The smartest man I’ve ever worked with, my best friend, died unexpectedly this week. I’m en route to Tel Aviv for his funeral. He’d been having significant swings in his health, and this time, just as it seemed there was a breakthrough, time ran out.

His name was Dorron Levy, and my daughter describes him to friends as the Israeli version of me. He taught me how to think about complex problems. He taught me to be very picky about coffee. His family and I fell in love. And he taught me how to construct a speech in a way that it opens a big question in an audience’s mind and then fills it, leaving them with a new view of how the world works.

He loved books, he loved solving impossible problems, he loved learning, and he loved teaching. (He once said the biggest compliment was to hear “You really taught me something.”) He loved digging down into the deep underlying causes. And when that led to solving an impossible problem, the glee on his face was a wonder to see. And as a dual citizen – born in Denver to Israeli parents – he was extremely astute about differences in culture.

I worked with Dorron at Indigo America in the 1990s, [Read more…]

Once again this year, Alexandra Drane of Eliza Corp., and friends, have coordinated the Engage With Grace blog rally, in which scores of healthcare bloggers devote their site, for a day or more, to this important topic.

They chose this time of family get-togethers to encourage conversations about our end of life choices. It may seem odd, but what other opportunities do we have to discuss, in quiet moments, this most intimate of subjects?

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s Alex’s talk at TEDMED 2010 in San Diego, with the moving story of her sister-in-law’s death – and how very, very important it was to her daughter (to this day) that her mother’s wishes were honored.

Be sure your wishes are known. Even if you don’t expect your words to matter for a long, long time, say them now.

Here’s “The One Slide” with the five questions Engage With Grace asks us to answer. In fact, you can go to their site and register your wishes.

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If I were the usual blogger I’d say “I’m humbled to say…” but honestly, I’m THRILLED! to say that today at the Mayo Ragan Social Media Summit at the Mayo Clinic, they announced a new Social Media Fellowship, and I was appointed to the inaugural class – the first five people appointed to this honor.
THRILLED. What more could I say?? At left is the list of the five of us – all friends of mine! We’re gonna have a virtual kegger.

Here’s the Fellows Program web page, which includes the 4 minute YouTube below. Around 2:50, center director Lee Aase describes this as “a lifetime achievement award … to recognize people who have made exceptional contributions to advancing the practice of social media in healthcare.” Woot.
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Katherine Hobson has a new article about IBM Watson in the US News and World Report Best Hospitals issue:

The IBM Wiz Kid’s Work on Cancer
Watson’s foray into oncology is only the first baby step toward applying “big data” to thorny medical problems.

As this giant Jeopardy-winning supercomputer continues its venture into medicine, it’s fascinating to watch, but I continue to scream “WAKE UP!!” to anyone at IBM who’ll listen, because I think there’s a vast opportunity that’s not being pursued. And we need it! (I’m quoted at the end of the article, opining on this.)

What they’re doing

I love that they’re exposing Watson to gobs and gobs of previous cases, as the article describes, so it can sniff for patterns. If there’s one thing a well programmed computer can do, it’s sniff for familiar patterns.

And I love that they’re using it to suggest diagnoses and treatments to the doctor, not make diagnoses or recommendations. (I’ve long said that I doubted IBM’s lawyers would want to be anywhere near liability for a wrong diagnosis and its consequences!) An “information-suck-and-sort” machine should do just that.

(At least for today. Who knows what we’ll think in a few years; I’m not in a position to predict.)

What they’re not doing (yet)

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This is off topic (a business traveler issue) except that there are strong parallels with the important trend of wanting to make medicine more patient-centered.  In my speeches I often say this isn’t very different from what other industries do – look at things from the customer’s point of view.

(In medicine a year ago this was announced (appropriately) as a big new insight by the Institute of Medicine – “a learning healthcare system is anchored on patient needs and perspectives.”)

I used to think that in the future of elder housing, Marriott might be a really good vendor someday. Not so sure, right now.

I’m staying at a Marriott, and as usual their “iBAHN(R) Wireless High-Speed Internet” sucks.  (I measure speeds with the CNet bandwidth tester; this hotel’s running at 400-500, compared to for instance the Sheraton New Orleans at 2500-4,000.)

I mentioned the speed problem to the excellent woman who gave me great service at the reception desk and she said they know, they’re trying to get out of their contract with iBahn.

“But,” I said, “if Marriott knows it’s bad, why are they still charging $12.95 a day for it??”

See, if you look at anything from the customer’s point of view, you just wouldn’t do that – would not charge full price for something you know isn’t working as you advertised it. (Advertised & sold as high speed; it isn’t, and you know it.)  But I’ll guarantee there’s someone at the Marriott home office who views the situation one of these ways:
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Regular readers know that in May, just before giving a dinner speech, I learned that my younger brother Steve had died that day. I blogged about how I’d hardly known him, and my sister Suede (much closer to his age) replied about what a loss that was. Lots of you commented, here and on Facebook and email.

Separately, last week I posted that after years of wanting to be a Parrothead, I’m finally going to my first Jimmy Buffett concert Tuesday night.  I blogged about wanting to learn everything I could about Parrothead culture.

Suede wrote again – and guess who was a bigtime Parrothead:

You will have a blast. Too bad stevo isn’t around…he was a huge, huge buffett fan and knew every single piece of exactly what came with it. … he loved having all the back story and history on everything that got his attention, researched that tirelessly, then loved to tell all of it to anyone willing to listen. He knew all there is to know about jimmy buffett, I’m pretty sure … have a blast.

What do we lose when we don’t speak our wants to our families? And when we don’t listen to them? One of Buffett’s biggest songs is “Cheeseburger in Paradise” – and I thought, “Paradise Lost.” What I’d longed for (in silence) was under my nose, and now it’s gone.

Well Stevo, here’s to you – here’s to the tailgating we never shared. I’ll make it a good one and think of the elbows we never bent.