Apologies to those who’ve missed me. I’ve been lost in the mid-west taking part in some scenario planning about the big picture future of health care. I can’t give you any details (at least not yet) but it did involve me spending lots of time with a bunch of business association lobbyists who’s views on health care, shall we say, the average THCB reader wouldn’t expect me to share.

In the informal conversations, across the board there was, however, one huge topic of agreement amongst the boomers I met. They wanted themselves and their parents to die at home with palliative care; they felt that current end of life care verges not only on the irrational in terms of resource use, but also on the inhumane. And they think that within a decade, we will be having that conversation and forcing that set of opinions onto our medical providers. Who presumably will be rather more willing to hear us out, rather than insisting on engaging in those heroic measures that, the group felt, todays providers feel they must perform.

One other quick thing. Wednesday, Intel, BP and WalMart announced a PHR initiative, which I believe is being largely led by JD Klienke’s group in Oregon. On that topic I’m giving a talk to HIMSS N.California in San Ramon on Tuesday on the topic of PHRs. Also talking will be Kate Christensen from Kaiser Permanente, and Holly Miller from the Cleveland Clinic. I personally think this should be an interesting opportunity to hear a range of views and understand some developments in major PHR deployments from providers (and of course I’ll be witty and brilliant, just as soon as I’ve put my talk together). But apparently according to at least one other blogger, I’ve misunderstood it all, and really I’m just being a PR flack for the devil worshipers at KP central. I’ll report back as to whether the place still smells of sulphur.