We overlapped in Orlando last week with an electronic medical record expert friend who was attending HIMMS 2022, a conference for 20,000 senior hospital executives and the software companies trying to sell them stuff (the first round of digital stuff was paid for partly with $30 billion of taxpayer funds showered on hospitals by the Obama administration). Attendees had to be vaccinated against a 2.5-year-old version of SARS-CoV-2:
Due to the cruel tyranny of the Florida Legislature, they were forced to add a test option:
Our Right of Entry Policies were specifically designed with consideration of relevant Florida regulations. Our policies allow an attendee to voluntarily show validation of their vaccine status if that is their preference (Option A), or to voluntarily show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within one day of badge pick up, if that is their preference instead (Option B).
How about using a saliva-soaked bandana to cancel out the effects of sharing indoor space for five days with 20,000 other people?
Masks are highly encouraged but not required on the HIMSS22 campus.
What happened in practice? My friend: “I didn’t see a single mask.” (Most of these experts on health care and, therefore, avoiding COVID-19, had brought their families to share the hospital-paid hotel rooms and roam the packed-for-spring-break theme parks during the day.)
How rich have hospitals and their vendors become off the river of tax-subsidized health insurance and tax-funded Medicare/Medicaid? They had sufficient $millions to pay Universal to close Islands of Adventure’s doors to the general public at 5:00 pm, clear the rabble out of the park, and run all of the rides exclusively for the HIMMS attendees starting at 7:30 pm. How was the party? “It was awesome! I got on every ride with no line!”
Related:
Software companies trying to sell them stuff is the word. 30 years ago, you didn’t want to be studying biology. You wanted to be studying the computer science that was going to feed the hospitals. Maybe a hospital executive lives well, but most of our genetic engineering classmates became scientists.
“Dr” Phil:
I haven’t seen a single person using a bandana as a mask in more than a year.
You’ve said nobody in Florida cares about Covid or masking. Are you trying to make up for the rest of the state with post #430 about masking? You’re in Florida, give it a rest! I bet the rest of the state wants to kick you out for bringing your liberal Mass. attitude south.
Be free! Freedom, guns, Russians, Dr. Seuss books, MAGA!!!!!!!!!!
Mike: What is the functional difference between a bandana and what the Followers of Science refer to as a “cloth mask”?
Your reference to Dr. Seuss is certainly relevant because your health insurance and tax dollars paid for the HIMMS conference attendees to visit the Dr. Seuss village at Islands of Adventure (see https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/islands-of-adventure-seuss-landing/ ).
Mike dude, weren’t you taking vacation from reading offensive right-wing blogs? Are you back re-energized now?
Anon, let’s have Mike instead of Mike’s mini-me.
The worst IT failures are always in healthcare and government. Another famous example is the NHS records system (abandoned after £10 billion, probably $30 billion including inflation in 2022):
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/18/nhs-records-system-10bn
I do not believe that IT has improved anything in healthcare or government. Things tended to work way better in the 1990s in these areas. All it is used for is surveillance and data mining, which is against the interests of patients or subjects.
Wow, that guardian story is a nightmare. I have a friend who is a high-up in one of these IT companies selling large IT solutions to government. He worked in DC for many years, got promoted and now lives in Hawaii working remote home office. These companies on the government teat makes tons of money.
As the Despair poster maker wrote:
“Consulting: If you’re not a part of the solution, there’s good money to be made in prolonging the problem.”