If you've spoken to me about creativity sometime over the last eight years or so, you may have heard me mention this "play with music" I've been noodling on since 2009 (or since I was born, depending on how you count). After lots of dreaming, but not a lot of action, it's finally becoming a real thing.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Miss Isabella Rainsong and Her Traveling Companion: A One-Guitar Show
If you've spoken to me about creativity sometime over the last eight years or so, you may have heard me mention this "play with music" I've been noodling on since 2009 (or since I was born, depending on how you count). After lots of dreaming, but not a lot of action, it's finally becoming a real thing.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
digituRN
to transform the nursing profession
through the application of informatics
and digital innovation.
President and Founder of The American College of Medical Informatimusicology.
www.ACMImimi.org
Commissioned by the Southern Indiana University College of Nursing and Health Professions for the 4th Annual Health Informatics Tri-State Summit.
The healing touch
Words of compassion
An understanding ear
It all seems so old fashioned
The rules are changing as we
Jump into this digital game
(We're digituRNing)
Wait a minute
Our path is timeless
More than ever now
We need human kindness
The flow is changing
But the calling is still the same
Let's repaint the patient picture
And surround it with a digital frame
(We're digituRNing)
We need more healing
And human interaction
The system's reeling
It's time to spring to action
We can't go back to the
Prison of paper chains
Just imagine what can happen
When we multiply our digital gains
(We're digituRNing)
When you let the data go
You won't believe your eyes
As you push it to the flow
The data liquifies
Filling the gaps
Making sure you're aware
Avoiding errors and traps
And driving quality care
Nursing informatics has the
Power to burn and when you
Crank it to eleven you digituRN
Turn, turn, turn... digituRN
(We're digituRNing)
One last notion
Our history's just beginning
It's all in motion
We've got the big wheels spinning
There's just no telling where
DigituRNing takes the flow
Just put the patient first
And we'll keep digituRNing as we go
Just put the patient first
And we'll keep digituRNing into tomorrow
Turn, turn, turn... digituRN
(We're digituRNing)
(c)2017 The American College of Medical Informatimusicology
Creative Commons License 4.0
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Monday, August 22, 2016
More Than a Memory #UnicornJess
More Than a Memory
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Remembering Jess Jacobs #UnicornJess
Yesterday, our tribe of vocal sojourners and patient advocates lost one of its brightest lights. Jess Jacobs passed away after a long, amazingly chronicled ordeal with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) among other complex medical issues. Jess, ever beaming (I'm not kidding - even when she was in the middle of yet another medical ordeal - she radiated positivity and joy), took great pains to describe the indignities of being a cog in the healthcare machine.
Yesterday, twitter erupted with messages about Jess's passing. Friends like Mandi Bishop, Regina Holliday, and Carly Medosch posted their raw remembrances with equal parts of laughter and rage.
Tonight, we will gather virtually for a tweet chat where we will honor Jess and bask in her light. Here are the details...
When: Sunday, August 14, 2016, 8pm to 9pm ET
Where: http://twitter.com
Hashtag: #UnicornJess
Moderator: Ross Martin
Topics:
- T1: Tell us about when Jess made you smile or laugh
- T2: Tell us about when Jess made you think
- T3: Tell us about when Jess made you act
- T4: What tangible actions can we take to we honor Jess's memory as our "First to Fall" in The Walking Gallery?
- T5: Open sharing on other topics - we will make sure there is time for folks to share other thoughts and ideas.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Confessions of a Lifeaholic
Sitting on my desk, writing from my heart, so much thoughts in my mind thus leading to the term - "Lifeaholic" defined as an addiction to life. When I first started this blog my entry was about my addiction to chocolates and now as I enter into my blogging cycle again I intend to take it on a different note and that is about the phenomenon of waking up each day, breathing and appreciating simple things - the term called life. You see it has gone into a whole new angle in me ever since I fought for it and survived it and now for even just a little bit a chance to share the lessons it has taught me. As they say lessons are cycles repeated in our lives and will never stop unless we learn the message that goes with it. Therefore I confess to the following:
Authenticity. A life well lived begins with appreciating your true and authentic self and admittedly this is a Herculean task, it takes time but the process in the end always pays off. To break free from what others would think and live life on our own terms I would say is the key to breaking free and it definitely feels good. No definition can ever embody what your true self is except for the one you set for yourself.
Courage. Fears can be real.. so real that it feels like being scooped up in a black hole but to embrace it is divine. We become more free every time we step out of our comfort zone. I have learned that the greatest danger in life is taking no risks at all. Admittedly still a lesson I have yet to learn in some occasions.
Kindness. No matter what religion one belongs to it all boils down to kindness. Each day as we meet new people or even old friends take it as an opportunity to be able to contribute and make the world a better place to live in. No preacher here but yes I must say it makes a big good difference.
Value. Living a life is doing what you value the most. What motivates you? What makes you happy? What gives you energy? What brings an immense smile on your face whenever you envision it? One of the greatest key in living a life with purpose is doing what matters to you the most. Pursue it with passion and the rest shall follow.
Influence. Choose them well. Know them well and most of all never allow it or them to get the better half of you. Discern well.
Choices. Deciding on making one is already a choice in itself. No color aside from black and white in this aspect, no gray area. When I am personally faced with a choice be it difficult or not one thing leads me into walking towards that one road and that is the path that gives me inner peace. No regrets no looking back.
Love. Never lose sight of it and never lose your heart for it. All things may fade but only love remains.
And as I end just a gentle reminder to always stand up for something bigger than yourself. Believe that we exist and we are here for a purpose, a special reason - a mission. Live a beautiful life on your own terms and by all means be successful on your own terms too, not as how society would dictate to you. Bless your path.
"Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you'll be able to see farther."- Thomas Carlyle
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Flow - a spoken-word piece about health information exchange
On Monday, August 17th, 2015 I begin a new chapter as Program Director for the new Integrated Care Network initiative at CRISP, Maryland's health information exchange. We will be providing data to healthcare providers to enhance their care coordination efforts and providing additional care coordination tools to some of those providers who don't already have these capabilities in place.
To mark the transition, I decided to make a video of this spoken word piece I wrote in 2012 (originally entitled "A Man among Millions") for my last day consulting for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT while I was working at Deloitte Consulting. This piece explains why I am so passionate about making health information exchange work for all of us.
I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference with an amazing team of collaborators and look forward to providing updates on our progress over the coming months and years.
Flow
tick tockcheck the clock
it's moving faster
relentless in its quest
to stop us in our tracks
tick tock
can you hear it?
faster than my beating heart
thumping with anxiety
checking over my shoulder
for the reaper
he's on a bender
hell-bent on the hunt
to sniff down and snuff out
those I love
tick tock
time won't stop
or take a break or hesitate
to cut us off at the knees
yet here we stand
for what we believe
can make a difference
if we only make it flow
today we stand for flow --
for what we know is essential to the health
of this thing we call a healthcare system
we stand for flow
for overcoming the inertia of standing still
pushing information out
transforming it from solid state to liquid gold
letting it go where it needs to go
flowing into the chasm that separates us
from the quality we pay for but don't receive
flowing so that the liquid data
cascade and echo
creating ripples of insight
that concatenate to engulf us
in tsunamis of knowledge
and so we implement electronic health records
organizing into exchanges
to make flow a reality
in local circumstances
taking chances with taxpayer dollars
that we could never afford
on our own accord
trying to fix on a massive scale
the brokenness of our system
that we in our confessed complacency
have grown to see as normal
millions --
nameless, faceless
suffering under the burden
of a system uninspired
to go the extra mile --
are saying enough
I have a name
I have a voice
I have a face
I take a stand
here I stand
just one example
of a man among millions
with a family lost in this maze
with a father who died
from cancer of his phantom prostate
that had been removed twenty years before
no PSAs for twenty years
why test for something long removed?
maybe because there's a chance it's not all gone
maybe the answer is there
hidden among the data
to know the answer to the question
of whether it would have made a difference
a life or death difference
this one simple test
here I stand
just one example
of a man among millions
with a family lost in this maze
with a mother slowly losing her way
keeping the memories of her youth
but misplacing those formed an hour ago
her children
long away from their hometown
trying to connect the dots of her care
by remote control
"help! I've fallen and I can't get up"
doesn't traverse time zones
so we rely on old technology of phone and fax
which isn't up to the task
as she rides
from assisted living
to hospital
to rehab
and back again
while her medical records struggle
to keep up the pace
here I stand
just one example
of a man among millions
with a family lost in this maze
with a son who enjoys good health
but has already faced the surgeon's scalpel
at an age too young for his memory to recall
exactly why he has that scar on his back
or how his kidneys lack the full capacity
others take for granted
how will he know
when he comes of age
what this means for him
his records passed down
from his elders
like an oral history
told around a campfire
after a hunt for mastodons
here I stand
just one example
of a man among millions
with a family lost in this maze
with a wife who bravely faces
cancer number four
in thirty-two years
who alone carries the burden
of coordinating care
among the dozens and dozens
of providers who focus on
the particular part of her they understand
who alone carries the records
from place to place
from year to year
from diagnosis to diagnosis
hoping she can keep it all straight
so at the very least they do no harm
here I stand
one of the lucky ones
with coverage
with knowledge
with friends
who stands helpless
to make the system work
for those who are the world to him
here I stand
speaking to my heroes
who possess amazing superpowers
to bend maze corners
into straight corridors
and transform the flow
from a trickle
to a torrent
I don't presume to know what drives you
what compels you to forego
another fifteen minutes sleep
and return to the battle
to do the heavy lifting
to add another line of code
to write another line of policy
to create another decision support rule
to make one more connection
to solve one more problem
to make it flow
but if you need a story to motivate
to steel your resolve to press on
mine is here and free for the taking
better still
forget my story
and tell your own
shout it from the rooftops
or whisper it only to yourself
but keep that image
sharply focused in your mind
to give you the inspiration
to do the work
so we all can be
one among the millions
who survive
no, who thrive
who sail
in the flow
(c)2015 Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA
www.rossmartinmd.com
www.ACMImimi.org
www.crisphealth.org
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Support Regina Holliday, FACMImimi on Gittip
I signed up to give Regina $0.73 per week on Gittip and ask that all of you think about doing the same. That's only $39.96 a year when you throw in the bank fees that Gittip charges ($2 over the course of the year). If your life has been changed for the better by Regina's work and mission like mine has, please sign up to give Regina a weekly boost in her income. Show you mean it by giving something with $0.73 at the end. If everyone with a Walking Gallery jacket tips Regina $0.73 a week, she will receive over $11,000 a year to supplement her income from speaking/painting/Regina-being. It's not enough to live on and raise two boys, but it's something. Let's support Regina!
For what it's worth, I've designated ACMImimi as my own cause on Gittip. I have never received any personal income from the videos and music I've made for the cause of bringing health information to people through music and have invested hundreds of hours and many dollars over the years to bring these works to you. If you have a burning desire to support these efforts, consider doing so through Gittip. It will let me know that people value this contribution to the field and will motivate me to invest more time into making them and creating new, more ambitious works. You'll find me on Gittip at https://www.gittip.com/rossmartin.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
We Picked a Fine Time to Leave El Nopalito
We Picked a Fine Time to Leave El Nopalito
At a Tennessee truck stop about three a.m.
I was feelin’ real down and alone
When in walked a lady who looked so familiar
Just like a young woman I’d known
I said, “Howdy-do” and she sang, “Same t’you”
Her melody turned on a light
I said, “Years ago, did you go out to El Nopalito
For that open mic on Wednesday nights?”
I asked her to sit and I gave her a hit
From my bottle of Jack Daniel’s Black
We talked of a time that was many years gone
The memories sure took us back
Back to the stage and a fine bygone age
When songs were performed by our gang
We toasted that crew and the tunes that they knew
And these are the words that we sang
CHORUS:
We picked a fine time to leave El Nopalito
I sure loved their chiles and combo burritos
We heard some good songs
And we heard some bad songs
Then we sang, “Adios, muy amigos”
We picked a fine time to leave El Nopalito
Reminicin’ ’til dawn over coffee and yawns
We sang songs until we went hoarse
We swapped juicy stories of yesteryear glories
Who hooked up and who got divorced
We recounted past scenes like when George and Arlene
Used to belt rockabilly full blast
Those nights were the peak of the workaday week
I guess it was too good to last
REPEAT CHORUS
Dell sold the shop and he took to bar hoppin’
Tradin’ a song for a beer
Chris went on a mission to blend drums and fishin’
Larry’s been missin’ for years
Buck Stone and Murray made it big in a hurry
Jeff’s now a YouTube phenom
And Scott and his honey run a posh nudist col’ny
For senile hippies on Guam
REPEAT CHORUS
Our heads were both hurtin’ and we both knew for certain
It was high time to call it a wrap
My spirit revived, I felt strangely alive
But more likely I’d go home to nap
I gave her a hug and I felt that old tug
To go find me some new open mics
Sure, it’ll be great, but it won’t compensate
For the magic we shared Wednesday nights
REPEAT CHORUS
For El Nopalito Grill on the occasion of their last open mic, January 8th, 2014
Thanks for taking such good care of us!
Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA
© 2014 ACMImimi
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
ACMImimi Announces New Fellows and Members
Those wishing to be considered for admission into The College as Fellows should submit an application to the Admissions Committee, which will review each application carefully and make a determination of worthiness based upon merit. The College now boasts 94 Fellows. Who will be number 100?
New ACMImimi Fellows (January 1st, 2014)
- Voice minor at North Texas State University
- Member of numerous choirs, barbershop quartets and other vocal endeavors over a nearly 50-year span
- Thought leader in health care, healthy living and healthcare ethics, including mobile and information technologies
- Wrote the ePatient Rap
- Performed and recorded the ePatient Rap at HealthFoo
- Special commendation as the first individual to request admission as a Fellow of the College (September 3rd, 2010), though he did so through a post on his own blog and failed to fill out an official application form until December 9th, 2013. The College acknowledges this early demonstration of eminence and will accept this as evidence of his special contributions to the field should he ever apply to be named a Distinguished Fellow of ACMImimi (colloquially known as a Jolly Good Fellow of ACMImimi). Note that The College currently has no application process for Distinguished Fellows, but is considering developing such a program to differentiate the deeply eminent from the merely eminent in the art and science of Medical Informatimusicology.
T Forcht (Teo) Dagi, MD, DMedSc, MPH, MTS, MBA, FAANS, FACS, FCCM, FRCSEd, FACMImimi- Demonstrated proficiency in the study, practice and performance of operatic medical informatics in the Italian, French and British genres
- Conducted an investigation into whether Questa furtiva lagrima should be sung before or after EMR implementation
- Investigated Largo al factotum on the availability of trauma surgeons in urban accident and emergency units
- Conducted a study of the impact of Gelide mannine on outcomes in the ICU
- Maintains an interest in the pursuit of eminence-based medicine
- Holds the record as the ACMImimi Fellow with the most declared credentials and designations
- Combines his skills as a multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, clarinet, flute, and oboe) and singer to augment his work as the Director of Duke's Mobile Technology Strategy and developer of iOS apps
- Showed the connection between musical and informatics creativity in a video from when he was Chief Resident in Pediatrics at UNC
- Writer and Producer of music videos at Genesis Medical Systems in Davenport, Iowa
- Aspiring to become the world's leading medical beatboxer, submitting evidence for his mad skills as interpreted by Google Voice: Boom, ba, bam, bam, boom, boom, ba, bam, bam, tss, tss, ba bam bam, bada BOOM
Yauheni V. Solad, MD
Chen Lin
Monday, October 14, 2013
New Record Number of Inductees as Fellows of ACMImimi
Those wishing to be considered for admission into The College as Fellows should submit an application to the Admissions Committee, which will review each application carefully and make a determination of worthiness based upon merit. The College now boasts 89 Fellows. Who will be number 100?
Rick Turner, MD, MBA, FACMImimi (October 6th, 2013)
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Self-taught in three different types of uillean pipes -- gaita, Gallegos, crone use du centre - representing Ireland, Spain and France, but NOT (emphatically, NOT!) those loud, noisy Scottish things that men in skirts like to parade around playing
- Runs websites for the aforementioned pipes
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Sang karaoke at Go-Lives while working for Epic
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Maker of Medical Informatimusicology videos, which he shares on YouTube and Vimeo
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Was visibly moved by Dr. Martin's performance of "Reflection" at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Paid it forward by giving Dr. Martin a "blessing pin" for his wife after his performance at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- CDS and CPOE designer and implementer who sees the individual notes of health care and works with them so they align and crescendo into a well-oiled machine
- Plays his diatonic harmonica in the full chromatic scale as he accompanies health professionals during summer events
- Donates all proceeds from his musical endeavors to health sciences
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- Bearer of children who have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Opera House
- Has declared in her will that ABBA music be played at her funeral
- Winner of the ACMImimi "Most Well Documented Fellowship Applciation" Award
- 1993: Founding member of Emory University's male a capella ensemble "No Strings Attached".
- 1995: Percussionist, backup vocals for Scottish folk/jazz band "Java Jive" at the University of St. Andrews.
- 1996: Member of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus
- 1998: Lead singer for Med School heavy metal cover band "Kuru" at Washington University
- 1999: Member of the St. Louis Chamber Choir
- 2002: Percussion and vocals for Pediatric Residency folk trio "Hand Foot & Mouth"
- 2003: Member of U. Penn "Ancient Voices"
- 2006: Member of the professional chamber choir "Voces Novae et Antiquae"
- 2011: Founding member of "Chestnut Street Singers"
- Multi-ethnic percussionist (Indian tabla, Latin snare cajon, west African djembe, middle eastern dunbek)
- Taught himself the vocal technique known as "harmonic overtone singing", aka "throat singing", where the singer produces 2 pitches at the same time by amplifying certain harmonics. The Chestnut Street Singers included 2 pieces in recent programs that require the technique. These 2 recordings demonstrates the technique:
- Jussi Chydenius, "I am the great sun"
- Sarah Hopkins, "Past LIfe Melodies" (overtones begin at 4:15)
- Serves as pro bono General Legal Council for The College
- Uniquely qualified to serve as General Counsel based upon his credentials as:
- A highly trained legal professional
- A singer / songwriter and regularly performing musician
- A stalwart participant in health care issues since birth (which he admits was a relatively passive role, but which transcended into a professional endeavor)
- Focuses his research on the health effects of playing the B string on acoustic steel stringed guitars made by Taylor generally (presently working on the 100 series funding and expecting to research the other Taylor lines to continue through the 800 series in the future)
- I also have a done a small bit or research testing the effects of properly dosed songs about marijuana as a placebo in place of actual marijuana. A link to one of the the experiments on this project is attached below (entitled "Ganja Babe")
- I conduct my research with the able assistance of my colleagues at the "Dart Club" and at "The Dont Wannabees aka DWB" with the assistance of research labs the "Potomac Grill", "El Nopalito", Clydes-Chevy Chase, "Branded 72", "Outta the Way Cafe", "Dickies BBQ Germantown; "The Shanty" in Ellicott City; "Bennigins" in Clarksville and other comparable research facilities. Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- CEO and Founder of Zweena and zweenahealth.com
- Member of Princeton Pro Musica for 23 years (and counting), ex board chair (x2)
- Avid choral singer
- Applying his BA in music from Brandeis University by working at Pfizer on applying HIT and other digital platforms to the challenges of clinical development
- Implementing many of Dr. Martin's wild and crazy informatics ideas with musical style
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- CMO for Physician Strategy at Cerner sponsoring and generally cheerleeding Dr. Martin presenting at the #CPC2013 conference
- Big-time singer
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013
- VP, CMO at Cerner sponsoring the selection of Dr. Martin presenting at the #CPC2013 conference
- Actively tweeting and spreading the ACMImimi message
- Contributor to the arts by spreading the word
- Member of the world's largest ACMImimi Choir at the Cerner Physician's Community Meeting in Kansas City, MO on October 5th, 2013