"My work at Microsoft takes me all over the world to visit hospitals, health systems, and clinics. I also have the opportunity to meet with lots of physician leaders, health ministers, and industry luminaries from other countries. In addition, I do dozens of industry keynotes at healthcare conferences around the globe. All in all, I think I get a pretty accurate view of what's going on in health and healthcare.
When I come back to America, where I practiced medicine for nearly 20 years, I'm increasingly troubled by how far behind we are on the road to electronic records compared to so many other nations. Have we fallen asleep at the wheel? What will it take to modernize American medicine?
It is with this in mind that I present an admittedly irreverent and somewhat tongue-in-cheek video essay on the topic of American medicine, digital records, and global competition. I hope my colleagues who are still doing their work on paper will forgive me. Believe me, I do understand your pain. But I also hope this will stimulate some thinking, more debate on the topic, and perhaps even some action."
