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 'atul'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:28 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028219&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Funderstanding-us-healthcare-four-books-you-dont-want-to-miss%2F2011.07.13 I have had the privilege of working at an organization which is actively improving the lives of its members and also was mentioned by the President as a model for the nation.  Over the past few years, I have also demonstrated to first year medical students what 21st century primary care should look and feel like – a fully comprehensive medical record, secure email to patients, support from specialists, and assistance from chronic conditions staff. But as my students know, there are also some suggested reading assignments.  I’m not talking about Harrison’s or other more traditional textbooks related to medical education.  If the United States is to have a viable and functioning health care system, then it will need every single physician to be engaged and involved.  I&... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028219 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0100 5028219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952847&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftension-between-physician-autonomy-and-adherence-to-protocols%2F2011.06.20 Doctors are professionals.  But are doctors cowboys or pit crews?  Recently, physician writer, Dr. Atul Gawande, spoke about the challenges for the next generation of doctors in his commencement speech titled, Cowboys and Pit Crews, at Harvard Medical School.  Gawande notes that advancement of knowledge in American medicine has resulted in an amazing ability to provide care that was impossible a century ago.  Yet, something else also occurred in the process. “[Medicine’s complexity] has exceeded our individual capabilities as doctors… The core structure of medicine—how health care is organized and practiced—emerged in an era when doctors could hold all the key information patients needed in their heads and manage everything required themselves. One needed only an ethic of har... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952847 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4952847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893605&cid=t_323464_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F0g_GyIRAV-M%2F In just the last few hours, I’ve seen a huge wave of pushback and doubt about Watson, the IBM supercomputer, being used for clinical decision support. Yesterday, I covered a “healthcare leadership exchange” at IBM’s new Healthcare Innovation Lab in downtown Chicago. I posted some of my observations on the EMR and HIPAA blog, and made the case for diagnostic decision support. I also wrote a story for InformationWeek, but that hasn’t run. Instead of posting my story, InformationWeek healthcare editor Paul Cerrato wrote a column about Watson already being “beaten in the medical diagnostics race” by Isabel Healthcare, a diagnostic decision support tool that’s been available for years. I have to admit, he’s right. I first interviewed Isabel ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893605 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:37:50 +0100 4893605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734095&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwill-our-healthcare-system-end-up-looking-like-an-apple-or-android-product%2F2011.04.21 The future direction of American health care is unclear.  Certainly the cost trend as it exists is unsustainable with health care costs being a major concern of the private sector, the government, and individuals.  How does the nation manage costs while ensuring high quality medical care, access, and service?  Proposals include increasing competition among insurers, providers, and hospitals to drive down prices or giving more financial responsibility to patients via higher deductibles and co-pays with the belief that they will demand price transparency, shop around for the best price, and as a result slow health care costs. What if both ideas are wrong? While it is possible these plans might work, I cannot help but notice the similarities in the challenges for patients in navigating the... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734095 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:00:00 +0100 4734095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684315&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-primary-care-physicians-keep-specialists-from-ordering-too-many-tests%2F2011.04.07 There are many tips to saving money on medical costs like asking your doctor only for generic medications, choosing an insurance plan with a high deductible and lower monthly premiums, going to an urgent care or retail clinic rather than the emergency room, and getting prescriptions mailed rather than go to a pharmacy. How about getting your old medical records and having them reviewed by a primary care doctor?  It might save you from having an unnecessary test or procedure performed. Research shows that there is tremendous variability in what doctors do.  Shannon Brownlee’s excellent book, Overtreated – Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, provides great background on this as well as work done by the Dr. Jack Wennberg and colleagues on the Dartmouth Atlas. S... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684315 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:00:00 +0100 4684315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626886&cid=t_323464_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FuP93TL-iZGE%2F The slams on Dr. Donald Berwick, frankly, are getting pathetic. Today, Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel dismissed Berwick as a “basically a policy wonk” who “hasn’t really practiced since 1989.” Siegel tried to score points with sound bites. “This guy has more quotes than Yogi Berra, and let me tell you something, these quotes are an indictment on people that want clinicians to make decisions,” Siegel said on Fox this afternoon. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com According to Siegel, comparative effectiveness “doesn’t work in the real world.” Well, sure, that’s the point of clinical decision support. Best practices are for common conditions, and clinical decision support is to help physicians either foll... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626886 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:11:49 +0100 4626886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4441959&cid=t_323464_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fmedical-authorities-investigating-dr-atul-madan-lap-band-surgery-death%2F California medical authorities are investigating lap band surgeon Dr. Atul Madan after his patient Tamara Walter died after receiving a lap band procedure for weight loss. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4441959 Sun, 06 Feb 2011 03:59:35 +0100 4441959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419136&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-hot-spotters-is-better-care-for-the-neediest-patients-the-answer-to-lower-healthcare-costs%2F2011.01.31 Author-physician Dr. Atul Gawande has done it again with a well-written article in The New Yorker magazine entitled, “The Hot Spotters.” It deals with the fact that 5 percent of people with chronic illness make up over 50 percent of all healthcare costs. If we can zero in on providing better preventive care for those people, we can finally get our arms around runaway healthcare costs. How great that you don’t even have to have a New Yorker subscription to read it. Here are a few cliff notes until you get to it: – In Camden, New Jersey, one percent of patients account for one-third of the city’s medical costs. By just focusing attention on the social and medical outpatient needs of those people, they not only got healthier but costs were cut in half. &#8... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419136 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4419136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4406035&cid=t_323464_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FWUnyPvea7wM%2F Just five months after Atul Sobti resigned as ceo of Ranbaxy Laboratories, the Indian drugmaker told the Bombay Stock Exchange that Omesh Sethi had resigned as president and chief financial officer. The move comes as Ranbaxy continues to struggle to correct manufacturing problems and has undergone repeated managerial overhauls. Early last year, the FDA determined Ranbaxy sold misbranded or adulterated drugs in the US, its largest market, and halted approvals at two plants in India, after previoulsy banning imports of over 30 generic drugs (see this and this). There is still no mention on the Ranbaxy web site, however, of the departure and no official statement offering any explanation for the turn of events. But the resignation becomes yet another headache for Daiichi Sankyo, which paid $4... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4406035 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:12:40 +0100 4406035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331011&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcesarean-section-6-ways-to-prevent-complications%2F2011.01.11 Although I’ve been a proponent for the prevention of medical errors for years and wrote a book to address those issues, I think my obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) colleagues are finally catching on. Dr. Patrick Duff of the University of Florida’s OB/GYN department wrote an article in the December issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology that caught my attention. In his article, “A Simple Checklist for Preventing Major Complications Associated with Cesarean Delivery,” Duff outlines steps that OB/GYNs should take in order to reduce complications during and after a cesarean section. Duff patterns his list after Dr. Atul Gawande’s book, “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get it Right,” which has set the standard regarding reducing complications after su... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331011 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:00:15 +0100 4331011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197063&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-doctors-should-be-less-like-chuck-yeager-and-more-like-captain-sullenberger%2F2010.11.24 A recent medical error of a wrong-site surgery that occurred in one of the country’s best hospitals, Massachusetts General, reminded me why doctors need to be less like Chuck Yeager and more like Captain Sullenberger. Growing up, I always wanted to be a fighter pilot, years before the movie “Top Gun” became a part of the American lexicon. My hero was World War II pilot Chuck Yeager, who later became one of the country’s premier test pilots flying experimental jet and rocket propelled planes in a time when they were dangerous, unpredictable, and unreliable. Much like the astronauts in the movie “The Right Stuff,” Yeager and his colleagues literally flew by the seat of their pants, made it up as they went along, and never really knew if their maiden flight... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197063 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0100 4197063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880781&cid=t_323464_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fjan-henderson-phd-medical-historian-blogger-2%2F Jan Henderson, PhD, is a Harvard-trained mathematician and Yale-trained medical historian. She shares some of her thinking about healthcare in America in the second part of a three-part interview below. What is your opinion of Atul Gawande’s public policy positions? I’m a big fan of Dr. Gawande. The Lancet once said that by advocating safety checklists, he has probably saved more lives than any other physician in history. The quality of life for patients near death is such an important issue. This is very difficult to discuss in our culture. We don’t want to be reminded of death. So I was pleased to see him open up this topic for discussion. There was an online comment in response to the article that illustrates its impact. A reader wrote about her father, a smoker who was dying... Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880781 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:41:08 +0100 3880781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862187&cid=t_323464_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FDW5ugcBhxls%2F For Daiichi-Sankyo, things keep going from bad to worse at its Ranbaxy Laboratories unit. Atul Sobti resigned today as ceo of the Indian drugmaker, which has been struggling to correct manufacturing problems and has undergone repeated managerial overhauls. Little, in fact, has gone right since Daiichi paid $4.6 billion for Ranbaxy two years ago. Sobti, who was in the job for just one year, is departing over a rift in strategy, according to reports. “Diifferent individual opinions reach a stage where you have to take a decision,” Sobti said at a news briefing in New Delhi today. Under his stewardship, Ranbaxy recently recovered from its first net loss in eight years. Seeking to spin, a Daiichi spokesman tells Bloomberg News that Sobti, 46, Sobti decided it was the “right time to s... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862187 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:08:47 +0100 3862187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831315&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F08%2Femrs-checklists-and-meeting-atul.html By JONATHAN BUSH Recently, I got to shake hands with and also have lunch with doctor-writer extraordinaire Atul Gawande! He was nearly everything I had made him out to be. He wore a snappy blue blazer, a jumble of ID... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831315 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3831315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3772186&cid=t_323464_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fturns-doctor%2F Atul Gawanda, MD, American surgeon, author, and political advisor (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3772186 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:00:18 +0100 3772186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254414&cid=t_323464_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F02%2Fgawandes-checklist-manifesto.html By BOB WACHTER Every now and then, I read and enjoy a book, but only later fully appreciate it as its lessons and insights slowly become apparent. Judging by the number of times I’ve said, “That reminds me of Gawande’s... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254414 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3254414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126688&cid=t_323464_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fextension-center-model-health-system-transformation A recent New Yorker article by Atul Gawande skillfully draws an analogy between today’s health care crisis and the food crisis our country faced a century ago. Whereas the heath care system currently consumes about 17% of the U.S. economy, Americans spent more than 40% of their income on food at the turn of the last century. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126688 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:20:32 +0100 3126688