It is a once-a-decade kind of gathering – four living ex-Presidents in one room to celebrate one of their own.  Monday night, HealthCentral had an opportunity to help underwrite one of these rare moments, supporting an epic fundraiser and tribute by the Points of Life Institute to President George H.W. Bush.  The event featured Presidents [...]

Today HealthCentral is participating in a survey to collect feedback on President Obama’s State of the Union address. If you sign up to participate, you’ll be able to share your responses via your smart phone. The survey will be conducted during the address, so you’ll need to be watching to take part. As health care [...]

In an article just published on Nextgov, there is a good overview of the shifting sands in the Open Government agenda of the federal government. I’m quoted in the story because I have served as a volunteer auditor of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Open Government Plan and also am co-leading [...]

For all the talk of “shovel ready,” it’s still not easy to identify public works that got money from the stimulus bill. I have seen a few signs labeling road construction work as “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” projects, but that’s about it. However, on a local radio show this week, I heard about specific [...]

You’ve heard of Heather Armstrong, aka Dooce, right? Blogger, author, No. 26 on Forbes ‘ list of “The Most Influential Women in Media,” outranking Soledad O’Brien and Andrea Mitchell? This week she talked about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with Nancy-Ann DeParle on Twitter. Dooce  posted questions to @whitehouse and DeParle, the Director [...]

A few weeks ago I was invited to volunteer join an independent review effort of federal agency open government plans that were delivered by key federal agencies on April 9, 2010. The independent reviewers were organized by a non-profit transparency organization call Open the Government. Since I work routinely with health information and have gotten [...]

Our 4th annual DTC thought-leader dinner featured Sam Kass, White House Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator for Michelle Obama, who spoke to our group about the administration’s plans for improving the nation’s nutrition. Photos of Sam speaking, dinner at Farmers and Fishers Restaurant, and our guests are below.

Had a really interesting meeting yesterday with BET, where we heard more about their new proposal to close the digital divide and expand African American broadband access, usage and literacy. The proposal is currently in the hands of the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications Information Administration, and BET is hoping for a grant so they [...]

Wondering if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will change your tax bill or how you get your health insurance? Check out the Washington Post’s calculator to find out. If you’re willing to share 4 bits of data – anonymously, of course – this tool will tell you what to expect. Want to know [...]

President Obama and Congress are going once more into the breach on health care reform.  Whatever one’s political views about the issue, the notion of “health care” writ large puts policymakers at odds with the way Americans think and learn about their own health issues.  Policymakers talk about “health care” as though it is a [...]

  I am excited about the launch of HealthCentral’s new blog.  We will be covering a wide range of issues and are hoping to engage all those involved in online health in a serious and insightful discussion of the trends shaping our industry.  I am HealthCentral’s General Counsel and will be blogging regularly here on [...]