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 'business'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:14 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182369&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FHAM7W4Mf0yA%2F Note from Phil: Today’s article is an interesting look at whether online colleges are just as good as traditional colleges in creating a worthy workforce. These are excellent tips from Riley Kissel, and ones you should keep in mind if you’re hiring people with diplomas from non-traditional colleges. Is an online degree as good as an offline degree? Seasoned small business owners and human resources personnel can be skeptical when it comes to web-based education.  Many interviewers don’t know the difference between “print a degree” programs and the best online colleges out there, leaving them uncertain as to whether or not a particular applicant has the right qualifications.  Businesses always want to make sure that potential employees have the necessary level of ac... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182369 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:15:00 +0100 5182369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181974&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-evaluate-hipaa-security-compliant-data-center If you host your healthcare data with a data center, certain administrative, physical and technical safeguards should be in place, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. Although all service providers tout their data centers as secure, how do you confirm it truly is HIPAA Security Rule compliant?  read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181974 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:57:30 +0100 5181974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182343&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F09%2Fnurses-and-physicians-as-exercise-role-models-for-patients.html Everyone seems to be in agreement that most Americans lead lives that are far too sedentary. The solution to this problem, and many of the problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle, is exercise. However, motivating people to pursue a more active life is enormously challenging. Perhaps a good place to start is understanding that nurses (and also physicians) often function as role models for patients. A recent article raises this issue (see: Calling Nurses to Exercise as Role Models for their Patients). Below is an excerpt from it: Nurses, just like many of their patients, struggle to find time and motivation to exercise. But a new study may give these all-important caregivers some additional pressure and responsibility: nurses’ attitudes can influence whether their patients commit to... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182343 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:15:56 +0100 5182343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182085&cid=t_94049_125_f&fid=38161&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalheroes.com%2Ffacebook-business-page%2F The following is a guest post by Livvie Matthews of SimpleSocialMedia.tv. If you are interested in guest posting for Dental Heroes, please sign up here. One of the questions asked often is: “I already have a Profile page on Facebook, do I really need a Facebook Business Page?” That’s sort of like the question (in dentistry) “Do I really need to floss?” You know the answer ….Only the teeth you want to keep!! Originally, Facebook was only for making connections, not for business, hence Profile pages. It was a profile of you, your personal information, likes and dislikes. Then businesses begin to see the power Facebook held and started creating Profile pages for their businesses (which is actually against Facebook rules). So in true Facebook fashion…F... Dental Heroes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182085 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:46:19 +0100 5182085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182344&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fproject-costs-of-obesity-to-crush-us-and-uk-health-systems.html A recent article in Lancet discussed how the global obesity epidemic would "crush" the U.S. and U.K. health systems with its associated increased long-term, disease-associated costs (see: Obesity to crush health care systems globally: study). Although the use of the word "crush" may seem overly dramatic, I think that it's appropriate in this context. Below is a brief summary of the article: Rising prevalence of obesity is a worldwide health concern because excess weight gain within populations forecasts an increased burden from several diseases, most notably cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers....These trends project 65 million more obese adults in the USA and 11 million more obese adults in the UK by 2030, consequently accruing an additional 6—8·5 mil... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182344 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:53:20 +0100 5182344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182294&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F31%2Fchinas_pharma_ambitions_hua_pharmaceuticals_responds.php I've had a detailed e-mail from John Choi, Chief Strategy and Business Office for Hua Medicine. That's the company that was featured in a bizarre-on-the-face-of-it quote from Chemical and Engineering News that I blogged on here the other day. That, you'll recall, was the one that seemed to suggest that Hua (with eight employees at the time of the article) was going to introduce "breakthrough drugs" within four years, which they'd manufacture and sell themselves. As many readers guessed, what this actually means is "other people's breakthrough drugs licensed in to China". I'll let Choi tell his side of the story: There was a lot of commentary generated from people that have not read the CEN article nor have any background to what we at Hua Medicine are doing, so I’d like to clarify and ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182294 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:27:57 +0100 5182294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182345&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ftulaboratory-based-genetic-counselors-reduce-the-cost-of-ordered-tests.html Appropriate test ordering by clinicians is a key aspect of clinical laboratory management. It can save time and money. One of the most obvious goals of this approach is to cull out duplicate test orders when the patient in question is clinically stable and the additional results are useless. The number of test cycles to arrive at a diagnosis can also often be reduced by immediately ordering a more specific test rather than repetitive groups of less-specific tests. The more specific test may be more expensive than the others but the total cost of testing may be less. In general, clinicians often require the most advice when ordering molecular and genetic tests. They tend to be the most expensive, most complicated, and require the most interpretive skill. ARUP Laboratories has published a wh... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182345 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:54:47 +0100 5182345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174852&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Fchinese_pharma_no_shortage_of_ambition_anyway.php When does China take the next step in drug research? They already have a huge contract research industry, and they have branches of many of the major pharma companies. But when does a Chinese startup, doing its own research with its own people in China, develop its own international-level drug pipeline? (We'll leave aside the problem that not even all the traditional drug companies seem to be able to do that these days). It still seems clear that we're eventually going to have a Chinese Merck, or a Chinese Novartis or what have you - a company to join North America, Western Europe, and Japan in the big leagues. The Chinese government, especially, would seem to find this idea very appealing. Opinions differ, to put it mildly, about how far away this prospect is. But Chemical and Engineerin... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174852 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:56:32 +0100 5174852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174748&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F28%2Fpharma-reps-friends-or-foes%2F From a practice management perspective, I find my visits with the reps very valuable. Besides the obvious, which is they bring info about their product, here are my 5 reasons why I think pharma reps are valuable to a practice. Many reps have a pulse on the market, so to speak. I always ask the Prevnar guy, how’s business going? If he tells me sales have dropped in his area, I know not too many newborns have been born lately. If he tells me that the practice down the street isn’t busy, and either are we, I know it isn’t just us. Reps can be great recruiters… we found our last employee thanks to one of the reps. Many reps have valuable first hand knowledge. For example, today we had the Merck rep came by (yes, the food they brought was delicious). One of the things they were pr... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174748 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0100 5174748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169723&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FqhwgMNLdlIg%2F This was our sixth theme based week on Success Begins Today. The theme was marketing resources and featured quick response business cards. Due to some additional resources we spent two weeks on this topic. Theme: Marketing Resources Post 1: Low Cost Marketing Materials in Just Minutes Business Cards, Promotional Cards, and Nameplates are discussed Post 2: Creating a Mini One Sheet For two dollars and sixty cents, these were the best marketing materials I had ever created. Post 3: Mini One Sheet Tutorial Creating a mini one-sheet for your business is a great way to highlight your services. Post 4: Create Marketing Cards With MS Publisher Match your resources to your audience with these low cost items… Post 5: Quick Response Business Cards… Fast! Take your prospective client right to yo... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169723 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:41:39 +0100 5169723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159921&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2Fg7buknRwxdY%2F Yesterday we talked about creating Quick Response Business Cards. (Be sure to watch the accompanying video on that post to see how they work). Here is a template in Photoshop and a short tutorial. This template requires a basic working knowledge of Photoshop. We also have a fun template in Microsoft Publisher format if you don’t have Photoshop that will create similar cards. Here is what our basic Photoshop template looks like… A finished card will look like this… Photoshop Template Instructions: Open the 300 dpi Quick Response Card PSD template in Photoshop Copy and paste your logo, graphic, or photo in the logo area Go to a Quick Response Generator such as this and create a code for your website or video link. Copy and paste your QR code graphic into the code area of the card Re... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159921 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:37:02 +0100 5159921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159862&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fdoes-epic-have-a-near-monoply-for-large-hospital-emrs.html Joseph Conn, who writes for ModernHealthcare.com, picked up on one of my blog notes about the Epic EMR dominance in larger hospitals (see: Not yet an Epic monopoly or conflict). Here is his note: Bruce Friedman, in a post on Lab Soft News says, "Epic has achieved a near monopoly of the (electronic health-record systems) installed in the largest U.S. hospitals." And writing in the Washington Examiner, Lachlan Markay, an investigative writer with the conservative Heritage Foundation's Center for Media and Public Policy, reveals that Epic Systems Corp. CEO Judith Faulkner not only has made campaign contributions to Democrats but also has served as a member of the federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which "holds in its hands the future of health informat... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159862 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:51:59 +0100 5159862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158948&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXEZiNWNBQiA%2F By Tom G. Palmer John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of a substantial wealth-creating business enterprise, explains the moral significance of business.  A longer interview with Mackey, along with other thinkers, can be found in The Morality of Capitalism, available here.  (The book is being distributed by the Atlas Network and Students for Liberty.) The Morality of Business Enterprise is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158948 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:03:33 +0100 5158948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159881&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F24%2Fare-you-prepared-for-a-natural-disaster.aspx Yesterday's earthquake that shook the northeastern part of the U.S. was quite unexpected and unsettling, to say the least. While Californians may be used to tremors, those of us in the northeast initially didn't realize what was happening. Many offices...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159881 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:50:00 +0100 5159881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159864&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fepic-as-a-victim-of-its-own-success.html Katherine Rourke, who blogs over at Hospital EMR and EHR picked up on one of my recent notes about Epic (see: The Feasibility of Using the Epic EMR as a "Platform" to Extend Its Functionality) and posted the following note: Could Epic End Up The Victim Of Its Own EMR Success? Here is a copy of her commentary with a few minor edits. Boldface emphasis is mine: In essence, the [recent Lab Soft News] post makes three key points: Epic is implemented, or soon will be, in virtually every large U.S. hospital Epic keeps very close control of how its system is implemented and developed in an effort to control performance Given this desire for control, Epic isn’t likely to let other vendors create software to interoperate with its EMR If the Lab Soft News author has his facts right, Epi... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159864 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:46:33 +0100 5159864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159915&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FJwvsb50URNk%2F In these crazy times, many businesses are having to downsize their business in order to survive. While that’s necessary, you also likely want to do it the right way. In an article over at Business on Main, there are 6 big mistakes businesses make when they do the downsizing. 1) Underestimating the severity and length of an economic downturn 2) Implementing across-the-board cuts 3) Communicating too infrequently 4) Failing to handle layoffs with caring 5) Hoarding inventory 6) Failing to demonstrate how cost-cutting hurts you more than it does your employees Want a $50 Amazon gift card? Read the article at Business on Main, then come back here and share YOUR biggest downsizing mistake a business can make. It could be something your business did, or something you’ve heard about, or so... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159915 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:01:57 +0100 5159915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159321&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F3-trends-impacting-growth-texas-medical-real-estate As a booming state in many aspects, it’s no surprise that Texas is also a leading state in new hospital construction and renovation. As reported by Reed Construction, Texas is building $1 billion or greater in hospital new construction and hospital renovation. Among the factors contributing to this increase are: a growing population, aging elder demographic and a movement to an urban setting. 3 Trends Impacting the Growth of Texas Medical Real Estate 1)    Population Growth: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159321 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:26:06 +0100 5159321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159865&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fsix-major-disruptions-still-to-come-in-halthcare.html Predictions about strategic shifts in healthcare intrigue me. There is always the question in one's mind about whether you agree with the list. A recent article was labeled as a list of healthcare "disruptions" but otherwise caught my attention (see: 6 Major Disruptions Still To Come In Healthcare). Here's the list stripped of the accompanying brief explanations: Conversion of physicians to electronic health records. Removing the responsibility of records-sharing from the patient. The rise of the genomic signature as part of the medical record. Moving the responsibility [for] care and outcomes from the provider location to the consumer location. The rise of health avatars. The change in physician compensation from fee-for-service to fee-for-outcomes. What interested me... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159865 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:15:33 +0100 5159865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159458&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F22%2Fdoes-your-practice-need-a-business-manager%2F When we first opened our practice, we knew we needed to hire an office manager to handle paying the bills, managing the staff’s time of and buying all the office supplies. But we didn’t anticipate that we’d need a business manager. Soon after we opened, it was apparent that the practice needed a business manager – not an office manager – but a business manager. Medical practices are relatively complex businesses. And they generate a lot of cash when you compare them to other small businesses. Thus, a practice should have a “qualified” business manager that manages the practice for physicians in order to run the business efficiently. In my experience, I’ve seen physicians give this position to nurses and in some cases, medical assistants with a knack for organization. Howeve... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159458 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:00:51 +0100 5159458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140325&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F19%2Fhospital-lab-outreach-programs-produce-strong-revenues.aspx Hospital laboratory outreach programs produce strong growth in net revenue and contribution margin, according to Chi Solutions Inc.’s “Tenth Annual National Laboratory Outreach Survey Report,” released in July. “In our annual survey of hospital and health...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140325 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:15:00 +0100 5140325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140345&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FatvKAWFo_eE%2F In our last post we talked about creating a mini-one-sheet with Photoshop. This is a great program, but it is expensive and has a relatively large learning curve. As an alternative you may want to look at other programs that will output a high quality photo file. Many versions of the popular Microsoft Office suite contain a program called Microsoft Publisher. I’ve used this program for years to create many types of documents. With its built in templates, you can easily create business cards, post cards, and flyers. The program also has a high resolution output option which will work great for our printing needs. I discovered that with a few simple modifications, you can make 4 x 6 marketing photo cards with Publisher that look great and can be printed in under an hour at your local one... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140345 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:01:55 +0100 5140345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140346&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FKLtNO4S65Hs%2F Creating a mini one-sheet for your business is a great way to highlight your services to others. In our simple tutorial today, we’ll use Photoshop to create a 4 x 6 inch graphic file at 300 dpi that we can have printed at almost any one hour photo lab. This tutorial requires that you have a recent copy of Photoshop and a basic working knowledge of the program. You can download a trial version of the program here. (Photoshop is a very expensive and complicated program. We’ll look at other alternatives to create files like this later in the week) To get started, download our mini-one-sheet template and open it in Photoshop. This is what the psd file looks like. Once you have the template open, look at your layers list. You should see the following. To fill out your one-sheet, just dou... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140346 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:45:39 +0100 5140346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140123&cid=t_94049_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F08%2F2012-and-beyond-end-of-world-as-we-know.html We seem to think that mind and spirit are separate, that there is a spiritual realm and a practical realm and that they do not overlap at all - and that the one does not inform the other.But cause and effect still rules and amoral actions in the here and now lead to direct consquences that are suffered by our children and grandchildren. Indeed.. unto the seventh generation. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140123 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5140123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139698&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe2yDOuRLLa8%2F By Tad DeHavenTwo polls of likely voters released by Rasmussen Reports today indicate that the federal government’s corporate welfare programs should be prime targets for spending cuts. The first poll found little support for the Small Business Administration’s lending programs: A majority (58 percent) of likely voters said that the federal government shouldn’t guarantee loans issued by private lenders to small businesses. 23 percent said the government should back small business loans and 19 percent were unsure. A majority (59 percent) of likely voters said that reducing government regulations and taxes would be more helpful to small businesses than the government providing loans to small businesses that can’t obtain financing on their own. 22 percent said the government lo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139698 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:47:19 +0100 5139698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140347&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FpDjrPMJZzUg%2F A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from Toastmasters invited me to a local small business group mixer. The meeting was to be held at a small wine bar in town, and would be a great way to meet fellow entrepreneurs and business people. She said in passing, be sure to bring lots of business cards and some information on your business. Wow, I thought to myself, I have business cards but I don’t really have anything about my speaking business that I could share with someone. Since there are hundreds of people in this organization, I knew there would be a lot of opportunities to promote myself… but how? I needed something that I could share with people in a small, informal setting, that would let them know what I speak about and have contact information. My business cards were informative, b... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140347 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:47:05 +0100 5140347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140318&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fcan-hospitals-become-more-health-outcome-oriented.html I have previously discussed some of the problems associated with fee-for-service and the need for hospitals and physicians to be more oriented to health outcomes (see, for example: Performing Procedures Can Be Lucrative for Physicians). I think that most people understand that the pursuit of outcomes is superior to fee-for-service but the challenge is revamping our reimbursement system to favor the former approach. A recent note by written by Dave Chase, the CEO of Avado.com, a health technology company, made this same point very eloquently (see: Making Newspaper Industry Mistakes).  Below is an excerpt from it: Now consider healthcare in the U.S.: There’s a clear understanding that the industry must shift its focus towards outcomes from “do more, bill more” orientation....Prev... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140318 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:41:41 +0100 5140318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140278&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F16%2Fis_carl_icahn_going_away.php The latest regulatory filings show that Carl Icahn appears to have sold his Biogen position out completely as of the end of June, although he had still held over 8 million shares a week or so earlier. And he also appears to own no Amgen at present, and has sold out of Regeneron. We last discussed Icahn's biopharma investments here, but it looks as if he's exiting the sector. And while I can't say that I'll miss him, it's perhaps food for thought if he's finding no positions worth taking over here, either. . . (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140278 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:44:20 +0100 5140278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130713&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fis-pharma-ready-for-a-conversation-on-facebook Jonathan at Dose of Digital talks about pharma’s fear of Facebook pages centering around 2 issues that pharma thinks require 24/7 monitoring: Adverse Events and negative publicity. I hear the same excuse on why pharma companies are so scared to look at patient comments on blogs: adverse events. I’m sorry, but adverse events are happening [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130713 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:28:26 +0100 5130713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5131079&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FoPPFSBu-MSI%2F Over at Business on Main, there was an awesome article about how to build your online presence, in just 15 simple, but not easy, steps. While none of the steps are earth shattering, if you’re serious about having an online presence, they are extremely necessary. Some of the tips are just once tips, some are once a month, some are once a week, and some are daily. While they aren’t super instructive, they are good tips that you should be doing. To sample this, here are the tips they suggest doing just once: 1. Set online branding goals. 2. Devise a plan for how you’ll present your brand name to make it findable across all online channels. 3. Define your brand statement in 10 to 20 words 4. Establish your online home base, whether it’s your own website, your own blog or a Facebook bus... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5131079 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:53:22 +0100 5131079 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5131080&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FuLzcKkboecQ%2F If you are in business or building a platform to promote yourself, you’ve probably had the need for effective marketing materials. Business cards, letterhead, reply cards, one sheets, and promotional flyers, are very helpful to get the word out. To get a good price, you have probably found you need to order a relatively large order and wait at least a week to get them back from the printer. This usually means that your materials are relatively generic and usually boring! But what about the times you are at a trade show and need a custom response card. How about when you are at a networking event and need to customize your business cards. You have probably taken out a pen and written additional information on the back. This week I’d like to show you how to create high quality promotion... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5131080 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:27:16 +0100 5131080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118972&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Flundbeck_cutting_rd.php Danish CNS specialists Lundbeck reported good financial numbers for the quarter, but they also announced how they're hoping to keep them up: by cutting R&D jobs across the company. This is affecting their US site in Paramus, NJ, as well as the main operation in Denmark. I've heard that it's affecting both particular disease areas as well as cross-project groups like PK and the like. The company says that it's going to outsource more of this work, and use some of the money to hire. . .more sales staff. The state of the current industry, right there. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118972 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:32:08 +0100 5118972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5119015&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fnext-phase-of-health-care.aspx Having just returned from the Clinical Lab Expo, I had a tremendously valuable experience learning about proposed healthcare delivery models, specifically how many labs are taking the reign and developing what they feel are effective models similar to...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5119015 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:13:00 +0100 5119015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5119007&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fethical-questions-posed-by-office-emr-by-epocrates.html Epocrates is a very successful smartphone app for physicians. The company recently announced the availability of an electronic health record (EHR) (see: Epocrates electronic health record raises new possibilities and ethical questions). Below is an excerpt from an article about this new product that may raise some ethical concerns: ...Targeted to small and solo physician practices, the [Epocrates EHR product] is a web-based software-as-a-service platform which will be offered on a monthly-subscription basis. At launch , it includes a native iPhone app that appears to include access to patient records as well as e-prescribing functionality, with iPad support reportedly in the works. Epocrates EHR will also include support for billing/coding, data analysis and reporting, and an interesting t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5119007 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5119007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107962&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FaV6nlXr3yBY%2F Note from Phil: What follows is a guest post from Riley Kissel. It’s always good to learn from other’s mistakes, and this post shares 4 of the most common, and biggest, mistakes small businesses make. I hope you enjoy it! Running a good business, regardless of what it is, always operates on the same principals. Being your own boss can be nice, but if you’re not thinking beyond the concept phase, you’re in for some hard lessons. Probably the most common reason why new companies fail is through poor financial management. You have to run a tight ship and learn from other people’s mistakes if you ever hope to avoid some of the most common problems that small businesses fall victim to including: Not Knowing Your Audience Understanding the consumer base that you’re trying to... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107962 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:00:00 +0100 5107962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107909&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fwould-the-fda-swallow-an-over-the-counter-lipitor.html Pharmaceutical manufacturers are growing increasingly concerned because so many of their block-buster drugs are coming off patent and reverting to generics (see: Some Interesting Insights into the Use of Generic Drugs). One of Pfizer's responses has been to propose that its well-established Lipitor brand now be sold over-the-counter. This, of course, requires regulatory approval (see: Reader Consult: Would the FDA Swallow an OTC Lipitor?), Below is an excerpt from the article: Pfizer is hoping to milk even more dollars from its blockbuster Lipitor by introducing an over-the-counter version of the cholesterol-lowering drug, the WSJ [recently reported], citing people familiar with the matter. Whether Pfizer can get the FDA to swallow an OTC statin is another matter entirely. The WSJ repo... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107909 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5107909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107731&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F07%2Fexit-interviews-before-they-exit%2F Exit interviews are done when an employee is leaving the organization. The intent of the interview is for the employer to gather data for improving working conditions and retaining employees. Theoretically, I understand why one would want to do exit interview. But I don’t understand why one would wait until the employee is leaving to ask their opinion. Seems to me that at that point, it is too late. Asking employees exit interview type questions while employees are working at your practice can also be a good tool to gather employees’ feedback on their work experience in and effort to improve working conditions and retain employees. Examples of exit interview type questions that can help one get a sense of how employee perceive working at your practice. For example: What is most satisfy... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107731 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:46:28 +0100 5107731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097037&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fbernard_munos_rides_again.php I've been meaning to link to Matthew Herper's piece on Bernard Munos and his ideas on what's wrong with the drug business. Readers will recall several long discussions here about Munos and his published thoughts (Parts one, two, three and four). A take-home message: So how can companies avoid tossing away billions on medicines that won’t work? By picking better targets. Munos says the companies that have done best made very big bets in untrammeled areas of pharmacology. . .Munos also showed that mergers—endemic in the industry—don’t fix productivity and may actually hurt it. . . What correlated most with the number of new drugs approved was the total number of companies in the industry. More companies, more successful drugs. I should note that the last time I saw Munos, he was em... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097037 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:19:36 +0100 5097037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097130&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fcola-is-model-for-pursuing-excellence-with-new-certification.aspx In a new web Q&A , Douglas Beigel, MS, MBA, CEO of COLA, answers questions about the process that independent laboratory accreditor COLA underwent to achieve the highly esteemed International Organization for Standardization (ISO) high-quality management...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097130 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:15:00 +0100 5097130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097117&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fhospitalists-add-to-the-cost-of-healthcare-according-to-recent-study.html This study should come as no surprise to anyone. Here's what I think may be occurring: Hospitalists work for health system CEOs who place a high value on a shorter length-of-stay (LOS) for patients. The will thus tend to discharge patients as soon as possible. CEOs have been conditioned over the past many years to relish shorter LOSs because the measure has attained the status of a quality indicator and also because shorter LOS patients are more profitable. I also assume that hospitalists tend to favor discharge of patients to rehabilitation or nursing facilities rather than to home because they do not know them well and also to ensure a speedier, medically supervised recovery. Almost everyone agrees about the solution to this problem. It is stated clearly in the excerpt above: &quot... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097117 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:35:03 +0100 5097117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097039&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F04%2Fdendreon_watch_the_cost_curve_being_bent.php Dendreon has made a lot of news over the last few years with its Provenge prostate cancer therapy. This is the immunological "cancer vaccine" treatment that had such a wild ride through the FDA (and gave DNDR and its investors such a wild ride in the stock market, including some weirdness that I'm not sure ever was explained). Well, the company is back in the news, and not in a good way. They've been selling Provenge for a while now, but have had all kinds of manufacturing woes (as you might expect from something as complex as personalized immunology). But they've apparently been working through all that, so investors were very much anticipating the company's earnings report yesterday. Unfortunately, they got one. The company missed all the earnings forecast by an ugly margin, which has ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097039 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:08:45 +0100 5097039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097041&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F03%2Fa_former_pfizer_executive_finally_trashes_pfizers_strategy.php A number of readers have noted this piece by John LaMattina in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. He is, of course, a former head of R&D at Pfizer, which makes the title of the article something of an attention-getter: "The impact of mergers on Pharmaceutical R&D". Pfizer, for those of you just returning from a near-lightspeed trip to Alpha Centauri and still adjusting to the effects of relativistic time dilation, has been the Undisputed King of Pharma Mergers over the last ten to fifteen years, growing ever larger and larger in a way that no drug company ever had before. So how has this worked out? ". . .In this article, it is argued that although mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry might have had a reasonable short-term business rationale, their impact on the R&D of the ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097041 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:45:33 +0100 5097041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097119&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fsome-interesting-insights-into-the-use-of-generic-drugs.html We are obviously in an era in which most drug prescriptions will default to a generic product when available. A recent article discussed how drug prices are about to plummet on the basis of expiring pharmaceutical company patents. Most, if not all, of these patent-protected drugs will be replaced by generic equivalents (see: Drug prices to plummet in wave of expiring patents). Included in the article were some fascinating facts about generic drugs. Below is an excerpt from it: The cost of prescription medicines used by millions of people every day is about to plummet. The next 14 months will bring generic versions of seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs, including the top two: cholesterol fighter Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix....Between now and 2016, blockbusters with about $2... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097119 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:31:50 +0100 5097119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5078010&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fmerck_announces_more_big_cutbacks.php This is not good, not good at all: Merck is out this morning with earnings, and they're saying that they're going to cut at least 12% of their work force over the next four years. That's up to 13,000 jobs, and the word is that 35 to 40% of those cuts will be in the US. This is after they'd already done a fair amount of restructuring after the Schering-Plough deal. And it makes a person wonder: was that deal such a good idea? Has Merck really gotten their money's worth out of it, or have they just brought on a big upheaval that could have been avoided? Going down the list of Schering-Plough assets that were advanced at the time of the acquisition, and the shape that they're in now, I really don't think it looks like something that just had to be done. Hindsight? (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5078010 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:43:18 +0100 5078010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5078059&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-survivorship-and-the-role-of-pcps.html I have posted a number of previous notes about cancer survivorship (see: Cancer Survivorship, an Emerging Subdiscipline in Oncology; "Chemo Brain" Can Persist for Three to Five Years; Exercise Can Help Reverse; New Research Casts Spotlight on "Chemo Brain"). However, I have not given much thought to exactly which physicians would administer long-term care to cancer survivors. A recent article addressed this topic (see: Study: Doctors differ in how best to care for America's 12 million cancer survivors). Below is an excerpt from it: There are major differences between oncologists and primary care physicians regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices required to care for American's 12 million cancer survivors. That is the key finding of the first national... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5078059 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:00:12 +0100 5078059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069474&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgs.xkcd.com%2Fcomics%2Fstandards.png Many people ask why the United States, unlike other countries, has no national system of electronic medical records. Here’s why: Insert the number 576 instead of 14, by the way. Each of which (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069474 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:36 +0100 5069474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069837&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fat-aacc-annual-meeting-ceo-discusses-five-macro-challenges-facing-lab-industry.aspx Edward Ashwood, MD, president and CEO of ARUP Laboratories, discussed five macro challenges facing the industry during a mini-lecture series held Tuesday at the 2011 American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069837 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:59:00 +0100 5069837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069832&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fbetter-quality-services-when-doctors-manage-hospitals.html I have most commonly worked in hospitals where the CEO's major strengths were in financial management -- they were not MDs. Once, in the Army, I worked in a hospital where both the commander and deputy commander were physicians. My general impression has been that the former executives tended to stress the need for quality of care but often had little real understanding about the processes for achieving quality or the true cost of these processes. A recent article caught my attention and asks the question whether hospitals should be run by physicians (see: Should Hospitals Be Run by Doctors?), Below is an excerpt from it: The conventional wisdom is that doctors should focus on patient care, and managers with a business or administrative background are better suited to running the day-t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069832 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:15:43 +0100 5069832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062531&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FEOeADXNNGTg%2F Every now and then I get pissed off by an e-mail sent to me. It doesn’t happen very often, perhaps once every six months or so, but it does happen. And when it does, it’s nearly always because of the same reason. Deciding to give all my ebooks away on Saturday was an impulse decision that I didn’t really think through. I was in on my own as the wife had taken the dogs Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062531 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:54:52 +0100 5062531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057912&cid=t_94049_147_f&fid=39266&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCreationInteractive%2F%7E3%2FB7jUg6zkfTA%2F Many articles have been written in recent weeks about the trend of the moment: Google Plus. Whenever a new platform or technology comes out, many predictions about its future are made. But do you trust predictions? Actually, it is interesting to read what people think about it because it helps us make our own decision on whether we want to get involved with a new platform or not, or simply to know more about it. I read people writing that Google+ is a revolution; others talk about an evolution, a competitor to Facebook, a “place to be” for companies, a useless + tool, or even that we will no longer see new web 2.0 platforms after Google’s one (or they will be copies). Anyway, my point is that all this information can obviously be valuable for marketers and communicators in order to ... Creation Interactive blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057912 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:47:20 +0100 5057912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057945&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2Fev8_Z0n3ItI%2F This week I traveled to Chicago with Jon Mueller from 800-CEO-Read to talk with New York Times best selling author and business strategist Carol Roth. Carol and I talked about a lot of things, and this quick 4 minute video is full of advice you can use for your small business. The video is only 4 minutes long, so take a peek and pick up a few tips One of the most important things we both stress is the flexibility you have as a small business to do cool things, even if they don’t work at first. The ability to try new things is one of the big reasons I left corporate America and why I love working with smaller businesses. What about you? What did you learn from this video? What tips you share that we didn’t cover? Leave a comment below and share your insights! (Source: Phil Ger... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057945 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:45:01 +0100 5057945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050776&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fare-doctors-just-specialised-knowledge.html Lots of people believe that healthcare today is "mismanaged" - and that better management would allow more efficient and effective medical care to be provided ! After all, how can any argue against the statement that management is better than mismanagement - isn't this a no-brainer ?If you want to manage medical care, you need to manage doctors - and if doctors can be treated as "knowledge workers", then it's possible to use what we have learnt from the experience of managing engineers and computer programmers and then apply it to medicine. After all, aren't doctors just experts who deal with patients, just like computer programmers are experts who handle computers ? This seems to be entirely reasonable and logical - but it's precisely the seductiveness of the this argument which causes ma... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050776 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:41:00 +0100 5050776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051312&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2F2rzVrWR1nRw%2F With the cost of great design going way down, and the quality of graphic designers going way up, you need a logo for your website and for your business cards. If you own a business, having a sharp logo makes you look more professional, and more like you have a real business because, let’s face it, you DO have a real business, even it’s just you. Where can you start to get a good logo? Many places of course, like your local college, by asking your friends who they use, and by simply searching the internet for “logo creators.” If you don’t want to do that, here are 3 other options for you. Inexpensive designs online – My buddy Jim Raffel just mentioned Logo Mojo and they created his new logo. It looks professional, and they have a very inexpensive option t... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051312 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:30:00 +0100 5051312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051263&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-different-paradigm-for-analyzing-the-competition-between-cerner-and-epic.html In a recent note, I discussed the competition between the Cerner and Epic EMRs and quoted another blog, Chilmark Research, to the effect that Cerner was moving in new strategic direction, emphasizing a network of services to provide communities of care (see: Cerner Fights Back in the EMR Market: A Community Network of Services + PHR). Such an approach is sometimes referred to as the development of a care coordination platform. I concluded that Epic's approach closely coincided with the business model currently favored by hospital executives and would probably continue to succeed in the market. Vince Kuraitis responded to my note with a comment that included a link to a lecture he had recently delivered titled Platform Wars (see: Platform Wars). The presentation can also be accessed at ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051263 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:43:40 +0100 5051263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051313&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FRmu5ESh5TkM%2F A recent study by Hewitt and Associates showed some very interesting reasons employees are disengaged at work. You can read a summary of the disengagement study from Business on Main. I think the reasons in the study were very helpful. I also think that it is the manager’s responsibility to fight for their employees and try to help them re-engage – or to  disengage them completely and fire the malignant employees, else all employees will actively disengage and you’ll be stuck with a team of dead weight. Though I recommend firing bad employees as fast as you can, I also know that’s not always possible or preferred. So here are some tips to help you understand why your team might be way off into the land of disengagement. Bad boss -  Nothing in the world is worse than a ... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051313 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:10:00 +0100 5051313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050780&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fhow-vitrifying-ivf-embryos-helps-to.html Fresh or frozen embryos – which are betterView more presentations from Aniruddha Malpani. (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050780 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:47:00 +0100 5050780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029240&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcerner-fights-back-in-the-emr-market-network-of-services-for-a-community-of-care.html In my opinion, Cerner is facing a formidable competitor, Epic, in the high-end, larger hospital EMR space (see: Why Does Epic Keep Hammering Cerner? Mr. HIStalk's Opinion; Is Cerner Modifying Its EMR Business Model?). John Moore who blogs over at Chilmark Research recently posted a long piece suggesting that Cerner is crafting a new strategy in order to compete more effectively with Epic. He suggests, first, that It emphasizes support for "communities of care" (i.e, city, region, state, employer). Cerner also intends to provide a "PHR with an ecosystem of third party apps." This will serve as a replacement for the now departed Google Health product (see: Google Health Calls It Quits; Lessons Learned about PHRs or Not). Here is a link to John's note (see: Steppin... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029240 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:02:53 +0100 5029240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036626&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FEjQsnw8IUyQ%2F It took me 6 months of going backward and forward and many hours of work to finally get to interview Robin Sharma. Initially his PA sent me a form with some questions and I presumed this was to get a feel for my audience size and whether the site was relevant to Robins work. Apparently I passed the criteria and was asked to submit my questions. I did so and then I waited. And Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036626 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:41:56 +0100 5036626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029242&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fffighting-obesity-the-reastaurant-angle.html Eating out frequently, and particularly at fast food joints (see: What Americans Eat; More Calories and Increased Restaurant Food Consumption), can pose a threat to your health. A recent article quantified this threat in a way that I had never seen before (see: Fighting Obesity: The Restaurant Angle). Here it is the article unedited: Guess what? Eating out leads to weight gain. In fact, the USDA calculated that for each weekly meal outside the home, we gain 2 pounds of body weight annually. Here are two more interesting facts: About 30% of our total calories are consumed outside the home This is double what it was just 30 years ago. Why is eating out so hazardous to our waistline? Mostly because portion sizes are much bigger today than in the past. Restaurant owners know that consumers... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029242 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:27:37 +0100 5029242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050924&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fdo-you-need-to-hire-pediatrics-practice-management-consultant%2F Written By Chip Hart I will never forget the scene. I was the lonely consultant in the dark and shag-carpeted basement “conference room” of a large pediatric practice and was giving them a stern lecture about their pricing. The practice hadn’t updated its prices in years and was undoubtedly losing money. Lots of it. After my explanation of RVUs and why 105% of Medicare wouldn’t cut it, the senior partner – well, the loudest one, anyway – looked me in the eye and said, “OK, that sounds smart, let’s just raise our prices.” It was the response I was hoping to get. The youngest and newest partner jumped in quickly, “What?! How can you listen to this guy?” Uh oh, I thought. His voice cracked, “…I’ve been telling you this same information for almos... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050924 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:00:45 +0100 5050924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028713&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fdo-you-need-to-hire-pediatrics-practice-management-consultant%2F Written By Chip Hart I will never forget the scene. I was the lonely consultant in the dark and shag-carpeted basement “conference room” of a large pediatric practice and was giving them a stern lecture about their pricing. The practice hadn’t updated its prices in years and was undoubtedly losing money. Lots of it. After my explanation of RVUs and why 105% of Medicare wouldn’t cut it, the senior partner – well, the loudest one, anyway – looked me in the eye and said, “OK, that sounds smart, let’s just raise our prices.” It was the response I was hoping to get. The youngest and newest partner jumped in quickly, “What?! How can you listen to this guy?” Uh oh, I thought. His voice cracked, “…I’ve been telling you this same information for almos... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028713 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:00:45 +0100 5028713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008505&cid=t_94049_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FvyjA7VE6e1k%2Fthe-value-of-a-patient-portal-increasing-compliance-while-reducing-cost.html As patients become more and more interested in engaging and communicating with their healthcare providers online, the demand for portal applications will only increase.  Patients are looking for innovative ways to access their health information and care providers – what better way than online patient portals?  Portals are healthcare related online applications that allow patients to interact with their healthcare providers through secure websites or integrated electronic medical records (EMRs).   These applications can give patients the ability to request prescription refills, make appointments, receive medical reminders, view billing statements, and ask providers questions about ongoing treatment regimens (2).  The key is engagement and it’s a growing trend among individuals wh... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008505 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:29:38 +0100 5008505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008681&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-epic-emr-as-a-platform-extending-its-functionality-with-other-products.html For a number of reasons, Epic has achieved a near monopoly of the EMRs installed in the largest U.S. hospitals (see: ShandsHealth Goes Live with Epic; Company Penetration of the Hospital Market; Why Does Epic Keep Hammering Cerner? Mr. HIStalk's Opinion). In my opinion, this trend poses a significant challenge for healthcare in general. Here's a quote from the first of these two notes describing the nature of this challenge: Epic...has a reputation of closely controlling the installation and development of its EMR software products. This is the basis for its record of successful system installations and part of the appeal of the product to hospital CEOs and CIOs. Furthermore, the evolution of clinical hospital systems (e.g., EMRs, LISs, RISs, etc.) is a critical element in the over... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008681 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:31:58 +0100 5008681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008682&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fshould-diagnostic-test-scheduling-be-personalized.html I have posted previous notes about the need for periodic mammograms including the frequency of routine screening based on age (see: Shift to Digital Mammography Results in Increased Patient Recalls; Confusion Caused by Conflating "False Positive" and "Overdiagnosis" in Breast Cancer). Now comes news of research suggesting that mammogram screening should be personalized (see: Mammogram scheduling should be personalized, not based on age alone: study). The article caught my attention because of the use of the term personalized. Here is an excerpt from the article: Mammograms should not be done on a one-size fits all basis, but instead should be personalized based on a woman’s age, the density of her breasts, her family history of breast cancer and other factors includin... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008682 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:12:55 +0100 5008682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008731&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FVxNj9LJQYDc%2F Before I get into todays guest post from Ethan Waldman I thought I’d prod you gently one final time and let you know my e-book ‘How Do I Set Goals That Work?’ will be shipping to my newsletter readers free of charge within the next week. If you want a copy get yourself signed up in the box on the left and without doubt you’ll be the Supreme Lord of the Universe by this Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008731 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:41:40 +0100 5008731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008683&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fstakes-escalate-for-employees-who-smoke.html I keep thinking that the lives of cigarette smokers couldn't get much worse but I always seem to be wrong The spots where you can grab a smoke at work keep getting smaller and at a greater distance from one's desk. It's also getting tougher for smokers to even secure a job (see: Health Systems Use Their Regional Dominance to Muscle Insurance Companies; Cleveland Clinic no-smoking policy has locals talking). Employers are now adding surcharges to smokers' health insurance coverage to offset their higher rate of health problems and expenditures (see: Companies Get Tougher with Employees Who Smoke). Such charges, of course, are in addition to the ever-increasing cost of cigarettes including taxes. States are trying to balance their budgets, in part, on the basis of higher sin ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008683 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:10:30 +0100 5008683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008684&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-very-bad-idea-health-insurer-to-purchase-troubled-health-system.html We are rapidly transitioning to an era of Big Medicine characterized by most significant decisions being made in concert by Big Payers (insurance companies and the federal government), Big Insurance Companies, and Big Pharma (see: Physician Private Practice Declines; the Last Barrier to Emergence of "Big Medicine"). This trend is accelerating due to the fact that more than half of young doctors are taking salaried positions with health systems (see: Hospitals Use Their Medical Schools, Residencies for Later Physician Recruitment). Small private physician practices will no longer be part of this mix. Now comes the news that, at least in the Pittsburgh area, there are plans for an insurance company to purchase a large health system (see: Health care in the balance: Highmark to buy ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008684 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:42:33 +0100 5008684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008383&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fget-familiar-healthcare-acronyms It doesn’t matter anymore if you are a recent graduate, changing careers, trying to stabilize your current career or if you are even trying to advance in your current role, the use of acronyms is everywhere in healthcare because they (acronyms) have always been a mainstay in healthcare. We all realize the health care field has a language of its own and often time’s newer members in particular to health IT careers feel overwhelmed. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008383 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:29:49 +0100 5008383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992978&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F30%2Fpfizer_reverses_course_in_sandwich_a_bit.php Pfizer now says that it's not going to completely close the Sandwich research site in the UK. 350 people will remain - which isn't too many compared to the fully staffed number (well over 2,000), but a lot better than zero. Between that and the attempt to make the site an enterprise zone, perhaps something can be salvaged. But the local economy is, as you'd expect, feeling the effects. It's too early to say if this is an example of a drug company that feels as if it's outsourced enough and can stop now - let's watch the news over the next few months and see. . . (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992978 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:22:42 +0100 4992978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992877&cid=t_94049_130_f&fid=34938&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEvidenceInMotion%2F%7E3%2FS4t9IVHBgPM%2Fthe-dawn-of-the-super-mobile-clinician.html There seems to be no doubt that the adoption of technology into clinical settings has the potential to make a clinic more efficient and improve the quality of care.  Healthcare professionals use technology to enhance clinical decision making, to retrieve health information and to monitor patient outcomes.  Wider adoption of such tools will inevitably transform the health care process and begin to repair a broken and fragmented health system. The introduction of smartphones and tablet computers has been an important catalyst of innovation. Products like the iPhone and iPad have literally reinvented the way we communicate and manage our daily lives.  From corporations to local businesses, use of these devices has revolutionized the way industries communicate with themselves and, ultimate... MyPhysicalTherapySpace.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992877 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:39:34 +0100 4992877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984705&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fwupmc-patient-portal.html In a recent post, I speculated about some of the reasons why I thought that Google Health was exiting the personal health record (PHR) business (see: Google Health Calls It Quits; Lessons Learned about PHRs or Not). Shortly after posting this note, an article came across my desk discussing the success of UPMC's patient portal and the fact that it was now going mobile (see: UPMC's patient portal goes mobile). Below is an excerpt from the article: A health portal used by patients and doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is now accessible on iPhones and iPads, thanks to the new mobile HealthTrak application. With its innovative approach to managing patient health - through technology like eVisits and tethered records - easy access to the portal is becoming mor... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984705 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:11:10 +0100 4984705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976216&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fon-the-demise-of-google-health.html I am an unabashed fan of Google. However, if the company suffers from anything, it's a corporate sense of hubris. The founders think that almost any problem can be solved by their engineering mentality and their "search" business model. It turns out that launching a personal health record product was not that easy a nut to crack so the company is now withdrawing from the business (see: Google Shuts Down Medical Records And Health Data Platform). Here's Mr. HIStalk's take on the demise of Google Health (see: Monday Morning Update 6/27/11): Google predictably did what its know-it-all technology company predecessors have done over the years: dipped an arrogant and half-assed toe into the health IT waters; roused a loud rabble of shrieking fanboy bloggers and reporters...... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976216 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:33:50 +0100 4976216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976248&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FPn2FbCbUnb4%2F I use LinkedIn almost every day for a variety of things. I am always looking for new ways to use it more effectively, and when I find tips, I like to share them. Here are a sampling of 5 of the tips to help you use LinkedIn More Effectively from an article over at MSN’s Business On Main: Hand Out Baseball Cards Build the Largest Network Possible Reinforce Your Network Utilize Your Tagline Submit and Participate Read how to implement these 5 tips and more so you can use LinkedIn more effectively. Or connect with me on LinkedIn to build your network larger! My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main. I receive incentives to share my views on a monthly basis. (Source: Phil Gerbyshak) Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976248 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:30:00 +0100 4976248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968920&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fhosptals-use-medical-schools-and-postgraduate-training-for-physicians-recruitment.html There is a major trend now occurring with young physicians seeking salaried hospital positions rather than entering private practice (see: More Doctors Giving Up Private Practices; The Increasing Tempo of Physician Practice Purchases by Hospitals). The number of hospitalists is exploding (see: Father of Hospital Medicine Has Mixed Review 15 Years Later). Here's a quote from this article about hospital medicine: Hospital medicine is entering a new growth phase that will capitalize on what it does best, "providing a brand of service and value," according to its founding father, Robert Wachter, MD, ...who established the specialty some 15 years ago....The exponential growth of the specialty was a surprise to many. In 2003, 29% of US medical centers had hospitalists; by 2009, the... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968920 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:39:31 +0100 4968920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960336&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpfizer-integrating-telemedicine-into-clinical-trials.html I have a special interest in clinical trials dating back to my five-year stint on the IRB (Institutional Review Board) at my hospital. I therefore read with some interest the news that Pfizer was integrating telemedicine (i.e., remote subject participation) into one of its clinical trials (see: Pfizer Integrating Telemedicine into Clinical Trials). Here is an excerpt from the article Pfizer is starting enrollment of its first ever investigational drug trial with remote patient participation. The trial, aptly named Research on Electronic Monitoring of OAB Treatment Experience (REMOTE), is a study to assess the safety and efficacy of Detrol LA (tolterodine tartrate), a treatment for overactive bladder. The main goal is to determine whether the results of the pilot REMOTE “virtual trial” ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960336 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59:22 +0100 4960336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960360&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Fhow-to-defeat-kolrami%2F One of the most potent lessons I’ve ever learned (and would love to impart to you) is just how powerful a seemingly simple perspective shift can be. Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” I hope you realize just how profound that statement is. But just in case you don’t, let me share a personal story about it. During my first 5 years in business (1994-1998), I lost money every year, turning my $20K life savings into $150K of debt. That’s a net loss of $170K, or $34K per year on average. In 1999 I finally went bankrupt when my credit ran out. Every year since then, my business made a decent profit. So I suffered a negative cashflow each year from 1994-1998, and then from 1999 – present (12 years i... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960360 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:22:01 +0100 4960360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952797&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FczovuTGcLYA%2F By Alan ReynoldsRobert Reich posted a letter in June 20 Wall Street Journal responding to my article of June 16, “Why 70% Tax Rates Won’t Work.” He argues that I distort his proposal (though I wasn’t talking about his proposal) and ignore his argument that, “Giving the middle class more purchasing power by lowering its rates while raising the rates at the top will help spur [economic] growth.” This strikes me as a futile effort to change the subject.  Since I proved that past tax rates of 50-70% on relatively modest incomes raised less revenue than a top tax rate of 28%, how could Reich’s proposal of 50-70% rates at incomes above $500,000 raise more revenue?   And if 50-70% tax rates would not raise more revenue, then how could he possibly promise “substantial rate ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952797 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:05:45 +0100 4952797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952847&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftension-between-physician-autonomy-and-adherence-to-protocols%2F2011.06.20 Doctors are professionals.  But are doctors cowboys or pit crews?  Recently, physician writer, Dr. Atul Gawande, spoke about the challenges for the next generation of doctors in his commencement speech titled, Cowboys and Pit Crews, at Harvard Medical School.  Gawande notes that advancement of knowledge in American medicine has resulted in an amazing ability to provide care that was impossible a century ago.  Yet, something else also occurred in the process. “[Medicine’s complexity] has exceeded our individual capabilities as doctors… The core structure of medicine—how health care is organized and practiced—emerged in an era when doctors could hold all the key information patients needed in their heads and manage everything required themselves. One needed only an ethic of har... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952847 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4952847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953380&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fshands-installs-epic-interesting-facts-about-epic-coverage-in-the-us.html ShandsHealth is a large health system located in Gainsville and Jacksonville, Florida. Like many of the high-end and academic health systems with 500 beds or more, it is converting to the Epic EMR (see: Shands' new records system should simplify things). Here is a brief listing of the new features of this EMR as listed in the press release: Shands patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room.... All Shands patient records are instantly available to all Shands health-care providers. Patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room. Prescriptions are se... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953380 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:32:33 +0100 4953380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953350&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fnot_looking_so_good_at_eli_lilly_or_astrazeneca.php You hear a lot of talk about the "patent cliff" in the industry these days. Patent expirations you shall always have with you, but there are a number of big-selling drugs that are all coming out of patent protection in a fairly short period. The biggest single drug in this category is, of course, Lipitor, and that expiration has been looming up on Pfizer year after year. But Eli Lilly has even worse problems: they're not losing their single biggest seller; they're losing up to 50% of all their sales. AstraZeneca's not in much better shape, it should be added. Jim Edwards at BNET goes into the numbers, courtesy of a Bernstein study. Here, from the analyst's work, is the estimate of "base" revenues (from currently existing drugs) normalized to 2010, (via Edwards and BNET): Not too encoura... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953350 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:20:46 +0100 4953350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952988&cid=t_94049_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Fbetter-by-mistake-an-interview-with-alina-tugend%2F Afraid to make a mistake? Don’t be. According to author Alina Tugend, the best way to become an expert in your field is by making mistakes, lots of them, but to cooperate with the brain on learning from them. In her new book, Better By Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong, explains the science of making mistakes and why learning from them is vital in a culture of perfectionism. Tugend has been a journalist for nearly 30 years and for the past six has written the ShortCuts column for the New York Times business section. She has written about education, environmentalism, and consumer culture for numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, and Parents and is a Huffington Post contributor. I have the honor of conducting an exclusive in... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952988 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:06:34 +0100 4952988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029308&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38609&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDavidSeah-BetterLivingThroughNewMedia%2F%7E3%2F31yIthAQ6JE%2F Clicking around the Harvard Business Review website, my eye was caught by the headline Why American Management Rules the World. This was news to me, as I’m used to thinking of American Management in terms of the fall of the domestic auto industry, profit-grubbing financial services, and Dilbert. Of course this isn’t the whole picture, but I’d never really given it as much thought. A group of European researchers, though, have been looking deeper into the question of management competitiveness. They’ve come to this surprising conclusion: After a decade of painstaking research, we have concluded that American firms are on average the best managed in the world. This is not what we — a group of European researchers — expected to find. But while Americans are ba... David Seah - Design, Development, Inspiration, Empowerment blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029308 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:17:18 +0100 5029308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952992&cid=t_94049_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2F7-tips-for-minding-my-own-business%2F Lately, I’ve really been focusing on trying to be less judgmental. It’s a tricky resolution, because it’s hard to turn it into specific, manageable resolutions to keep me on track. What, exactly, do I do differently in my life to be less judgmental? I need to change the way I think. One of my helpful mantras, though, is to “Mind my own business.” I remind myself: 1. No one asked for my advice. Except in the rare instance when people specifically ask me for help clearing their clutter, raising their children, or deciding their careers, I should keep my advice to myself. 2. I don’t know the whole story. It’s very easy to assume that I understand a situation and to form a judgment when in fact, I understand almost nothing about what’s happening. 3. It doesn’t affect me. A f... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952992 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:12:20 +0100 4952992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945131&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Fhows_all_that_costcutting_working_out.php From the Financial Times, here's a look at our industry from a business perspective: A big justification for the mergers that have consolidated the global pharma industry was that overhead costs would be cut, reducing the impact to profits of the patent-expiration wave. Has consolidation delivered on this promise? Note that we're already seeing things from a different angle here than we're used to thinking about. From an investor's perspective, all this outsourcing/site closure upheaval is probably a good thing, because it cuts costs that apparently need to be cut. And the question is, has it done what it's supposed to do? The FT editorial gives a "conditional yes" answer, but they worry that cutting costs is a tactic that's run about as far as it can, and that may not be far enough, fi... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945131 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:25:49 +0100 4945131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945219&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Foffice-emrs-as-a-risky-investment-for-physicians.html Although some may view physician office EMRs and hospital EMRs as first cousins, I view them in a much different light. In previous notes, I discussed how community-based physicians and the professional societies that represent them are complaining to governmental bodies about the inadequacies and cost of office EMRs, particularly those for small practices (see: Cost of Deployment of EMRs in Physician Offices;  Barriers to the Deployment of Physician Office EMRs; "Usability Failures" of EMRs Frustate Physician Users). Here's a quote from my most recent post regarding physician office EMRs: It's no surprise to me that the "usability of [physician office] EMRs doesn't appear to be the focus of the federal government when establishing meaningful use standards ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945219 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:08:48 +0100 4945219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934435&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FcaoEF1XUOg0%2F That’s the subject of my weekly post on EMR and HIPAA, based on two stories I’ve written in the last 24 hours and a conference I attended last week in Madison, Wis. Check it out.   Related posts:CDS commentary on EMR and HIPAA blog A business opportunity and a milestone Deborah Peel on Fox Business (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934435 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:05:28 +0100 4934435 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953046&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F3WSCeHECGNo%2F Two articles I’ve written in the last 24 hours have gotten me thinking that we’ve already entered the post-implementation era of EMRs, even as implementation remains in progress at so many healthcare organizations. While the vast majority of hospitals and physician practices in the U.S. still don’t have full-featured EMRs in place, many are already looking well into the future. As you may already know, HIMSS on Tuesday released its first-ever survey on “clinical transformation.” According to HIMSS and survey sponsor McKesson, “Clinical transformation involves assessing and continually improving the way patient care is delivered at all levels in a care delivery organization. It occurs when an organization rejects existing practice patterns that deliver in... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953046 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:59:25 +0100 4953046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934100&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdI0BNiY-7_I%2F By Daniel GriswoldInternational Business Machines Inc. is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a company today. In this time of economic worry and uncertainty, it’s worth taking a moment to consider a few policy lessons we might glean from its longevity. Unlike government agencies and programs, private-sector companies competing in a free market come and go. In an essay posted on the IBM web site, company officials noted: Of the top 25 industrial corporations in the United States in 1900, only two remained on that list at the start of the 1960s. And of the top 25 companies on the Fortune 500 in 1961, only six remain there today. How did IBM not only survive but thrive during a century that took us from horses and buggies to FaceBook and iPhones? In a word, adaptability. IBM’s managemen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934100 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:33:44 +0100 4934100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945220&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fthomson-reuters-to-sell-its-healthcare-unit.html The healthcare unit of Thomson Reuters is up for sale. John Moore who blogs over at Chilmark Research has posted two blog notes about this news (see: Likely Suitors as Thomson Reuters Exits Healthcare; also see Additional Thoughts on Thomson Reuters). Here's an excerpt from the first of them: ...Thomson Reuters (TR) announced that it intends to sell off its healthcare unit. A logical first response is: What they heck, why would they sell right now when the healthcare market is so hot and shows no signs of letting up? Thomson Reuters is a well-respected brand in healthcare and as healthcare organizations (providers and payers) of all sizes look to more effectively run their operations, TR’s portfolio of healthcare solutions are well positioned. This isn’t the first time they have tr... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945220 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:46:36 +0100 4945220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945202&cid=t_94049_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR1Ow0TKVHtA%2F Depends who you ask. So more than 180 business development executives that handled dealmaking activities between 2006 and 2010 were queried and, not surprisingly, the most popular response from biotechs, or 36 percent of the respondents, was that licensees have greater power in driving deal terms thanks to current environment, according to a pair of dealmaking advisers who offer their views on Nature News Drug Discovery. But….the most popular response at drugmakers - 44 percent, to be prescise - was the opposite: they believe their negotiating power has increased with biotechs. Meanwhile, 55 percent at biotechs felt that upfront payments have dropped, compared with 31 percent who saw an increase. Over at pharma, 51 percent saw an uptick in upfront payments and only 32 percent saw a d... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945202 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:36:05 +0100 4945202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945319&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2F7pFY0WKqltM%2F Before I kick off with todays post I have a brief announcement. If you have ever even remotely pondered hiring a bald Limey Life Coach to help you maximize your undoubted potential to be even more brilliant than you already are, then you may want to sign up for my newsletter on the left sharpish. I’m going to be running an amazing Life Coaching offer next week that will just run for the month Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945319 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:12:29 +0100 4945319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934120&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcJTiMD0imrw%2F By Julian SanchezIn his famous “Petition of the Candlemakers,” the great classical liberal thinker Frederic Bastiat lampooned the protectionist arguments of his day by imagining a campaign—launched by the producers of artificial illumination—against “ruinous competition” from that “merciless” scab… the sun. Via In These Times and the Lawyers, Guns & Money blog, I see that someone forgot to explain to the Newspaper Guild and National Writers Union that Bastiat’s petition was, you know, satire. Borrowing a page from writer Jon Tasini, whose meritless lawsuit against the Huffington Post was roundly and justly ridiculed back in April, those two groups are advocating a boycott of the opinion and news site. They complain that, though HuffPo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934120 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:53:24 +0100 4934120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934561&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Fno-margin-no-mission%2F The private medical practice world is constantly changing. Not to mention unpredictable as lawmakers settle on health care reform. Private medical practice’s are faced with an increasingly larger uninsured and under insured population, State Medicaid cuts, increasing capital needs, and labor shortages. That’s why… Having an enthusiastic, intense, dedicated and even fanatical outlooks on your financial management is now more important than ever. Remember, you are business and as such, you must align your responsibilities in an effort to remain competitive. Without a strong financial foundation, your practice will undoubtedly fail thus not being able to care for anyone. To compete in this new, value-driven, fast-paced aggressive market, healthcare providers must carefully r... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934561 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:00:05 +0100 4934561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934459&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffive-factors-showing-growth-medical-real-estate An article headline caught my attention the other day, “A thriving medical industry is a boon for the building.” That statement rings true from my perspective. The medical industry is doing well, and with halted construction projects from the economic downturn back on track, medical real estate’s potential is coming into full swing. There are five main contributing factors for this growth: market economics, healthcare reform, aging Baby Boomers, increase in outpatient centers and a patient centric hospital experience. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934459 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:26:52 +0100 4934459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945137&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Fblock_that_review.php Now here's a biotech investing strategy that I haven't come across before. Adam Feuerstein reports on a hedge fund manager, Martin Shkreli of MSMB Capiral, who's very much short the the stock of a small company called NeoProbe. They're developing a contrast agent for lymph nodes called Lymphoseek, and Shkreli doesn't think very much of their data - thus the short trade. Not leaving anything to chance, though, he's filed a "citizen petition" with the FDA, maintaining that there are severe problems with the regulatory filings for Lymphoseek and asking the agency to deny a review to the product. At issue is the concept of "standard of care". There's a blue dye that's FDA-approved for this lymph-mapping purpose, but it seems that in actual practice, almost everyone uses it along with a radios... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945137 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:19:20 +0100 4945137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934402&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fwhy-doesnt-flipkart-do-better-job-of.html I buy a lot of books from Flipkart and am a fan - I love their prompt and reliable service !I recently bought a new Samsung Galaxy 2 phone from Flipkart. I hate commuting and shopping, so the fact that I could buy this online at one click was great. Flipkart delivered the phone promptly in 2 days, and I am very pleased with the phone and their excellent service !However, I was disappointed with the fact that the Flipkart shopping cart was not intelligent enough to sell me accessories for my new mobile phone. For example, I would have been happy to buy a screen protector film for my phone - but they did not offer me this choice.Flipkart could easily do a better job with tracking customer behaviour - they just lost a chance to sell more products. (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934402 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 12:32:00 +0100 4934402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934666&cid=t_94049_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FYfHJ5LxKF7I%2F Tweet Earlier today I visited DBMS Musings to read Daniel Abadi’s blog post on peer review, but ended up re-reading an older post. In the post Daniel talks about why he is doing a startup pre-tenure. I am not an academic, neither have I ever started a company, although I’ve been in both environments, so I can’t quite speak from experience here, but the post caught my attention at multiple levels. What makes this interesting is that Daniel has spent time on getting his company off the ground himself, with active involvement, and the resulting leave of absence limits his ability to do things junior faculty are expected to do, like publish. He admits that there is little precedent and that it’s a gamble. So why go on? Admittedly, this is computer science, but the key ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934666 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:44:50 +0100 4934666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911833&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Ffda-gearing-up-to-regulate-apps-and-social-media-or-not-2.html I have gotten used to a degree of vacillation from the FDA regarding various lab regulatory issues. A  recent chapter in this drama was the agency's ambiguity about lab tests originally called IVDMIAs and subsequently referred to as laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Now comes news that the agency may, or may not, regulate medical smartphone/tablet (i.e., mobile) apps and the use of social media by pharmaceutical companies (see: FDA Reportedly Gearing Up to Regulate Apps). Below is an excerpt from the article: From a no less august source than American Medical News comes a report that the FDA is considering the regulation of medical apps.  See “FDA Signals it Will Regulate Medical Apps“.   The article quotes a source who relayed that at a town hall meeting h... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911833 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:03:11 +0100 4911833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911668&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2F15-reasons-why-you-should-go-to-pcc%25e2%2580%2599s-2011-pediatric-practice-management-coding-conference%2F This summer, PCC will have their annual pediatric practice management & coding conference. This year, the conference is extra special for me because I’ve been asked to be a speaker. PCC usually has the top speakers give classes at their event. So I’m so excited and pleased to have been chosen to speak at this year’s event. My talk is titled 101 ways to transform your medical practice. I’ll be talking about some of the changes we need to make in our medical office to meet the demand of this new, value-driven, high volume-low-margin healthcare environment we face. If you’ve never been , I think you should consider going. It is truly one of the best pediatric specific conferences in the country. In an effort to convince you, I’ve put together a list 15 reasons you should go. ... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911668 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:00:32 +0100 4911668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893591&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fnew-patients-putting-physicians-under.html " Physicians are now the ones under close examination by a new generation of patients By Shelly K. Schwartz | May 18, 2011 Patients these days are a demanding lot. They insist on the latest procedures, they expect more bang for their buck, and they'll gladly jump ship for a practice that can better accommodate their busy lifestyles. Indeed, as the healthcare industry evolves from a patriarchal system in which doctors did the talking to one that gives patients an equal voice, so too has the population it serves. Technological innovation, new models of delivery, and higher out-of-pocket medical costs have transformed the passive patients of old into consumers as never before."Actually, patients have always carefully scrutinised their doctor - after all, so much depends on finding th... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893591 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:18:00 +0100 4893591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893893&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fanother_twoperson_drug_company.php It's not just the US where these single-digit-employee drug companies are going - here's an article from Cambridge (UK) on Sareum, which has two. Unfortunately, they got that way by shedding three dozen other employees, so it's not quite the same situation as I was talking about the other day, but it's interesting that the outsource-the-whole-thing model is alive in so many places. If this is going to work, I think this is the scale it's going to work at. With a handful of people (and only one or two projects), you can keep a close eye on things, especially if you source as much of the crucial work as possible closer to home. I worry, though, that this is yet another idea that doesn't scale well, which is why I think Pfizer is asking for trouble. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893893 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:10:11 +0100 4893893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893960&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38604&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmakeitgreat%2F%7E3%2FxsGJdsrkvJc%2F The following is a guest post from Nate Larson People become their own boss for many reasons. Some say it’s because of the stresses of the everyday grind that gets people down. Finding the motivation to just go into work can be tough but there are many downsides to working for someone else. Transportation is costly and getting by some times demands that you have to stay at a job you hate and work for people you don’t like just to support the family that you care for. Working at home would be preferable to many and the founders of the IncomeatHome program created it for these very same reasons. This business has been around for over a decade and one of its founders, at a recent interview had a lot to say about it. He spoke very highly of this opportunity that’s changing a... Phil Gerbyshak blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893960 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4893960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893941&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Femployees-stay-at-jobs-for-work-environment-recognition.aspx A new Online Extra includes the cover story “The Art of Retaining Talent” by Matthew T. Patton, editor of ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals in which Patton discusses a recent online ADVANCE survey asking medical laboratory employees about retention...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893941 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:31:00 +0100 4893941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893933&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpseudo-certification-from-chime-is-anyone-taken-in-by-this.html Mr. HIStalk reports on the CHIME CIO credentialing program (see: News 5/27/11): CHIME reports that 109 individuals have earned Certified Healthcare CIO designation since the credentialing program was launched in July 2009. I said it was a dumb idea then and I’ll stand by that opinion now. Obviously the credential hasn’t exactly gone viral if only 109 out of thousands of hospital CIOs have signed on over two years, voluntarily jumping onto the hamster wheel of spending hospital money on renewals and going to CHIME meetings to earn CE. To each his own, but I’d be embarrassed to use a non-educational  credential earned by passing a multiple choice test of job-specific knowledge (designed by asking CIOs what they do on the job, then testing them to see if they theoretically know ho... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893933 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:06:55 +0100 4893933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902527&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhit-lessons-learned-scotland My trip to Scotland provided a remarkable opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences. Scotland has nearly 100% adoption of electronic health records among general practioners and is making good progress in hospitals with innovative built/bought inpatient systems. As in most countries, health information exchange is still evolving, but novel databases supporting disease management at the community level and an emergency care summary exchange are already live. Here's what I learned while in Scotland: No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902527 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:33:08 +0100 4902527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893942&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=39053&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fal_2%2Farchive%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Frecognizing-innovation.aspx One strong characteristic of a leader is someone who takes a challenging situation and turns it into a positive-or at least a valuable lesson for others. Therefore, many hospital and laboratory leaders view today's unsettled environment as an opportunity...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Discourse: Lab) ADVANCE Discourse: Lab blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893942 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:16:00 +0100 4893942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883891&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Fextreme_outsourcing.php My local NPR station had this report on this morning, on one-person drug companies. Can't outsource much more than that! Here are the two companies profiled: LipimetiX and Deuteria. The former is using helical peptides to affect lipoprotein clearance, and the latter is (as you'd guess) in the deuterated-drug game, which I've most recently blogged on here. (That one's run by Sheila DeWitt, who used to work down the hall from me in grad school 25 years ago). And there are several other outfits that they could have mentioned - some of them are not quite down to one person, but you can count the employees on your fingers. In all of these cases, everything is being contracted out. There are downsides, of course. For one thing, these are, almost by necessity, single-drug companies. It's enough... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883891 Tue, 31 May 2011 12:07:31 +0100 4883891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883947&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FgqWuAQ4V7jo%2F Everybody knows it’s not good business form to tell people when things aren’t going as well as you would like because you can look like a real whiner. It’s much better to retain a stiff upper lip and when asked how things are to say; “Couldn’t be better” Well let me break with convention for a moment and imagine you have just asked me how the project to give 1,000,000 copies of How Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883947 Sun, 29 May 2011 20:16:31 +0100 4883947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872044&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fstop-pretending-you-dont-know-pharma-companies I remembered years ago I was speaking to a Forest employee who told me how proud she was to be working at Forest because of how ethical the company and the CEO was. That same employee was critical of me for talking to the WSJ about some of the less ethical practices that pharma companies [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872044 Fri, 27 May 2011 17:24:42 +0100 4872044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872517&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FVCuz2zuX1Os%2F Let me make one thing clear from the get-go, I’m a Life Coach. I’m not a blogging consultant, I’m definitely not a WordPress/SEO expert, I know nothing about web design and I’m not even close to being a website conversion specialist. I say that by way of setting your expectations before we go any further. Because if you’ve high tailed it over here based on the headline and think I may be about Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872517 Fri, 27 May 2011 12:10:38 +0100 4872517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872494&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fclinical-trials-increasingly-move-offshore.html This article provided me with a new insight into the increased tempo of migration of clinical trials to China. As noted above, China is currently the world's third largest market for pharmaceuticals and by 2015 will become the second largest. Not only can clinical trials be performed for a lower cost in China but the market for pharmaceuticals in the country is also huge. One of the objections to clinical trials overseas for drugs that will be sold in the U.S. is that the research subjects are genetically different than the U.S. population. Here's an excerpt from an article that raises this issue (see: Clinical trials overseas raises quality control issues): [Seth Glickman, M.D., a senior scholar at Duke's Fuqua School of Business] says social ecology and genetics may also play... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872494 Fri, 27 May 2011 11:43:30 +0100 4872494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862484&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fpharma-and-social-media-its-not-about-controlling-the-conversation-but-finding-the-right-venues-for-engagement Now that Facebook Pages is to Marketing what LinkedIn Profiles is to Job Seeking – pharma companies are in pickle: Facebook is going to open up comments no matter what. This means pharma companies can no longer restrict people from commenting on their Facebook pages. Er…. DUH! Why is this big news? People get on [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862484 Wed, 25 May 2011 17:33:14 +0100 4862484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862947&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fcomplexity-of-emrs-frustates-hospital-users.html The fact that EMRs have been failure prone is no secret (see: The Causes of EMR System Implementation Failure). The cause of such failures is multifactorial. Lab Soft News has also covered this topic in the past (see: EMR Failures and a Recipe for Their Avoidance in the Future; Modeling the Costs of IT System Failures Globally). However, I firmly believe that physicians, like most professionals, will avidly embrace any type of information technology that will improve their productivity. This is particularly true these days when healthcare reform requires physicians to work more efficiently. It follows that a large part of the rejection of EMRs by clinicians is based on the fact that they are not well designed. A recent article discusses this issue (see: Complexity of EMRs discourages new u... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862947 Wed, 25 May 2011 13:20:01 +0100 4862947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862901&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fpfizers_layoff_dance.php What on earth is happening over in Pfizer's cardiovascular department? CVMED, as it's called there, went through a nasty round of cuts in April, with many layoffs and many transfers to the Boston site. Now I'm hearing that so few people have accepted those transfers that the company has changed course and said that these people now are still going to work in Groton, which is news to the ones who have their houses on the market. . . This sort of thing has happened before with Pfizer - I'm thinking of the people who moved to Connecticut from Michigan a few years ago, some of whom were then laid off what, six months later? But if anyone has details on this latest mess, tell us in the comments. (I've also heard that there's more layoff news there this week - details there are welcome, too). (... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862901 Wed, 25 May 2011 11:44:52 +0100 4862901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862948&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fshould-hospitals-set-up-private-social-networks-to-server-their-patients.html A recent article about how Toyota is setting up a private social network for its customers stimulated my thinking about how this idea might apply to hospitals and their patients (see: Toyota Owners To Get a Private Social Network). Below is an excerpt from it: Toyota has teamed up with Salesforce.com to create Toyota Friend, a private social network for owners of Toyota cars. The network will be accessible through PCs, tablets and smartphones, giving Toyota customers the ability to connect with their dealerships, cars and Toyota itself. For example, your car could send you an alert when its battery needs recharging, and you would be able to connect to your dealership to get maintenance tips and service information. Toyota Friend will primarily be a private network for Toyota car owners, bu... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862948 Tue, 24 May 2011 13:57:59 +0100 4862948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848171&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2Fwaking-up%2F What does it mean to wake up and become more conscious?Let me share some perspectives that should make it easier to understand the process of waking up.The Cellular PerspectiveFrom the cellular perspective, you can see yourself as an individual person interacting with other individuals. You’re like a single cell in the larger body of humanity, which is comprised of billions of other people-cells.For example, I could say that I’m a guy (a cell) who’s dedicated to helping people (other cells) live more consciously. I may communicate with many people during my lifetime, but each person is a unique individual, so the impact is different for everyone. We may all be part of some larger body of humanity, but our interactions mainly occur at the individual cellular level.This is... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848171 Fri, 20 May 2011 23:14:40 +0100 4848171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848030&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F3-techniques-navigate-new-construction-projects-within-healthcare-reform One third of U.S. hospitals preparing to undertake construction projects already on the drawing board admit ignorance and uncertainty according to a 2011 ASHE survey, when asked, "Have plans changed for construction projects due to healthcare reform?" Additionally, 49% of hospitals in the U.S. are choosing to do nothing in a "wait and see" position until the fine print of healthcare reform becomes clearer. The remainder intend to move forward, but are reacting cautiously and fluidly to everyday currents of legislation. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848030 Fri, 20 May 2011 15:55:11 +0100 4848030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841406&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fcme-and-pharma-doctors-want-support-that-they-cant-trust “Doctors want CMEs paid for them but can’t trust the people they want to help pay for their continuing medical education.” That’s how I sum up the below survey published by Archives of Internal Medicine. Look at what the conclusion said: “Although the medical professionals responding to this survey were concerned about bias introduced from [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841406 Thu, 19 May 2011 18:51:53 +0100 4841406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841749&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F18%2Fhow-can-you-become-a-change-agent-in-your-medical-practice%2F The other day I was catching up with a friend of mine. He was telling me that he was a bit frustrated at work because the people he works with aren’t as efficient as he’d like them to be. He went on to say that management wasn’t open to making improvements, listen to new ideas or open to change. I told him that he was describing a classic leadership (you don’t have to be in charge to be a leader) problem; which is, getting people to change. It seems that whether you’re on the employee side or the employer, fundamentally, if you’re a leader, you’re always in this predicament. I shared with him that despite running our own business, we still face the “change” challenge; except this time around, it comes directly from our employees. They resist change sometimes. On my way ho... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841749 Wed, 18 May 2011 15:23:27 +0100 4841749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841670&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffork-it No, I'm not swearing. At least not now. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841670 Wed, 18 May 2011 13:05:42 +0100 4841670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4842001&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Foveruse-of-colonoscopy-in-medicare-cohort.html It probably will not come as a surprise to veteran observers of our healthcare delivery system that colonoscopies are overordered. This particular procedure is a major source of revenue for gastroenterologists and many healthcare consumers understand the advantages of preventive medicine. The key question, then, revolves around the question of how often to perform the procedure by age group. A recent article addresses this overutilization topic (see: 'Large' Overuse of Screening Colonoscopy in Medicare Cohort), Below is an excerpt from it: About half of a sample of 24,071 Medicare patients who had a negative screening colonoscopy were rescreened again in less than 7 years — well before the recommended interval of 10 years, according to a new study. And nearly half of the retested... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4842001 Tue, 17 May 2011 13:09:01 +0100 4842001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829280&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fimperfect_pitch.php Venture capitalist Bruce Booth has moved his blog over to the Forbes network, and in his latest post he has some solid advice for people who are preparing to pitch him (and people like him) some ideas for a new company. It's very sensible stuff, including the need to bring as much solid data as you can possibly bring, not to spend too much time talking about how great everyone on your team is, and not to set off the hype detectors. (Believe it, everyone who's dealt with early-stage biotech and pharma has a very sensitive, broad-spectrum hype detector, and the "off" switch stopped working a long time ago). He also has some advice that might surprise people who haven't been watching the startup industry over the last few years: "Unless you are really convinced you have a special story that ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829280 Tue, 17 May 2011 11:33:23 +0100 4829280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829329&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fmanage-raw-data.html A recent article I came across examines how the mining and analysis of "raw data" in various industries will provide an opportunity for innovation (see: New Ways to Exploit Raw Data May Bring Surge of Innovation, a Study Says). Below is an excerpt from it: Math majors, rejoice. Businesses are going to need tens of thousands of you in the coming years as companies grapple with a growing mountain of data. Data is a vital raw material of the information economy, much as coal and iron ore were in the Industrial Revolution. But the business world is just beginning to learn how to process it all. The current data surge is coming from sophisticated computer tracking of shipments, sales, suppliers and customers, as well as e-mail, Web traffic and social network comments. The quantity of ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829329 Mon, 16 May 2011 13:54:52 +0100 4829329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829022&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fgreat-customer-service-from-citibank.html I am a CitiGold customer, and had some issues with the billing on my credit card which had not been resolved for quite a few months.I spoke to my Relationship manager, who promised to fix the problem. I am very confident she'll take care of this - but what I really liked is the fact that I can reach out and talk to a human being who will take ownership of the problem and solve it for me.It's such a pleasure to receive good customer service - it's become so rare these days ! (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829022 Sat, 14 May 2011 10:08:00 +0100 4829022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820958&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2-green-energy-building-techniques-healthcare-facilities Health facilities consume about two and one-half times the power of a standard commercial facility. They are massive consumers of energy and utilities due to a multitude of contributing factors including:  lengthy hours of operations, constant volume environmentally filtered air management, complex waste control systems, and extraordinary primary and secondary power equipment. Healthcare facilities are easily identifiable as a case study for green technology programs and the applications can be overwhelming. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820958 Fri, 13 May 2011 19:33:10 +0100 4820958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821173&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fphysicians-and-the-two-screen-revolution.html In a recent note, I discussed the two-screen revolution that seems to be gaining traction (see: iPad Helping to Launch a "Two-Screen Revolution"). The basic idea is that many of us we will soon be operating with two screens, the large one being a TV or PC monitor and the small one being a tablet computer such as an iPad for simultaneously browsing the web. The large screen provides generalized, standard content and the smaller one provides customized, complementary information. I have been thinking about how this computing model relates to physicians and I think I can now describe how it may work in a hospital or large clinic. Consider the process that occurs when a physician accesses the electronic medical record of a patient using a computer monitor. He or she, using an iPad, c... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821173 Fri, 13 May 2011 12:58:48 +0100 4821173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820939&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fwhy-us-government-should-give-doctors.html The US govt is spending a huge amount of money to encourage doctors to use EMRs, in the hope that this will help to reduce healthcare costs. However, most doctors are quite suspicious of the whole deal. This is quite natural. After all, governments know very little about how to care for patients - and a lot of these government - sponsored incentives end up backfiring and creating a lot of additional work and heartburn for doctors.Rather than take this top-down Big Brother approach ( which failed so miserably in the UK), I'd like to suggest a simpler alternative. Of the 40000 odd dollars which the government is willing to gift each medical practise which starts using an EMR, I'd suggest they give doctors some money ( as little as US $ 500 ) to set up their own personal website. This would c... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820939 Fri, 13 May 2011 02:44:00 +0100 4820939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821138&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Ficahns_biotech_adventure.php So how well has raiding the biotech sector (Biogen, Genzyme) worked out for Carl Icahn? According to this estimate in the Boston Globe, he's made a lot of money. But (and here's a big point that the article doesn't, in my view, make enough of). . .he hasn't really made more than he would have made by investing in the biotech sector as a whole. Naturally, he's beaten the S&P all to pieces, as private equity fund darn well should if it can. But the Biotech stock index has been on a tear, too, and he hasn't beaten it by much. So how would it have been if he'd just stayed home with his money and bought the basket of stocks, eh? Not nearly as much fun, and not much chance to influence the directions of whole companies, which is what a mover and shaker like Icahn lives for. But still. . . (Sour... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821138 Thu, 12 May 2011 18:22:01 +0100 4821138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821174&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fwgeneral-internal-medicine-does-not-pay-off-for-recent-graduates.html We are undergoing major changes in the choices being made by young physicians in terms of how they practice medicine after their completion of training. The most striking change has been the large percentage that are accepting salaried positions with large health systems, many as hospitalists. A recent article provides evidence of the continuing trend away from general internal medicine (see: Young doctors find general internal medicine doesn't pay), Below is an excerpt from it: Many young physicians continue to steer away from general internal medicine, despite increased exposure to the field during medical school and a more favorable view of the specialty among medical students. The decline is contributing to a growing shortage of primary care physicians when demand for such services... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821174 Thu, 12 May 2011 12:53:12 +0100 4821174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820924&cid=t_94049_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fi-focused-on-who-i-wasnt-by-my-mid-30s%2F One reason that this blog has brought me so much happiness is that blogging has widened my circle of friends so much. I met Melanie Notkin because we’re both interested in using social media to engage with readers, and I’m very excited for her this week — her first book just hit the shelves, Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids. In it, she shines a light on relationships that bring a tremendous amount of love and happiness — the bond among “aunties” and their nieces, nephews, god-children, etc. I knew Melanie has done a lot of thinking about happiness, so I was eager to hear what she had to say. Gretchen: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier? Melanie: I call my... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820924 Thu, 12 May 2011 12:27:26 +0100 4820924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813387&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Flooking-for-healthcare-it-entrepreneurs.html Are you an entrepreneur who wants to improve healthcare in India ? I am an angel investor, and am looking for companies which meet the following criteria.At least 3 years old, with a viable product, who need to grow and scale up and needs funds and a strategic investor to do so. I am especially looking for companies which are active in the following areas: Elearning for healthcareTeaching patients about their health in Indian regional languagesDeveloping healthcare apps customised for IndiaIf you are interested, please send me an email ! (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813387 Thu, 12 May 2011 11:35:00 +0100 4813387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813404&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FWNwZU_GkVps%2F Oh man, I’ve been busy. I filled in as writer of the Midwest edition of Payers and Providers the last two weeks because regular editor Duncan Moore, a former colleague, had been hospitalized. (Get well soon, Duncan.) I’ve been at the Institute for Health Technology Transformation health IT summit in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., since yesterday, and I’ve also had my regular deadlines for InformationWeek and MobiHealthNews. I moderated two IHT2 conference sessions yesterday, on how health IT underpins Accountable Care Organizations and how business intelligence can create a framework for health information exchange. I haven’t had time to blog about those, but several people seem to have tweeted during those sessions. I therefore present a rundown via Twitter. @narmi91 #iHT2... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813404 Thu, 12 May 2011 00:13:28 +0100 4813404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813483&cid=t_94049_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fwhat-can-your-medical-practice-learn-from-watching-the-show-iron-chef%2F I enjoy watching Iron Chef America. I am amazed that the Food Channel can create a show about cooking that is exciting, competitive, informative, nail biting and fun all in a single show. Theoretically, a competitive cooking show sounds boring. What is fun and exciting about that? But Iron Chef makes you root for a guy to pull out a lobster from the boiling water so he can plate it in time, while the other guy is running franticly chopping things up ’til the last minute all while the commentator gives a play, by play and insights as to the ingredients and technique of each chef. For those that haven’t seen the show, it consist of two chef (one is the iron chef and the other is the challenger) trying to make several dishes in an hour with a secret ingredient that is revealed to them... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813483 Wed, 11 May 2011 14:00:18 +0100 4813483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803281&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fspeed-dating-it As a CIO, I gather information about new products and innovation in many ways. I search the web for emerging technologies, read numerous publications/newsletters, and constantly meet with vendors and IT professionals who are creating novel applications. However, it's not the most efficient way to rapidly assess whether products are operational or exist only in Powerpoint. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803281 Tue, 10 May 2011 13:37:24 +0100 4803281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797825&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fhow-emr-can-help-doctors-to-become-more.html Managing time is a major issue for all professionals in today’s fast paced world. This is even more so for many doctors, especially those who work at multiple locations: Clinics, Hospitals and Medical centers. Workshops on effective time management are regularly organized at different financial and IT firms to help hard working professionals.Physicians have a slightly bigger problem. Their schedules are majorly dependent on set appointments with patients. While they do have other areas of concern, the majority of their daily schedules are built around patient appointments. What complicates this for a consulting doctor is that every day he may have different visiting hours at different locations. This makes Time management even more crucial for Physicians. (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797825 Sun, 08 May 2011 04:47:00 +0100 4797825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797925&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2F10-tips-for-a-better-cover-letter%2F This article assumes that you seek meaningful and fulfilling work — a consciously chosen career that challenges you as opposed to a cog-like job to pay the bills. You aren’t likely to find such career positions advertised anywhere; it’s up to you to define and create them. But if all you want is a job, there are plenty of burger patties in dire need of flipping. If you've found this work helpful, please donate to show your support. The average donation is $20.71 (updated April 2011). Steve Recommends Lefkoe Method - Permanently eliminate a limiting belief in about 20 minutes. Paraliminals - Accelerate your personal growth. Site Build It! - Build an income-generating website. The Journal - Keep a secure journal on your PC. PhotoReading - Read books 3x faster. Man Transf... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797925 Sun, 08 May 2011 03:48:45 +0100 4797925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794912&cid=t_94049_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Ftop-ten-things-you-need-to-know-about.html The Institute for Health Technology Transformation is a US based organisation that brings together private and public sector leaders to foster the effective use of technology across the healthcare industry.Their report, "Top Ten Things You Need To Know About Engaging Patients' is a compilation of what key health IT experts from across the U.S. think are the most important things to know about engaging patients in the digital age along with four key recommendations for practical action.Mostly common sense. Doctors just need to ask a simple question - How would you like your lawyer to communicate with you ? Use the same principles to open as many communication channels with your patients, so it's easy for them to connect with you ! (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794912 Sat, 07 May 2011 05:25:00 +0100 4794912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794843&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnRTNw4lF5DA%2F By Chris EdwardsThe British royal wedding was splendid, and the bride and groom were a great match. As a fiscal wonk, my idea of a royal match-up would be marrying corporate tax cuts and business subsidy cuts. The Obama administration is talking about corporate tax cuts and Republicans are talking about cuts to farm subsidies. Might they get together over a cup of tea and work out nuptials? The global average corporate tax rate has fallen over the last decade from 32 to 25 percent (KPMG, page 79). We have been stuck with a highly damaging 40% federal-state rate. Canada is chopping its combined federal-provincial rate to 25 percent. The Conservative government just won a parliamentary majority, which promises even more pro-investment changes for our largest trading partner. Consider a Japa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794843 Fri, 06 May 2011 17:51:52 +0100 4794843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789668&cid=t_94049_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FyXY3EzjadJo%2F You may have noticed a few changes around here lately. Firstly, I started charging for most my Life Coaching ebooks that were previously free and then if you subscribe via RSS you will have noticed that you no longer get the whole post in your feed and e-mail. Now you just get a snippet of each new post that then requires you to click through to read the entire article. I usually only Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789668 Thu, 05 May 2011 14:01:23 +0100 4789668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789187&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fwill-technology-replace-pharmacists Maybe it can. But there are aspects of healthcare that can never be automated. Yes, I worked in healthcare and consulted for one of the stakeholders, and I have seen the benefits of automation – reducing human errors, improving delivery efficiency. But healthcare is a human profession, dealing with human beings and usually human beings [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789187 Thu, 05 May 2011 00:33:29 +0100 4789187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789188&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fwould-you-cancel-a-surgery-if-your-surgeon-is-getting-a-kick-back The specific question is about getting kickbacks as a surgeon using a medical device, and was originally asked on Quora. The explanation to the question (posted by the asker) said, “The department of justice has investigated conflicts of interest, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has published on the topic. To quote from the gazette: Payments [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789188 Wed, 04 May 2011 21:55:06 +0100 4789188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775592&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F02%2Fpfizer_breaking_up_is_hard_to_do.php Matthew Herper has a good piece over in Forbes on the speculation that Pfizer might devolve. Here's his breakdown of how five (or so) separate Pfizer-derived companies could be worth substantially more than the current entity. But, as he notes, we're talking about several different things here. Were I a long-suffering Pfizer shareholder (which, outside of index funds, I have tried not to be), I would have one perspective on this, similar to this one. It would all be about the stock price: “The stock can only go up if they break up the company and cut research and development,” says Jami Rubin, a pharmaceuticals analyst at Goldman Sachs who has been pushing a Pfizer breakup for three years. “When Read was announced as the new chief executive Wall Street was skeptical, but he’s lis... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775592 Mon, 02 May 2011 13:45:12 +0100 4775592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775397&cid=t_94049_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-regular-medicine-doesnt-pay-doctors-turn-to-cosmetic-work%2F2011.05.01 This MSN article states that doctor-owned hospitals are on the rise. In California, the opposite is the case. The hospital business is a lousy business in which to be. I would rather open a surgical facility. I had an opportunity to be a part of a group that bought a hospital a few years ago and passed. In California, real medicine is going into the toilet as doctors realize that the work they have put in to get educated makes practicing fairly unrewarding. Niche markets and gimmicks are replacing the conventional medical landscape. That’s the reason we have so many non-plastic surgeons turning to cosmetic work. The bottom line is that you need to pay doctors enough so they can make a decent living or they will find something else to do. Sad but true. *This blog post was origi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775397 Sun, 01 May 2011 14:00:16 +0100 4775397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768261&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F04%2Fmedical-students-as-emr-scribes.html In two recent posts, I have reported on the growing use of EMR scribes in hospitals (see: Shift of Hospital EMR Data Entry Tasks from MDs to Scribes; Medical Students Recruited to Serve as EMR Scribes in Toledo). It makes no sense to use physicians and nurses as data entry clerks for the EMR. The user interfaces of these systems are still too awkward for these personnel to perform the necessary tasks quickly and efficiently. Hence, hospitals associated with medical schools are turning to medical students to serve as EMR scribes. These students bring to the job some knowledge of medical nomenclature and benefit from the early exposure to the patient care environment. Other hospitals are turning to college students or other suitable candidates in the community after some training. A Google s... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768261 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4768261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768231&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F29%2Fmerck_how_to_spend_the_money.php So Merck has announced that they're spending another $5 billion to buy back their own stock. How does this square with the CEO's recent refusal to give detailed earnings guidance, on the grounds that R&D spending comes first and is inherently unpredictable? "Not too well" is my first response. Wall Street liked the news, taking it as a sign that the company has put its J&J problems behind it, and has (let's lapse into Streetspeak) "the visibility to deploy its capital". And stock buybacks help keep up the share price, and help the earnings-per-share, so what's not to like, if you're holding the stock? Well, what's not to like is that there are other places for the company to deploy all that capital, now that it's so visible and everything. Like, for example, on their business. (Note that... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768231 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:32:20 +0100 4768231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762928&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F28%2Fpfizer_layoffs_today.php I'm hearing that yesterday and today Pfizer has been handing out notices - today it appears to be in the cardiovascular area. Word is that the small-molecule people are especially hard hit, but anyone in a position to know, please feel free to add details in the comments. . . (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762928 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:14:54 +0100 4762928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753962&cid=t_94049_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F26%2Fastrazeneca_tears_em_down.php Well, this takes things along another step - AstraZeneca has looked over its Wilmington-area site, which has a lot of empty space in it now, and decided that the best thing to do is: start tearing buildings down: AstraZeneca will demolish 450,000 square feet of laboratory space in three buildings at its North American headquarters campus off Concord Pike in Fairfax as part of its global restructuring, the drug giant has confirmed. The three buildings account for a major chunk of the company's Fairfax campus and house all of the company's Delaware-based research efforts. The huge complex west of Concord Pike is only about a decade old. But as this article clarifies, the buildings that are coming down are generally 30 years old and more. In this climate, leasing them out to someone else i... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753962 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:39:37 +0100 4753962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753803&cid=t_94049_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2FxLWKxHLiDZs%2F Healthcare needs positive role models for innovation…and we have a real-time mentor in Netflix. If you have a Netflix subscription, you probably identify with the company as providing a convenient DVD rental service — order on the web, the DVD arrives by mail, send it back in the handy pre-paid envelope when you’re done. Today’s ReadWriteWeb describes Netflix’ latest letter to shareholders and explains how the company is preparing for the demise of DVDs: (more…) Tags: business model, disruptive innovation (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753803 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:52:16 +0100 4753803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747908&cid=t_94049_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F04%2Fradiology-job-market-trends-downward-blame-technology-and-reimbursement.html Here are summaries of three conversations that I have had recently: A newly graduated physician tells me that her colleagues widely understand that the radiology job market is lousy with the exception of interventional radiology (IR), for which there are plenty of openings. A mid-career, highly specialized  academic radiologist tells me that there would be few, suitable positions available for him if we were to change positions. A very senior radiologist in a large, midwest hospital tells me that he is working twice as hard to simply maintain his expected income; he cites digital pathology and PACS as the enabling technologies that allow him to ramp-up his personal efficiency and effectiveness. All of this caused me to search the web for some further discussion of the current radio... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747908 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:12:55 +0100 4747908