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 'health,'. Tue, 04 May 2010 18:19:09 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529872&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FDnXlRsTZRI0%2F Everyone has been touting all the tremendous opportunities that are out there for EMR consultants and healthcare IT people. No doubt, there’s a lot of action right now around EMR. However, I’ve started to see many EMR consultants starting to wonder where the fountain of youthwork is that they heard was coming for EMR consultants. EMR consultants face a really interesting challenge. The small clinics usually can’t afford the services of a consultant (or feel that they can’t) and the large clinics have their own in house resources and so their reticent to pay an outside EMR consultant to come into their practice. Where does that leave the EMR consultants that heard there’s this amazing need for help with EMR selection and implementation? Not an easy problem to s... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529872 Tue, 04 May 2010 15:06:04 +0100 3529872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530053&cid=t_322628_167_f&fid=36989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNutritionData%2F%7E3%2FiEUDcLV4nmI%2Fspice-up-your-burgers-to-reduce-harmful-compounds.html Here's a study with delicious implications (recipe follows).A little biochemical background: When meats are cooked, certain fatty acids in them can form compounds that may play a role in heart disease and cellular mutations that can lead to cancer.  For some, this is just another good argument for avoiding animal protein. But for those who decide to eat meat anyway, researchers have found a way to dramatically reduce the formation of these "lipid peroxidation products" at your Memorial Day barbecue this year. (You have to love research that involves a grill!)The researchers cooked up two kinds of hamburgers: one just contained beef and salt. The other included an antioxidant-rich spice mixture including ground cloves, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, rosemary, ginger, black p... The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530053 Tue, 04 May 2010 14:54:51 +0100 3530053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530058&cid=t_322628_175_f&fid=37867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fpa_1%2Farchive%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fpa-founds-non-profit-benefitting-rural-women-and-children.aspx In 2008, emergency medicine physician assistant Elizabeth Sheehan founded Containers to Clinics (C2C), a non-profit organization that converts shipping containers into health care clinics that serve women and children in developing countries. Sheehan,...(read more) (Source: ADVANCE Blog for PAs) ADVANCE Blog for PAs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530058 Tue, 04 May 2010 14:16:00 +0100 3530058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529786&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-a-patient-outgrows-a-childhood-disease%2F2010.05.04 At a [recent] session on caring for adult survivors of pediatric diseases, Bradley J. Benson, FACP, and Niraj Sharma, FACP, had some interesting statistics to share. For example, more than 90% of children with a chronic or disabling health condition are expected to live more than 20 years, meaning they’ll eventually need an internist’s care, and every year more than 500,000 children with special healthcare needs turn 18. As Dr. Sharma noted, “We’re not talking about a handful of folks.” (more…) *This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529786 Tue, 04 May 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3529786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529781&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F-E9F5R-sVuw%2F By Glenna Crooks. Full disclosure – I’ve practiced yoga fairly consistently for decades. It’s been good for me. In grad school it helped me stay focused – and calmer – through killer statistics classes. Later, it was a way to unwind at the end of a workday. Still later, it saved me from surgery to correct fairly severe scoliosis. It’s not cured the deformity but I’m virtually pain free most of the time – no small feat for one who spends 18-24 hours on flights and 8 hours standing to facilitate meetings. More disclosure – I am certified to teach, though I don’t. The same erratic travel schedule that prevents attending classes on a regular basis precludes committing to teaching them. I trained to be able to practice on the road. It was a good investment of my time and fun... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529781 Tue, 04 May 2010 13:45:13 +0100 3529781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529741&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fnew-health-affairs-issue-reinventing-primary-care%2F Bold changes are needed in how the United States delivers and pays for primary care if the key goals of national health reform are to be achieved, according to the May issue of Health Affairs. This thematic issue of the journal, released today at a National Press Club briefing, examines the crisis facing the U.S. primary care system as well as promising solutions for reinventing primary care.  Building a state-of-the-art primary care system, the issue concludes, is critical to achieving better health care, better value for the dollars spent, and expanded access for the tens of millions of Americans who will gain insurance coverage over the next few years. The United States faces a well-known shortage of primary care providers, but recruiting more physicians, nurse practitioners, physic... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529741 Tue, 04 May 2010 13:06:04 +0100 3529741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529758&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FCB9c3xoHPMY%2F Starting in 2014, the provisions of health-care overhaul legislation that will expand coverage to the previously uninsured will have a more positive effect on pharma companies. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529758 Tue, 04 May 2010 12:47:58 +0100 3529758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530032&cid=t_322628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fk4fDB6nhye8%2F Top of the morning to you. Another busy lies ahead and our own stamina is tested by hustling short people off to the school house. Meanwhile, deadlines and meetings loom, yes? Still, we are reminded of what the Morning Mayor would say: Every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift. So put on a smile and dig in. Have a good day, everyone… Dainippon Gets Complete Response Letter For Epilepsy Med (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Profit Beats Estimates (Associated Press) Teva Profit Surges On MS Drug (The Wall Street Journal) Merck Profit Falls On Schering Costs (Bloomberg News) UK Woman Wins Fight For Sutent Funding By NHS (PharmaTimes) Merck Opens Second Research Center In Korea (Korea Times) Pfizer Seeks New Prempro Trial (Reno Gazette Journal) FDA Reviews Diabetes Risks Of Pros... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530032 Tue, 04 May 2010 12:01:22 +0100 3530032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529787&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-a-gynecologist-thinks-about-lung-cancer%2F2010.05.04 A new report on lung cancer in women has been published by the Women’s Health Policy and Advocacy Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Called “Out of the Shadows,” the report seeks to raise awareness about lung cancer, currently the leading cause of cancer death in women, and more importantly, to increase funding for research for its prevention, detection and treatment. (HT to Booster Shots, the LA Times‘ fabulous health blog, for highlighting the report.) I encourage you to read the report, which is well written and comprehensive. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at The Blog that Ate Manhattan* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529787 Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3529787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529943&cid=t_322628_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fsurprisingly-effective-treatments-for-depression-infographics%2F Curetogether.com, one of the most famous patient community sites, has been doing research for a long time. They use the data patients share anonymously about their symptoms, treatments and experiences. Now using the profiles of 944 members dealing with depression, they created this infographics that shows a few surprisingly effective treatments for depression. While exercise and meditation are great treatment options, light therapy and massage seem to be effective alternative solutions. It’s a nice way to mine the data e-patients share about their health management. (Source: ScienceRoll) ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529943 Tue, 04 May 2010 11:38:05 +0100 3529943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529839&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-4-2010%2F If you thought we were done with celebrations in April, think again. It’s a brand new week and the start of a new month (my favorite month I might add). In fact, besides May Day, Cinco de Mayo and spring flowers, there’s also Mental Health Month, a fresh new blog, a blog birthday and several top posts vying for your attention on Psych Central this week. May’s turning out to be a month filled with things this blogger is thankful for. So let’s get started! Mental Health Statistics (World of Psychology) – How do we celebrate Mental Health Month here at Psych Central? We review the latest statistics on mental illness of course! This top post reveals everything you’ve always wanted to know about mental health such as which disorders are more common in women a... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529839 Tue, 04 May 2010 10:51:22 +0100 3529839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529944&cid=t_322628_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fsocial-media-and-healthcare-market-research-reports%2F EPG Health Media just published market research reports about social media in healthcare that can be donwloaded in PDF format for free. This 25 page report is based on market research conducted by EPG during Feb-March 2010 comparing HCP, patient/consumer and Pharma responses to 10 questions related to their use of social media for health. It provides a snap-shot of both current and future trends and opportunities in the digital social space. (Source: ScienceRoll) ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529944 Tue, 04 May 2010 10:49:41 +0100 3529944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529968&cid=t_322628_136_f&fid=36162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myelomablog.com%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fmyeloma-blogs-web-site-gets-a-facelift%2F MyelomaBlogs.org, a blog feed aggregator for patient and caregiver myeloma blogs, has been revamped.  It’s all new, thanks to our good friend, Lopo Lencastre de Almeida of iPublicis. The site has a new look and will allow you to read a short excerpt of posts, search posts and browse by tags.  You can also help spread the word by sharing blogs posts on many social networking sites. You’ll see what I mean.  Head on over to http://www.myelomablogs.org/. (Source: beth's myeloma blog) beth's myeloma blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529968 Tue, 04 May 2010 04:12:59 +0100 3529968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529870&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34631&url=http%3A%2F%2Fehealth.johnwsharp.com%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fthe-quantified-self-in-healthcare%2F In the New York Times Sunday Magazine, an article by a Wired editor, talks about the growing trend of the Quantified Self, or the data driven life. Why is this becoming a real trend? “Four things changed. electronic sensors got smaller and better. people started carrying powerful computing devices, typically disguised as mobile phones. social media made it seem normal to share everything. we began to get an inkling of the rise of a global superintelligence known as the cloud.” While more people are creating catalogs of various aspects of their lives, some specific healthcare examples are cited including Medhelp.org “where more than 30,000 new personal tracking projects are started by users every month” and CureTogether. Also, in FastCompany, an article title Our ... eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529870 Tue, 04 May 2010 02:40:01 +0100 3529870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529840&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fpsych-week-on-discovery-health%2F Approximately 1 in 3 Americans meet the criteria for having a mental illness — but we rarely see or hear about it. Discovery Health wants you to know more about it with their special “Psych Week” shows about mental illness. Discovery Health will open a meaningful dialogue on mental health with Psych Week, a weeklong programming event from Sunday, May 2, through Thursday, May 6. With premieres airing nightly at 9 PM (ET/PT), Psych Week will profile individuals dealing with a spectrum of afflictions and addictions, from anxiety disorders and schizophrenia to multiple personalities and bizarre compulsions. “Discovery Health is putting an unprecedented emphasis on mental wellness, presenting an unfiltered look at a variety of rare and common mental disorders through the... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529840 Mon, 03 May 2010 23:55:14 +0100 3529840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529899&cid=t_322628_118_f&fid=34852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joepaduda.com%2Farchives%2F001811.html For the Chinese treasure fleets, voyages went progressively further from their home ports, until, some believe, they circumnavigated the globe. Before we explore the 'other side' of the work comp world, we need to consider what lies just out of... (Source: Managed Care Matters) Managed Care Matters blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529899 Mon, 03 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3529899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529742&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Faprils-most-read-health-affairs-blog-posts%2F A roundtable on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and health reform — featuring Bob Berenson, Tom Scully, Gail Wilensky, and Bruce Vladeck — was the most-read Health Affairs Blog post for April. Also on the list were posts on Don Berwick, President Obama’s nominee to head CMS, as well as pieces on self-directed care, health information technology, and imaging technology adoption. The full top ten:  CMS and Health Reform: A Health Affairs Blog Roundtable by Chris Fleming The Health Care Reform Reconciliation Bill (Updated) by Timothy Jost Don Berwick’s Vision: The Triple Aim by Chris Fleming Eight Rules From The Heart Of Power: How Did Obama Do? by Jeff Goldsmith An International Trend Toward Self-Directed Care by John Goodman CMS Nominee Berwick On Empo... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529742 Mon, 03 May 2010 20:53:20 +0100 3529742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529731&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fboard-member-blows-whistle-on-health.html We previously posted about some of the travails of for-profit health insurance company/ managed care organization Wellcare.  In August, 2009, we posted about Wellcare's "admission" that it had made numerous questionable campaign contributions.  In May, 2009 we posted about WellCare's submission to a deferred prosecution agreemeent based on charges that it defrauded state programs by inflating its expenses. In 2007, we posted about how the state of Connecticut stopped WellCare from running a plan for poor children after the company refused to reveal what it was paying physicians, and why it was failing to pay for particular services. So WellCare has been cited for three different kinds of unethical behavior in 2007-09. Here's a story about Wellcare with a new twist ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529731 Mon, 03 May 2010 20:32:00 +0100 3529731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529957&cid=t_322628_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fb4GTSqdfNRY%2F This is the third and final post in a series by Bill from California, a Blisstree reader, former smoker, and active member of our passionate community of commenters. Read Bill’s previous post and first post here, where you’ll also find Blisstree’s original smoking post by Liz Lewis. Am I a Former Smoker? Part 3 Is secondhand smoke really as dangerous as they say? The jury is still out, but I expect that the answer is no. At least, I have seen nothing that causes me to think that this particular kind of hand-wringing has merit. I am the first to agree that smoking cigarettes is dangerous to your health. On the other hand, while I cannot say with certainty, I strongly suspect that much of the hand-wringing about secondhand smoke is manipulative B.S. promoted by activists. It is... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529957 Mon, 03 May 2010 20:19:26 +0100 3529957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529753&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Freader-opinion-what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-stop-smoking-right-now-%25e2%2580%2593-part-3%2F This is the third and final post in a series by Bill from California, a Blisstree reader, former smoker, and active member of our passionate community of commenters. Read Bill’s previous post and first post here, where you’ll also find Blisstree’s original smoking post by Liz Lewis. Am I a Former Smoker? Part 3 Is secondhand smoke really as dangerous as they say? The jury is still out, but I expect that the answer is no. At least, I have seen nothing that causes me to think that this particular kind of hand-wringing has merit. I am the first to agree that smoking cigarettes is dangerous to your health. On the other hand, while I cannot say with certainty, I strongly suspect that much of the hand-wringing about secondhand smoke is manipulative B.S. promoted by activists. It is... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529753 Mon, 03 May 2010 20:19:26 +0100 3529753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3527612&cid=t_322628_10_f&fid=34467&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnnlm.gov%2Fmcr%2Fbhic%2F%3Fp%3D9357 May 6th is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day http://bit.ly/bdrKBB “Mental disorders are the chronic diseases of young people in our country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that mental disorders are the number one source of medical disability for people 15-44 years of age in the United States and Canada.i  There are mental disorders that we associate with childhood, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But 50 percent of patients describe mood and anxiety disorders, generally considered adult illnesses, as having an onset by age 14″ National Institute of Mental Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health: http://bit.ly/cDDBhE MedlinePlus Child Mental Health http://bit.ly/aWl9sA MedlinePlus Teen Mental Hea... BHIC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3527612 Mon, 03 May 2010 19:52:53 +0100 3527612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529760&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FSfVeL2_4Li0%2F Rather than focusing on an individual prescription, the plan recommends changes for pretty much every aspect of our environment – building more parks and walking or bike lanes, boosting P.E. classes and promoting physical activity within the work force. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529760 Mon, 03 May 2010 19:15:24 +0100 3529760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529720&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fdefensive-medicine-worsens-patient-care-raises-costs.html by Roy Benaroch, MD Health care in the United States costs too much, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change. Recent health care reform legislation doesn’t take any meaningful steps towards reducing or controlling costs. In fact, it explicitly forbids states from trying to curtail the costs of malpractice litigation in any way that would reduce lawyers’ fees. (...)Read the rest of Defensive medicine worsens patient care and raises costs 1 comment | Tags: Health reform, Malpractice, Patient | Category: Malpractice (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529720 Mon, 03 May 2010 19:00:17 +0100 3529720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529743&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fpolicy-brief-near-term-changes-in-health-insurance%2F In March 2010, Congress enacted substantial health reform measures intended to increase access to affordable insurance, reduce the number of uninsured people, and reform both the health insurance market and the health care delivery system. The lion’s share of these reforms will take effect in 2014. However, some reforms go into effect well before that time. The latest health policy brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation summarizes immediate reforms to the private health insurance market that will take effect in 2010 and 2011. This is the most recent in a series of briefs that offer more context than fact sheets but provide quicker reads than most background papers. The information in the briefs is objective and reviewed by Health Affairs authors and o... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529743 Mon, 03 May 2010 18:03:16 +0100 3529743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529788&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-not-so-unforseen-complication-of-electronic-health-records%2F2010.05.03 [Here's a] good article [from] the New York Times written by a doctor [Pauline Chen, M.D.] about intrusive aspects of electronic health records (EHRs) on doctor-patient communication. An excerpt: “…just because EMR improves information sharing and retrieval, it doesn’t necessarily follow that our communication with patients and colleagues will also be better.” Read the rest of the article here. *This blog post was originally published at a few thoughts from a tumor surgeon* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529788 Mon, 03 May 2010 18:00:03 +0100 3529788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530076&cid=t_322628_180_f&fid=38614&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FThePositivityblog-PutSomePersonalDevelopmentAndPositivityIntoYourLife%2F%7E3%2FSBAAVeJJZqY%2F Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdegutt/ / CC BY 2.0 “Bad habits are easier to abandon today than tomorrow.” Yiddish Proverb “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.” Confucius Most of us have one or a few habits that we consider bad and we’d like to get rid of. But how do you do it? I have a few suggestions that have helped me and people around me. Here are 9 tips that can help you to finally get rid of that bad habit once and for all. Tell your friends and family. If you tell people around you that you will stop smoking or start working out three times a week then they will check up on you. And you will feel a social pressure to keep up with your promise now that it is let out into the world. I would recommend only telling people who you thi... The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530076 Mon, 03 May 2010 17:34:02 +0100 3530076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529773&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fc9rGCP3b7U8%2F By Michael F. CannonShortly after President Obama signed his health care law, French president Nicolas Sarkozy offered this backhanded compliment to the United States: “Welcome to the club of countries that does not dump its sick people.” In this month’s Diplomat magazine (U.K.), I explain pourquoi c’est fou: Every member of Sarkozy’s “club” has its stories of sick people who have been “dumped,” in one manner or another, despite laws that officially preclude such things from ever happening. In 2005, Canada’s Supreme Court wrote of its country’s Medicare system: “Access to a waiting list is not access to healthcare…[T]here is unchallenged evidence that in some serious cases, patients die as a result of waiting lists for publi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529773 Mon, 03 May 2010 17:11:12 +0100 3529773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529789&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthblawg.typepad.com%2Ffiles%2Fgeorge-pantos-hpm-institute-healthblawg-interview-with-david-harlow-042110.mp3 Healthcare costs are a perennial issue for employers and employees. There are a variety of approaches out there designed to improve health status and health outcomes and reduce costs at the same time. Proponents of a variety of approaches have been featured here on HealthBlawg in the past.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with George Pantos, of the Healthcare Performance Management Institute, a brand-new organization on the scene, founded by a group of folks who have developed tools for managing these costs. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529789 Mon, 03 May 2010 17:00:33 +0100 3529789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529841&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fintroducing-coming-out-crazy%2F I’m pleased to introduce Coming Out Crazy with Sandy Naiman. With years of journalistic experience and mental health advocacy, this former Toronto Sun blogger will engage us passionately in an ongoing dialogue on mental health issues from her perspective. Sandy has lived with serious mental health issues since her adolescence, and began writing and speaking about it in 1998. She was on the staff of The Toronto Sun for more than 30 years, and in April 2008, was contacted by The Toronto Star to blog for their site.  Sandy has been blogging on their site, Healthzone.ca, for the past two years about mental health issues and advocacy. She speaks regularly at conferences on these same topics, and is well known as an engaging storyteller as she weaves her personal tales into the research o... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529841 Mon, 03 May 2010 16:55:12 +0100 3529841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529756&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fa-beacon-of-light-katherine-stone View all Women’s Health Hero Nominees. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Deborah Forhan Rimmler Nominee: Katherine Stone, peer advocate for women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders Katherine Stone was a beacon of light during the darkest time of my life. I suffered from postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder (that is a postpartum mood disorder where you get terrible, scary thoughts that won’t go away) that began after the birth of my son Henry a year ago. I was lucky to get professional help early due to the support system I had in my life, yet I still suffered tremendously. Not even the best psychiatrist in the world can help you heal totally from the horror of having had awful thoughts that sometimes involve images of hurting your own child. One night in despa... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529756 Mon, 03 May 2010 16:41:44 +0100 3529756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526741&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgo-to-a-famous-hospital-get-better-care%2F2010.05.03 Hospital rankings matter. Specifically, those published in the U.S. News & World Report carry additional weight. Hospitals use these numbers in advertising campaigns, and patients often choose hospitals based on these rankings. But does a high place really mean you’re getting better care? Not necessarily. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526741 Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:24 +0100 3526741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529873&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Flxo6-gNHTFk%2F I’ve come across a number of websites and people who’ve made the assertion that with the short time frames for meaningful use, a SaaS EHR is the only option to be able to meet the meaningful use requirements in a timely manner. Let’s see if I can do my part to clarify this idea which isn’t completely accurate. First, there is still plenty of time for a clinic to implement an EMR of any type and get EMR stimulus money. At some point this might change, but at this point we are still far enough out that time is not an issue. Although, I’ll admit that it would be helpful if CMS and HHS would finally get some EHR software certified and provide some practical meaningful use details. Of course, these details shouldn’t be stopping doctors from evaluating and pla... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529873 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:57:59 +0100 3529873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526831&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fsaas-ehr-is-the-only-option-to-show-meaningful-use%2F I’ve come across a number of websites and people who’ve made the assertion that with the short time frames for meaningful use, a SaaS EHR is the only option to be able to meet the meaningful use requirements in a timely manner. Let’s see if I can do my part to clarify this idea which isn’t completely accurate. First, there is still plenty of time for a clinic to implement an EMR of any type and get EMR stimulus money. At some point this might change, but at this point we are still far enough out that time is not an issue. Although, I’ll admit that it would be helpful if CMS and HHS would finally get some EHR software certified and provide some practical meaningful use details. Of course, these details shouldn’t be stopping doctors from evaluating and pla... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526831 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:57:59 +0100 3526831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3527613&cid=t_322628_10_f&fid=34467&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnnlm.gov%2Fmcr%2Fbhic%2F%3Fp%3D9351 The Grocery Gap: Who Has Access to Healthy Food and Why It Matters http://bit.ly/aPX4uv Sarah Treuhaft, PolicyLink Allison Karpyn, The Food Trust March 2010 “…..Inequitable access to healthy food is a major contributor to health disparities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adult obesity rates are 51 percent higher for African Americans than whites, and 21 percent higher for Latinos.. ….” [posted on PAHO/WHO Equity list] New Census Bureau Report Analyzes Nation’s Linguistic Diversity Language Use in the United States: 2007 [http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/acs-12.pdf] The number of people 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home has more than doubled in the last three decades and at a pace four times greater than the nation’s po... BHIC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3527613 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:41:00 +0100 3527613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529733&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fdo-women-get-depressed-more-than-men%2F May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, reminding us all to keep our stress in check, and deal with signs of depression. But is all of that women’s work? This Pristiq commercial seems to say so. The prescription antidepressant advertisement features a mom-type watching her family play while she repeatedly winds up a sad toy lady, then lets it crawl across the picnic table. “I feel like I have to wind myself up to get out of bed, and well, I have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy,” the woman explains. By the end of the dreadful commercial, we get the idea: Mom used to be a gloomy automaton of a woman. And now, thanks to Pristiq, she’s not. Anyone who has been through a major depression k... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529733 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:21:31 +0100 3529733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526861&cid=t_322628_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhen-ms-meets-social-media%2F One thing that can surely be said about the World Wide Web; it’s, well world-wide, 24/7. It is now, as I write this post, 5:30 a.m. local time and I’ve been up for nigh 2 hours already.  I was using the wonderful world of the Internet to link into a social media meeting in Switzerland (not travel accepted, no “secret” information exchanged, no harm, no foul);  I said my piece and relayed your comments and half an hour later – I’m ready to go back to sleep! The topic of social media has, obviously, been on my mind for some time now and your comments have helped, but have also left me wondering about the medium… Technically, Life With MS comments are “screened”, as we try to weed out spam and personal attacks.  “Un-screened” social media is something like Facebook;... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526861 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:05:49 +0100 3526861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526718&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Ftireless-advocate-for-womens-health-wendy-chavkin View all Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Amanda Davis Nominee: Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH, Professor of Clinical Public and Family Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH, is a tireless advocate for women’s health. As a medical student in Chicago in the late 1960s, Dr. Chavkin occasionally loaned her apartment to the Jane Collective, an underground abortion network. She later said that her experience with the Jane Collective “pushed me towards becoming a doctor.” Dr. Chavkin decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. She began practicing medicine shortly after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, and has advocated staunchly and openly for reproductive rights ever since. In her dozens of publications, she exposes the dispa... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526718 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:46:35 +0100 3526718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526719&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Freaching-out-to-those-with-fibromyalgia-sharon-ostalecki View all the Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Renae Kulas Nominee: Sharon Ostalecki, Director, Helping Our Pain & Exhaustion Fibromyalgia has been nicknamed “The Invisible Disease” because it is not perceptible to others. The face of fibromyalgia is every face, and unless you were told, you could not tell who has it and who does not. Twenty years ago I spent my days searching for a reason for the pain that was taking over my life. My physician and family could not understand why I was in constant pain and lived with constant fatigue. It was difficult because I had begun to question myself, and then one day I heard a radio program about a condition called fibromyalgia.  The gal being interviewed not only seemed to understand but als... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526719 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:46:06 +0100 3526719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526720&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fhelping-others-with-health-and-wellness-angela-shipp View all Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Sara Nominee: Angela Shipp, Author of bluehealer diary Having worked as regulatory affairs manager and managed care expert for more than 20 years, I have learned the importance of understanding connections between health and communicating with healthcare staff. Angela Shipp, author of the bluehealer diary, is an advocate for the power that personal health knowledge has in health care decisions. She believes that health knowledge empowers consumers to better manage their own health and as they interact with health care professionals when they need care. Angela strives to maintain a healthy lifestyle for herself and is tireless in her efforts to engage more consumers in taking responsibility for their health ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526720 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:45:44 +0100 3526720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526797&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fmental-health-statistics%2F May is Mental Health Month again, so it’s also a good time to review the mental health statistics behind mental illness. Some of the statistics going around aren’t entirely accurate, because they’re based upon outdated web pages on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website. This misinformation is then propagated by well-meaning people and organizations, including NAMI and others. Sadly, the NIMH website is not as accurate or up-to-date as people like to think it is (I think that because it’s a government resource, people just assume it’s accurate and correct). For instance, the NIMH Statistics page puts data into context of 2004 Census data. Well, it’s 2010, not 2004, and we have more up-to-date Census data. Also according to the more recent... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526797 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:45:34 +0100 3526797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526721&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fcomforting-those-with-fertility-challenges-jenni-saake View all Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Crystal M. Wilson Nominee: Jenni Saake, Author of “Hannah’s Hope,” Founders of Hannah’s Prayer ministry Jenni Saake is author of “Hannah’s Hope: Seeking God’s Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage and Adoption Loss.” She and her husband, Rick, established Hannah’s Prayer, a ministry that has since reached tens of thousands of families worldwide with comfort, hope, encouragement and support in the face of fertility challenges. She also keeps up a blog that offers further encouragement, bridging two very different worlds of 10+ years of infertility (including three miscarriages and seven failed adoption attempts), followed by motherhood of three l... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526721 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:44:50 +0100 3526721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526893&cid=t_322628_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Finternet-in-medicine-course-week-10-future-of-web%2F I launched the world’s first elective course at a medical university focusing on web 2.0 and medicine for medical students in 2008. Now this is the 4th semester and the 10th week was dedicated to the future of web and medicine. Here is the outline of my presentations. First part of the Prezi.com slideshow: Towards web 3.0 Buzzwords! (there is no physical difference between web or web 2.0) Features of web 1.0, web 2.0 and web 3.0 Concept of semantic web: example of collecting stamps I write documents about all of my stamps and later I want to find stamps with red background What to do? I do a search but will find the Red Cross stamp and other stamps that have red in their names but don’t have a red background. Solution: tell the computer stamp is a stamp, but red is a co... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526893 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:03:56 +0100 3526893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526742&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-and-life-insurance-companies-invested-in-fast-food%2F2010.05.03 A new article published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that U.S., Canadian, and European insurance firms hold $1.88 billion of investments in fast food companies like Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s/Arby’s Groups. Both health insurers and life insurers have substantial holdings in these companies. A person just needs to read “Fast Food Nation” or watch the documentary “Food, Inc.” to understand the negative impact of processed foods on the health of our country. The evidence is so compelling that the new health reform legislation is requiring fast food and chain restaurants to disclose calorie counts on their menus. Ironically, the new legislation will also add millions of customers to the health insurers. (mo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526742 Mon, 03 May 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3526742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526699&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fhealth-care-reform-affect-mental-health.html by Diana E. Lee The cost of therapy and medication for underinsured people are common barriers keeping people from getting treatment for a mental health problem. Although there are community mental health centers that provide treatment for many people, their resources are stretched far too thin to help everyone who needs treatment on the level someone with a more serious issue may need. One of the most positive changes that will arise out of the recent passage of health care reform legislation is that more people will have access to affordable, effective treatments for their mental health needs. (...)Read the rest of How health care reform will affect mental health No comment | Tags: Health reform, Patient | Category: Health policy and politics (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526699 Mon, 03 May 2010 13:00:26 +0100 3526699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526826&cid=t_322628_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fbetween-rock-and-hard-place.html I just finished doing the Day 12 IVF cycle scan of a patient with poor ovarian reserve ( also known as diminished ovarian reserve, or oopause) from the UK. She had already failed 3 IVF cycle in the UK, and had come to us for IVF. We used the aggressive superovulation ( letrozole antagon ) protocol, to help her grow more eggsThe aggressive superovulation worked, and the Day 10 scan showed she had 4 mature follicles . However, this scan also showed she had a small 0.5 cm size polyp in the uterus. This was an unexpected finding, as the Day 3 check scan we had done for her before we started her superovulation showed her uterine lining was normal.Polyps are benign finger-like growths found in the uterine lining. They occur because of a localised growth of endometrial tissue; and since they are ... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526826 Mon, 03 May 2010 12:50:00 +0100 3526826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526730&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoC3xsu_iCj4%2F By Michael F. CannonPresident Obama delivered a commencement speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. He called on all Americans “to maintain a basic level of civility in our public debate.”  Who could argue? Yet the president apparently believes that civility means protecting his policies from valid criticism. He instructed graduates that “the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship.”  Right again.  But the civics lesson rings hollow coming from a president who falsely claimed there was “no disagreement” over his massive “stimulus” bill, and that opponents of his health care takeover offered no proposals of their own. He explained, “what we should be asking is not whether... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526730 Mon, 03 May 2010 12:37:37 +0100 3526730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526743&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmost-people-arent-angry-about-healthcare-reform%2F2010.05.03 I just got back from a wonderful week in Toronto, Canada. No, I wasn’t up there to take tips on how to impose socialized medicine on an unsuspecting public, notwithstanding what some of you may incorrectly-surmise about my political leanings. Rather, I was there to attend ACP’s annual scientific meeting, during which I had the opportunity to serve as faculty for three separate scientific sessions that discussed the impact of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACPA) of 2010 on internists and their patients. Several hundred ACP members attended these sessions. And guess what? Rather than encountering doctors who were angry at the new law and ACP’s support for it, I instead found an engaged and curious group of internists who are looking at health reform i... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526743 Mon, 03 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3526743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526724&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FavVZjBdCbQU%2F Close to 60% of respondents had never been screened for skin cancer by a health-care provider. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526724 Mon, 03 May 2010 11:51:33 +0100 3526724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526950&cid=t_322628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKDwZ00YYxY0%2F Welcome back. We hope your weekend was pleasant and you feel refreshed. A rainy day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus as the routine returns. And that means meetings and deadlines are looming. To help you along, we have assembled another collection of interesting items. So grab a cup or two of stimulation and dig in. Have a good day, everyone, and stay in touch… German Report Casts Doubt About Roche’s Avastin (Reuters) Takeda Drugs Tops Rivals In Blood Pressure Studies (Reuters) Sanofi-Aventis & Glenmark Strike Deal For Pain Drugs (The Wall Street Journal) Pfizer Sues Ranbaxy Over Rapamune Patent (The Business Standard) Oslo Court Backs Schering-Plough In Animal Vaccine Dispute (FishNewsEU) Serbia Halts Privatization Of Galenika Pharma (FocusFen) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526950 Mon, 03 May 2010 11:44:06 +0100 3526950 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526798&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fmalingering-ptsd%2F You can “malinger” — fake — virtually any mental disorder, because mental illness is defined by symptom lists that are self-reported. That is, you tell the doctor or therapist the symptoms you’re experiencing, and they simply go down the list and figure out which disorder the symptoms best fit into. Since the symptoms are self-reported, you can easily make up the symptoms to qualify for whatever diagnosis you want. In medicine, things are a bit different. Although doctors might use your self-reported symptoms as a starting point on how to diagnose the medical problem you present with, they can usually followup by ordering a series of laboratory tests to confirm their diagnosis. There is no equivalent for mental health concerns (although there are many paper-an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526798 Mon, 03 May 2010 11:32:35 +0100 3526798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526740&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FNM66JGUNeTk%2F Thomas Maeder, our May 2010 Man of the Month, is the author or co-author of twelve books and numerous articles in national publications, and has long experience in the biomedical field as a writer, educator, and consultant. Below, he shares his thoughts on rare disorders and their place in the drug market. Orphan Diseases – Bellwether of Health Care “The only people interested in rare diseases are those who have them, and that’s not a lot,” an editor once told me when rejecting my proposal for a book on orphan diseases. In reality, nearly thirty million Americans – one in ten – suffer from some 7,000 rare diseases, making them collectively very common indeed.  Though they differ wildly in their causes and manifestations, they share many characteristics in terms of the uncertai... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526740 Mon, 03 May 2010 09:57:09 +0100 3526740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526843&cid=t_322628_117_f&fid=34696&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.straightfromthedoc.com%2F50226711%2Fdidget_meter_bayers_glucose_meter_just_for_kids.php Bayer just launched a new meter designed just for kids. Bayer's DIDGET meter is the first and only blood glucose meter that connects directly to Nintendo DS and DS Lite and helps kids manage their diabetes by rewarding them for consistent testing habits with points to unlock new game levels and options. According to Dr. Larry Deeb, pediatric endocrinologist and medical director for the Diabetes Center at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Florida and a paid consultant for Bayer: "As the first meter ... (Source: Straightfromthedoc) Straightfromthedoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526843 Mon, 03 May 2010 08:00:00 +0100 3526843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526840&cid=t_322628_114_f&fid=34648&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthblawg.typepad.com%2Ffiles%2Fgeorge-pantos-hpm-institute-healthblawg-interview-with-david-harlow-042110.mp3 Health care costs are a perennial issue for employers and employees.  There are a variety of approaches out there designed to improve health status and health outcomes and reduce costs at the same time.  Proponents of a variety of approaches have been featured here on HealthBlawg in the past.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with George Pantos, of the Healthcare Performance Management Institute, a brand-new organization on the scene, founded by a group of folks who have developed tools for managing these costs. The audio file of my interview with George Pantos (about 20 minutes long) is available for download/podcast.  A full transcript is at the end of this post (and in the linked George Pantos, Executive Director, Healthcare Performance Management Institute, HealthBlaw... HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526840 Mon, 03 May 2010 03:16:33 +0100 3526840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526750&cid=t_322628_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1098 The moral implications of health-care reform.  My column in today’s Greenville News. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100502/OPINION/305020027/1016/Ed-Leap-Let-s-talk-about-what-s-moral How many health-care dollars would we save if children were all born within the confines of marriage? If their biological fathers were fathers in every sense? Evidence suggests that children with fathers involved in the home, in intact families, are not only economically more secure but healthier, safer and experience greater educational success. And how many health-care dollars would we save if men and women did not have serial sexual partners, did not contract and spread the many sexual transmitted infections that plague the country? We would certainly reduce the amount of money spent on... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526750 Mon, 03 May 2010 00:40:36 +0100 3526750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529871&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34631&url=http%3A%2F%2Fehealth.johnwsharp.com%2F2010%2F05%2F02%2Fsocial-media-for-canadian-health-care%2F On Friday, April 30, I had the opportunity to speak at the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network Education Day for Healthcare Communicators or TAHSN. This well organized meeting provided some great interaction with health care communicators from Toronto hospitals and got me thinking about the use of social media in a country with socialized medicine. While the focus of much of US hospitals in social media is to attract new patients, in Canada, the purposes would be different. However, one common interest is fund raising. Canadian hospitals have Foundations as a fund raising arm of the hospital and social media provides a useful outreach to potential donors. Following the success of fund raising via text messaging and social media for Haiti, there may be an opportunity for Canadian hospi... eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529871 Sun, 02 May 2010 22:38:12 +0100 3529871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526744&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-new-heart-and-a-new-mission%2F2010.05.02 Mr. Ron Murray, a tranplant heart recipient, tells his story: From the video: “If the transplant issue ever comes up for anyone listening, that’s almost the first thing they would think, too. If I had time to think about it over that year, I would have realized ‘Oh, my God.’ I would have apprehension all built up about how I would react to…I mean is it going to change my way of thinking? Is it going to alter my own thoughts? None of that holds up, ultimately. When I realized that there was going to be forever an emotional component, and maybe a spiritual component to this thing that I hadn’t thought about, is when I became –- God, I don’t even know if I can tell you about it –- that I began to grieve for the donor, that brought me to tears several of those... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526744 Sun, 02 May 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3526744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526701&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fhealth-blog-posts-week-april-30-2010.html Here are the top posts from this past week, based on the number of times they were viewed. 1. Aneurysm as a cause of the Bret Michaels brain hemorrhage 2. Hospital practice can come with pitfalls for doctors 3. Internal medicine is dead, will concierge physicians thrive? 4. C-section rates and its association with lawsuits 5. Texas Medical Association: Stop the Medicare meltdown Health blog posts of the week, February 28-March 1, 2010 Health blog posts of the week, April 9-16, 2010 Health blog posts of the week, ending April 23, 2010 No comment | Tags: Health reform, Hospital, Medicare, Primary care, Specialist | Category: Physician practice (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526701 Sun, 02 May 2010 19:00:26 +0100 3526701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526745&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fipad-x-rayed%2F2010.05.02 An orthopedic doctor in Japan wanted to see what made the iPad tick, so he threw it under an X-ray machine and posted the images to his blog. We guess the good doctor (whose name is Dr. Ambition, according to his blog) wasn’t happy with all of the teardown photos and videos of the iPad. Or maybe he just wanted to see what happens when you pump it full of radiation. Appropriately enough, the iPad’s X-ray was processed with OsiriX DICOM medical imaging software for Mac.The good news for the iPad is that nothing was broken and, as long as the stool samples come back negative, it seems it can look forward to a long life. *This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526745 Sun, 02 May 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3526745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524109&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthy-active-kids-come-from-healthy-active-adults%2F2010.05.02 Kids are like dogs — you can train them until they’re too old to train. Then they’re going to do whatever they want. The key to getting kids to exercise is to make it fun for them. But they aren’t going to exercise if it isn’t made a part of their normal routine. It’s up to adults to train them. Mrs. Happy and I had the joyous opportunity of inviting our 10-year-old niece to her first-ever running event. She had never ever run in a race before. We did the two-mile race and she loved it. And amazingly, she finished without stopping — not even once. Our nation is raising a nation of fat and lazy kids because we’re lazy adults. We drive everywhere. We sit at our desks. We get food on the run. We watch a lot of television. We surf the Net a bunch... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524109 Sun, 02 May 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3524109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524308&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F02%2Ffeel-like-venting-to-a-complete-stranger-try-blahtherapy-com%2F There’s no question about it — airing a complaint and getting it off of your chest can be relieving. Letting a secret or a complaint sit inside of us can hurt. The word “vent” calls forth images of air, smoke, or steam escaping through an opening from a confined area — like carbonation from a soda bottle.  It’s no surprise, then, that we describe ourselves as feeling “bottled up” when we’ve got something major to vent. And now there’s a new way to do it online at blahtherapy.com. BLAH Therapy’s premise is simple — it’s a chat website designed to let you twist that proverbial soda bottle lid anonymously and seek a release of pent-up steam.  Once you arrive at the site, you’re prompted to play the role of ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524308 Sun, 02 May 2010 14:18:46 +0100 3524308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524110&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwondering-if-mom-is-safe-finethanx-calls-and-checks-for-you%2F2010.05.02 FineThanx is a new automated phone system that automatically calls your sick or elderly family members at home to check on how they’re doing. The system can check in with loved ones once or twice a day, and if no one answers or the person is unwell, the system calls a member of his or her ”care circle.” If everything is fine, the FineThanx system will send you a report by email, so you can continue working or finish those 18 holes of golf, then check in for reassurance on your iPhone or personal computer afterwards. Listen to a sample call here. *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524110 Sun, 02 May 2010 14:00:20 +0100 3524110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524111&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F4-super-healthy-foods%2F2010.05.02 Raise your hand if you want to eat healthy. Healthy eating isn’t just good for cinching your waistline — it’s great for overall health. From glowing skin, to heart health, to maintaining healthy teeth and bones; eating foods packed with certain nutrients can also protect your immune system and fight infections.  It can boost your libido and decrease that lousy (LDL) cholesterol and boost your good (HDL) cholesterol. Healthy eating shouldn’t be a struggle. It’s easy to get sucked into the marketing trap when you’re food shopping and you encounter all those in-store specials. Sometimes, those specials are just bad for your health. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Health in 30* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524111 Sun, 02 May 2010 12:00:50 +0100 3524111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524044&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fhealthcare-reform-affects-nurses.html by Kevin Fickenscher, MD I recently wrote a piece in the Washington Report, a weekly newsletter, on What Healthcare Reform Means for Your Doctor. The passage of healthcare reform means our country’s physicians should expect to see some interesting long-term changes to their Medicare and Medicaid payments in addition to administrative simplification and medical liability pilot programs. But this made me think, what about the nurses? (...)Read the rest of How healthcare reform affects nurses No comment | Tags: Health reform, Medicare | Category: Health policy and politics (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524044 Sun, 02 May 2010 11:00:32 +0100 3524044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524332&cid=t_322628_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fivf-doctors-and-oneupmanship.html There is no question about the fact that IVF is a competitive business. IVF clinics are usually run by doctors in private practise, who do their best to attract lots of patients to maximise their revenue.This competition can be good for patients because it enforces doctors to keep their prices competitive; and they also need to ensure that their technology is updated, so that they do not fall behind.However, this can be a mixed blessing. One effective way of getting patients is to get an interview published in the press. This is why many doctors now employ PR agents, to ensure that they get a lot of press coverage. While this has its pros ( it creates a lot of awareness about the newer medical options which are available for treating infertility) , some of the downsides are that health jou... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524332 Sun, 02 May 2010 03:57:00 +0100 3524332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524112&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-diaphragm-is-back-and-its-latex-free%2F2010.05.01 After a prolonged hiatus, during which diaphragms became as scarce as Elaine’s treasured sponges, the Ortho All Flex diaphragm is back, and it’s now latex-free. The over one-year (at least in my area) shortage happened as the manufacturer transitioned from the old latex to new silicone diaphragms, and suppliers everywhere began backordering this important barrier contraceptive. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at The Blog that Ate Manhattan* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524112 Sat, 01 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3524112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524113&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Famerican-obesity-and-sugar-sweetened-beverages%2F2010.05.01 We are a nation stricken with an epidemic of obesity, which contributes to the incidence of diabetes and heart disease. Each of these has been linked to consumption of sugar intake, and in particular, sugar-sweetened beverages. There’s nothing evil about sugar — it’s just that too much of it in certain forms is bad for you. For the purpose of definition, sugar-sweetened beverages contain added, naturally-derived caloric sweeteners such as sucrose (table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates. (more…) This post, American Obesity And Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, was originally published on Healthine.com by Paul S Auerbach M.D., M.S.. (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524113 Sat, 01 May 2010 22:00:00 +0100 3524113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524120&cid=t_322628_88_f&fid=38958&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourerdoc.com%2Feverything-bad-for-you-is-now-good%2F News Alert! Everything Bad For You is Now Good Great news! All of my former guilty pleasures have turned out to be health foods. Instead of fearing that my addiction to dark chocolate, coffee and red wine is leading me to premature death, I am in fact increasing my life span, and reducing my chance of many horrible diseases. Yes! Take coffee. I cannot function in the morning until I’ve had a large cup, sometimes two. I’ve always felt bad about this, knowing that I am dependent on the tasty black liquid, and its stimulant effects. My family understands that each morning during the pre-coffee phase, I will be unable to communicate effectively, beyond some basic grunting noises. I shuffle around, scratching and muttering while the beans are grinding and the water is percolating. I... Your ER Doc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524120 Sat, 01 May 2010 19:29:19 +0100 3524120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524114&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsense-in-the-sun%2F2010.05.01 We’re past spring break and headed toward the end of the school year and summer vacations. I noticed this product in the April issue of Plastic Surgery Practice. UVSunSense is a wristband that monitors your exposure to sun. If you and your children have trouble remembering to reapply sunscreen or to just get out of the sun, then this might be just the ticket. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524114 Sat, 01 May 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3524114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524121&cid=t_322628_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1096   This is my column in May’s edition of Emergency Medicine News.  My point is, we should keep working for the sake of the sick and injured children, if for no other reason. http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2010/05000/Second_Opinion__Why_You_Should_Keep_Going_Back_to.7.aspx (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524121 Sat, 01 May 2010 16:26:50 +0100 3524121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524092&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fbreast-cancer-and-multivitamins-%25e2%2580%2593-is-there-a-link%2F Wait a minute – we thought taking a daily multivitamin could only help, not hurt us. But according to a recent health article on Canada.com (via Reuters), that may not always be the case. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted a study which found that women age 49 and over who take multivitamin supplements on a regular basis generally have a 19% higher risk of developing breast cancer. But on the flip side, other recent studies have shown that female multivitamin users are no more likely to die of cancer than non-users. And, of course, other issues can factor into a woman’s risk of breast cancer including family history, weight, exercise habits, and whether or not she smokes. The kicker? Many researchers and doctors – including Dr. Susanna C. Larsson of the Karolins... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524092 Sat, 01 May 2010 16:20:50 +0100 3524092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524115&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmcdonald%25e2%2580%2599s-vs-dash-two-days-two-diets%2F2010.05.01 This week I’ve been trying to eat according to the DASH guidelines for lowering blood pressure. It actually hasn’t been too difficult — partly because I’m not following their strictest guidelines, which call for just 1,300 milligrams of sodium and 16 grams of saturated fat a day. I’ve been shooting for 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 22 grams of saturated fat. In 2003, I tried a somewhat different “diet,” which in some ways was more difficult to follow, even though it only lasted one day. My son Jim (then age 11) and I ate every meal at McDonald’s for an entire day (yes, this was before Super Size Me). We recorded the experience on the Web. I thought it would be interesting to compare my day at McDonald’s to a typical day on DASH. (more…) *This blog p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524115 Sat, 01 May 2010 16:00:38 +0100 3524115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524116&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsmiley-faces-foundation-promoting-awareness-beauty-and-amazing-kids%2F2010.05.01 We live in a society obsessed with outside beauty, so it’s no wonder that parents whose children are born with any imperfection worry endlessly about how their child will be accepted in society. As parents, though, our job is to make sure our kids see themselves as much more than whatever obstacles are tossed their way, as tough as that may be. Adam and Donna Bell felt that anguish first hand in 2005 when their son Ethan was born with cleft lip and palate. Ethan now has an adorable smile and hardly a scar at all thanks to the amazingly talented doctors at the NYU Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. Wanting to do more to raise awareness about the nearly 1 in 600 infants born with cleft (opening) lip or palate each year, the Bell’s founded Smiley Faces Foundation, a nonprofit w... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524116 Sat, 01 May 2010 14:00:25 +0100 3524116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522674&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F01%2Fhealthy-nutrition-through-behavior-modification%2F For the past two years I have been attempting to manage my weight through behavior modification, healthy eating and exercise. After losing 190 pounds with diet and exercise, I can assume that I am very capable of making healthy choices; however, this past weekend illustrated how emotions can contribute to slipups in the healthy lifestyle department. I am as human as anyone else and I ended my week with a weight gain. Through each painful experience I have learned much about managing my emotions. Finding my inner balance may always be a struggle for me and many of you as well. The important factor in finding my inner balance is to modify my behavior through discipline and goal setting. The negative factor in my equation of healthy lifestyle choices are unforeseen events, which by their very... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522674 Sat, 01 May 2010 13:15:51 +0100 3522674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524117&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhaiti-life-and-death-decisions%2F2010.05.01 A premature baby and a woman giving birth must share the only oxygen tank in a hospital in the poorest part of Haiti, Port de Paix. Dr. Jon LaPook recounts the harrowing experience. Watch CBS News Videos Online (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524117 Sat, 01 May 2010 12:00:11 +0100 3524117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522695&cid=t_322628_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fwhy-do-doctors-treat-patients-as-idiots.html Image via WikipediaMany doctors underestimate their patient's intelligence. The truth is that most patients ( most of the time):1. want to know as much as possible about their illness and their treatment optionsand2. are smart enough to understand their optionsPatients want to be treated with respect. They look up to their doctor - and trust he will do a good job treating them. So why don't all doctors treat their patients as intelligent adults - someone who is capable of understanding what has gone wrong and what the doctor needs to do to fix the problem ?Do doctors feel threatened by patients who ask questions ? Or is it that they do not have the time or energy to answer these questions ?Some well-meaning doctors are worried that patients will not be able to understand the niceties of th... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522695 Sat, 01 May 2010 05:39:00 +0100 3522695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522622&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FboiW83MeesQ%2F By Jagadeesh GokhaleMy latest book Social Security: A Fresh Look at Reform Alternatives (available here) argues that it’s not just labor quantity — the number of employees who are accruing future Social Security benefits — that will determine the size of Social Security’s future imbalances (and, incidentally, those of Medicare, and the size of deficits for all of government), but also the quality of that labor — the value of the work those employees are doing.  Declining labor quality (as experienced baby boomers retire) will reduce taxable payrolls faster than is being projected by the Social Security Administration and the Congressional Budget Office.  The result is even more beneficiaries receiving Social Security checks, and lower-wage workers who will be funding those che... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522622 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:37:00 +0100 3522622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522623&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0acngJJvFJ4%2F By Michael F. CannonWith multiple lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of ObamaCare’s “individual mandate,” the law’s backers have proffered two principal arguments in its defense.  First, they claim that Congress has the power to require U.S. residents to purchase health insurance under the Constitution’s grant of power “to regulate Commerce…among the several States.”  Second, they claim the measure is authorized by the taxing power. Regarding the commerce power, Cato senior fellow Randy Barnett explains in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal: [T]he Court has never upheld a requirement that individuals who are doing nothing must engage in economic activity by entering into a contractual relationship with a private company. Such a ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522623 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:17:47 +0100 3522623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522703&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=38494&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcuretogether.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F30%2Fstories-of-data-driven-lives%2F Does data drive your life? For some people, measuring and tracking themselves is a self-exploration process. Many stories can be found at The Quantified Self (where I am a blogger). One of the founders of Quantified Self, Gary Wolf of WIRED Magazine, just wrote this article in the New York Times Magazine called The Data-Driven Life. CureTogether is mentioned twice in the article – yay! Here is an excerpt: Trackers focused on their health want to ensure that their medical practitioners don’t miss the particulars of their condition; trackers who record their mental states are often trying to find their own way to personal fulfillment amid the seductions of marketing and the errors of common opinion; fitness trackers are trying to tune their training regimes to their own body types an... The Collective Well blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522703 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:17:26 +0100 3522703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522599&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fdoctors-eye-contact-patients-computers.html by Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM I had an interesting juxtaposition of events. While waiting in Peets, a coffee shop in Lexington Center, I watched the friendly discussions between the baristas and customers. I then went to a doctor’s appointment, where a nurse stood typing at a laptop asking me a series of questions, including “Are you in pain?” and “Do you feel safe at home?” She didn’t look at me once as she read and typed. (...)Read the rest of Doctors need more eye contact with patients, not computers 4 comments | Tags: Health IT, Patient | Category: Physician practice (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522599 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:00:04 +0100 3522599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522776&cid=t_322628_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FQP4EIgXG7HY%2F This is the second in a series of posts by Bill from California, a Blisstree reader, former smoker, and active member of our passionate community of commenters. Read Bill’s first post here, where you’ll also find Blisstree’s original smoking post by Liz Lewis. Am I a Former Smoker? Part 2 Bias and Activism In the Public Health Community I’ve been put off by the aggressive efforts from the more extreme elements of the public health community. Though my own field is very different, I’m close to this subject because my wife is a researcher on public health issues. (I hasten to add that she’s not among the radicals I’m targeting here.) In my opinion, the worst of these efforts are biased and even propagandistic. They’re a clear violation of basic s... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522776 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:52:28 +0100 3522776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522614&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fwhat-happens-to-your-body-when-you-stop-smoking-part-2-%25e2%2580%2593-new%2F This is the second in a series of posts by Bill from California, a Blisstree reader, former smoker, and active member of our passionate community of commenters. Read Bill’s first post here, where you’ll also find Blisstree’s original smoking post by Liz Lewis. Am I a Former Smoker? Part 2 Bias and Activism In the Public Health Community I’ve been put off by the aggressive efforts from the more extreme elements of the public health community. Though my own field is very different, I’m close to this subject because my wife is a researcher on public health issues. (I hasten to add that she’s not among the radicals I’m targeting here.) In my opinion, the worst of these efforts are biased and even propagandistic. They’re a clear violation of basic s... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522614 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:52:28 +0100 3522614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522621&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FUFYTSKtqX24%2F The legislative changes being implemented this year have a generally negative impact on pharma and biotech companies. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522621 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:47:33 +0100 3522621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519503&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F30%2F7-ways-to-beat-depression-if-youre-unemployed%2F The unemployment rate today has skyrocketed to approximately 10 percent and is forecast to stay above 9.5 percent for the rest of 2010. For the first time in American history, more women are working than men because close to 80 percent of the people laid off in the recent recession were men. According to a recent study published in the “International Journal of Epidemiology,” unemployment is a major risk factor for depression, even in people without previous vulnerability. Because my husband is an architect — the housing market is dead, remember — whose work has slowed down substantially, I have an invested interest in this topic and wanted to know what I could do to help him stay physically and emotionally healthy, since, theoretically, one of us should be. Here, ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519503 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:30:00 +0100 3519503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524118&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fplastic-surgeon-is-the-king-of-donkey-kong%2F2010.04.30 Donkey Kong has a new recordholder — and he’s a plastic surgeon. Hank Chien, M.D., scored 1,061,700 points in 2 hours and 35 minutes, breaking the world-record score for the classic arcade game. Read the piece to learn how he did it, and more interestingly, the painstaking steps he had to take to verify his score. The feat does lend some anecdotal support linking video games and the hand-eye coordination required for surgery. There are small studies linking the laparoscopic skill of surgeons with how well they do on video games. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524118 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:04 +0100 3524118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522697&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FZFVEhZiDM3M%2F I’m still really disturbed by the fact that we have so few practical meaningful use details. Sure, we have a lot of guidelines and a lot of prognosticators guessing at what they mean and how they’ll be measured. We even have a certifying body trying to guess what the EHR certification will be. Sadly, they’re all still guesses. Let’s just take a simple example for a second and see some of the complexities. Objective: Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx). Measure: At least 75 percent of all permissible prescriptions written by the EP are transmitted electronically using certified EHR technology. This certainly seems pretty straight forward. Probably about as straightforward as it comes as far as objectives. Basically, 75% of the prescri... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522697 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:47:39 +0100 3522697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519535&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2010%2F04%2F30%2Fpercent-of-eprescribing-for-meaningful-use%2F I’m still really disturbed by the fact that we have so few practical meaningful use details. Sure, we have a lot of guidelines and a lot of prognosticators guessing at what they mean and how they’ll be measured. We even have a certifying body trying to guess what the EHR certification will be. Sadly, they’re all still guesses. Let’s just take a simple example for a second and see some of the complexities. Objective: Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx). Measure: At least 75 percent of all permissible prescriptions written by the EP are transmitted electronically using certified EHR technology. This certainly seems pretty straight forward. Probably about as straightforward as it comes as far as objectives. Basically, 75% of the prescri... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519535 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:47:39 +0100 3519535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519395&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fhealthcare-reform-role-hospitalists.html by John Gever With growing pressures on hospitals from the new healthcare reform law and from the stakeholder community to become more efficient and effective, administrators may find they already have the necessary expertise under their own roofs, a prominent hospitalist said. “Some organizations with hospitalist programs need look no further than these programs to chart a course toward more effective physician-hospital integration,” wrote Robert M. Wachter, MD, of the University of California San Francisco. (...)Read the rest of Healthcare reform and the new role of hospitalists No comment | Tags: Health reform, Hospital, Hospitalist | Category: Hospital (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519395 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:00:02 +0100 3519395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519571&cid=t_322628_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FOFU37fr3j-g%2F We are pleased to announce that, out of the 40 great entries submitted, the 10 Finalists to the 2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Awards moving to the next round are (ordered by approximate age of end user population, from younger to older): Arrowsmith School, USA Hockey, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, University Behavioral HealthCare/ University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Allstate, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Saint Luke’s Brain and Stroke Institute, Oakland Unified School District, Mental Health Association of Rockland County, SCAN Health Plan. Winners will be announced during the State of Brain Fitness Innovation Webinar on May 24th, noon-1pm Pacific Time. Registration is now open ($25), and includes executive summary of SharpBrains’ 2010 market report and acc... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519571 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:32:23 +0100 3519571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519468&cid=t_322628_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3023 Hot off the press The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health (FIH) has been spreading misinformation about medicine since 1993.  It has featured often on this blog. Now it has closed its doors. An announcement has appeared on the FIH website 30 April 2010 The Trustees of The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health have decided to close the charity. The announcment goes on "Whilst the closure has been planned for many months and is part of an agreed strategy, the Trustees have brought forward the closure timetable as a result of a fraud investigation at the charity." "The Trustees feel that The Foundation has achieved its key objective of promoting the use of integrated health. Since The Foundation was set up in 1993, integrate... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519468 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:17:21 +0100 3519468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519430&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fproviding-sexual-health-info-promotoras-de-la-salud-sexual-community-educators View all Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Emilia Gianfortoni Nominee: Promotoras de la Salud Sexual Community Educators The Latino community experiences vast sexual health disparities nationwide. Latinos disproportionately experience high rates of teen pregnancy and STIs compared to other ethnic groups. In Massachusetts, Latinas have a teen birth rate that is six times higher than non-Latinas. The communities of Holyoke and Springfield experience the highest teen birth rates in the state, at 95.4 and 84.3 per 1,000, respectively, compared to 22 per 1,000 for the state as a whole. As studies clearly show, teen pregnancy and birth rates are much related to high school drop out rates. Holyoke and Springfield are no exceptions with the two highest dro... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519430 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:46:09 +0100 3519430 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519433&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FtByjmymp2BE%2F Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced California will run its pool. But Wyoming’s Democratic governor is letting HHS handle his state’s eligible patients. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519433 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:42:09 +0100 3519433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519416&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F30%2Fhow-to-simplify-medical-billing-and-reduce-costs%2F As every American knows, the process of billing third-party entities for health care services is complex and time-consuming, for the patient as well as for the provider.  According to the authors of an article published yesterday in Health Affairs, physicians use nearly 12 percent of their net revenue to cover the costs of these administrative charges. To improve this situation, Bonnie Blanchfield of Massachusetts General Hospital and her colleagues have created a hypothetical model, consisting of a single, transparent set of payment rules for multiple payers, a single claim form, and standard rules of submission. They estimate that the changes could result in $7 billion of annual savings for physician and clinical services billings, and four hours per physician and five hours per practi... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519416 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:16:50 +0100 3519416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519434&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4rBF5rh5PAA%2F How will doctors decide who gets the treatment? (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519434 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:03:56 +0100 3519434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519396&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fphysician-supply-trends-primary-care-doctors-specialists.html by William R. Yates, MD Health care reform continues to be a key political topic of discussion in the U.S. Physician supply and specialty training are important elements in designing an efficient system that provides the highest quality of care. To understand where U.S. physician supply and specialty training is headed, I examined the U.S. trends from 1990 to 2007 (latest year data is available). Physician supply has been growing during this period. In 1990, there were 615,000 physicians in the U.S. and by 2007 this figure had increased by 53% to 941,000. This came during a period when the total U.S. population increased approximately 25% (...)Read the rest of Physician supply trends for primary care doctors and specialists 1 comment | Tags: Health reform, Primary care, Specialist | Categ... Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519396 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:00:55 +0100 3519396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519643&cid=t_322628_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2010%2F04%2F2010-diabetesmine-design-challenge-closing-for-entries-tonight.html The 2010 DiabetesMine Design Challenge closes for entries at midnight tonight!  What? You didn’t expect me to post about anything else today, did you? I’m afraid I can’t really think about anything else right about now.  Too excited to see what happens when the clock strikes twelve… So at the risk of sounding repetitive — in [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519643 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:00:52 +0100 3519643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519431&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fthe-guiding-force-in-perinatal-education-in-canada-kathie-lindstrom View all Women’s Health Heroes nominees. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Bailey Delves Nominee: Kathie Lindstrom, LCCE,CD,CDT Coordinator of Perinal Studies Douglas College Kathie Lindstrom (pictured in the middle) has been THE guiding force in perinatal education in Canada. She has been a doula and an educator for many years. She is a great teacher and an inspiration to anyone aspiring to make a difference in maternity care. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is humble, she is strong, and she has truly made a difference in the lives of hundreds (maybe thousands) of women, babies and their families worldwide. Ask anyone in Canada’s birth community, and they will all tell you — Kathie is fantastic. (Source: Our Bodies Our Blog) Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519431 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:39:45 +0100 3519431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519476&cid=t_322628_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F1biOZvtFf1o%2Fmultiple_sclerosis_and_the_cur.php On the surface the story in Wired made perfect sense: Twin Study Deepens Multiple Sclerosis Mystery. It is about a new study from the National Center for Genome Resources that compared the genetic endowments of three sets of identical twins, one each of which contracted multiple sclerosis (MS), the other didn't. This was a full bore effort that wound up costing $1.5 million over a year and a half to sequence 2.8 billion base pairs in each twin, determine if they come from the mother or father and then -- and this is the amazing part -- determine the entire epigenome of the CD4 cell, one of the white cells in the immune system that plays a central part in MS. MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the patient aberrantly makes antibodies to his or her own nerve tissues. The epigenom... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519476 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:31:43 +0100 3519476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519528&cid=t_322628_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fif-you-are-ivf-specialist-why-are-you.html When I see new patients, even though I am an IVF specialist ( and the vast majority of my patients come to me for IVF treatment), I always explain to them that IVF is not their only choice; and that they have multiple options available in order to build their family. These include: childfree living and adoption.Many patients get quite upset when I talk about adoption. They feel that the very fact I am discussing adoption means that I think they will not be able to have their own baby with medical treatment. They feel that this means I have a "loser mentality"; am not confident about our IVF success rates; and am very pessimistic !Actually, none of this is true ! I am very optimistic, but I am also non-judgmental. I provide a very neutral list, which is not ranked or ordered in terms of pre... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519528 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:31:00 +0100 3519528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519504&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F30%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-april-30-2010%2F Call me biased, but I think those with mental health “problems” are actually the healthiest of the bunch. It’s what’s hidden in Alice Miller’s book title The Drama of the Gifted Child. It’s also how I perceive these lyrics from Natalie Merchant’s song Wonder: “Know this child will be gifted. With love, with patience and with faith. She’ll make her way.” That with therapy and other types of treatment those among us who work on their stuff will end up on the other side, healthier and stronger than the rest of the lot. With that being said, I hope you’ll take wisdom and hope from our top posts this week and keep carrying on your own personal journeys towards greater peace, health and happiness. Sneak Preview: New Film about ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519504 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:57:49 +0100 3519504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519557&cid=t_322628_117_f&fid=34696&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.straightfromthedoc.com%2F50226711%2Fmice_study_green_tea_for_eye_health.php © Kanko*Researchers from Hong Kong found that catechins in green tea reduce the risk of glaucoma and other eye diseases. Such were the findings they reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study findings indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress, as they have found green tea catechins travel from the digestive system to the eye tissues. The scientists analyzed eye tissue from rats that drank green tea and found that the lens, retina and ... (Source: Straightfromthedoc) Straightfromthedoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519557 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0100 3519557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519761&cid=t_322628_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F7QNq9ws8kQ0%2F Stay Focused on Getting Slimmer and Staying that Way “I’m going to be a fat blob on my wedding day!” The voice on the other end of the phone was desperate. “Can you help me?” So Karen came to see me. “It’s always the same,” she told me. “I’m motivated for a few days and lose weight, then something happens. I gain everything – and more – back again! My wedding’s in three months! That should be motivation enough, but lately my weight’s been even more all over the place!” Karen was right. Weight loss motivation is easy…at first. Rapid progress, compliments, wearing outfits you really want to, feeling more attractive, having more energy. All this positive feedback is motivating, captivating. Yet this weig... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519761 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:21:50 +0100 3519761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522630&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38805&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denisesilber.com%2Fehealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fneil-bacon-iwantgreatcare.html Neil Bacon, the man who created Doctors.Net 10 years in the UK, site that is currently used by 175k (!) physicians has successfully navigated a second challenge:the creation of a portal for the evaluation of professionals and hospitals in the UK. I want great care makes it impossible to game the system, acccording to Neil Bacon, and also contributes to the improvement of the healthcare system. I want great care recorded a demo a couple of days after the Health 2.0 Europe conference. And here it is ! (Source: Denise Silber's eHealth) Denise Silber's eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522630 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3522630 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522629&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38805&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denisesilber.com%2Fehealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fpatientslikeme-parkinsons.html (Source: Denise Silber's eHealth) Denise Silber's eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522629 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3522629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522628&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38805&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denisesilber.com%2Fehealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fclevelandclinic-johnsharp-socialmedia.html Having had the pleasure of meeting John Sharp in Toronto at the first Medicine 2.0 (2008), I'm happy to distribute his latest slideshow on use of social media at the Cleveland Clinic. A sound Social Media Policy at the Cleveland Clinic! Social Media in Health Care, Toronto 2010View more presentations from John Sharp. (Source: Denise Silber's eHealth) Denise Silber's eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522628 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3522628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519568&cid=t_322628_118_f&fid=34852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joepaduda.com%2Farchives%2F001810.html Coventry released its Q1 2010 financials today, and looking at the numbers one would have to be a naysayer to find fault. The company is successfully exiting the Medicare Private Fee for Service business, growing its Medicare, Medicaid, and Part... (Source: Managed Care Matters) Managed Care Matters blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519568 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3519568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519418&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F29%2Fhealth-affairs-blog-roundtable-transcript-cms-and-health-reform%2F Editor’s Note: Much of the burden of implementing the newly passed health reform legislation will fall on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The agency must handle this task while continuing to perform its already daunting duties involving Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and many other functions. How well equipped is the agency to handle all of this? To discuss this and other issues, on April 9 we convened a Health Affairs Blog Roundtable consisting of four people intimately familiar with CMS and the challenges it faces: Robert Berenson, senior fellow, Urban Institute, who was in charge of Medicare payment policy and managed care contracting at the Health Care Financing Administration (as CMS was previously known) from 1998 to 2000; ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519418 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:02:41 +0100 3519418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519419&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F29%2Fsebelius-to-keynote-health-affairs-briefing%2F Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will keynote the Health Affairs May 4 briefing “Reinventing Primary Care.” The briefing will take place from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.  It will highlight the journal’s May issue, a thematic volume on primary care that will be released that day. You may obtain more information on the briefing and RSVP online here. Health Affairs will also offer live Twitter updates from the briefing on HA_Events at #HAprimarycare. Copyright © 2010 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. All material published on Health Affairs blog, excluding links, is covered under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - No Derivs 2.5 license.Plugin by Taragan... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519419 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:17:49 +0100 3519419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519572&cid=t_322628_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FAjxawfNl8LU%2F An independent expert panel organized by the NIH released yesterday a thoughtful report on the state of the science for prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive decline. The report, available here, summarizes the panel’s review by saying: “Firm conclusions cannot be drawn about the association of modifiable risk factors with cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease.” “There is insufficient evidence to support the use of pharmaceutical agents or dietary supplements to prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease. However, ongoing additional studies including (but not limited to) antihypertensive medications, omega-3 fatty acid, physical activity, and cognitive engagement may provide new insight into the prevention or delay of cognitive decline ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519572 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:16:41 +0100 3519572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519581&cid=t_322628_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2F3-rules-for-living-with-chronic-pain%2F If you’re one of us who live with chronic pain that means you have a constant roommate. That roommate is chronic pain. Quite frankly, it’s a lousy companion and an inconsiderate guest. That invader never pays rent, takes up far too much attention, and doesn’t pick up after it’s self, leaving us in our compromised state to do all the work.  You figure out immediately, life isn’t fair. Fairness is left behind as a childhood fantasy and we’re left with the stark reality of inequality. We rant, we rave and we cry but eventually, we learn that peace comes with acceptance and we adapt. Adaptation reveals that somewhere, deep within us, hope is alive. We can’t always see it but it’s there. Life has a way of charging forward without our approval as dust gathers, duties beckon and ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519581 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:56:54 +0100 3519581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519436&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FYo88kHoIi30%2F The study also found that streamlining administrative inefficiencies could save four hours per week for doctors and five hours for support staff. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519436 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:16:17 +0100 3519436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519460&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FtIUflm5Gu3k%2F Many thanks to our speakers, Phyllis Greenberger, Dr. James Simon, and Susan Wysocki, and to Disruptive Women’s Wendy Grossman for the following summary post. Our panel this morning discussed the issues surrounding how the WHI results were interpreted and communicated to women and their health care providers. We recognize that hormones are not appropriate for all women, and look forward to hosting a future panel that highlights alternatives. The speakers have a variety of backgrounds and experiences (and genders), and we aim to promote diversity of voices. This was not normal breakfast conversation. Today was a jolting – and disruptive – talk about what happens to women’s bodies when they age. (Who knew that if you’re menopausal and you don’t take your hormones... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519460 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:05:57 +0100 3519460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519398&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Finternal-medicine-dead-concierge-physicians-thrive.html by Steven Knope, MD For the last several years, writers in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association have authored doomsday editorials about the prognosis of primary care medicine. There has been much discussion about the fact that internists and family practitioners cannot keep pace with rising overheads and falling reimbursement under the traditional third-party payment system. Paraphrasing a recent story published in The New York Times, an internist in Massachusetts who practices under the new RomneyCare program said this: “Every time I see a Medicare patient, it is the equivalent of giving them a ten-dollar bill. I have a six month wait to see a new patient. I run from room-to-room. I can barely make my overhead. I’ve never felt so disr... Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519398 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:00:24 +0100 3519398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519458&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fask-nancy-is-there-a-way-to-get-into-the-new-high-risk-pool-without-going-uninsured-for-six-months.html Question: My husband and I are 57 years old and live in Arizona. We are early retirees, too young for Medicare, but with pre-existing conditions that make it impossible to be covered by any plan except a guaranteed issue plan with extremely high premiums and poor coverage. Last year, about half of our modest income went to cover health care! Will we be able to drop our current private insurance and sign up for coverage under the new high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions? The last thing we want to do is go without insurance for six months and risk everything we've tried so hard to avoid. But from everything I've read, it seems that is what we'll have to do. We are the people the high-risk pools were designed to help. We just happen to have made it a priority ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519458 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:00:05 +0100 3519458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519582&cid=t_322628_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fyour-opinion-matters-to-pharma-and-to-me%2F Our earlier post about ethics has really stirred up a conversation!  I knew I could count on our multiple sclerosis community for thoughtful debate on this as a specific topic.  You always come through! If you hadn’t noticed in my comment to Jane D I have decided that I will not be attending the group mentioned. The broader question, really, is what we want from the pharmaceutical companies (other than the obvious).  We’ve had a bit of a conversation about this before and your comments were, again, thoughtful.  I’d like to open that up again. For your information (if not disclosure) I am going to Skype into part of their discussion to give my/our opinions.  This way, not only will I not be accepting travel, I’m actually going to have to look presentable for a video conference ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519582 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:32:59 +0100 3519582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515302&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fdaily-health-quiz-do-you-know-whats-in-your-yeast-infection%2F How much do you really know about health? You might think you know all the ins and outs of staying healthy, but our daily Health Smarts Quiz will tell you how good your knowledge really is. Answer our question, below, and check back tomorrow for the correct answer and your next pop quiz. Most women experience vaginal yeast infections, but do you know what really causes them? Today’s Question: Itchy, smelly, and uncomfortable down there? It’s probably a yeast infection. They’re caused by an overabundance of naturally occurring fungus, that’s normally found in the mouth, skin, digestive system, and reproductive organs. Most women experience at least one vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime, and some experience them regularly. Do you know what the yeast is call... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515302 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:39:23 +0100 3515302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515324&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fproviding-safe-supportive-space-for-a-friend-emily-boyes-watson View all the Women’s Health Hero nominees. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Alexis Greeley Nominee: Emily Boyes-Watson I have known Emily since we were 5 years old. We met in kindergarten class and now, 19 years later, we are like sisters. While Emily does not work in the health field, she is my health hero. Women’s health issues are often treated as matters that are not meant to be seen or heard, and women are taught to deal with such issues discreetly and quietly. This can lead to feelings of shame and isolation when problems or curiosity occur regarding health and sexuality. Women aren’t offered, and aren’t encouraged to seek out, very many safe spaces to talk and share about their health and sexuality. In addition, women can end up viewing their health and sexu... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515324 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:16:19 +0100 3515324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515386&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Ffoods-and-vitamins-for-better-memory-tips-for-preserving-your-memory.html Is there evidence that any foods or vitamins help boost memory? —Susan Hall, Overland, MO Yes. A Mediterranean-style diet high in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and fish has been shown to curb brain inflammation linked to memory loss. There's also promising research on curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric. Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and some B vitamins also appear to help. But skip the ginkgo biloba: Recent studies have questioned the herb's effectiveness at fighting cognitive decline, and it can interact harmfully with blood-thinning drugs. Take a look at 5 ways you can help keep your memory sharp and find out if cognitive games can help prevent dementia.   (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515386 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:14:29 +0100 3515386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3516597&cid=t_322628_10_f&fid=34467&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnnlm.gov%2Fmcr%2Fbhic%2F%3Fp%3D9331 http://bit.ly/90odxF Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast Izzy Gesell M.ED, CSP knows a lot about the healing power of humor and play. With degrees in psychology and education, Izzy brings energy and joy to all he does – whether he’s working as a special education teacher, a stand-up comic, or an organizational consultant. (Source: BHIC) BHIC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3516597 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:46:18 +0100 3516597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515327&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FXm2KfAAC_8A%2F Bristol-Myers Squibb didn't weigh in on what health-care overhaul legislation might mean for its 2011 outlook. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515327 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:23:46 +0100 3515327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3516601&cid=t_322628_10_f&fid=34467&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnnlm.gov%2Fmcr%2Fbhic%2F%3Fp%3D9303 http://bit.ly/9PI5uy “The Sisters of SACNAS”, Maria Mouchess and Patty Garcia, were featured in a StoryCorps blog.  SACNAS recently partnered the nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds with the opportunity to record, share and, preserve the stories of our lives, to contribute stories to their “Historias” Project. Listen to StoryCorpsHistorias http://storycorps.org/historias-en/listen-to-stories/ [Sacnas e-nouncements for April 28, 2010 http://bit.ly/cs6Ytc] (Source: BHIC) BHIC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3516601 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:06:43 +0100 3516601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515328&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F8nP922vBync%2F Scores will soon be used to do more than guide consumers; starting in 2012, better-scoring plans will get higher payments from the government than lower-scoring ones. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515328 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:43:50 +0100 3515328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515561&cid=t_322628_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FTAv7AzXYTNE%2F When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it. –Madonna Post from: BlissTree Madonna on Eating, Drinking, and Talking: Quote of the Day (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515561 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:00:01 +0100 3515561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515319&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmadonna-on-eating-drinking-and-talking-quote-of-the-day%2F When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it. –Madonna Post from: BlissTree Madonna on Eating, Drinking, and Talking: Quote of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515319 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:00:01 +0100 3515319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515466&cid=t_322628_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fwhy-i-prefer-website-referrals.html The source of patient referrals for most doctors has been other doctors. This is often a very cozy system, especially amongst doctors who practise in a hospital setting, who will often refer patients to one another.For us , however, our major source of patient referrals is other patients - and our website ! I prefer this , for many reasons !Firstly, I do not need to give any kickback or commission to the referring doctor. I am answerable only to my patients, which means I can focus on doing what is in the patient's best interests.Also, website referrals automatically select for the type of patient we prefer treating - intelligent, curious, well-informed and well-read patients , who take an active interest in their treatment and want to be treated as intelligent partners. These internet pos... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515466 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:51:00 +0100 3515466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515442&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F29%2Fmental-health-care-at-harvard%2F This article is also remarkable because, in part, of the frankness displayed by a senior staff member at Harvard University. John D. “Jay” Ellison is the secretary of the Harvard Administration Board, the committee setup to review students who want to return to the school after taking a leave of absence. “If we have a case where a student is considered capable of coming back, but can’t resume full studies, we hesitate.” said Ellison. “Harvard is an academic institution, not a mental institution or a halfway house.” [...] “This may sound cold, but my job is not to care about the specific circumstances of a student’s case,” Ellison said. “I need to know what their requirements were, and if they complied.” Cold? Nah, you merely sound like a bureaucratic robot. Sugges... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515442 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:39:31 +0100 3515442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515659&cid=t_322628_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2Fo89z4jtPn_8%2F Greed is good. Embrace it. Love it. Live it. In fact, greed may be the one thing that can save us. Don’t believe me? Greed was the foundation for this country. The brave souls who risked their life to settle in a new country did so out of self interest. Our forefathers recognized the importance of self-interest in the Declaration of Independence where they emphasized our unalienable right to pursue happiness. Greed is good not just for your own life but for others as well. By elevating your life, you can radically elevate your family’s life, your community, and yes, even the world. Mother Teresa was greedy — she had an unquenchable thirst for serving the poorest of the poor. Missionaries are greedy in their quest to spread their religious beliefs. You just need to get gre... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515659 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:40:50 +0100 3515659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515507&cid=t_322628_118_f&fid=34850&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbusinessblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D3363 This is the transcript of my recent podcast interview with Cyndy Nayer of the Center for Health Value Innovation. David Williams: This is David E. Williams, co-founder of MedPharma Partners and author of the Health Business Blog.  I’m speaking today with Cyndy Nayer, President and CEO of the Center for Health Value Innovation. Cyndy, thanks for being with me today. Cyndy Nayer: It’s my pleasure David.  Thank you for inviting me. Williams: Tell me about the Center for Health Value Innovation.  What is it? Nayer: Our tag line is “the information resource for value-based benefit design.”  We identify value and share the innovation that is getting the value so that employers, purchasers, health plans and patients get the most for every dollar they spend on health care. Toda... Health Business Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515507 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:59:59 +0100 3515507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3512848&cid=t_322628_10_f&fid=34467&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnnlm.gov%2Fmcr%2Fbhic%2F%3Fp%3D9297 A new page of links to information on “Crude Oil Spills and Human Health” is now available from the National Library of Medicine at http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/oilspills.html. The page has links to information on how the US responds to oil spills, state agencies in the Gulf region that respond to spills, occupational hazards for professionals and volunteers assisting with clean-up, seafood safety and more. The links under “Featured Sites” focus on the latest updates about the recent spill and subsequent controlled burning of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit oil platform. (Source: BHIC) BHIC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3512848 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:30:42 +0100 3512848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515486&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2FC92DVSfJIdc%2F . by Dave deBronkart (e-PatientDave), Vince Kuraitis, and David C. Kibbe So far this series has looked at HITECH participation by hospitals (grumbling but in the game) and physicians (wary, on the sidelines), kudos for ONC’s three major policy points, and how HITECH is already moving the needle on the vendor side. Today we’re going to look at the reason the whole system exists: patients. It’s possible to look at the patients issue from a moral or ethical perspective, or from a business planner’s ecosystem perspective. In this post we’ll simply look at it pragmatically: is our approach going to work? It’s our thesis that although you won’t see it written anywhere, the stage is being set for a kind of disruption that’s in no healthcare book: patient-driven disruptive innovati... e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515486 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:42:43 +0100 3515486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515304&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fdiy-wellness-laugh-your-way-to-good-health%2F photo: Thinkstock Laughter is the best medicine. How many times have you heard that old adage? Definitely more times than you can count, but how many times did you consider that laughter might actually be good for you? A new (albeit, small) study indicates that laughter has the same effect on hormones that exercise does. The Loma Linda University study took blood samples, and measured the blood pressure of 14 volunteers before and after watching two videos. One was from Saving Private Ryan, and the other was a clip from a comedian’s routine or a comedy flick. Post-funny clip, the hormone that controls appetite changed in the same manner that it would post-workout. Leptin, which quells appetite, decreased, and Ghrelin, which makes you hungry, increased. Volunteers did not get hungrier... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515304 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:46:39 +0100 3515304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515330&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F4CUw107gHqY%2F Medco told analysts that the “most likely choices for a large percentage” of companies was to stick with their current retiree drug plans or to switch over to a employer group waiver plan. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515330 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:27:06 +0100 3515330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515338&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FH78JrwFZ7EQ%2F By Michael F. CannonPopular discontent with ObamaCare extends even so far as the traditionally left-of-center Columbus Dispatch editorial page: Almost daily, the ill effects of the health-care overhaul passed by Congress last month are becoming apparent. As employers and government bureaucrats analyze the law’s effect on bottom lines for the private sector and for government, the alarm bells are ringing. The tragedy is that these ill effects could have been and should have been calculated before the law was passed, not after. In fact, many of them were prophesied before passage of the bill, but the prophets were ignored by President Barack Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress. That’s because their uppermost goal was not to pass the best health-care bill possible but me... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515338 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:05:13 +0100 3515338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515298&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Foh-prices-we-pay-reloaded-celgene-balks.html A brief article on Bloomberg.com implied that Celgene has been fighting efforts by the Canadian Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to get pricing data about the drug Thalidomid (thalidomide):Celgene Corp., the biotechnology company specializing in blood-cancer medicines, will get a hearing before Canada’s highest court over the country’s demands to provide pricing information for the drug Thalomid.The Supreme Court of Canada today agreed to hear Celgene’s appeal of a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that said Canada’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board was entitled to information about the pricing of the drug. The high court gave no reason for its decision.Celgene’s two top-selling drugs are Revlimid and Thalomid, for a form of blood-cancer called multiple myeloma. They broug... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515298 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:57:00 +0100 3515298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515517&cid=t_322628_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-art-of-living-with-ms%2F “Nature abhors a vacuum”, Rabelas said; and so do I! Multiple sclerosis has carved our big gaping chunks from our lives; be it our career, family, activity or some other joy-giving entity.  MS leaves holes; some large some now so.  How to fill them? That question was one of the first to enter my mind once the initial slide abated (read about 6 months post Dx).  It’s still one with which I struggle and suspect that many others do as well. For me, writing, gardening, and volunteer work with the National MS Society (along with the extra time everything seems to take with MS) have filled much of the time I used to spend working; but not all of it.  I’ve learned that many people with MS have turned to art (in many forms) to not only fill the void of available time but to help either... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515517 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:13:50 +0100 3515517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515287&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fmedicare-cover-preventive-exams.html by Edward Pullen, MD A nice surprise buried somewhere in health care reform is that, starting next year, Medicare patients will be able to get annual preventative care exams that are paid for by their health insurance. It may come as a surprise to those of you with commercial insurance who think of coverage of an annual exam as a routine thing for insurance to cover, but up to now Medicare has only covered a “Welcome to Medicare” exam in the first year after turning 65. (...)Read the rest of Medicare will soon cover preventive exams 10 comments | Tags: Health reform, Medicare, Primary care | Category: Medicare (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515287 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:00:11 +0100 3515287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515578&cid=t_322628_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fstaying-abreast-of-better-health-practices%2F Steven Narod, MD, is a foremost authority on BRCA cancers. I met him after my genetics team at the University of Michigan referred Sister to him in Canada. Dr. Narod is affiliated with the Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto and is what you would expect from a passionate researcher — quirky and optimistic. Sister has been proactive about her diagnosis and is involved in a study in Canada where she is tested twice yearly; she receives a mammogram in January and an MRI in May. Her goal is to keep her breasts, and aggressive monitoring will identify any sign of a breast tumor early. She also stays abreast (pun intended) of continuing research and findings regarding genetic breast cancers. A hysterectomy two years ago reduced Sister’s risk of both breast cancer and ovarian canc... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515578 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:35:30 +0100 3515578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515492&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Frisks-and-flaws-nhin-development Everyone who cares about the privacy of their PHI should read Latanya Sweeney’s written testimony on the NHIN flaws (PDF).   Her criticisms of the proposed models National Health Information Network are sorely needed.   HHS has been charging ahead full steam without paying attention to the risks and flaws of the models they are funding.   (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515492 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:23:09 +0100 3515492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511585&cid=t_322628_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F28%2Fintroducing-mental-health-humor%2F I’m pleased to introduce the new blog, Mental Health Humor — humor from the creative and always-interesting mind of Chato B. Stewart. We’re pleased to welcome Chato to Psych Central, as he’s been blogging elsewhere online for years, sharing his unique and funny perspective on all things mental health and human behavior. Humor is an individual thing, though, and we recognize that. So you may not find everything Chato does “funny,” and that’s okay. That just reminds us all that we all have an individual and unique sense of humor. But Chato says it best – I’ve known all my life the power behind humor, it can give help, hope and healing. My goal and mission has also been to tap into humor and use it as a positive tool to cope with the serious ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511585 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:40:28 +0100 3511585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511815&cid=t_322628_180_f&fid=38614&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FThePositivityblog-PutSomePersonalDevelopmentAndPositivityIntoYourLife%2F%7E3%2FqSWwJkSARgc%2F Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notsogoodphotography/ / CC BY 2.0 “First we make our habits, then our habits make us.” John C. Noble I often write about making big changes in your life. So today I’d like to mix that up and just look at eight small habits that make my life simpler, easier and more effective. Feel free to use the comments section below to share your own small daily or weekly habits that you have found improves your life, even if it’s just a little bit. Keep everything in its place. If everything has its own place then it is whole lot easier to keep your home reasonably ordered and decluttered from day to day. This also helps you with your inner stillness as the outer environment affects how you feel on the inside. I also find it useful to always keep things in t... The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511815 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:32:50 +0100 3511815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511535&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fmanicures-the-price-may-be-higher-than-it-seems-risks-of-gel-nail-manicures-.html "I’m in agony," the woman told my secretary last week, pleading to be seen for an emergency appointment. "Every time my thumb touches anything I get a severe electric shock, occasionally running through to my elbow," she explained. She had gone to six doctors in the past month since her injury, including two primary care physicians, two orthopedic specialists, a dermatologist and, a chiropractor and none of them could find a cause. She was at the end of her rope—her right thumb was still clearly swollen and there was a yellow, mottled, dimpled abrasion on her fingerpad. When I touched the tip of it, she cried out in pain and pulled away. My patient’s thumb undoubtedly had nerve damage. The day before her symptoms began she had what she was told was a gel manicur... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511535 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:25:56 +0100 3511535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515477&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2010%2F04%2F28%2Femr-and-hipaa-advertising%2F Last time I took a second to recognize the advertisers on EMR and HIPAA I was just starting my planning for HIMSS 10. Now, HIMSS 10 isn’t much more than a spec in the rear view mirror. It’s amazing how time flies. Well, at this point I’m even more grateful for the companies that support this website as advertisers since I’m now a full time entrepreneur. Luckily, I think that the advertisers are happy with their investment in this site as well. On that note, here’s a quick look at some new companies that have started supporting EMR and HIPAA since my previous post. Practice Fusion – I must admit that I was really happy when i got the email from the people at Practice Fusion saying they wanted to advertise on EMR and HIPAA. I’ve said previously, that... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515477 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:03:35 +0100 3515477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511618&cid=t_322628_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fr0WacIP5ZlY%2F Last time I took a second to recognize the advertisers on EMR and HIPAA I was just starting my planning for HIMSS 10. Now, HIMSS 10 isn’t much more than a spec in the rear view mirror. It’s amazing how time flies. Well, at this point I’m even more grateful for the companies that support this website as advertisers since I’m now a full time entrepreneur. Luckily, I think that the advertisers are happy with their investment in this site as well. On that note, here’s a quick look at some new companies that have started supporting EMR and HIPAA since my previous post. Practice Fusion – I must admit that I was really happy when i got the email from the people at Practice Fusion saying they wanted to advertise on EMR and HIPAA. I’ve said previously, that... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511618 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:03:35 +0100 3511618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511494&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fva-information-technology-saves-billions-dollars.html by John Gever The Department of Veterans Affairs’ long-term investment in healthcare information technology paid off at a rate of more than $500 million in net annual benefits from 2001 to 2007, researchers said. That added up to more than $3 billion in benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the study period, after an initial billion-dollar loss. (...)Read the rest of VA information technology saves billions of dollars 4 comments | Tags: Health IT | Category: Health IT and EMR (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511494 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:00:06 +0100 3511494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511521&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fin-V5vYcBDk%2F The elimination of a federal tax deduction for government subsidies of retiree prescription-drug benefits is already hitting companies. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511521 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:15:55 +0100 3511521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511648&cid=t_322628_125_f&fid=37825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbibbynews.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F28%2Fread-the-story-of-eastman-dental%2F The Eastman Institute for Oral Health has released its new book “Leading the Way: Eastman and Oral Health”. Authored by Elizabeth Brayer, this page turner tells the story of philanthropist George Eastman’s founding of the Rochester Dental Dispensary. The book depicts the history of Eastman Dental and dentistry in Rochester, concluding with the recent establishment [...] (Source: Bibby Library News and Tips) Bibby Library News and Tips blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511648 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:05:03 +0100 3511648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511495&cid=t_322628_85_f&fid=34587&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kevinmd.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fprimary-care-burdened-excessive-paperwork.html by Charles R. D’Agostino, MD We’ve all seen the headlines –- “Primary Care Physicians Becoming a Scarce Breed”, “Wait Times for Appointments Increasing”, “Primary Care in Crisis” –- and have heard the pundits pontificating on the deteriorating state of primary care. But rarely do we hear what’s happening from physicians on the front lines, those actually seeing patients. Consequently, with direct access to the primary care trenches, replete with an overworked physician and staff members, I decided to investigate the life of a primary care physician a little further. (...)Read the rest of Primary care is burdened by excessive paperwork 10 comments | Tags: Health reform, Medicare, Patient, Primary care | Category: Primary care (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog) Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511495 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:00:07 +0100 3511495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511509&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F28%2Fcredit-scores-juicing-up-the-mandate%2F Americans carry large amounts of consumer debt.  They are directly affected by credit scores, because the scores affect the interest rates they pay, and the amount of credit they are offered.  One late payment of a bill:  a 60- to 110-point score reduction.  Simply hitting the limit on a credit card:  a 10- to 45-point reduction.  A foreclosure:  an 85 to 160 point reduction.  And the grand finale, a medical bankruptcy: a 130- to 240- point reduction.  When new coverage standards are implemented under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the resulting “creditable” coverage will place caps on consumer cost sharing.  This can dramatically reduce medical bankruptcies, helping both consumers and their lenders.  Because of this, credit scores can poten... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511509 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:41:58 +0100 3511509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511519&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fhelping-incarcerated-mothers-marianne-bullock-and-lisa-andrews View all Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Vicki Elson Nominee: Marianne Bullock and Lisa Andrews, Co-founders, Prison Birth Project Marianne Bullock and Lisa Andrews founded the Prison Birth Project (PBP), which serves incarcerated mothers at the regional women’s jail in Chicopee, Mass. PBP visits inmates prenatally and postpartum (they’re often in “medical isolation,” aka solitary confinement, after their babies are born). PBP provides childbirth education classes or individual instruction, as well as time-intensive labor support. Labor support (or “doula care”) often includes accompanying shackled mothers to and from the hospital. Once at the hospital, moms are usually unshackled until after the baby is born, bu... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511519 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:08:55 +0100 3511519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511520&cid=t_322628_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fleading-the-charge-against-lung-cancer-diane-legg View all the Women’s Health Heroes. Who’s your hero? Submit here. Entrant: Cheryl Bartlett Nominee: Diane Legg, Co-Chair, Lung Cancer Alliance-Massachusetts Diane Legg is a young mother of two children who was diagnosed with lung cancer over five years ago. With great determination, she is leading the charge to increase awareness and education about lung cancer, who it affects, and the status of research today compared to other cancers that all together do not have the mortality rates associated with lung cancer. Fortunately, Diane is one of the lucky ones here to remind us that more must be done to better understand lung cancer and how to detect it early so that treatment can be curative. With an 85 percent mortality rate, we need more people like Diane advocating for more fu... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511520 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:06:25 +0100 3511520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511778&cid=t_322628_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FS_rvf1h3hFg%2F Top of the morning to you. Another shiny day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where another cup of stimulation is brewing. What will today bring? Meetings and deadlines, no doubt. To help you cope, here are a few items to jumpstart the process. We hope your day goes and do stay in touch… Icahn Wants To Fix A ‘Broken’ Genzyme (Reuters) EU Legislators Want Internet Drug Sales Regulated (PharmaTimes) Swine Flu Lifts Glaxo Profits (Reuters) Medco Gains On New Clients (Associated Press) Merck KGgA Profit Beats Estimate (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Hopes For New Biotech Drugs (The Wall Street Journal) $$ Coffee pix thx to chichcacha flickr creative commons (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511778 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:49:11 +0100 3511778