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 'boston'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:43 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174667&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F28%2Fthe-curious-case-of-phineas-gage-and-others-like-him%2F If you’ve ever taken an introductory psychology class, then you probably know the story of Phineas Gage, the 25-year-old railroad worker whose personality dramatically changed after a rod pierced his skull. Gage lost portions of his frontal lobe and went from being a kind and mild-mannered man to rude and unrestrained. On September 21, 1848, The Boston Post reported on the incident. The article was called “Horrible Accident” and said: As Phineas P. Gage, a foreman on the railroad in Cavendish, was yesterday engaged in tamping for a blast, the powder exploded, carrying an instrument through his head an inch in length, which he was using at the time. The iron entered on the side of his face, shattering the upper jaw, and passing back of the left eye, and out at the top of the head.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174667 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:17:17 +0100 5174667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130865&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fpartners-health-care-acquiring-neighborhood-health-plan-800-pound-gorilla-and-fig-leaf Partners Health Care (the dominant provider network in Greater Boston) and Neighborhood Health Plan (a local mostly-Medicaid HMO) just announced that the former intends to acquire the latter, and maintain it as a separate operating entity.  No money will change hands between the parties, but an unspecified amount of money will be given by Partners as grants to community health centers where NHP members receive much of their health care services. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130865 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:19:17 +0100 5130865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050574&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmore-bad-news-about-the-obesity-epidemic-in-america%2F2011.07.22 A report released recently by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health issued some grim warnings about the current and future state of the U.S.’s obesity epidemic. Bluntly titled “F is for fat: How obesity threatens America’s future 2011,” the report found that obesity rates rose in 16 states since 2010 and that more than 30% of people are obese in 12 states, compared with one state just four years ago. The South is still the worst-faring region—nine out of 10 states with the highest obesity rates are located there. The report compared today’s data with data from 20 years ago, when no state’s obesity rate exceeded 15%. Now, only one state—Colorado—has a rate below 20%. The report also points out that d... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050574 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5050574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008379&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsmall-isolated-rural-hospitals-show-pooerer-results-measures-quality-care-patient-outcomes In the first national study to examine care at critical access hospitals (CAHs) in rural areas of the U.S., Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that CAHs have fewer clinical capabilities, lower quality of care, and worse patient outcomes compared with other hospitals. The researchers found that patients admitted to a CAH for heart attack, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia were at greater risk of dying within 30 days than those at other hospitals. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008379 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:19:48 +0100 5008379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968583&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fwhen-things-go-wrong-in-massachusetts-fire-the-employees-not-carney-hospital%2F Mental health care in Massachusetts is sometimes a hit or miss proposition. Especially if you’re poor or indigent, or may present a danger to yourself or others. For the 14-bed locked hospital unit at Carney — now owned by Steward Health Care — it apparently was such a “miss” proposition that they ended up sacking the entire staff. Yes, you heard me — all 29 psychiatric nurses and mental health counselors were let go about a month ago. Meanwhile, Massachusetts continues to pay Carney Hospital to run its program, with all new staff. Is it possible that 29 different professionals really were responsible for the four complaints? Or is this a perfect example of incompetent management and senior hospital executives covering their asses, and trying to put the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968583 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:39:20 +0100 4968583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813416&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcrossing-digital-divide-connected-health Often when I speak about connected health, I am asked ‘What are you doing to provide these services to communities with health disparities?’ For many years, connected health advocates took it on the chin when this important topic was brought up.  We relied heavily on home computers and home Internet access to achieve the power of our programs.  Yet, underserved populations had fewer home computers and less Internet access.  We were left to half-heartedly mention that access was improving and of course folks could always go to the library if needed. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813416 Wed, 11 May 2011 13:50:38 +0100 4813416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813672&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FUGg3_Y9s14U%2F Hello and top of the morning to you. A sparkly sun is warming the Pharmalot corporate campus this morning, where we are scrambling to cope with a growing assortment of meetings and deadlines. We know you can relate. So please join us for a cup of stimulation - our flavor today is Cinnamon Cream Swirl - as you ready yourself. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits from around the world. Dig in and have a productive day… Arena Plans Shorter Study For Rejected Diet Pill (San Diego Union-Tribune) Medco CEO Sees A Biotech M&A Blitz (Reuters) FDA Asks Hip Makers For Patient Data On Metal Levels In Blood (Bloomberg News) Roche Will Seek Approval For New Skin Cancer Med (Reuters) Sanofi Plans To Revamp Animal Health Unit (Financial Times) Teva Reports A Decline In US Generic Drug Sales (Bloom... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813672 Wed, 11 May 2011 12:09:24 +0100 4813672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747650&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F24%2Fwillpower-self-control-can-be-learned%2F I’m a little astounded by how quickly some people are willing to just throw up their hands and, rather than learning how to gain more willpower and self-control in their life, use technology tools as a substitute for learning those skills. Or suggesting how we seem to be at the mercy of social networking sites, which have some sort of undeniable power over us, our choices and our behaviors. I’m talking about the article in today’s Boston Globe from Tracy Jan bemoaning how college students nowadays are “tangled in an endless web of distractions.” The article reads like college students are saying, “The Internet and Facebook are just too darned addicting, I can’t help myself!” It’s gotten so bad that some college professors — even a... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747650 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:49:05 +0100 4747650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709424&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpR8BdZuodiU%2F Hello, everyone, and nice to see you again. A spot of rain is falling on the Pharmalot corporate campus, but as you know, our spirits are as sunny as ever and reinforced by a bit of wisdom from the Morning Mayor: ‘Every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.’ So while we down our cup of stimulation, we present the news of the world in hopes this will help you cope with those meetings and deadlines. Have a great day and give someone a big smile… BioSante Says FDA Accepts Filing For Male Testerone Gel (Reuters) Merck To Outsource Work Done At Pennsylvania Plant (The Daily Item) Novartis Drug Wins FDA Panel OK For Rare Pancreatic Tumors (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Drug Wins FDA Committee Backing For Pancreatic Cancer (Bloomberg News) Roche’s Xenical Diet P... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709424 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:12:07 +0100 4709424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622288&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F22%2Fhow-well-do-you-multitask-between-the-tv-and-the-computer%2F This study hints at the generational shift that is occurring and that researchers are starting to document in studies such as this. Younger adults are used to consuming media simultaneously, from multiple sources, and enjoy doing so. Older adults (that is to say, middle-aged adults and older) do less of this, and tend to enjoy it less. At least according to this single study. Last, the researchers conclude: The brevity of gaze durations on both computer and television content in this multitasking environment suggests a fracturing of attention with rapid attentional shifts and reorientation; both media seem to have limited ability to “hook” a participant into extended runs of attention. Television attention is especially composed of very quick gazes overall, supporting the contention th... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622288 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:25:45 +0100 4622288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575245&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F9SFnI_wDtgA%2F If music soothes the savage beast, what could music do for doctors? Back in the 1960’s, at least two drugmakers decided music was a good way to sell their meds to the prescription pad crowd. But there had to be a hook. And so both Merck and Abbott Labs had RCA Victor create custom-made LP’s featuring mood music, and the albums were given to docs in order to promote…mood-altering drugs. Get it? The other day, we wrote about a 1966 Merck LP, which was called ‘Symposium in Blues’ and featured songs by several blues artists in order to pitch the Elavil antidepressant (look here). As it turns out, three years earlier, there was ‘Music to Nudge You to Sleep,’ which featured Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra. This collection was used to ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575245 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:43:02 +0100 4575245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536450&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJSq-o0X96Eo%2F In 2007, US Army Major Jason Layne Davis, who was the chief cardiologist at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, was paid $4,812 by Boston Scientific’s Guidant unit to “train” two of the device maker’s sales reps. Specifically, they watched as he implanted devices in patients during seven procedures. And between 2006 and 2009, Guidant also gave Davis meals and other goodies, while he used almost exclusively the company’s pacemakers and defibrillators. And so in January, Davis was charged with a misdemeanor for accepting funds from an illegal source and he pleaded guilty to what amounted to accepting kickbacks (here is the plea). The inference is that the federal government has opened a new front on the war against undue influence by drug and devi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536450 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:54:43 +0100 4536450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429019&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-dietary-guidelines-offer-little-new-guidance%2F2011.02.02 There isn’t much new in the latest iteration of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” Three years in the making, the 2010 guidelines (released a tad late, on January 31, 2011) offer the usual advice about eating less of the bad stuff (salt; saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol; and refined grains) and more of the good stuff (fruits and vegetables; whole grains; seafood, beans, and other lean protein; and unsaturated fats). I’ve listed the 23 main recommendations below. You can also find them on the “Dietary Guidelines” website. The guidelines do break some new ground. They state loudly and clearly that overweight and obesity are a leading nutrition problem in the United States, and that a healthy diet can help people achieve a healthy weight. They also r... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429019 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:00:27 +0100 4429019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411725&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fm_6xhh7VWFQ%2F And so another week will soon draw to a close, which means the time has come to daydream, just a little, about the weekend. Anything special planned? We hope to catch up on our reading and spend time with Mrs. Pharmalot. And we also want to kvell since one of our short people is celebrating another milestone. How about you? Will you take in a movie? Find a good restaurant? Buy a new shovel, perhaps? Whatever your fancy, have a great time, and be safe. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits. See you soon… New Cypress Bioscience Owners Oust CEO (San Diego Union Tribune) Glaxo And Actelion End Development Of Insomnia Pill (Bloomberg News) Bayer And Zydus Cadila Form JV To Sell Drugs In India (Business Standard) Sanofi-Aventis Cancer Drug Has Little Effect In Study (Associated Press) Are Cipla... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411725 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:14:21 +0100 4411725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382762&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Frealistic-medicine-the-kind-of-thinking-to-look-for%2F2011.01.21 There are several stages in becoming an empowered, engaged, activated patient — a capable, responsible partner in getting good care for yourself, your family, whoever you’re caring for. One ingredient is to know what to expect, so you can tell when things seem right and when they don’t. Researching a project today, I came across an article* published in 2006: ”Key Learning from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s 10-Year Patient Safety Journey.” This table shows the attitude you’ll find in an organization that has realized the challenges of medicine and is dealing with them realistically: “Errors are everywhere.” “Great care in a high-risk environment.” What kind of attitude is that? It’s accurate. This work began after the death of Boston Globe healt... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382762 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:00:29 +0100 4382762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355705&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fguidant-boston-scientific-gets.html The latest in the parade of legal settlements by health care corporations involves a new wrinkle.  We have been writing about the case of Guidant Corporation's faulty implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) in 2005, almost since the start of the Health Care Renewal blog.  A quick summary, via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, is:In 2005 Minneapolis Heart Institute doctors Barry Maron and Robert Hauser went public with concerns about a Guidant defibrillator called the Ventak Prizm 2 after a 21-year-old patient died when his defibrillator short-circuited and failed to revive him after he went into sudden cardiac arrest.Guidant had known about the short-circuiting issue since 2002 and had made two attempts to fix the device, according to court documents. The company did not alert the ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355705 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:49:00 +0100 4355705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318400&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcares-increasing-presence-ces-harbinger-things-come To see the first products from the new GE-Intel collaborative at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show, you need to descend into the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, find the GE booth, and crane your neck around the corner from the home-scaled wind turbine. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318400 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:07:35 +0100 4318400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300511&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fvascular-surgeon-dr-jonathon-woodson-named-assistant-secretary-defense-health-affairs%2F Vascular surgeon Dr. Jonathon Woodson has been confirmed to occupy the top physician post in the Department of Defense. Dr. Woodson, who is also a Brigadier General in the US Army Reserves is an Associate Dean at Boston University School of Medicine. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300511 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:14:40 +0100 4300511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272361&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F19%2Fhelping-someone-with-borderline-personality-disorder%2F The following post is the Afterword of the newly released “Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder” by Valerie Porr. I have reprinted it here with permission of Oxford University Press. There are so many misconceptions about this disorder today. A friend of mine, recently diagnosed with BPD, has helped me to understand her illness. I hope this piece further educates people who attach stigma where there should be none. Research shows us that 70 percent of people with Borderline Personality Disorder drop out of treatment. According to John Gunderson, medical director of the Center for the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) at McLean Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, failure to involve the family as support for treatment of BPD makes patients’ involvemen... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272361 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:55:17 +0100 4272361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207289&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fshould-childrens-hospitals-do-social-media%2F2010.11.27 I [recently] participated in an interview for an upcoming publication. As the interview wound down, the dialog downshifted into small talk that included, among other things, hospital blogs. The interviewer (who had recently been exploring the blogging community) asked me what I thought about Thrive’s (Boston Children’s Hospital blog) recent birthday nod to Seattle Mama Doc (Seattle Children’s Hospital blog). More specifically, did I think it was unusual that one children’s hospital would congratulate a competing institution on its one-year anniversary? I thought the question was odd but it got me thinking: Do children’s hospitals compete in the social space? I don’t think so. They shouldn’t. And if they were competing, what would they be competing for? Children’s hospita... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207289 Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:00:30 +0100 4207289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190276&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmhealth-enterprise-set-explode The rapid adoption of smartphones and now touch-screen tablets (e.g., iPad) by clinicians will trigger enormous growth in the use of mHealth Apps within healthcare enterprises, with the market for mHealth in the enterprise projected to reach $1.7B by end of year 2014. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190276 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:09:48 +0100 4190276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175692&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-doctors-make-mistakes-about-humanness-and-perfection%2F2010.11.17 The best part of doctoring is its humanness. Machines can’t do it — not even Apple products. But that’s the worst part, too. Since humans practice medicine, there will be “medical errors.” And when doctors err, people — not spreadsheets or profits — are hurt. That’s the rub. Like any endeavor, the greater the reward the greater the risk.  Those cards were put on the table in medical school. “Don’t want mistakes? Don’t do anything. Don’t make any decisions. Don’t do any procedures. Then, there will be no errors,”  the grey-haired, Swiss-born cardiac surgeon counseled me many years ago after an imperfect ablation. The headline was about a doctor’s error. It was a doozy. But for me, the story belies t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175692 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4175692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133710&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Femapping-the-worlds-health%2F2010.11.04 We’ve written before about HealthMap, a project spearheaded by folks from Harvard, Children’s Hospital-Boston, and a few other institutions. At TEDMED 2010 we had a chance to interview John Brownstein, co-founder of the project, about what HealthMap is up to these days: Flashbacks: The Latest on HealthMap, an Online Disease-Mining System HEALTHmap Global Disease Tracker *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133710 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:00:56 +0100 4133710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125009&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-future-of-american-healthcare%2F2010.11.01 You want to see a doctor? You’re going to have to wait. And I don’t mean like an hour in the office. I mean like 53 days. It’s not some doomsday story from the future. It’s happening today here in Massachusetts. Massachusetts — the state whose 2006 law was the model for the federal healthcare reform law. Massachusetts — home to some of the world’s best medical centers and doctors. And, as the Boston Globe’s “White Coat Notes” blog reports, Massachusetts — home to doctor shortages and long waits to see a doctor: When primary care patients do secure an appointment for a non-urgent matter, they have to wait to get in the door, the survey found. The average delay is 29 days to see a family medicine doctor, down from 44 days last year, and 53 days ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125009 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:00:44 +0100 4125009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082087&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdollars-for-doctors-investigative-public-service-journalism%2F2010.10.19 An historic piece of journalism was published today. Six news organizations partnered on the “Dollars for Docs” project — ProPublica, NPR, PBS’s Nightly Business Report, the Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Consumer Reports. They examined $258 million in payments by seven drug companies in 2009 and 2010 to about 18,000 healthcare practitioners nationwide for speaking, consulting, and other tasks. This webpage can be your gateway to the project, with links to a database searchable by doctor’s name or by state, and links to the journalism partners’ efforts: Boston Globe “Prescription for Prestige” The Harvard brand, unrivaled in education, is also prized by the pharmaceutical industry as a powerful tool in promoting drugs. Its allure is evid... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082087 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:00:21 +0100 4082087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065614&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3ieT7tccico%2F No, AARP did not file a lawsuit. But the age-old advocacy group has signed on as co-counsel in an existing whistleblower lawsuit that was filed against Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific for allegedly off-label marketing of metal biliary stents. The suit was filed in 2006 by Kevin Colquitt, a former sales rep and manager for Guidant, which was bought by Abbott. In his suit, Colquitt charged the stents were incorrectly placed in older patients to treat vascular disease, but were not approved by the FDA for that purpose. The suit also contends the device makers made false statements to the FDA that the stents were intended for cancer patients with biliary blockages, and were marketed to docs as vascular stents, also without FDA approval (read the lawsuit here).... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065614 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:51:34 +0100 4065614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4027365&cid=t_97958_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F03%2Fnedpg-at-fnce-an-event-you-cant-miss%2F By Carlene Helble-Elite Nutrition Intern Dietetics practice groups are some of the best ways to expand your knowledge in your area of interest (as a student or a RD!).The Nutrition Entrepenuers dietetic practice group is hosting a great pre- FNCE  event in Boston this fall that you won’t want to miss. Saturday, November 6th from 6:30-9:30 you’ll meet other people who love nutrition by speed networking on Boston’s historic waterfront . With wine and food, it will be an informative and fun evening and kick off to FNCE. Register now to reserve your seat! Member Price: $45 Non-member Price: $55 (Source: Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog) Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4027365 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:48:05 +0100 4027365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003254&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Freal-time-drug-safety-reports%2F2010.09.27 Researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed an iPhone application that keeps you up-to-date with drug safety reports and allows you to submit any side effects directly to the FDA. The app, called MedWatcher can keep a list of medications for which you receive both official FDA alerts and news from other channels. Users can report side effects straight from the app and view other submitted reports. The researchers hope to lower the barrier to reporting side effects, increasing the participation in safety surveillance. Reports of serious adverse events are reviewed by members of the Children’s Computational Epidemiology Group and then submitted to the FDA. The app was developed using technology from the Outbreaks... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003254 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:00:14 +0100 4003254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998987&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdeceptive-health-websites-are-all-too-plentiful%2F2010.09.24 By Lisa Neal Gualtieri. (Her earlier much-commented post on this subject is here.) The Boston Globe reported this month on the sentencing of a former US Airways Express pilot, Stephen Sharp, “for selling a powdered drink mix over the Internet that he claimed was ‘100 percent’ effective in helping drug-using truck drivers, pilots, and train engineers pass federally mandated drug tests.” The ungrammatically-named “yourintheclear.com” no longer seems to exist. Mindful of ongoing debate by Gilles Frydman and others about indicators of health website credibility, I searched for other sites selling similar products (there is no shortage) and looked on sites like Craigslist where people post questions about how to pass drug tests and how to detoxify. Based on a quick perusal, I found ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998987 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:00:42 +0100 3998987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998988&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbrain-damage-behavior-and-football%2F2010.09.24 In psychiatry, we’ve had a hard time drawing precise links between brain pathology and psychiatric disorders. We can do it for groups of people: “Disease X” is associated with changes in brain structure of “Brain Area Y” or metabolic changes in “Brain Area Z.” But it’s groups, not individuals, and it’s an association, not a cause-and-effect, or a definite. We still can’t use this information for diagnosis, and there are still patients with any given psychiatric diagnoses who will have brains where “Area Y” is the same size as those without the disorder. We’re learning. From what I read in this New York Times article, Owen Thomas was a bright, talented young man with no history of psychiatric disorder and no histo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998988 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3998988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920839&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatient-safety-%25e2%2580%259care-you-safe%25e2%2580%259d-awareness-video%2F2010.08.31 Today [Aug 28] I’m participating in the workshop “Engaging Minority Communities in Safer Healthcare” organized by MITSS (Medically Induced Trauma Support Services), a Boston non-profit I’ve written about before. The current speaker is Lisa O’Connor, VP of Nursing at Boston Medical Center. She just showed this four-minute safety awareness video, produced by Quantros. Much of its content will be familiar to our readers here (the frequency of medical errors and hospital acquired infections), but I’m posting it because of its good, concrete, specific actions every patient should know. The part with specific actions for patients starts around 2:30. (My highlights are below.) (more…) *This blog post was originally published at e-Patients.net* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920839 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:00:51 +0100 3920839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3891642&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Forigin-word-anesthesia%2F The term “anesthesia” was coined in 1846 by physician and noted poet Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr. in a letter to William G. Morton, the dentist who is credited with the first written description of the use of ether in a medical procedure to relieve pain. Immodestly predicting that his new term would be spoken by every civilization countless times, Holmes chose the prefix “an” meaning without and root “aesthesia” which roughly means feeling. Holmes is also credited with coining the term “Boston Brahmin,” of which he was one. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3891642 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:34:17 +0100 3891642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3889149&cid=t_97958_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fwhat-to-do-if-you-feel-your-doctor-is.html The feeling of helplessness is never stronger than when you’re ill or incapacitated by disease –you are physically challenged and short of energy, not to mention the fact that you’re unable to go about your daily routine as usual. You depend on your doctor or healthcare practitioner to provide a solution, both temporary (to eliminate the symptoms) and permanent (to get you back to normal). However, if you feel your doctor is incompetent and less than efficient, the feeling of inadequacy is compounded a hundred times or more.Some doctors are incompetent because they may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol; others may just be preoccupied with their own problems instead of paying attention to you and your illness; and yet others are just not capable enough. If you feel your docto... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3889149 Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:47:00 +0100 3889149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3868700&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fboston-med-student-alleged-craigslist-killer-philip-markoff-dead-apparent-suicide%2F Boston University medical student Philip Markoff, arrested in the death of Julissa Brisman, was pronounced dead in his jail cell this morning around 10:30 am in a reported suicide action. Markoff, 22, was also suspected in the robbery of a Las Vegas woman. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3868700 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:50:58 +0100 3868700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3866941&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmeasles-virus-discoverer-dr-thomas-peebles-dies-age-89%2F Dr. Thomas Peebles, who first identified the virus that causes measles, has died at the age of 89. The discovery, while he was a young researcher at Childrens Hospital in Boston, allowed for the development of a later vaccine that greatly reduced the incidence and complications of the disease. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3866941 Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:58:01 +0100 3866941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3849072&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FP4GVSnD9MK0%2Fsocial-media-allows-providers-to-view.html The Boston Globe recently interviewed Dr. Tara Lagu about how doctors and healthcare providers feel about social media and healthcare. As expected, most are fearful of the online review systems and the negative reviews that could come from them. Dr. Lagu believes that patients look beyond one bad review and realize the external situations that come from negative reviews posted online.What's the next step for social media and healthcare? Reviews of hospitals online. This will allow consumers to become more involved in the healthcare process, letting know external experiences apart from the doctor that will help improve consumers overall experiences when visiting the doctor. (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3849072 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0100 3849072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816331&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Freport-shows-industrysponsored-medical-research-finds-surprise-positive-benefits%2F Dr. Kenneth Mandl and colleagues at Childrens Hospital in Boston have published a report in Annals of Internal Medicine showing that the overwhelming majority of industry-sponsored medical research finds results that would financially benefit the sponsoring industry. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816331 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:38:35 +0100 3816331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3808704&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F01%2Fdistraction-a-serious-problem-of-modern-life%2F Here is the irony in writing a piece about distraction. I told myself not to check my email until the column was done, but I did peak at my Facebook because I was awaiting a response. I saw that I had four new friend requests, so in the process of accepting them, I see that another blogger has referenced one of my posts in a recent blog, so I click over to her site. Oh, and did I mention that I have Mozart blasting away in my ears so that I can drown out the sound of the podcast the woman in front of me at the coffee shop is playing? I have always known that distraction is a problem for me. When I was a junior in high school, I was taken to a psychologist to be evaluated. He told my mother that my decoding skills (ability to decipher, decrypt, solve, translate) were some of the poorest he... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3808704 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:32:54 +0100 3808704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757939&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fcarlat-on-nprs-fresh-air.html For those who are interested in topics dwelt on in this blog and in my book Unhinged, please check out my interview on the NPR show Fresh Air, which was aired on Tuesday July 13, and is available on the NPR website here. Give it a listen. Hopefully I was fairly articulate, although it's hard to know when you are sitting alone in a studio with a giant microphone staring you in the face and an engineer cheering you on behind a window in the control room!I found the host, Dave Davies (who was filling in for Terry Gross), extremely informed and I am perpetually impressed by the quality of programming on NPR. Today I was on another NPR show called Radio Boston, hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti (listen to it here) and again was amazed at the production quality and the intelligence of the questioning... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757939 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:49:00 +0100 3757939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750060&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-problem-with-the-newly-launched-healthcaregov%2F2010.07.13 If a website touted misleading healthcare information, you’d hope the government would do something about it. But what do you do when the government is the one feeding the public bad information? Last week the Obama administration launched the new Healthcare.gov. It’s mostly an online insurance shopping website. It’s very much a federal government version of sites like eHealthInsurance.com or Massachsetts’ HealthConnector site, which have been around for years. So when HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in announcing the new site, claims it gives consumers “unprecedented transparency” into the healthcare marketplace, you should wonder what she means. But that’s not the big problem with this site. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at See First B... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750060 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:00:33 +0100 3750060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733154&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fstandards-naming-medical-devices Discussion of medical device issues has become part of the mainstream press such as last week's Boston Globe article about their security.   A year ago, I wrote about a breakthrough in medical device interoperability standards for content, vocabulary and transmission.   (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733154 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:15:23 +0100 3733154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718376&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcUEUruzNO4Q%2F By Michael F. CannonIn a recent post on how RomneyCare is increasing health insurance costs in Massachusetts (by encouraging healthy residents to purchase coverage only when they need medical care) and how ObamaCare will do the same, I linked to a Boston Globe article where an insurance-company spokeswoman made this odd claim: We believe…the gaming in the system…is adding as much as $300 million dollars to the health care system in Massachusetts. It’s hard to know what she meant. Taken literally, this claim is obviously untrue.  The gamers aren’t adding revenue to “the system” — they’re withholding revenue.  Nor are they adding costs, in the sense of additional medical spending.  If anything, overall spending falls because the gamers are less often in... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718376 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:59:49 +0100 3718376 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710824&cid=t_97958_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F29%2Ffruit2o-docks-at-boston-harborfest-to-get-pledges-for-healthy-living%2F Hey Beantown residents… Are you without plans for the fourth of July? Boston Harborfest (www.bostonharborfest.com) in the Boston, Massachusetts City Hall Plaza could be just what you’re looking for! Running from the 2nd of July to the 5th, the event is free with over 200 events and Fruit2o will be there too. Between historical reenactments, tours, concerts, and Chowderfest, stop by the Fruit2o booth to sample some of the new Fruit2o Essentials flavors and make a pledge to be healthier with “small changes”. You may have heard me talk about making small behavior changes before on my interview with Fox 5 in D.C. and other interviews throughout the summer in my work with Fruit 2o. A small change is the best jump start to living healthier. Small changes can be anything fro... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710824 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:48:48 +0100 3710824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706647&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Flarry-smith-of-smith-magazine-shares-more-feelings-about-wife-piper-kermans-prison-sentence-video-exclusive%2F Larry Smith of SMITH Magazine returns! Lately we’ve heard a lot from Piper Kerman, author of the new memoir, Orange Is the New Black, about her trials during her 13-month prison sentence and the challenges of re-entry into society after her release, but today we continue our video interrogation of Piper’s husband, Larry, about his side of the story. Check out the 2nd and 3rd installments of our exclusive video chat with Larry, below, where he ‘fesses up about how angry he was at Piper for the mistakes she made, and for hiding those mistakes from him during the beginning of their relationship. (To watch our first chat with Larry about surviving prison on the outside, click here.) At 34, Piper Kerman was sent to federal prison on a ten-year-old drug smuggling and mone... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706647 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:42:47 +0100 3706647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690781&cid=t_97958_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fdr-jonathon-daniel-boston-med%2F Thoracic surgeon Dr. Jonathon Daniel to appear on the next episode of Boston Med, a reality television program about life in three Boston Hospitals. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690781 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:50:59 +0100 3690781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687098&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-testing-doctors-and-x-ray-vision%2F2010.06.22 Boston Celtics basketball player Kendrick Perkins injured his knee during the NBA Finals against the Lakers when he landed awkwardly. Unable to weightbear, he left Game 6 not to return for the following pivotal Game 7. Based on his mechanism of injury and his physical examination, his trainer reported that he tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) as well as the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). More amazingly, this was done without the help of a MRI. Since Perkins was unable to play the final game, there was no urgent medical need to expedite the test, as regardless of the result his season was already done. How do doctors know what’s wrong without X-ray vision or an imaging test? (Note that Perkins did get a X-ray, but X-rays generally don’t show ligament injuries.) Is it... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687098 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:00:00 +0100 3687098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3666057&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fadoption-health-it Introducing change in health care is never easy. Historically, adopting our most fundamental medical technologies, from the stethoscope to the x-ray, were met with significant doubt and opposition. So it comes as no surprise that in the face of change as transformational as the adoption of health IT – even though it carries the promise of vastly improving the nation’s health care – some hospitals and providers push back. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3666057 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:18:03 +0100 3666057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3658933&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fexclusive-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-reads-a-prison-letter-to-her-then-fiance-on-video%2F Watch last week’s exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman, where she opens up about how she sustained her relationship with her then-boyfriend/fiance throughout her six-year pre-prison limbo period, and later during her actual 13-month incarceration. When Piper Kerman was 34, she was sent to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3658933 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:00:25 +0100 3658933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644743&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fkeeping-your-boyfriend-while-in-prison-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-opens-up%2F Watch the previous installment of our exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman, where she opens up about spending six years in limbo before she was locked up in prison. When Piper Kerman was 34, she was sent to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not too shabby for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the af... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644743 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:42:58 +0100 3644743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641142&cid=t_97958_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F3sblmEAdA8M%2F The Boston Globe has a good article/ book review on the latest quasi-luddite attack on the Internet (an attack in the name of brain science no less, and with cool brain scans). The book in question: “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.” The Internet ate my brain (Boston Globe) - Nicholas Carr says that our online lifestyle threatens to make us dumber. But resistance may not be futile The reporter, Wes Anderson, adds the proper perspective, in my view, by ending the article with: “Books and the Internet, literary culture and digital culture have coexisted for many years. It may be that an engaged intellectual life will now require a sort of hybrid existence — and a hybrid mind that can adapt and survive by the choices one makes. It may require a new ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641142 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:23:59 +0100 3641142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3635798&cid=t_97958_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHemodynamics%2F%7E3%2FjPE7flP8uu0%2Fwhy-i-walked.html I admit I only signed up for the AIDS Walk because L, the HIV social worker in my clinic, was the captain of the team and intercepted me on the way to the hospital cafeteria with her strategically placed table.And when I got to the walk this morning, many of our "Team Members" had evidently contented themselves with having raised a little bit or a lot of money--most didn't show up to our team meeting spot on the rainy morning of the actual walk. That's fine, really; our hospital employee team was a "Gold Team", and as a medicine resident from a rival hospital sheepishly noted, our hospital's team raised more money than that other bigger hospital's team did. Really, everyone who shows up and takes a tote bag and water and granola bars is probably just costing the AIDS Action Committee money... hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3635798 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:12:00 +0100 3635798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632247&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2F6-years-in-limbo-before-prison-exclusive-video-of-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black%2F Check out more of our exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman, where she talks about why she never sought therapy throughout her prison ordeal. When Piper Kerman was 34, she was sent to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not too shabby for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all asp... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632247 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:11:17 +0100 3632247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3625482&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ftm7cso7dmCk%2F By David BoazWhat is it with modern American liberals and taxes? Apparently they don’t just see taxes as a necessary evil, they actually like ‘em; they think, as Gail Collins puts it in the New York Times, that in a better world “little kids would dream of growing up to be really big taxpayers.” But you really see liberals’ taxophilia coming out when you read the reviews of the new movie Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe. If liberals don’t love taxes, they sure do hate tax protesters. Carlo Rotella, director of American Studies at Boston College, writes in the Boston Globe that this Robin Hood is “A big angry baby [who] fights back against taxes” and that the movie is “hamstrung by a shrill political agenda — endless fake-populist ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3625482 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:07:47 +0100 3625482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3621632&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fpiper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-on-therapy-after-prison-more-exclusive-video%2F Check out more of our exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman, where she talks about the surprising and unexpected friendships she developed while in prison. At age 34, Piper Kerman was sent to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspec... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3621632 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:00:47 +0100 3621632 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3603551&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Ffriendships-in-prison-more-exclusive-video-of-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black%2F See more of our exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman, where she talks about the guilt and shame that resulted from her prison ordeal. At age 34, Piper Kerman went to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspects of her time in the clink,... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3603551 Thu, 27 May 2010 14:00:02 +0100 3603551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3599345&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmore-exclusive-video-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-on-guilt-forgiveness-and-redemption%2F Check out more of our exclusive video chat with Piper Kerman here, where she talks about staying fit behind bars. At age 34, Piper Kerman went to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspects of her time in the clink, from skincare in prison... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3599345 Tue, 25 May 2010 17:32:40 +0100 3599345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592188&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fyoga-and-fitness-behind-bars-personal-insights-from-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-%25e2%2580%2593-video-exclusive%2F Find more of our exclusive video conversation with Piper Kerman here. At age 34, Piper Kerman went to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspects of her time in the clink, from prison beauty products, physical activity, and friendships to the tor... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592188 Mon, 24 May 2010 15:21:34 +0100 3592188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592209&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatient-tests-ehrs-and-medical-homes-the-price-isnt-right%2F2010.05.24 Healthcare reform is forcing medical students to learn about the financial costs of the tests they order, as well as their clinical importance. Once a taboo topic, it’s being openly taught to students to prepare them for practice. At Harvard, one physician in training duplicated television’s “The Price is Right” to keep his peers guessing at the costs of tests on a patient’s bill. Molly Cooke, FACP, a Regent of the College, encourages doctors to consider the value of the tests they order as they deliver care. (Kaiser Health News, New England Journal of Medicine) The price isn’t right for electronic medical records. Even $44,000 in stimulus money isn’t enough to make doctors jump into using computers. (more…) *This blog post was origin... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592209 Mon, 24 May 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3592209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3588855&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fvideo-exclusive-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black-talks-to-us-about-food-and-nutrition-in-prison%2F Check out our previous video conversation with Piper here. At age 34, Piper Kerman went to federal prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir about her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspects of her time locked up, from prison beauty products, fitness routines, and friendships to the torturous six years... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3588855 Fri, 21 May 2010 19:32:35 +0100 3588855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556069&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUlleBYNc0wc%2F By Mark MollerKagan gets an endorsement from superstar conservative appellate litigator and Bush II appellate nominee (also my old boss) Miguel Estrada here (see last paragraph). Plus, Stuart Taylor says Kagan’s nomination could mean a more conservative Court: Commentators on the left . . . complain that Kagan never compiled much of a record of aggressively championing liberal causes during her years as a law professor. Some say she was too friendly as dean of Harvard Law School to conservatives and did not recruit as many women and minorities for the faculty as diversitycrats desired. Speaking as a moderate independent, I like everything about Kagan that the left dislikes. To borrow from my friend Harvey Silverglate, a leading Boston lawyer who champions both civil liberties and a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556069 Wed, 12 May 2010 14:35:35 +0100 3556069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552244&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fan-artificial-pancreas-for-type-1-diabetes%2F2010.05.11 Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University have reported that an “artificial pancreas” has worked in 11 patients enrolled in a study sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The device consists of insulin pumps, glucose sensors, and a laptop with regulatory software. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552244 Tue, 11 May 2010 12:00:01 +0100 3552244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3546848&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fabout-the-childrens-medication-recall%2F2010.05.08 The [recent] massive recall of some of the most popular [children's] medications is unsettling, disturbing and concerning. Thankfully it was done as a precautionary move before any child was harmed and that there’s a sufficient supply of generic alternatives of the medications recalled. Still, having 40 popular medications recalled by one of today’s most trusted pharmaceutical manufacturers rocks our confidence in the safeguards in place at the core. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Gwenn Is In* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3546848 Sat, 08 May 2010 18:00:02 +0100 3546848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3546849&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fkilling-lice-a-growing-healthcare-field-at-500-a-head%2F2010.05.08 What’s one of the fastest growing healthcare fields? A professional nitpicker — as in the profession of picking lice out of hair. In a recent New York Times story, it’s becoming apparent that parents will do anything to get rid of lice. Part of it is the stigma associated with it, part of it is the “ickiness” factor. As a parent myself, I certainly understand the sentiment. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3546849 Sat, 08 May 2010 17:50:23 +0100 3546849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526741&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgo-to-a-famous-hospital-get-better-care%2F2010.05.03 Hospital rankings matter. Specifically, those published in the U.S. News & World Report carry additional weight. Hospitals use these numbers in advertising campaigns, and patients often choose hospitals based on these rankings. But does a high place really mean you’re getting better care? Not necessarily. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526741 Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:24 +0100 3526741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515296&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fjudge-rejects-prosecutors-lenient.html We just discussed the proposed settlement of a case in which the Guidant subsidiary of Boston Scientific was alleged to have withheld information about defects in its implantable cardiac defibrillators that were associated with six patient deaths (see next most recent post here with more complete summary).  The devices were manufactured in 2000-02, and the issue first became public in 2005.  The proposed settlement included a seemingly large fine for the company.  Now the New York Times has reported that the presiding judge has rejected the settlement as too lenient.A federal judge in Minnesota on Tuesday rejected a plea agreement between the federal government and the Guidant Corporation, saying that the deal did not hold the company sufficiently accountable for an epi... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515296 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:09:00 +0100 3515296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3501493&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fexplaining-health-care-executives.html On Health Care Renewal, we noted many legal settlements and criminal convictions in cases alleging unethical behavior by health care organizations.  Some organizations have settled, and/or pleaded guilty, and/or been convicted numerous times.  And we have said repeatedly, (e.g., here) such legal actions will not deter unethical behavior by health care organizations until the people who authorize, direct or implement bad behavior fear some meaningfully negative consequences. Relatively small fines imposed on large corporations pain workers on the line and stockholders while sparing the richly paid top hired management and the boards that will not reign them in. A recent article in the New York Times about a plea agreement in a case in which the Guidant subsidiary of Bost... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3501493 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:03:00 +0100 3501493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3479810&cid=t_97958_129_f&fid=36191&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritisblog.org%2Fentry%2Farthritis-friendly-home-accommodations%2F Arthritis is a medical term used to describe a group of disorders that affect the joints and muscles in the human body. There are more than a hundred different forms of arthritis, each affecting one or more parts of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the most common types of this disease. Areas such as hands, elbows, feet, spine and knees fall prey to arthritis. What are the symptoms of arthritis? Inflammation, pain in joints, and inability to freely move the joints, are some of the most common symptoms of arthritis. Other (less common) symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, painful swelling and inflammation, fever and anemia. Joint arthritis damages the cartilage, which is a fluid-like substance that holds a lubricant to facilitate movement. Being a form of c... Arthritis Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3479810 Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:43:35 +0100 3479810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3448806&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fwhat-me-worry-leaders-prosper-despite.html There were two examples in the recent news about how the leaders of health care organizations seem to prosper no matter what questions are raised about their organizations' ethics or performance.WellPointIt seemed that anger over a rate increase by a subsidiary of the huge insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint was one reason for the revival of efforts in the US to enact some sort of health care reform legislation.  In our comment on this controversy, we noted that questions about the ethics of WellPoint's actions have appeared again and again.  Wellpoint...settled a RICO (racketeer influenced corrupt organization) law-suit in California over its alleged systematic attempts to withhold payments from physicians (see post here).subsidiary New York Empire Blue Cross ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3448806 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:19:00 +0100 3448806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3443645&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fwho-guards-guardians-case-of-boston.html The fallout from the case of the faulty implantable cardiac defibrillators continues.  To summarize the story thus far,We started posting about Boston Scientific's travails in 2005, starting with allegations that Guidant, which is now a Boston Scientific subsidiary, hid information about defects in the implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) the company manufactured. As we noted in early 2005 here, Guidant executives allegedly knew that ICDs made from 2000-2002 were at risk for short-circuiting and failing, thus making them unable to deliver potentially life saving electrical shocks meant to prevent cardiac arrests, but the company only revealed the problem in 2005. By failing to notify physicians and the public, Guidant executives let expensive and profitable, but po... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3443645 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:28:00 +0100 3443645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3440901&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Froi-studies-will-drive-greater-ehr-adoption Many providers have noted in various surveys and many speakers at conferences have said the federal incentives will not drive EHR adoption because there is no business case to implement EHRs. Now is the time for health-system pioneers of EHRs to analyze their data and highlight where EHRs have contributed to increases in patient safety and quality of care and decreases in cost. Third-party entities need to validate the results. Then, the results need to be broadcast as widely as possible. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3440901 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:49:31 +0100 3440901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432952&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Ftrickle-down-deception-restaurants-and.html Yesterday I debated Steve DiFillippo, owner of Davio's and Avila's restaurants, on the WGBH program Greater Boston, hosted by Emily Rooney. The topic? The effect of the Massachusetts Gift Ban law on area restaurants.On one level, it was a friendly debate on the economic impact of the law on those restaurants that depend on drug company sponsored dinners for a chunk of their income. You can watch the debate here. Please don't comment on my bad hair day.But on another level, this is a larger and more worrisome issue, which is the trickle-down effect of deceptive marketing practices on the economy, such that very good people unwittingly help to perpetrate deceptive marketing practices.When you do these news shows you arrive a half hour early and are greeted by the producer, who brings you to ... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432952 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:12:00 +0100 3432952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432855&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fread-it-like-a-man-books-for-guys-that-women-should-borrow%2F photo: Thinkstock Chapter One: Baseball Opening Day for Major League Baseball is April 5, which dovetails nicely with the beginning of this series. It’s also a good starting point because baseball has always induced the nostalgic sandlot memory-lane-strolls of aging white men like Doris Kearns Goodwin. And the season goes on for-freaking-ever, so you can knock all three books out of the park by the All-Star break (July). The Natural by Bernard Malamud The Stats: For all the ink spilled about America’s “national pastime” (the one the NFL usurped about 30 years ago), there are very few great baseball novels. The Natural is one of them. You’ve seen the movie; you know the story. A 19-year-old prodigy, Roy Hobbs, gets shot by a mystery woman, drops out of sight, then magically reappe... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432855 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:47:39 +0100 3432855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3429131&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fnew-investigations-of-boston-scientific.html It appears that device-maker Boston Scientific has a new set of troubles.  The Boston Globe just reported:Stepped-up government scrutiny of Boston Scientific Corp. stems from heightened concern over medical safety and disappointment that the company made new missteps after resolving previous problems with the Food and Drug Administration, analysts said yesterday.The Natick medical-device maker, which has been working to settle patent suits and federal investigations dating back years, recently was notified of fresh investigations begun by the Department of Justice and the Securities Exchange Commission into problems that forced it to recall implantable heart defibrillators this month.Boston Scientific said March 15 that it had halted shipments and recalled unsold units of seven brands... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3429131 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:39:00 +0100 3429131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408335&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fmom-say-hello-to-my-shrink%2F What did we ever do without cell phones? They offer a welcome escape from awkward situations (run into ex, pretend to talk on cell) and boring meetings (thank you, texting), as well a dysfunctional addition to the bedroom. People openly (and annoyingly) text during movies and check Twitter during dinner dates. But there are a few sacred spaces left where cell phone use is verboten, including banks, wedding ceremonies, and your doctor’s office. Often, medical receptionists quickly reprimand patients who forget to silence their phones in the doctor’s waiting room. But not at the office of Dr. Barbara Schildkrout, a Boston-based psychiatrist. In her latest New York Times article this week, “In Therapy, Cell Phones Ring True,” she embraces the typically banished electronic device. ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408335 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:16:34 +0100 3408335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370373&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fblisstree-video-of-the-day-julianne-moore-%25e2%2580%2593-slut-or-baby%2F On last night’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”, Julianne Moore played charades and discussed her Baah-ston accent (which she also showed off in a recent guest turn on “30 Rock”), while promoting her latest film “Chloe”. Check out the clip below to hear about her college days in Beantown, and find out what her nickname “hoodsie” means: Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370373 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:05:16 +0100 3370373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366223&cid=t_97958_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fboston-scientific-issues-new-icd.html Despite the excitement of the American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta, Boston Scientific issued a self-reported advisory about all of their high-voltage defibrillators (pacers are not affected) stopping sales until "administrative issues" regarding a change in manufacturing processes and changes of their IS-4 lead connector. This advisory does NOT affect existing implanted devices, but rather halts the sales of further devices:The Company has determined that some manufacturing process changes were not submitted for approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At this time, the company has identified two instances of changes that, while successfully validated, were not submitted to the FDA. Boston Scientific has informed the FDA and plans to work closely with the agenc... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366223 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:44:00 +0100 3366223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342634&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FijFhKx1eGoM%2F By Neal McCluskeyAfter months of delay, the Common Core State Standards Initiative will soon release draft, grade-by-grade, national curricular standards. According to the CCSSI website, the draft standards will be out this month. Why the wait? The drafting process has been pretty opaque so outside observers can’t know for certain, but the scuttlebutt is that drafters just haven’t been able to agree on what the standards should contain. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. As Boston Globe columnist Jaff Jacoby explains in a terrific new piece — which draws on my new national-standards analysis — getting very diverse people to agree on a single standard is extremely difficult, especially if the standard is going to be something other than lowest-common-d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342634 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:01:53 +0100 3342634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3314657&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F27%2Fthe-mother-of-mindfulness-ellen-langer%2F Ellen Langer, a professor at Harvard, is also the mother of the psychological concept of mindfulness. There was a great profile last Sunday of her work in the Boston Globe Magazine. The article describes how, as a doctoral student, she was intrigued by how people reacted when a poker hand was misdealt: One round, the dealer accidentally skipped someone. “Everyone went crazy,” Langer recalls. It was out of the question, she learned, to simply give the skipped person the next card and proceed with the deal. She began to wonder why people were so attached to “their” cards even when they had no idea whether they were good or bad.[...] [She also] ran a study in which she set up a lottery and varied the terms by which people got their tickets. She found that subjects valued their tickets... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3314657 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:51:06 +0100 3314657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3279960&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbOOWjQtMbTI%2F By Daniel J. MitchellBarack Obama wants higher tax rates on the so-called rich, including steeper levies on income, capital gains, dividends, and even death. Along with other politicians in Washington, he acts as if successful taxpayers are like sheep meekly awaiting slaughter. I’ve explained in this video why class-warfare tax policies are misguided, and a new study from Boston College provides additional evidence about the consequences of hate-and-envy tax policy. The research reveals that high tax rates in New Jersey have helped cause wealthy people to leave the state, leading to a net wealth reduction of $70 billion between 2004 and 2008. Wealth and income are different, of course, so it is worth pointing out that another study from 2007 estimated that the state lost $8 billion o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3279960 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:38:36 +0100 3279960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262893&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FFfh_D5Um-94%2F Hello, everyone. For those of you digging out today, we understand. The Pharmalot corporate campus is snowed under and the short people are celebrating another day of freedom from the schoolhouse. Most of us, though, are wending our way toward the usual routine, even if we must tunnel our way there. So here are few items to help us all get oriented. Dig in, after you dig out… Pfizer Talks With Ad Agencies About New ED Drug (CampaignLive) Boston Scientific To Cut 1,000 Jobs (Reuters) Genzyme, Isis Cholesterol Drug Meets Goal (Associated Press) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262893 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:31:21 +0100 3262893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254668&cid=t_97958_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F08%2Fidentifying-overcoming-taxane-drug-resistance%2F Proteomics study reveals a protein that, when suppressed, makes cancers more susceptible to chemotherapy involving taxane drugs. Taxanes, a group of cancer drugs that includes paclitaxel (Taxol®) and docetaxel (Taxotere®), have become front-line therapy for a variety of metastatic cancers. But as with many chemotherapy agents, resistance can develop, a frequent problem in breast, ovarian, prostate [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254668 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:18:24 +0100 3254668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204934&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Fshould-you-lock-up-your-sweets%2F I read a most strange article this morning in my copy of The Boston Globe Magazine by Virginia A. Smith. The author talks about the fact that she and her spouse have a padlocked drawer in their kitchen in which they keep all of their sweets: The lockbox is a large drawer with a padlock worthy of Gitmo in which I store anything loaded with sugar and fat — cookies, chocolate chips, Tostitos, marshmallows, frosting — all stuff I don’t mind my kids having in small quantities. But to John, my middle child, there’s no such thing as moderation. He has never met a grain of sugar, a gram of fat, or a chip of chocolate that he hasn’t wanted to consume immediately. His two sisters keep reasonable control over their food-related cravings. My spouse, Kathy, cannot control herself in ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204934 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:00:32 +0100 3204934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3167236&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmeaningful-use-ehrs-are-hospitals-ready Ever since the release of the proposed final definition of Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records, as well as specifications for what constitutes a Certified EHR, we have been blogging about how this impacts physician practices who are interested in qualifying for incentive payments beginning in 2011. Our focus has been on ambulatory practices, and EHR systems geared toward them. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3167236 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:54:24 +0100 3167236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139111&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fachieving-meaningful-use Now that the Interim Final Rule (Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology) and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Medicare and Medicaid Programs Electronic Health Record Incentive Program) have been published, we can all finalize our policy and technology strategies for achieving Certification and Meaningful Use in our organizations and communities (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139111 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:10:46 +0100 3139111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133672&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2009-review-part-2 As I've said in my blog about "The Number 5" I tend to organize my life and my projects in groups of 5. My 2009 Review has five segments - Harvard Medical School, State projects, and Federal projects which I presented yesterday plus Beth Israel Deaconess and my personal life which I'll present today. BIDMC Beth Israel Deaconess had a turbocharged 2009 which included a new alliance with Atrius Health, numerous new applications, and significant infrastructure improvements. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133672 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:03:11 +0100 3133672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3120412&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fboston-scientific-again-settles-this.html One would think that the stories about bad behavior by health care organizations would quiet down just before Christmas, but no...As reported by the AP:U.S. attorneys in Boston said Wednesday heart device maker Boston Scientific will pay $22 million to resolve allegations its Guidant division paid kickbacks to doctors to get them to use its heart devices.The U.S. Department of Justice said Guidant paid physicians $1,000 to $1,500 each in 2003 and 2004 to participate in four studies, called RaCE, RaCE II, RaCE III, and MERITS. It said the studies were designed to increase sales of pacemakers and defibrillators.Federal officials said the company targeted doctors who favored products made by other companies, hoping the payments would induce them to use Guidant devices more often. They said Gu... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3120412 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:49:00 +0100 3120412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084865&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fbidmc-progress-report-interoperability Like many complex healthcare systems, BIDMC does not have a one size fits all solution for ambulatory records. Although we favor integrated systems, we need to achieve interoperability via interfaces between two EHRs - a home built web-based product called webOMR and a commercial hosted version of eClinicalWorks. Prioritizing our interoperability efforts to improve clinician workflow, enhance the quality of care delivered, and adhere to multiple federal and state initiatives requires extensive planning with many stakeholders. Here is our vision: (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084865 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:17:58 +0100 3084865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189212&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F3856997%2F10l7iq%2Fneuromarketing%7ETradeOff-by-Kevin-Maney.htm Marketable business ideas often have two key characteristics: simplicity, and a way of categorizing products, brands, or companies. The Boston Matrix, for example, launched armies of strategy consultants who neatly fit businesses into buckets labeled, "cash cow," "star," "dog," etc. Kevin Maney's book Trade-Off has those characteristics as well. CommentsComments (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189212 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:37:55 +0100 3189212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3059738&cid=t_97958_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fboston-scientific-issues-soft.html Boston Scientific recently issued a new device advisory for their current line of Teligen ICD and Cognis CRT-D automatic defibrillator devices. The advisory affects only those devices that are implanted beneath the breast muscle (subpectorally) on the chest wall. It seems two (2) devices implanted (of 77,000 total devices implanted worldwide) in this location experienced weakening of a header bond caused by significant forces applied to the header by the pectoralis muscle to the rib. This resulted in altered lead impedances and the introduction of noise to the defibrillator sensing lead that might inhibit pacing or result in inappropriate tachycardia therapies (shocks). The submuscular implantation location is an uncommon location to implant the devices. It is estimated that only 5% (3850)... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3059738 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:44:00 +0100 3059738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044849&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fevidence-hit In February 2009, President Obama and the Congress launched a vast, ambitious program to improve the health of Americans, and the performance of their health system, by building a nationwide, interoperable, private and secure, electronic health information system.  This vision – of health care empowered by a modern information system, serving each and every American according to their needs and preferences – reflects decades of study and thinking by health care experts, health professionals, and average citizens.  Typical of the consensus underlying the nation’s (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044849 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:16:09 +0100 3044849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044850&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsmartphone-adoption-trend-draws-mobile-app-content-developers With a recent Manhattan Research report claiming 81 percent of physicians will own smartphones by 2012, the race is on to develop mobile applications and customized content aimed at physicians and allied health professionals. Most recently, two companies with a track record for providing and distributing medical content have teamed up to produce new health-based apps. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044850 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:14:14 +0100 3044850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984754&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fboston-scientific-to-plead-guilty-of.html In the early days of Health Care Renewal (2005-2006) we posted several times about allegations that Guidant hid information about defects in the implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) the company manufactured.  As we noted in early 2005 here, Guidant executives allegedly knew that ICDs made from 2000-2002 were at risk for short-circuiting and failing, thus making them unable to deliver potentially life saving electrical shocks meant to prevent cardiac arrests, but the company only revealed the problem in 2005.  By failing to notify physicians and the public, Guidant executives let expensive and profitable, but potentially useless devices to continue to be implanted, potentially increasing the risk of sudden death for the patients who received them.  Then here we note... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984754 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:23:00 +0100 2984754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977574&cid=t_97958_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fn9EXinVDdso%2F There are five of them - Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University - will release a pledge to encourage companies to give poor countries better access to drugs and medical products based on discoveries made on their campuses, Bloomberg News reports. Their promise is supposed to guide how drugs developed by scientists at their universities are licensed to companies, a Harvard spokesman tells Bloomberg, adding that the schools signed their pledge after campus student groups pushed for policies to make new drugs available at low cost to poor patients. The statement commits the schools to make “vigorous efforts” to promote global access to drugs through licensing strategies, Bloomberg writes. For example, the schools will w... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977574 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:42:32 +0100 2977574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934768&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F27%2Fpatient-stabs-doctor-shot-dead-at-bipolar-clinic%2F A patient being seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Bipolar Clinic and Research Program attacked his physician today, stabbing her with a knife during a treatment session according to Boston Police. The incident occurred in an office building nearby the main Mass. General building, where the hospital leases space for the Bipolar Clinic: After at least one gunshot echoed on the fifth floor, two nurses from [a neighboring] office went to treat the patient, who had apparently been shot in the head by the security guard [...] “During the course of the stabbing incident, an off-duty security officer who was armed interceded,” [Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis] said. “He produced a weapon and ordered the suspect to drop the knife. When the suspect did not co... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934768 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:38:36 +0100 2934768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2924735&cid=t_97958_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fceltics-getting-sleep-for-nba-season.html Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is looking for any advantage that will help his team return to the NBA Finals this year. After winning the 2008 NBA Title, the Celtics were ousted from the 2009 playoffs by the Orlando Magic.This season the Celtics get All-Star forward Kevin Garnett back from a knee injury. They’re also getting more sleep.The team is being advised by Harvard sleep researcher Dr. Charles Czeisler. As a result they’re practicing at noon instead of early in the morning. And they’re no longer holding morning shootarounds on game days.“I think they’re fresh,” Rivers told the Boston Globe. “I think we’ve had better practices.”The goal is to help the players avoid the sleep deprivation that is rampant in the NBA. The 82-game regular season can be a brutal gri... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2924735 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:36:00 +0100 2924735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2908720&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwanted-quickstart-guide-personal-health-platform This has been a year that I will not be sad when it is laid to rest. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2908720 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:48:18 +0100 2908720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2899040&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fehrs-and-domestic-abuse In a recent survey, health care executives predicted that the secondary use of data which is captured during the care process will soon prove useful in improving the quality of care and public health, reducing costs, and getting drugs to market faster. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2899040 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:01:49 +0100 2899040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2899142&cid=t_97958_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fautism-speaks-protest-boston-ma%2F Autistic people are planning to protest a fund raising walk held by Autism Speaks in Boston, MA this Sunday, October 18th.  Autistic people are getting quite upset with Autism Speaks, and there very bad behavior.  Recently Autism Speaks recently degraded autistic people in a video to solicit funds for their organization.  In the past they [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2899142 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:04:03 +0100 2899142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886493&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F13%2F10-more-ways-to-make-friends%2F Earlier this year, World of Psychology contributor Therese Borchard wrote a popular entry entitled, “10 Ways to Make Friends.” Inspired by her advice and based upon my own experiences throughout life, I present to you another 10 ways to make friends in your life. No matter what method you try, making new friends requires something I can’t give you in this article — courage. It takes courage to go out and actually take a leap of faith by introducing yourself to someone new and taking a chance you may be rejected. That’s why smaller groups are almost always easier — you can figure out who might make a good friend in such group situations. 1. Join a local Meetup (or start your own). Meetup is a website that seems like it’s been around forever (but has... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886493 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:05:56 +0100 2886493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855658&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fboston-globe-lets-ban-hired-guns.html Yesterday, the Boston Globe published an excellent editorial entitled: “Keep doctors independent; ban fees from drug makers.” Responding to revelations that Eli Lilly paid out $22 million in fees for promotional talks to doctors over the first 3 months of 2009, the Globe believes that “legislators should go beyond requiring disclosure of the relationships, and ban the practice.” The piece soundly concludes that: "Patients trust doctors as stewards of their health. They revere them as scientists who can exercise sound, independent judgment. Allowing doctors to promote drugs for pharmaceutical companies takes advantage of that trust and reverence. It also compromises doctors’ most important work: treating people who are ill." I agree that doctors should cease speaking for drug c... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855658 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:32:00 +0100 2855658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842600&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fethics-of-speakers-bureaus-under.html Eli Lilly's publication of a registry revealing all payments to doctors has opened up an overdue conversation. Is it ethical for a doctor to become a member of a drug company speaker's bureau? Or is it inherently deceptive for a doctor to pose as being an independent source of information while at the same time being under contract to speak for specific drugs?In today's Boston Globe, Liz Kowalczyk does some investigative reporting based on information gleaned from the Lilly Registry. She found that two physicians at Boston Medical Center (BMC), neurologist Brian McGeeney, and endocrinologist Elliot Sternthal, were each paid thousands of dollars by Lilly during the first three months of 2009 to give education talks to other physicians. But according to Kowalczyk, for the past two years BMC ... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842600 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:51:00 +0100 2842600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820174&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fsafety-net-medical-center-ceo-gets.html From theBostonChannel.com comes this story on executive compensation in a not-for-profit health care organization,Boston Medical Center – a financially troubled hospital – gave its outgoing CEO a one-time, nearly $3.5 million payment, in addition to her $1.3 million annual salary, Team 5 Investigates reported Friday.Elaine Ullian, 61, has led the city’s major 'safety net' hospital for the last 15 years. She recently announced she will retire when her contract expires in January.The hospital's financial situation is such that hospital leaders say it could face closure in the years ahead. It is currently suing the Executive Office of Health and Human Services over how it gets paid for treating poor and uninsured patients.Team 5 Investigates discovered, in a review of the hospital’s f... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820174 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:16:00 +0100 2820174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814482&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F21%2Fhow-facebook-social-networks-leak-your-privacy%2F An article in the Boston Globe yesterday demonstrated how social networks like Facebook can “leak” privacy. Devising a simple algorithm, two MIT students came up with a method for analyzing a person’s network on the social networking website Facebook. They discovered that they could fairly reliably determine whether a man was gay or not by the friends he kept, regardless of whether he identified his sexual orientation on Facebook: Using data from the social network Facebook, they made a striking discovery: just by looking at a person’s online friends, they could predict whether the person was gay. They did this with a software program that looked at the gender and sexuality of a person’s friends and, using statistical analysis, made a prediction. The two students had... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814482 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:12:33 +0100 2814482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814524&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-providers-should-consider-regarding-phrs On Friday last week, Chilmark Research participated in the session, “PHRs and EHRs, Should They Be Linked?” as part of the Health IT Stimulus Summit that was put on by Health Data Management.  With meaningful use criteria that was approved on July 16th clearly stating that providers are to provide a PHR to their customers by 2013, we thought this question to be nonsensical.  Of course PHRs and EHRs are to be linked, how else might a provider offer a PHR to their customers?  By the way, o (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814524 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:34:25 +0100 2814524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800468&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F16%2Fhave-we-become-a-nation-of-narcissists%2F What do rapper Kanye West, tennis star Serena Williams, and Congressman Joe Wilson have in common, besides lots of publicity over their recent public outbursts? It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to conclude that all three individuals placed their momentary emotional needs over the feelings and wishes of others — and that they failed to play by the proverbial rules of the game. Though their intrusive behavior may be rationalized as “off the cuff” or “from the heart,” the fact remains that each of these individuals performed a calculation over a period of seconds, minutes, or perhaps hours: they calculated that their anger or resentment was more important than the decorum others expected of them. Sure, we all “lose it” from time to time, and impolite outbursts have pro... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800468 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:27:01 +0100 2800468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796464&cid=t_97958_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fboston-scientifics-ultra-soft-device.html How do you notify people gently about a device alert that doesn't involve an implanted device, but rather a monitoring device developed for the implanted device? Where does a sophisticated implanted defibrillator device end: with the part that's implanted inside a patient or does it include the peripherals that monitor the implanted device, too?These are the issues that have surfaced with a very recent medical device advisory issued by Boston Scientific on 9 September 2009 in a "Dear Doctor" letter (pdf) I managed to find on their website, and was brought to my attention by an anonymous commenter on this blog:BackgroundBoston Scientific defibrillators include a Daily Measurements feature that conducts several diagnostic tests on a daily basis to monitor the implanted defibrillator and lead... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796464 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:11:00 +0100 2796464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2716129&cid=t_97958_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Faugust-ms-recipe-for-success-the-boston-cooler%2F Between a stressful schedule, multiple sclerosis flare/MS progression and a second Seattle heat wave, I need a drink! We’ve been taking a post each month to proffer a recipe each month and this monthly recipe calls for a cool and refreshing drink from my youth; a drink, a non-alcoholic drink that is unusually enough for me. I’m not much of a soda/pop/Coke/soft drink/call-it-what-you-will drinker.  In fact, with the exception of the occasional soda at a movie theater (something about Dr Pepper and popped corn just go together for me) the only soda I seem to drink is ginger ale in my bourbon (but only in months with an “R”). A few stray tins of Vernors in my bar have brought this drink back to my memory and it’s crisp, refreshing bite has transported me back to my youth. One of my... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2716129 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:00:01 +0100 2716129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712077&cid=t_97958_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfdCvXr5ynvE%2F Recent editorials in both the Boston Globe and The New York Times contained some staggering falsehoods about the cost of Massachusetts’ health reforms.  Here is a poor, unsuccessful letter I sent to the editor of the Globe: The editorial “Mass. bashers take note: Health reform is working” [Aug. 5] states that “the cost to the state taxpayer” of the Massachusetts health reforms is “about $88 million a year.”  That claim is unquestionably false.  The cost to state taxpayers is 19 times that amount, while the total cost is 24 times that amount. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation explains that the $88-million figure represents not the total cost to the state government, but the average annual increase in the state government’s costs.  Worse, the editorial completely... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712077 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:37:16 +0100 2712077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2725009&cid=t_97958_117_f&fid=38856&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timemastermd.com%2F%3Fp%3D400 Smoking – Glamorous?  Don’t think so.  Doctors have long since known that smoking was bad, leading to heart disease, and cancer.  But what is shocking is that women appear to be more vulnerable than men to the cancer-causing effects of smoking tobacco.  Low tar, low nicotine, or filtered products makes no difference either.   Swiss scientists found women tended to be younger when they developed the cancer, despite having smoked on average significantly less than men.  Of course, we know that pregnant women deliver smaller, more sickly babies when they smoke during gestation, but it goes much farther than that. Models who smoke to keep thin, won’t have to worry that much as they won’t be modeling long. “Our findings suggest that women may have an incr... Timemaster MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2725009 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:30:07 +0100 2725009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2637861&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F24%2Ffriday-flashback-for-july-24-2009%2F While visiting family over the weekend, I thought you might enjoy these classic entries from our past. 10 Years Ago on Psych Central When Tragedy Provides My essay about the Columbine tragedy, which also just celebrated its 10 year anniversary a few months ago. Tragedy reminds us that we’re human and gives us a chance to reconnect with one another. But nothing can make sense of tragedies such as Columbine. 5 Years Ago on Psych Central Drug Maker Acknowledges Misleading Claims In case you thought that some pharmaceutical companies’ recent problems with telling the whole truth about their drugs is something new, I noted 5 years ago when Janssen admitted that it minimized some of the potential side effects of its drug, Risperdal. According to the story, “the FDA determine... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2637861 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:06:10 +0100 2637861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626084&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F21%2Fhospitals-full-up-state-suggests-we-cut-beds%2F Tough economic times affect everyone. Even, apparently, the ability to look at data in a rational and logical manner. When your data tell you that your psychiatric hospital bed capacity is hovering around 97 percent, many people would consider that a sign that perhaps more psychiatric hospital beds are needed. But in Massachusetts, apparently the reverse is true — at least, that is, when you start looking at ways to cut the budget. The Boston Globe has the story: A state commission has proposed speeding up the closure of Westborough State Hospital and a slate of other measures that would cut about 120 psychiatric beds at a time when the mental health system is already under significant strain. The proposal is in response to a $13 million budget deficit at the state Department of Men... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626084 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:13:19 +0100 2626084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511373&cid=t_97958_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fchip-chimes-let%25E2%2580%2599s-build-iphone-platform-hit Just received an email this afternoon from Children’s Health Informatics Progam (CHIP) here in Boston announcing the release of a workshop derived document: Ten Principles for Fostering Development of an “iPhone-like” Platform for Healthcare Information Technology. Not sure if release was serendepidous or not but timing is interesting in light of yesterday’s release of Draft Meaningful Use Recommendations and (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511373 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:15:00 +0100 2511373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452703&cid=t_97958_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F06%2F05%2Fhow-do-you-find-a-good-therapist-an-interview-with-dr-john-grohol%2F Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing a hero of mine, the brilliant mind behind PsychCentral.com, the Internet’s largest and oldest mental health network … Dr. John Grohol. John is the CEO and founder of Psych Central and has been writing about mental health and psychology issues online since 1992. He lives with his wife and six cats north of Boston. I wanted tot interview him about therapy, since many of his blog posts deal with the relationship between therapist and patient, and I don’t think anyone else writes about it as candidly and intelligently as John. Question: In your very popular post “The 12 Most Annoying Bad Habits of Therapists,” you mention some red flags to watch out for. For folks who are currently shopping for the right shrink, ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452703 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:25 +0100 2452703