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 'affairs'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:57:24 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182209&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FZWEUr2jpJ3Y%2F If people routinely cannot tell the difference between your jokes and your policy statements, perhaps you need to reassess how you present yourself in public. Michele Bachmann‘s press secretary characterized comments by the Republican presidential candidate, when she said Hurricane Irene was a message to Washington, as a joke. via Just a joke: Bachmann’s hurricane message from God – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs. Related articles Michele Bachmann Has A ‘Great Sense of Humor’ (Says Michele Bachmann) (mediaite.com) Michele Bachmann’s hurricane comments were only a joke, she says (guardian.co.uk) Filed under: Current Affairs Tagged: Joke, Michele Bachmann (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182209 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:31:53 +0100 5182209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181701&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2011%2F08%2Finterviewed-kathy-freston-for-blogher-shes-awesome-httpwwwbloghercominterview-talking-health-oprah-and-veganism-au.html Interviewed Kathy Freston for BlogHer. She's awesome: http://www.blogher.com/interview-talking-health-oprah-and-veganism-author-kathy-freston (Source: HealthyConcerns.com) HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181701 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159199&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Fto-heal-after-an-affair-and-rebuild-the-relationship%2F “For many people, an affair is deeply traumatizing [and] some marriages can’t recover from it,” said Jason Seidel, PsyD, founder and director of The Colorado Center for Clinical Excellence in Denver. But if you decide to work on your relationship post-affair, you must accept a hard truth: Another affair can happen. This is the paradox of healing, Seidel said. Often, partners who’ve been cheated on will demand full access to their spouse’s email, cell phone records, Facebook and other accounts (or they’ll sneak around to get the access), he said. They see this as legitimate and essential to helping reestablish trust in the relationship. A common belief is “How could I ever trust you again unless you give me full access?” While this thinking is understandable, it simply doesn... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159199 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:40:21 +0100 5159199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159545&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FEEhFoc0jbA0%2Fphysicaltherapy-a-meaningful-difference.html After several weeks of a self-imposed blog break, I decided it was time to get back!    The best part of taking a respite from this stuff is that you can sit back and observe what is going on in your profession rather than feel the need to respond.  While the events of the economy, the stock market, and the Kardashian wedding, dominate mainstream media, physical therapy continues to make a meaningful difference.  Some random thoughts and observations to that end: Keyword "physical therapy" and "physical therapist".         When we first started this blog over 1500 posts ago, (April 2005) with this intro,  I started using a service that brought all mentions of of "physical therapy" and "physical therapist".  It averaged less than 5 per day.  The new average is now over 30 and c... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159545 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:46:02 +0100 5159545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130754&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fbbc-news-f1-team-grants-teenager-hand-wish.html Very cool. Good for all involved. A Formula One fan has had his wish of a new bionic hand fulfilled after a plucky letter to boss of the Mercedes GP Petronas team, Ross Brawn. via BBC News – F1 team grants teenager hand wish. Related posts:Obama gives TCU rifle team a warm welcome at White House | Fort Worth | News from Fort W… WASHINGTON — The five female members of Texas Christian University’s... Cops: Calif doctor gets stuck in chimney, dies | KOMO News | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News – Seattle, Washington | National & World News BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – A doctor involved in an “on-again,... FY11 Team Run & Remember Rock ‘N Roll Dallas Half Marathon – General Donation Welcome to the Donation Page of Kate ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130754 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:01:33 +0100 5130754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125751&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fever-want-something-then-realize-you-didnt-want-it.html I have a few things I really like. Vacation trips to SoCal (nearly always to Disneyland), silly and trivial but fun events there, and a nearly Holy Grail trip to In-N-Out Burger are some of my favorites. I’m easy to please, really. Attainable fun and gastronomic happiness in one trip. Bliss. (I’m not an expert on pleasure. I’m the weirdest extrovert you’ll meet, in that I will include everyone very happily in my public life, and by that I mean I have a blog, I tell people about all the superficial things in my life (I just had my pond filled in, and I have bored everyone at work with that), I’ve blogged a lot of things people know about, and I keep my private life and friends private. You might be surprised that things happen I don’t blog. You might not.... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125751 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:30:34 +0100 5125751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125742&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fincreased-number-of-antidepressants-prescribed-to-patients-without-a-psychiatric-diagnosis%2F2011.08.12 Prescriptions for antidepressants given by nonpsychiatrists to patients without a specific psychiatric disorder increased more than 12% in 12 years, leading to the drug class becoming the third most commonly prescribed, a study found. A study in the August issue of Health Affairs reported that antidepressant prescriptions by doctors who didn’t record a specific psychiatric disorder increased from 59.5% of all prescriptions by nonpsychiatrists in 1996 to 72.7% in 2007. Researchers reviewed data on patients age eighteen or older from the 1996-2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, a national sample of more than 233,000 office-based visits. The proportion of antidepressants prescribed for patients without a psychiatric diagnosis... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125742 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5125742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118631&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.healthaffairs.org%2Fcontent%2F30%2F8%2F1606.full.pdf Eleanor Clift Veteran reporter Eleanor Clift wrote the essay Hospice And The ‘End Game’ after her husband’s death from cancer. In it she concludes that hospice “should be front and center in the debate over the kind of health care future that we want.” Disruptive Women plans to cover the topic of hospice, end of life and caregiving next year, so stay tuned. Read the essay here.  To listen to a podcast of the essay click here. The essay appears in Health Affairs‘ August 2011 issue. (Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care) Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118631 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:25:26 +0100 5118631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096465&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealth-information-exchange-current-projects-inspiring-future-pathways There’s been a lot of talk lately about the future of health information exchange (HIE)—what it will mean 10, 15 or even 20 years down the road. There is no question that providers recognize the importance of HIE, and realize in combination with electronic health records (EHRs) that it will transform the practice of medicine. The question is whether providers are fully aware of the many HIE projects on the ground right now that already are beginning to impact patient care. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096465 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:07:33 +0100 5096465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096212&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fperrys-surgery-included-experimental-stem-cell-therapy.html Seems like a lot to get into a tweet. I’d cut the guy some slack on that… When Gov. Rick Perry emerged from back surgery on July 1, he tweeted that his “little procedure” — a spinal fusion and nerve decompression designed to treat a recurring injury — had gone “as advertised.” The possible presidential contender didn’t reveal that he’d undergone an experimental injection of his own stem cells, a therapy that isn’t FDA approved, has mixed evidence of success and can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars. via Perry’s Surgery Included Experimental Stem Cell Therapy — Rick Perry | The Texas Tribune.   Related posts:Scientists turn skin into blood in medical breakthrough; could help cancer treatment | The Australian STEM cell researchers have ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096212 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:00:04 +0100 5096212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096213&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F08%2Ffeelgood-story-of-the-day.html   He defends Marines and sailors with love and tenacity, protecting them as any Marine would protect a brother-in-arms. He is the epitome of man’s best friend, shielding service members from the enemy while providing companionship and camaraderie. His name is Willy Pete, and he’s a warrior, a protector, a friend. He’s also a dog. via Photo: Willy Pete Watches over Marines. via Michael Yon‘s Twitter feed. Related posts:» Features » Jessie the chopper dog. Following recent heavy flooding to some areas around our hospital, ... Jury finds Roberts guilty | roberts, county, arguments – ROBERTS TRIAL VERDICT – Odessa American Online Justice. 1:45 p.m. Jury finds Sheriff Robert Roberts guilty on... Dr. Wes: The Wren Dr. Wes: The Wren. A beautifully done blog post.... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096213 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:48:00 +0100 5096213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968805&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FJJ1I15lbFYo%2F Falling Whistles | A Campaign for Peace in Congo. Filed under: Current Affairs, Link (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968805 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:42:08 +0100 4968805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968888&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F24%2Fgeneric_drug_warning_labels_the_supreme_court_speaks.php There are plenty of headlines about the recent Supreme Court decision (PDF) on suing generic drug manufacturers. But this is not so much about generic drugs, or suing people, as it is about the boundaries between state and federal law. That, actually, is why the case made this far - that's just the sort of issue the Supreme Court is supposed to untangle. Readers may decide for themselves whether such distentangling has actually occurred. Reglan (metaclopramide) is the drug involved here. It's been generic for many years, and for many years it's also been known to be associated with a severe CNS side effect, tardive dyskinesia. This is the same involuntary-movement condition brought on by many earlier antipsychotic medications, and it's bad news indeed. The labeling for the product has bee... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968888 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:15:32 +0100 4968888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952841&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-the-va-can-help-our-female-veterans%2F2011.06.21 Women are the fastest growing segment in the US military, already accounting for approximately 14 percent of deployed forces. According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 20 percent of new recruits and 17 percent of Reserve and National Guard Forces are women. As the number of women continues to grow in the military, so does the need for health care specifically targeted to their unique concerns. Historically, lower rates of female veterans have used the VA system. “Research has shown that women didn’t define themselves as veterans in the past, and this is changing,” said Antonette Zeiss, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Acting Chief for Mental Health Services at the VA Central Office in Washington, DC. Now, “Women are among the fastest growing segments of ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952841 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4952841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953275&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F2_CBHPxEUnY%2F General Order 3: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. — General Gordon Granger via Daily Kos: Happy Juneteenth!. Filed under: Current Affairs, qotd Tagged: Emancipation Proclamation, Galveston Texas, Gordon Granger, Juneteenth (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953275 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:38:23 +0100 4953275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934508&cid=t_176557_114_f&fid=35708&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftypepad%2Frwjfblogs%2Fpioneer%2F%7E3%2FkUgtP3_omCg%2Fproject-echo-a-game-changer-for-patient-care.html Note: This post originally appeared on The Health Care Blog June 14, 2011 By BRIAN QUINN, Pioneer Team Director I met Sanjeev Arora as part of the RWJ crowd at TEDMED last year and was pretty impressed with his approach–especially given the lack of access to care in poor and minority regions. Now there’s proof his approach works –Matthew Holt On June 1 the New England Journal of Medicinepublished a study about how primary care providers can treat very sick patients who previously did not have access to specialty care.  The piece described Project ECHO, a disruptive model of health care delivery based on collaborative practice that has the potential to transform health care.  Supported by Robert Wood Johnson’s Pioneer Portfolio and b... Pioneering Ideas blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934508 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945135&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Fa_shortage_of_cancer_drugs.php There have been several headlines about a shortage of classic chemotherapy drugs recently. How do these things happen? This post at Marginal Revolution is the best short overall look at the problem that I've seen so far: Currently there are about 246 drugs that are in short supply, a record high. These shortages are not just a result of accident, error or unusual circumstance, the number of drugs in short supply has risen steadily since 2006. The shortages arise from a combination of systematic factors, among them the policies of the FDA. The FDA has inadvertently caused drugs long-used in the United States to be withdrawn from the market and its “Good Manufacturing Practice” rules have gummed up the drug production process and raised costs. As Alex Tabarrok says there, one pebble, o... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945135 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:21:39 +0100 4945135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911768&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FNp6CCHWmtwk%2F . Filed under: Current Affairs, Link (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911768 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:33:57 +0100 4911768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911484&cid=t_176557_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=4902636&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FdBTcIQxUHzQ%2F Sarah Palin’s history lesson… Daily Kos: Animal Nuz #49. Filed under: Current Affairs (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902636 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:26:10 +0100 4902636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893892&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fmore_insider_trading_at_the_fda.php Today's Wall Street Journal has the news that the Liang insider-trading case may not be the end of the story at the FDA. The SEC has amended their complaint against Liang, adding another company's stock and another relief defendant (Liang's 87-year-old father in Shanghai, who also had his name on a brokerage account). Here's a chart of his trading, for those who are interested - make note that he did manage to lose money twice, on Pozen and Mannkind, but otherwise he hit 'em over the fence, time after time, in a most unnatural manner. (The chart also backs up my earlier speculation that Liang's trading in Vanda was what rang the alarm bells - it's far and away the biggest on the whole list). But the Journal says that "people familiar with the case" think that Liang may have involved sever... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893892 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:06:35 +0100 4893892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893804&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FuY2Isds3iC0%2F Sarah Palins bus needs more eagles and rifles.. Filed under: Current Affairs, Link Tagged: Palin, Sarah Palin (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893804 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:07:04 +0100 4893804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862835&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FgrKByavLkcA%2F Tea Party Sheriffs Deputies Arrested for Human Trafficking – Gawker. Filed under: Current Affairs, Link (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862835 Wed, 25 May 2011 12:22:35 +0100 4862835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848114&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F6i9jrj4yQFc%2F Bill Maher: If you rejoice in revenge, torture and war …you’re not a Christian. This should be self-evident, but evidently some folks need a refresher on the basic tenets of the religion they profess to follow. via Todays signs that the Apocalypse may be upon us – What Would Jack Do. Filed under: Current Affairs, Link Tagged: Bill Maher, christianity, Religion and Spirituality, Wars and Conflicts (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848114 Fri, 20 May 2011 13:54:19 +0100 4848114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841652&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=34603&url=http%3A%2F%2Fginasmith.typepad.com%2Fgina_on_gina%2F2011%2F05%2Fbyte-unplugged-teambyte-launch-editors-posting-now-.html .. breaking stories and providing news analysis and live streaming coverage of great tech events before BYTE arrives in July. Check it out here. (Source: I'm Gina Smith) I'm Gina Smith blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841652 Thu, 19 May 2011 08:37:42 +0100 4841652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828858&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtJzNi-eaX4U%2F By Jim HarperThe May/June issue of Foreign Affairs focuses on “The New Arab Revolt” (also the focus of an event at Cato a month ago). Some of the articles have a touch of datedness because they refer to the continuing pursuit of Osama bin Laden. But not so Stephen Flynn’s “Recalibrating Homeland Security,” ($) a terrific discussion of how the federal government’s post-9/11 policies have failed to meet the challenge of terrorism. Flynn throws a sentence at the living icon of al Qaeda, but the insights of his article are well worth taking in. Most insightfully, Flynn theorizes just why it is that “nearly a decade after al Qaeda struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Washington still lacks a coherent strategy for harnessing the nation’s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828858 Mon, 16 May 2011 14:18:20 +0100 4828858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813293&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fcity-of-dallas-tested-on-civics-fails-overwhelmingly.html If you needed to find an example of government action designed to make citizenry cynical and disillusioned look no further than this story, from WFAA: DALLAS — Dallas will keep $2,000 found by a teenager in a parking lot last February. The money will go into the city’s general fund — not back to Plano high school student Ashley Donaldson, who found the cash in an envelope at the Pavillion Shopping Center in North Dallas. (The video.) This after being told she’d get it if nobody claimed it. I found this story on Hot Air, who described it as wall-punching material. They were correct. So, how much is $2,000 to the city of Dallas? (Hint, their 2010-11 budget is $2,795,393,655 (it’s in the 2011 .pdf file) Two Billion with a B.) 2000/2795393655=  7.15×10-7, or, 0.000... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813293 Thu, 12 May 2011 02:45:31 +0100 4813293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813360&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fva-mental-health-care-is-so-bad-its-unconstitutional%2F So says a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, after reviewing the evidence about the ability of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer an appropriately level of mental health care and treatment to returning soldiers. In this way, the costs of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been grossly underestimated, because they don’t take into account the increased needs and costs of the vets’ ongoing and increasing mental health care. The longer we’re at war, the worse it’s going to get. According to the article on TIME.com about the recent ruling, not only do some vets have to wait weeks to get in to see a mental health professional at many VA medical centers, but there’s often no significant triaging ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813360 Wed, 11 May 2011 15:30:28 +0100 4813360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813610&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FYdBkfMDMnro%2F Obama Still Enjoying Post-Assassination Popularity Boost – Gawker. Filed under: Current Affairs, Link (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813610 Wed, 11 May 2011 13:20:43 +0100 4813610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789594&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F05%2Fwhen_lipitor_goes_generic.php So, when Lipitor goes generic later this year, it's Ranbaxy that's going to step in and make the big bucks for a few months, right? Well. . .there's room to wonder. Ranbaxy has had some severe regulatory problems, and other companies are trying to see if they can use those to their advantage. Fortune magazine has more: You'd think that in this era of generic-drug dominance, making the transition to a nonbranded version of Pfizer's vaunted cholesterol-fighting statin would be smooth, or at least controlled. And indeed, that's precisely how it seemed -- until just a few months ago. Now the process appears to have unraveled, leaving serious questions about who will make the cheaper form of Lipitor, whether the price will really drop, and most disturbing of all, whether patients will be able ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789594 Thu, 05 May 2011 15:42:21 +0100 4789594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780475&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F03%2Flet_the_healing_begin.php This piece is too short to excerpt, so just Read The Whole Thing, as they say. The headline is "Pfizer Breaks Psychological Need To Always Seek FDA's Approval". And yes, it's The Onion. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780475 Tue, 03 May 2011 19:08:01 +0100 4780475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775554&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FZiDlxRE4lXU%2F ‎I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr Filed under: Current Affairs, qotd Tagged: Martin Luther King (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775554 Tue, 03 May 2011 02:01:28 +0100 4775554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742391&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fcollins-is-first-gop-senator-to-oppose-ryan-budget-proposal-the-hills-floor-action.html An astonishingly unserious look at the budget problem. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) said Friday that she will not support the 2012 budget passed by the House last week. “I don’t happen to support Congressman Ryan’s plan but at least he had the courage to put forth a plan to significantly reduce the debt,” Collins said on “In the Arena” a program on WCSH 6, a local NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine. … Collins, who is one of several centrists in the Senate Republican Caucus, did not say specifically what she opposed in the House GOP plan, but she did say that she would like to begin moving the government towards solvency by eliminating ethanol and farm subsidies as well as funding for an extra engine for the F-35 fighter jet. “There are lots of... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742391 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:56:35 +0100 4742391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724179&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2Fa-S6QQ8BJ4k%2F Filed under: Current Affairs (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724179 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:58:44 +0100 4724179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719885&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjFmU0d2pZjw%2F By Christopher PrebleA little over a year ago, I posted two different graphs (with the help of my colleague Charles Zakaib) that showed the growth of U.S. national security spending vs. that of other NATO allies over the last ten years. The data, based on the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual Military Balance, showed that U.S. taxpayers spend far more on our military, both as a share of total economic output, and on a per capita basis, than do any of our allies. New data, for 2009, was made available in IISS’s Military Balance 2011, and the revised graphs are shown below. (Again, thanks to Charles for his help). As I suspected, the gap remains as wide as ever. In a few cases, it has grown wider. As you can see, the $2,101 that every American man, woman, and child ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719885 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:37:31 +0100 4719885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696712&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FnZFN64nSeww%2F It’s been a full decade since the Institute of Medicine published the second volume in its landmark series on patient safety and quality of care, Crossing the Quality Chasm. We appear to be not much closer to achieving a high-quality health system as we were 10 years ago. Last week, as you may have already heard, a paper in Health Affairs from researchers at the University of Utah concluded that adverse events may be 10 times more prevalent than previously believed and that errors may occur in an astounding one-third of all hospital admissions. The research team, which included such luminaries as Dr. David Classen, Dr. Brent James and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement‘s Frank Federico, also said that there estimates probably were on the conservative side. Patient-safety ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696712 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:07:53 +0100 4696712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696590&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fplanned-parenthood-health-care-and-me.html Hi. I've used Planned Parenthood. In fact, for at least 4 years (not sure I fully remember how long) Planned Parenthood was my sole health care source. I used the student health center when in college, but then I moved to NYC, and like any of us who don't go right from college (or high school) to full-time employment with a company big or progressive enough to provide employees with health care, I was out of luck. I was doing part-time temp work while pursuing my dream, and even when I transitioned to full-time work, there was no health care. And no I didn't buy heath insurance. I'm not sure at the ripe old age of 21 I had a good concept of why I would need it or how to get it. What I did know, what had been sort of burned into my consciousness, was that I need to get an an... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696590 Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4696590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684478&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F8o9rFUIBgWw%2F I’ve been starting to contribute a bit to InformationWeek. One of my first projects was interviewing five of the publication’s first-ever list of 25 leading healthcare CIOs. I wrote the profiles on Stephanie Reel of Johns Hopkins Health System, Lynn Vogel of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Paul Tang of Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Bill Spooner of Sharp HealthCare and Craig Luigart of the Veterans Health Administration. The link above contains the full text, or you can download an abbreviated “print” edition in the form of the March InformationWeek Healthcare e-zine here. It’s not the first time I’ve written about CIOs for a national publication not specific to healthcare, but I’m pretty proud of reaching the pages of InformationWeek. Meanwhile, che... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684478 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:46:38 +0100 4684478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676937&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F04%2Fa-bit-of-a-mess%2F It seems that the Health and Social Care Bill, the legislation designed to cut bureaucracy and fix an NHS that is not quite broken is in trouble. For months now, health unions, professional bodies and respected ‘Think Tanks‘ have described deep flaws within the proposed legislation. To us, despite the length of the numerous papers produced so far, firstly as white papers, consultations and discussions and now as a Bill, it has produced many more questions than answers. How will specialist services be commissioned and managed? How can we be sure that GPs will be willing and able to commission all of the services needed? How can we prevent GPs being part of businesses that are set up to provide services and then giving them huge profits? How can we be sure there will be sufficien... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676937 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:53:36 +0100 4676937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676796&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F04%2Ffukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-hi-res-photos.html Very neat. Via @CardioNP on Twitter. 3 April 2011. Also: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Hi-Res Photos 2: via Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Hi-Res Photos. Related posts:Fukushima nuke plant geography Okay, I’ve been passively watching, safe in my relative geography.... A guest post from a friend who knows a thing or two about nuclear power From a High School friend who went the Navy path,... The Pestilence League Versus The Evil Vaccinations | ZDoggMD The Pestilence League Versus The Evil Vaccinations | ZDoggMD. Good... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676796 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:32:11 +0100 4676796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670192&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F_hBCdv1Il8k%2F It’s time for another baseball season, and Health Wonk Review is ready to go. as with the Spring Training Edition two weeks ago, optimism reigns. (Host Jason Shafrin of the Healthcare Economist blog proves it by calling for the Milwaukee Brewers to win the World Series this year. I guess cheeseheads are still from the Green Bay Packers’ victory in the Super Bowl two months ago.) I didn’t make the starting lineup, but am an early choice from the bullpen for my “Slams on Berwick are getting pathetic” post. Curiously, Shafrin wades away from the controversy a bit by highlighting something said by a person I’m critiquing, namely that comparative effectiveness research “doesn’t work in the real world.” Not surprisingly, no post related to he... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670192 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:05:28 +0100 4670192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658607&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F30%2Fkv_pharmaceuticals_and_makena_the_fdas_move.php Most interesting - here's the FDA's latest statement on Makena, in response to KV Pharmaceuticals sending letters to compounding pharmacies telling them to stop providing the drug, now that they have regulatory approval and market exclusivity: . . .Because Makena is a sterile injectable, where there is a risk of contamination, greater assurance of safety is provided by an approved product. However, under certain conditions, a licensed pharmacist may compound a drug product using ingredients that are components of FDA approved drugs if the compounding is for an identified individual patient based on a valid prescription for a compounded product that is necessary for that patient. FDA prioritizes enforcement actions related to compounded drugs using a risk-based approach, giving the highest... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658607 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:25:14 +0100 4658607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636444&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fa-guest-post-from-a-friend-who-knows-a-thing-or-two-about-nuclear-power.html From a High School friend who went the Navy path, and keeps in touch: RadGuy in West Texas… My background in nuclear power. I completed 6 years in the US Navy’s nuclear program. I qualified at the Nautilus (S1W) prototype in Idaho, and was assigned for several years to a nuclear power guided missile cruiser. My last year in the Navy was spent planning and performing repair work on submarine, cruiser and carrier nuclear plants. As a civilian, I spent 5 years doing inspection and testing in the engineering department at one of the largest (1250+ megawatts per unit) nuclear plants in the United States. I ended up with a reasonable amount of knowledge enlightened by a great deal of practical experience. Why is this on a medical blog dealing the Emergency Medicine? The EM system has evo... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636444 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:48:19 +0100 4636444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636652&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F25%2Fthe_supreme_court_slams_big_pharma_not_exactly.php The Supreme Court came down with a decision the other day (Matrixx Initiatives v. Siracusano) that the headlines say will have an impact on the drug industry. Looking at it, though, I don't see how anything's changed. The silly-named Matrixx is the company that made Zicam, the zinc-based over-the-counter cold remedy that was such a big seller a few years back. You may or may not remember what brought it down - reports that some people suffered irreversible loss of their sense of smell after using the product. That's a steep price to pay for what may or may not have been any benefit at all (I never found the zinc-for-colds data very convincing, not that there were a lot of hard numbers to begin with). This case grew out of a shareholder lawsuit, which alleged (as shareholder lawsuits do) ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636652 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:37:30 +0100 4636652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631633&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fmore_on_kv_and_makenas_pricing.php I wanted to do some follow-up on the Makena story - the longtime progesterone ester drug that has now been newly FDA-approved and newly made two order of magnitude more expensive. (That earlier post has the details, for those who might not have been following). Steve Usdin at BioCentury has, in the newsletter's March 21st issue, gone into some more detail about the whole process where KV Pharmaceuticals stepped in under the Orphan Drug Act to pick up exclusive marketing rights to the drug. The company, he says, "arguably has played a marginal role" in getting the drug back onto the market. Here's the timeline, from that article and some digging around of my own: in 1956, Squibb got FDA approval for the exact compound (progesterone caproate) for the exact indication (preventing preterm la... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631633 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:08:55 +0100 4631633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626867&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F23%2Fdoes-the-internet-promote-or-damage-marriage%2F PBS/This Emotional Life is hosting a webinar in two weeks about the internet’s impact on relationships and marriage, in particular. As a panelist on the webinar, I wanted to explore this issue a bit with my readers so that I can offer your viewpoints in addition to my two cents. Here’s my honest opinion, after reading hundreds of comments and emails from people who have been involved in online relationships or emotional affairs as well as the responses on the discussion boards of the Emotional Affairs support group on Beliefnet’s community site: Although the internet and social media can foster intimacy in a marriage, it seems to do more harm than good. Of all the comments I’ve read, 90 percent of the opposite-sex relationships that were damaging to the marriage happened online... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626867 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:40:41 +0100 4626867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605831&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffukushima-nuke-plant-geography.html Okay, I’ve been passively watching, safe in my relative geography. Then today I read that there are TWO Fukushima nuclear plants. It’s F1 that’s having all the problems, reportedly F2 is shut down and cooling off. When I’m confused about geography, my current go-to is Google Earth. So: There are two Fukushima nuclear plants, you ask? So, what’s F1 look like, from above? (Update: from Reuters, a nice diagram. Via @scanman). I have no idea which of the six are in trouble. I’ll leave it to you to tell me which are. Also, reportedly somewhere there are ‘rod ponds’ where the used fuel rods are kept here on site, and it’d be nice to know Incidentally, it looks to my uneducated eye that the Japanese bury their power lines. US power plants a... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605831 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:58:15 +0100 4605831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600672&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F15%2Ftoo-little-too-late%2F Contrary to what the government might like us to believe, and also contrary to what the Department of Health might think General Practitioners are not the only doctors working and living in England. This quote from the DH follows the exceptional meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA) today: We are disappointed the BMA has decided to take this step, including now opposing elements of the Bill they previously supported, rather than work constructively with us to improve services for patients. The BMA’s own survey shows their position is not representative of many of their members, who are keen to be involved in our proposals. The reality is over 5,000 GP practices, covering two-thirds of the country, have already signed up and have started to implement plans to give patients ... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600672 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:08:05 +0100 4600672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570639&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F10%2Fpay-more-work-longer-end-up-with-less%2F What a cheery week this is turning out to be. Gadaffi is busy overseeing the murder of his own people, politicians across the world are busy scratching their heads and wondering what to do without seeming about to create another Iraq. Meanwhile we find that petrol is now £6 per gallon (remember that measurement?) food prices rise by the week. Soon enough we will all need banker style bonuses to make ends meet. Fat chance. This is 2011 in the UK. This is the year (or perhaps decade) to bash the public sector worker. We are apparently all lazy people on massive salaries who push a pen (or certainly sit at a desk) all day inventing rules for rules sake. Not only to we turn up late, leave early, have too much holiday, perhaps get paid overtime and some other unnecessary benefits but at the en... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570639 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:21:27 +0100 4570639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560275&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Flying-a-way-of-life-in-the-medical-profession%2F2011.03.07 In his last post, DrRich analyzed whether the young Wisconsin doctors who stood out on street corners proudly offering fake “sick excuses” to protesting teachers were engaging in an act of civil disobedience. DrRich respectfully kept an open mind on this question, but after careful deliberation concluded that it is very unlikely that their actions constituted classic civil disobedience as espoused by Thoreau or Gandhi. Instead, these doctors were, in a professional capacity, lying. They did not lie in any truly malicious way, however. They lied because they have been trained to believe in a higher cause than mere professional ethics, namely, the cause of social justice. They lied in full confidence that telling lies to advance such a noble cause is a natural duty of the medical profess... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560275 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:00:13 +0100 4560275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517297&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FpjHLFdx0fzA%2Fcsm-reflections.html Although it has been several days since CSM at the Big Easy, I can't get several thoughts out of my mind. First, congratulations and all the kudos to APTA on a successful meeting.  This was my 23rd CSM and I don't remember a bigger crowd.  While there are growing pains on the execution side (like meeting room sizes, enough help to control commotion), I am confident that this is a relatively easy fix.  While overall the percent of PT's participating at CSM are low (see Rachele's post), this would at least imply that next years will even be bigger (ok the fact that we have about 17k students in the US also suggest more numbers). Some observations and thoughts: -Content is king.  Yes, New Orleans is one of the best convention cities in the US but people come for content and the Section... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517297 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:30:06 +0100 4517297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517298&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2F8NuvE9tJBgg%2Freferral-for-profit-popts-the-battle-over-billions-of-wasted-dollars-in-ca.html The California Private Practice Special Interest Group - fired off a press release on Feb 23 in response to Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi's (D-Hayward) two bills (AB 374 and AB 783) that, if passed, would legalize POPTS in CA and also allow athletic trainers to be licensed under the CA Medical Board and therefore, bill CPT codes. California needs your support!  A group of concerned consumers have created www.stoppopts.org to help spread the message.  Take a look at their CLOCK that has a current tally of wasted resources. Please support them by clicking the Like Button on their Facebook page Follow the cause on Twitter- www.twitter.com/stoppopts In light of the MRI info about self referral here, and the posts by Larry and John (with great discussion) here , here and here about POPTS/c... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517298 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:01:29 +0100 4517298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498310&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F19%2Ftime-to-confront-the-lies-being-peddled%2F This letter appears in today’s Guardian: Feel free to ask me to justify that Nottingham city council pays our chief executive £160,000. She voluntarily took a £20,000-a-year pay cut when she took up the job three years ago. Ask any council leader to justify what their chief executive is paid, but please stop comparing them to the prime minister. The prime minister, in addition to his £142,000 salary, enjoys free housing, free transport and a range of other living-cost benefits. Then there’s his pension. Now that he’s been in office for more than just three months, he’s entitled to half his salary, index-linked, every year for the rest of his life. It’s all part of the package, even though, like Gordon Brown before him, David Cameron has decided to turn it ... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498310 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:27:41 +0100 4498310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489954&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F17%2Fhealth_care_reform_and_the_drug_industry_how_goes_it.php We haven't had enough controversy and arguing around here this week, have we? Let's talk politics for the morning, then. Here's a piece from a former VP for public affairs at Pfizer, arguing that PhRMA got thoroughly snookered during the health care reform bill. He's looking over the current budget proposal: For biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the president’s budget repudiates one of the most important benefits of their “deal” with the White House: the ability to market biotech drugs without generic competition for twelve years. The president would reduce that period to seven years, precisely the position of the generics industry and a position that the pharmaceutical industry had fought aggressively before it decided to make a deal with the president. I worried about this so... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489954 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:14:15 +0100 4489954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477908&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Fwhat-is-this-big-society%2F When you work in the public sector as I do, you cannot help but come across some amazing people. I don’t mean those people who work as nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers even managers and who as many do carry on working after others have gone home, who go that extra mile. No I mean people who, on top of their usual lives actually do things for others because they want to, not because it is their job, but because of a sense that they can and should do more for others. Around us there are people who help out in schools, hospitals, charity shops, take people places, visit the elderly and disabled or who sit on committees and make a difference to the way those with jobs view the people they are there to support. In my current job I come across many people who work hard but who a... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477908 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:38:43 +0100 4477908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477700&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Foc9EGs2cxi8%2F By Doug BandowToday, the Obama administration released its FY 2012 budget, and with it the Pentagon’s spending request.  Regrettably, the Pentagon’s plan shows that the federal government’s 4th consecutive $1 trillion-plus annual deficit has not quelled an appetite for a continued quasi-imperial foreign policy that subsidizes a multitude of rich allies around the globe. Unfortunately, if you argue against such a massive budget, you are immediately labeled an “isolationist.”  Take the example of Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) crusade to cut the federal budget by $500 billion.  Among many other substantive cuts, Senator Paul called for ending U.S. foreign aid around the globe. And when pressed, he included aid to Israel. Aid to Israel represents less than one percent of his prop... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477700 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:47:10 +0100 4477700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470411&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-video-poem-medical-tests-and-what-normal-means%2F2011.02.12 I’ve written a few times about Veneta Masson, a nurse practitioner who wrote in Health Affairs and the Washington Post about her decision to forego further mammograms despite the fact that she was in a higher-risk category. Veneta is also a poet. She sent me a video animation of her poem “Reference Range,” which I’m pleased to share with you. I think the poem and the video are beautiful, touching on important issues of how meaningless numbers and scores may be, subject to misinterpretation. She writes: I see no cause for alarm. “Is it normal?” you ask. Normal’s a shell game you seldom win. *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470411 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:00:04 +0100 4470411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460049&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Ftuition-fees-politicians-just-dont-get-it%2F Yesterday I watched a clip of Nick Clegg meeting a group of students. He was quite brave to sit in a room with them given the pledge he and his party made before the election and subsequently ripped up. I guess the students had made their own pledge not to rip into him physically but they certainly had plenty to say to him about his broken promises. On one hand we are told the country is in the worst debt ever. A debt so bad that we could soon be another European basket case (along with Greece and Ireland). A debt so bad we are all paying for it in VAT, petrol tax and any other tax you might mention. On the other hand it is quite ok to encourage students to take out the biggest debt ever known to students ever. This assertion is made on the basis that the government promises that no stude... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460049 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:49:53 +0100 4460049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450469&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FpfC9tBR5iZc%2F This is a police state. — Anderson Cooper, AC360° CNN’s Anderson Cooper Leaves Egypt With ‘A Heavy Heart’ (omg.yahoo.com) Filed under: Current Affairs, qotd Tagged: Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360°, CNN, egypt (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450469 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:10:04 +0100 4450469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438888&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fphysician-who-had-nurses-prosecuted-is-placed-on-probation-state-news-from-fort-wort.html AUSTIN — Texas medical regulators on Friday placed on probation a West Texas doctor involved in the unsuccessful prosecution of two nurses who complained anonymously that the physician was unethical and risking patients’ health. The Texas Medical Board technically suspended Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr. but allowed him to continue to practice medicine while on probation for four years if he completes additional training. via Physician who had nurses prosecuted is placed on probation | State | News from Fort Wort…. Ugh. Related posts:ER doctor on probation after suspected DUI arrest – San Jose Mercury News ER doctor on probation after suspected DUI arrest The Associated... Obama gives TCU rifle team a warm welcome at White House | Fort Worth | News from Fort W…... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438888 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:54:20 +0100 4438888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438885&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-female-physicians-make-less-money%2F2011.02.05 Female doctors make less than male physicians. That conclusion gained major media traction recently. A recent post on KevinMD.com by medical student Emily Lu had some great conversation discussing reasons why women make less money in medicine. To recap, the study from Health Affairs concluded that, newly-trained physicians who are women are being paid significantly lower salaries than their male counterparts according to a new study. The authors identify an unexplained gender gap in starting salaries for physicians that has been growing steadily since 1999, increasing from a difference of $3,600 in 1999 to $16,819 in 2008. This gap exists even after accounting for gender differences in determinants of salary including medical specialty, hours worked, and practice type, say the authors. Eve... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438885 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:00:52 +0100 4438885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438886&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-the-er-really-the-best-place-to-get-primary-care-quicker%2F2011.02.05 In 1986, when Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), hospitals and ambulance services were mandated by law to stabilize anyone needing emergency healthcare services regardless of citizenship, legal status, and/or insurance status. This was instituted at the time to prevent the prevalent practice of “dumping” — refusing to treat patients because of insufficient insurance or transferring or discharging patients on the basis of anticipating high diagnosis and treatment costs. While the implications of this law are indeed very noble in providing undifferentiated care to all patients based solely on healthcare needs and not financial status, it has unfortunately led to many patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) for primary care is... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438886 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:00:34 +0100 4438886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436752&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffy11-team-run-remember-rock-n-roll-dallas-half-marathon-general-donation.html Welcome to the Donation Page of Kate Schickedanz Join me in my efforts to support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)! On March 27, 2011, I will be participating in the Dallas Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon in support of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS provides direct support to families who have been impacted by a death in the military regardless of geography or circumstance. via FY11 Team Run & Remember Rock ‘N Roll Dallas Half Marathon – General Donation. I wrote about her late husband, an ED Nurse colleague, after his untimely death here. I’m glad Kate is helping others, and TAPS sounds like a terrific program. I gave to her goal, and hope you’ll consider doing the same. Related posts:Little Rock Physician bombing fr... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436752 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:09:28 +0100 4436752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433135&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F03%2Fnidal-hasan-exactly-the-man-many-knew-him-to-be%2F Army Maj. Nidal Hasan was exactly the kind of man many people knew him to be. And that’s why they continually promoted him and sent him some place else. Because nobody, apparently, was willing to intervene despite many warning signs about his behavior. Those are the findings from the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. They found that the massacre allegedly carried out by Nidal Hasan could have have been prevented. Had just one person acted on the information many different people had, the tragedy that occurred at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009 may have been prevented. “The officers who kept Hasan in the military and moved him steadily along knew full well of his problematic behavior,” the report found. “As the officer who assigned Has... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433135 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:00:13 +0100 4433135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433285&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FXyQVhfPrANY%2F @NevineZakiNevine A pic I took yesterday of Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers #jan25 http://yfrog.com/h02gvclj about 19 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®RetweetReply Filed under: Current Affairs Tagged: christian, egypt, muslim, protests (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433285 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:05:58 +0100 4433285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414524&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fyeah-im-alive.html I’m in one of those phases where feeding the blog is a) not a priority and b) a potential liability, so it’s one of those things. It’s not that I don’t like all 9 of you readers, I do.  It’s just that with the repeal of the 24 hour day I have less time to get work/family/TV/CME/all that other stuff in.  2/3 of my kids have been home for a while, it’s been terrific, and tomorrow I go down to 1/3, keeping the lawyer.  Go ahead, tick me off, and find out what having a temporarily unemployed lawyer at the other end of a complaint feels like.  He’d like me to tell you that’s a joke, so it is, because he says it is.  That’s what a decent legal education gets you. My medical practice is smooth, and I’ve given a couple of talks to gr... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414524 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:22:10 +0100 4414524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411519&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fpkd6PIGGRnM%2F By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn. While 8 in 10 U.S. adults want a physician to have primary responsibility for the diagnosis and management of their health care, many people are not sure who’s a medical doctor. Surprisingly numbers of health consumers don’t think that orthopaedic surgeons, family practitioners, dermatologists, psychiatrists, and ophthalmologists are MDs. The American Medical Association‘s survey, Truth in Advertising, published in January 2011, follows up the AMA’s 2008 survey which had similar results.  Data based on consumers answering the question, “Is this person a medical doctor,” are organized in the chart. 90% of people say that a physician’s additional years of medical education and training are ‘vital’ to optimal patient care. At the same time, only 51% ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411519 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:29:15 +0100 4411519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394444&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-the-end-of-internal-medicine-as-we-know-it-might-be-a-good-thing%2F2011.01.24 A recent post on the Health Affairs blog proclaimed “The End of Internal Medicine As We Know It.” What the post is really asking about is the future of primary care in the world of healthcare reform and the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs). While doctors should be naturally concerned about change, I don’t completely agree with this article. ACOs are organizations that are integrated and accountable for the health and well-being of a patient and also have joint responsibilities on how to thoughtfully use a patient’s or employer’s health insurance premium, something that is sorely lacking in the current health care structure. These were recently created and defined in the healthcare reform bill. Yet the author seems to suggest that this is a s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394444 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4394444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372047&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fshould-doctors-be-allowed-to-self-refer%2F2011.01.19 Federal law generally prohibits physicians from referring their own patients to a diagnostic facility in which they have an ownership issue — a practice called “self-referral” — unless the facility is located in their own practice. This exemption exists to allow patients with access to a laboratory test, X-ray, or other imaging test at the same time and place as when patients are seeing their physician for an office visit. Less inconvenience and speeder diagnosis and treatment — what could be wrong with that? Much, say the critics, if it leads to overutilization and higher costs and doesn’t really represent a convenience to patients. This is the gist of two studies by staff employed by the American College of Radiology, published in the December issue of Health Affa... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372047 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4372047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4352812&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F9bIjke7cAJA%2F Former President Ronald Reagan‘s youngest son suggests in a new book that his father showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease while he was in the White House. via Reagan’s son: Father showed signs of Alzheimer’s in White House – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs. Filed under: Current Affairs Tagged: Alzheimer's disease, Ronald Reagan (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4352812 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:50:48 +0100 4352812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338068&cid=t_176557_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=4331007&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FCpt5CQex6T0%2F By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn. For every $1 spent on health care in the U.S., 10 cents goes to prescription drugs, 31 cents goes to hospital care, and 27 cents goes to professionals (doctors, dentists, and other services), based on 2009 health spending reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). There’s evidence that by spending a bit more on medication and bolstering prescription drug adherence among patients, total health spending can be lowered for vascular medical conditions. The study and data which leads to this conclusion is published in Medication Adherence Leads to Lower Health Care Use And Costs Despite Increased Drug Spending appears in the January 2011 issue of Health Affairs. The study cites the World Health Organization’s report from 2003 that stated med... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331007 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:00:12 +0100 4331007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331290&cid=t_176557_82_f&fid=34498&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fbookofjoe%2F%7E3%2F7ua502LUXEQ%2Fhedgehog-pencil-sharpener.html (Source: bookofjoe) bookofjoe blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331290 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4331290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318333&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-spending-slowest-growth-since-the-great-depression%2F2011.01.06 Healthcare spending grew in 2009 at its slowest rate since 1938, according to a report published in Health Affairs. The last time America saw such a slow growth rate on health spending it was still emerging from the Great Depression and hadn’t yet entered World War II. The most recent recession is also the cause for the health spending figures, according to the annual report, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The report shows that the recession left a deeper impact than previous ones. Healthcare spending grew 4 percent to $2.5 trillion, outpacing the rest of the still recovering economy. Authors wrote that the recession contributed to slower growth in private health insurance spending and out-of-pocket spending by consumers, as well as a reduction in capita... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318333 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4318333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318567&cid=t_176557_82_f&fid=34498&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fbookofjoe%2F%7E3%2FPSDeDIH5Z4U%2Fcalliope-hummingbird-hovering.html (Source: bookofjoe) bookofjoe blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318567 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4318567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305092&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F03%2Fdrug_approvals_2010.php 2010 wasn't, though, a particularly good year for getting new drugs on the market. But it wasn't an outstandingly bad one, either. The 21 approvals last year are lower than the previous two years (25 and 24), but still better than 2007's 18. It's actually right in the recent range, with the weirdo exception of 2004, which broke into the low 30s for no particular reason that I can see. Of course, this level of drug development (and the sorts of drugs that we're able to get through) doesn't seem to be enough, considering all the cost-cutting and job-shedding that's been going on. So staying in the range of the past ten years, while it certainly could be worse, is still nothing to celebrate. . . (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305092 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:40:31 +0100 4305092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300583&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F30%2Fshould-you-tell-your-kids-about-your-mental-illness%2F Parents with a mental illness typically wonder whether it’s best to disclose their diagnosis to their kids. On the one hand, you want to be open and honest. On the other hand, you may think that not saying anything protects your child. A parent’s natural instinct to want to shield your child from any confusion or concern. However, according to research, not telling your child can actually have the opposite effect. Research shows that if parents don’t tell children about their mental illness, children develop misinformation and worries which can be worse than the reality, said Michelle D. Sherman, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and director of the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Later, these kids also report feeling resentment toward... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300583 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:58:26 +0100 4300583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298599&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fhappinesslowered-expectations.html Medical Lessons pointed me to an article in The Economist that discusses the "U-bend" of happiness. Apparently, once into middle age, we get happier. Much of this, it is proposed,is because ambition dies, and acceptance is born. We realize we're never going to make it big; we accept that fact; our expectations are lowered, meaning our life is more apt to meet those expectations. Met expectations=happiness. Reminds me of the time I got a new boss. He had no experience in Marketing and yet was temporarily managing my team...Product Management and Product Marketing. I delivered this awesome presentation on all the phases of Marketing (Inbound Product Management, Outbound Product Marketing, Marketing Communications, etc.)...and where we were performing well, and where we were una... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298599 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4298599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4285202&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fchinese-bloodletting-forbidden-in-california%2F2010.12.23 In November 2010, the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) finally decided to act responsibly and forbid the prevalent practice of Chinese bloodletting by licensed acupuncturists. The practice became a concern for the DCA when allegations of unsanitary bloodletting at a California (CA) acupuncture school surfaced. The incident allegedly occurred during a “doctoral” course for licensed practitioners. The instructor was reportedly demonstrating advanced needling and bloodletting techniques. During the process, he took an arrow-like lancing instrument that is called a “three-edged needle” (三棱针), sharpened it with sandpaper, cleaned it with alcohol, and then asked a student-volunteer to roll a towel around his neck. The instructor then cleaned the student’s temporal ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4285202 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:00:17 +0100 4285202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277918&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FzFiuZ8wo3cI%2Fdear-santa.html ............physical therapists have been good little boys and girls this year.  While some have mistakenly interpreted the recent extension to the extension on the exceptions process and the delay on the SGR "doc fix" as early Holiday gifts, we know better.  We were disappointed as to being the only healthcare practitioners to receive an early lump of coal in our stockings through an obscure MPRR implementation that cuts our reimbursement.  As crazy as it sounds, some PT's are now happy that the final MPPR will not be as bad as initially drafted.  While we have compiled our list a little late, I would like to ask for the following: -The Current Health Affairs journal in the hands of every legislator.  It contains 4 articles on the abuse of in office imaging equipment through self-re... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277918 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:09:30 +0100 4277918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233189&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F12%2Famon-carter-stadium-demo.html Via the Star Telegram: Related posts:John Peter Smith gets ACS accreditation as a Level 1 Trauma Center Congrats! FORT WORTH — Some of the most seriously injured... Updated: Vid link added Texas Stadium comes down Sunday, 0700 Central It was the only place I saw Cowboys play home... Winkler County Nurse found Not Guilty Former Winkler County Nurse Found “Not Guilty” 2/11/10 Elias Hernandez... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233189 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:26:50 +0100 4233189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225520&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FxpBBwha91nc%2Fnovember-filings.html November filings (ok, hashtags #): #Governmentatwork.  CMS contracts CSC for a multi year contract to put together Short Term Alternatives for Therapy Services (STATS) and develop recommendations for improving outpatient therapy payment policy in the short term.  The workgroups consisted of representative professionals. Think any of the short term recommendations were accepted?  Think again. MPPR wasn't recommended or contrived by anybody in the PT world. #Inconsistency  APTA has a policy for credentialed residencies and Fellowships that they cannot train physical therapists who work in referral for profit situations.  Why do they allow these same PT's to be members of APTA then?  Side note:  If a hospital employs orthopedists and their buyout and compensation is based on anci... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225520 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:21:42 +0100 4225520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190159&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fsergeant-friday-on-the-tsa-searches.html Just the facts, ma’am. We could use more Joe Fridays. Related posts:Joe Gibson Memorial Foundation – Home Joe Gibson Memorial Foundation – Home. I hadn’t heard about... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190159 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:38:37 +0100 4190159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179390&cid=t_176557_114_f&fid=35708&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftypepad%2Frwjfblogs%2Fpioneer%2F%7E3%2FdY_HupvekC4%2Fits-starting-to-add-up-a-few-observations-from-amia-2010.html I’ve just finished three days at AMIA’s Annual Symposium – the geekfest gathering of informaticians (or informaticists, if you prefer).  It’s a big conference, with many themes and tracks, so it’s hard to draw general conclusions as any observations are largely functions of which sessions one chooses to attend.  So I’ll try not to generalize (too much) but offer a few thoughts on what I saw and heard. Meaningful Use policy is a really delicate business.  As provider organizations are starting to translate Meaningful Use requirements into operational plans, the details are getting really tricky.  I saw a panel representing some real EHR pioneers (e.g. Intermountain Health Care, Marshfield Clinic) that showed how even for them, who’ve been using EHRs rat... Pioneering Ideas blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179390 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4179390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159394&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FPtPjXCSsJ2s%2Fphysical-therapy-is-not-a-zero-sum-game.html For the third time in the last few weeks, a payor has described significant increases in profits during this third quarter.  Aetna reports that their net income jumped 53% over the same period last year.  Wellpoint, the parent of  Anthem, profits rose to 739 million.  Humana reported a 30% rise in earnings. While increases to employers are part of the reason for such juicy profits, the biggest reason reported is the reduction in utilization.   As David Lazarus reports in the LA Times, "Did we all suddenly become healthier?  Not likely".  There actually has been a recession in healthcare for several months.  The reason is simply that while insurance companies have socked it to employers, there has also been a concomitant change in plans to high deductibles which has put a major bur... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159394 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:01:08 +0100 4159394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159285&cid=t_176557_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F11%2Fin-honor-of-those-who-serve-2010%2F Today is Veteran’s Day, and we’d like to take a moment to honor those men and women who have chosen to serve our country in military service. With an all-voluntary armed forces, our country is at the mercy of individuals who, for little reason other than a desire to serve their country, willingly risk their lives and put their entire ordinary lives on hold (especially those in the National Guard and reservists). For you and I. We should do all that we can to ensure these folks come back to a country who welcomes them home, is thankful for their service, and provides them with all the necessary health and mental health care humanly possible. That’s our duty, as ordinary citizens, to recognize the sacrifice these men and women have made. I’d also like to take a moment... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159285 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:00:45 +0100 4159285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4155235&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbuzcooper.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fgrand-junction-comparison.png In a high-profile paper in the September issue of Health Affairs, Thorson and coworkers showed that the care at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO was superior to that of 20 other unnamed hospitals. Grand Junction is, of course the smal town in SW Colorado that became famous when President Obama visited there during the health care reform debates during the summer of 2009, and here’s what he said: “Hello, Grand Junction! It’s great to be back in Southwest Colorado. Here in Grand Junction, you know that lowering costs is possible if you put in place smarter incentives; if you think about how to treat people, not just illnesses. That’s what the medical community in this city did; now you are getting better results while wasting less money.” So, Grand Junction, a town of 58... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4155235 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:00:35 +0100 4155235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4139244&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F11%2Ffort-hood-murders-one-year-ago-today.html Ace of Spades HQ has a nice salute to them. They were murdered (minimally allegedly) by a Physician who should be on trial for Treason as well as murder. Respect and condolences to the families of those murdered, thank you for their service. Related posts:Obama gives TCU rifle team a warm welcome at White House | Fort Worth | News from Fort W… WASHINGTON — The five female members of Texas Christian University’s... Fun with Amazon Tipped by Ace, here’s some hilarity brought to you by... Hospital Bribe Alleged – WSJ.com In another of the things I had no idea about,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4139244 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:57:58 +0100 4139244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133705&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=38962&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbeatblog.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fpost-election-analysis-expect-few-changes-in-reform-legislation.html Today, unemployment threatens the hopes and lives of millions of Americans. Recent graduates can’t find jobs. Families that need two paychecks are living on one. Households that depended on one paycheck have none. More than nine million Americans who need a full time job are working part-time.  Many who have jobs are “working scared.”  They haven’t had a raise for years, and don’t dare ask for one.  They live with the constant fear that, without warning, they will join the ranks of the unemployed. The economy remains sluggish; there is little hope that the private sector will begin to generate the jobs this country needs.Over the past two years, many of us pinned our hopes on healthcare reform. If we could just manage that, it would be a sign that we, as a natio... Health Beat blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133705 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:01:32 +0100 4133705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4134083&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FldhOEJwoCSk%2Fmedicare-timing-and-private-practice-section-meeting-pps.html Nov 2:  Two Courts Ruled that Medicare improperly denied physical therapy services.  We all know that medicare policy is to let debilitated patients decline and then reimburse for skilled services rather then let "maintenance" prevent debilitation but fortunately two courts and a letter to our President is trying to unravel this enigma. Nov 2:  The largest turnaround in the House occurs thru the general election in large part due to the overwhelming disapproval of the population to the Affordable Care Act that was passed without anybody really understanding it. Nov 3. The final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule is released and affirms a new multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) aimed at outpatient therapy services (yes, it is "Physician Fee Schedule Rule").  This will reduce... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4134083 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:35:24 +0100 4134083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119645&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F29%2Fa_whistleblowing_record.php The former GSK employee who went to the FDA about quality control problems in their manufacturing has been awarded $96 million dollars for her work (it's calculated as a share of the fine against the company). This breaks all previous records - and you know, I think that's a good thing. I've written about this sort of thing before, and I continue to think that this is a good law. It takes a tremendous amount of nerve to put your own livelihood at stake to report something that's going wrong (and isn't being fixed). The incentives need to be there. If we were a perfectly altruistic species, any of us would have no problem sacrificing ourselves immediately for the good of the whole. But the very fact that there's such bad conduct to take the risk of reporting on tells you that we're not tha... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119645 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:13:13 +0100 4119645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098196&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F22%2Frobin-hood-i-dont-think-so%2F If we are to believe the rhetoric of that little group of upper class Tory boys now in power, the country has been saved from ruin. what is more, those who have the most will pay the most and those in most need will continue to get the help they need. The comprehensive spending review took place on Wednesday and political commentators, economists and media moguls remain divided on just how fair the whole thing was. We all accept that the country is in debt and that we will all have to contribute to getting us out of that debt. What I find hard to accept is the short memories so many people have. It is almost exactly 2 years since the credit crisis struck and there was all party support for the need to bail out the banks and prevent the country from going completely to the wall. Indeed th... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098196 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:49:51 +0100 4098196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4086229&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Ftoxic-and-dangerous-watchdog-vs.html An odd story that appeared earlier this month linked several people we have discussed on Health Care Renewal.On one hand, we posted about how Dr David Polly, a spine surgeon at the University of Minnesota, testified before the US Congress in support of research on treatments of bone injuries afflicting US soldiers.  He did not then reveal that he had been paid more than one million dollars for consulting by Medtronic, the manufacturer of a bone growth product used to treat such injuries, also the source of payments of his expenses for the trip to Washington.  At the time, we suggested this case was a reminder to be skeptical about academics who are really stealth health policy advocates for industry.On the other hand, in a post about renewed payments... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4086229 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:23:00 +0100 4086229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082042&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fwhat-happened-with-david-arquette-the-science-behind-cheating-down%2F image via Lemondrop Check out this post from Heather Muse on Lemondrop. “Daily Mail” columnist Liz Jones is at it again — this time she’s tsk-tsking celeb cads like David Arquette, Jude Law and Tiger Woods for stepping out on their beautiful, powerful partners with — gasp! — waitresses. Jones calls the phenomenon “cheating down.” Let’s ignore Jones’s not-at-all subtle classism for a minute — servers are human beings with legitimate careers and not, you know, Victorian prostitutes — and explore her point about the appeal of sleeping with someone, er, “below your station.” She surmises that dudes like Arquette step out on their Courteney Coxes to sleep with women like Jasmine Waltz (the server he claims to h... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082042 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:29:22 +0100 4082042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082201&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F18%2Fwhat-to-do-next%2F There is no getting away from the fact that while I am online most nights, browsing facebook and generally stalking my own family I am a very lazy blogger. This is not because I have nothing to say, indeed some of what I might say could be reasonably interesting to more than just myself. It is just that often I don’t even think of it and when I do I worry about saying the wrong kind of stuff and getting discovered by the PCT higher management. I have just been reading some blog posts by other healthcare bloggers and getting discovered by your hierarchy seems to be a common fear and apparent reality to quite a few. One good thing about the demise of the PCTs might be that gradually those who might discover you drift away as people ‘move on’ to bigger and better things an... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082201 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:43:18 +0100 4082201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082093&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Facos-the-gathering-storm%2F2010.10.18 Those of you who’ve read this blog for any length of time know that I have been a pretty strong advocate for healthcare reform. This has been primarily motivated by my passion for universal coverage, but also with my frustration with the cost of the current healthcare system, the generally crummy outcomes, and the overall level of fragmentation in the whole affair. Even today, I had to repeat blood tests on a cancer patient who came to the ER. He had had blood tests at the cancer center ACROSS THE STREET before presenting, but, so sorry, our computers don’t talk to theirs and it’s after 5pm now, so forget about getting those results.  So it’s with a mixture of enthusiasm and dread that I consider the coming onslaught of accountable care organizations (ACOs). What ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082093 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4082093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077245&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedicare-should-it-pay-less-for-less-effective-care%2F2010.10.18 From its inception, Medicare has been agnostic about the effectiveness of different treatments when it sets payment rates. Once a treatment is found to be “reasonable and necessary,” Medicare establishes a payment rate that takes into account complexity and other “inputs” that go into delivering the service. But it is prohibited by law from varying payments based on how well an intervention works. This would change under a “dynamic pricing” approach proposed by two experts in this month’s issue of Health Affairs. The article itself is available only to Health Affairs subscribers, but the Wall Street Journal health blog has a good summary. The researchers propose that Medicare pay more for therapies with “superior” results and the same f... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077245 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4077245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4061077&cid=t_176557_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpsGHxoA_0cE%2F File this under a touch of irony. Early last year, Stephen Ondra headed spine surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and was successfully touted by Medtronic for a position in the Obama administration. Among his attributes: consulting for the device maker, previous efforts on behalf of the Obama team and his work on physician-industry relationships and transparency, according to various emails between Medtronic execs (look here). Within a few days, however, Ondra objected to the proposed nomination of another spine surgeon, Charles Rosen, as US Surgeon General. Why? As founder of the Association of Medical Ethics, Rosen publicly questioned consulting ties between doctors and device makers and, for his trouble, allegedly suffered retaliation by members of the American Academy... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4061077 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:23:05 +0100 4061077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999071&cid=t_176557_113_f&fid=34603&url=http%3A%2F%2Fginasmith.typepad.com%2Fgina_on_gina%2F2010%2F09%2Feddie-fisher-dead-at-82.html I knew the famous singer, Eddie Fisher. Not well. I met him a few times at a friend's house, a friend who was close to him. He was fascinating, relating stories of the 40s and 50s when Elizabeth Taylor was taming her shape in girdles. Eddie was still singing beautiful songs (on request from his living room without accompanient) with a still resonant voice. He lived here in San Francisco in the Marina district. Sorry to lose Eddie. He had some nice final years, it appeared. (Source: I'm Gina Smith) I'm Gina Smith blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999071 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:44 +0100 3999071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994113&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F22%2Fpromoting-bigoted-views%2F I am not really a fan of radio phone in programmes. This is not because I don’t think people shouldn’t be able to enter into a discussion about current affairs on a media forum, but it is because they seem to encourage narrow minded views to be expressed. This lunch time I happened to be travelling to a meeting when Jeremy Vine was discussing the idea, apparently promoted by NICE that pregnant teenagers should receive their antenatal care in school. The usual formula was followed, firstly he introduced a couple of ‘experts’, in this case a policy expert and the Chief Executive of the National Childbirth Trust. This was followed by a series of phone calls, emails and texts from listeners. I only caught a small amount of the first part, but while both speakers express... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994113 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:49:00 +0100 3994113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993829&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F09%2Faids-is-still-a-political-football-in-this-country-even-as-most-of-think-it-no-longer-impacts-our-lives-a-new-documentary-c.html AIDS is still a political football in this country, even as most of think it no longer impacts our lives. A new documentary called "The Other City" explores that...and how it reflects America's issues around race, class and more. Written and co-produced by Jose Antonio Vargas, a sharp journalist I met in NYC last year. Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/TheOtherCity?v=info (Source: HealthyConcerns.com) HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993829 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3993829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987140&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F20%2Fan-obsession-with-pay%2F Today the BBC is running a Panorama programme about public sector pay. Suddenly there is a major obsession with the public sector itself – somehow and suddenly we are all fat cat, faceless bureaucrats who earn too much and have a gold plated pension waiting for us to retire. Apparently some 9000 people who work in the public sector earn more that the Prime Minister who apparently just gets by on £140,000 or so. I wonder though if this is just a distortion of the bigger picture. After all, David Cameron currently lives rent free in a top notch residence in London with a country home thrown in for weekends. I doubt somehow that he needs to meet all of the usual costs associated with the life of a regular family. What is more, I wonder if that is his entire income? Most of us who act... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987140 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:06:09 +0100 3987140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976488&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp-ygwsIAFco%2F By Justin LoganI was privileged last night to get an advance look at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ new study on public opinion.  I was struck by several things. First, the report reflects a strong desire to get our own house in order.  Asked the question whether it “is more important at this time for the United States to fix problems at home or address challenges to the United States from abroad,” a stunning 91 percent selected the former, with only 9 percent pointing to the latter.  (In 2008 the numbers were 82-17.) That said, there is not as much appetite for cutting the defense budget as I would like to see: When asked whether defense spending should be expanded, kept about the same, or cut back, 43 percent of Americans prefer to keep spending about the sam... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976488 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:36:59 +0100 3976488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3969177&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F14%2Fa_new_way_to_approve_drugs.php Who are our customers in this drug business? Well, sick patients, naturally. But their physicians, too, since they're the ones who will be writing the prescriptions. And the insurance companies, of course, since in most cases they're the ones who will be paying at least some of the bill. But the customer before we get to all that is the FDA. Not many other industries have a gatekeeper that absolute. Every product has to be submitted and given an explicit, detailed review, with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down at the end of it. Imagine a car maker putting together a New Model Authorization package for each new model of light truck for Approval To Sell in the fall, or waiting for the Committee On SUVs to define the review criteria for Truck-Like Four-Door Crossovers before any of them can be sent... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3969177 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:30:02 +0100 3969177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3959928&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Femergency-rooms-overused-for-routine-care%2F2010.09.11 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (our government’s name for healthcare reform) may make our already crowded emergency rooms swarm with more patients. A new study from Health Affairs shows that more than a quarter of patients who currently visit emergency departments in the U.S. are there for routine care and not an emergency. New complaints like stomach pain, skin rashes, fever, chest pain, cough or for a flare up of a chronic condition should not be treated in emergency rooms. They are best worked up and treated by an internist or family physician, preferably one who knows the patient. So why are these patients waiting for hours and spending up to 10 times as much money for emergency department care? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at E... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3959928 Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0100 3959928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954260&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoes-defensive-medicine-cost-less-than-doctors-think%2F2010.09.09 Nothing polarizes the heath care debate more than defensive medicine. A recent study from Health Affairs will only add more fuel to the fire. Here’s what I wrote a couple of years ago in USA Today: “When you consider that rampant testing is a major driver of escalating health care dollars, addressing defensive medicine should be a primary goal of cost containment.” Is that still true? Well, yes and no. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954260 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:00:28 +0100 3954260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920843&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fcops-calif-doctor-gets-stuck-in-chimney-dies-komo-news-seattle-news-weather-sports-breaking-news-seattle-washington-national-world-news.html BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – A doctor involved in an “on-again, off-again” relationship apparently tried to force her way into her boyfriend’s home by sliding down the chimney, police said Tuesday. Her decomposing body was found there three days later. via Cops: Calif doctor gets stuck in chimney, dies | KOMO News | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News – Seattle, Washington | National & World News. Awful. Related posts:Local News | Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 | Seattle Times Newspaper Seattle, Washington: Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state... Breaking News: EPs Push Back Against ABEM MoC : Emergency Medicine News Wow, I’ve been promoted from crank to prominent critic! A... Permian player is impost... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920843 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:40:11 +0100 3920843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3921073&cid=t_176557_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2qiuzJpIj5Q%2F The widely used Seroquel antipsychotic was never approved to treat post-traumatic stress disorder or the insomnia sometimes related to the afflication, but that hasn’t stopped the drug from being prescribed for that purpose by the US Department of Veteran Affairs and, in the process, becoming one of the VA’s biggest expenditures. Since 2001, VA spending on Seroquel jumped more than 770 percent, while the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent, the Associated Press writes. Seroquel is now the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the Plavix bloodthinner. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001, and the growth in spending outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3921073 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:33:09 +0100 3921073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3911861&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F27%2Fnot_your_usual_fda_hearing.php You always had to wonder how the move of appointing Sidney Wolfe to the Drugs Safety and Risks Management Committee at the FDA was going to work out. The signs of friction are appearing. I'm with the InVivo Blog: this is the first time I've heard of an FDA committee cutting off the microphone on one of its own members. And you'd think that everyone involved would be able to manage things so that didn't happen - wouldn't you? (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3911861 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:19:03 +0100 3911861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902887&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7cw2y1Jr3nI%2F The Washington Post reports today on an article coming out in Foreign Affairs in which Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III reveals a successful 2008 intrusion into military computer systems. Malicious code placed on a thumb drive by a foreign intelligence agency uploaded itself onto a network run by the U.S. military’s Central Command and propagated itself across a number of domains. The Post article says that Lynn “puts the Homeland Security Department on notice that although it has the ‘lead’ in protecting the dot.gov and dot.com domains, the Pentagon — which includes the ultra-secret National Security Agency — should support efforts to protect critical industry networks.” The failure of the military to protect its own systems creat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902887 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:30:00 +0100 3902887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872556&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-foreign-medical-graduates-doctor-better%2F2010.08.16 Yes, according to a study in today’s Health Affairs. (The full text of the study is available only to subscribers, but Kaiser Health News Daily has a good summary of its findings and links to other news reports.) The study compares inpatient death rates and lengths of stay for patients with congestive heart failure or acute myocardial infarction when provided by U.S. citizens trained abroad, citizens trained in the United States, and non-citizens trained abroad. Treatment was provided by internists, family physicians, or cardiologists. The differences were striking, according to the authors: “Our analysis of 244,153 hospitalizations in Pennsylvania found that patients of doctors who graduated from international medical schools and were not U.S. citizens at the time they entered... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872556 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3872556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3866961&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmore-on-the-kermit-winkler-county-nurses.html First, imagine keeping your job as Hospital Administrator after this kind of public derision. No, it doesn’t end as you’d expect: Via CBS 7: A week after it was posted at the Winkler County Courthouse that Winkler County Memorial Hospital Administrator, Stan Wiley, would announce his resignation, he changed his mind. In what board member, John Walton, is calling “the shortest meeting in the board’s history”, Wiley did not resign. The resignation was put before the board members as a motion. John Walton seconded the motion to “accept Wiley’s resignation” but none of the other board members did so. Wiley then acted as if this were a dramatic show of support and decided to not resign. Quite the vote of confidence… That was on August 10th, ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3866961 Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:04:22 +0100 3866961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845108&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F08%2Flittle-rock-physician-bombing-from-2009-trial-underway.html Remember this?  The Chair of the Arkansas Medical Board being critically injured with a car bomb? A multi-disciplined physician is on trial for the crime: LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Medical Board chairman, his face scarred and embedded with bits of tire, testified Wednesday that he lost an eye, his sense of smell, teeth and some hearing when a bomb went off in his driveway. Dr. Trent Pierce testified against Dr. Randeep Mann, who prosecutors say planned the attack as retaliation for the medical board taking away his license to write prescriptions. Pierce took the stand after a jail inmate told jurors Mann had offered him $50,000 to kill Pierce to keep him from testifying. Wow.  I’m glad he pulled through.  And I wonder at the (alleged) depravity of those who should have insi... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845108 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 08:09:54 +0100 3845108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3823190&cid=t_176557_82_f&fid=34498&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bookofjoe.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmy-entry.html From European Street Painting: •••••••••••••••••••••••••••On June 17, 2005 at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, an unexpected illusion appeared. Pedestrians saw people hanging on the skids of a helicopter in the center of Berlin and new buildings rise out of the ground.  It took four days to 'build' this virtual city, a huge 3-D painting done with chalk. With a size of 15 by 25 meters it was a challenge for the four German masters of street painting.  Just one step and you may fall into this fascinating and deceptively real 3-D effect, standing on the 22nd floor with a view of an imaginary urban metropolis. You feel dizzy, though you are standing with both feet on the ground. ••••••••••••�... bookofjoe blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3823190 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3823190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776566&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FyhuUroklUKk%2F From a daily non-fiction letter that I get every day, a frightening list of conflicts. “As Scientific American said in September 1998, ‘Many of the world’s problems stem from the fact that it has 5,000 ethnic groups but only 190 countries.’ … via delanceyplace.com 7/21/10 – ethnic differences. Filed under: Current Affairs Tagged: conflict, war (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776566 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:52:06 +0100 3776566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3772414&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FjPFCer1wGRY%2F The quotes that former USDA worker Shirley Sherrod gave on the edited tapes disseminated by Andrew Breitbart are indeed indefensible, but is it not fair to provide some kind of context? via Breitbart’s Skilled Editing – The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan. (emphasis mine) Filed under: Current Affairs (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3772414 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:09:13 +0100 3772414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742375&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F5vIt6jmG1No%2F JOHN LE CARRE PUZZLED BY RUSSIAN SPIES’ MOTIVES The Associated Press, July 10, 2010 LONDON (AP) — John le Carre, master of the Cold War espionage novel, says he can’t comprehend what the 10 Russian spies kicked out of the United States this week thought they were doing. In a commentary published Saturday in The Guardian newspaper, le Carre writes: “Who did they think they were protecting in their distorted, programmed little minds as they tried and tried again, unsuccessfully, to slither up the slippery pole of western society?” Le Carre — the pen name of David Cornwell — says there was a time when spies had motives, and took their place in a great struggle between capitalism and communism. But now, says le Carre: “What was there to choose between Mo... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742375 Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:05:23 +0100 3742375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729845&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmoronic-swedish-feminists-burn-13000-in-pointless-ceremony%2F photo: Thinkstock We know women get paid less than men in the workplace, and, yes — that totally sucks. But is it a reason to waste $13,000 that could have been donated to a worthwhile charitable nonprofit? Sweden’s feminist party burned $13,000 (donated by an advertising agency) to protest the amount of money women aren’t getting every minute compared to men. A powerful metaphor, to be sure, but there are plenty of women (and children) starving and struggling in the world. Why couldn’t that money have been donated to an organization that helps women in developing countries get an education or start a local business? While it’s less of a shock tactic, that would actually be helping the women’s equality movement, rather than just being an empty, wasteful gest... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729845 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:23:22 +0100 3729845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729847&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fwomens-rights-iranian-woman-to-be-stoned%2F image via The Huffington Post Let’s face it: The Middle East is a dangerous place to be if you’re a woman. Just last week we learned about innocent women locked up in an Afghanistan prison for fabricated crimes, and today we read on The Huffington Post about an Iranian mother of two who could be stoned to death at any moment. Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was accused of adultery in 2006 and received a punishment of 99 lashes. Her case was then re-opened, and she was put on trial for the alleged murder of her husband. Even though she was acquitted, the judge handed down her death penalty order – even though there was no evidence. Last week, Amnesty International called for Iran to halt all executions, but the International Committee Against Stoning and the Death Penalty says tha... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729847 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:51:53 +0100 3729847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726598&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fevidence-based-medicine-do-patients-understand-it%2F2010.07.05 Doctors trying to help patients understand a course of treatment must teach them new terms such as “medical evidence,” “quality guidelines” and “quality standards.” Patients might not be willing to accept that language lesson. A study in Health Affairs concluded that 41 percent of patients didn’t ask questions or tell doctors about problems. The main barriers were that patients didn’t know how to talk to doctors, or their physicians seemed rushed. Only 34 percent of patients recalled physicians discussing medical research in relation to care management. But, physicians say, that’s only half the problem. Sometimes, patients demand to see specialists when they don’t really need to. Or, they don’t accept it when evidence show... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726598 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3726598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718362&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fhigh-five-world-cup-videos-we-like%2F We especially like this High-Five World Cup!! video, not because of the hot-professional-soccer-player angle, but because it was filmed to increase awareness and support of 1GOAL: Education for All – which brings footballers, fans, and governments together to help make education for children, particularly girls, a priority all over the world. Good goal. HIGH-FIVE WORLD CUP!! from Shakira Isabel Post from: BlissTree High-Five World Cup!! Videos We Like (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718362 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:21:11 +0100 3718362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718350&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2F4-billion-military-emr-ahlta-to-be-put.html I have heard from numerous reliable sources that the military's $4 billion+ EMR known as "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application" (AHLTA) is to be declared a failure, and replaced.I'd written about AHLTA's considerable problems at the post "If The Military Can't Get Electronic Health Records Right, Why Would We Think Conflicted EHR Companies And IT-Backwater Hospitals Can?" at http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/06/if-military-cant-get-electronic-health.html .From that post:[AHLTA has been described as] difficult for physicians to use. Intolerable. Slow. Unreliable. Frequently crashes. Near mutiny. Morale. Affecting patient care, decreasing patient load. Can it get worse?Yes ... When the Army's Surgeon General observes that clinicians "spend as much or more time working aro... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718350 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:35:00 +0100 3718350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710518&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fnew-book-i-want-to-read-the-white-house-doctor.html Recently saw Connie Mariano on The Daily Show, and now I have a hankering to buy her book, The White House Doctor. She served as the family physician in the White House for a part of the first Bush presidency, the entire Clinton presidency and part of the Dubya presidency.She seems to have a dry sense of humor, and gives a peek into something I knew nothing about. I guess it's totally logical, if you stop to think about it, that the President would always have a doctor no more than a few feet away. But I never really imagined there'd be someone whose job it was to follow the President everywhere 24/7.  And what that would be like.It sounds fascinating. And I'm also kind of fascinated to see how much she can really share. I mean, isn't there doctor-patient confidential... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710518 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3710518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706639&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fempty-handed-birth-control-struggles-for-women-in-uganda%2F The average woman in the United States will give birth to 2.06 children in her lifetime. In Uganda, the average is 6.7 children. Why? Birth control is virtually unavailable in this African nation. That’s not to say Ugandan women don’t want it, however. But even when a pregnancy would be risky to a woman’s health, she has no means of preventing it. A new short film, Empty Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives shares the plight of these women: Empty Handed from Population Action International on Vimeo. Post from: BlissTree "Empty Handed": Birth Control Struggles for Women In Uganda (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706639 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:49:20 +0100 3706639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3707000&cid=t_176557_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FZTO0uuU60WQ%2Fepharma-summit-healthcare.html ePharma Summit 2010 took place this past February in Philadelphia. If you were unable to make it, we will no be presenting a weekly video series featuring all of the sessions from our event. This week we will continue with presentation from Susan Dentzer, Editor in Chief, Health Affairs presenting "The Healthcare Overhaul—Evaluating What It, All Means for the Industry."Click here to watch the video. The video is under the "video" portion of the interactive player on the ePharma Summit webpage. (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3707000 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0100 3707000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3703047&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2F5hNa38ui7Nw%2Fnational-physical-therapy-news-month.html The last several days there has been several news items impacting physical therapists: -we had over a drop of 21% in Medicare with claims withheld and then another temporary fix thru Nov which resulted in a 2.2% increase -Medpac  released a significant report telling us what we already know-physicians overutilize PT services when they are "in office ancillary". -MD/PT partners in an email style that is a combination of Publisher's Clearinghouse, Ronco, and Shamwow released their response to Medpac data assuring their current and future clientele that regardless of any changes in law that their will be some type of  legal "work around" for private practices to "partner" (share in revenue) with referring physicians (but of course any legal agreements and potential liability, fraud an... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3703047 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:46:53 +0100 3703047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702919&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fdepressing-study-showing-that-exercise-does-not-prevent-weight-gain-for-middle-aged-womenunless-theyre-already-at-a-health.html Depressing study showing that exercise does not prevent weight gain for middle-aged women...unless they're already at a healthy weight. Le sigh. http://getbetterhealth.com/physical-activity-for-weight-loss-not-for-most-middle-aged-women/2010.06.26#more-22553 Of course as with any study, it raises as many questions as it answers. And since only the abstract is available at no cost on the JAMA site, I'm not sure if the answers are available or not.Like: Isn't weight loss still (mostly) a mathematical equation? Is the fact that exercise did not prevent weight gain indicative that women who exercised were eating more to fuel their energy to exercise? Or is it disproving the whole generally accepted notion that weight loss is all about calories in vs. calories out.Inquiring minds... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702919 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3701668&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fblisstree-video-of-the-day-7%2F There are a lot of crappy things going on in the world right now. From oil spills to financial turbulence to wars that seem to drag on forever, and everything in between, it’s easy to feel like there’s nothing we can do about anything. Turns out, some problems are a lot easier to fix than you might think. So here’s your dose of inspiration for the day. It’s called The Girl Effect: Post from: BlissTree The Girl Effect: (Inspirational) Video of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3701668 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:00:53 +0100 3701668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683860&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F21%2Fflibanserin_not_a_female_viagra_at_all.php I haven't commented on the controversy over Boehringer Ingleheim's drug for female libido, flibanserin. An FDA advisory panel voted it down on Friday, and it wasn't close: 10-1 against whether the drug showed efficacy, and unanimously against its side effect profile. I really don't see how the drug is going to make it back from that kind of reception. The press coverage of this compound has not been good. Far too many headlines have called it "Female Viagra", which is ridiculously off-base. Viagra, for its part, does absolutely nothing for the libido; it's plumbing, a pure cardiovascular effect. The assumption (a reasonable one, for many men) is that the desire is already there. Meanwhile, flibanserin is a central nervous system agent, affecting the mental state of sexual satisfaction, no... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683860 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:39:26 +0100 3683860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3671701&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fman-survives-bullet-in-head-being-hit-by-truck-cbs-news.html (AP) A spokesman for a South African emergency service says a man has survived after shooting himself in the head and then being hit by a truck. via Man Survives Bullet in Head, Being Hit by Truck – CBS News. If South Africa has a lottery, this guy should buy himself a ticket. Related posts:Briefs: Bullet from suicide attempt ends up in Starbucks | Northeast Tarrant | News from… This is going to sound awful, but… if you kill... Pictured: amazing X-ray of Chinese teenager with 10 inch knife embedded in his head – Telegraph The 16 year-old amazingly survived the attacked after a fight... Breaking News: EPs Push Back Against ABEM MoC : Emergency Medicine News Wow, I’ve been promoted from crank to prominent critic! A... Related posts brought to you by Yet Anoth... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3671701 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:13:24 +0100 3671701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662868&cid=t_176557_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2Fu-hIS7uJohI%2F Well, I for one was raised to respect elected officials. I guess the reverse is not true… Filed under: Current Affairs (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662868 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:31:07 +0100 3662868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648424&cid=t_176557_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fdr-hilda-hutcherson-discusses-reasons-lack-latino-doctors%2F Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, associate dean for the Office of Diversity Affairs at Columbia University School of Medicine and other educators and physicians detail the reasons why the number of Latinos choosing medicine as a career is falling. Cited factors include a lack of emphasis on higher education degrees that require many years of study and commitment, an unwillingness to take on substantial debt, language barriers, and lack of family contributions to help pay tuition. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648424 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:18:24 +0100 3648424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3621656&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn1lhmjwqs2I%2F By Michael F. CannonThe Obama administration sold — well, it pitched ObamaCare to the public with this promise: “It’s time we put the health of American families back in the hands of consumers – not the insurance industry.” The Veterans Health Administration shows how incompetent the federal government is when it comes to making medicine a patient-centered enterprise.  After decades of mistreating veterans, the VHA achieved some successes in the past decade or so, such as adopting electronic medical records and improving on some measures of quality.  Yet serious deficiencies remain.  Today’s Los Angeles Times reports that the VA’s disability system is a nightmare for soldiers and sailors disabled in combat: John Lamie survived six roadside bombings... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3621656 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:15:59 +0100 3621656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3585591&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlP50jE4h0DI%2F By Ilya ShapiroSince I first issued my challenge to debate “anyone anytime anywhere” on the (un)constitutionality of Obamacare, a lot has happened.  For one thing, Randy Barnett and Richard Epstein, among many others, have published provoctive articles looking at issues beyond the Commerce Clause justification for the individual mandate — such as the argument that Congress’s tax power justifies the mandate penalty and that the new Medicaid arrangement amounts to a coercive federal-state bargain.  (Look for to a longish article from yours truly due to come out in next month’s issue of Health Affairs.)  For another, as Michael Cannon noted, seven more states — plus the National Federation of Independent Business and two individuals – have joined ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3585591 Fri, 21 May 2010 00:33:05 +0100 3585591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581724&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F19%2F1997-2010-what-has-changed%2F In 1997 I was a proper nurse; well a nurse seeing patients. My head was firmly down and the work was hard; my patients had rheumatoid arthritis. My job essentially was to start them on heavy duty medication for their disease, monitor their progress on that medication and to provide advice and support. It was a good time for me, I was competent at my job and the work while busy didn’t overwhelm me. The medications we used was reasonably tried and tested and the new wave of drugs now used to treat this disease hadn’t arrived to test our budgets. The internet was reasonably in its infancy, and the main source of healthcare advice for patients came from the written rather than the virtual media. My main source of learning around that time related to things clinical. I studied for a... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581724 Wed, 19 May 2010 20:58:58 +0100 3581724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3566762&cid=t_176557_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FDbUwqmx5bh8%2Facos-wont-work-cause-you-dont-win-the-kentucky-derby-with-mules.html While my lifelong devotion and suffering for the Cleveland Indians continues, my favorite vocal manager and the only one I follow on Twitter is Ozzie Guillen of the Chicago White Sox who was credited with the above quote when responding to questions about players, GM's, and managers.This blog has had many posts regarding the propensity to make up retreaded terms and concepts to come up with easy answers to complex problems in healthcare including this post 13 months ago on Medical Homes.  The latest Lady Gaga is ACO's or Accountable Care Organizations with this month's Health Affairs offering a national implementation strategy for it.In 1899, Charles Duell, the commissioner of the patent office at that time stated that "everything that can be invented has been invented".  I am quite sur... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3566762 Sat, 15 May 2010 14:05:13 +0100 3566762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3564086&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F13%2Fchange-for-change-sake%2F Just for the hell of it tonight, I decided to look at the key governement department for children’s services; The Department for Children Schools and Families. The following notice has been put up: A new UK Government took office on 11 May. As a result the content on this site may not reflect current Government policy. All statutory guidance and legislation published on this site continues to reflect the current legal position unless indicated otherwise. To view the new Department for Education website, please go tohttp://www.education.gov.uk A re-branding has begun and I wonder what this will mean. The undoing of 13 years of policy, I expect. A change back to an idea that a child attending school is there to be educated, no more, no less. I wonder what money will be spent to toughen... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3564086 Thu, 13 May 2010 20:34:39 +0100 3564086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560236&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsaving-primary-care-what-will-it-take%2F2010.05.12 “Bold changes are needed in how the United States delivers and pays for primary care if the key goals of national health reform are to be achieved,” according to the health policy journal Health Affairs, which has released a thematic issue devoted entirely to the crisis in primary care. (The complete articles are available only to subscribers, but Health Affairs’ blog has a good summary.) I have spent much of the day reading the journal — 47 articles, and a combined 300 pages of text. Here are my “take-home” messages from the articles. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560236 Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3560236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556366&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F11%2Fregulatory_approvals_in_the_us_versus_europe.php I was looking at the list the other day of the 2009 drug approvals from the FDA. Here's a breakdown from Nature Reviews Drug Discovery - 25 total, 16 small molecules and 9 biologics. And here, from the same journal, is a look at approvals in Europe. There were 29 - but the weird thing is that only five entries overlap on the two lists. The authors of this latest article suggest that this raises questions about global strategy. Does it? Let's break that down. Here are the small molecules approved by the FDA in 2009 that were not approved in the EU: Milnacipran: was already on the market in Europe for depression, approved in the US for fibromyalgia. Febuxostat: approved by the EU in late 2008, by the FDA in early 2009. Artemether–lumefantrine: approved by the EU back in 2001. Benzyl alc... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556366 Tue, 11 May 2010 14:19:08 +0100 3556366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552423&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F11%2Fin-a-world-of-uncertainty%2F Let me be clear (this is the way that first of all politicians then the journalists they speak to daily now speak) things are pretty unclear. Yesterday Gordon Brown resigned (though he won’t actually go until a new leader is elected) and the Liberal Democrats negotiated with both the Tories and the Labour party in an attempt (perhaps) to form a government. In this world of 24 hour news, of newspapers that can make direct, pointed and unpleasant attacks on individuals we are used to journalists who know what is going on and who are able to tell us whatever it is straight away. These people are getting fed up with knowing little, being told less and what is worse having to wait. Their way of trying to get people to make decisions on this situation is to say the public are getting fed u... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552423 Tue, 11 May 2010 07:22:07 +0100 3552423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549308&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoes-group-health%25e2%2580%2599s-medical-home-leave-the-poor-behind%2F2010.05.10 Group Health has published two papers recently, one in Health Affairs and the other in JAMA, both extolling the virtues of its Medical Home. These follow their brief report last fall in the NEJM and the lengthy description of their model in the American Journal of Managed Care. Their model has been promoted by the Commonwealth Fund, and it is cited in the currrent issue of Lancet. The big news is that costs were a full 2% lower than conventional care, hardly a great success –- it wasn’t even statistically significant. But was even this small difference due to the Medical Home, or was it because the Medical Home patients were less likely to consume care? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at PHYSICIANS and HEALTH CARE REFORM Commentaries and Controversies*... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549308 Mon, 10 May 2010 12:00:57 +0100 3549308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529791&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F05%2Frunning-a-hospital-i-was-wrong-i-am-sorry.html I’ve been able to study Paul Levy’s management of BIDMC during several classes (more on that someday), and he’s a smart guy.  Which makes this dumbfounding, if humanizing: The Board of Directors of BIDMC today issued the following statement, which has been distributed to the media and to the entire hospital community. The Board of Directors of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, with the assistance of outside counsel, has completed its review of allegations made involving President and CEO Paul Levy. The review focused on a personal relationship with a former employee of the Medical Center. The Board found that over time the situation created an improper appearance and became a distraction within the hospital. via Running a hospital: I was wrong. I am sorry.. Good for ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529791 Tue, 04 May 2010 07:16:13 +0100 3529791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522715&cid=t_176557_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F01%2Fim-not-sure%2F Whether I am looking forward to Election day next Thursday or whether I am dreading it. On one hand the constant bombardment with leaflets and letters from the various politicians (local and national) are getting me down and just adding to the contents of my paper recycling bin. Today I received a letter from David Cameron with some kind of agreement of what I can get if we vote him in. This kind of thing wouldn’t be so bad if you could actually believe a work written on it. I will never vote Tory; even if hell froze over and all other political parties went with it. Watching the leadership debate on Thursday I was struck that David Cameron has a thin upper lip that doesn’t move. I am not sure what to make of it, but it doesn’t made me want to trust him any more. No I w... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522715 Sat, 01 May 2010 14:45:05 +0100 3522715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515615&cid=t_176557_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F29%2Ftreatment_inds_for_any_generex_fans_out_there.php Adam Feuerstein schools the Generex folks on what a "Treatment IND" really means, quoting chapter and verse from the FDA. The company's fans have made much of that designation for its flagship buccal insulin product. As has the company's CEO - but that link shows her making statements at investor conferences which are, on the face of them, in flat contradiction to the FDA's own understanding of such matters. The article's worth reading even if you don't give two hoots about Generex, since it'll give you an understanding of what it means (and doesn't mean) when a company has a product designated for "compassionate use". It can also give you an understanding of what it means when a company misrepresents that status, but I think a lot of people here already know what that must mean. . . (Sou... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515615 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:28:59 +0100 3515615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3501525&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fbriefs-bullet-from-suicide-attempt-ends-up-in-starbucks-northeast-tarrant-news-from.html This is going to sound awful, but… if you kill yourself you’re obligated not to take others with you.  I know that people who kill themselves aren’t thinking about others, but, here’s a cautionary tale: Bullet from suicide try ends up in Starbucks GRAPEVINE — A Starbucks customer stirring his drink Thursday afternoon heard a bullet whiz by his ear after a man shot himself across the street from the coffee shop, police said. The man was on the front porch of his house in the 900 block of East Wall Street, said Lt. Todd Dearing, a Grapevine police spokesman. The bullet went through the man’s head and the drive-through window at Starbucks and past the customer and finally lodged in a restroom wall at the back of the business, Dearing said. The man who sho... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3501525 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 07:00:26 +0100 3501525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463578&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fw6MrqfWcBOg%2F By Jim HarperLast week, coincidence brought together a pair of worthy articles attacking the political adage that terrorism is an “existential” threat. Gene Healy debunked “existential” in his Examiner column. “Conservatives understand that exaggerated fears of environmental threats make government grow and liberty shrink,” he writes. “They’d do well to recognize that the same dynamic applies to homeland security.” John Mueller and Mark Stewart, meanwhile, have an article on Foreign Affairs’ web site titled: “Hardly Existential: Thinking Rationally About Terrorism.” They show that conventional assessment methods place terrorism so low on the scale of risks that additional spending to further reduce its likelihood or consequences is probably not justified. B... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463578 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:14:28 +0100 3463578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3457835&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F04%2Ftexas-stadium-comes-down-sunday-0700-central.html It was the only place I saw Cowboys play home games in my lifetime, and I got to march there in the HS band long, long ago (big stuff when you’re 16).  I have some ’souvenir’ AstroTurf from the first time they recarpeted the place. For those who are going to be up that early, the WFAA link to their live streaming web page is here: WFAA. Here’s the video, via Austin’s KXAN.  Implosion starts about 1:10. CNN Video: Related posts:Texas Party of Medicine Early voting starts today in Texas (Feb 16-26) with Election... Updated and Bumped: CBS 7 – Your Eye on West Texas covering the Winkler County Nurse Trial Welcome InstaPundit readers! (links fixed @ 2225 Central; sorry). If... Sudden cardiac death in a teen athlete prevented with AED (and a smart team) ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3457835 Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:01:42 +0100 3457835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3456678&cid=t_176557_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2010%2F04%2Ftexas-stadium-comes-down-sunday-0700-central.html It was the only place I saw Cowboys play home games in my lifetime, and I got to march there in the HS band long, long ago (big stuff when you’re 16).  I have some ’souvenir’ AstroTurf from the first time they recarpeted the place. For those who are going to be up that early, the WFAA link to their live streaming web page is here: WFAA. Related posts:Texas Party of Medicine Early voting starts today in Texas (Feb 16-26) with Election... Sudden cardiac death in a teen athlete prevented with AED (and a smart team) Sudden cardiac death prevented: Coaches, trainer honored for saving teen... Hey, Remember That Patient You Saw… « The Central Line Hey, Remember That Patient You Saw… « The Central Line... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3456678 Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:01:42 +0100 3456678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3424803&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyconcerns.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fso-healthblogger-why-so-silent.html For the few, the proud, the patient who actually still read this blog, you may be wondering: How on earth could a blogger who claims to blog about healthcare from the layperson's point of view be so quiet over this last month or two or three, while health care was the hottest topic in the country?I guess to answer that I'd have to ask you: Do you actually believe most of the debate was actually about health care?And health care for regular people?Because I don't. I believe it's about political parties vying for dominance I believe it's about the Republicans thinking they have to squash anything that makes Obama look effective I believe it's about the Democrats wanting to look like something is getting done, anything I believe it's about for-profit insurance comp... HealthyConcerns.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3424803 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3424803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408332&cid=t_176557_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fthank-god-my-husband-is-a-lazy-bastard%2F Alleged philanderer Jesse James With Jesse James joining the likes of Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, and David Letterman as the latest in a very long line of celebrity males admitting bizarre, pathetic, and downright sleazy acts of infidelity, I can honestly say that I would not want to trade places with their wives for anything – not the money, fame, power, glamour, mansions, or Academy Awards (okay, maybe for an Oscar). Elin, Elizabeth, Jenny, Silda, Regina, and now Sandra, you have my deepest sympathies, but I will never know what it’s like to be in your very expensive designer shoes. That’s because I know for a fact that my husband would never have an affair. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Poor, naïve woman. Never say never. No one goes into a marri... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408332 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:04:24 +0100 3408332