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 'elite'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:45:28 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841485&cid=t_253415_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FgebRDS6VN2s%2F Patients are often a source of inspiration and hope. One such stand out individual is Nathan Charles. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841485 Thu, 19 May 2011 01:47:55 +0100 4841485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3915000&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fus-medical-residencies-via-alleged-hospital-bribe%2F2010.08.30 In another one of the things I had no idea about, there’s a market to assist FMGs [foreign medical graduates] in getting U.S. residencies, which makes sense. Allegedly, this guy was willing to go the extra mile for his clients. Full marks for creativity, but… Mr. Everest allegedly provided an employee at the hospital with forged letters from a California hospital to show that the applicants had been accepted into a second-year program. And he gave her a check for $4,000, followed by another check for $2,000. She reported him to hospital officials, and later told him she knew the letters were forged. He then allegedly gave her $6,000 for time to get a letter from a different hospital—which was also forged—and gave her $3,000 more before he was arrested. Geez. - Via Hospital Bribe... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3915000 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:41 +0100 3915000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802367&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnSs3dwt1h2A%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe “appearance of impropriety” is often considered the Washington standard for corruption and misbehavior. With that in mind, alarm bells began ringing in my head when I read this Washington Times report about Jacob Lew, Obama’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget. A snippet: President Obama’s choice to be the government’s chief budget officer received a bonus of more than $900,000 from Citigroup Inc. last year — after the Wall Street firm for which he worked received a massive taxpayer bailout. The money was paid to Jacob Lew in January 2009, about two weeks before he joined the State Department as deputy secretary of state, according to a newly filed ethics form. The payout came on top of the already hefty $1.1 mi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802367 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:05:46 +0100 3802367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800319&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fleadership-by-those-who-live-insulated.html On the University Diaries blog, Prof Margaret Soltan picked up on an article on the privileges now given to university leaders, using the example of the President of the University of Washington (which includes a medical school, academic medical center, etc). At a time when the university budget was being cut, President Mark Emmert refused to take a voluntary cut in his greater than $900,000 total annual compensation. This included a $12,000 car allowance and free use of the university mansion.From the original article comes this key quote:How could this happen? It happened for the same reason that Wall Street types, with acquiescence of their boards and public officials, saw no reason to make any personal sacrifice at a time when others are sacrificing greatly. The UW Board of Regents, as... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800319 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:54:00 +0100 2800319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734018&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3YPQzT8wBks%2F In a four-part series on the New York Times Economix blog, Harvard economist Edward Glaeser scrutinized high-speed rail and concluded that the benefits are overwhelmed by the costs. After making generous assumptions regarding the costs, user benefits, environmental benefits, and effects on urban development, Glaeser concludes that all the benefits of high-speed rail would still be less than half the costs. As Washington Post writer Robert Samuelson observes, the Obama administration’s vision of high-speed rail is “a mirage. The costs of high-speed rail would be huge, and the public benefits meager.” Yet even Samuelson falls victim to the common assumption that high-speed rail “works in Europe and Asia” because population densities in those places are higher th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734018 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:36:19 +0100 2734018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452450&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fmans-best-hospital-run-by-boss-of-mecc.html In January, 2009 we posted about how the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Massachusetts and of Partners HealthCare, made a secret oral agreement that BCBS would pay Partners at a higher rate than that given to other hospitals.Why BCBS would want to pay so much to this one hospital system was never clear. Partners does include some extremely prestigious hospitals, including the Brigham and Womens Hospital, and the Massachusetts General Hospital, ("Man's Best Hospital" in the House of God), but there are some other very prestigious teaching hospitals in Boston that were not blessed by BCBS' largess.We speculated about one possible cause: the leadership of the two organizations may have felt they had more in common with each other than with the constituencies of their own organizations... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452450 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:37:00 +0100 2452450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389730&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fbio-tech-u.html The San Francisco Chronicle just reported that a new Chancellor has been nominated for the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF). UCSF is functionally a health sciences university, and its Chancellor functions as its president. The UCSF medical school is generally considered one of the elite US academic medical institutions.Genentech executive Susan Desmond-Hellmann has been nominated to be the next chancellor of UCSF, making her the first woman or biotech leader ever asked to run the research campus and hospital system that is San Francisco's second-largest employer.Desmond-Hellmann has served most recently as president of drug development at Genentech, the South San Francisco biotech firm that was recently acquired by Swiss drugmaker Roche. She was trained as a physician, did h... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389730 Mon, 04 May 2009 18:14:00 +0100 2389730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375959&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhospital-board-members-with-juice-in.html ConclusionsHospitals often have sterling reputations within their communities as selfless organizations devoted to improving the health of the people. As we have noted, hospitals and other health care organizations have come to be run more often by people with managerial background than those with health care experience. Not-for-profit hospitals have boards of trustees who are supposed to exercise stewardship, making sure the organization upholds its mission. But as we have noted before, e.g., here, boards of health care and related organizations may put their own agendas ahead of the mission. Furthermore, boards of big hospitals and other health care organizations seem to be increasingly composed of the well-connected, often to the point that they can be regarded as members of the power e... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375959 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:51:00 +0100 2375959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2256081&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fmore-gravity-defying-compensation-for.html Two recent articles featured more about gravity-defying compensation given to the leaders of not-for-profit health care organizations. We had recently posted about how the CEO of one not-for-profit health care insurer rose while the organization's revenue and enrollment fell. Similarly, from the Detroit News,Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan -- the state's largest insurer -- gave pay hikes to six top-level executives in 2008 and doled out generous retirement packages for four former senior vice presidents, despite the nonprofit organization's loss of $144 million last year.The organization's deteriorating financial health, a justification for Blue Cross officials wanting to raise rates on its line of individual insurance policies, had prompted widespread job cuts at the Detroit-based insu... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2256081 Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:51:00 +0100 2256081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2172870&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Famidst-budget-woes-university-leaders.html Two stories recently appeared about the incentives given to top academic leaders.First, from the San Francisco Chronicle, about the University of California system (which includes several medical schools and other health care related academic institutions):UC Berkeley officials have acknowledged misleading the public in the controversial case of a high-paid executive aide who left her job at the university's headquarters and the next day began a new job on the Cal campus - qualifying for a $100,202 severance check along the way.In November, when the severance payment became public, The Chronicle asked for an explanation of how Linda Morris Williams could get a buyout for leaving her $200,400-a-year headquarters job in Oakland and starting her new job paying the same salary in the office of... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2172870 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:12:00 +0100 2172870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2060907&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Ffight-at-mar-lago-club-madoff-case.html We just discussed how the incredible scrutiny being given to the case of Bernard Madoff, the alleged author of the financial scandal of the century, has opened many windows on the mismanagement and misgovernance of health care organizations. For example, consider the attention given to a Madoff crony, one Robert Jaffe. The Boston Globe reported,The scene was a society party at Donald Trump's famed Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla. One guest was Robert Jaffe, 64, who had recruited investors for Bernard L. Madoff, the money manager who last week admitted to a Ponzi scheme in which he lost $50 billion of his clients' money. Another was 78-year-old Jerome Fisher, founder of the upscale shoe store chain 9 West, who reportedly lost millions with Madoff and was upset by Jaffe's presence at the ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2060907 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:59:00 +0100 2060907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2017514&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fblogscan-car-allowances-and-country.html On the University Diaries blog, Margaret Soltan posted on the perks afforded to top leaders, including the medical school dean, at the University of South Florida(USF). These included country club memberships, and car allowances at $650/ month. The rationale seemed to be that the administrators need to appear to be rich in order to hob-nob with the sort of rich folk needed as donors. The perks have continued even though the state-supported university is facing budget cuts. I would comment that these perks might also be based on university executives' sense of entitlement to being at least on the fringe of the power elite, or superclass. This sense might truly be fed by their contact with even more wealthy people who might be prospective donors, and the sorts of masters of the universe who ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2017514 Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:58:00 +0100 2017514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2017517&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fwhat-linked-parallel-declines-of.html Increasing efforts to understand the global financial collapse, or whatever history will end up calling it, may shed light on what has gone wrong with health care, and, in today's example, the management of academic medicine.The Collapse of CitigroupThe near-collapse and putative rescue of financial giant Citigroup have raised questions of the responsibilities of one of its most prominent leaders. Two weeks ago, a lengthy investigative report in the New York Times suggested some of the bad decision making and mismanagement that humbled once one of the largest financial corporations in the world. Emphasis on short-term profit trumped concerns about risk. In particular, the risk inherent in exotic derivative investment instruments like "collateralized debt obligations" (CDOs) was underestima... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2017517 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:46:00 +0100 2017517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1763871&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fhealth-care-leaders-at-30000-feet.html The Times of Trenton (New Jersey, USA) reported this insight about the leadership of large health care organizations:Bristol-Myers Squibb [BMS] is preparing to shut down its aviation operation at Trenton-Mercer Airport, sell four aircraft and dismiss about 32 employees as the drugmaker and leading Mercer County employer seeks to cut costs, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.The company will sell its two Gulfstream V jets and two Sikorsky S-76C helicopters, terminate pilots, mechanics and other personnel, and move out of its hangar at the airport in Ewing.Other corporations with aviation operations at the airport include Unisys and drugmakers Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Merck, Hughes said.Bristol-Myers' two jets could sell for approximately $40 million each dependi... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1763871 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:23:00 +0100 1763871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516457&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fmotley-crew-formerly-known-as-leaders.html There has been an interesting confluence of news stories lately that dealt directly or indirectly with the leadership of the US largest for-profit health insurance/ managed care corporation, the UnitedHealth Group (UHG).UHG has not always been known for being particularly patient-, employer-, or physician-friendly. For example, as reported by the Hartford Courant, "UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, will refund $50 million to small businesses that New York state officials said were overcharged in 2006."We have previously discussed how UHG promised its investors it would continue to raise premiums, even if that priced increasing numbers of people out of its policies (see post here); allegations that the UHG acquisition of Pacificare in California lead to a "meltdown" ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516457 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:02:00 +0100 1516457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1416444&cid=t_253415_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F282053758%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs being announced each month. Despite downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? AssureRx hired Al Lucas as vp of sales and marketing; Oragenics added Marc Siegel and Kevin Sills to its board; Noven Pharmaceuticals hired Peter Brandt as ceo and president; Hyperion Therapeutics hired Bruce Scharschmidt as chief medical officer; Cephalon hired Jerry Pappert as exec vp and general counsel; MedThink Communications hired Steve Palmisan... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1416444 Fri, 02 May 2008 11:42:29 +0100 1416444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1404196&cid=t_253415_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F279470600%2F   Purdue Pharma, which makes the controversial painkiller, is racing to introduce a tamper-resistant version ahead of three other drugmakers that are developing their own versions with rival technologies designed to prevent abuse, Bloomberg News writes. Next week, an FDA panel will meet to review Purdue’s new OxyContin formula, which is supposed to prevent someone from crushing the pill or dissolving it in alcohol to release several hours of narcotics at once. Last year, OxyContin generated more than $1 billion in sales, a market that Pain Therapeutics, Alpharma and Elite Pharmaceuticals hope to grab with their own tamper-free meds. “This is clearly a defensive move by Purdue recognizing that their OxyContin franchise is in danger,” E. Russell McAllister, an analyst... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1404196 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:16:34 +0100 1404196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1346131&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Feverything-that-rises-must-converge.html Recently we posted about some dubious practices at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that seemed to contradict this proud academic medical institution's mission. First, there was the case of the "A-list" of local notables who were to have special access, including enhanced access to physicians (see posts here and here). Then, there was the report of how medical center executives seemed to be living the high life funded by charitable donors (see post here).Also, more than a year ago, we posted about how Eli Lilly and Co. was alleged to have marketed its atypical anti-psychotic Zyprexa (olanzapine) to minimize its major side-effects, including frequent weight gain and the development of diabetes, and how the company was accused of marketing the drug "off-label" for medical ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1346131 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:01:00 +0100 1346131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1327469&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fblogscan-imperial-pharmaceutical-ceos.html On the PharmaLot blog, Ed Silverman has two posts about how pharmaceutical executives continue to rake in humongous compensation whose magnitude seems unrelated to their performance or the performance of their companies. The CEO of Cephalon got more than $15.8 million, including the value of stock options, while the company is dealing with an Federal Trade Commission lawsuit which contends the company blocked sales of a generic competitor, and despite settling a suit about off-label marketing (see post here.) The CEO of Bristol-Myers-Squibb got $13.5 million after the company's stock price fell, the company took a charge for losses on sub-prime mortgages, and several top financial officers left (see post here.) Again, as we noted earlier, imperial CEOs seem rampant in health care organizat... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1327469 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:38:00 +0100 1327469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1312355&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fperil-to-leaders-who-accept-their-own.html In the Washington Post, E J Dionne wrote about the recent collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market, and near collapse of at least one prominent investment banking firm, but what he wrote was also highly relevant to how US health care currently operates (I realize that some of Dionne's opinions may have an ideological slant, but I believe the point goes beyond the usual left/right dichotomy).Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries and how government should keep its hands off the private economy.The Wall Street titans have turned into a bunch of welfare clients. They are desperate to be bailed out by government from their own incompetence, and from the deregulatory regime for which they... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1312355 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:01:00 +0100 1312355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1309031&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fliving-high-life-in-academic-medical.html We had posted awhile back about how a not-for-profit, state supported academic medical center, University of Texas- Southwestern Medical Center, had created an "A list" of local notables who were to be given special treatment, including enhanced access to physicians. This seemed to imply some slippage from the institution's mission (see post here). It turned out that the practice may not be unique, but neither is is universal (see this post).The local television station that uncovered this practice, "CBS 11," has been keeping an eye on the medical center. Late last year it found out its top officials had quite a taste for expensive wine.Top state officials at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas spent tens of thousands of dollars in donations on luxury wines from p... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1309031 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:01:00 +0100 1309031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1283416&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fmoney-for-nothing-more-guilty-pleas-at.html We have done a long series of posts about the troubles at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), the largest US health care university. The university was operating under a federal deferred prosecution agreement under the supervision of a federal monitor (see most recent posts here, here, here, here and here.) We had previously discussed allegations that UMDNJ had offered no-bid contracts, at times requiring no work, to the politically connected; had paid for lobbyists and made political contributions, even though UMDNJ is a state institution; and seemed to be run by political bosses rather than health care professionals. (See posts here, and here, with links to previous posts.) More recent were some reports of amazingly wasteful decisions by UMDNJ managers leading... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1283416 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:57:00 +0100 1283416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1198665&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Freal-estate-deals-conflicts-of-interest.html Last week, an article in Newsday raised concerns about conflicts of interest affecting one of the largest US health care systems.The Northshore - Long Island Jewish Health System claims to be the third-largest, not-for-profit secular health care system in the US. It has a $4 billion yearly operating budget, employs 37,000, and claims to be the ninth-largest employer in the New York City area.The Newsday article recounted a large real-estate transaction between the hospital system and a company lead by a prominent member of its board of trustees.The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is paying about $300 million to lease a major facility from its own vice chairman's real estate partnership, leading some to question how Long Island's biggest nonprofit handles potential conflicts of... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1198665 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:05:00 +0100 1198665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=726228&cid=t_253415_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fpaying-for-access-to-academic-and.html The New York Times just reported on a conference for "university, school, and hospital officials" with an interesting feature. Potential vendors to these institutions were charged very pricy registration fees that guaranteed them one-on-one access to particular officials. In the words of the Times reporter Alan Finder,The setting for a conference of university, school and hospital officials could not have been more luxurious: a resort in the high desert north of Albuquerque, with a championship golf course, swimming pools, a spa and views of distant mountain peaks.And for companies wanting to do business with the 200 or so officials attending the gathering, the Sustainable Operations Summit, there was an added benefit.For $18,500, a vendor was guaranteed 15 one-on-one sales meetings with o... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=726228 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:34:00 +0100 726228