The No Matter Where: Health Care Documentary
2014
This was the official website for the 2014 health care documentary, “No Matter Where”, which tracked the transformation of how patients, doctors & care teams share information. The film tells the story of HIE via everyone from Hurricane Katrina survivors to health care digital leaders.
As the new owners of the domain registration we wanted to keep information about this important documentary visible on the web. However we have been requested to take it down because some of the information was deamed obsolete. As an alternative we have updated some information and are providing additional information about the documentary from other outside sources.
Hundreds of thousands die each year due to a lack of access to their medical records by doctors. "No Matter Where" explores the complexities of development that have to be addressed, from technological challenges to new practices, that can lead to a safer world. The 2015 film is available on Amazon Prime where you can either rent or buy it.
Amazon Reviews
MCMC
5.0 out of 5 stars
An issue that continues to be relevant
August 14, 2018
Format: Prime VideoVerified Purchase
This film provides an excellent background and human face to the potential of technology to empower those that provide care, and those that receive it. Many of the challenges this film details remain. Because the benefits of health information exchange are shared by many different people and organizations, citizens need to continue to push state and federal leaders to incentivize information exchange.
+++
Tunxis Library
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great seller.
November 15, 2017
Format: DVDVerified Purchase
Thanks. Great seller.
+++
Compusurge
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real eye opener...
April 5, 2018
Format: Prime Video
It is the challenge of these United States to develop and maintain advanced infrastructure on all fronts including superior medical technology and healthcare. The development of the Health Information Exchange is most certainly part of this. This film is a real eye opener for anyone interested in understanding why, when they go to the doctor, does the doctor no nothing about them and their medical history. It's an important film to watch and an important issue to act upon. Two Thumbs Up to Mr. Johnson.
+++
Peter E
5.0 out of 5 stars
March 10, 2018
Format: Prime Video
Excellent documentary about the important work of informatics professionals to improve healthcare through better access to information!
+++
Monika Ahuja
5.0 out of 5 stars
March 10, 2018
Format: Prime Video
Great summary of EHR and HIE formation, evolution and challenges.
One person found this helpful
+++
Brief Synopsis
We are witnessing the end of an era–an era where doctors and nurses had to deliver care without knowing a patient’s medical history, other than what patients might recall, what family members might have noted, or what individual medical records might contain. Thanks to ordinary citizens exhibiting extraordinary tenacity, we have begun to witness a transformation in the healthcare system, where patient information is available no matter where it is needed. This transformation has been slow, at times painful, occasionally dramatic, unfortunately traumatic to some, and not universally supported. This documentary follows the journey of pioneers who have shepherded us into this era, and provides a glimpse into the lives of patients, healthcare providers and advocates and adversaries from the public and private sectors.
—Anonymous www.imdb.com
THE ISSUES
A Note from Executive Producer Dr. Kevin B. Johnson
At first glance, it might be an obvious conclusion that since many clinical practices use computers to record information and to look up past records, and since hospitals also use computers to look up information, these clinical practices must be exchanging data among themselves and among hospitals in the region. Unfortunately, while this has been a dream for many decades, it has yet to be fully realized in this country. This process, known as health information exchange, is an absolutely critical, though uncommonly available process up until very recently, and even then only in some locations. When I first told my family about the work being done to make this happen, and about the pace of that work, they were somewhat surprised. However, as we went through the reasons why this has not happened across the country, It became clear what a hard problem this has become.
It is extremely challenging, although not the least bit because of technical issues. Rather it is because patients do not ask for it, not all clinicians believe they need it, no one is willing to pay for it, and because some of the basic standards to connect one system to another are adopted by one system but not the other. Like many of the major advances in this country and in the world, these standards are a critical part of the equation. There are people all over the country working to achieve this, and they are slowly making progress. Like the Union Pacific Railroad, the moonshot, the automated teller machine, and a number of large national projects, health information exchange is a complex project that will take years to complete. No Matter Where scratches the surface of these complex issues that have been dealt with in recent times by a number of private foundations, public/private partnerships, and public entities.
CREDITS
Dr. Kevin B. Johnson
FILMMAKER
Kevin B. Johnson, MD, MS
Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor & Chair Department of Biomedical Informatics
Professor Department of Pediatrics
Senior Vice President of Health Information Technology Vanderbilt University Medical Center
He is a national expert in clinical information systems development and evaluation, and has published over 100 articles, abstracts, and book chapters in the field. He has received numerous grants and major awards for his research. Dr. Johnson is a member of the Institute of Medicine, the American College of Medical Informatics, and the American Pediatric Society, in recognition of his leadership and success in both pediatrics and biomedical informatics. Kevin is a long-time advocate in helping the nation’s healthcare system better utilize patient data for treatment, as well as for discovery and improving the system. He brings to this foray into the world of filmmaking his more than 30 years of experience in music, theatre and photography—all ways to communicate important issues, feelings, and opinions to a wide audience.
Barry Simmons
DIRECTOR
Barry Simmons is the Founder of StoneCastle Pictures, an award-winning producer of medically-focused documentaries, including “Your Genome and the Future of Medicine” (TV Special), “Where Discovery Brings Hope” (TV Special), “Sons of Lwala” (Documentary). Mr. Simmons has a history of work in both movie production and news reporting, which will be critical to the story discovery process for this documentary. Today, in addition to making documentaries, Barry and his team travel the world on behalf of clients to discover and capture their own real-life stories. Trained at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Barry has received fellowships to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and The International Reporting Project at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS.
In the News
Health Information Technology Conference June 3-5, 2015
14.4.2015 / https://mihin.org/
Lansing, MI, April 14, 2015 – The Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN) invites attendees to join thought leaders from across the nation at Connecting Michigan for Health 2015, Michigan’s annual three-day conference to be held June 3-5, 2015 at the Lansing Convention Center. The event provides a dynamic, interactive forum to discuss the healthcare industry’s efforts to improve care delivery and promote payment reform in Michigan and throughout the U.S.
Registration discounts are available for anyone registering prior to April 30.
The conference opens on Wednesday, June 3 with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder providing remarks regarding the Healthy Michigan initiative, followed by Director Nick Lyon of Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services discussing Michigan’s initiatives to improve healthcare delivery and promote payment reform.
Health Information Technology (HIT) leaders from Michigan and across the country fill out the rest of the first day including sessions on Innovation and Value in Patient-Centered Healthcare, the legal ramifications of the new data sharing world ahead, a look at how health information technology can positively impact the lives of our veterans, an IBM-led session on Cognitive Computing in Healthcare, a panel of national experts discussing the Economic Impact of Improving our Health, and a panel of leaders from non-healthcare organizations providing the viewpoint of consumers sharing expectations and needs from an HIT-enabled healthcare industry. The day will end with a special screening of the groundbreaking documentary “No Matter Where,” followed by a catered networking event.
The event’s second day, Thursday, June 4, features a return appearance by Lt. Governor Calley for opening remarks and introduction of day two keynote Doug Dietzman, executive director of Great Lakes Health Connect – one of the largest Health Information Exchanges in the country. Thursday offers a strong focus on consumer engagement with leading national HIT vendors and influential healthcare leaders in Michigan discussing efforts to educate and encourage patients to better manage their own healthcare.
Other highlights on the second day include a public meeting of Governor Snyder’s Health Information Technology Commission during lunch, a close look at the State of Michigan’s HIT efforts, a visiting panel of national experts discussing HIT developments across the country, a discussion of Michigan as a Learning Health State, and a return of last year’s most popular panel – What Doctors Really Need and Want from Health Information Sharing and Technology.
Friday, June 5, consists of the popular annual workshop sessions, with nationally recognized speakers leading deep-dives into cyber-security and identity management, the new Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR – pronounced ‘fire’) standard for better interoperability between unrelated healthcare networks, and the Argonaut Open API initiative.
The Cyber-Security and Identity Management Workshop addresses data security concerns in light of recent breaches to major national institutions. The workshop is designed to help individuals understand the evolving world of identity management, digital credentials and cyber security across organizational boundaries.
FHIR has gained enormous industry support due to its elegant web service approach to simple information exchange. The workshop will start with a deep dive into the FHIR specification and will include overviews of how FHIR servers are being utilized, and what is currently available. An additional area of focus will be examples of the types of mobile applications FHIR helps enable.
Conference Overview
Electronic sharing of health information is transforming the healthcare industry, making it more effective, more secure, and less expensive. Connecting Michigan for Health 2015 offers a dynamic, informative opportunity to hear experts from Michigan and around the U.S. discuss recent breakthroughs and exciting, emerging developments in the rapidly-maturing health information sector.
Conference Highlights
- Unique opportunities to hear, interact and network with thought leaders in an event structured to encourage communication and collaboration across health disciplines.
- Clear discussions from multiple perspectives on the challenges and opportunities inherent in existing and emerging health information technologies.
Over heard from an attendee:
And while health care information can be a lifesaver, some institutions appear to be more in favor of outdated ideas, or seemingly useful distractions - like the recent emphasis on germ control and the notion of budgeting for cleaning supplies & equipment especially if at the expense of information technology upgrades. We need clean environments, but using disinfectants and germ killing agents is not new. We all know this already and while every health care facility is assumed to have cleanliness protocols in place, they should not be used as an excuse to avoid technological upgrades that make health care information useful - and potentially lifesaving.
The digital health revolution hits the big screen, June 29 in Ann Arbor
Free screening of “No Matter Where” health care documentary tracks the transformation of how patients, doctors & care teams share information
JUNE 11, 2015 / www.uofmhealth.org
Free screening of “No Matter Where” health care documentary tracks the transformation of how patients, doctors & care teams share information
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – If you’ve seen a doctor in the last five years, your medical records probably aren’t sitting in a filing cabinet somewhere.
They’re in a computer – potentially ready to be shared with doctors anywhere if you suffer a medical emergency or need specialty care.
Or not.
How did we get to this point – and what needs to happen before health information can truly flow from where it’s stored to where it’s needed, no matter where that might be?
A free screening of a documentary film on this important issue will take place on Monday, June 29 at Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater. It will begin at 4 p.m., and will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.
The next morning starting at 9:30, the University of Michigan will host a panel discussion with the filmmaker and experts on the topic of digital medical record sharing, which is formally called health information exchange or HIE.
The film, “No Matter Where ”, tells the story of HIE via everyone from Hurricane Katrina survivors to health care digital leaders. The filmmaker, Kevin B. Johnson, M.D., M.S., is the chief informatics officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The screening and panel discussion are sponsored by the U-M Health System, the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation, the Michigan Health Information Network and Great Lakes Health Connect.
No tickets are required for either event, but an RSVP is encouraged for the film screening. The first 200 people to RSVP by June 18 will receive a complimentary water bottle the evening of the screening.
More Background On NoMatterWhereMovie.com
NoMatterWhereMovie.com served as the official website for the documentary No Matter Where, a film that explored the transformation of healthcare information sharing in the United States. The documentary examined how digital medical records and health information exchange systems are reshaping the way doctors, hospitals, and patients access critical medical data. While the subject matter may appear technical, the film and its accompanying website focused on a deeply human issue: ensuring that patients receive safe, informed care regardless of where they are treated.
The website functioned as the central online hub for information about the documentary. It introduced visitors to the film’s themes, production team, screenings, and broader healthcare implications. It also helped raise awareness about the challenges of connecting medical data systems across institutions and geographic regions.
Though the site has evolved over time and some original content has been removed or updated, NoMatterWhereMovie.com remains an important record of a documentary that captured a pivotal moment in the digital transformation of healthcare.
The Origins of the Documentary
The documentary No Matter Where emerged during the early years of a major shift toward electronic health records and digital healthcare systems. In the United States and many other countries, governments and healthcare institutions began investing heavily in electronic health record (EHR) technology with the goal of improving care coordination, reducing medical errors, and lowering costs.
Despite widespread adoption of electronic systems, many healthcare providers continued to struggle with sharing patient data across institutions. Hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and specialists often used different software systems that were unable to communicate with each other.
This fragmentation meant that patients frequently arrived at new healthcare facilities without their full medical history available. Physicians sometimes had to rely on incomplete information, patient memory, or repeated diagnostic tests to understand a patient’s condition.
No Matter Where was created to explore this problem and the growing effort to solve it through health information exchange networks.
The Core Theme: Health Information Exchange
At the center of the documentary is the concept of Health Information Exchange (HIE). HIE refers to the secure electronic sharing of medical data among healthcare organizations.
The idea behind HIE is simple but powerful: when healthcare providers can access accurate patient information at the point of care, they can make better decisions and avoid unnecessary procedures. For example, if a patient who normally receives care in one state experiences a medical emergency while traveling, doctors in the emergency department should be able to quickly access their medical history, medications, allergies, and previous diagnoses.
In practice, achieving this level of connectivity has proven extremely complex. Healthcare systems have historically developed independently, using different software architectures and data standards. Integrating these systems requires cooperation between hospitals, government agencies, software vendors, and regulatory bodies.
The documentary illustrates how technological barriers, financial concerns, institutional competition, and regulatory challenges have all slowed the adoption of nationwide data sharing systems.
Storytelling Through Real Experiences
Rather than presenting a purely technical explanation of health information exchange, No Matter Where tells its story through the experiences of patients, healthcare professionals, and technology pioneers.
One of the film’s most compelling narratives involves the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When the storm devastated parts of the Gulf Coast in 2005, thousands of patients were displaced from their homes and healthcare providers. Many arrived at emergency shelters or hospitals without access to their medical records.
Doctors treating these patients often had no way of knowing what medications they were taking or what chronic conditions they had. The disaster revealed how fragile the healthcare information system could be when physical records were destroyed or separated from patients.
By highlighting these real-world consequences, the film emphasizes that the issue of medical data sharing is not just a technological challenge but a matter of public safety.
The Filmmaker: Dr. Kevin B. Johnson
The documentary was executive produced by Dr. Kevin B. Johnson, a physician, researcher, and leader in biomedical informatics. Johnson has spent much of his career studying how technology can improve healthcare delivery.
At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Johnson served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and as senior vice president of health information technology. His work focuses on developing clinical information systems and improving the ways in which medical data is used to support patient care.
Johnson has authored more than one hundred scientific publications and has been recognized by numerous professional organizations for his contributions to medicine and informatics. His deep involvement in health information technology provided the expertise needed to produce a documentary that accurately portrayed the complexities of digital healthcare infrastructure.
Interestingly, Johnson also has a background in music, theater, and photography. These artistic interests helped shape his approach to filmmaking, allowing him to communicate technical ideas through compelling storytelling.
Director Barry Simmons and StoneCastle Pictures
The film was directed by Barry Simmons, an experienced documentary filmmaker and journalist. Simmons is the founder of StoneCastle Pictures, a production company known for creating documentaries focused on science, medicine, and global development.
Before moving into documentary filmmaking, Simmons worked in journalism and investigative reporting. His background in storytelling and news production allowed him to approach the subject of health information technology from both a narrative and analytical perspective.
StoneCastle Pictures has produced a number of medically oriented films and television specials, including programs exploring genomic medicine, international health initiatives, and medical research breakthroughs.
Through Simmons’ direction, No Matter Where blends expert interviews with personal narratives, making a complex topic accessible to a broad audience.
Distribution and Availability
The documentary reached audiences through several different channels. Academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and policy conferences hosted screenings designed to encourage discussion among professionals working in healthcare and technology.
The film was also distributed through online streaming platforms, allowing individual viewers to rent or purchase it digitally. This approach broadened the film’s reach beyond the healthcare community and made it accessible to anyone interested in the intersection of technology and medicine.
Because the topic of health information exchange affects nearly every patient and healthcare provider, the filmmakers sought to reach audiences ranging from policymakers and physicians to students and members of the general public.
Screenings and Public Events
The documentary was screened at numerous events designed to spark conversation about the future of healthcare technology. One notable event took place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the film was shown at the historic Michigan Theater.
The screening was organized in collaboration with several healthcare research organizations and academic institutions. After the film, audiences participated in panel discussions featuring the filmmaker and experts in digital health records.
These discussions allowed healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers to exchange ideas about how to improve interoperability between medical systems.
Events like these helped the documentary function not only as a film but also as a catalyst for dialogue about healthcare policy and innovation.
Audience and Educational Value
Because of its clear explanation of complex issues, No Matter Where has become a valuable educational resource. Universities and healthcare training programs have used the film to introduce students to the challenges of digital health infrastructure.
The documentary is particularly relevant for students studying:
Public health
Biomedical informatics
Healthcare administration
Medical policy
Health technology innovation
By combining real-world examples with expert commentary, the film helps viewers understand the intersection of technology, policy, and patient care.
Reception and Viewer Feedback
Viewers have generally responded positively to the documentary. Many reviews highlight the film’s ability to make an abstract technological issue feel personal and urgent.
Audiences frequently note that the documentary raises awareness about the importance of accessible medical records and the potential benefits of health information exchange.
Healthcare professionals have also praised the film for accurately portraying the challenges faced by those working to build interoperable healthcare systems.
For many viewers, the documentary serves as an introduction to an issue that affects every patient but is rarely discussed outside professional circles.
The Evolution of the Website
Like many documentary film websites, NoMatterWhereMovie.com evolved after the initial release of the film. As promotional campaigns ended and content aged, portions of the site were removed or updated.
However, the domain has continued to provide information about the documentary and the broader issues it addresses. In some cases, newer content has been added to provide context or link to additional resources about digital health infrastructure.
The persistence of the site illustrates how film websites can function as long-term educational resources rather than temporary marketing tools.
Legacy of the Documentary
Today, No Matter Where serves as both a historical snapshot and an ongoing reminder of the importance of healthcare data accessibility.
The documentary captures a moment when the healthcare industry was transitioning from paper records to digital systems. It documents the individuals and organizations working to build the infrastructure needed for modern medicine.
As healthcare technology continues to evolve, the film’s central message remains clear: access to accurate medical information can save lives.
Ensuring that this information is available wherever patients receive care is one of the most important challenges facing modern healthcare systems.
NoMatterWhereMovie.com represents more than just a promotional website for a documentary film. It is part of a broader effort to educate the public about the importance of healthcare data sharing and the challenges involved in building interoperable medical systems.
Through the documentary No Matter Where, audiences gain insight into the technological, political, and cultural forces shaping the future of healthcare. The film highlights the dedication of healthcare professionals, technologists, and policymakers working to ensure that patient information can follow individuals wherever they seek care.
As digital medicine continues to evolve, the story told through the website and the documentary remains deeply relevant. The goal of making medical information accessible “no matter where” continues to guide innovations in health information technology and patient-centered care.