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 'don'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:56:02 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181979&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsocial-media-reactions-top-5-worst-emr-myths Healthcare IT News Associate Editor Molly Merrill wrote a July 26 piece on the five worst EMR myths. Over the past month, there's been debate and discussion surrounding the list, via our social media outlets and in our reader comments posted on the Healthcare IT News site. Here are the five misconceptions Merrill included: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181979 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:45:12 +0100 5181979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953041&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FnWMJGlMU1wU%2F While people continue to demonize CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick and President Obama essentially throws Berwick under the political bus, far too many are missing the message. Wouldn’t “radical communist thugs” like one commenter on this YouTube page labeled the Obama administration really want to dehumanize patient care? Watch this short video of Berwick speaking in Berlin in 2009 (yes, socialist Europe). He talks about how patient care already has been dehumanized and how healthcare professionals and organizations routinely ignore the wishes of patients. Speaking of a friend who couldn’t get mammogram results over the phone, Berwick said, “Their choice trumps her choice. Period. And that’s what scares me. It scares me to be made helpless before my... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953041 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:52:26 +0100 4953041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893605&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F0g_GyIRAV-M%2F In just the last few hours, I’ve seen a huge wave of pushback and doubt about Watson, the IBM supercomputer, being used for clinical decision support. Yesterday, I covered a “healthcare leadership exchange” at IBM’s new Healthcare Innovation Lab in downtown Chicago. I posted some of my observations on the EMR and HIPAA blog, and made the case for diagnostic decision support. I also wrote a story for InformationWeek, but that hasn’t run. Instead of posting my story, InformationWeek healthcare editor Paul Cerrato wrote a column about Watson already being “beaten in the medical diagnostics race” by Isabel Healthcare, a diagnostic decision support tool that’s been available for years. I have to admit, he’s right. I first interviewed Isabel ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893605 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:37:50 +0100 4893605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828879&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fall-attempts-to-reduce-bureaucracy-in-the-healthcare-system-will-increase-it%2F2011.05.17 “The media is the message.” It does not matter if the policy has failed previously.  All that is important is the effectiveness of the policy’s presentation and its ability to manipulate the polls. The government’s purpose is to work for the people who elected it. It does not seem to be working that way at present. Bureaucrats create rules or regulations as they interpret the laws made by congress and the president. Regulations are controlled by the administration’s ideology. Many times the regulations in one area nullify the intended effect in another area. Regulations and bureaucracy inhibit the use of common sense in policy making for the benefit of the people. The people did not have an outlet to express their opinions or frustrations until blogging came into its own seven y... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828879 Tue, 17 May 2011 12:29:19 +0100 4828879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742467&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F22%2F9-tips-to-quit-nagging%2F From what I hear from other people, it’s clear that I’m not the only person who struggles with nagging. It turns out that being a nag is just as unpleasant as being nagged — so finding strategies to stop nagging brings a real happiness boost to a relationship. But even though no one enjoys an atmosphere of nagging, in marriage or any partnership, chores are a huge source of conflict. How do you get your sweetheart to hold up his or her end, without nagging? One of my best friends from college has a very radical solution: she and her husband don’t assign. That’s right. They never say, “Get me a diaper,” “The trash needs to go out,” etc. This only works because neither one of them is a slacker, but still — what a tactic! And they have three children! That&#821... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742467 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:30:02 +0100 4742467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696712&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FnZFN64nSeww%2F It’s been a full decade since the Institute of Medicine published the second volume in its landmark series on patient safety and quality of care, Crossing the Quality Chasm. We appear to be not much closer to achieving a high-quality health system as we were 10 years ago. Last week, as you may have already heard, a paper in Health Affairs from researchers at the University of Utah concluded that adverse events may be 10 times more prevalent than previously believed and that errors may occur in an astounding one-third of all hospital admissions. The research team, which included such luminaries as Dr. David Classen, Dr. Brent James and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement‘s Frank Federico, also said that there estimates probably were on the conservative side. Patient-safety ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696712 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:07:53 +0100 4696712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670192&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F_hBCdv1Il8k%2F It’s time for another baseball season, and Health Wonk Review is ready to go. as with the Spring Training Edition two weeks ago, optimism reigns. (Host Jason Shafrin of the Healthcare Economist blog proves it by calling for the Milwaukee Brewers to win the World Series this year. I guess cheeseheads are still from the Green Bay Packers’ victory in the Super Bowl two months ago.) I didn’t make the starting lineup, but am an early choice from the bullpen for my “Slams on Berwick are getting pathetic” post. Curiously, Shafrin wades away from the controversy a bit by highlighting something said by a person I’m critiquing, namely that comparative effectiveness research “doesn’t work in the real world.” Not surprisingly, no post related to he... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670192 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:05:28 +0100 4670192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658333&cid=t_124497_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fserratia-marcescens-outbreak-kills-patients-source-infected-intravenous-fluid%2F Alabama medical officials are announcing that IV fluid infected with the bacteria Serratia marcescens is now responsible for nine deaths and has caused serious illness in ten others. Dr. Don Williamson of the Alabama Department of Public Health comments. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658333 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:05:16 +0100 4658333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626886&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FuP93TL-iZGE%2F The slams on Dr. Donald Berwick, frankly, are getting pathetic. Today, Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel dismissed Berwick as a “basically a policy wonk” who “hasn’t really practiced since 1989.” Siegel tried to score points with sound bites. “This guy has more quotes than Yogi Berra, and let me tell you something, these quotes are an indictment on people that want clinicians to make decisions,” Siegel said on Fox this afternoon. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com According to Siegel, comparative effectiveness “doesn’t work in the real world.” Well, sure, that’s the point of clinical decision support. Best practices are for common conditions, and clinical decision support is to help physicians either foll... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626886 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:11:49 +0100 4626886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622323&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FUMmNnpjnUbY%2F Satirical newspaper The Onion (“America’s Finest News Source”) is on its game once again. Many of you probably have already seen the story from last week, headlined, “Quick-Lube Shop Masters Electronic Record Keeping Six Years Before Medical Industry.” (I tweeted about it over the weekend and some other healthcare blogs have posted it.) An excerpt: “We figured that a basic database would help us with everything from scheduling regular appointments to predicting future lubrication requirements,” said the proprietor of the local oil-change shop, Karl Lemke, who has no special logistical or programming skills, and who described his organizational methods, which are far more advanced than those of any hospital emergency room, as “basic, common-se... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622323 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:46:18 +0100 4622323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615222&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FPH-LM6dEKO4%2F On Jan. 28, Ron Pollack, executive director of the liberal advocacy group Families USA, introduced President Obama at a Families USA event by saying, “Numerous presidents over many decades tried to secure health reform legislation that would move us toward high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. You, Mr. President, actually achieved it.” The crowd ate it up. During the contentious debate over health reform in 2009 and 2010, countless lobbyists, pundits and politicians touted “quality healthcare” as a reason to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Some called for the same “Cadillac” health plans that members of Congress provided for themselves. Many opponents of the legislation countered by saying the U.S. already has the &#... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615222 Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:10:14 +0100 4615222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615108&cid=t_124497_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2F30-dsc-day-8.html 8: A Song You Know All The Words To.A few of these.This is probably my favourite.A slightly 'odd' version, mayhaps? (Source: The KnifeMan) The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615108 Sun, 20 Mar 2011 11:05:00 +0100 4615108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605901&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FriAKPBS788o%2F   The sun is shining here in Chicago and the mercury is supposed to hit 60 degrees today for the first time in months. That could mean only one thing: Spring is in the air, and hope springs eternal, even for the star-crossed Cubs. Though it’s still spring training, noted Yankees fan Glenn Laffel of the Pizaazz blog is in midseason form as he hosts this week’s Health Wonk Review, with an all-star lineup of contributors. My impassioned defense of Don Berwick makes the big-league roster among the sluggers (health policy), while health IT gets its due respect as a disruptive force by being categorized as the base-stealers. Of note, longtime HIT blogger Shahid Shah, known as the Healthcare IT Guy, talks security. “I hear a lot of naive talk about how systems are secure b... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605901 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:13:26 +0100 4605901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592493&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FopWr_wehgR8%2F President Barack Obama has made plenty of mistakes in his first two-plus years in office, but none may be more serious for the future of America than his decision to install Donald M. Berwick, M.D., as a recess appointment to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2010. Berwick really is a great choice to head CMS, but the underhanded nature of the recess appointment has provided fodder for all kinds of uninformed ideologues and assorted nut jobs to attack Obama’s healthcare reform efforts. Just as CMS is gearing up to release widely anticipated proposed regulations for Accountable Care Organizations, we get the sad news that that Berwick’s days are numbered. After refusing to allow Berwick to testify before the Senate last year, Obama renominated Berwick on Jan. 2... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592493 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:21:58 +0100 4592493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570607&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2Fci3mKyd-Tpc%2F Leave it to those in the ivory tower of Modern Healthcare to screw up something as simple as an unscientific poll about who should be the next national coordinator for health IT.  The poll lists a whopping two dozen names, ranging from the obvious—Dr. John Halamka, Dr. Paul Tang, current deputy national coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari—to the dark horse—Dr. Robert Hitchcock of T-System, Paula Gregory of the “Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicince” (sic)—and even a few laughable listings. For one thing, Dr. David Brailer is on the list. The first national coordinator (2004-06) left Washington because he wanted to be with his family in San Francisco. He’s currently running a $700 million equity investment firm and couldn’t possibly want to get back in... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570607 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:35:02 +0100 4570607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549778&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2F15-quotes-that-motivate-and-inspire%2F I recently joined “The Psychology Network” on LinkedIn and have been enjoying the discussion among mental health professionals (since I’m not really one, but pretend to be all the time). Especially intriguing was the discussion thread called “What are some of your favorite quotes that have motivated and inspired you?” They are quotes that they share with patients or with each other, or that they just think are cool and sound good. Here are just 15 from the 70 or so responses: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” –Hilary Cooper “If you can keep your wits about you while others are losing theirs and blaming you, the world will be yours.” –Rudyard Kipling “Give a man a fish and you fe... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549778 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:35:15 +0100 4549778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495150&cid=t_124497_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fplastic-surgeon-dr-don-lalonde-resigns-hospital-position-due-lack-patient-access%2F Prominent Canadian surgeon Dr. Don Lalonde has resigned an important internal hospital position at Saint John Regional Hospital in New Brunswick, Canada because of his dismay over long operating wait times. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495150 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:25:12 +0100 4495150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411710&cid=t_124497_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F28%2Farsenic_in_dna_the_kinetic_argument.php Here's the first response in the chemical literature to the arsenic-in-DNA controversy, from three authors in ACS Chemical Biology. They detail the argument, familiar to readers of the comment section here, that arsenate esters just would not be expected to have the hydrolytic stability needed for arseno-DNA to function usefully. How far off is it? By, well, about 13 (make that 17) orders of magnitude, which is much worse than I'd thought. As the authors put it, "Overcoming such dramatic kinetic instability in its genetic material would present serious challenges to Halomonadacea GFAJ-1." Indeed it would. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411710 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:24:26 +0100 4411710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355874&cid=t_124497_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FD-_B8hTIfwc%2F Image by Rockies via Flickr I dragged up my copy of Infinite Jest last night before going to bed. I suppose that I thought I would make some kind of headway into it at last, after more than a year of ignoring the poor thing. Now it sits on the radiator, staring at me. I left off reading the book last year after it was far more effective at making me feel the cultural emptiness that inhabits and surrounds all of the characters. I needed a time out. I suppose that a year is enough of a time out. I have also skimmed the end of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and am looking for my next book. Thus, the reasoning behind dragging Infinite Jest upstairs. Anthony Powell‘s books — A Dance to the Music of Time — are in the running as serious candidates. Not sure about Don DeLillo —... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355874 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:19:01 +0100 4355874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4326904&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fan-interview-with-a-director-of-nursing%2F2011.01.08 “NurseExec” is the director of nursing (DON) at a 120-bed skilled nursing facility (SNF) that has a 50/50 mix of patients needing short-term rehab and long-term care. After working in the OR as a circulator nurse, she started out as a charge nurse in her current building, which entailed pushing a med cart and taking care of 20 patients. After nine months, she was promoted to Risk Manager and three years later became the DON. She starts her day at 7am by rounding on nursing units, consulting with unit managers on clinical issues, and dealing with grievances and employee issues. She checks in with the charge nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNAs), checks shower rooms and utility rooms. Then it’s off to Morning Standup with department heads, followed by clinical rounds with ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4326904 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4326904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300535&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhTkt0DJMLqA%2F By Daniel GriswoldDid America become a great industrial power in the 19th century because of its high trade barriers? This is not just an academic question. Modern-day critics of trade, such as Pat Buchanan and Ian Fletcher, argue that the same tariff wall that made American great more than a century ago can bring back those days of industrial glory. I did my best to debunk this flawed historical argument in Chapter 7 of Mad about Trade, but I’m delighted to see my free-trade buddy Don Boudreaux of George Mason University weigh in with an article in the new issue of The Freeman. Under the title, “Tariffs and Freedom,” Don neatly dispels a number of myths surrounding that period in American economic history. Can a Tariff Wall Restore America’s Industrial Glory? is a post from Cato @... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300535 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:30:42 +0100 4300535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294751&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftraffic.libsyn.com%2Fnversel%2FDon_Jones_mHealth_Summit.MP3 At the Mobile Health Summit in Washington, D.C., in November, I had a chance to meet Don Jones, vice president of health and life sciences at Qualcomm, for the first time since July 2008, when were both at the m-health week of the Making the eHealth Connection series in Bellagio, Italy. As a founding board member of the West Wireless Health Institute and chairman of the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance, Jones is a key player in wireless and mobile health both in the U.S. and abroad. In this podcast, we chatted about Qualcomm's interest in this industry, the progress and potential of m-health and what to look for in the future.Podcast details: Interview with Don Jones, VP of health and life sciences at Qualcomm. Recorded Nov. 10, 2010, at Mobile Health Summit in Washington, D.C. MP3, stereo,... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294751 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:47:57 +0100 4294751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225614&cid=t_124497_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F02%2Flife_with_arsenic_whod_have_thought.php So: arsenic for phosphorus? That's the big news from NASA today. I listened to much of the press conference, and I've read the paper in Science. Is this real - and if it is, what does it tell us? Let's do the second part first. Phosphorus is an extremely important element for every living thing on Earth. It's mostly found as phosphate, and phosphate groups are found all over the place: decorating proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, as the invariable outside of DNA helices, and as the key part of the ultimate energy currency of every living cell, ATP. Phosphate's no bit player. This is a good time to emphasize that (as far as we can tell) all life on Earth shares the same chemistry and the same kinds of biomolecules. Humans, frogs, fruit flies, fungi, tube worms on the ocean floor, liche... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225614 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:11:06 +0100 4225614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197357&cid=t_124497_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fzs1JuMdwgfQ%2F Once again, controversy is erupting over British Columbia’s PharmaCare program. The latest flare up centers on a previously undisclosed plan by the health ministry to give the pharmaceutical industry greater input into the process used to review drugs for the PharmaCare formularly placement. A Sept. 30 memo from British Columbia’s deputy health minister John Dyble to unnamed “stakeholders” describes four separate “engagement points” in the “enhanced review process” that would determine which drugs would be covered by PharmaCare. The purpose is to create “increased sponsor engagement,” according to the Sept. 30 memo (see here). The proposed “engagement points” for industry, which are being reviewed today at a closed-do... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197357 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:48:39 +0100 4197357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167956&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-decision-making-and-don-berwicks-leaders-with-plans%2F2010.11.15 From a recent post of the Retired Doc’s Thoughts blog entitled “What Are the Plans Of Don Berwick’s ‘Leaders With Plans?’“: “I wonder which is worse: A medical leader recommending price controls out of ignorance of basic economics or being aware of the likely outcomes and mak[ing] that recommendation anyway?” Wow. I’m speechless. Thanks to Retired Doc for getting this out in a cogent summary. *This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167956 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:00:55 +0100 4167956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045052&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F10%2Fwest-wireless-health-institute-awards-10k-developer-challenge-at-health-20.html By DON CASEY The winner of the West Wireless Health Institute’s $10,000 Health 2.0 developer challenge integrates consumer devices with wireless capabilities – like Nintendo’s popular Wii balance board – and open source platforms to help people share real-time health... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045052 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4045052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003255&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-medicare-reform-act-smoke-and-mirrors-for-patients-and-physicians%2F2010.09.27 An interesting debate occurred in the Washington Post between Michael Leavitt, former secretary of Health and Human Services and a member of the Medicare Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2009, and Dr. Don Berwick, the director of CMS. Michael Leavitt wrote a scathing article criticizing President Obama’s Medicare Reform Act calling it an illusion. Don Berwick wrote a rebuttal to Michael Leavitt’s article. Michael Leavitt starts off his article by stating: “Despite the report from Medicare’s trustees this month that the hospital insurance trust fund will not be depleted until 2029, 12 years later than was predicted just last year, Medicare is no better off than it was a year ago. “ The Medicare Trustees Report was strange. Nothing was done to change anything and all of a sudden,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003255 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:00:29 +0100 4003255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003057&cid=t_124497_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F27%2Funholy-hubris%2F Crooks & Liars blogger karoli got it so right when she wrote, “If you have had the misfortune of being one of those kids who was sexually victimized by an adult, the one thing you know is the script. You know it by heart, and even after years of therapy and recovery and acceptance that [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003057 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:45:00 +0100 4003057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914904&cid=t_124497_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fprominent-orthopedic-surgeon-dr-don-chow-critical-condition-motorcycle-crash%2F Prominent Ottawa orthopedic surgeon Dr. Don Chow is in critical condition after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car this past weekend. Chow is the team physician for the Ottawa Senators National League hockey team. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914904 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:25:29 +0100 3914904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902899&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-gift-of-being-a-doctor-what-are-you-going-to-do-with-it%2F2010.08.25 I’m going to do something unusual: Reprint in its entirety a commentary from a fourth-year medical student, Jonathan. He posted it in response to comments from other readers to my blog about Dr. Berwick’s commencement address to his daughter’s medical school class. I tweeted about Jonathan’s post, calling it a needed voice of idealism at a cynical time. This is what Jonathan had to say to his physician colleagues: “To begin, I am a fourth-year medical student going into primary care and this directly applies to me. We have two options when reading [Dr. Berwick's] address. We can take, in my opinion, the weak road or the strong road. Our new generation, as well as the one that raised us, is one of apathy and selfishness. We are only concerned about how changes ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902899 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3902899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790706&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpublic-service-does-having-an-opinion-disqualify-you%2F2010.07.26 Many conservatives are up-in-arms about President Obama’s decision to appoint Don Berwick, a pediatrician and renowned expert in quality improvement and patient safety, to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They object to Dr. Berwick’s views on a range of issues, and to Obama’s decision to use his office’s authority to appoint Dr. Berwick while the Senate was out on a short Independence Day holiday recess. As a “recess appointment,” Dr. Berwick was able to take office without Senate hearings and confirmation, but he can only serve through the end of the 111th Congress — that is, until the end of 2011 — unless ratified by the Senate. Berwick, though, also has many supporters. Maggie Mahar articulates the “pro&#8221... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790706 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3790706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757866&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdr-don-berwicks-patient-centered-medicine%2F2010.07.15 There’s been a bit of buzz in the health blogs over President Obama’s decision last week to use the mechanism of a recess appointment to be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Recess appointments, for those who may not be aware, allow a President to put a nominee in place when Congress is in recess in order to have him in place without the messy process of having him approved by the Senate. True, the Senate still has to approve a recess appointment by the end of its term, or the seat goes vacant again, but it’s an excellent way to avoid having nasty confirmation fights during election years. Of course, both parties do it, and the reaction of pundits, bloggers, and politicians tend to fall strictly along partisan lines. If you support the President, t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757866 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:00:36 +0100 3757866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753826&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-free-stuff-of-healthcare-reform%2F2010.07.14 It happened. Guilty. I confess. Reading about Dr. Berwick’s recess appointment to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) induced me to watch a Fox news clip. Gosh, I feel bad about it. It felt good, though. Patients — that’s you and me — should know that CMS controls doctors, nurses and especially hospital/practice managers. They are ten times more scary than the radar patrol car on the highway. Dr. Berwick likes the British system of healthcare delivery. In Europe healthcare is free, and everyone likes free stuff. Free stuff happens all the time, doesn’t it? In Cambridge, Mass — at Harvard — free stuff for all seems a plausible tenet. There must be a lot of coffee shops and free time in Cambridge. In the real world — on Ma... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753826 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3753826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3633500&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F06%2Fthe-second-agreement-dont-take-anything-personally%2F Don’t take anything personally. That’s the second agreement of Don Miguel Ruiz’s classic, “The Four Agreements.” I need a reminder today. So I open his book to that chapter and read: Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally… Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3633500 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:35:01 +0100 3633500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3569784&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Flast-weeks-10-best-posts-from-crushable%2F Image from "Tiny Furniture" trailer on Vimeo Our sister site, Crushable, published some kick-ass posts last week. Here are our top ten faves: 1. Sarah Jessica Parker: “Sex and the City 2″ Cast Grew Closer While Filming in the Middle East 2. Video: Laura Bush Is All for Gays and Abortions Now 3. New Fake Trend: “Gender Disappointment” In Your Baby 4. The Death of “Law and Order” 5. Lines That Won’t Get You Laid: “I Totally Relate to Don Draper” 6. Stars on the Spot: Do You Have an Emergency Escape Plan? 7. Cutegreggator: 23 Adorable Baby Dolphins 8. Would You Post Your Prom Dress Online? 9. Crushable Questionnaire: Elizabeth Spiers 10. Anonymous Celebrity: Lena Dunham Hits Big With “Tiny Furniture” Post from: BlissT... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3569784 Sun, 16 May 2010 18:00:33 +0100 3569784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552227&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fxyu01UtmFH0%2F By Mark A. CalabriaOne of the puzzles of Congressional efforts to “reform” our financial system to avoid future crises is the amount of attention to lenders who had nothing to do with the crisis (almost as puzzling as the inattention to many who did). Today’s Washington Post, for instance, details the efforts of payday lenders to fight back against both Senator Dodd’s new consumer agency and Senator Hagan’s amendment, that would essentially eliminate the consumer option of payday loans. In general, any efforts to restrict consumer choice is rarely likely to improve consumer welfare.  This has been repeatedly demonstrated in research on payday lending.  Senator Hagan played a key role in banning such products in North Carolina.  What was the result of that... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552227 Mon, 10 May 2010 18:36:00 +0100 3552227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519447&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZns89v_2yXw%2F By David BoazCato senior fellow Tom Palmer and friends Don Boudreaux and June Arunga debate free trade with the legendary Lou Dobbs around John Stossel’s anchor desk on tonight’s edition of “Stossel.” 8:00 p.m. and midnight EDT on the Fox Business Network. Stossel’s weekly column also interviews Tom Palmer. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519447 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:14:04 +0100 3519447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463700&cid=t_124497_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Famacupuncturehttp%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fhospital-no-longer-is-place-to-get-well.html As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing DON’T GO TO A HOSPITAL ALONEWhen you go to a hospital, bring a friend. In t... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463700 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:51:00 +0100 3463700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3443986&cid=t_124497_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fnzr6tAVQ-uY%2F Don't let the trust stop at birth “Sometimes I feel like I was raised by wolves,” sighed James, a 55-year-old man who grew up in a home with two alcoholic parents. “I know what it is to be codependent. I’ve gone through so much of my life guessing at what ‘normal’ is. It’s like trying to find your way through a dark woods without a compass.” According to Rosemary Hartman, supervisor of the Hazelden Family Program, reactions like James’ are typical for people who grew up in dysfunctional families. But acknowledging that there were issues that deeply affected the whole family system is an important first step toward emotional and spiritual healing. Hartman said this acknowledgment frequently happens when adults have their own children. “They want to be good parent... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3443986 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:25:00 +0100 3443986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432984&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fhealth-wonk-review-reform-edition.html Though I don't really think the "historic," recently enacted legislation on health insurance is true "reform," the latest edition of Health Wonk Review, hosted by Rich Elmore at Healthcare Technology News, focuses on this subject. (Elmore has several images of pigs flying. I'll have more later on why I don't think this is such a landmark event.)My column in FierceHealthIT about the implications for health IT with Don Berwick being chosen to head CMS is one of the posts reviewed. I guess that makes me a wonk. (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432984 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:21:00 +0100 3432984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420578&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fmy-take-on-berwick-heading-cms.html Here's what I have to say, in FierceHealthIT, about Dr. Don Berwick being named CMS administrator: http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/cms-chief-berwick-will-embrace-it-long-it-improves-quality/2010-03-29Your feedback is appreciated. (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420578 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:05:00 +0100 3420578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350568&cid=t_124497_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FWd4iws7642I%2F A pleasant morning here on the Pharmalot corporate campus. After a recent spell of snow, spring appears to have finally bloomed. And that makes it a bit easier to cope with those mid-week deadlines and meetings, yes? So grab a cup of something stimulating and dig in for another day. Here are a few interesting items to help you on your way. Cheers, everyone… Abbott Bests Biogen With Bid For Facet Biotech (Bloomberg) Bristol-Myers’ CEO 2009 Pay Was Down 22 Percent (Associated Press) Sandoz Names Don DeGolyer To Heads US Ops (Chain Drug Review) Novartis Takes Option On Transgene Cancer Vaccine (Reuters) Lilly, Amylin Diabetes Drug Await FDA OK (The Wall Street Journal) Teva Pharmaceuticals Names Phillip Frost As Chairman (Associated Press) Coffee pix thx to chichcacha flickr creat... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350568 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:24:03 +0100 3350568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248703&cid=t_124497_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fu2rUjZodufk%2F in Recovery When I first came to Alcoholics Anonymous I quite quickly grasped the two concepts that have been the foundations of my sobriety, the One Day At A Time principle, and lots of Meetings. For a while this seemed enough, and indeed these two simple ideas were enough to keep me sober. But then I realised that there was more to living than just not drinking. I think this is where the Steps come in as the third concept of AA – recovery. If I follow the Steps (and don’t drink just for today and do lots of meetings) I think my life must get better and fuller. You’ve probably heard the chairperson of a meeting say at the end “you may leave these rooms and never drink again”. Someone once added “and be happy about it!” which is where AA is about ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248703 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:17:14 +0100 3248703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189414&cid=t_124497_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F6yp9ytTXQ5I%2F It is important to put the responsibility for dealing with the alcohol problem squarely on the person in question while continuing to love him or her. What works depends on the individual. Doing the “right” thing can depend on how severe the alcohol problem is and on how in touch with it the person in question seems to be. What works for someone who is highly functional in daily life and who knows that alcohol is causing trouble, for instance, may not be the solution for someone who denies that there is a problem. Don’t make it easy for the drinker to keep on drinking Discontinuing “enabling,” along with putting the onus for the drinker’s behavior and its consequences on the drinker. Do not cover up for them. Let them be responsible for their actions. Accept yo... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189414 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:14:00 +0100 3189414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052339&cid=t_124497_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2FKuXupToVdTk%2Flife-for-a-child-what-it-was-like-on-the-ground-in-nepal.php Last month, I spoke with Executive Producer Scott MacGregor about the Life For a Child documentary. The film is a poignant window into the Life For a Child program, which delivers insulin and other services to kids in many of the world's poorest countries. How important is this program? There's no way to sugarcoat this. Without the Life For a Child program, these kids would be dead. It's that important. So if the film or these interviews touch you, please learn more about the program and donate. Today I'm posting a follow-up interview with Don Faller, a producer who was on the ground in Nepal for the filming. Our conversation covers:What it's really like to have diabetes in one of the world's poorest country Touching and inspiring backstories on the kids in the filmWhat we can do to help t... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052339 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:00:00 +0100 3052339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012639&cid=t_124497_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FR19dKQZgAIU%2F Canada’s Health Committee plans to review the controversial appointment of a Pfizer exec to the board of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the government agency that oversees health research in Canada, The Tyee reports. Bernard Prigent, Pfizer Canada’s medical director, was appointed last month to the CIHR’s governing council (see here). Last month, CIHR president Alain Beaudet said that he hopes to create closer ties with industry to ensure involvemetn and investment, but the move has stirred concerns since the organization is responsible for allocating research funding across the country, the paper writes. “There’s no place in our scientific organizations like CIHR for a drug company official,” NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis, tells The Tyee. “It’s shocking ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012639 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:55:49 +0100 3012639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842505&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp7rYR_cKqYs%2F Don Fisher, co-founder of the The Gap chain, passed away on Sunday. Not only was Fisher a partner in the construction of a vast retail empire that would make any entrepreneur proud, he was also a partner in funding the expansion of the KIPP chain of charter schools — something that would make any philanthropist proud. Thanks to the $60 million that he and his wife Doris committed to KIPP’s growth, it now serves 20,000 students in 82 schools across America. In k-12 education, public or private, that level of growth is unusual. But how can it be sustained? How can those who share Mr. Fisher’s commitment to bringing excellent educational options within reach of all children ensure that his efforts are not simply maintained but expanded? And how can we ensure that not just KI... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842505 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:12:57 +0100 2842505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778391&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6umqHRm73hQ%2F I’m busy dealing with the fallout from the President’s address to students yesterday, especially the cheap-shot smearing as kooks or right-wing zealots anyone who dared question the propriety of the event. That has left me with little time to blog about the speech. Fortunately, I don’t have to: Over at Cafe Hayek, Cato Adjunct Scholar Donald Boudreaux has penned a terrific explanation of why very reasonable people could object to the president’s speech. Here’s the best part: The idea that we should be ‘inspired’ by winners of political elections — the notion that successful politicians have some special wisdom to impart — the stupid consensus that high political office renders its holders unusually trustworthy when delivering clusters of cliches �... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778391 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:52:24 +0100 2778391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752111&cid=t_124497_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F08%2F31%2Fmad-men-we-married-joan%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up: Well, we all wanted to when she sang a little French song with her little squeezebox – hey, that’s what the AMC blog is calling Joan Holloway’s gorgeous red-and-pearl accordion. Ooh-la-la indeed…. Read the rest on AOL: Mad Men: We Married Joan. Posted in Woman Up Tagged: accordion, don draper, joan holloway, mad men, ooh-la-la, peggy olson (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752111 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:27:07 +0100 2752111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734226&cid=t_124497_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2Fmad-men-i-want-to-be-all-of-them%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up: It’s “Mad Men” season again, and my Woman Up colleagues and I are all aflutter about this almost self-indulgent plunge into another era. Not to mention the characters. I want to be all of them. I want to be Joan Holloway, with her red hair and smart clothes. I’ll take a few head bumps on the glass ceiling in exchange for being the ice queen of the typing pool… The invincible Roger Sterling and Don Draper of "Mad Men" Read the rest on AOL @ Mad Men: I Want to Be All of Them. Posted in Woman Up Tagged: don draper, joan holloway, mad men, mad men season 1, mad men season 3 (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734226 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:18:11 +0100 2734226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510278&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-BJR1SisED8%2F A media drumbeat is steadily building to keep those on the government’s terrorist watch list from buying firearms. A month ago, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced a bill to bar them from purchasing a gun even if they had no legally disqualifying criminal conviction. Now Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced his own legislation to achieve the same goal. This is arbitrary government at its best. The “no-fly” list used to prevent suspected terrorists from boarding aircraft has tagged Nelson Mandela, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a retired general, a Marine reservist returning from Iraq, the President of Bolivia and dead 9/11 hijackers, a former federal prosecutor, and over twenty men named John... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510278 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:55:39 +0100 2510278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2144752&cid=t_124497_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2009%2F01%2F29%2Fi_will_cherish_the_personally_autographed_book_forever_.php The research scientists in a drug company often don't mesh well with the marketing people (two cultures, and and all that). For an entertaining look at why this might be the case, try this from BNET Pharma, and just shake your head in amazement. . . (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2144752 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:09:59 +0100 2144752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2121420&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fcms-update.html Everybody is looking for information about Charlene Frizzera. You can stop. The bottom line is that CMS will not be making a bio available.CMS spokesperson Peter Ashkenaz informs me that Frizzera's role as acting administrator is, just that, purely administrative. Until a permanent CMS administrator is in place, Frizzera, the chief operating officer and a career professional, will essentially be "making sure the trains run on time," according to Ashkenaz. As seems to be traditional when the incumbent party loses the White House, one of President Obama's first acts in office was to halt all pending Bush administration regulations for internal review. That means no federal department or agency will be issuing any new rules or finalizing anything in the works until the Obama administration sa... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2121420 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:24:00 +0100 2121420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2086801&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fmodest-feedback.html A couple of months ago, I posted, "A modest proposal," my observations about a session on clinical decision support from the American Medical Informatics Association annual meeting. In it, I argued that medical informatics needed a rock star of sorts to help humanize the issue of clinical decision support and communicate the benefits of such technology to the general public.I got three comments on that post—actually pretty high for this blog—as well as several e-mails. One correspondent said we need more than a rock star, we need the whole band. I passed that comment on to Dr. Bill Bria, CMIO of Shriners Hospitals for Children, who was part of the panel at the AMIA meeting, who told me that he once led an all-physician rock band called the Straight Caths. It still may take the Rolling ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2086801 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:25:00 +0100 2086801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1926615&cid=t_124497_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F439102262%2Fmore-doctors-smoke-camels.html The good old days of tobacco advertising.The Transform Drug Policy Foundation of the U.K. has an absolutely first-rate collection of early cigarette advertising on display at their TDPF blog.I’ve always been a sucker for the ones featuring doctors:The TDPF blog calls this one “particularly awful, featuring a five year old girl proclaiming to her paternal looking doctor figure and radiant young mother that 'I'm going to grow a hundred years old'. It then goes on to inform us that ‘possibly she may - for the amazing strides of medical science have added years to life expectancy.' You can 'thank your doctor and thousands like him--toiling ceaselessly--that you and yours may enjoy a longer better life.’”It sounds like something Don Draper and his associates might have dreamed up on "... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926615 Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:39:00 +0100 1926615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1788687&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F09%2F12%2Fthis-guy-sure-is-whacked-for-big-macs%2F Since I know a few people who suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), you’ll never catch me making fun of anyone who has it. But I do have to say, this fella has one strange obsession: Big Macs. Now, I love a burger as much as the next gal, but to have consumed 23,000 of them over a period of 36 years? Wowza. But that’s just what Wisconsin’s Don Gorske, age 54, has done. Beginning in May of 1972, Don has missed only 8 days of Mac-eating and can even recount the reasons why. He normally eats two burgers and two parfaits a day, despite his lean physique. I know plenty of folks like to eat the same thing each day, but I dare anyone to top 36 years worth of the same menu… Source: MSNBC.com Share This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1788687 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:46:03 +0100 1788687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1525890&cid=t_124497_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fmystery-solved.html A couple of weeks ago, I e-mailed some friends and colleagues in the biz wondering who originally said that installing an EMR without considering workflow redesign was just automating chaos. I surmised it was likely Don Berwick, David Brailer or Bill Stead.One response said that, just like with Yogi Berra or Winston Churchill, I could always attribute it to Berwick and people would believe me. As it turned out, it was none of the above—not even Churchill.In fact, the originator of the quote was Larry Weed. Weed even used the "automating chaos" line in an interview he did with me in 2004. In fact, he's one of the most quotable people I've ever had the privilege of interviewing, which I also did in 2006. (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1525890 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:24:00 +0100 1525890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1356366&cid=t_124497_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F04%2F08%2Ffun_with_tunichromes.php Ever hear of tunicates? They’re these little sea squirt creatures that sit around day and night, filtering sea water for food. The weird thing about them is that although they have blood, it isn’t red, but in many species a Mr. Spock shade of bluish green. That’s because they don’t concentrate iron there, but rather vanadium, in the same row of the periodic table. You don’t hear much about vanadium. Not even chemists hear all that much about it, at least not since the 1980s heyday of one of the Sharpless epoxidation reactions that uses it as a catalyst. (An old colleague of mine, Carsten Bolm, has been doing his best to revive that one). For one thing, it’s not a particularly abundant element – which led to questions about just how the tunicates were getting so much of it i... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1356366 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:19:32 +0100 1356366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352758&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F264626367%2Fyour_brain_on_crisis.html After waiting months for allergy tests from internationally respected, Dr. Don Pulver, I looked forward to a cure. A lifetime of annoying allergies … with one change to conquer them. Focused on solutions for a stubborn sinus problem …  I only half heard exchanges between medical personnel about a patient in crisis … without help … in another country. To my horror …  I soon discovered that patient was a beloved family member of Dr. Pulver himself.The sudden crisis had left him with next to no sleep the night before … and would require international travel after work that day. He'd seen patients all day ... it was 4 PM … and other than red eyes … one would never know personal disaster struck ... the day&nbsp... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352758 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:06:43 +0100 1352758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1184649&cid=t_124497_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F1%2F28%2Ffamilies-usa-health-action-2008-berwick-on-everything-health.html Brian Klepper  One of the pleasures of the Families USA Health Action conference was that the speakers represented a nice blend of top politicians and genuine health care experts. Tony Fauci MD, the wonderful head of NIH's National Institutes for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, who talked about Global Health, was followed by the equally impressive Don Berwick MD, the Founder and leader of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. I've heard Dr. Berwick speak several times and am always delighted by his cogent, comfortable, sensible presentations. I can think of several people who, if they gave one, deserve a health care Nobel Prize for the positive impact they've had on millions of people through their work to change the industry. Dr. Berwick is one. (Others include Jack Wenn... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1184649 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:48:00 +0100 1184649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1131187&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F211436137%2Fmonavie_a_brains_berry_drink.html Today Robyn and I had a wonderful lunch in Fairport’s Bocaccinni Italian Bistro with Don and Carol Henderson. I’d asked to hear more about MONA-VIE … a drink Don and Carol sell, and Oprah lists as the world’s No 1 super-food. Specific benefits are described at the official MonaVie distributor information page.Over lunch … we shared MITA stories about the human brain’s capabilities and listened to Don and Carol’s amazing tales about MonaVie’s freeze-dried Acai berries. By the way … I’m told that’s pronounced ah-sigh-eee … and it’s a name worth remembering. Life is good with this antioxidant-rich acai berry drink! Toss in 19 fruits and I’m told you’ll have just what your brain craves to fight illnes... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1131187 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:51:06 +0100 1131187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1118227&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F206946619%2F A few days ago I noted that the word imus—as in shock-talk host Don Imus and his wife, Deirdre Imus (who has not infrequently publicized her views about an environmental cause of autism)—-has (at least) two meanings in Latin: “We go,” when imus is the first person plural, present tense, of the verb “go,” eo, ire, ii, iturum; and also “go, mouse!,” when imus is taken as i, mus, with i the second person singular imperative of eo, ire, ii, iturum and mus meaning, indeed, “mouse.” There is a third Latin meaning of imus: The word can also function as an adjective meaning “inmost, deepest, bottom-most, last“; in this instance, imus is the superlative form of the adjective inferus, which means “lower, southern, of the l... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1118227 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:25:48 +0100 1118227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034205&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F11%2Ffcc-screwing-am.html On November 16, 2007, Bill Moyers had a signigicant story on how the FCC is screwing the American people, and the people are getting upset. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is trying to railroad a change in regulations which will allow large media corporations to consolidate media outlets even further. The segment is something every American should watch. To go to the Journal video, click on the link below. Link: Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen | PBS. (Source: Markham's Behavioral Health) Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034205 Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:00:59 +0100 1034205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966732&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F172750053%2F The search for Jacob Allen—which ended on a happy, happy note when he was found after being missing for four days in a national park in West Virginia—hung over this whole past week. The departure of Left Brain/Right Brain still feels very strange to me, but the reasons that led Kevin Leitch to close his blog—the bizarrely cruel, and crude, attacks on Kevin’s daughter Megan by another blogger, John Best—mean that it is all the more important for us to carry on and keep at it. This week’s posts remind me why: Left Brain/Right Brain ClosesHail and farewell, Kev. No Mistake About Early InterventionLenny Schafer (of the Schafer Autism Report) equates Early Intervention with……abortion? Jacob Allen Missing Since SundayJacob was found on Thursday, a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966732 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 04:07:43 +0100 966732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=957413&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F170903529%2Fflights_for_transformation.html In the last two days I’ve had the honor of working with and learning from two exceptional leaders in my city. Both had me curious about the wonder of progress!I could tell you far more about the amazing flights of Don Milton at Don Milton Enterprises, and Pam Smith at the University of Rochester. But I won't. Instead, I’d rather show why these two transformational leaders remain rare in most organizations. Why so? We’ve all met leaders headed in the opposite direction of transformation, through:1. Control … Lasting change or improvements rarely come to people who demand control through micromanaging people they lead. 2. Favoritism … Alternative talents tend to get lost in the mix when one person or one group is preferred over oth... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=957413 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:52:13 +0100 957413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=888589&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Fnaomi-klein-int.html On Monday, September 17,2007, Amy Goodman interviewed Naomi Klein on Democracy Now about Naomi's new book, "The Shock Doctrine". Naomi's observation is that free market capitalists wait until a societal crisis, or create a societal crisis, in order to implement their economic ideas, ideas which free and democratic people would never accept, approve, and implement had there not been a crisis. It is a fascinating thesis and Naomi makes a compelling case. She is a very articulate, and intelligent speaker and I highly recommend listening to her on this program. Below is a description of the show from the Democracy Now web site. Click on the link below to listen on line or download the show.Pinochet's coup in Chile. The massacre in Tiananmen Square. The collapse of the Soviet Union. S... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=888589 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:48:04 +0100 888589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=870467&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F156370967%2F So your state university signs a $7.8 million contract with the Simons Foundation to create a collection of genetic samples taken from blood, to “explore a new theory” of autism, as reported in the September 13th Star-Ledger. The new theory is about autism genetics and about spontaneous (de novo) mutations: Under geneticist Michael Wigler of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, NY, researchers studied families who have two or more autistic children and considered what the chances were for families whose first two children were autistic to have a third autistic child. Wigler and his research found that mothers spontaneously acquire genetic mutations that are specific for autism. While the mothers themselves do not have autism, there is a 50% chance that they will transi... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=870467 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:53:03 +0100 870467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=743334&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F07%2Fwhat-does-gover.html If you have any interest in the corruption of the Bush Administration you will find this video on the Greatscat! web site very interesting. As Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people some of time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time." The American people have been lied to and played for fools. Crimes have been perpetrated in their name, and their poorer people have been sent off to die while the plutocrats have enriched their coffers. Every American should watch this 6 minute video. It is very powerful depiction of the deceit and lies told to the American people. To watch, go to the Greatscat! web site by clicking on the link below. Link: Greatscat!: Lies, lies, lies. (Source: Markham's Behavioral Health) Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=743334 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:48:16 +0100 743334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=675426&cid=t_124497_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F15%2Ftvs-mr-wizard-tom-herbert-dies-of-bone-cancer%2F Filed under: Bone Cancer, Television, Daily news, Celebrity in memoriam, Celebrity newsDon Herbert, also known as television's science teacher Mr.Wizard, died at his home Tuesday of bone cancer. He was 89.Mr. Wizard's target audience was kids (baby boomers: you may already know this) and his lessons taught youngsters to use the thinking skills of scientists through workshop experiments using simple household items. His 1950s series Watch Mr. Wizard was so good it won a Peabody Award in 1954, and Herbert was one of David Letterman' first guests when the show Late Night With David Letterman debuted in 1982. Herbert's show made it to Nickelodeon too and ran from 1983 to 1991. Reruns were shown until 2000. Nickelodeon's Mr. Wizard episodes are available here.A native of Waconia, Minnesota, Her... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=675426 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 675426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=577067&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F04%2Fis_the_us_on_th.html One of my favorite bumper stickers recently says, "I'm not afraid of terrorists. Don't create a police state on my account." Americans seem ever more willing to give up their civil liberties for the promise of security. The REAL ID act was passed in 2005 requiring all Americans to have a National Identification Card. Eight states have so far passed resolutions opposing this program. Over the last eight years as we watch the fiascos in Iraq, in the management of Katrina, in the horrible governmental management of the immigrant situation, and the governmental corruption of Congressman Duke Cunningham and the firing of 8 U.S. attorneys by the Department of Justice, do you really think the Federal Government can fairly and appropriately manage and utilize a Federal ID program? This... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=577067 Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:12:15 +0100 577067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=546171&cid=t_124497_135_f&fid=35263&url=http%3A%2F%2Fronhudson.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fthank-you-mr-fierstein.html Our Prejudices, Ourselves By HARVEY FIERSTEINApril 13, 2007AMERICA is watching Don Imus’s self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I’m watching America with wry amusement. Since I’m a second-class citizen — a gay man — my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don’t have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up with hateful epithets aimed at me and mine. Hate speak against homosexuals is as commonplace as spam. It’s daily traffic for those who profess themselves to be regular Joes, men of God, public servants who live off my tax dollars, as well as any number of celebrities. In fact, I get a good chuckle whenever someone refers to “the media” as an agent of “the gay agenda.” There are entire channels,... 2sides2ron blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=546171 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:23:00 +0100 546171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=544281&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F109104566%2F Ever since the CDC announced that New Jersey has the highest prevalence rate in the US for autism, I have been waiting for someone to say, have a baby in that state and your chances for having a child with autism are so much higher. As a mother, a mother of an autistic child, a woman, and a resident of New Jersey with more than a few friends who are expecting or who have recently had children here, I think such a statement a lot more than insensitive. Such a statement is alarmist; such a statement also makes autism sound like some sort of a plague and if you have your baby in New Jersey you are even more likely to have an autistic one. But someone has made the statement: Evidence of Harm author David Kirby, in an article entitled Imus, Autism, and America in which he mourns the ouster of D... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=544281 Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:32:19 +0100 544281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551372&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fpsa-after-imus-what-you-can-do.html Press Release from freepress.netThe controversy over Don Imus' racist remarks goes far beyond one bigoted commentator. But getting rid of Imus won't fix the media problem. Most of our TV and radio stations are owned by giant corporate conglomerates. They don't represent the views of most Americans -- and they make huge profits off the public airwaves. What we need are more diverse, independent and local media owners. Yet right now less than 10% of TV and radio stations are owned by people of color or women. But instead of addressing this national disgrace, the Federal Communications Commission is actually trying to let the largest companies buy up even more stations! Tell the FCC: We Need More Diversity in the Media What Imus said is just the tip of the iceberg. Scores of other TV and ... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551372 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 551372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=540684&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F108651277%2F CBS and MSNBC have dropped Don Imus’ radio show over his racially insensitive remarks about the Rutgers University basketball team. An article in today’s New York Times notes that “millions of dollars in future donations” for children’s charities may have been lost “as a result of his ill-considered remarks”: For four and a half hours this morning, he turned his radio program into a live fundraiser for three charities — two benefiting children with cancer, and the other for families that have lost babies to sudden infant death syndrome — an endeavor he has undertaken each of the last 18 years. Among the guests were children and parents who had been the beneficiaries of his efforts — particularly the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, a p... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=540684 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:07:32 +0100 540684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=538937&cid=t_124497_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D4749 MSNBC Drops Imus Simulcast MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning” radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host’s racial slur against the Rutgers women’s basketball team. “This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It [...] (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog) FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=538937 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 14:50:10 +0100 538937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=535436&cid=t_124497_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F108093617%2F I really don’t have anything to say about Don Imus — I am no fan, to be sure — but living here in New Jersey, and my husband being a Rutgers alum — I have been appalled, or just outraged, at his use of “crude, offensive language” about the Rutgers women’s baskbetball team last Wednesday while discussing their defeat in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. I do not know understand how any national autism organization can be associated with someone who can use such hateful words. (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=535436 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:11:42 +0100 535436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=500769&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F03%2Fshooter_the_fil.html Shooter, staring Mark Wahlberg, is a military thriller about a Marine sharp shooter who gets called out of retirement to help the government protect the President only to be framed as the assassin, and who then, to save his life, goes on the lam in order to try to clear himself and restore justice in a government gone amuck. It is an entertaining movie if you like this genre, but the more interesting observation is that the lesson of this film is that the United States government is corrupt, unjust, not to be trusted, only interested in money and power, and impotent to bring about any order and justice. What it takes for justice to occur is for a highly skilled, courageous, and morally righteous ex-soldier to take things into own own hands and kill the rogue politicians and government off... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=500769 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:05:04 +0100 500769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=500013&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F03%2Fthe_us_vs_john_.html The U.S. vs. John Lennon is a documentary released in 2006 which depicts the movement of John Lennon from his musical career as a Beatle to one of social activist protesting the Viet Nam war and advocating for peace. John had a great vision, an authentic life, and made a great contribution to the world both musically and prophetically. John was harassed by the F.B.I., and President Nixon and his administration who were so threatened by his anti-war activities that they wanted him deported from the United States. The parallels between the 70s and this first decade of the 21st century are striking. This documentary is well worth watching and I highly recommend it. Link: The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006). (Source: Markham's Behavioral Health) Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=500013 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 15:54:12 +0100 500013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=481020&cid=t_124497_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F03%2Fmodern_media_in.html In the Fall, 2004 issue of the World Policy Journal, Jonathan Mermin has an interesting article entitled, "The Media's Independence Problem". Mermin's thesis is that the modern media is not doing its job. They have become mouth pieces for government officials. They no longer do investigative journalism, dig up the facts,  present evidence, describe context, analyze, describe a fact pattern, and offer possible conclusions. The contemporary citizen must do this on his/her own. You can't believe what you read, hear, and see. You must view the media critically. Most of the stories would fall into the category of entertainment, and/or public relations, rather than objective news. This idea that media outlets are the public relations agencies for the power elites is not somethi... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=481020 Sun, 18 Mar 2007 22:35:54 +0100 481020