If you have spent time learning about health care improvement, you may have heard someone ask, “What can we do by Tuesday?” It’s an urgent question that asks you to immediately apply an abstract principle to your daily practice. I had heard it repeated many times over the years, without attribution, and I was curious […]
Case study: Trevor’s disease
A friend recently shared the following story of his successful navigation of the American health care system to get innovative treatment for his ankle. I was so impressed that I thought I’d post it here as a beacon for anyone else searching for answers about the same challenges he has faced. It’s pretty geeky and […]
Lisa Suennen adds a dash of salt
My friend Lisa Suennen, aka @VentureValkyrie, wrote a thought-provoking response to the framework I shared a few weeks ago. She says she’s adding a cynical point of view. I’d say she’s adding much-needed salt. The whole post is worth your time to read, so please do click through. Here’s an appetizer: “Susannah asked for feedback […]
Whose needs are not met?
For years I tried to find ways to explain the particular challenges facing people with undiagnosed and rare health conditions. I decided to create a visualization showing the wide spectrum of people’s health needs and I’d like some feedback on it. Imagine a horizontal line. At the far left side are the people whose needs […]
Should peer health community moderators get paid?
Evidence is piling up in favor of peer health communities. The question is: How do we sustain them for the long-term? Here are 3 studies (of many) about the benefits of peer-to-peer health advice: A survey of the #bcsm community found that participation lowered people’s anxiety and increased their overall knowledge of breast cancer. A survey of […]
Celebrating #BCSM as a peer health innovation
Cancer patients were among my first peer health innovation teachers and remain, years later, among my favorite communities to follow. I keep an eye out for hashtags like #gyncsm (gynecological cancer social media), #bcsm (breast cancer social media), and #lcsm (lung cancer social media) on Twitter. I listen to podcasts like The Cancer Mavericks (and […]
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