Get Out the Vote GeriPal Style II

"Hospice Care" is up against "Institute for Healthcare Improvement" (IHI) in the ModernHealthcare finals!

OK, it's kind of a ridiculous idea.  But hey, it's fun!  March madness style pitting of ideas, groups, and people against each other. 

Notables who didn't make it to the finals:

• President Obama.  Lost in the great 8 to his appointee for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Don Berwick.
• Don Berwick, who lost in the final 4 to the organization he created (IHI)
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Health Reform).  Lost in the great 8 to the Institute of Medicine Report "To Err is Human".
• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  Who on earth is voting for HIPAA?  This darkhorse made it to the round of 32.

Note - if I'm counting correctly, "Hospice" was a 12 seed!  We're the Cinderella team, how can you not vote for us?  We crushed the #1 seed in our bracket "Electronic Health Records" 61% to 39%. 

Vote here!  You can vote daily!  Tell your friends - tweet it, facebook it, blog about it.  (note - the website uses flash, doesn't work on ipads/ipods).  Voting ends June 24th, 9 days from the date I'm writing this post.

Yes it's silly, but these things do matter in some sense.  A demonstration of public support for hospice above other healthcare ideas, organizations, and individuals is only to the good.

by: Alex Smith