In this edition:

• 💻 Oracle Health ambitions falter

• 🛑 Residents avoiding abortion ban states

• ✂️ Excess workload in healthcare

• 🌵 AZ city launches substance abuse dashboard

• 💤 Cutting EHR burnout

• And more!

Oracle Health ambitions falter

Oracle has reportedly encountered obstacles in its ambitious plans for electronic medical records company Cerner, which it acquired for $28 billion in December 2021.

Oracle’s promise to be at the forefront of the “next generation of health care” is falling short as the company hemorrhages workers and loses major clients for its Cerner subsidiary.

The health care industry has proven to be a challenging sector for technology companies, as Apple, Amazon and Alphabet have also faced setbacks in their attempts to disrupt the industry, the report said. The complexity and regulatory landscape surrounding healthcare have forced these companies to scale back their ambitions.

Counter to many promises, interviews with more than 30 current and former employees and customers show the software maker has lost at least a dozen of Cerner’s large clients.

Residents avoiding abortion ban states

For the second consecutive year, disproportionately fewer new doctors across all specialties applied to medical residency programs in states with abortion bans and restrictions.

Fourteen states, primarily in the Midwest and South, have banned nearly all abortions.

The overall number of new doctors who applied to residency programs in states with abortion bans fell 4.2%

That is compared with a 0.6% decrease in states where abortion remains legal, per the AAMC report.

Ending Oncology's Toxic Relationship With High Chemotherapy Doses

The author, an oncologist specializing in leukemia treatment, argues that the current practice of using high drug dosage might not be optimal for all patients. The high dosage may cause severe side effects and some patients may have to abandon the treatment altogether. He proposes a more individualized approach - using lower dosage while achieving the same treatment outcome. This would not only improve patients' experience but also reduce treatment cost.

6 ways to cut EHR burdens for physicians

The American Medical Association (AMA) has 6 recommendations for easing physician burdens on their Electronic Health Records (EHR). EHR can be a source of burnout for many physicians, so thinking of ways to adjust and ease the process will have strong results.

1. Identify the pain points

2. Ask “why” of the current state and question

3. Prioritize your work

4. Change your workflow

5. Eliminate, automate, delegate

6. Remove useless items