish Chilmark Research as one of the leading healthcare IT analyst firms, something which I am well along the road to accomplishing.  For all those that I may have overlooked, including you dear readers who have contributed to my knowledge through your thoughtful comments, please accept my humble apologies and do know that I have valued your input as well over these brief few years and look forward to your guidance in the years to come.

In this time of giving thanks, thank you everyone for your help to date and if I can ever be of service to you, you know where to find me.