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 'benefit'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:54:14 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118708&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fannouncing-the-psych-central-drug-discount-card%2F I’m proud to tell you about a new, free benefit offered to Psych Central members and readers — a drug discount card. The Psych Central drug discount card can save you up to 80% or more off the cost of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and pet prescription drugs. The Psych Central Drug Discount Card is accepted at over 60,000 pharmacies, including major chains such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and at regional chains and local stores. It is offered in partnership with NeedyMeds. The card may be used by those without insurance and by those who decide not to use their insurance — for example if the drug is not covered under their plan, the copay or deductible is high, the cap has been reached, or if they are in the donut hole. There are no income, insu... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118708 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:11:01 +0100 5118708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118647&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fexpensive-medications-is-the-benefit-worth-the-cost%2F2011.08.10 The concept of cost-effectiveness in medicine is elastic. One’s view on this issue depends upon who is paying the cost. Of course, this is true in all spheres of life. When you’re in a fine restaurant, you order differently when the meal will be charged to someone else. Under these circumstances, the foie gras appetizer and the jumbo shrimp cocktail are no longer luxuries, but are considered as essential amino acids that are necessary to maintain life. In the marketplace, except in the medical universe, goods and services are priced according to what the market will bear. If an item is priced too high, then the seller will have fewer sales and a bloated inventory. Consumers will not pay absurd prices for common items, regardless of supernatural claims of quality. Would you pay $100 fo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118647 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0100 5118647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945194&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR9N3q5e2SFU%2F In a preliminary vote, the Maine legislature yesterday moved to repeal a 2003 law that was created to protect consumers from rising drug prices and prevent fraud by pharmacy benefit managers. The vote was prompted by industry lobbying over charges that transparency requirements had discouraged PBMs from doing business in the state, which was resulting in less competition and higher drug costs. The controversial law, which is called the Unfair Prescription Drug Practices Act, prevents PBMs from switching patients to more expensive drugs while also protecting consumers from co-payments when the actual drug price is cheaper. And PBMs are also required to pay independent pharmacies promptly and negotiate prices in good faith (here is the 2003 law and the bill to repeal the law). Those who foug... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945194 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:37:52 +0100 4945194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4901816&cid=t_107371_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F5NjyAZ2NzB4%2F Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Stan Maloy, Andreas Baümler, Nicole Dubilier, and Paul Rainey. Vincent, Michael, and Stanley recorded episode #8 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology live at the 2011 ASM General Meeting in New Orleans, with guests Andreas Baümler, Nicole Dubilier, and Paul Rainey. They spoke about how pathogens benefit from disease, symbioses between chemosynthetic bacteria and marine invertebrates, and repetitive sequences in bacteria. Click the arrow above to play, or right click to download TWiM #8 (60 MB, .mp3, 87 minutes). Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app. Links for this episode: Salmonella invasion from the gut lumen into tissues (PLoS Pathogens)... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4901816 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:21:49 +0100 4901816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4853220&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F_HzGxgsWQUM%2F As countless researchers and marketers gear up for the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in early June to review breakthroughs and close calls, one issue may warrant further inspection - the cost of these cancer meds and how patients are reacting. Why? A new analysis shows that 10 percent of patients are abandoning prescriptions for their oral cancer drugs. The reasons: higher cost-sharing for insurance coverage, a larger number of overall prescriptions for different medications, Medicare coverage and incomes, according to Avalere Health, which reviewed pharmacy transaction data between 2007 and 2009, and will present its paper at ASCO next month. The study was published in the Journal of Oncology Practice and American Journal of Managed Care (here is the abstract). To be speci... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4853220 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:54:56 +0100 4853220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813252&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsz2DdYdus4o%2F By Chris EdwardsHouse Speaker John Boehner has promised to tie substantial spending cuts to upcoming debt-limit legislation. He said spending cuts will have to be at least as large as the dollar value of the allowed debt increase. Thus, if the legislation increased the legal debt limit by $2 trillion, then Congress would have to cut spending over time by at least $2 trillion. How can we be sure that spending cuts are real? There are only two types of solid and tough-to-reverse spending cuts—legislated changes to reduce entitlement benefit levels and complete termination of discretionary programs. Republicans will have to define what time period they are talking about, but let’s assume it’s the standard 10-year budget window. Entitlements: The legislation, for example, could change t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813252 Wed, 11 May 2011 14:38:49 +0100 4813252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684759&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FinwJ4AHbem4%2F And the answer is…. 82 percent. At least according to the latest annual report on prescription drug spending released by Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits manager. Of course, such a finding is not surprising, given that the cost of generics fell by 10.2 percent compared with a rise in brand-name meds by 9.7 percent. Rising drug prices have caused a stir on several fronts in recent weeks, in fact. The manufacturer of an injectable drug to prevent premature births, KV Pharmaceuticals, last week slashed the price after coming under pressure (see this) and an order of Catholic nuns successfully placed shareholder proposals over rising drug prices (look here). Nonetheless, the overall growth in spending on prescription drugs - including specialty medications, such as biologics, was c... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684759 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:29:15 +0100 4684759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615428&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FaXhygiyVd34%2F The scandal over a consulting arrangement between Medco Health Solutions, the big pharmacy benefits manager, and a former board member at CaLPERS, the nation’s largest pension fund, is widening now that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a subpoena to Medco seeking more information about consulting fees and other aspects of the relationship. The subpoena was disclosed late last week in an SEC filing by Medco (see this) and several days after CaLPERS released the results of a specially commissioned investigation indicating that Medco ceo David Snow was implicated in the consulting arrangement, according to the 75-page report (look here). At issue was the interplay between Medco and former CaLPERS board member Al Villalobos, who was paid more than $4 million as a Med... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615428 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:40:52 +0100 4615428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4606038&cid=t_107371_140_f&fid=39203&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdawnwillis.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F17%2Fevicted-watch-this-piece-of-film-remind-govt-why-this-cant-keep-happening%2F Link to True Vision film: http://www.truevisiontv.com/evictedfilmlink/index.html     ALSO FROM TRUE VISION PRODUCTIONS: Zimbabwe Update Note from Brian Woods: If you saw Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children last year, then set your Sky+ to record the Update Thursday 17th on BBC TWO at 11.20pm. It’s a cutdown of the original, followed by a wonderful update on how the kids lives have been transformed by viewers’ donations since we finished the film. Heartwarming stuff (but better recorded and watched at a more civilised hour!)   Filed under: News, Views, All Topics Tagged: DWP, Eviction, Homelessness, Housing Benefit, Poverty, Shelter (Source: Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy) Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4606038 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:31:43 +0100 4606038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507427&cid=t_107371_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F3ESQXRW2Tms%2F Cognitive performance can be improved but people vary in their ability to do so. It is not clear yet how to assess who will benefit the most from training and the cognitive tests used in the past were not very good at predicting this.   Dr. Kramer and his colleagues recently showed that the brain activity in a specific part of the brain (the dorsal striatum) at the start of training in a complex video-game could accurately predict how well people will benefit from the training.  Thirty-four young adults with little experience in playing video games were trained to play a complex video game called Space Fortress. After initial instruction, they played the game while their brains were being scanned using fMRI. For the next three to eight weeks (38 days on average) they completed ten two-... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507427 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:33:25 +0100 4507427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478158&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4zPu4D1nOpc%2F A behind-the-scenes battle is brewing in nearly a dozen states where legislation has been introduced to more closely regulate e-prescribing. And a trade group for pharmacy benefit managers claims that brand-name drugmakers are trying to use the proposals to restrict access to lower-cost generics. The bills would, essentially, prohibit docs from seeing messages from third-party information providers as they write an e-prescription. In doing so, info about other prescribing options, including drug interactions, would not be displayed on screens. “By removing the third party message, the legislation doesn’t allow the technology to get to the doctor,” a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association tells us. Legislation is pending in 11 states, including Indiana, K... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478158 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:36:47 +0100 4478158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470451&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F12%2Fare-we-rational-animals-part-2%2F This is the second in a two-part discussion about human rationality. Click to read Part 1, Are We Rational Animals?. Intelligence as a predictor of rationality Some may be surprised to learn that high levels of intelligence do not necessarily indicate high levels of rationality.  In fact, some people may rank high in intelligence while low in rationality.  There is more to sound thinking than intelligence. Below is a list of rational thinking tasks and their association with cognitive ability/intelligence from Stanovich (2010, p.221). Tasks that fail to show associations with cognitive ability Noncausal base-rate usage (Stanovich & West, 1998c, 1999, 2008) Conjunction fallacy between subjects (Stanovich & West, 2008) Framing between subjects (Stanovich & West, 2008) Anchori... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470451 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:44:23 +0100 4470451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4324816&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F08%2Fthe-state-of-e-therapy-2011%2F Colleagues, acquaintances, e-patients, media and others often ask me, “What’s the state of online therapy? Does it have a future?” My answer hasn’t changed significantly in the past decade, for good reason — very little has changed in the field. For folks who may be unawares, I’ve been a part of the mental health landscape and online therapy since the early 1990s, and e-therapy specifically when it started to hit the scene hard in the late 1990s. In fact, I coined the term “e-therapy” to describe online psychotherapy — a specific modality of psychotherapy that utilizes many techniques and features of traditional face-to-face psychotherapy. In 1999, I joined an e-therapy startup — HelpHorizons.com — as the industry’s y... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4324816 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:55:25 +0100 4324816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265914&cid=t_107371_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FfFyyf5rn0Fg%2F A reader of EMR and HIPAA asked the following interesting question: I was wondering if you had or heard of anyone coming up with a way to measure if the EHR implementation was successful. Other than “its in!”. Im trying to help some clients define this but cant seem to find anyone who has done this. Im thinking something like: Were all staff trained prior to go live? Were project goals achieved? etc Here’s my response that I hope you’ll find useful as well: It’s an interesting question. I’d suggest you download my free EMR Selection e-Book. In the book, I cover the various areas where a practice can get benefit from implementing an EMR. I suggest that each practice evaluate which of the benefits they are looking to achieve with their EMR implementation. ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265914 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:45:58 +0100 4265914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4258838&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZYrGJ-pPqvM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellOkay, perhaps the title of this post is not quite as memorable as Charlton Heston’s famous line from Planet of the Apes, but it certainly captures my sentiments after reading an article in Slate that calls for the elimination of the $100 bill. The author, Timothy Noah, says that large bills are only for “criminals and sociopaths.” Here’s the crux of his argument. …why does the U.S. continue to print C-notes…? Technological change has reduced much further the plausible need of any law-abiding American to carry a C-note in his wallet or to stash a pile of C-notes in his mattress. Noah’s argument is unconvincing for several reasons. First, he is underestimating the degree to which “law-abiding” Americans use “Ben... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4258838 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:44:18 +0100 4258838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241681&cid=t_107371_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F08%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-304-no-21%2F Contents Page Fade Fave: Toward an Outcomes-Based Health Care System: A View From the United Kingdom Fade Skinny: In a comprehensive, publicly funded system like the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) there is an overriding imperative to deliver maximum health benefit per pound spent. Quality, effectiveness, and efficiency are the goals. Following a decade of above-inflation increases in NHS funding, the urgent need to reduce the United Kingdom’s national debt means the NHS is entering a sustained period of flat or declining funding, while demand for services continues to increase (from technological progress, an aging population, increasing expectations, and population growth). Striving for value therefore becomes an ethical imp... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241681 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:14:42 +0100 4241681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225251&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpregnancy-as-a-pre-existing-condition%2F2010.12.03 Women who own individual healthcare policies, please take note. Should you become pregnant in the future, your individual healthcare policy might not cover your pregnancy. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times by Michelle Andrews was revealing. Andrews described the plight of a North Carolina biology teacher who subsequently left teaching after the birth of her twins. She became a small business owner and was covered under individual health insurance policies. However, when she became pregnant again, she had a rude awakening. Despite paying an insurance premium of $400 per month, her pregnancy wasn’t covered unless she had paid for a special rider, prior to becoming pregnant. Since half of all pregnancies are “unplanned” how can you pay for coverage six months in advance of an u... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225251 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:00:20 +0100 4225251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207503&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F5MuvAIYMimI%2F Negotiations between Express Scripts and employees at a prescription processing center in the greater Phildelphia are getting a bit nasty. The pharmacy benefits manager, which plans to close one center and eliminate 350 jobs, may close another nearby center where 642 peole work if negotiations fail (see this). Meanwhile, though, three workers were suspended without pay for taking their cause to investors and customers. Apparently, the three employees - Jackie Dixon, Debbie Dronsfield and Ken Smith, who work at the Bensalem, Pa., site that is targeted for closure - approached people who were entering the St. Regis Hotel in New York, where Express Scripts recently held a meeting for investors. Their message: laying off 1,000 workers would delay delivery of prescriptions to patients, since th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207503 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:09:29 +0100 4207503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183342&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F19%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-november-19-2010%2F Every moment, we have an opportunity for self-growth. In fact, I was having one of those just yesterday. It was about five in the evening and I was stuck in traffic. As cars attempted to race past me, getting just a mere two cars ahead, I started to think about the frustration and impatience we all seemed to be feeling in the moment. Would I choose to give into the overwhelming negativity all around me? Or would I drown out the sounds of car engines and frustration with the radio and the TV I could see in the van directly in front of me? I decided to use this unpleasant situation for my benefit by fully being in the moment. I saw the dark clouds looming overhead, the lights from cars shining through it and the feeling of impatience that was slowly taking over me. It was an hour of sitting ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183342 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:52:33 +0100 4183342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4139477&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FUdwEEOC_plo%2F Last month, Express Scripts disclosed plans to close a dispensing pharmacy in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and eliminate 350 jobs on December 16 after a union contract expires. However, the pharmacy benefits manager may also eliminate another 642 jobs from a nearby prescription processing facility - for a total of 992 jobs in the Philadelphia area - if negotations with a union fail. How do we know? Express Scripts has already stated its intent and may shutter both plants, sending all of the workers packing by filing a so-called WARN notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Federal law requires employers to provide a 60-day notice to employees if there is the possibility of a mass layoff or closure. In other words, the PBM is playing hardball. An Express Scripts spokesma... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4139477 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:51:10 +0100 4139477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118934&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-big-picture-benefit-of-primary-care%2F2010.10.28 Her eyes were bloodshot. She responded to my casual greeting of “How are you?” with a sigh. “How am I? I’m alive, I can tell you that much for sure.” She went on to describe a situation with her adult son who’s in a bad marriage and has struggled with addiction. She sighed again: “I feel weak. I don’t know if I can deal with this one. I’ve had so many hard things in my life already. When will it stop?” “Many hard things” — yes, I agree with that assessment. She’s been my patient for more than a decade, and I’ve had a front row seat to her life. Her husband died a few years ago (while in his 40′s) of a longstanding chronic disease. Her daughter also has this disease, and has been slowly declining over time. I’ve watched her bear that burden,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118934 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:00:29 +0100 4118934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4106058&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fp0__1ar8-tk%2F Hello, everyone, and a very good morning to you. Another shiny day is unfolding here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where we are hustling assorted short people off to the local schoolhouse and preparing for the usual round of meetings and deadlines. Same with you? Of course. So to prepare, here are a few items of interest. Hope your day goes well and do stay in touch… Savient Pharmaceuticals Fails To Find A Buyer (Bloomberg News) Boehringer Prices New Bloodthinner At $6.75 A Day (Reuters) Celgene Scales Back Expansion Plan (NJ.com) Walgreen May Sell Its PBM Business (Bloomberg News) Insurer Pilots Cancer Care Reimbursement For Oncologists (PharmaTimes) NICE May Not OK Simponi For Rheumatoid Arthritis (PharmaTimes) Amgen Earnings Beat Estimates Despite Shrinking Sales (Bloomberg N... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4106058 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:03:44 +0100 4106058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098060&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F21%2F6-ways-to-open-up-and-talk-in-therapy%2F “I’ve shared more in my blog than I could ever tell my therapist.” “I wish my therapist could read this online support group. Then they might begin to understand what I’m really going through.” You’ve gathered up the energy and resources to start psychotherapy. It’s a big step and you’re excited to begin. But you find yourself unable to talk in therapy. What’s the point of talk therapy without the talking? We find it so incredibly easy to open up online, but when we’re in the therapy office, we become suddenly mute. There are many strategies to help “open up” and be able to talk more freely while in psychotherapy. Here are a few. 1. Write it down. One of the easiest ways to help overcome your fear or inability to... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098060 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:24:49 +0100 4098060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013543&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F9Ty_fwAWoHM%2F The 2007 merger between CVS, the big retailer, and Caremark, the big pharmacy benefits manager, has Herb Kohl concerned. The Wisconsin Democrat, who chairs the US Senate Special Committee On Aging, has received reports from seniors that the PBM may be steering seniors to CVS retail or mail-order pharmacies. The seniors are allegedly being promised lower out-of-pocket costs, but instead are encountering higher co-pays and this is prompting higher charges to the Medicare Part D plan. And this is an issue for Kohl, because his committee does not like to see Medicare Part D or seniors charged more than they should be for meds. And so Kohl, who has also fielded complaints that CVS Caremark is also denying claims to long-term care residents enrolled in its Maintenance Choice program, has fired o... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013543 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:59:28 +0100 4013543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3833454&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F07%2Freal-mental-health-is-healthyplace%2F Who runs Real Mental Health? Who owns Healthy Place.com? Are they one and the same? These are interesting questions to ask, because you can’t find such information on their websites. What makes it even more interesting is what recently happened to the Real Mental Health website that demonstrates a behind-the-scenes connection between these two sites — a connection not acknowledged anywhere on either site. Real Mental Health is a small mental health community built upon a third-party social networking suite of tools. The website used to reside at realmentalhealth.com. But at the end of May, the site suddenly went away without notice to its members. That’s when the intrigue began. It came back a week later at a different URL (realmentalhealthsite.com), with little explana... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3833454 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:56:00 +0100 3833454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750276&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FFeKyFOTq8gk%2F In a potential setback to states looking to squeeze more disclosure from pharmacy benefit managers, a federal appeals court late last week struck down provisions of a District of Columbia law that would have designated PBMs as “fiduciaries” of employer sponsored health plans. The law required PBMs to disclose conflicts of interest, limit drug-switching activities and require passing rebates back to clients. The ruling comes amid years of courtroom and legislative wrangling over these issues. A similar law in Maine was upheld by the courts, and Maryland and Vermont have laws that have gone unchallenged, according to the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, or NLARx. And as of last fall, 14 states enacted some form of PBM regulation, and another 10 states have re... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750276 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:03:39 +0100 3750276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3721835&cid=t_107371_111_f&fid=34834&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMentalNurse%2F%7E3%2FJB8hPVPp_-Q%2F [Guest post by Tom Pollard, Policy and Campaigns Assistant for Mind] A quick check of the media coverage would lead anyone to believe that welfare spending is squandered on ‘cheats’ and ‘scroungers’. The suggestion is that slashing this corner of the budget will not hurt anyone honest, whereas cuts in other departments will hit decent working folk. The more that can be carved out of the £192bn that is spent on welfare each year, the less painful the cuts in other departments will be. As it happens, disability benefits only make up a small proportion of welfare, as a closer look at Government spending will show you. But let’s put that aside for now and consider the essence of the Government’s plans: that many people on Incapacity Benefit could and should go back to work. Many ... Mental Nurse blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3721835 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:56:47 +0100 3721835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3504897&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEV-gfxTNYqA%2F By David BoazConcern about the pay, benefits, and performance of government employees seems to be growing. Chris Edwards’s articles on how government pay is outpacing private-sector pay have generated media attention, cartoons, and angry rebuttals from the head of the federal Office of Personnel Management. Steven Greenhut has a new book, Plunder! How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation, and is writing lots of newspaper articles on the high costs of government unions, also the topic of a recent Cato Policy Analysis. New Jersey unions are not finding much sympathy as they try to hold on to their raises, benefits, pensions, and work rules in the face of Gov. Chris Christie’s attempt to cut the budget. Liberal journalist... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3504897 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:08:35 +0100 3504897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3494294&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXK8hOYawhTw%2F By Jim HarperSince they were announced recently, I’ve been working to make sense of new security procedures that TSA is applying to flights coming into the U.S. “These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats,” says Secretary Napolitano. That reveals essentially nothing of what they are, of course. Indeed, “For security reasons, the specific details of the directives are not public.” But we in the public aren’t so many potted plants. We need to know what they are, both because our freedoms are at stake and because our tax money will be spent on these measures. Let’s start at the beginning, with identity-based scr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3494294 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:45:06 +0100 3494294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3359212&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F1uEtOjqcfck%2F In his latest attempt to probe the pharmaceutical industry, US Senator Chuck Grassley has written two big pharmacy benefit managers, as well as a trade group, asking them to provide information about their financial relationships with drugmakers. This week, he sent letters to Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (click on name to see letters). In explaining his action, Grassley - who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee - wrote that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended in a report last year that Congress should require drugmakers to report their financial relationships with pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies, health plans, and others, but not rebates or discounts (look here). And so he asks for det... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3359212 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:05:05 +0100 3359212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223323&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F29%2Fobama-rules-for-mental-health-parity-issued%2F Remember the federal legislation passed in late 2008 that requires insurance companies to bring their mental health coverage in parity with their health coverage? Well, technically that law took effect 29 days ago, but the Obama administration got around today to publishing the rules that put the law into effect. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury today jointly issued new rules providing parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans who need treatment for mental health or substance use disorders. The rules are a part of the governmental process that implements the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). First, to be clear, what the new federal law does not cover: Employers with less than ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223323 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:54:25 +0100 3223323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216639&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F28%2F7-tips-for-making-the-most-of-online-support-groups%2F Online support groups can be a great source of emotional support and valuable health information you won’t find on any website from the National Institute of Mental Health or others. Some people are a little leery of joining an online support group, however. Others don’t quite understand what benefit they may gain from joining one. Still others understand a support group’s benefits, but feel like they still don’t gain as much from joining one as they had hoped. Your experience in an online support group will inevitably vary. But these tips may help you get the most from your experience, and keep your expectations in check. 1. Take what you need, leave the rest. Many people come into an online support group with their story, asking a specific question about treatment... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216639 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:01:20 +0100 3216639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182169&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FleTUXXseucI%2F By Michael F. CannonEven if Democrat Martha Coakley wins 50 percent of the vote in the race to fill the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (ahem) term, there are other numbers emanating from Massachusetts that present a problem for President Obama’s health plan. On Wednesday, the Cato Institute will release “The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain,” authored by Cato adjunct scholar Aaron Yelowitz and yours truly. Our study evaluates Massachusetts’ 2006 health law, which bears a “remarkable resemblance” to the president’s plan. We use the same methodology as previous work by the Urban Institute, but ours is the first study to evaluate the effects of the Massachusetts law using Current Population Survey data for 2008 (i.e., from the 2009 March suppl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182169 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:12:07 +0100 3182169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149031&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSYyEpIbHak0%2F By David BoazTwo items in Tuesday’s newspapers remind us of the often unseen costs of regulation and also of the often unseen benefits of market processes. In the Wall Street Journal, Prof. Todd Zywicki examines the likely consequences of a law to limit credit card interest rates and the fees they charge to merchants: Card issuers might also reduce the quantity and quality of credit cards by restricting credit availability and cutting back on product innovation or ancillary card benefits. This is exactly what happened when Australian regulators imposed price controls on interchange fees in 2003: Annual fees increased an average of 22% on standard credit cards and annual fees for rewards cards increased by 47%-77%. Card issuers also reduced the generosity of their reward programs by 2... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149031 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:39:04 +0100 3149031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071132&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDr-VY5JMWbQ%2F By Michael D. TannerSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced that he has reached a super secret compromise on how to deal with the so-called public option for health reform.  While Reid said the agreement was too important to actually tell anyone what is in it, most of the details have been leaked to the press. Rather than set-up a completely government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurance, Congress would establish a program similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP), which currently covers government workers, including Members of Congress.  The FEHBP offers a variety of private insurance plans under a program managed by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM).  Each year OPM uses the Federal procurement process to solicit bids from... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071132 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:58:14 +0100 3071132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934651&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbdO1uXt8MtA%2F The National Park Service announced Friday that it has removed its superintendent at Gettysburg National Military Park and reassigned him to work in a cultural resources office as an assistant to the associate director. His job duties have not yet been determined. John A. Latschar said Thursday that his demotion was in response to the public disclosure of Internet activity in which he viewed more than 3,400 “sexually-explicit” images over a two-year period on his government computer — a violation of department policy. The misconduct, which Latschar acknowledged in a sworn statement, was found during a year-long investigation by the Interior Department’s inspector general and was documented in an internal Aug. 7 report obtained by The Washington Post. The reassignme... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934651 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:04:03 +0100 2934651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2904984&cid=t_107371_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drneedles.comhttp%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fbenefit-cuts-will-be-made-from-senior.html As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.BENEFIT CUTS WILL BE MADE FROM SENIOR CARESeniors are very concerned that Med... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2904984 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:13:00 +0100 2904984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865730&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F06%2Fphone-psychotherapy-helps-depression%2F Imagine a treatment that was so powerful and useful, it could even be delivered by the telephone. That treatment? Good old psychotherapy. We’ve previously discussed the benefits of using web-based self-help programs for depression based upon proven cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. And we’ve noted previous studies that showed the benefits of telephone therapy for depression. But this new 600-person study is the largest to date of psychotherapy by phone — and one of the largest studies of psychotherapy ever. Subjects in the study were randomly assigned to one of three groups — treatment as usual, telephone care management, and telephone care management + psychotherapy. People in the treatment as usual group continued to receive any treatments normally available... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865730 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:53:49 +0100 2865730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842706&cid=t_107371_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FXMjb_erSViI%2F We know that the cells in our face and skin can only regenerate so many times. We see it on our wrinkles and fine lines, and that’s why we use facial care products religiously, and we maintain healthy habits, to keep our face and skin as subtle and young as much as we can. It’s known that stem cells found within the skin do create new cells, replenish themselves and continually rejuvenate skin and hair. Well, a new study published in Nature Genetics discovered the very proteins – TCF3 and TCF4 – that are doing the job of continually renewing skin stem cells. The study, done in mice, showed that skin stem cells that lost TCF3 and TCF4 lost their ability to self-renew and replace skin cells that have died. The skin regenerated only so much until the cells started dying. The q... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842706 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:40:57 +0100 2842706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734019&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6Egsv8D10hY%2F The Bureau of Economic Analysis has released its annual data on compensation levels by industry (Tables 6.2D, 6.3D, and 6.6D here). The data show that the pay advantage enjoyed by federal civilian workers over private-sector workers continues to expand. The George W. Bush years were very lucrative for federal workers. In 2000, the average compensation (wages and benefits) of federal workers was 66 percent higher than the average compensation in the U.S. private sector. The new data show that average federal compensation is now more than double the average in the private sector. Figure 1 looks at average wages. In 2008, the average wage for 1.9 million federal civilian workers was $79,197, which compared to an average $49,935 for the nation’s 108 million private sector workers (measured i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734019 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:57:52 +0100 2734019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727294&cid=t_107371_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fpress-release-new-patient-financing-company%2F Orange County, CA - National medical lender launches newest financing program for medical providers. US Based American Benefit Credit, Inc., announces it’s newest medical financing program after a successful pilot earlier this year. Aug 22, 2009 — Orange County, CA - American Benefit Credit, Inc., a US based finance company, today announced that it has launched it’s Select Rewards Visa® program for medical providers. Their out of the box approach with this financing solution has made them an overnight success in the medical community. “This product was needed in today’s financial crunch for medical providers and patients alike,” said Philip McClendon, American Benefit’s Vice President of Operations, “Hearing the need from our current medical re... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727294 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:30:33 +0100 2727294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2552992&cid=t_107371_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F29%2Frecent-health-related-statutory-instruments-2%2F SI 2009 No. 1548 Children And Young Persons, England And Wales Protection Of Vulnerable Adults, England And Wales. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No. 1541 Social Security. The Social Security (Incapacity Benefit Work-focused Interviews) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No. 1488 Social Security. The Social Security (Equalisation of State Pension Age) Regulations 2009 Posted in Human Resources, Legislation, Statutory Instruments Tagged: Adults, Children, Driving, Human Resources, Incapacity Benefit, Legislation, Pensions, Social Security, Vulnerable People (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2552992 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:37:08 +0100 2552992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510437&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fpharmacy-benefit-managers-as.html We posted a number of times about questionable practices Eli Lilly used to market its atypical anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa (olanzapine). A post from 2007, with links backward, is here, and our most recent post is here. The company remains entangled in litigation over its marketing of this drug. That litigation has lead to the release of numerous internal documents that provide quite a view of Lilly's marketing practices. Bloomberg continued its reporting on these documents, with its latest effort here via the Boston Globe, describing yet another surprising way this drug was sold:A unit of CVS Caremark Corp. used its access to doctors to market Eli Lilly & Co.'s Zyprexa antipsychotic while it was under contract to bargain with the drug maker on behalf of health insurers, internal Lilly ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510437 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0100 2510437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517468&cid=t_107371_180_f&fid=38610&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.productivity501.com%2Fcost-vs-benefit-for-productivity%2F166%2F Most people are really bad at comparing cost and benefits. Hybrid cars are a good example of this. For example, the cost of the cheapest (that I could find) new gasoline Honda Civic is around $14,800. The cost of the cheapest hybrid Civic is $22,000. Assuming that you drive 13,000 miles per year, the hybrid will save you $369 per year in gas–assuming gasoline costs an average of $2.80 per gallon. So you are paying an extra $7200 to save $369 per year. It will take nearly 20 years before you end up saving money with the car. Even if you consider that the government will give you something like an extra $2,100 off your taxes for buying the hybrid, it will still take nearly 14 years before you break even. Also consider that if you do manage to drive the car for a very long time, in 10 ... Productivity501 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517468 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0100 2517468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405415&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F13%2Fthe-internet-helps-teenagers-with-social-relationships%2F Social scientists have had a decade in which to study the use of the Internet by teenagers and adolescents. In a review article published in February, researchers Valkenburg & Peter (2009) found that the Internet — contrary to initial expectations — seems largely to be of benefit to most adolescents. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) stimulates self-disclosure. People who use a computer to communicate with someone else engage in more communications with that person, and the communications results in more intimate self-disclosure. The researchers found that studies that have look at online self-disclosure found that the more teens disclose online, the more likely they are to report higher-quality friendships and more friendship-forming behaviors. Self-disclosure can oc... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405415 Wed, 13 May 2009 10:00:48 +0100 2405415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367554&cid=t_107371_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fg9H85lsTHvY%2F Did you know that today is “Reversing Diabetes Day?” Did you know that you could reverse diabetes? Well, here’s the thing, you really can’t. But that didn’t stop a couple filmmakers from declaring today a special day in the fight against diabetes. The specific topic the organizers behind this movement are highlighting is raw food. Now, it’s funny that this has come up because we just had our great interview and giveaway with the author of the Live Food Factor. She, along with celebrity Carol Alt, have spoken out about this same topic, and the healing properties of switching to this kind of diet. Apparently the organizers of Reversing Diabetes Day made a film in which Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics ” are challenged to give up their traditional Americ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367554 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:33:39 +0100 2367554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365394&cid=t_107371_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fusing-exercise-to-help-prevent-lymphedema%2F I have been trying unsuccessfully to get more organized. Paper keeps flooding my house and I can’t get it to stay in its place. I have to concede it is not just paper, it is clothes and dishes and books and linens and china and other stuff. There seems to be no end to the stuff that is taking over my house. The only upside is that now and then while sorting through the stuff, I find something that is really worth reading. One of those things recently was some information my aunt sent me about exercise and the lymph system. Besides a mastectomy I have had surgery to remove lymph nodes and that means I am in danger of having lymphedema in my lifetime. I spent some time reviewing the info from my aunt and that encouraged me to do a little studying on the subject in the interest of preventin... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365394 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:57:31 +0100 2365394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348547&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F15%2Fmindfulness-and-psychotherapy-an-interview-with-dr-elisha-goldstein%2F I have mentioned Dr. Elisha Goldstein in a few of my blogs. Psych Central added his blog, “Mindfulness and Psychotherapy” just as I was looking more into mindfulness and relaxation techniques myself in order to try to de-stress. Dr. Goldstein brings much experience and wisdom on the topic to readers who are willing to try train the mind to stay centered on the moment. He is a clinical psychologist and conducts private practice in West Los Angeles. And he and his wife just gave birth to their first child a few days ago! 1. Dr. Goldstein, you explain in several places on your blog that we attempt to use mindfulness to calm the distressed mind by breathing in and acknowledging the stress and while breathing out, saying something like “It’s okay.” Sometimes the mi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348547 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:52:33 +0100 2348547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367395&cid=t_107371_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F15%2Fmanagement-of-long-term-sickness-and-incapacity-for-work%2F Title: Management of long-term sickness and incapacity for work Source: NICE The Skinny:  This guidance is for all those who manage long-term (or recurring short- or long-term) sickness absence and incapacity, including employers and people working in the NHS. It will also be of interest to workplace representatives and trades unions, employees and those receiving incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance (ESA). Three of the recommendations aim to help employers and employees work together to ensure the right support is available to help someone on sickness absence return to work as soon as they are able. Recommendations for employers include: Identify someone who is suitably trained and impartial to undertake initial enquiries with an employee who is experiencing long-term ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367395 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:17:36 +0100 2367395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056351&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F489633863%2F A new study suggests that lowering insurance co-payments, which is a way of providing consumers with a financial incentive, may be not enough to encourage compliance to take a chronic med. A study in the American Journal of Managed Care found that decreasing copay resulted in a 2.5 percentage rise in compliance, an increased described as modest. The study, which was conducted by Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits manager, looked at the compliance following a decrease in copays and demand for statins after the patent on Merck’s Zocor cholesterol pill expired in 2006 (here it is). Greater response to increases in copays than to decreases is supported by one of the most well-documented principles of behavioral economics: aversion to losses, according to an Express Scripts statement... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056351 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:00:16 +0100 2056351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2053056&cid=t_107371_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F-rNghRroIgw%2F var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,633,352015,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() Still need a present for Christmas? Don’t forget about the American Diabetes Association’s holiday catalog. There are many great gifts that also help fund a cure for diabetes. You can buy stuff like this comfort candle, this digital photo ornament, and this graceful living perpetual calendar. You can also give money to diabetes research in honor of someone you love. Get this certificate to show someone that you donated in honor of them. They are sure to appreciate it! Why not benefit diabetes research this year while you celebrate the joyful season? Tags: benefit diabetes, buying presents, Diabetes, diabetic, find a cure, funding, gift ... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2053056 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:19 +0100 2053056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975584&cid=t_107371_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F0YzmPW4nGQI%2F var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,280,272920,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() Here’s a another creative way to raise funds for diabetes. A painting exhibition in Qatar will open at the Qatar National Theatre tomorrow night. The painter is Sheikha Mozah bint Jassim, a noted Qatari painter, who said it was her “long-cherished desire to do something for children living with diabetes in Qatar. She called on all kind-hearted people in the country to visit the exhibition and support this cause.” ~source About 25 paintings will be on display. Tags: activitism, benefit diabetes, charity, children, diabetes awareness, diabetic, fund raising, painting exhibition, Sheikha Mozah bint JassimShare This (Source: Diabetes N... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975584 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:53:50 +0100 1975584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1960867&cid=t_107371_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2F453496860%2Fworld-diabetes-day-2008.php Just a reminder that today is World Diabetes Day and the world is lit up in blue. Last year I was living in Taiwan and lucky enough to see the tallest building in the world lit up with that lovely... (Source: Diabetes Daily) Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960867 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:32:31 +0100 1960867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947088&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fanother-barrier-to-social-mobility.html I really do not understand what is going on.This government, this Labour government, is introducing policies that David Cameron’s Tories would not dare suggest. Last week, it was the authorisation of “top up” payments for health care. Now it is an attack on the security of tenure traditionally enjoyed by council house tenants and it will be the underprivileged, the physically and mentally ill in particular, who will suffer in the name of weeding out the scroungers.So many of my patients live in the twilight world of benefit traps. Ben Goldacre will be taking a look at some of them on Radio 4 tonight at 8.00 pm. Some of my patients are unemployed and looking for work. A larger number of them are on incapacity benefit (full details of Incapacity Benefit here) . Some of those labelled a... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947088 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:13:00 +0100 1947088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1763870&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fhe-who-controls-data-controls-playing.html In posts such as here and here, it's become apparent that "Evidence Based Medicine" (EBM), while perhaps reasonable in theory, is probably unreasonable in practice with the ethics of healthcare in 2008.One cannot have evidence based rules for anything, let alone healthcare, if the evidence is tainted.Think clinical research and the drivers of "publish or perish" are the only domains where this evidentiary taint can occur?Think again.From a medical colleague, a talented ER physician: Did anyone see that Wolters Kluwer (a leading multidomestic multimedia company with corporate office in Amsterdam) plans to buy electronic medical platform Up-To-Date?Correct me if I am off track on the issue of the "full-circle web" of information exchange - an exchange that starts with the sanctity of the p... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1763870 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:26:00 +0100 1763870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1563869&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F07%2F02%2Fpets-can-help-for-most%2F This study suggested that pet ownership amongst many older people is more of a burden than a benefit. What about for younger folks? In a 2006 survey of 2,291 adults in the U.S., researchers found that unmarried women who live with a pet have the fewest depressive symptoms, and unmarried men who live with a pet have the most (Tower et al., 2006). The researchers concluded, “single women benefit from pet companionship, whereas single men may be burdened by it.” A dissertation published in 2004 by Amanda Smith examined 38 married couples, half of which who owned dogs and half who did not. She found no significant differences between the two groups on marital communication, stress levels, constructive communications, marital satisfaction, or consideration of divorce. In other wo... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1563869 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:30:12 +0100 1563869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561300&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F323984056%2F The deal is expected to accelerate the move toward paperless prescribing, which has so far been embraced by only a fraction of physicians. That’s because one of the networks is operated by big pharmacy benefits managers - Medco Health, CVS Caremark and Express Scripts - and the other by drugstore chains such as Walgreen, Rite Aid and Wal-Mart Stores. Right now, about 35,000, or less than 10 percent of docs, prescribe drugs electronically, and roughly 25 million of the 4 billion prescriptions dispensed annually were sent electronically. The merged network believes the number of e-prescriptions could rise to more than 100 million this year, according to Rick Ratliff, acting ceo of SureScripts, one of the two networks. Health insurers, business groups and the federal government have be... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561300 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:44:05 +0100 1561300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1552083&cid=t_107371_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F26%2Fthe-situation-of-civil-settlements-abstract%2F John Bronsteen, Christopher Buccafusco, and Jonathan Masur recently posted their fascinating article, “Hedonic Adaptation and the Settlement of Civil Lawsuits” (forthcoming in the Columbia Law Review) on SSRN. Here’s the abstract. * * * This paper examines the burgeoning psychological literature on happiness and hedonic adaptation (a person’s capacity to preserve or recapture her level of happiness by adjusting to changed circumstances), bringing this literature to bear on a previously overlooked aspect of the civil litigation process: the probability of pre-trial settlement. The glacial pace of civil litigation is commonly thought of as a regrettable source of costs to the relevant parties. Even relatively straightforward personal injury lawsuits can last for as lo... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1552083 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:03:47 +0100 1552083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1478253&cid=t_107371_136_f&fid=36051&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FCancerCommentary%2F%7E3%2F300616495%2F On the first Friday night in September will happen a live, joint telethon benefiting cancer research from the networks ABC CBS and NBC. From The New York Times: Among those who encouraged the networks to put aside their competitive instincts, albeit temporarily, was Katie Couric, anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” who will appear on the fund-raiser alongside her principal rivals, Brian Williams of NBC and Charles Gibson of ABC. All three have had immediate family members die of the disease, and another principal, Jeff Zucker, the president and chief executive of NBC and Ms. Couric’s former boss, is a colon cancer survivor. The said benefit is being called Stand Up To Cancer. You can also watch the video on this. (Thanks for the link Grace!) Tags: ABC, cancer benefit, CBS, joint teleth... Cancer Commentary blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1478253 Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:31 +0100 1478253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1475125&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fexpress-scripts-settles.html Another day, another settlement (of charges that a big health care organization deceived patients and physicians)... Here is the story summarized in the Wall Street Journal:Pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Inc. agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle allegations that it asked doctors to switch drugs primarily so it could get bigger rebates from pharmaceutical companies.The move all but closes the books on a four-year investigation of practices at pharmacy-benefit managers, or PBMs.'Today's settlement completes our effort to clean up the PBM industry,' Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell wrote in a release. Vermont, which gets a $372,000 cut, was one of the lead negotiators with the company.Fellow pharmacy-benefit managers Medco Health Solutions Inc. and CVS Caremark Corp. have a... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1475125 Wed, 28 May 2008 20:28:00 +0100 1475125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1472693&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F299338401%2F The big pharmacy benefits manager struck a deal with 28 states over charges that consumers were misled when docs were encouraged to cholesterol drugs under the guise of controlling costs. The agreement resolving a four-year investigation and follows a similar $38.5 million multistate settlement in February with Caremark, and settlement with Medco Health Solutions three years ago. “Today’s settlement completes our effort to clean up the PBM industry,” Vermont’s Attorney General Bill Sorrell says in a statement. “Now that all three of the nation’s largest PBMs are under orders from our office and the court to reform their practices, we expect that the rest of the industry will take notice and follow the requirements we have established.” Through the agreements, the states &... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472693 Tue, 27 May 2008 21:02:26 +0100 1472693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1393904&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F276105192%2F Wondering just what managed care and pharmacy benefit managers may be thinking about Vytorin and Zetia? A survey of 71 execs taken during the week immediately following the American College of Cardiology meeting finds that 67 percent felt there would be “no immediate change” to their coverage plans, according to Cognet-X, a healthcare research firm. The reason? The marketplace will make changes for them. About 84 percent expected prescribing to shift dramatically from Vytorin to generic versions of Zocor, or simvastatin. And roughly 53 percent expect more Crestor scrips to be written, while 38 percent foresee greater Lipitor utilization. But 81 percent said any changes would be made within six months. Here are some of the findings… – 18 percent expect a possible tier c... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1393904 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:45:19 +0100 1393904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1379582&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F272308007%2F Although the headlines say many people are paying more for their meds, one pharmacy benefits manager argues last year marked the first time in five years that consumers paid, on average, a lower co-pay. To be specific, the average copay dropped 25 cents to $13.20 even as the average total cost of a scrip rose from $55.01 to $55.93, according to a report issued by Express Scripts, which manages 55 million patients. The PBM attributes the decrease to greater use of generics, which it claims saved consumers an average of $15 per scrip each time they moved from a brand to a generic. Of course, PBMs do make more money on generics, so it may not come as a surprise that Emily Cox, Express Scripts’ senior director of research, says 67 percent of the million scrips that the PBM procceses ever... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1379582 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:24:39 +0100 1379582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1245028&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fbenefit-scrounging-scum-sick-note.html Britain's largest local authority, Birmingham Council, is to install a telephone lie detection system in an effort to combat benefit cheats. BBC | 7th Sep 2007 It's a pity that the lie detectors aren't being used on officials at the Department for Work and Pensions because when this development was reported in The Independent in December 2004, the DWP vehemently denied that there were any plans to introduce voice risk analysis (VRA) technology. Community Care | 31st May 2007 More at Ten Percent | Big Brother Of The Underclass++++++++++Sarah is 55.She works in security at Birmingham Airport. If a female causes a “beep” as she goes through, Sarah does the body check. She has been working at the airport for 18 years. Before that, she worked for W.H. Smiths. In her late thirties she ha... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1245028 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:04:00 +0100 1245028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1222432&cid=t_107371_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F233132550%2F Following the release of the controversial Enhance trial, 85 pharmacy benefit managers and managed care execs haven’t indicated coverage will change, at least not until the full data is presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting at the end of March, according to a survey conducted by Cognet-X, a market research firm. The survey was conducted following the release of the data. The trial, you may recall, found that the pricey cholesterol med failed to show any benefit over the much cheaper Zocor in reducing plaque in the carotid artery, and even showed a statistically insignificant buildup, although the pill did a better job of lowering LDL. The results prompted concern over the drug, which is sold by Merck and Schering-Plough, and a subsquent drop in prescriptions. Two-th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1222432 Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:18:02 +0100 1222432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1197961&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fbenefit-scroungers-and-john-redwood.html I have just made a startling discovery. John Redwood's Blog. I have known of its existence for sometime but have never looked at it before. I guess the publicity about Mr Spock and learning Welsh songs is a little off-putting and, though I am just to the right of centre (considerably left of Tony Blair), I am more comfortable with the politics of Ken Clarke than John Redwood. The Devil recommends John Redwood's blog but then he would recommend Genghis Khan's blog if it was in good English and well laid out.So how would John Redwood deal with invalidtiy benefit scroungers? Put them up against the wall and shoot them? Deport them?It is rare these days for a politician to show understanding of some of the difficulties faced by family doctors. Usually, we are put in the coconut shy. I don't ca... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1197961 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:10:00 +0100 1197961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=988487&cid=t_107371_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F176817444%2F And yet another link to Alzheimer’s disease from another chronic disease process… It seems that anti-hypertensives have proven to benefit in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Such implications could aid in the ultimate cure and care of this dreadful mind altering disease. Just what anti-hypertensives made the list? …significantly benefit from the treatment with the anti-hypertensive agent Valsartan, found to pharmacologically prevent beta-amyloid production in the brain even when delivered to Alzheimer’s disease mice at doses 3-4 fold lower than the minimal equivalent dose prescribed for the treatment of hypertension in humans. Other anti-hypertension drugs with beneficial results included Propranolol HCI, Carvedilol, Losartan, Nicardipine H... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=988487 Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:34:37 +0100 988487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=980578&cid=t_107371_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fspoil-child.html A long time ago I was young mother and divorced. I worked full time and farmed my daughter out to the only, and most expensive child care centre in the city. Whilst she slept at night, I burned the midnight oil to gain further qualifications, to brighten our future prospects. With hindsight I should have burned the paper qualifications on the flame, but the young are fortunately short sighted. We would run through a check list in the morning of all the many things that we had to remember. Sometimes an important item failed to achieve ‘list status’ and was over looked. Later in the day when I received a phone call from the school or a note home, I would have to admit my error. It was a harsh lesson for both of us. If my employer had been more understanding, if public transport had been ... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=980578 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:56:00 +0100 980578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=629110&cid=t_107371_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F05%2F20%2Fholiday-cards-for-a-cause%2F Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Events, ProductsdLife is inviting all budding artists to send in their designs for its 2007 holiday cards. Up to 10 winning designs will be made into greeting cards to support the dLife Foundation's Holiday Cards for a Cause. In addition to the bragging rights of being a contest winner, there will be 10 prizes awarded: 5 people will get a $100 Best Buy Gift Card and 5 people will get a $50.00 Best Buy Gift Card. It's not hard to enter. Any non-professional artist is eligible - kids, teens, even adults. If you have diabetes or you have a loved one with diabetes and you would like to dedicate your work to them, you are free to enter. You can draw or submit any theme that you would like to see as a holiday greeting card. (Sorry, if you hav... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=629110 Sun, 20 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 629110