So what do you do exactly???

Some of you already know what I do, but I've been too busy with work to do anything else worth writing about. Since arriving in London in mid-March, I've been working on Cerner's London Cluster Design & Configuration team. What does that mean exactly? Well, I help design the hospital and outpatient software that will be used by every clinician in London. (The software supporting healthcare for 7.5 Million people.) More specifically, I am responsible for helping design: how physicians order tests, referrals, and follow-up appointments; how groups of clinicians communicate eletronically for results, document signatures, and messaging; and some systems integration work across labs, clinics, hospitals, ERs, etc.

Believe it or not, the work is very interesting and challenging. There are a lot of differences working in the UK and in the US (besides the language - really). Outside the US and A, socialized healthcare is the norm, not the anomaly. That bleeds into a million different aspects of how documentation, billing, and reporting structures are defined. Insurance companies don't exist, you don't have to worry about whether your plan covers Y or Z, but you also may have to wait for care. Then again, if you really need the care, is it worth the wait?

All in all, I have to admit I'm having a blast. I lead on it's less work than play but that's not always the case. I'm just happy I'm more interested in the new challenges my work presents. The will to live and work towards something I'm passionnate about is worth the price of the occassional 60 hour week.

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