Business Week predicts demise of Palm

Yet another article has predicted the demise of the Palm company due to its lack of recent innovation. All you have to do is read some of the comments and ask any physician user why this may not be true. For example....many of the new devices from Apple, Blackberry, etc., still don't run the most popular medical applications such as drug database software, charge capture applications and other essential programs that physicians use daily. I would disagree with the Business Week author on his predictions. Click here to review the article and see comments.

Palm Desktop and HotSync Updated for Windows Vista

Palm has released an update to their desktop and hotsync utilities which should enable your Palm handheld to be used with Windows Vista. It is only compatible with newer devices such as the Palm Treo line, Tungsten T/X and the E2. You can read more about it and work-arounds for other devices at this link. Click here to download.

New Report on Personal Health Records (PHR's)

The California HealthCare Foundation has released a new report on PHR's. Although they have great promise to assist patients in managing their care, potential benefits need to be weighed with the disadvantages of possible additional work, medicolegal liability and other considerations for physicians. The report can be downloaded here.

Palm Treo 700P Update Released

Palm has released a Treo 700P update for Sprint users that will fix some of the bugs that you may encounter from time to time. An update for Verizon customers is expected soon. Apparently, no update is needed for Alltel, Bell, Cellular South, or Telus Mobility users. I usually install these updates as they can improve the performance of the device and might fix some annoying errors and shutdowns that occur from time to time. The list of improvements appears here. Download the update here.

Personal Health Records or PHR----Opportunities and Risks

This article presents a good discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of PHR's. See article here.

Cost of Filing Medical Claims

Relying on office-based labor for medical claims processing may be costing physicians more than they think. A new white paper from MedAvant highlights the hidden costs found in free resources offered by most insurance companies. Click here to read this new white paper. Also, a web-based calculator helps you calculate costs (click here).

Protect Your Eyes While Using Mobile Computers

A recent article in U.S. News and World Report describes a syndrome known as "computer vision syndrome." Click here to read the article and learn how to avoid it.