(Editor's note: This blog post was written by Deborah Leighty MEd, RT(R)(BD), program coordinator at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL.) It's that time of year again: graduation season. Chances are, you either know someone personally or have your students participating in some form of graduation ceremony. Not only are my ...

(Editor's note: This blog is written by ADVANCE technology blogger Joe Weber, MBA, MPAS, PA-C. It was originally posted on the ADVANCE for Physician Assistants web site.) I did it. No longer able to wait another day, I burst in to the local Apple store and bought myself a shiny new iPad. That was 72 hours ago, and now my shiny new toy is gone. ...

Let me preface this by saying, April Fool's! Yeah, it ruins the fun, but it also saves me the guilt if someone were to actually use the tips below. If you're looking for serious advice, check out ''HITECH's Highway to Hell'' for cautionary words about electronic health record implementation. But before you do, read on for some foolhardy ...

I tend to watch the Super Bowl for the ads, so it's no surprise that while tuning in to the 2010 Olympics this weekend, a clever commercial caught my eye. GE Healthcare ran this ad about electronic health records (EHRs), showing how the technology connects physicians and improves coordination of care. The commercial starts in what appears to be ...

Less than 48 hours after Apple announced the iPad and before anyone's gotten a real hand on the thing, there are clearly defined yeas and nays. As expected, some doctors and chief information officers are cheerleading the product for its portability. Providers can cut the desktop cord, allowing them to get face-to-face with patients once again. ...

I played a little word association today. Tablet. I instantly thought of Advil, as in the tablet vs. liquigel forms. Apple. That beckoned thoughts of that shiny red Delicious sitting in my kitchen (and how I wished I brought said fruit to work). Ordinary words, to say the least. But put them together, and it could mean synergy. If you haven't ...

The government's ''Cash for Clunkers'' program was a clever idea--and a pretty successful one to boot. Dealerships swelled with drivers ready to trade in their rag-tag autos for a sleek new ride. Salespeople moved inventory, the environment got some smog relief and buyers got a few Gs of credit. Automakers even joined the trend, offering their own ...

I'm what you might call ''doctor phobic.'' I haven't had a check up since 2001, and that was required to get into college. After high school, I moved to the Philadelphia suburbs from quiet nook upstate in a rural area lovingly referred to as the ''Polish Poconos.'' Where I grew up, you knew your doctors. We had one doctor who took care of my mom's ...