The Nature of Knowledge Work

I was writing a generational history of electronic data exchange yesterday, and in the description of the first generation explained why we call batch files 'batch' files. They are produced by batch jobs. Batch jobs are one of the three classic methods of production that antedated the computer age: job or 'one-off' production, batch production, … Continue reading The Nature of Knowledge Work →

We don’t need Unique Patient Identifiers, we need ‘proof of healthcare identity’ credentials

In my last post, I maintained that individual identifiers, such as a username or user ID, as used in Informational Identity Management - legal, transactional and digital identity management - are fundamentally a kind of credential. With the advent of "…a standard unique identifier for an individual…", commonly referred to as a Unique Patient Identifier, … Continue reading We don’t need Unique Patient Identifiers, we need ‘proof of healthcare identity’ credentials →

Identity, Credential and Access Management Isn’t Exactly About Identity

This post is one in an ongoing series (starting here) in which I am developing the concept of 'Informational Identity'. Your name, your legal identities, your digital identities, are all the same kind of thing: information tools created to pick you out of a crowd, to refer to you when you are not present, to … Continue reading Identity, Credential and Access Management Isn’t Exactly About Identity →

Identity: Turtles All the Way Down

My thinking catalyzed by the great dialog among national healthcare identity experts at the ONC/CARIN Identity Summit in Washington DC June 4th, a notion I’ve been worrying for some time finally precipitated out: identity is turtles all the way down. There is not a digital identity separate and distinct from one’s legal identity. There is … Continue reading Identity: Turtles All the Way Down →