The Health Tech 2011 Conference, held earlier this month in Boston, featured presentations from startup CEOs in the health and wellness space. The conference had nothing to do with gender issues or leadership per se. Yet the Twitter feed from the conference (#ciht11) contained this:

@ml_barnett By my count, only 3 of 27 speakers are women. RT @taracousphd: where are the female entrepreneurs? It’s healthcare!!!

taracousphd and @ml_barnett reminded us of a painful fact. There aren’t many female CEOs in Health IT. Why is this?

Women certainly aren’t short on content knowledge in health care. In fact, they dominate men in this area. More than 40% of all practicing physicians and 50% of all medical school graduates are women. Women earn nearly 3 times more PhDs in psychology (useful content knowledge for startups in the space covered by Health Tech 2011). Nearly 94% of nurses and 74% of physical therapists are women, and they rule the workforce in public health, social services and pharmacy  as well.

The problem–and it’s a big one–has to do with the ‘IT’ part of ‘Health IT.’ In 2008, only 6% of Fortune 500 technology companies had female CEOs and 13% had women corporate officers of any kind, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology. Among tech startups that raised venture capital in 2009, only 4.3% were led by female chief executives. A recent Business Week list of the ‘best young entrepreneurs in tech’ included 45 people, only 3 of which were women.

Among the many explanations for the gender disparity among chief executives in IT, the 4 that make the most sense to me are these:

Women aren’t in tech, period-Although women hold 51% of all professional jobs in the US, they comprise only 26% of the IT workforce. The number of women in IT actually dropped by 76,000 between 2000 and 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Then again, if the gender disparity in Health IT leadership was a simple workforce issue, we’d expect from the data presented above that about 26% of tech CEOs would be women. Clearly there is more to the story.

Women are undertrained in tech-In 2006, only 15% of the people who took the computer-science AP exam were women. That’s lower than any other AP test. Similarly, only 18% of college graduates with computer science degrees are women, and the percentage of female PhD computer scientists is lower still. The latter statistic is particularly galling since these individuals frequently become entrepreneurs and have grant-writing skills and professional networks that can help them succeed. (more…)

Data mining, EHRs Help Target Dangerous Drug Combo. Data mining and electronic health records helped researchers at some of the country’s most prestigious universities discover a dangerous side effect of a common drug combination.

FDA Signals Intent To Regulate Medical Apps. The agency’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health plans to issue guidance on mobile medical applications later this year.

HIV/AIDS Pandemic Hits 30-Year Mark. Thirty years ago this week, scientists were finalizing a landmark article for the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report was the first dispatch from the front lines in a new war against a previously unknown virus.

CMS Aligns eRX Incentive with Meaningful Use. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would alter the Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program so as to be consistent with the HITECH incentive program.

GE, Thomson Reuters Develop Clinical Analytics Tool Using EHR, Claims Data. The joint initiative will let providers and researchers review and analyze de-identified data from electronic health records along with claims data to help determine the impact of various medical treatments.

“The high winds caused many medical records to be scattered throughout Joplin and across the Ozarks. St. John’s (Regional Medical Center)…is asking anyone who has found medical records…to hold these documents until the hospital can decide how to collect them.” KSMU’s Rebekah Clark, reporting on the impact of a tornado that ripped through southwest Missouri last Sunday.

“The world has no immunity to smallpox whatsoever. It could be released unintentionally or released as a bioweapon.” US Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, announcing that the last known stockpiles of the smallpox virus won’t be destroyed anytime soon.

“Federal law prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from being spent on abortion services. Medicaid does not allow states to stop beneficiaries from getting care they need - like cancer screenings and preventive care – because their provider offers certain other services.” The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, in a statement saying it was reviewing an Indiana law which threatens to withhold funds from abortion providers.

“A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender ‘anti-virus’ software to solve the issue.” Apple Inc., in a statement on its support website. Mac Defender is malicious software designed to obtain credit card information for fraudulent purposes.

“The voters can tolerate messy and complicated, but they have very little patience for being lied to. They are not looking for June Cleaver.” Nicolle Wallace, a former adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign, on the messy marital histories of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

Twelve years after our nation began a serious effort to reduce racial disparities in health care, minorities in our country are still less likely to get the preventive care they need and more likely to suffer from serious illnesses. And when they get sick, racial minorities are still less likely to have access to quality health care.

To progress matters, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently released an action plan. The plan calls for development of new care models and more service delivery sites. It bolsters the nation’s health and human services workforce through a pipeline program that channels people from underserved communities into public health and biomedical sciences careers. There are targeted efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease, childhood obesity, tobacco-related diseases, flu and asthma. And there are plans to improve health data collection and increase outcomes research.

Strengths of the Plan
As we described last week, the problem of racial disparities in health care is exceedingly complex. Efforts to address it must feature a broad, multifaceted approach if they are to have any chance for success. The strength of the HHS plan is that it contemplates just such an approach.  The plan should trigger useful activity at National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Health Research and Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Indian Health Service and other agencies as well. Cross-agency collaboration of the sort envisioned by HHS is likely to generate effective outreach and preventive programs and more capable oversight of such programs.

A narrower plan—for example, one that focused solely on providing insurance to those who don’t have it—would have a surprisingly small impact on racial disparities.

Take Canada for example, a country that has universal, free access to health services. If poor access was primarily responsible for disparities in health care, then disparities shouldn’t exist in Canada.

However a recent study by David Alter and colleagues shows unequivocally that disparities do exist there. In their prospective study of 15,000 Canadian adults, Alter’s team showed that participants in the lowest income group were nearly 3 times more likely to die of any cause than those in the highest income group. They were also more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, cataracts and many other conditions. (more…)

Privacy Issues Raised as Prisons Roll-Out EHRs. As prisons take steps to implement electronic health records, debate is stirring over whether mining inmates’ medical data would violate their privacy.

‘DC to VC’ Summit Seeks To Fund New Health IT Ideas. Morgenthaler Ventures has announced a nationwide contest to find the best startup ideas in health IT. The competition is open to entrepreneurs seeking seed or Series A funding.

Lower Risk of Death Linked to Optimism in Heart Patients. If newly diagnosed heart disease patients who must undergo treatment are optimistic and expect they’ll resume normal activities, they do better according to Duke researchers.

Artsy, Museum-Going Men Are Happier. Men who enjoy taking in the ballet or browsing art museums are more likely to be happy with their lives and satisfied with their health than men who don’t, a study has found.

Transgender Detainees Cut-Off from Hormone Drugs. An advocacy group is claiming that jail is depriving immigration detainees of  ’adequate health care’. The group, supported by the AMA and others, says that hormone replacement therapy is indicated for cases of gender identity disorder.

ONC Exams To Help Identify HIT Experts. The exams will allow individuals to demonstrate skills deemed essential for health IT professionals in the workforce. They can also be used by providers to assess the health IT competencies of their staffs.

Ford, Experts Research SYNC Health as a Tool For Chronic Disease Management. Leveraging Ford SYNC®, researchers developed glucose device connectivity and monitoring capability, location-based allergy and pollen reports and voice-controlled, cloud-based health management services.

Coronary CT Screening Does Not Impact Outcomes. Screening for atherosclerosis with coronary CT imaging in asymptomatic patients leads to more detection and treatment, but no significant change in outcomes, a study found.

Medicaid Officials Review States’ Plans To Block Abortion Funding. Federal officials are taking a hard look at a new Indiana law that withholds some public funding for Planned Parenthood, a development that could cost the state some of its Medicaid funding.

Johns Hopkins Releases Mobile Diabetes Guide. The POC-IT guide can be accessed on the iPad or iPhone. It is developed by Skyiscape in cooperation with clinicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine and is part of the POC-IT series, which includes antibiotic and HIV guides.

Happy Anniversary Lori!

Remember the sunset at Mont Saint-Michel? How about the hail storm at Lake Solitude, the drive through Stonehenge with Gigi, the squalls over Cornwall and the July 4 snowstorm on the Grimsel Pass?

“Sure I believe you got 28 inches of snow on April Fool’s Day.”

Eze. St. Paul de Vence. Portofino. The ferry from Dubrovnik to Hvar.

“Come. You shall return,” to Angiers, Chinon, Chambord, Chenonceau, Usse and more. Etivaz. Grindelwald. Santorini. Paleokastritsa. Pylos. San Gimignano. Bellagio. Ravello. Amalfi. The Ryoan-ji Temple. The Moss Temple. The Bucaco Forest.

 “Look buddy. It says ‘Diesel’ on the gas cap!”

MOMA. The Tate Modern. La Galarie Maeght. L’Orangerie. Le Jeu de Paume. Le Centre Pompidou. The Picasso Museum. The Rodin Museum.

The Monterey Jazz Festival. The Newport Jazz Festival. The Montreaux Jazz Festival. The Stones at the Superdome. Wynton Marsalis in Bar Harbor.

Shelby Scott, Jack and Liz. Mike Wankum, Jeff and Karen. Tim Caputo! Mad Men. Masterpiece Theater (not). Vacation. There’s Something About Mary. Austin Powers. Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.

Two kids in diapers…twice! Our best sitter was an alcoholic. The terrorization of Lana. “Let’s buy a car for a sitter we don’t even know!”

The Park Entrance Oceanfront Motel, room A-5. Enya. 2-day old Corey visits JP Licks on the way home from the hospital. Soccer practice, soccer games. Softball practice, softball games. Swim practice, swim meets. Homework, homework, homework. “Who’s doggin’ it?”

A tree falls on the Foster’s driveway. Butterfly World. The batting cage. New Year’s at Grammy’s. Yankee gear in Fenway Park. The rear window on the Navigator, circa 2007.

The Cinnamon Club. Jean Bardet. Le Chevre d’Or. Johnny’s. Cabot’s. Guppy’s. The Carriage House. The Ferry House. Crepes at Les Baux. Picnics on the Loire. “Party of one?” at Marshall Majors.

The search for Paris’ best strawberry tart. The search for Prunotto vineyards.

From the Louvre to L’Arc du Triumphe via Jardin des Tuileries. Fiery Furnace. Delicate Arch. The Narrows. The Beehive (when Corey was 4 years old). Precipice.

Front row seats at women’s volleyball. Michael Johnson races for gold. US men’s hoops.

The Bagel. Houlihan’s. Cantina Abruzzi. Friendly’s. The Chinese place that fried hamburgers. Capuccino’s. Colorado Public Library. Armani Café. Putterham Deli. Miguel’s. Androuette’s.

I forgot my cummerbund. I spilled red wine on your gown at a Joslin gala. I rear-ended somebody on the Champs Elysees. I locked the brisket in the oven, and then I pressed ’clean’. I ordered a ‘whore du vere‘ on our first date.

We got mooned on the way to our own wedding. We couldn’t punt in Cambridge. We actually ate at Brasserie Lippe. We flushed dinner down a toilet at a ryokan in Kyoto. We were attacked by no see-ums on Sanibel Island, black flies on Mt. Katahdin and wild turkeys on Hartman Road. We went to Crete, but it was closed. The sliding door fell off our minivan. Our basement bathroom flooded. Three times.

To the next 31 years!

Final PHI Protection Rule Won’t Mandate Encryption. An HHS official has confirmed that the final revisions to the HIPAA privacy rules will not include a mandate for encryption of protected health information.

Firefox Updates Mobile Browser For Android With ‘Do Not Track’ Privacy Feature. When the feature is enabled in Mozilla’s browser, it will tell ad networks and websites that you want to opt-out of third-party tracking for purposes like behavioral advertising.

Johns Hopkins HIV Guide App Synthesizes HIV Info For iPad & iPhone. The guide attempts to serve as a one-stop resource for everything related to HIV. It is available on Apple iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows.

Tricorder X Prize To Allow Patients To Diagnose Themselves. Qualcomm and the X Prize are offering money for a device that can spot diseases better than a doctor.

US Rates of Autism, ADHD Continue to Rise. One in six US children now has a developmental disability such as autism, learning disorders or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research from the CDC.

Testing for Sports Genes Sparks Controversy. At least 2 companies have begun selling tests that claim to help match youngsters with the sports they are genetically programmed to play best.

iPads Help Reduce Pain, Anxiety for Kids in the ER. Nurses in the emergency departments of New York City hospitals are pioneering techniques — including the use of iPads — to improve the patient experience by eliminating or minimizing pain.

Pharmacy CDS Systems Miss Potentially Dangerous Interactions. Only 28% of pharmacies’ clinical decision support software systems correctly identified potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions, according to a new study.

Cockroaches May Help Explain Asthma Outbreaks. A new study shows that children in high-asthma neighborhoods have been more exposed to cockroaches than those in adjacent low-asthma neighborhoods.

NIST Event to Tackle EHR Usability. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will host a workshop on June 7 on measuring, evaluating and improving the usability of electronic health records.

“The combined profits of the Fortune 500 increased by 81% this year, the third largest gain in history. Compare that to the unemployment rate, which fell by just 8% over the past 12 months.” Ezra Klein, while analyzing last week’s jobs report by the Federal Government.

“Why would I listen to ‘lub dub’ when I can see everything?” Eric Topol, a cardiologist in San Diego who carries a portable ultrasound device with him in lieu of a stethoscope. The device lets him and his patient see the heart muscle and valves, and blood flow into and out of the organ.

“There probably is not a whole lot that we can do at the pipeline level to dramatically improve the number of students choosing primary care. Where the money is, is where the money is.” Mark Schwartz, an associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine, discussing a study showing that high medical school debt and low compensation are driving people away from General Internal Medicine.

“It sounds like a new Apple product.” Bara Vada, describing IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a controversial panel tasked by the Affordable Care Act to make binding recommendations to reduce Medicare spending.

“I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering.” Newt Gingrich, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination,  when asked about a Medicare plan championed by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan as an element of the party’s 2012 budget proposal.