Craig Joseph, MD

What Self-Driving Cars Can Teach Us About the Future of AI in Medicine Video is the richest signal yet — and potentially the next great leap for AI in medicine

Dr. Mitesh Patel argues that video may be the next major leap for AI in healthcare, just as it was for self-driving cars. Text gave AI knowledge, voice gave interaction, and video can give understanding. The decade ahead may redefine how care is delivered and analyzed. #MedSky buff.ly/UnF05j5

How Stakeholder Perceptions of Quality Shape Healthcare Transactions: Insights from Key Decision-Makers Across the Ecosystem This study found that healthcare executives base partnership decisions less on formal quality metrics and more on perceived value, trust, reputation, and strategic alignment. While quality measures like HEDIS and CAHPS are used, they’re rarely the decisive factor in initiating, sustaining, or ending relationships. In short, “quality” in healthcare transactions is as much about perception and alignment as it is about performance data.

Healthcare partnerships aren’t driven by quality metrics alone. Execs weigh trust, reputation, value, and strategic alignment more than HEDIS or CAHPS scores. “Quality” is relational as much as it is clinical; ignore that at your peril. #MedSky

Who’s Not Talking? Nonresponse Bias in Healthcare Employee Well-Being Surveys We found that clinicians who don’t respond to organizational well-being surveys are more likely to have lower productivity and significantly higher turnover rates than those who do. Specifically, nonresponding physicians were 5 times more likely to leave, and nonresponding advanced practice providers were nearly 10 times more likely to leave their jobs. This shows that relying on survey results alone can seriously underestimate workforce distress, since the highest-risk individuals often don’t participate at all.

Clinicians who skip well-being surveys are often the ones most at risk: lower productivity and 5–10× higher turnover than respondents. Survey data alone underestimates workforce distress; leaders must pair it with objective metrics. #MedSky

Babies aren’t born with cell phones; your EHR didn’t get the memo. Discover how hospitals can transform EHR practices for pediatric care, enhancing patient safety, confidentiality, and operational efficiency through age-aware and relationship-specific data…

Babies don’t text, but EHRs act like they do. I explain why assigning phone numbers to infants breaks adolescent privacy and how age-aware contact design fixes it. Safety starts with smarter data. #MedSky

Slack AI: What product teams can learn from one banner One message, three lessons in the psychology of feature adoption

Slack’s AI rollout is a case study in failed adoption: no clear benefit, no action prompt, and no recovery from failure. Healthcare execs, take note: AI success depends on behavior design, not just tech deployment. #MedSky

Personas Make Users Memorable Personas support user-centered design throughout a project’s lifecycle by making user groups feel real and tangible.

Personas ≠ fluff. Done right, they’re clinical decision support for design, grounded in real user data, not stereotypes. If your #EHR redesign is based on vibes, not workflows, you’re doing it wrong. #MedSky

Designing for Health: Interview with Matthew Denenberg, MD [Podcast] Explore the integration of AI and ethics in healthcare with Dr. Matthew Denenberg and Dr. Craig Joseph, focusing on system design and collaborative leadership for improved patient outcomes.

EHRs, AI, and adolescent access: Dr. Denenberg and I unpack how thoughtful design and collaborative leadership can transform care delivery, peer review, and disaster readiness. Listen wherever fine podcasts are downloaded. #MedSky

Beyond the sandbox: Building real infrastructure for clinician-led innovation Empower clinician-led innovation with essential training, robust infrastructure, and trust-building systems to drive digital transformation in healthcare.

Training isn’t a perk; it’s a prerequisite. Clinician-led innovation needs infrastructure, autonomy, and empathy baked into governance and support. Stop waiting for unicorns. Start building systems that make innovation routine. #MedSky

Designing for Health: Interview with Justin Schrager, MD and Nick Sterling, MD, PhD [Podcast] Learn how Vital.io founders, Justin Schrager, MD, and Nick Sterling, MD, PhD, leverage AI to transform patient communication and improve healthcare experiences in emergency settings.

EHR portals may not solve all the problems. I spoke with Justin Schrager and Nick Sterling about how Vital.io uses AI and thoughtful design to fix the communication crisis in hospitals, starting with the ER. #MedSky

Effectiveness of different de-implementation strategies in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis The results suggested with moderate certainty of evidence that provider education combined with audit and feedback reduced the use of targeted low value care. Individual strategies may slightly reduce the use of targeted low value care, but achieving a meaningful impact on low value care may require the use of multiple strategies. The results may be useful for patients, clinicians, policy makers, and guideline developers when deciding on future de-implementation strategies and research priorities.

A BMJ review of 140 trials shows how to cut low-value care in primary care. Provider education + audit/feedback ↓ unnecessary care ~23%. Add patient education and results hit 30–35%. Multi-strategy beats one-off fixes. #MedSky

A multicenter randomized trial to improve family clinical note access and outcomes for hospitalized children: The Bedside Notes study protocol Introduction The 2021 Cures Act mandates caregiver access to their child′s medical notes with few exceptions, yet fewer than 10% access notes during hospitalization. Caregiver review of real-time…

Despite the Cures Act, most caregivers don’t access pediatric inpatient notes. The Bedside Notes trial shows real-time note access via tablets boosts engagement and safety reporting, without raising anxiety. Family-centered care starts with transparency. #MedSky

Designing for Health: Interview with Marina Gerner, PhD [Podcast] Explore the challenges and innovations in Femtech with Dr. Craig Joseph and Marina Gerner, PhD, on Nordic's Designing for Health podcast. Listen for insights on advancing women's health.

Femtech isn’t niche; it’s neglected. I spoke with Marina Gerner about bias, censorship, and why smart bras and sensor-enabled nipple shields deserve serious funding. Time to destigmatize and invest. Listen wherever fine podcasts are downloaded for free! #MedSky

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The Health Care Promise of Socially Assistive Robots This Medical News article is an interview with Maja Matarić, PhD, of the University of Southern California, who discussed how AI is advancing the field of socially assistive robotics in areas ranging…

Socially assistive robots powered by LLMs show promise in reducing psychiatric distress—outperforming chatbots in clinical trials. Physical presence matters. Time to rethink digital mental health strategies. #MedSky

Threats to Patient Safety From Cybersecurity Flaws—A New Never Event This Viewpoint discusses medical device cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the threat they pose to patient safety.

A bedside monitor with internet access was found to contact a Chinese IP and allow remote control. Yes, really. Cybersecurity flaws in medical devices are now patient safety “never events.” Time to treat them like wrong-site surgery. #MedSky

Why Diagnostic Codes for Heat-Related Illness Matter This Medical News article discusses how barriers to using heat exposure ICD-10 codes—especially for secondary diagnoses—are skewing critical population surveillance.

Heat is a hidden comorbidity. Chronic exposure worsens heart, lung, and mental health, but rarely gets coded. Without ICD-10 data, policy and prevention lag. Time to make climate health visible in the EHR. #MedSky

Randomized Experiment of Recruitment Letter Design to Maximize Clinical Trial Enrollment This randomized study within a trial examines whether varying digital recruitment letter layout and color scheme impacts trial enrollment.

Shorter wins. In a 900K+ person RCT, a 1-page digital letter boosted trial enrollment vs. longer versions, by nearly 1%. No effect from color. Design matters, especially in pragmatic, low-touch trials. Keep it simple, clinicians. #MedSky

Measure and unmeasure In healthcare we focus on what we can count | Plus some interesing ideas and news

It's pretty cool to be reading through the excellent 33charts newsletter, see something that seems eerily similar to what you wrote, and then discover that Bryan Vartabedian, MD is referencing your blog post. Thanks for the shout out, Dr. V! #medsky buff.ly/a6jEWtk

Inpatient and Outpatient Radiology Report Access After the 21st Century Cures Act This cohort study examines trends in patient access of radiology imaging results after implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act in different clinical settings.

Mayo Clinic study in JAMA Net Open: After removal of the 36-hr delay, patients accessed radiology reports much faster: outpatients cut median time from 4.9h → 1.1h, inpatients/ED from 9.1h → 2.8h. Immediate release reshapes expectations for follow-up. #MedSky

Outcomes and Cost-Benefit of a National Suicide Reattempt Prevention Program This cohort study evaluates the outcomes and cost benefit of a French national program aimed at reducing suicide reattempt risk in the 12 months after discharge.

France’s national suicide prevention program cut reattempts by 38% using low-tech outreach. Yes, even handwritten, hand-stamped postcards. ROI? €2.06 per euro spent. Scalable, humane, and effective. Behavioral health doesn’t always need an app. #MedSky

Designing for Health: Interview with Mukul Mehra, MD [Podcast] Explore strategies to reduce low-value care through cost transparency and evidence-based decision support in this insightful podcast episode with Dr. Mukul Mehra and Dr. Craig Joseph.

Low-value care isn’t just wasteful; it’s dangerous. I spoke with Mukul Mehra, MD about nudging docs toward smarter, cost-aware decisions without killing autonomy. #DesigningForHealth is live. #MedSky

AI isn’t coming for your job: It’s coming for your workflow Explore how AI can help enhance clinical workflows, earn clinician trust, and improve care through thoughtful implementation and human-centered design.

AI isn’t replacing docs; it’s reshaping workflows. The tech is ready, but our systems aren’t. If your AI plan doesn’t improve care and earn clinician trust, it’s just noise in a high-stakes signal. #MedSky

HIMSS VA Annual Conference 2025 | HIMSS Virginia Chapter

I'll be speaking at the HIMSS VA Annual Conference 2025, being held from 9/29 - 10/1. I'll be talking about practical tools for implementing technology for better health and decreased clinician burnout. Don't miss it! #VAHIMSS25 #HIMSS

Clinician Perspectives on AI-Generated Drafts of Test Result Explanations This quality improvement study evaluates clinician perspectives on the usability and utility of generative artificial intelligence (AI)–based large language model tool to draft result comments for…

Stanford piloted a generative AI tool using Claude 3.5 Sonnet to draft patient-friendly explanations of lab, imaging, and pathology results. Clinicians found it useful and time-saving, but flagged trust and nuance issues. AI inbox support is evolving; watch this space. #MedSky

Patient Navigator in Trauma Survivor Follow-Up Patient service navigators (PSNs) play an integral role in health care coordination and delivery. While PSNs have been well studied in oncology, supporting treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care, research on PSNs in trauma care is limited.

Patient navigators aren’t just for oncology anymore. A new study shows they boost trauma follow-up without changing ED visits, proof that navigation can bridge care gaps for complex patients. Is it time to expand the model? #MedSky

Your EHR support model is undermining everything (and you don’t even know it) Transform your EHR support model from reactive fixes to strategic enabler with human-centered AMS design for better clinician satisfaction and operational efficiency.

AMS isn’t just tech support; it’s a strategic lever. When designed with clinicians in mind, it drives satisfaction, efficiency, and innovation. Let’s stop measuring speed and start measuring impact. #MedSky buff.ly/HlCfMK8

As Shared Decision-Making Ails, AI May Save This Human Interaction – The Health Care Blog By MICHAEL MILLENSON

AI could rescue shared decision-making from decades of underperformance. By personalizing options and coaching clinicians, AI can enhance, not replace, human connection. The key: empathy + tech, not automation. #MedSky

The 3 I’s of Microcopy: Inform, Influence, and Interact Microcopy can have three different purposes: informing users, influencing them, and supporting their interaction.

#Microcopy matters. The 3 I’s -- Informative, Immediate, Inherently helpful -- are a UX prescription for clarity. Whether it’s patient portals or EHR alerts, the right words reduce friction and build trust. Small text, big impact. Worth a clinical-grade review. #MedSky

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Designing for Health: Interview with Minal Shah, MD [Podcast] Explore how intentional design and innovative technology are transforming healthcare, reducing cognitive load, and improving experiences for patients and care teams through smarter workflows and AI…

AI scribes, Epic Monitor, and RTLS aren’t just buzzwords; they’re solving real problems. In my chat with Dr. Minal Shah from CommonSpirit Health, we explored how tech can reduce cognitive load and boost adoption when it’s designed with clinicians in mind. #MedSky buff.ly/kGCaT8M

Finding the A1c Sweet Spot Lowers Cardiovascular Risk Among Patients with Diabetes Facilitating rapid sharing of new medical knowledge

With 850,000+ patients with #DM2, Epic crunched some numbers and found what I think we'd all expect: the more out-of-control the glucose control over time, the higher the risk was for MI and stroke. Conversely, the tighter the glucose control, the lower the risk, to a point.

Costs and Effects of Ineffective Wayfinding in US Hospitals: A Survey of Hospital Staff Despite the extensive literature on the environmental factors that influence wayfinding, this study finds that hospital visitors in the United States still struggle with wayfinding, which indicates a potential gap between design research and practice.

Hospital staff spend ~30 min/week helping lost visitors. Poor wayfinding leads to frustration, distractions, and even incivility. Fixing signage isn’t enough; design must support independent navigation. Cafeterias and restrooms matter too. #MedSky