So I was flying through the air Thursday morning after a meeting in Tenessee the day prior. I ended up picking some interesting reading. It is truly amazing how reading can give you insight into topics and how things may evolve and change.
This is why literacy is so key. It gives us the ability to gain insight, which is why I cry for America with its less than 40% health literacy and far less genetic literacy.....
But here was my list
1. Harper's "Sick in the Head" February edition.
This article discussed how Obamacare will not likely be a hug revamping of healthcare.....but what I found out was exactly how poised McKesson is to take over the healthcare system. You see, they process 1/3rd of all insurance payments, nearly 90 percent of all prescriptions....even more importantly, they are developing a clinical decision support tool for genetic testing called Cue4.....personally, I think they may give Generation Health a run for their money in this space.
2. Wired Magazine 1.19.09
Multiple articles here
A.) "The Plot to Kill Google"
In essence they describe how AT&T and Microsoft are going to attack Google on multiple fronts including privacy threats by having google collect all of your information.....
B.) "DIY DNA"
Hugh Reinhoff M.D. is genotyping his child to figure out what is wrong with her.....am confused why they didn't describe Chromosomal Microarray testing, which I am certain he did, but they left out......what was funny about this article is that the DIY testing was being carried out by a doctor, which they didn't play up.....in essence making you feel that anyone with a buddy in a lab or a garage sequencer could do this on their own....which of course is Wired's take on this complex technology anyways......
C.) "Live Free or Drown"
The long and the short of it: Libertarians looking to escape taxation and the restrictive laws in the US are looking to open water to rule themselves........Sound Eerily familiar? By getting out into open water and building land platforms they could escape governmental regulations......
Hey, wait a sec' isn't Google trying to do the same thing with their servers...........Maybe Microsoft is right. I wonder if Google will keep 23andMe's patient data on those barges?
3. The New Yorker "Getting There from Here"
Atul Gawande runs us through the history of nationalized healthcare in other nations.....He essentially says, these systems get built upon what already exists...Great article.....leaves me with the feeling that the government wants this data and to regulate the system.....My guess, they will open up Medicare to the young and unemployed...
Why did all of this give me insight? I think I know Microsoft's new battle ground.........poaching of genetic data from 23andMe customers and holding it off shore so that the government can't use HIPAA or GINA to protect these customers......
This battle between Microsoft and Google will end up on the side of the government winning. They will not let and healthcare data escape regulation, plain and simple. Which means, if they try to move the data, the plot could be to kill 23andMe...........
The Sherpa Says: We need healthcare reform badly, but if that means an excessive amount of regulation, then we could have a problem......Doctors hate regulation.....and it looks like Google does too.....
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Wired, 30000 feet and the Plot to Kill 23andMe
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4 comments:
Yes, reading stuff written by people from the outside can help the people from the inside gain a new perspective. That is why I hate dealing with closed minded people (I'm not referring to you).
Microsoft is already going to have access to tens of thousands of Navigenics customers' data through the Navi/Affy/Microsoft/Scripps partnership. If you're going to spread FUD why don't you start where there's actually evidence for it?
It's not FUD mr. @anonymous,
It is me synthesizing what may be coming....that's what insightful people do. And what does the Navi deal have to do with Google????
And last time I checked the Scripps deal is only for 10k.....
-Steve
If you were even pretending to look at things objectively, you would notice a big difference between what *is*--Microsoft already having access to 10K customers' data--and the FUD that Microsoft is well known for being used as a marketing strategy against its primary competitor, Google.
You say, "Maybe Microsoft is right. I wonder if Google will keep 23andMe's patient data on those barges?" but you ignore the fact that Microsoft already has access to customer data through HealthVault and the partnership with Navigenics. You know, the one that you completely failed to cover on your blog with your trademark maverick scrutiny. Sure, Google has a small stake in 23andMe, but Microsoft as a whole is already actively gathering data. Oh, it's only 10K actual customers, compared to a negligible and currently zero chance of some indeterminate number of customers? Do some statistics and see which option presents more of an actual concern.
If you were really looking out for patients instead of indulging some personal vendetta you'd have also raised concerns about Microsoft's actual possession of customer data. Or is Microsoft a fuzzy, trustworthy company that couldn't possibly do evil? (For my part, anyone that came out with Songsmith is not to be trusted.)
And if you've actually read the Harper's article, why aren't you raising worries about McKesson? They're a lot scarier to me (with an advanced infrastructure that manages 80% of prescriptions) and should be if you're seriously concerned about healthcare and the welfare of your patients. Ah, but no one knows the name McKesson...
Mr. @anonymous
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