MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'administration'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:52:45 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181749&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fyh6-lwDFZVQ%2F Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis. Last fall the heads of the CDC and NIH called freshly unearthed 1940s-era experiments that intentionally infected Guatemalan prisoners, military personnel and others with syphilis and other STDs “regrettable and deeply saddening.” Today members of a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues presented recommendations for making sure current rules sufficiently protect research subjects. Among them: the U.S. should implement a system, perhaps based on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, to compensate people who are injured during research. (The VICP is a no-fault alternative to the traditional court system.) University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann, who chairs the com... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181749 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:22:19 +0100 5181749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181751&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FQa2nPPR_42c%2F “Niche Blockbusters”: Pfizer’s newly approved lung-cancer therapy crizotinib, to be sold under the brand name Xalkori, represents a relatively new tack for the pharma giant: a drug aimed at a small group of patients with a serious disease whom tests show will likely benefit from the treatment, the WSJ reports. Drug makers can bring these potential “niche blockbusters” to market quickly and more cheaply than drugs aimed at a mass audience, and because the medical need is dire, insurers will pay up for them. Xalkori will sell for $115,200 per year. Asking the Uninsured: The Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest tracking poll finds only 31% of uninsured people think the health-care overhaul law will help them get coverage, NPR’s Shots blog reports. A full 37% of... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181751 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:20:05 +0100 5181751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158932&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F9Aqz30yINXY%2F There are new rules for financial-conflict-of-interest disclosure for scientific researchers who get grants from the National Institutes of Health. While the “vast majority of academic researchers” are already sensitive to conflicts and act with “the highest standards of integrity,” the system “needs an additional layer of oversight” to protect against potential problems down the line, said Francis Collins, director of the NIH, on a conference call with reporters. The final rule, out from the Department of Health and Human Services today, generally sticks to the same framework as the current 1995 regulations, said Sally Rockey, deputy director of extramural research at NIH, on the call. But there are changes, including a lowering of the threshold at which inve... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158932 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:12:24 +0100 5158932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159684&cid=t_104216_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2F4ayIcMmnxs4%2Fmedical-records-request-free By Jackie Blachman-Forshay and Kairol Rosenthal As a patient, you have the right to access your own medical records for a “reasonable” fee, according to federal HIPAA laws.  Most doctors’ offices and hospitals charge copying fees, which range widely in price, and add up if you have a thick chart. Here are a few ways to get your records for free or at reduced cost: 1. Make friends with the office staff. Receptionists and nurses deserve to be treated well for all the work they do for us and will often reciprocate our kindness.  Some may copy your records for free.  Be sure to say “thank you!” 2. Ask for your records a little at a time. Did your doc just read your lab report over the phone? Ask them to drop a copy in the mail.  Did they explain your pathology report during your ... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159684 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:05:26 +0100 5159684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139688&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDdqHQ1G_3zk%2F By Ted Galen CarpenterAfter weeks of very little movement either militarily or diplomatically in Libya, there are apparent developments on both fronts in recent days. Rebel forces, aided by NATO’s air support, finally appear to be advancing into western Libya and cutting off supply lines to Tripoli, the long-time stronghold of support for Muammar Qaddafi. And reports are swirling about secret negotiations that might provide a peaceful exit from the country for the aging dictator. Those developments underscore that U.S. and NATO officials urgently need to consider what strategy they intend to pursue if Qaddafi’s more than four-decade hold on power finally comes to an end.  That is more crucial for the leaders of the European members of the alliance, since Libya is located on Europe’s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139688 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:48:28 +0100 5139688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139698&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe2yDOuRLLa8%2F By Tad DeHavenTwo polls of likely voters released by Rasmussen Reports today indicate that the federal government’s corporate welfare programs should be prime targets for spending cuts. The first poll found little support for the Small Business Administration’s lending programs: A majority (58 percent) of likely voters said that the federal government shouldn’t guarantee loans issued by private lenders to small businesses. 23 percent said the government should back small business loans and 19 percent were unsure. A majority (59 percent) of likely voters said that reducing government regulations and taxes would be more helpful to small businesses than the government providing loans to small businesses that can’t obtain financing on their own. 22 percent said the government lo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139698 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:47:19 +0100 5139698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130744&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffda-approves-ges-newest-ct-scanner%2F2011.08.15 GE Healthcare has received the FDA OK for its Optima CT660 computed tomography (CT) system. The CT660, which is already available in Europe, Latin America and Asia, distinguishes itself by its compact footprint combined with a modular design and low dose imaging. In addition, it is also one of the most energy efficient CT scanners available and has an “environmental design” that eases refurbishment and end-of-life recycling. The scanner itself is scalable from 32 to 128 slices through purchasable options and features automatic table positioning and a color 12-inch integrated gantry display monitor. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130744 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:05:47 +0100 5130744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130660&cid=t_104216_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fkeeping-patients-safe-when-they-transfer-between-care-providers-%25e2%2580%2593-getting-the-medicines-right-good-practice-guidance-for-healthcare-professions%2F Title: Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions Scan or Click to download 'Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions' The Skinny: Guidance from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on the safe and effective transfer of information about patients’ medicines. The guidance contains high level core principles and responsibilities that underpin the safe transfer of information about medicines whenever a patient transfers care providers both internally within an organisation or externally, at any point in the care pathway. Publisher: Royal Pharmaceutical Society Published: 13/07/1... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130660 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:53:30 +0100 5130660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125711&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FofPXtZsx9AQ%2F Two U.S. appeals courts are now at loggerheads over the constitutionality of the health-care overhaul law. As the WSJ reports, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta ruled 2-1 that the individual mandate to purchase health insurance (or, of course, face a penalty), violates the Constitution. The court did say the law could go forward without the mandate, however — the whole thing doesn’t have to be thrown out if that provision goes. Here’s the decision. The court’s ruling butts up against a June decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, which upheld the law 2-1. And that conflict, as our colleagues at the WSJ’s Law Blog note, underlines the notion (in black Sharpie pen) that this matter will eventually be set... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125711 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:11:03 +0100 5125711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118607&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsIhHwzm_3Z0%2F By Jim HarperWith the Department of Homeland Security constantly spinning out new projects and programs (plus re-branded old ones) to investigate you, me, and the kitchen sink, it’s sometimes hard to keep up. But I was intrigued with a report that behvaior detection officers are getting another look from the Transportation Security Administration. Behavior detection is the unproven, and so far highly unsuccessful (Rittgers, Harper), program premised on the idea that telltale cues can reliably and cost-effectively indicate intent to do harm at airports. But there’s a new behavior detection program already underway. Or is it interrogation? Due to a bottleneck at the magnetometers in one concourse of the San Francisco airport (no strip-search machines!), I recently had the chance... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118607 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:43:58 +0100 5118607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118762&cid=t_104216_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fstudies-point-complexity-hit-transition Like it or not, spending the public’s money on the HIT transition is a Catch-22. On the one hand, billions of dollars are being spent on a promise. On the other hand, there’s no way of knowing for sure whether the promise will come true until those billions are spent. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118762 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:19:03 +0100 5118762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096688&cid=t_104216_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FFullosseousflapsDentalBlog%2F%7E3%2F_g5AAwo4vqk%2F Work on this air traffic control tower under construction has been stopped Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, Calif. Since a partial shutdown of the FAA took effect Friday, the agency has furloughed nearly 4,000 workers, stopped the processing of about $2.5 billion in airport construction grants, and issued stop work orders to construction and other contractors on more than 150 projects, from airport towers to runway safety lights This could have been done weeks ago and people could have been working. The Senate will pass the House’s bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration through September to end the week-and-a-half-long partial shutdown of the agency, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Thursday. Under a deal Reid made wit... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096688 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:16:20 +0100 5096688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086136&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FanILqyKbDn8%2F A few weeks back, the Institute of Medicine recommended that contraception and seven other women’s preventive health services be covered by insurers with no out-of-pocket costs. Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services signed off on those recommendations, saying the requirements would apply to new plans starting  starting on or after Aug. 1, 2012. Besides birth control, insurers will also have to cover the following services with no co-pay or deductible: Screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women Testing for human papillomavirus in women age 30 and up Annual counseling about sexually transmitted diseases HIV screening and counseling Breastfeeding support, including pump rentals Domestic violence screening and counseling At least one preventive health visit p... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086136 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:58:16 +0100 5086136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077688&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-pharmacogenomic-tests-help-to-improve-public-health%2F2011.07.29 Adverse drug events are a serious public health problem. Consider the following facts: an estimated 82% of American adults take at least one medication and 29% take five or more; 700,000 emergency department visits and 120,000 hospitalizations are due to adverse drug events annually; $3.5 billion is spent on extra medical costs of adverse drug events annually; at least 40% of costs associated with adverse drug events occurring outside hospitals can be prevented. How can genomics help? Pharmacogenomics is the study of genetic variation as a factor in drug response, affecting both safety and effectiveness. The intended applications of pharmacogenomics research include identifying responders and non-responders to medications, avoiding adverse events, optimizing drug dose and avoiding unnece... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077688 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00:10 +0100 5077688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062246&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-effective-are-antidepressants%2F2011.07.24 Antidepressant drugs have been getting a bad rap in the media. I’ll just give 3 examples: On the Today show, prominent medical expert Tom Cruise told us Brooke Shields shouldn’t have taken these drugs for her postpartum depression. In Natural News, “Health Ranger” Mike Adams accused pharmaceutical companies and the FDA of covering up negative information about antidepressants, saying it would be considered criminal activity in any other industry. And an article in Newsweek said  “Studies suggest that the popular drugs are no more effective than a placebo. In fact, they may be worse.” Yet psychiatrists are convinced that antidepressants work and are still routinely prescribing them for their patients. Is it all a Big Pharma plot? Who ya gonna believe? Inquiring minds want ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062246 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:00:36 +0100 5062246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050595&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FxvlvkhYrbUk%2F I have heard of vegetarians, breatharians and fruitarians before - but this week, for the first time I have had to deal with a new order - the Pastafarian (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050595 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:58:00 +0100 5050595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050583&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-doctors-should-participate-in-the-debt-ceiling-debate%2F2011.07.20 Joe Scarborough reminds us that the divisions in American government are hardly new, paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin’s observation that “When you assemble a number of men, to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble . . . all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected?” (This comes from a September 17, 1787 speech by Mr. Franklin to urge ratification of the U.S. Constitution, read on his behalf because he was too ill to deliver it in person. The Constitution was ratified the same day.) I suppose we should be encouraged that Congress’s prejudices, passions, errors of opinion, local interests and selfish views are as American as apple pie,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050583 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0100 5050583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028199&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fastercures.org%2Fdocuments%2Ffile%2FFasterCures%2520Chronicle%2520of%2520Philanthropy%2520Articles%2520Final%281%29.pdf The following is a guest post by Margaret Anderson, executive director of FasterCures/The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions, an “action tank” working to improve the medical research system and speed up the time it takes to get important new medicines from discovery to patients. Margaret also serves as vice president of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, board member for the Council for American Medical Innovation and the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, and member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation Government Affairs Committee and the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation. In 2011, the Clinical Research Forum recognized her with an award for leadership in public advocacy. By Margaret Anderson. What’s missing today in the... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028199 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:15:00 +0100 5028199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008128&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4tEuQ-SqHf8%2F Family members of military service personnel who take their own lives while deployed will get condolence letters from the president, according to a statement from President Obama, reversing a longstanding but unwritten White House policy. Many health professionals have long called for a change to the White House’s stance on condolence letters, which they believe will help reduce the stigma associated with suicide and give social support to families. President Obama called for a review of the policy last year. In the statement released today, he says, “This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly. “This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely,” he... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008128 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:40:53 +0100 5008128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008184&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F2NrKe40onN8%2F By Archelle Georgiou. The use of Avastin for breast cancer was addressed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week. The outcome was devastating for Roche and an emotional one for many women who believe the FDA is subjecting them to a death sentence.  As usual, there are a variety of perspectives to take into consideration. The history: In 2008, Avastin was given preliminary approval by the FDA for the treatment of breast cancer on the condition that the company would do more studies to demonstrate its effectiveness. Many women have been successfully treated with Avastin — a billion dollar drug for Roche. But when Roche submitted the required follow-up studies in 2010, the data showed that there was no benefit from the drug for treating breast cancer.  Studies did not show ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008184 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:00:08 +0100 5008184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997643&cid=t_104216_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fhow-does-your-doctor-interpret-your-hsg.html An HSG ( hysterosalpingogram, X-ray of the uterus and tubes, www.drmalpani.com/hsg.htm) is one of the commonest tests performed for infertile women , to confirm their uterine cavity is normal and their fallopian tubes are open. How does the doctor interpret your HSG films ? Sometimes, the films are of such poor quality , that we cannot make any sense of them. This maybe because the procedure was not done properly; or because the film was overexposed or under-exposed. Sometimes, the patient moves during the procedure, as a result of which the images may be blurred or out of focus. When this happens, this is a major shame, because we are then forced to repeat the study. I hate doing this, because I know the HSG can be quite painful ! This is why it’s best to do the HSG in a clinic which ha... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997643 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:36:00 +0100 4997643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952788&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtwsZfSvdo9c%2F By Tad DeHavenWhen Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) lost his bid for reelection in November, it brought to an end a congressional career that spanned nearly a half century. As a former chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Oberstar’s faith in the ability of the federal government to turn taxpayer water into wine was typical for a politician ensconced in the Washington Beltway bubble. Oberstar reemerged this week to voice his support for legislation reauthorizing the Economic Development Administration, which is still being debated on the Senate floor. In an op-ed written for The Hill, Oberstar says that “It is disheartening to see that the agency I helped create more than 45 years ago which has had constant bipartisan support is now under unwarranted partisan attack in an economic en... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952788 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:38:27 +0100 4952788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952834&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F-eAzFLBs7og%2F Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States.  These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant and necessary advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking. The final set of cigarette health warnings contains nine different text warnings and accompanying color graphics to: increase awareness of the specific health risks associated with smoking, such as death, addiction, lung disease, cancer, stroke and heart disease; encourage smokers to quit; and empower youth to say no to tobacco. The above is one of the new warnings; to see more of the new warnings of to learn more about them click here. Watch today’s ann... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952834 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:41:40 +0100 4952834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953393&cid=t_104216_160_f&fid=36189&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinmdblog.com%2F517%2Fprotect-your-skin-this-summer%2F It’s the summer and while you proceed to spend some fun in the sun with your family and friends, it’s important that you properly protect your skin from overexposure—too much sun can lead not only to painful sunburns, but skin cancer and early skin aging such as unattractive wrinkles and sun spots as well. But when it comes to selecting the best sunscreen for you and/or your family, sometimes it’s confusing. So confusing in fact, that the Food and Drug Administration has mandated new sun screen regulations so that consumers can better understand labels and get the protection they need. Under the new regulations, which will take effect next summer, sunscreens will now have to pass a “broad spectrum” test before they can be placed on the market. This test will... Skin MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953393 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:31:52 +0100 4953393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934159&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-to-expect-from-the-new-sunscreen-labels%2F2011.06.16 Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the new rules regarding labeling of sunscreen.  The goal is to make it easier for the average person to chose a sunscreen. The new labels will not be in place until next summer, so you need to be aware. When the new labels are in place, NO sunscreen will be allowed to be labeled as a SUNBLOCK or as WATERPROOF. Under the new labeling rules Products that have SPF values between 2 and 14 may be labeled as Broad Spectrum if they pass the required test. Only products that are labeled both as Broad Spectrum with SPF values of 15 or higher may state that they reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging, when used as directed. A warning statement will be required on any product that is not Broad Spectrum, or that is Broad Spect... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934159 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4934159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934109&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXc7k-_at7S8%2F By Tad DeHavenLast week, I wrote about reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration, which is currently being debated on the Senate floor. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) wrote an op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal that cites Cato’s work on the EDA. DeMint correctly notes that the mistaken rationale behind the EDA’s creation during the Great Society is the same as the Obama administration’s $814 billion stimulus bill: government programs can solve economic problems. Instead, both have been massive wastes of taxpayer money. After doing an able job of listing some of the EDA’s faults — and acknowledging that he was wrong to have supported the program in the past — DeMint concludes that members of Congress should be “actively finding ways to reduce spending” given t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934109 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:24:20 +0100 4934109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911484&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fveterans-affairs-cio-says-ipads-need-to-be-secured-for-medical-use%2F2011.06.07 In a nod to the reality of rapid physician adoption of tablets and smartphones, the CIO of the VA system recently stated that the VA must find a way to accommodate  iPads at a  conference on federal information technology. According to Baker, the fact is that 100,000 residents rotate through the VA each year and “they’re all carrying mobile devices”. In order for them to do their jobs, they want to be able to access resources on the internet. In an article published at nextgov.com, CIO Roger Baker said: I’ve told my folks I don’t want to say ‘no’ to those devices anymore…I want to know how I say yes. The key, according to Baker, is security. While the iPad can be secured, proper protocols need to be developed. Otherwise, the device can be likened to a “huge unencrypted... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911484 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:00:16 +0100 4911484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893382&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fl7PMit-JvCY%2F The food pyramid is dead. Long live the plate! The USDA today announced the latest attempt to conceptualize the government’s dietary advice in a way consumers can understand. (The pyramid was widely regarded as confusing, if not incomprehensible.) Half of the plate (at right) is made up of fruits and vegetables and the other half grains and protein, with the sections for vegetables and grains slightly bigger than those for fruits and protein. Off to the side is a cup representing milk or other dairy product. As NYU nutrition professor Marion Nestle notes on her Food Politics blog, other organizations have already been using plates to convey dietary advice. The USDA’s ChooseMyPlate web page also summarizes some of the messages from the latest iteration of the government’s ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893382 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:11:14 +0100 4893382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893413&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrydOQNq3g4U%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column today closes out a three-part series this week on “Obama’s Imperial Presidency” (also running at Reason.com). Tuesday’s column covered Obama’s expansion of executive power abroad, and Wednesday’s looked at the ways in which Obama has turned the Imperial Presidency inward against the private sector. Today’s column begins with a recap of the powers 44 holds: Abroad, Obama claims the power to start wars at will; scoop up your email and phone records without answering to a judge; assassinate you via drone strike far from any battlefield, and — should your relatives complain — keep the whole thing secret in the name of national security. At home, Obama has summarily fired the CEO of General Motors, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893413 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:11:38 +0100 4893413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893460&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FEw-zLWtpeQE%2F Dr. Kevin Kikta was one of two emergency room doctors on duty at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, MO on Sunday, May 22, 2011 when a destructive tornado hit the hospital. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893460 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:31:26 +0100 4893460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872063&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FG8QBGtVTCmU%2F By Jim HarperFederal officials blitzed Texas this week to fight a bill pending in Austin that would control TSA groping of air travelers in that state, reports Forbes’ “Not-So-Private Parts” blogger Kashmir Hill. Federal government officials descended on the Capitol to hand out a letter … from the Texas U.S. Attorney letting senators know that if they passed the bill, the TSA would probably have to cancel all flights out of Texas. As much as they love their state, the idea of shutting down airports and trapping people in Texas was scary enough to get legislators to reconsider their support for the groping bill… The federal government’s threat to shut down air travel is serious, but empty. As we’ve seen time and again with the REAL ID Act, the federal g... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872063 Thu, 26 May 2011 20:42:03 +0100 4872063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829302&cid=t_104216_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FcRURfUu9jhQ%2F One of the nation’s big unions and a shareholder in Forest Laboratories has asked the board to request the resignation of ceo Howard Solomon. The move comes in response to the recent disclosure that Solomon faces being excluded from participating in federal healthcare programs by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. The feds took that step not long after a subsidiary, Forest Pharmaceuticals, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, distributing an unapproved drug and illegally promoting two other meds. As part of its deal, Forest made a $313 million payment that included $164 million in criminal penalites, and signed a corporate integrity agreement (back stories here and here). “These are very serious matters and, at the very least, ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829302 Mon, 16 May 2011 16:06:31 +0100 4829302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820809&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FwNPlaBvH9Rs%2F By Jim HarperThe fiscal 2012 Department of Homeland Security spending bill is starting to make its way through the process, and the House Appropriations Committee said in a release today that “the bill does not provide $76 million requested by the President for 275 additional advanced inspection technology (AIT) scanners nor the 535 staff requested to operate them.” If the House committee’s approach carries the day, there won’t be 275 more strip-search machines in our nation’s airports. No word on whether the committee will defund the operations of existing strip-search machines. Saving money and reducing privacy invasion? Sounds like a win-win. House Approps Strips TSA of Strip-Search Funds is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820809 Fri, 13 May 2011 19:04:39 +0100 4820809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803031&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0w-oKjx2Usw%2F Everyone agrees Medicare spending growth is unsustainable, but the specifics of how to curb it are much tougher to agree on. The health-care overhaul law charges a panel — called the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB — with making recommendations for cuts in some cases. As Kaiser Health News reports, starting in 2015, if per-beneficiary spending is projected to rise by more than the average of general consumer and medical inflation, the 15-member board can issue its own binding recommendations. (Starting in 2020, the threshold growth rate will be GDP growth plus one percentage point.) KHN continues: Those recommendations will be sent to Capitol Hill at the beginning of the year, and if Congress doesn’t like them, it must pass alternative cuts — of the sam... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803031 Mon, 09 May 2011 16:55:26 +0100 4803031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775372&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSMVDE0lMtw4%2F By Jim HarperEven while it was a rumor that President Obama would announce that Osama bin Laden had been killed, Americans began to digest the ramifications, asking, for example, “can I have my airport back please?” Pleasing though it is to have in contemplation, the question is premature. Students of terrorism, such as those who attended our 2009 and 2010 counterterrorism conferences, know that the killing of bin Laden will have little direct effect on the network he spawned. Its indirect, discouraging effect on terrorism is something I mused about in an earlier post. What about the effects on the rest of us, the people and actors in our great counterterrorism policymaking apparatus? Osama bin Laden’s survival helped shore up the mystique of the terrorist supervillain, w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775372 Mon, 02 May 2011 14:59:06 +0100 4775372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767991&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FY1OICzLpMDc%2F The following is a guest post by Sheila Rittenberg the Senior Director, Advocacy and External Affairs at the National Psoriasis Foundation. During her tenure with the National Psoriasis Foundation, Ms. Rittenberg has led the organization’s transition as a leader in health advocacy and public policy, emphasizing access to care issues and increasing investments in psoriasis research. She acted as Co-Chair of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Coalition and has assumed various advisory roles including that of committee member to the Office Oregon Health Policy & Research Drug Effectiveness Review Project and member of the National Health Council, Grassroots Technical Assistance Task Force. She is an author and contributing author on advocacy and cl... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767991 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:19:58 +0100 4767991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758786&cid=t_104216_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F27%2Fnominate-someone-for-the-samhsa-voice-awards%2F I pass this news release along, in case anyone knows of someone (or themselves!) who might be a good candidate for nomination for this year’s SAMHSA Voice Awards. Join the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in recognizing consumer/peer leaders and TV and film professionals who have given a voice to individuals with behavioral health problems (mental health and/or addiction issues). This year, SAMHSA is putting special emphasis on the impact of trauma and the significant effects it can have on individuals, families and friends, communities, and our Nation. Consideration is being given to consumer/peer leaders who have successfully advocated for the rights of trauma survivors and promoted the importance of trauma-informed care. Additional considerat... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758786 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:01:13 +0100 4758786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734059&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvpasOb5Le_8%2F By Chris EdwardsThe government’s air traffic controllers have been sleeping on the job, watching movies rather than guiding planes, and misdirecting the First Lady’s plane over Washington. There have been soaring numbers of airplane near misses caused by ATC errors over the last year. Yesterday, the president said that federal government technology systems are “horrible” “across-the-board,” which isn’t good news for citizens hoping that the Federal Aviation Administration’s computers will land them safely. The government’s air traffic controllers are very highly compensated, but they are unionized and they work for a mismanaged bureaucracy. The federal ATC system has had serious labor and management problems since the 1960s. And the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734059 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:54:01 +0100 4734059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734064&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1TK6Wboi4Xo%2F By Tad DeHavenWhat do these federal agencies and programs have in common? Agricultural Research Service, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Rural Development programs, Women, Infants & Children, Foreign Agricultural Service, National Institute of Standards & Technology, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Economic Development Administration, National Telecommunications & Information Administration, Small Business Administration, State Department foreign aid, Fund for African Development, International Development assistance, Economic Support Fund, Peacekeeping Operations, Trade Development Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, National Forest System, Appalach... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734064 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:59:09 +0100 4734064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693260&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FJeR2jeMrmR8%2F With little progress on budget talks so far today, we could indeed be facing a government shutdown starting at midnight, the WSJ reports. So what would that mean for the health- and medical-related functions of government? New enrollees in Medicare and Medicaid might have difficulty getting their benefits if the agency’s staff is furloughed, leaving it short of workers to process paperwork. But the entitlement programs will continue to pay providers and permit beneficiaries to receive care, NPR reports. Meantime, medical research at the NIH Clinical Center will be affected; new studies (seven are scheduled to kick off next week, including two for children with cancer) won’t begin and ongoing trials won’t enroll new patients, ABC News reports. As for the CDC, it would put ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693260 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:53:01 +0100 4693260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684260&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR4kmVtI45Ts%2F By Michael F. CannonIt's not an easy period for major media organizations, what with all this creative destruction revamping that sector of the economy.  So the Washington Post Co. couldn't help but be pleased when it received a $570,000 bailout from ObamaCare's Early Retiree Reinsurance Program.  That program allows the Obama administration to run up the national debt another $5 billion by doling out cash to corporations that provide retiree health benefits.   The CBS Corporation received more than $720,000.  General Electric, a part owner of NBC Universal, Inc., cleared nearly $37 million. Since The Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, and MSNBC have now received subsidies (the latter two indirectly) from this very controversial law, their reporters should disclose that fact to thei... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684260 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:05:21 +0100 4684260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676779&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FQjV-tryLFQ4%2F By Glenna Crooks. Having been engaged in rare disease research and orphan drug development for many decades and as one who continues behind-the-scenes to encourage the work, events of the last few weeks about Makena’s launch sent chills through me.  The firestorm that followed created some heat but none sufficient to help relieve the shivers. Others might declare the outcome a “win” but the more I read, the worse it seems. I’m not privy to what really happened, only what the press reports. It does not look good… for virtually anyone of the players involved, especially the critics.  Those critics raised tough questions and to date only the company has faced them. It’s about time the critics themselves –and perhaps others as well – face some.    For those who’ve mi... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676779 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:31:25 +0100 4676779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664149&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQnkf1ySGIzY%2F By Justin LoganThere is good news and bad news about the report that the Obama administration authorized CIA teams to go into Libya to liaise with the Libyan opposition before instituting a no-fly zone over that country. (The phrase “sneakers on the ground” has emerged in response to the administration’s firm insistence that there are no US boots on the ground there.) Get the map out The good news is that the administration, despite prior appearances, does indeed have a strategy in Libya: siding with the rebels in their effort to depose Muammar Qaddafi. The bad news is that siding with the rebels in their effort to depose Muammar Qaddafi is not a good strategy. It is probably important to make clear at the outset that I do not mean to overstate the stakes here. I am not suggesting th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664149 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:32:31 +0100 4664149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642716&cid=t_104216_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fwhat-medicine-can-teach-economists-and.html There's a lot doctors can learn from other professionals - and there's a lot doctors can teach others as well !An interesting "recent" innovation in economics is the introduction of "controlled trials" to determine the true impact of interventions to help alleviate poverty. Common sense would suggest that giving the poor loans will them help to turn around their lives - but in reality, this is not what usually happens. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and "aid" can often end up killing initiative ; fueling waste and corruption; and breeding dependence ! Handouts don't always work well - and it's easy to waste a lot of money very quickly ! The only way to find out what works and what does not work is to perform experiments in the field - something which doctors are very good ... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642716 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:38:00 +0100 4642716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626785&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FxohW756RYtU%2F A year ago today, President Barack Obama signed the health-care overhaul bill. As we wrote then, “the executive and legislative branches have been the center of attention in Washington during the health-care fight so far, but the stage could soon be shared by the judiciary.” Indeed, there have been 25 cases challenging the law, according to this scorecard from Kaiser Health News. Earlier this month, a U.S. District Court judge stayed his Jan. 31 ruling that the law violates the Constitution, which means implementation will continue as the issue works its way through the court system. Most everyone expects the Supreme Court will eventually rule on the law. Meantime, now that the House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans, the law faces a whole new set of challenges fr... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626785 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:45:55 +0100 4626785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626769&cid=t_104216_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F23%2Fkaleidoscope-3-2011-wk-12%2F It has been long since I have posted a Kaleidoscope post with a “kaleidoscope” of facts, findings, views and news gathered over the last 1-2 weeks. There have been only 2 editions: Kaleidoscope 1 (2009 wk 47) and 2 (2010 wk 31). Here is some recommended reading from the previous two weeks. Benlysta (belimumab) approved by FDA for treatment of lupus. Belimumab is [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626769 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:37:20 +0100 4626769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610788&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fq0_AFIQcbx0%2F More than half of Americans say they don’t fully understand the health-care overhaul law, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll. The 53% who say they’re confused is only slightly less than the 55% who reported the same last April, shortly after the law was passed. The confusion rate dipped to a low of 42% in June in the past year. Last month’s Kaiser poll found that almost half of those surveyed thought — incorrectly — that the law had been repealed. In general, people remain divided in their feelings about the law, with 42% viewing it favorably and 46% viewing it unfavorably, Kaiser says. And not surprisingly, people identifying as Democrats generally have a positive view, while Republicans are strongly opposed. Independents are split... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610788 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:42:09 +0100 4610788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592394&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-new-treatment-for-lupus%2F2011.03.15 Lupus, an autoimmune disease, [recently] turned up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It cropped up, also, on the first page of the New York Times business section, and elsewhere. Scientific American published a nice online review just now. The reason is that the FDA has approved a new monoclonal antibody for treatment of this condition. The drug belimumab (Benlysta), targets a molecule called BlyS (B-lymphocyte Stimulator). The newspapers uniformly emphasize that this drug marks some sort of triumph for Human Genome Sciences, a biotech company that first reported on BlyS in the journal Science way back in 1999. BlyS triggers B cells to produce antibodies that in patients with lupus tend to bind and destroy their own cells’ needed machinery, causing various joint, lung... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592394 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:00:36 +0100 4592394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575056&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Frobotic-pharmacy-prepares-350000-doses-of-medication-without-a-single-error%2F2011.03.11 The University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) has made a significant announcement that could be a watershed moment for how medications are given to hospital patients in the United States. In a typical hospital setting, patients are receiving many different types of prescription medications — ranging from mundane vitamins to more intense drugs such as chemotherapy. In the thousands of times medications are given to patients, and with the high number of humans handling the process of organizing and giving the medications, human error is bound to occur. And medication errors can be life threatening — especially if related to a chemotherapy agent. UCSF wants to make the rate of error for medication administration to be zero. In order to do this, they are using robot technology ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575056 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:00:25 +0100 4575056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575058&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbad-medical-marketing-an-ad-the-fda-should-pull%2F2011.03.11 If ever a medical device company crossed a line with their marketing, this one has. Essure, which makes a sterilization device for women, is trying to scare men away from vasectomy in order to drive women to use their device. “We made men watch footage of an actual vasectomy,” says the female voiceover — and then they proceed to show men’s reactions to watching a surgical procedure, with “That’s frickin’ gross, man” being the most memorable quote. The final tagline: “You can only wait so long for him to man up.” Yeah, and to be sure he doesn’t, they’ve created this ad. The ad is slimy, harmful, obnoxious, and just plain stupid. A couple’s decision as to which sterilization procedure is best for them should be one informed by real information, not f... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575058 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:00:26 +0100 4575058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570526&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlYM9uW3EQ_0%2F By Neal McCluskeyThe big schooling story is U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's assertion that this year 82 percent of public schools could be identified as failing under No Child Left Behind. That's a huge percentage, and also hugely disputed. But the real story here, as always, is that government control of schooling is all about politics, not education. Start with the 82 percent figure. It's a consequence of NCLB's demand that all students be "proficient" in mathematics and reading by 2014. That's a severely reality-challenged goal, especially if proficient is supposed to mean having mastered fairly tough material. But the law largely wasn't driven by reality -- it was driven by politicians wanting voters to see them as uncompromising on bad schools. Now the controversy. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570526 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:25:16 +0100 4570526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570521&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FkV-HeKOZvWQ%2F Discussion: An FDA advisory panel meets today to consider research, mostly in animals, that suggests a connection between general anesthesia and brain-cell death and cognitive difficulties in children under age four, the New York Times reports. One advisory panel member tells the paper this issue is made extremely difficult by the lack of direct evidence of a connection in humans and the fact that young children who do receive anesthesia are mostly having surgeries crucial to their health. Out of the Gates: Hospital operator HCA Holdings priced its IPO at $30 a share, raising about $3.79 billion, the WSJ reports. It’s the largest-ever IPO of a company backed by private equity; Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Bank of America Merrill Lynch were among those backers, the paper says. On t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570521 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:18:30 +0100 4570521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565905&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Findependent-peer-reviewed-scientific-journals-just-how-independent-are-they%2F2011.03.09 On September 27, 2010, the peer-reviewed scientific journal Europace published online-before-print a case report entitled “Spontaneous explosion of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator” by Martin Hudec and Gabriela Kaliska. In the pdf of that case report a figure containing a color photo of the affected patient’s chest, chest X-ray, and two pictures of the extracted device (one seen here) were included. The pictures and case presentation were dramatic and the case very rare. Both were perfect reasons to report such an important case to the medical literature. And so these doctors sent the case to Europace on June 29, 2010, and the article was accepted after revision on August 16, 2010, with the article appearing online September 27, 2010. The authors must have felt v... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565905 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4565905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560227&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FBJNhV30vEsQ%2F Donald Berwick, who became head of Medicare and Medicaid via a controversial (and temporary) recess appointment by President Obama, will have a tough time getting confirmed by the Senate. The road ahead looks so difficult that some Democrats are joining Republicans in calling for a new nominee, The New York Times reports. It’s a matter of math; 42 Republicans have already urged President Obama to pick someone else, and by voting accordingly, they could block confirmation, the paper says. A White House spokesman tells the NYT the nomination won’t be withdrawn and praised Berwick’s performance thus far. Berwick, a doctor and a patient-safety expert, faced criticism of his past statements — including praise for the U.K.’s National Health Service — almost as... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560227 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:22:08 +0100 4560227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549736&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAcDaptYtsMA%2F By Walter OlsonIn recent weeks the press has been reporting widespread alarms about shortages of many frequently used hospital drugs [L.A. Times/Chicago Tribune, Scranton Times-Tribune, KMGH (Colorado hospitals swapping drugs in short supply), The Columbian] The drugs running short include various antibiotics, anesthetics, chemotherapy drugs and others, including many generic compounds long since approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "The most troubling aspect is that it is critical drugs for which there are limited alternatives. Many are involved in cancer care and surgery," one hospital pharmacist told the Chicago Tribune's reporter. While a variety of factors have played a role in the shortages, including lawsuits and economic retrenchment by some drugmakers, there... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549736 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:28:06 +0100 4549736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4544935&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FxjtFZQ-wq6Q%2F U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson stayed his Jan. 31 ruling that the health-care overhaul law violates the Constitution. That means law can continue to be implemented while the Obama administration appeals the ruling  — which the judge wants to happen pronto. The judge makes it clear he is not happy about how this has played out, however. As the WSJ reports, Vinson says he meant his original ruling to freeze the roll-out of the law, at least in the 26 states that are involved in the suit. He writes that he didn’t expect the Obama administration “would effectively ignore the order and declaratory judgment for two and one-half weeks, continue to implement the act, and only then file a belated motion to ‘clarify,’ ” the WSJ says. Now, Vinson says he i... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4544935 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:01:12 +0100 4544935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517156&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4s9Nn8lvb68%2F By Jason KuznickiThe Obama Administration's decision to stop defending DOMA in the courts has provoked some widespread commentary. Jim Burroway hints that Obama's strategy here is both deep and cynical. Obama's locked in a losing fight with Republicans over the budget, because Americans really do want to cut federal spending. This remains true even if, notoriously, nearly the only specific program they want to cut is our negligible foreign aid. The mood is anti-spending, and it's just possible that a government shutdown scares Obama even more than it scares the Republicans. The remedy? Change the subject. Make Republicans in Congress defend their stance on gay marriage, which is so not the discussion they'd like to be having. It could be one of the first instances in which gay marriage cou... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517156 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:43:20 +0100 4517156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507279&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthink-zinc-for-a-cold-not-me%2F2011.02.22 Media channels are a-twitter with the news that zinc can beat the common cold. CBS News, the LA Times, the Huffington Post, and hundreds of others are treating a quiet research report as big news that will have a life-changing effect. After reading the report and doing a little digging into the dark side of zinc, I’m not rushing out to stock up on zinc lozenges or syrup. The latest hubbub about zinc was sparked by a report from the Cochrane Collaboration. This global network of scientists, patients, and others evaluates the evidence on hundreds of different treatments. In the latest review, on zinc for the common cold, researchers Meenu Singh and Rashmi R. Das pooled the results of 13 studies that tested zinc for treating colds. By their analysis, taking zinc within 24 hours of first no... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507279 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:00:38 +0100 4507279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507280&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fselecting-targeted-therapies-online-the-future-of-personalized-cancer-treatment%2F2011.02.22 The word cancer comes from the greek word for crab “karkinos,” so named by Hippocrates who visualized the tumor and its surrounding vessels looking like a crab, dug stubbornly into the sand with its legs. We know far more about cancer today than the ancient Greeks, but the vision of an entrenched opponent, almost impossible to extract whole, appears to be vividly prescient. What we have realized over the last half century is that removal of the visible tumor is not enough. Even as we learned how to do bigger and more destructive surgeries, the cancer still managed to sneak back in, growing later at different locations. The crab’s legs are still embedded in the patient. Thus the discovery that certain chemicals could extinguish these rogue cells opened the modern era of cancer therapy... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507280 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:00:25 +0100 4507280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498274&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdeep-brain-stimulation-experts-raise-alarms-about-aggressive-marketing%2F2011.02.19 A paper published in the February issue of Health Affairs – discussed at length in an article in the New York Times – contains the sort of blunt, plain-spoken language you seldom read in academic journals. The authors, who include some of the most prominent neuroscientists and ethicists in the world, warn that manufacturers are misusing the FDA’s humanitarian device exemption to promote deep brain stimulation as a “treatment” for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In fact, they make clear that deep brain stimulation is very much an experimental procedure. Research is still at an early stage, and the risks to patients are not well defined. When suffering is severe and no other treatment has provided relief, there is value in making available an intervention like deep b... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498274 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:00:39 +0100 4498274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495203&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmri-safe-pacemakers-available-in-u-s-hospitals-soon-what-it-means-for-heart-patients%2F2011.02.18 This was the Guest Blog at Scientific American on February 16th, 2011. New wave of MRI-safe pacemakers set to ship to hospitals This week Medtronic will begin shipping to hospitals in the United States the first pacemaker approved by the FDA as safe for most MRI scans. For consumers, it is a significant step in what is expected to be a wave of new MRI-compatible implanted cardiac devices. But this is an example of one technology chasing another and the one being chased, the MRI scanner, is changing and is a step ahead of the new line of pacemakers. The pacemaker approved for U.S. distribution is Medtronic’s first-generation pacemaker with certain limitations, while its second-generation MRI-compatible pacemaker is already in use in Europe where approval for medical devices is not as dem... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495203 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:00:00 +0100 4495203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489676&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftreating-depression-the-shock-value-of-electroconvulsive-therapy%2F2011.02.16 Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered to be a highly effective treatment for depression. The story goes that roughly 90 percent of patients respond. The downside is that it requires general anesthesia with all its attendant risks, and patients may suffer from headaches and memory loss. The memory loss is often mild, but there are cases where it is profound and very troubling. As with any psychiatric treatment — or so it seems — there are those who say it saved them and those who say it destroyed them. Because the risks aren’t minor, the procedure is expensive and often done on an inpatient unit, and people generally don’t like the idea of having an IV line placed, being put under, then shocked through their brain until they seize, only to wake up groggy and... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489676 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:00:00 +0100 4489676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482732&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FXM2m-1aAJW0%2F Also: results for a faster flu-vaccine production method; generic-drug makers want to pay user fees; malpractice law changes. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482732 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:49:37 +0100 4482732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482733&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FirbdR5UC7kg%2F Funding for a public health emergency preparedness program run by the CDC was cut by about $72 million below fiscal 2010 levels in the budget proposal. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482733 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:03:19 +0100 4482733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477686&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FqEkQvkntccE%2F Also: doc fix in 2012 budget is criticized; budget also includes provisions on generics; health apps. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477686 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:55:23 +0100 4477686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477689&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0xGBNTX01A4%2F HHS is funded at $79.9 billion in discretionary spending. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477689 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:27:54 +0100 4477689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477692&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F2QgfFLigx0s%2F Also: President Obama's 2012 budget due out today; new 3-D mammography system approved; retirees' health benefits. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477692 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:31:51 +0100 4477692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464482&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM4wg3M3p8Us%2F By Jim HarperThere is one thing you can take to the bank from TSA administrator John Pistole's statement that he wants to shift to "risk-based" screening at airports: it hasn't been risk-based up to now. That's a welcome concession because, as I've said before, the DHS and its officials routinely mouth risk terminology, but rarely subject themselves to the rigor of actual risk analysis. What Administrator Pistole envisions is nothing new. It's the idea of checking the backgrounds of air travelers more deeply, attempting to determine which of them present less of a threat and which prevent more. That opens security holes that the risk-averse TSA is unlikely to actually tolerate, and it has significant privacy and Due Process consequences, including migration toward a national ID syst... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464482 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:58:14 +0100 4464482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459944&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQmFdlTYgTFM%2F By Chris EdwardsHouse Republicans proposed some (tiny) spending cuts this week and the Obama administration will likely propose some (tiny) cuts next week in the federal budget. So get ready for a barrage of slasher stories! National Journal started us off yesterday with the headline “WH Slashes Heat for the Poor.” Coming down the pike are dozens of stories about how policymakers are planning deep, vicious, and inhumane cuts that will undermine the foundations of the republic. A 5 percent cut to a program that has risen 50 percent in recent years will not be a simple “trim,” but a brutal, gouging “slash.” Every single one of the upcoming cuts will be to “popular” programs. So policymakers will propose a $1 million cut to mohair subsidies, and the headline will be “Congre... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459944 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:03:50 +0100 4459944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445776&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPrWigUj_7XQ%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: At his press conference this afternoon, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs distanced the Obama administration from former Egypt envoy Frank Wisner's suggestion over the weekend that Hosni Mubarak should stay in power as Egypt transitions to a new government. Was Wisner, a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, right about that and about the potential for a power vacuum? My response: Wisner was half right, but on the Mubarak half he was almost certainly wrong. Transitions are messy -- at best. Ask the French about theirs two centuries and more ago. Occasionally they're done pursuant to existing constitutions. Ours from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution wasn't, despite which it wasn't all that messy. We were lucky. We had a relatively... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445776 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:08:51 +0100 4445776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445778&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFRjDzJyzXlE%2F By Walter OlsonThis weekend the Washington Post and New York Times took a closer look at a development mentioned in this space a while back and in a related Cato audio, namely growing federal pressure on small producers of artisan and farmstead cheeses. Here's the Post: ....artisanal cheesemakers, and their boosters in the local-food movement, say they are being unfairly targeted. They say the FDA does not understand their craft and is trying to impose standards better suited for industrial food companies. ... Listeria is ubiquitous in the environment, but the FDA has a zero-tolerance rule for it in ready-to-eat food such as cheese. If the bacteria are present, the food is considered adulterated and cannot be sold. Some countries, including cheese-loving France, tolerate minute amounts of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445778 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:36:36 +0100 4445778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436750&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftoo-drunk-to-drive-your-car-will-tell-you-if-s%2F2011.02.04 Drunk driving continues to be a serious problem. In 2009 for example, alcohol was a factor in more than 10,000 highway deaths. The same year, a stunning 10 percent of respondents to a survey of U.S. adults said they had operated an automobile while drunk during the previous year. Nearly 6 percent said they had done it more than once. So how would you feel about a car that can instantly detect whether a driver is drunk and prevent that person from starting the car? You better make up your mind quickly, because scientists are close to perfecting this technology. “We’re five to seven years away from being able to integrate this into cars,” Robert Strassburger, the VP for safety at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) told the Washington Post. The AAM, an automotive trade... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436750 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:00:23 +0100 4436750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436728&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4oF-YWz-FNI%2F Blumenthal oversaw the development of rules that qualify electronic-medical record users for stimulus funds. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436728 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:38:30 +0100 4436728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436941&cid=t_104216_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpgW5SMkd_Ws%2F The US Department of Justice has decided to intervene - or join - a whistleblower lawsuit that was filed in late 2008 by three former Abbott Laboratories sales reps, who accused the drugmaker of concocting an illegal scheme to promote its Depakote seizure med. The charges include paying kickbacks to docs to boost prescriptions and, subsequently, defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. The fact that the feds are interested is not a surprise. In late 2009, Abbott disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filed that the Justice Department ws investigating Abbott’s sales and marketing activities of the pill, which is used to treat bipolar disorder, seizures and migraines. The probe centers on possible violations of the Federal False Claims Act, the Food and Drug Cosmetic Act and the Anti-K... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436941 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:35:45 +0100 4436941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433289&cid=t_104216_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F03%2Ffda-awards-1-6m-orphan-drug-grant-for-clinical-phase-ii-development-of-egen-001-for-treatment-of-ovarian-cancer%2F EGEN, Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awarded the company a four-year grant of $1.6 million to assist in the phase II clinical development of EGEN-001, the company’s lead product. EGEN-001 is under clinical development for the treatment of advanced recurrent ovarian cancer. EGEN, Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433289 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:52:52 +0100 4433289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433082&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxopzQXGUHSc%2F By Christopher PrebleThe turmoil in Egypt, specifically in Cairo, turned violent in the past 36 hours as anti-government protesters clashed with pro-Mubarak groups.  During this period, and specifically today, the government crackdown widened to targeting foreign media.  Journalists and their crews were arrested, prevented from reporting, and beaten.  The anti-government protesters are pointing to Friday as a possible climax in what they are calling the “Friday of departure.” President Mubarak, in an interview with ABC, said he would like to relinquish power now, but claims chaos will erupt if he did.  If he were to step down, or if he follows through on his promise not to run in the presidential election, the million dollar question in Washington becomes: who would the United Stat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433082 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:59:46 +0100 4433082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429017&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwere-overdosing-on-sodium-whose-responsibility-is-it%2F2011.02.02 I confess to loving Campbell’s tomato bisque soup. I mix it with 1 percent-fat milk and it’s hot and delicious and comforting, but one of the worst food choices I could make because one cup contains more sodium than I should have in a day. Knowing this, I have already relegated it to an occasional treat. But by the end of this blog post I will do more. We are overdosing on sodium and it is killing us. We need to cut the sodium we eat daily by more than half. The guidelines keep coming. The U.S. government has handed out dietary guidelines telling Americans who are over 50, all African Americans, people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease to have no more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) — or two thirds of a teaspoon — of sodium daily. That’s the majorit... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429017 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4429017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424395&cid=t_104216_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F01%2Fnovel-cancer-targeting-cornell-dot-nanoparticle-approved-for-first-in-human-clinical-trial%2F “Cornell Dots” — brightly glowing nanoparticles — may soon be used to light up cancer cells to aid in diagnosing and treating cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first clinical trial in humans of the new technology. It is the first time the FDA has approved using an inorganic material [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424395 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:26:35 +0100 4424395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424281&cid=t_104216_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F01%2Fposting-about-health-concerns-on-facebook-twitter%2F If you’re thinking about posting your health or mental health concerns on Facebook or Twitter, you may want to think twice. According to an article published last week in The LA Times, health insurers will often turn to social networks to check out someone’s story — especially when that person is receiving medical leave or disability payments from an insurer. If you’re filing (or intending to file) a health insurance claim, be careful. This once-hypothetical scenario is now commonplace, as insurers look for ways to keep cutting costs and payments to what they perceive as people intending to commit fraud against them. In fact, insurance companies don’t just randomly check out a social networking website when a claim comes in — it is now standard practice,... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424281 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:10:47 +0100 4424281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419100&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FOFynq0qCTDs%2F Whether or not implementation of the law will be affected will likely be decided on appeal, the WSJ says. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419100 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:49:17 +0100 4419100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419113&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMCajuqraBJ8%2F By Christopher PrebleThe new Egyptian cabinet was sworn in today amidst a seventh day of protests across the country.  For the White House, the continual tweaking of their response to the crisis, and declining to call for Mubarak to step-down, has left many in Egypt and the region wondering if the United States does in fact want to see the arrival of democracy to Cairo, or if it is simply content with allowing the status-quo to remain, with minor reforms.  Or perhaps they are just waiting for the chips to fall where they may. This illustrates the conundrum facing the Obama administration.  Over at The Skeptics, I examine this a bit further: The Obama administration is stuck with a policy not entirely of its own making – decades of U.S. taxpayer support for the Mubarak regime – but i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419113 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:44:50 +0100 4419113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411528&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffda-reports-on-association-of-breast-implants-and-a%25c2%25a0rare-form-of-cancer%2F2011.01.28 The FDA [has] issued an alert about a pos­sible link between breast implants — saline or sil­icone — and a rare form of lym­phoma called anaplastic large cell lym­phoma (ALCL). These lym­phoma cases are exceed­ingly rare, but the asso­ci­ation appears to be significant. The FDA iden­tified a total of approx­i­mately 60 ALCL cases in asso­ci­ation with implants, worldwide. Of these, 34 were iden­tified by review of pub­lished medical lit­er­ature from 1997 to May, 2010; the others were reported by implant man­u­fac­turers and other sources. The agency esti­mates the number of women worldwide with breast implants is between five and 10 million. These numbers translate to between six and 12 ALCL cases in the breast, per million women with breast implan... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411528 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:00:26 +0100 4411528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405775&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-everyone-should-know-about-plastics%2F2011.01.27 Information circulating about the dangers of plastic containers has created fear and confusion. Are plastic containers toxic? Do harmful chemicals leach out into its contents? Do we need to discard all plastic containers? Recently, I interacted in a live health chat on MedHelp about the safety of plastics. Scientist, Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, talked about “The Real Truth About Plastics: What You Should And Shouldn’t Worry About.” While Dr. Schwarcz states that some plastics like those made by Tupperware and Rubbermaid are safe to use, there are other plastics made of Bisphenol A (BPA) that may cause some concern, however he did not become alarmed. There is extensive information on the safety of plastics, and reading some of... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405775 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:00:39 +0100 4405775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405777&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbreast-implants-and-lymphoma-new-safety-alert-from-the-fda%2F2011.01.27 From the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety alert yesterday: ISSUE: The FDA announced a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a very rare type of cancer. Data reviewed by the FDA suggest that patients with breast implants may have a very small but significant risk of ALCL in the scar capsule adjacent to the implant. BACKGROUND: In total, the agency is aware of about 60 cases of ALCL in women with breast implants worldwide. This number is difficult to verify because not all cases were published in the scientific literature and some may be duplicate reports. An estimated 5 million to 10 million women worldwide have breast implants. According to the National Cancer Institute, ALCL appears in different pa... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405777 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:00:36 +0100 4405777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405753&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FMzgFpkqRsEA%2F Also: the FDA says no to Avodart as a prostate cancer preventive; WellPoint looks to diversify; Berwick renominated. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405753 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:27:38 +0100 4405753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399491&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FpAqGUzFSSVI%2F Also: what the State of the Union said about health care; Allegra to become an OTC medicine; FDA panel on external automated defibrillators. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399491 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:34:31 +0100 4399491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394420&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2ux4-eMpnm4%2F By Jim Harper (HT: Techdirt) It is infuriating to watch the video Phil Mocek made while attempting to assert his legal rights at the airport. The good news is that he has been acquitted of the bogus charges brought against him, including disorderly conduct, concealing his identity, refusing to obey a police officer, and criminal trespass. The video illustrates the knowledge, fortitude, and cool it takes to assert one’s rights. We owe our thanks to Mr. Mocek, who has helped to educate the TSA and society in general about the law that applies at the airport. Perhaps he can further the educational process by bringing an action under 42 U.S.C. §1983 for violation of his civil rights under color of law. The Transporation Security Administration’s training programs might improve, o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394420 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:50:04 +0100 4394420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377568&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhead-lice-fda-approves-new-treatment%2F2011.01.20 Good news for parents, teachers, pediatricians, and others engaged in the ongoing battle against lice: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved a new treatment for head lice in children age four and older. Called Natroba, it’s a liquid that is rubbed into the hair and allowed to sit for 10 minutes before being rinsed off. Natroba is a useful addition to the anti-lice arsenal, since some head lice have become resistant to permethrin and pyrethrins, the active ingredients in over-the-counter anti-lice products such as Nix and Rid. Head lice are tiny insects that go by the big name Pediculus humanus capitis. They thrive in the warm tangle of human hair, feeding off blood in the scalp and breeding with abandon. A female lays eggs called nits that she attaches to strands of hair.... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377568 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:30:14 +0100 4377568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360983&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fchewable-birth-control%2F2011.01.17 Just in time for the new year, the FDA has approved the first low-dose chewable birth control contraceptive.  The daily chew will be marketed by Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Fred Wilkinson, executive vice president of Global Brands said: “We believe this product is an important addition to the oral contraceptive category, and that its characteristics will make it a desirable choice for women.” I have to ask myself: “Why?” Most birth control failures occur because the woman forgets to take the pill. Will a chewable be more reliant? Is it aimed at gals who just love chewing gum? I don’t get the concept. Marketing for this breakthrough will begin the in the second quarter of 2011. *This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth* (Source: ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360983 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0100 4360983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360971&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fyjb0565Vc8k%2F By Robin Strongin. We, as a nation, have made progress and I believe Dr. King would be proud.  But our work is far from complete–particularly where health care is concerned.  Another doctor, Dr. John M. Eisenberg, a physician of tremendous stature whose life was also tragically cut short (not by an assassin’s bullet but by brain cancer) was equally passionate about the dignity of life and justice for all Americans.   Dr. Eisenberg, who among other things, served as the Director of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (as AHRQ was known back in the day), cared deeply about access to and the integrity of health care for all Americans– regardless of skin color. Eleven years ago, on January 14, 2000, Dr. Eisenberg gave what is, in my opinion, a brilliant... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360971 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:56:35 +0100 4360971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349516&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffda-restricts-acetaminophen-in-popular-pain-medications%2F2011.01.14 This is a guest post from Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson. ********** FDA Restricts Acetaminophen In Popular Pain Medications The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an announcement yesterday that affects one of the most common pain medications on the market, and as a consequence may affect countless numbers of the 75 million Americans who experience chronic pain (for perspective, that’s more than the number of people suffering from cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined.) The FDA has asked manufacturers of popular prescription pain medications like Vicodin or Percocet to limit the amount of acetaminophen (also known as Tylenol, or APAP) used in these drugs to no more than 325 milligrams per tablet — the equivalent of one regular-strength Tylenol tablet. The move came because rese... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349516 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:00:05 +0100 4349516 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338068&cid=t_104216_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhit-task-force-guidance-health-it In September 2010, Vivek Kundra, the Federal Chief Information Officer, and I issued guidance articulating five key health IT policy and technology principles for Federal health IT projects. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338068 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:52:45 +0100 4338068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331239&cid=t_104216_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F25BnSsPy6VY%2F Next week, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments about a highly contentious issue in which hospitals and clinics want the right to file lawsuits against drugmakers, which they believe have overcharged by not offering discounts or reimbursements as part of what is known as the 340B program. This provides access to discounted prescription meds to healthcare entities certified by the US Department of Health and Human Services. However, the White House recently filed an amicus brief siding with the pharmaceutical industry over concerns that its administration will get mired in an unending number of lawsuits, even though this position is at odds with the notion that the 340B program is designed to ensure underprivileged patients get access to needed meds (read the brief here). “You can par... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331239 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:50:36 +0100 4331239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4326897&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fl2LdA5IV9s4%2F By Jim HarperIt’s fascinating to watch a member of Congress use a tragedy like Gabrielle Giffords’ shooting to seek advantage over us common folk. On Fox News Sunday this week, Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) suggested that Members of Congress should get special treatment at airports. Airports are some of the safest places anyone can be. Don’t use your imagination—think about it: Airports teem with security personnel and security-conscious citizens. Because their travel schedules are generally unannounced, members of Congress are not any more exposed while traveling than during their other public movements. There is some risk—we know too well because of this weekend’s tragedy—when elected officials make announced public appearances, but that sm... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4326897 Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:06:07 +0100 4326897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322490&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FGTgPdUoOfNI%2F Also: budget-scoring battle; GOP governors ask to waive Medicaid provision of health-care law; insurance rates in Calif. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322490 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:37:59 +0100 4322490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314001&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aannet.org%2Ffiles%2Fpublic%2FAAN%2520Policy%2520Brief%2520-%2520Advance%2520Care%2520Planning.pdf By Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN. I was quite distressed to read in this morning’s news that the Obama Administration had reversed the new Medicare regulation that would pay for periodic conversations between physicians and patients about preferences for end-of-life care.  According to today’s New York Times, Speaker John Boehner said that  “the provision could be a step ‘down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia.’” Sara Palin started this rhetorical myth when she declared efforts to incorporate paying for such conversations under Medicare in the House health care reform bill (not included in the final law) as creating “death panels”. This lie is undermining advances that advocates for better end-of-life care have worked on ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314001 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:11:39 +0100 4314001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309582&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FKaP8DReU1zA%2F FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein is leaving the agency after less than two years, the WSJ reports. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309582 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:03:25 +0100 4309582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304879&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffda-set-to-approve-new-anti-obesity-drug%2F2011.01.02 The FDA has been tough on diet drugs of late. Three years ago it scuttled an attempt to get the European diet drug rimonabant approved for use in the U.S. More recently it rejected, at least temporarily, applications for Qnexa and Lorcaserin. But that trend may have been reversed last week, when an advisory committee set the stage for possible FDA approval of Orexigen’s investigational diet drug, Contrave. By a 13-7 vote, the committee said in essence that the somewhat modest beneficial effects of the drug outweighed its tendency to increase blood pressure. The FDA will make final decision on the matter by the end of January. It is not required to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but as was the case for the three diet drugs mentioned above,  it usually does. (more…... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304879 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:00:19 +0100 4304879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302855&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzFXqdnT90Jw%2F By Jim HarperThe holiday travel season this year revealed some of the real defects in the Transportation Security Administration’s new policy of subjecting select travelers to the “option” of going through airport strip-search machines or being subjected to an intrusive pat-down more akin to a groping. Anecdotes continue to come forth, including the recent story of a rape victim who was arrested at an airport in Austin, TX after refusing to let a TSA agent feel her breasts. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is working on the “next big thing”: body-scanning everywhere. This “privacy impact assessment” from DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate details a plan to use millimeter wave—a technology in strip-search machines&#... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302855 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:01:54 +0100 4302855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302130&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FcmhzDLj_gVw%2F The first Fifty F.UCEM's are Grandfather awards for the fifty fondling members who have demonstrated the excellence in their respected fields and uphold the ideals of the Utopian College - supremus totus vindicatum haud officium (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302130 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:02:45 +0100 4302130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294606&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FVH514jlTkCw%2F The Kaiser Family Foundation counts 21 provisions taking effect next year. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294606 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:03:22 +0100 4294606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294616&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuhcdnyGW0Tk%2F By Chris EdwardsBloomberg is reporting more bad news for the nation’s air traffic control system, which is run by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is $500 million overbudget and six years behind schedule on a $2.1 billion technology upgrade project. The FAA has a long history of mismanaged technology projects, and so the latest screw-ups are nothing new. Yet the nation needs high-tech advances in air traffic control more than ever to ease our increasingly congested airspaces. There is a better way to run air traffic control—a private sector way, as Canada has been demonstrating. In 1996, Canada converted its government air traffic control system to a private nonprofit corporation. Nav Canada has been a smashing success, providing an excellent model for possible U.S. reforms... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294616 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:53:48 +0100 4294616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4287415&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpainkiller-safety%2F2010.12.24 Perhaps as many as one in every five American adults will get a prescription for a painkiller this year, and many more will buy over-the-counter medicines without a prescription. These drugs can do wonders — getting rid of pain can seem like a miracle — but sometimes there’s a high price to be paid. Remember the heavily marketed COX-2 inhibitors? Rofecoxib, sold as Vioxx, and valdecoxib, sold as Bextra, were taken off the market in 2004 and 2005, respectively, after studies linked them to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin, ibuprofen (sold as Advil and Motrin), and naproxen (sold as Aleve) seem like safe bets. But taken over long periods, they have potentially dangerous gastrointestinal side effect... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4287415 Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:00:34 +0100 4287415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265733&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmilitary-plastic-surgery-using-liposuction-to-make-the-weight-cut%2F2010.12.18 The Orange County Register blog posted on military plastic surgery and mentioned liposuction: Army Times reports that soldiers are turning to liposuction to remove fat if extreme dieting, laxatives and other methods fail to get them under the Army’s weight limit for their height, age and gender. “Liposuction saved my career. Laxatives and starvation before an [Army Physical Fitness Test] sustains my career,” a soldier told the periodical. “Soldiers are using liposuction, laxatives and starvation to meet height and weight standards. I did, do and still do.” I am well aware of the military patient looking to stay within military parameters to stay in the service as my San Clemente office is quite close to Camp Pendleton, and I give military discounts. I have seen several of these p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265733 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:00:47 +0100 4265733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265667&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F7VjEG0Q0YPw%2F Also: new Pfizer CEO's compensation; St. Jude Medical phases out cables; a bone-marrow registry is scrutinized. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265667 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:35:33 +0100 4265667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265671&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fbfoav7TLzcQ%2F The panel recommended that the White House "remain actively engaged" with amateur do-it-yourself bio-hackers. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265671 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:01:40 +0100 4265671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4249016&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fo1IAqJE_gA0%2F Obama has almost quit smoking, Boehner isn't trying to and the Surgeon General says it's still very, very bad for you. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4249016 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:06:02 +0100 4249016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4249017&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FD5gL9LC0Vjc%2F A one-year patch certainly gives everyone some breathing room, but every time the problem is pushed off, the problem gets bigger. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4249017 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:28:34 +0100 4249017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241726&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FaOUYvL71fJc%2F Since Count Volta first started mixing electrolyte solutions, redox reactions have driven human devices thanks to their storage of chemical energy. From small cells, it was just a matter of time before lazy and lethargic Americans, sick of manually cranking their cars demanded starter engines, and of course the humble car battery. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241726 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:40:05 +0100 4241726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233158&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXA8f49g743U%2F By Jim HarperThere is a natural appeal to “trusted traveler” programs. We all see ourselves as trustworthy, and getting into such a program might improve our experience at the airport. This video captures the notion—and some of the difficulties—entertainingly. I would fly on a plane even knowing that Jimmy Johnson had brought a machete on board. But what level of trust should attach to a Super Bowl ring? Dave Meggett helped the New York Giants win Super Bowl XXV. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month after being convicted of criminal sexual misconduct and burglary. Super Bowl MVP Ray Lewis was charged with murder in 2000, avoiding trial by agreeing to testify against others. The point is not to beat up on the NFL, but to beat up on the idea that you can... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233158 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:46:25 +0100 4233158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233167&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjT_21hU9b7o%2F By Walter OlsonLast Tuesday, despite warnings of regulatory overreach, the Senate voted 73-25 in favor of S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, which would greatly expand the powers of the federal Food and Drug Administration and impose extensive new testing and paperwork requirements on farmers and food producers. Almost at once, however, the bill was derailed — whether temporarily or otherwise remains to be seen — by what the New York Times called an “arcane parliamentary mistake” and the L.A. Times considered a purely “technical flaw“. Roll Call put it more bluntly: “[Senate] Democrats violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House.” While the New York Times weirdly cast Senate Republicans as ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233167 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:33:26 +0100 4233167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233169&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjj2GEDCeKvc%2F By Mark A. CalabriaA constant narrative of the financial crisis is that banks out-smarted the government by taking excessive risks, and that if only we had empowered regulators, the whole crisis would have been avoided.  The truth, however, is that government was often the driver of excessive risk-taking, and nowhere is that more true than in the mortgage market. One of the worst offenders has been the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).  Even today, one can get an FHA backed loan with only a 3.5% downpayment.  After the financing of seller concessions, the borrower can leave the closing table with zero, or even negative, equity.  FHA will even offer these low equity loans to subprime borrowers, those with the worst credit history.  If there’s anything to be learned from the f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233169 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:12:57 +0100 4233169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225212&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FrcAFjskuG6k%2F The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together a detailed chart showing how six of the plans compare on proposals to slow Medicare spending growth. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225212 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:22:39 +0100 4225212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207281&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fx-O6LxE-TaI%2F By Walter OlsonLast week the New York Times reported on the story of Estrella Family Creamery, an award-winning, very-small-scale producer of raw milk farmstead cheeses in Montesano, Wash. The family faces a Food and Drug Administration ban on its products because the food pathogen listeria has been found in its facilities; when it expressed defiance, the FDA proceeded to stage a raid to seize its entire cheese stock. It’s not easy to sort out how large a health risk may be involved (listeria, a widely disseminated form of bacteria, poses a real danger of food poisoning, but no actual illness has been traced to Estrella cheese). I was struck, in any event, by these paragraphs from the Times account: “If the F.D.A. wanted to shut down the U.S. artisan cheese industry, all they’d ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207281 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:29:39 +0100 4207281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197073&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvactruth.com%2F2010%2F11%2F22%2Fhow-government-and-pharmaceutical-companies-gamble-with-your-childs-life%2F The large number of adverse reactions to influenza vaccine this year led the government to suspend the vaccine for children across Australia. Nationally, there were 1,729 adverse events reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). After analysis the TGA stated there were 1,152 reports of fever and 123 reports of convulsions in children under 5 within 24 hours of the vaccine being administered. In Western Australia (WA) 517 children had adverse reactions, of which 72 had febrile convulsions. Prof. Collignon, director of the infectious diseases unit at Canberra hospital states that this is a very high rate of adverse reactions when the risk of dying of swine flu last winter was one in a million). The adverse reactions were linked to CSL’s 2010 trivalent influenza vaccine Fluvax ... vactruth.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197073 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:50:50 +0100 4197073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190131&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCj1rl5m8wSo%2F By David BoazMusing on the latest abuses of the Transportation Security Administration, George F. Will recalls a column by the late William F. Buckley Jr. Faced with disastrous service on a commuter railroad, Buckley wrote, “In a more virile age, I thought, the passengers would have seized the conductor and strapped him down on a seat over the radiator to share the fate of his patrons.” But he had “nonchalantly walked down the gauntlet of eighty sweating American freemen, and not one of them had asked him to explain why the passengers in that car had been consigned to suffer.” Buckley went on: Every year, whether the Republican or the Democratic Party is in office, more and more power drains away from the individual to feed vast reservoirs in far-off places; and we ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190131 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:43:08 +0100 4190131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4186901&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8Fq5W0hDuWU%2F By Jim HarperWith the TSA sticking by its policy of requiring select air travelers to submit to visual observation or physical touching of their private areas before they can fly, a number of groups are collecting reports and facilitating public discussion. The American Civil Liberties Union has put up a page on which to report TSA screening abuses. The Electronic Privacy Information Center has a “Body Scanner Incident Report” page. And the U.S. Travel Association has a site called “Your Travel Voice,” and a related Facebook page where people can share their stories and air their views. The activism site StopDigitalStripSearches.org also has a Facebook page. The TSA has a complaint form you can fill out, of course. When you post to a Facebook page, obviously yo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4186901 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:43:32 +0100 4186901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175674&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvOhVVEi-vIo%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoFor the past couple of years, Nicaragua’s president Daniel Ortega has been desperately seeking to subvert his country’s constitution and feeble democratic institutions in order to stand for re-election next year. Since the Nicaraguan constitution bars him from running for a third term (he was president in 1985-1990), Ortega tried unsuccessfully to have the constitution amended by the National Assembly, where his Sandinista party lacks a majority to do so. However, through judicial shenanigans facilitated by a Supreme Court and an Electoral Tribunal packed with Sandinista allies, Ortega is likely to run again next year. Mary O’Grady of the Wall Street Journal and The Economist have documented the case. Despite seemingly getting away with it, Ortega faces strong c... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175674 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:08:50 +0100 4175674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175676&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTQgKRUzV16s%2F By Jim HarperA new post on the TSA blog gets the logic behind the strip/grope combination correct. [I]f you’re selected for AIT and choose to opt-out, we still need to check you for non-metallic threats. That’s why a pat-down is required. If you refuse both, you can’t fly. Any alternative allows someone concealing something to decline the strip-search machine, decline the intimate pat-down, and leave the airport, returning another day in hopes of not being selected for the strip-search machine. The TSA reserves the right to fine you $11,000 for declining these searches. So the question is joined: Should the TSA be able to condition air travel on you permitting someone to look at or touch your genitals? I’ve argued that the strip/grope is security excess not validated by ri... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175676 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:54:58 +0100 4175676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172042&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6jgSzXNH0eY%2F By Jim HarperIn a humbly-toned USA Today opinion piece yesterday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano asked for the public’s cooperation with airline security measures the Transportation Security Administration has recently implemented. The TSA has come up with an invasive pairing: ”Advanced Imaging Technology,” also known as “strip-search machines” and, for those refusing, “enhanced” pat-downs which explore areas of the body typically reserved for one’s spouse or doctor. Anecdotal reports suggest that the machines are being used to ogle women, and we are seeing disturbing images and videos of children being handled by strangers online. The public is increasingly agitated by the TSA’s latest amendment to the air travel... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172042 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:55:22 +0100 4172042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4164521&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-cigarette-labels-from-the-fda%2F2010.11.14 The FDA will soon require new cigarette package labeling to deter smoking. So in politically-correct governmental fashion, they are asking which labels you’d like to see. (You can pick your favorites here.) My personal favorite (so far) is the one shown to the left, but its impact factor pales in comparison to this example found in England. (That, my friends, is cancer!) Ironically, it appears the FDA isn’t too sure how forceful it should be in these warnings about the dangers of smoking. They offer a cornucopia of milquetoast labeling options, many of which contain cartoons. Might such unrealistic portrayals defy they hard-hitting message they want to project? Worse, at least one cartoon (seen here) even seems to promote cigarettes AND drug use together! In an even more astoni... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4164521 Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0100 4164521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151803&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FPzb-70upAEc%2F If you silence the alarm for any reason and there is subsequent oxygen supply failure within the next 2 minutes you will have no audible alarm. Unlike other ventilators on the market the Oxylog® 3000 cannot ventilate without an oxygen supply. This issue has been raised with Dräger but they have elected not to perform a software upgrade as they don’t see the need to offer a breakthrough alarm system for this potentially lethal fault... (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151803 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:29:38 +0100 4151803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133679&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWvPLjnK5VpY%2F By Daniel GriswoldOne of the many implications of yesterday’s election is that the new Congress will likely be more friendly toward trade-expanding agreements and less inclined to raise trade barriers. Trade was not a deciding factor in the election, despite efforts by a number of incumbent Democrats to make it so. Many House and Senate contests were peppered with ads accusing an opponent of favoring trade agreements that gave away U.S. jobs to China. It was a stock line in President Obama’s stump speeches that Republicans favored tax breaks for U.S. companies that ship jobs overseas (a charge I dismantled in an op-ed last week). Yet on Election Day the trade-skeptical rhetoric and ads did not save Democratic seats. Republicans Pat Toomey, Rob Portman, and Mark Kirk all won Senate seat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133679 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:11:25 +0100 4133679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133657&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FGHpGLnvw8JU%2F Our own unscientific poll found that about 84% of respondents said the new law influenced their vote yesterday. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133657 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:43:16 +0100 4133657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133658&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FaWdMJEiHHYM%2F Also: governors will have big influence on health-law implementation; California gets a Medicaid waiver; charity helps insured with copays. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133658 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:30:13 +0100 4133658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118936&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-impact-of-drug-marketing-on-medical-care%2F2010.10.28 In my group practice, the Yale Medical Group, drug company-sponsored lunches and similar events have been banned. This is part of a trend, at least within academic medicine, to create some distance between physicians and pharmaceutical companies, or at least their marketing divisions. The justifications for this are several, and are all reasonable. One reason is the appearance of being too cozy, which compromises the role of academic physicians as independent experts. But the primary reason is the belief that “detailing” by pharmaceutical sales representatives has a negative effect on the prescribing habits of physicians. There is reason to believe this may be the case because of cases of bad behavior on the part of pharmaceutical marketing divisions — ghost writing white papers,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118936 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:00:50 +0100 4118936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074150&cid=t_104216_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F14%2Fon-the-red-carpet-at-the-voice-awards-2010%2F It was an honor and a pleasure to attend the 2010 Voice Awards, hosted by SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA is the agency responsible for helping to get the word out about substance abuse and mental health issues, so their focus is much aligned with ours. This year’s theme was focused on honoring portrayals of men and women who serve in the military but come home to grapple with mental health issues and friends and family who often just don’t understand how to help. It also featured a lifetime achievement award given to Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter for her decades’ long work on helping advance mental health care in the U.S. The annual ceremony is held to honor the realistic and often-poignant depiction of people struggling ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074150 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:46:09 +0100 4074150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065352&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXc2vkaE5WlA%2F By John SamplesThe Obama administration’s attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce look a lot like a three day story on its final day. The national media had its doubts, and even Democratic operatives decried the gambit. Why did the administration go after the Chamber? The politics are not hard to figure out. The actions of the Obama administration mobilized the Republican base. At the same time, the President and his party have been losing the support of independents for a year or so. Their only hope of limiting the electoral damage was to rally the Democratic base who are discouraged and divided. But the Democratic base might agree about what they don’t like and fear: business, money in politics, and foreigners or at least, foreigners spending money on politics. The attack on ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065352 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:41:48 +0100 4065352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060566&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FgPd7P9PRH1U%2F Though soldiers who die by suicide receive full military honors, their families don't get condolence letters from the president, according to the APA. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060566 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:40:59 +0100 4060566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060575&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDhdPHcbV5bg%2F By Christopher PrebleToday ForeignPolicy.com has a feature article examining possible “Plan B’s for Obama,” with contributions coming from numerous experts. My contribution to the feature is titled “Cut (Really Cut) Military Spending.” It is time for President Obama and the administration to finally notice the increasing calls—from across the political spectrum—that the Pentagon’s budget should not be off limits when reducing the deficit.  From the Foreign Policy article: Despite all the hype about Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his cuts of big-ticket military projects, the Pentagon’s $680 billion budget is actually slated to increase in coming years. This is unconscionable at a time when taxpayers are under enormous stress and when the U.S. government must r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060575 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:40:26 +0100 4060575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060649&cid=t_104216_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F12%2F2010-voice-awards-in-hollywood%2F I’m excited to be attending and reporting from the 5th anniversary of the Voice Awards tomorrow evening in Hollywood. This annual award program sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) honors screenwriters, producers, and behavioral health advocates raising awareness and understanding of mental and behavioral health problems The 2010 Voice Awards — co-hosted by Emmy Award winner Hector Elizondo and Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr. — will take place on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Calif. The annual event brings together representatives from the entertainment industry and the behavioral health community for an evening of awareness raising about the contributions people living with m... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060649 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:02:09 +0100 4060649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053299&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fc_1LtB7Xa18%2F This article contains satire... With age comes an increased risk of serious life threatening diseases. Many of these illnesses eventuate in fatality, and a great expenditure to sustain the lives of individuals living with chronic disease. With public health targets placing increased pressure on clinicians to reduce morbidity and mortality for many diseases...one alternative stands out above all others. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053299 Sat, 09 Oct 2010 06:58:47 +0100 4053299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045069&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FWhOZapLr65Q%2F A federal judge says the individual mandate to purchase health insurance doesn't violate the Constitution. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045069 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:43:24 +0100 4045069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040561&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftop-gripes-about-drugs-and-what-they-cost%2F2010.10.07 I used to defend pharmaceutical companies. ”What companies out there have contributed more good? Should care manufacturers make more when all they do is make transportation that breaks after a few years?” It made sense to me that you should put a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so that companies are motivated to invent more drugs and innovate. We throw a lot of money to athletes and movie stars who simply entertain us, shouldn’t we do better to those who heal us? I used to say that. I don’t anymore. No, I don’t think the drug companies are “evil.” People who say that are thinking way to simplistic. These companies are doing exactly what their shareholders want them to do: make as much money as possible for as long as possible. That’s what all companies do, right? They... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040561 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:00:07 +0100 4040561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036651&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FI2KXB7sr2R8%2F Reviewing the latest applications for health professionals including iDoctor, CPR PRO app and the CPR PRO cradle (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036651 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:42:53 +0100 4036651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022887&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F29PxB2B-GFw%2F Pricing information covers more than 4,400 private plans from 225 different insurers. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022887 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:52:49 +0100 4022887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022890&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FT56sQFtr3oY%2F Also: Medicaid rolls swell; Novartis pays up; Minnesota and Alaska say "no thanks" to HHS grants. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022890 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:44:57 +0100 4022890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013138&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2qzLEKpe5Qo%2F By Jim HarperThis week, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is pressing countries around the world to use “strip-search machines,” low-power x-ray and radio wave scanning devices that reveal what is underneath travelers’ clothes. The machines provide a small margin of security at a high risk to privacy. And those privacy risks are manifesting themselves overseas. On AllAfrica.com, news service This Day reports on how strip-search machines have been used to peep at travelers as nudes in Lagos, Nigeria: [D]uring off-peak periods, the aviation security officials, who are trained on the use of the scanners, usually stroll from the cubicle located in a hidden corner on the right side of the screening area where the 3D full-body scanner monitors are located. They do... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013138 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 21:02:47 +0100 4013138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003254&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Freal-time-drug-safety-reports%2F2010.09.27 Researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed an iPhone application that keeps you up-to-date with drug safety reports and allows you to submit any side effects directly to the FDA. The app, called MedWatcher can keep a list of medications for which you receive both official FDA alerts and news from other channels. Users can report side effects straight from the app and view other submitted reports. The researchers hope to lower the barrier to reporting side effects, increasing the participation in safety surveillance. Reports of serious adverse events are reviewed by members of the Children’s Computational Epidemiology Group and then submitted to the FDA. The app was developed using technology from the Outbreaks... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003254 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:00:14 +0100 4003254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003237&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FXyfLoiIyXPY%2F Also: did health-care overhaul go far enough?; AstraZeneca cancer drug fails in late trial; HHS criticizes insurers' decision to drop child-only policies. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003237 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:22:45 +0100 4003237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993863&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FNQzlPSwjYLo%2F Also: egg producers to testify; Novartis MS drug approved; California hospital conflict; Medicare Advantage premiums. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993863 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:57:14 +0100 3993863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993921&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FqvdyIPG4b-I%2F The one shot answer to electrical restraint and DC cardioversion. Drop the patient rendering them harmless in less than 0.47 seconds with the Police Grade, twin aeroflex gold tipped electrode 'stingers', with a range of up to 200 feet. Then defibrillate the victim out of excited delirium with a synchronized life saving biphasic 50,000 volt shock, and gift them the current of life. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993921 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:10:10 +0100 3993921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987062&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F6uSLl-QUllM%2F Management has synonymously been associated with bad decisions, selective cost cutting, raising it's own salary and attempting to rob others of their ideas. This perception has led people to view managers as parasites, which according to new scientific data may be more correct than we previously thought. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987062 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:00:36 +0100 3987062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987036&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD4c9mrf8LPQ%2F By Tad DeHavenCanada’s private air traffic control system, Nav Canada, recently received its second “Eagle Award” from the International Air Transport Association. The Eagle Awards “honor air navigation service providers and airports for outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, cost efficiency, and continuous improvement.” In naming Nav Canada “the best” ATC, the IATA said the following in its press release: Nav Canada is a global leader in the efficient implementation and reliable delivery of air traffic control procedures and technologies. It actively engages its customers at all levels in regular and meaningful consultations. “The performance of Nav Canada has been enhanced by the right technical and operational investments following extensive cost/benefit a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987036 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:41:28 +0100 3987036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3983398&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F_ZOPpReDXXg%2F The Man from Snowy River or The Man that is intellectually disabled, violent, and age inappropriate for a Nursing Home...challenges the 4 hour rule in South Australia (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3983398 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:37:46 +0100 3983398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965680&cid=t_104216_147_f&fid=39264&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDoctorsWithoutFootprints%2F%7E3%2F0oBnFqC2Hn8%2Fmore-information-on-mandatory.html USA Today has published an article detailing the latest development in the Obama administration's requirement for electronic health records in the US over the next 5 years. The awesome news for doctors in private practice is that the federal government is reportedly earmarking federal funds to help physicians develop infrastructures to meet requirements. The difficult part still being debated is exactly how much of a physician or hospital's practice must be executed electronically by 2015. An initial draft of the new laws would have required as much as 75% of all prescriptions to be prescribed electronically, with one of the obvious benefits being database cross-referencing that automatically alerts physicians to a patient's allergies, past adverse reactions and potential conflicts with ot... Doctors Without Footprints blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965680 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:42:26 +0100 3965680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965418&cid=t_104216_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FoPskSFLzMHg%2F Molecular biologists working with a team of anthropologists have discovered a new gene that is set to revise the theories of social structure in humans. The team initially embarked on an ambitious project to discover when humans and our early ancestors formed hierarchies whereby the members in key organisational positions began to become underproductive social malignancies with the sole aim of self perpetuation at the expense of functional individuals. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965418 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:51:03 +0100 3965418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965386&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F3OUTywynV6k%2F According to a survey conducted last month, only 14% of respondents identified Sept. 2010 as the date when a handful of early health-law measures kick in. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965386 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:12:37 +0100 3965386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3957896&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1nYe9dO6XmA%2F Also: California doctors steamed over insurer's quality ratings; Obama administration warns insurers; what will happen to brokers? (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3957896 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:31:33 +0100 3957896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954218&cid=t_104216_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FbqZMYFMpIY4%2F The appeals court could make a decision later the month on whether funding should be allowed to continue as the case proceeds. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954218 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:29:36 +0100 3954218