Hi, > Both initiatives feel like "let's try and boil the ocean" > strategies...perhaps I'm getting too old too.
Nice metaphor! The fundamental problem with most "universal solutions" is the belief that some universal recipe exist, and that everybody will buy into it as soon as it is presented due to its inherent beauty and perfectness. This in turn is based on the nearly "religious" belief that we live in a world where all citizens/organisations/companies basically have the same objective interests and where everything and everybody somehow have its/their pre-ordained place in the scheme of things, if we could only figure out the scheme (the "Genesis option", one might say). The approach described by David - to move towards a more integrated Health Infostructure by linking up independent entities (hospitals, existing networks) using open standards - is completely different and quite similar to the "chaotic" but successful evolution of the Internet. It's chances of success is far higher than those other quests for "universal solutions" (call it the "Darwinist option", if you prefer - you join slugs and whether the outcome in the end are humans or slugs nobody knows). If I might draw a parallel that should be well known to most of you: The US has spent at least half a trillion 2002 dollars per year for 60 years on the Army, Navy, Air Force, CIA, NSA, FBI, FDA, etc - and every single of those organisations have presumably a strictly hierarchical and disciplined power structure with the Command-in-Chief on top. But have they been able to co-ordinate their informations systems? Best regards Calle ********************************************* Calle Hedberg 3 Pillans Road, 7700 Rosebank, SOUTH AFRICA Tel/fax (home): +27-21-685-6472; Cell: +27-82-853-5352 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *********************************************
