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 'ill'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:02:24 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086118&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2F10-years-of-pfizer-leadership-saga-of.html A remarkable story about mismanagement of health care has appeared in the mainstream media, and most remarkable is that this article in Fortune chronicled 10 years of poor leadership by three CEOs at Pfizer Inc, the world's biggest drug companyThe CEO Who Would Not LeaveIn 2001, William C Steere Jr retired as CEO, but did not really leave, muddying the chain of command:In January 2001, Steere, by then 64 and a company legend, retired as CEO. He handed the job to his handpicked No. 2, Hank McKinnell. Steere stepped aside -- but not out. He received a consulting contract, with an office and secretary at Pfizer headquarters. Most important, Steere was granted the title of chairman emeritus and retained his seat on the Pfizer board. Governance experts widely regard such lingering as a rec... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086118 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:32:00 +0100 5086118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968493&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-crime-be-linked-to-cuts-in-the-mental-health-budget%2F2011.06.25 From the New York Times today we have a story entitled, “A Schizophrenic, A Slain Worker, Troubling Questions,” a horrible story about a mentally ill man who killed a social worker in his group home. The story highlights the defendant’s longstanding history of violence with several assaults in his past. He once fractured his stepfather’s skull and his first criminal offense involved slashing and robbing a homeless man. (On another post on this blog Rob wondered why the charges were dismissed in that case; from experience I can tell you it’s probably because the victim and only witness was homeless and couldn’t be located several months later when the defendant came to trial.) The defendant, Deshawn Chappell, also used drugs while suffering from schizophr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968493 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4968493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642676&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F27%2F8-survival-tips-for-the-spouse-of-a-terminally-ill-person%2F The other day, I had the honor of interviewing Owen Stanley Surman, M.D., a practicing hospital psychiatrist known internationally for his work on psychiatric and ethical aspects of solid organ transplantation. Following the death of his wife, Dr. Surman devoted six years to writer a memoir, The Wrong Side of an Illness: A Doctor’s Love Story, which includes a deeply personal and unique view of events both tragic and transcendent. He now lives in Boston with his new wife. Question: What words of wisdom would you give the spouse of a person struggling with chronic illness or terminally ill? Dr. Surman: Chronic illness and terminal illness have a pervasive impact on how we live our lives and in our sense of identity. Loss of a loved one affects the part of ourselves that has led us to ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642676 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:02:30 +0100 4642676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419136&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-hot-spotters-is-better-care-for-the-neediest-patients-the-answer-to-lower-healthcare-costs%2F2011.01.31 Author-physician Dr. Atul Gawande has done it again with a well-written article in The New Yorker magazine entitled, “The Hot Spotters.” It deals with the fact that 5 percent of people with chronic illness make up over 50 percent of all healthcare costs. If we can zero in on providing better preventive care for those people, we can finally get our arms around runaway healthcare costs. How great that you don’t even have to have a New Yorker subscription to read it. Here are a few cliff notes until you get to it: – In Camden, New Jersey, one percent of patients account for one-third of the city’s medical costs. By just focusing attention on the social and medical outpatient needs of those people, they not only got healthier but costs were cut in half. &#8... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419136 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4419136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265629&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fgood-managers-and-complex-technological.html Once more on the topic of CIO’s and other health IT leaders lacking in solid healthcare informatics and clinical credentials, there’s this letter in today’s WSJ that I think says it all about complex technological projects, including (perhaps especially) healthcare IT.Emphases mine:Wall St. JournalLetter to the EditorDec. 16, 2010Manhattan Spirit for Cyber Defense In “How to Fight and Win the Cyberwar” (op-ed, Dec. 6), Mortimer Zuckerman uses the analogy of the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb in World War II and suggests forming a “Cyber Defense Administration” (CDA).We need to keep in mind how the Manhattan Project managed to succeed in achieving its objectives. The direction and top management of the project was by scientists like Robert Oppenheimer, who understo... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265629 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:36:00 +0100 4265629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4237847&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fblogscan-fda-dont-need-no-smart-old.html We have posted numerous times about the requirement for seasoned expertise (the kind that only comes with age) in healthcare leadership.FDA, CDC and other HHS agencies may have different ideas:http://gooznews.com/?p=2194Age Purge in FDA Press Office?December 5, 2010By GoozNewsFDA Webview (subscription required) reports that the new FDA associate commissioner for external affairs, Beth Martino, 31, a former Kansas aide to HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius, has conducted a purge of senior specialists, all aged over 50, in her office and in the press office. The abrupt removals were made to make room for younger people closer to Martino’s own age, the trade journal reports. “She’s uncomfortable with people who know more than she does,” a source told FDA Webview.Three of the displaced st... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4237847 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:21:00 +0100 4237847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230161&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-street-economics-of-drug-abuse%2F2010.12.04 I’ve discovered over the years that I really like economics. I never took an econ class in my entire life, since I was pretty focused on the life sciences, but I’ve picked up a fair amount informally over the years. Fortunately I have a strong background in statistics and math, and I’ve done a lot of reading on economics. I wouldn’t say that I have any special level of understanding or credibility on the topic. Perhaps it should be noted that my wife took away the checkbook for good reason. But I enjoy it as a topic, as something to read about and a powerful tool for understanding how the world works. One consequence of being an ER doc is that you are pretty close to “the street,” and I don’t mean Wall Street. I mean the folks living and scroungi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230161 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 18:00:00 +0100 4230161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4205926&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fprominent-health-care-policy-advice.html It is two days after the US Thanksgiving holiday, and one thing I am thankful for is the continued hilarity generated by health care corporate CEOs who pretend to be health care experts.  Of course this all really is not so funny, because the bogus expertise appears not in MAD Magazine, but in the most respected media outlets with the most influence over health care policy. This week's example comes from the Wall Street Journal's vaunted CEO Council.  A summary of its health care panel appeared early this week in that newspaper.The panel included Angela Braly President and CEO, Wellpoint Inc., William A. Hawkins Chairman and CEO, Medtronic Inc., and Klaus Kleinfeld Chairman and CEO, Alcoa.  Angela Braly, a lawyer with no obvious record of direct experienc... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4205926 Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:30:00 +0100 4205926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190103&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fehreventorg-ceo-edward-fotsch-md-real.html Additional detailed answers to the questions I raised here and here about a new site EHRevent.org, for reporting of healthcare IT-related medical errors, can now be found at a HIStalk interview entitled "HIStalk Interviews Edward Fotsch MD, CEO, PDR Network (EHR Event)" at this link.It is an interesting interview. I certainly find the recognition of need for an EHR/clinical IT problems reporting service a major cultural advancement in healthcare.It's still unclear to me how -- and why -- this organization originated with little to no public knowledge and involvement, especially considering the organization types mentioned below that participated, and how it will function in interactions with myriad healthcare IT stakeholders.Here's an explanation:... We work with a not-for-profit board cal... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190103 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:41:00 +0100 4190103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4073991&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fmore-contaminated-heparin-but-who-leads.html We have posted multiple times over the last two years about the deadly contaminated heparin from China. (See the case summary and link at the end of this post.) One of the key players in this case was a company called Scientific Protein Laboratories (SPL). The company that sold the heparin in the US under its logo, Baxter International, had outsourced production of the active ingredient to a long, and ultimately mysterious supply chain. Baxter got the active ingredient from Scientific Protein Laboratories, which in turn obtained it from a factory in China operated by Changzhou SPL, which in turn was owned by Scientific Protein Laboratories and by Changzhou Techpool Pharmaceutical Co. Changzhou SPL, in turn, got it from several consolidators or wholesalers, who in turn got it from numerous ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4073991 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:56:00 +0100 4073991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998924&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Finterface-problems-ill-informed.html ConclusionThe story does seem amazing. I am hardly an expert on the sinking of the Titanic, so should not try to comment on its truth. It does have some plausibility, and provides an explanation for one of the most important and influential disasters of the 20th century that is still poorly understood and a cause for controversy.In my humble opinion, if it were true, and had it come out earlier, this amazing story would have focused society's concerns on issues that have instead become scourges of our current era, and particularly important, if not frequently enough discussed causes of our health care dysfunction. The Titanic disaster lead to major changes in numerous safety practices, leading to rules about the adequacy of lifeboats and radio communication, and even swimming proficiency r... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998924 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:08:00 +0100 3998924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998926&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fhealth-care-leaders-in-maine-fail-to.html From down east Maine comes a telling story about the problems of contemporary health care leadership.  I assembled this case from three articles by Meg Haskell in the Bangor Daily News, links are below. (1-3)Complaints About the CEO's Clinical PoliciesThe story begins with complaints about clinical policies instituted by the CEO of Acadia Hospital.[Acadia CEO David] Proffitt has come under fire in recent weeks from current and former Acadia Hospital employees who say the incidence and severity of staff injuries have risen since he initiated a policy that essentially eliminates the use of mechanical and physical restraints with mentally ill patients who become violent. (2)The concerns were raised with government agencies:Since the end of July, the federal Occupational Safety and H... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998926 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:40:00 +0100 3998926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3983382&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fshould-president-of-university-of.html We first started to discuss the intense conflicts of interest generated when leaders of academic medicine are also members of boards of directors of for-profit health care corporations in 2006.The issue really made the big time in 2010 when the New York Times published a front page article in its Sunday Business section about whether university presidents who also were corporate directors were part of an "academic-industrial complex."University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman as a Director of Johnson and JohnsonOne such director we discussed this year is Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan, and hence leader of a prestigious medical school and academic medical center, who is also Director of the large health care conglomerate, Johnson and Johnson. This... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3983382 Sun, 19 Sep 2010 22:33:00 +0100 3983382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3938326&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftheres-nothing-more-important-than-your-health%2F2010.09.06 I don’t do well with pain. I learned that lesson all too well during the birth of my first son when, after 10 hours of labor jump-started by a pitocin drip, I finally got an epidural. Nothing — and I mean nothing – has ever felt as good as the ebbing of that pain. I relearned the lesson during the birth of the second son, this time determined to go natural all the way when, after a few hours, I told the doula to “shut up” and ordered my husband to hunt down the anesthesiologist and “Get me an epidural — NOW!” He listens well. By the time the third son was born, I had the drill down pat. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced again but this time, as soon as the IV was hooked up and before the first labor pain hit, I had the anesthesiolo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3938326 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0100 3938326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822872&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fge-dont-know-much-about-radiation.html Don't know much about historyDon't know much biologyDon't know much about a science bookDon't know much about the french I took.(Wonderful World, sung by Sam Cook)This is becoming the theme song for executives of health care corporations.  We have posted about a series of cases in which major health care corporations suddenly seemed unable to carry out their core business functions, a phenomenon I am going to start calling "core business incompetence."  Some recent examples:-  Baxter International apparently failed to check the purity of heparin it bought from a foreign supplier; the contaminated heparin resulted in approximately 81 deaths. (See post here.)-  A major Genzyme manufacturing facility had multiple quality problems, resulting in the production of a very expe... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822872 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:41:00 +0100 3822872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798515&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fare-ill-informed-leaders-cause-of-drug.html Fundamental Corporate FailuresIn the last few years, there seems to have been an epidemic of once revered companies suddenly unable to perform the most basic functions necessary for their businesses.  Finance firms ran out of money and ended up bailed out or bankrupt.  An automobile firm produced cars that seemed to accelerate out of control.  Another automobile company, once the world's biggest, went bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the government. An oil company took months to cap a blown out well. In the health care world, drug companies which could no longer manufacture pure and unadulterated drugs.  Baxter International sold deadly contaminated heparin (post here). Johnson and Johnson sold contaminated or wrongly dos... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798515 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:26:00 +0100 3798515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3740559&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fhospitals-star-crossed-financial.html And speaking of the costs of financial maneuvering by hospitals, the Wall Street Journal just reported on "Hospitals' Wall Street Wounds,"Hospitals nationwide are tangling with Wall Street to get out of disastrous wagers that have complicated their financial problems.Some hospitals are paying millions of dollars in penalties to get out of derivatives contracts, after betting incorrectly that interest rates would rise. Other hospitals are paying higher interest rates. At many, these ill-fated financial bets have contributed to layoffs and scuttled projects. More than 500 nonprofit hospitals—at least one in six—bought interest-rate "swaps" in a bid to lower their borrowing costs, estimates Municipal Market Advisors, a Concord, Mass., consulting firm. The swaps allowed hospitals to act mu... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3740559 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:48:00 +0100 3740559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746683&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Ffailure-of-success-healthcare-when.html In the last few years, it seems that the whole world got tangled up in a web of complex financial dealings that mostly benefited those moving the money and paper, but often harmed everyone else.  So it should be no surprise that health care was similarly affected.  A story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided an illustrative case.  The news article began discussing the current difficulties of two local St Louis hospitals, then provided an explanation in what amounted to a series of flashbacks. Let me re sequence it a bit, starting with the background of two local hospitals that got caught up in web.BackgroundFor several decades, Forest Park Hospital — founded in 1889 as Deaconess Central Hospital — was one of the city’s leading community hospitals, serving a ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746683 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:31:00 +0100 3746683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737008&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Ffailure-of-success-healthcare-when.html In the last few years, it seems that the whole world got tangled up in a web of complex financial dealings that mostly benefited those moving the money and paper, but often harmed everyone else.  So it should be no surprise that health care was similarly affected.  A story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided an illustrative case.  The news article began discussing the current difficulties of two local St Louis hospitals, then provided an explanation in what amounted to a series of flashbacks. Let me re sequence it a bit, starting with the background of two local hospitals that got caught up in web.BackgroundFor several decades, Forest Park Hospital — founded in 1889 as Deaconess Central Hospital — was one of the city’s leading community hospitals, serving a ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737008 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:31:00 +0100 3737008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3652370&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Ffinding-out-about-health-care.html A persistent theme for Health Care Renewal has been how concentration and abuse of power in health care trap patients and heath care professionals in a maze of bureaucracy, perverse incentives, deception, and conflicts of interest.  To anyone who has to make the transition from person to patient, some of these problems become immediately obvious.  Consider, for example, this account of "going into a hospital for a minor procedure":The very idea of being a patient is anathema. To people of my generation -- the 'me' generation -- who like to be in control, the experience begins with loss of control. First the paperwork -- three or four times paperwork has to filled out and given to a succession of strangers. Then they take all of your belongings, they tell you to take your clothes ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3652370 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:04:00 +0100 3652370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3625435&cid=t_119444_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fgulf-beachgoers-reporting-illnesses%2F Vacationers to the Gulf beaches are now reporting falling ill even without contact with oily water. Some are blaming the chemical dispersant Corexit used by BP to break up the oil spill. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3625435 Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:46:43 +0100 3625435 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595541&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Freading-between-lines-scrappy-wellpoint.html Giant US for-profit insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint has provided numerous examples of problems with the current way health care organizations are lead.  Here we discussed charges that recent rate increases by its Anthem subsidiary may have violated previous agreements not to directly fund from premiums the golden parachutes of executives who left after the merger of Anthem and WellPoint; that WellPoint used magical accounting to make administrative costs appear to be from patient care; and that WellPoint investigated patients who developed cancer to find minor errors in their policy applications, and  used these as excuses for post-hoc cancellations (rescissions) of their policies.  And here we discussed a long list of WellPoin... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595541 Mon, 17 May 2010 16:26:00 +0100 3595541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573643&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Freading-between-lines-scrappy-wellpoint.html Giant US for-profit insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint has provided numerous examples of problems with the current way health care organizations are lead.  Here we discussed charges that recent rate increases by its Anthem subsidiary may have violated previous agreements not to directly fund from premiums the golden parachutes of executives who left after the merger of Anthem and WellPoint; that WellPoint used magical accounting to make administrative costs appear to be from patient care; and that WellPoint investigated patients who developed cancer to find minor errors in their policy applications, and  used these as excuses for post-hoc cancellations (rescissions) of their policies.  And here we discussed a long list of WellPoin... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573643 Mon, 17 May 2010 16:26:00 +0100 3573643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549275&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fwhy-pretend-advertising-executive-and.html Obesity as a public health problem has been the subject of considerable discussion.  So that luminaries from the prestigious Partners Healthcare system and Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield would weigh in on the issue at a public meeting should surprise no one.  But see this report by the Boston Herald:When asked about rising health-care costs, Jack Connors - chairman of the Partners chain, which includes Mass. General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals - said yesterday, 'Taking care of yourself starts at home.''What happened to individual responsibility?' Connors said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Westin Boston Waterfront. 'Why is obesity such an epidemic (when) we all know that a big part of being healthy is exercising and eating the right fo... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549275 Mon, 10 May 2010 16:07:00 +0100 3549275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3436288&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F04%2Fharriet-shetler-co-founder-of-nami%2F Harriet Shetler has passed away at the age of 92. She helped found the organization that eventually became the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), and was a tireless advocate on behalf of people with mental health concerns. It’s no wonder — her son had schizophrenia. Today the organization Mrs. Shetler helped start, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has affiliates in every state and more than 1,100 communities. It offers support to the mentally ill and people living with them; promotes research and education on mental illness; and lobbies governments on mental health concerns. NAMI was formed in 1977 when Shetler and Beverly Young, a mother who also had a son with schizophrenia, met over lunch to discuss the similar challenges they shared raising a child wit... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3436288 Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:19:32 +0100 3436288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3436245&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fconcern-about-medical-records-is-not.html A Wall Street Journal letter to the editor I authored entitled "Concern About Medical Records Is Not Misplaced" was published today, April 3, 2010.On Mar. 23, 2010 the WSJ had carried an Op-Ed entitled "Your Medical Records Aren't Secure" by patient privacy rights advocate Deborah Peel, MD, a psychiatrist and founder-leader of the organization Patient Privacy Rights. Dr. Peel's Op Ed can be read here.My letter to the editor is in response to criticism of Dr. Peel's concerns. The criticism occured in a WSJ letter "Industry Rep Calls Patient Privacy 'Overblown' Worry" on Mar. 30, 2010 by Mary R. Grealy, president of the Healthcare Leadership Council, a "coalition" of chief executives from major healthcare companies and organizations. Ms. Grealy's letter can be read here.In her letter, Ms. ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3436245 Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:04:00 +0100 3436245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3382882&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F17%2Fmentally-ill-old-woman-tasered-for-refusing-to-move%2F Usually when one thinks of New England, one thinks of the seat of the War of Independence and home of states that value personal freedom and independence above virtually all else. After all, New Hampshire’s state motto is “Live Free or Die.” This was where the very idea of peaceful civil disobedience was born in the U.S. So when a police officer in Barre, Vermont (population: 9,291) decided that a woman with mental illness wasn’t moving to comply with his requests, he decided to arrest her. And when the woman still wasn’t moving to allow herself to be arrested, Cpl. Henry Duhaime of the Barre (Vt) Police Department apparently decided to pull out his Taser, instead of his radio to call for backup. Was the woman a coked up drug addict trying to fight off the pol... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3382882 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:56:27 +0100 3382882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374182&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F17%2Fmentally-ill-old-woman-tasered-for-refusing-to-move%2F Usually when one thinks of New England, one thinks of the seat of the War of Independence and home of states that value personal freedom and independence above virtually all else. After all, New Hampshire’s state motto is “Live Free or Die.” This was where the very idea of peaceful civil disobedience was born in the U.S. So when a police officer in Barre, Vermont (population: 9,291) decided that an old woman with mental illness wasn’t moving to comply with his requests, he decided to arrest her. And when the woman still wasn’t moving to allow herself to be arrested, Cpl. Henry Duhaime of the Barre (Vt) Police Department apparently decided to pull out his Taser, instead of his radio to call for backup. Was the woman a coked up drug addict trying to fight off t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374182 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:56:27 +0100 3374182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3258953&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fgreen-ketchup-for-novartis.html We recently commented on the challenges facing the large, Swiss based multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis.  From Business Week came an interview with the new CEO of Novartis, in which he revealed why he thinks he is especially qualified for the job:Joe Jimenez says that more than 20 years selling Clorox (CLX) bleach and Heinz ketchup taught him to make decisions quickly. Now, as CEO of Novartis (NVS), Europe's second-largest drugmaker, he'll try to prove that speed can also make a difference in the pharmaceutical business. Jimenez, an American with degrees from Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley, believes his consumer-products background will help. He started his career at Clorox, the world's largest maker of bleach, ran two divisions of ConAgra Foods (CAG... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3258953 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:42:00 +0100 3258953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212283&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fdrowning-our-sorrows-in-ketchup.html Here's the latest corporate health care marcher in the legal settlement parade, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.Swiss drug giant Novartis AG said its U.S. subsidiary struck a plea agreement with U.S. investigators to resolve criminal allegations regarding the company's promotion of the epilepsy drug Trileptal, and agreed to pay a $185 million fine.Federal investigators have been carrying out civil and criminal investigations of Novartis' marketing of the drug, including allegations that it promoted the drug for uses for which it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, an illegal practice known as 'off-label' marketing, Novartis said in a statement Tuesday as it announced fourth-quarter results. To resolve criminal allegations, Novartis said it agreed to plead guilty to ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212283 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:16:00 +0100 3212283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136616&cid=t_119444_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FRtpRhJ-QiXI%2F Montana is going to be the third state in the United States to allow for physician-assisted suicide, say news reports. Currently, both Oregon and Washington state allow for physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. A year ago, news was made when a state District Court judge ruled that the terminally ill people in Montana were protected by the state’s constitutional rights and should be allowed to get the medications they needed to die on their own terms. This ruling wasn’t argued against, but in order to have it clarified and at the highest levels, advocates for physician-assisted suicide brought the case before the state Supreme Court. On Thursday, December 31, 2009, although the Supreme Court did not comment on the state constitution guaranteeing the right to di... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136616 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:32:55 +0100 3136616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3129461&cid=t_119444_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F30%2Fjournal-of-public-health-2009-vol-31-no-4%2F This article looks at a longitudinal study which attempts to determine whether death and disability by the fifth decade are strongly associated with antisocial behaviour at an early age. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Posted in Current Awareness, Journals Tagged: Anti-Social Behaviour, Ill Health, Life Expectancy, Premature Death (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3129461 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:39:02 +0100 3129461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126568&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fon-automobile-and-health-care-companies.html The New Republic published "Upper Mismanagement" about what happens when businesses are run by people who do not understand their companies' businesses.  Although the article was focused on the decline of manufacturing in the US, its applicability to health care is obvious:Harvard business professor Rakesh Khurana, with whom I discussed these questions at length, observes that most of GM’s top executives in recent decades hailed from a finance rather than an operations background. (Outgoing GM CEO Fritz Henderson and his failed predecessor, Rick Wagoner, both worked their way up from the company’s vaunted Treasurer’s office.) But these executives were frequently numb to the sorts of innovations that enable high-quality production at low cost. As Khurana quips, “That�... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126568 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:54:00 +0100 3126568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118839&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fonc-defines-taxonomy-of-health-it.html As in my post "More On Healthcare Management By Domain Neutral Generalists", Roy Poses' post "Health Care Leaders: Don't Know Much About Health Care" and many others on the topic of ill informed healthcare management (query link) at Healthcare Renewal, a common theme is lack of appropriate education and background in many of today's healthcare leaders.ONC, the Office of the National Coordinator of health IT at HHS, has apparently now defined a taxonomy of health IT leadership in their funding opportunity announcements (FOA's).Note the formal educational recommendations I've highlighted. Seems they’ve heard the message about the importance of cross-disciplinary -- and formal -- education for health IT leaders and even lower level workers: From the Founding Opportunity Announcement "Progr... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118839 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:43:00 +0100 3118839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100748&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fwith-leaders-like-these.html My current favorite book about the global financial meltdown, aka great recession, The Sellout, by Charles Gasparino, featured vivid portraits of the bad leadership that lead to the collapse.  For example:Richard S Fuld, Jr, former CEO of Lehman Brothers (now bankrupt) - Fuld had become more isolated and arrogant. (p.208)As the firm's leverage increased, Fuld's grip on his management and board grew. He was revered by so many people in his circle of senior advisers that almost no one dared to speak out about the firm's risk and leverate, and almost never to Fuld himself. Everyone else was so scared to be cursed at in public or even fired that they simply kept their mouths shut.Fuld's leadership was more like that of a cult leader than even that of an imperial CEO. (p. 20... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100748 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:04:00 +0100 3100748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100749&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fteaching-would-be-health-care-leaders.html The Wall Street Journal just published a story on a big innovation in the business school curriculum:David Song was in the middle of a two-year executive M.B.A. program at University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in February when he got the idea to create a course to help business people better understand the inner workings of medicine.Dr. Song, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, believes the course may help close the gap between such industries as pharmaceutical and biotech, and the medical community they serve.'Why not help reveal how things run and how we make decisions, particularly in this time of immense overhaul to the system?' says Dr. Song, who began collaborating with one of his marketing professors, Sanjay Dhar, to put together the cour... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100749 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:57:00 +0100 3100749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862445&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ftrustee-of-what-caliber-for-hospital.html The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, a prestigious institution focused on orthopedics and rheumatology, closely affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College, just announced its newest trustee, whose qualifications for the position turn out to be just a wee bit curious. Here they are as described by the press release:He is a former CEO of WachoviaHospital for Special Surgery announced today that Robert K. Steel, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Wachovia Corporation, has been named a member of the hospital's Board of Trustees.Steel facilitated Wachovia's merger with Wells Fargo to create the second-largest retail brokerage in the country.Before then, he served in the Treasury DepartmentPrior to running Wachovia, Steel served in the U.S. Treasury Department as Under S... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862445 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0100 2862445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842590&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F28%2F1-step-to-raise-your-childs-iq-today%2F Want to raise your child’s IQ by 5 points right now? Don’t spank them anymore. So says the results of yet another study looking at the negative effects of spanking on children. This one tracked IQ changes in 1,400 children ages 2 to 9 over 4 years. The results? Children who had been spanked — even infrequently — suffered from an average 5-point deficit on the IQ test. In a 2002 meta-analysis of 88 spanking studies, 90 percent of them found that spanking had negative effects on the child. These effects ranged from later mental health problems (such as ADHD and depression) to anti-social behavior and increased aggression. Yes, you read that right — rather than help curb aggressive or inappropriate behavior, spanking actually seems to increase these unwanted beha... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842590 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:38:28 +0100 2842590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2836162&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Foutstanding-job-of-educating-themselves.html At numerous posts at Healthcare Renewal, we have pointed out what we feel to be a serious gap in the credentials of many in biomedical leadership roles.The gaps are in the form of a near complete lack of any scientific or biomedical education and experience, except perhaps a high school chemistry and biology class or two.We often receive comments back, usually from "anonymous" posters such as here to our opinions that this expertise gap impairs the judgment of such leaders on medical matters:... No. I've met individuals with management training who do an outstanding job of educating themselves about clinical issues. And I've met individuals with clinical training who do an outstanding job of educating themselves about management and business issues.I feel this "anyone can be an expert" sen... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2836162 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:57:00 +0100 2836162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2809730&cid=t_119444_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fezwc22AAhs8%2F I’m always amazed at some of the things people accidentally swallow or ingest. Such is the case with John Manley who, as CNN reports, swallowed a spoon from Wendy’s. He had two years of suffering with “ill health, coughing, vomiting and pain.” His doctors viewed his lungs with an endoscope (which is basically a small medical camera) and saw that there was a spoon in his lung that had writing on it. After further investigation they found that the spoon said “Wendy’s” on it. The man claims that there is no way he could have ingested this, and that it had to be in his food. Not sure how that can happen either, but what an amazing story. I’m also glad he has been able to find some relief after two years of suffering. Image: sxc.hu. ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2809730 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:03:10 +0100 2809730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2809717&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F19%2F8-survival-tips-for-the-spouse-of-a-terminally-ill-person-an-interview-with-owen-surman-md%2F Recently I had the honor of interviewing Owen Stanley Surman, M.D., a practicing hospital psychiatrist known internationally for his work on psychiatric and ethical aspects of solid organ transplantation. Following the death of his wife, Dr. Surman devoted six years to writer a memoir, “The Wrong Side of an Illness: A Doctor’s Love Story,” which includes a deeply personal and unique view of events both tragic and transcendent. He now lives in Boston with his new wife.   Question: What words of wisdom would you give the spouse of a person struggling with chronic illness or terminally ill? Dr. Surman: Chronic illness and terminal illness have a pervasive impact on how we live our lives and in our sense of identity. Loss of a loved one affects the part of ourselves that... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2809717 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:55:18 +0100 2809717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788493&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fmore-on-healthcare-management-by-domain.html Both Roy Poses and I have written on a plague of healthcare mismanagement and perhaps malfeasance in part due to leadership by domain amateurs, i.e., healthcare leadership profoundly lacking in biomedical education and experience.Examples of recent posts about the risks posed by domain neutral biomedical leadership are:"NY Times Proclaims Anyone Can Run a Health Care Organization with a Little Studying Up" (Poses)"Health Care Leaders: Don't Know Much About Health Care" (Poses)"On Optimal Expertise for Leadership in Biomedicine" (me)"Informatics, or Infomagic? Health IT Cannot Flourish When Everybody is an Expert" (me)and "Pfizer/Wyeth Merger And Sacrificing The Future: Laying Off Scientific Staff All Over The Place" (me).I have also written of a cross-occupational invasion of healthcare by... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788493 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:38:00 +0100 2788493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741374&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fon-optimal-expertise-for-leadership-in.html There has recently been debate on these pages regarding optimal expertise for biomedical leadership, precipitated by Roy Poses' posts "Health Care Leaders: Don't Know Much About Health Care" and "NY Times Proclaims Anyone Can Run a Health Care Organization with a Little Studying Up".I am resurfacing a post I wrote in Jan. 2009 entitled "Pfizer/Wyeth Merger And Sacrificing The Future: Laying Off Scientific Staff All Over The Place" that I believe succinctly states the problems with 'management by amateur.'Read the entire post, but here are the highlights:... Those in charge [and who lack domain credentials -ed.] cannot see that which the domain specialist sees.They cannot see because they lack the training, experience, and what is described as 'meta-competence' (in this brilliant article on... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741374 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:28:00 +0100 2741374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737727&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fhealth-care-leaders-dont-know-much.html Our recent post about health care organizations recruiting executives with no experience in or knowledge about giving health care or biomedical science has attracted some attention. Some people suggested that letting some people from the "outside" into health care leadership might lead to fresh thinking and new ideas. My concern was not about that. However, I do believe that to be succesful, the leadership of health care organizations ought to collectively be knowledgeable about health care, and understand its context, culture, science base, and values. My concern was not about a few "fresh thinkers," but that the preponderance of health care leaders today know little about what it's like to actually take care of patients, have little understanding of biomedical science and health care res... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737727 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:06:00 +0100 2737727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730067&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fny-times-proclaims-anyone-can-run.html Last week, the NY Times published a somewhat breathless article on the wonderful opportunities available in health care management. Health care management seems to be the one area that is growing during the "great recession."Health care may be a costly drag on the economy, but it’s still a great place to find a job.Midcareer managers and other workers have been migrating to health care jobs for years, of course. Now, with the recession, the lure is even stronger. The article suggested managing health care organizations does not require knowing much about health care.'The demand for talented leaders in health care is only going to go up,' predicted Jane Groves, a senior vice president at Integrated Healthcare Strategies, an executive search and consulting firm in Kansas City, Mo. 'All tha... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730067 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:41:00 +0100 2730067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719693&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fwhy-siemens-healthcare-fails.html I have written numerous times on this blog about the blind-man ignorance displayed by many healthcare IT and biomedical companies regarding Medical Informatics expertise.As a graduate level Medical Informatics educator with considerable applied expertise, as well as talent management experience, I teach students of a variety of healthcare backgrounds that the only way to overcome the sociotechnical complexities (i.e., issues at the intersection of people and their interaction with technology) of HIT is via education and considerable experience.Once students become aware of the nuances and complexities of HIT in real-world clinical settings (if not already enmeshed in such environments), they find the lessons learned from substantial and rigorous immersion into a wide corpus of literature, ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719693 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:46:00 +0100 2719693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2699657&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F13%2Flocking-up-kids-with-mental-illness%2F A few weeks ago, we wrote about the opening of a mental health court in Philadelphia to help deal with a problem that’s overwhelming the U.S. justice system — poor mental health care in prisons, affecting up to 30 percent of those incarcerated. Some of the problems our prisons face can be traced back to a pretty straightforward issue — our prisons are overcrowded. For instance, the prisons have been so overcrowded in California, the California prison system has been under a federal court’s oversight for years. And that court has become so frustrated by California’s lack of interest in the humane treatment of their prisoners, they recently ordered the number of prisoners cut by 27 percent within two years. The case that resulted in the court order began as the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2699657 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:05:14 +0100 2699657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510430&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Foriginal-excuse.html The Associated Press just published a story about another company which apparently failed to report adverse events associated with its product:Complaints about a contact lens solution linked to a 2007 outbreak of eye infections that blinded several people went unreported by the manufacturer for more than a year, government documents show.The documents show Advanced Medical Optics received complaints about the solution more than a year before it was recalled, and failed to promptly report nine complaints as required by law.The company pulled its Complete MoisturePlus off the market in May 2007 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked the fluid to dozens of cases of a serious infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.Lawyers for customers suing AMO obtained the documents, wh... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510430 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:26:00 +0100 2510430 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447508&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fbritains-got-talent-finishes-big.html How desperately sad that Susan Boyle should finally crack under the pressure. She seemed gracious on stage to the winners, and was apparently gracious to them behind the scenes, but newspaper reports suggest that some aspects of her behaviour were already giving cause for concern.Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan said today that Boyle was "emotionally drained and exhausted" after being put under more pressure than any other contestant in the show. "Nobody has had to put up with the kind of attention Susan has had. Nobody could have predicted it. It has been crazy, she has gone from anonymity to being the most downloaded woman in history."However, Morgan insisted that she was "essentially fine". "She was very tired and hasn't been sleeping," he said. "She has just gone away to have so... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447508 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:31:00 +0100 2447508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447696&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F31%2Flies-lies-lies%2F Psychologist Paul Ekman is a pioneer in deception research who heads a high profile consulting firm that works with the FBI and other big clients to solve cases. Ekman developed the FACS (Facial Action Coding System) based on facial muscle movements and gestures he calls microexpressions. Sound familiar? If you’ve watched the new hit TV series Lie to Me, it’s not only based on Ekman’s work, he’s a consultant for the show, which lends authenticity to the first-ever show about this type of science. [Not seen it yet? Watch it on Hulu if you're in America, or via torrents.] During the recent Association for Psychological Science (APS) convention, Ekman and the show’s head writer Samuel Baum were interviewed in a popular session, and other scientists detailed their... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447696 Sun, 31 May 2009 16:00:01 +0100 2447696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441302&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fabusing-mentally-ill.html Medicine Balls in this week's Private Eye reveals another sorry story from Haringey. Nothing to do with Baby P this time. A mental health patient asked Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust to keep his records of the IT system. A factotum from the Trust spouted a load of impenetrable guff about "Connecting for Health" and "not being able to use paper records" but the bottom line at least was easily understood."If a service user** refuses to have the necessary information recorded in the electronic care record...the Trust would be unable to provide treatment."Medicine Balls : Private EyeThis is where we are all headed. And how typical, how characteristic of the way things work that some of the first patients to have their privacy invaded are those who, due to the general prej... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441302 Thu, 28 May 2009 17:43:00 +0100 2441302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347966&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fgoing-mad-in-hampshire.html Crisis Care Pathway Diagram[1] Publish at Scribd or explore others: Illustrations & Maps care financial How to get help for the mentally ill (click on top right hand corner icon to enlarge)++++++++++++++An NHS BLOG DOCTOR reader who is a GP in Hampshire has sent on a copy of a letter he and his colleagues have just had from the local mental health commissariat. He is frustrated. In the “old days”, he says, if he had a patient with a serious mental health problem out-of-hours, he would speak to the on-call psychiatrist at the local hospital, and the patient would be seen.Incredible though it may seem, there are no longer any on-call psychiatrically trained medical staff at our local hospital outside normal working hours. Now instead of a... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347966 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:32:00 +0100 2347966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2321740&cid=t_119444_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fabuse-isnt-always-physical%2F Individuals who suffer chronic pain or live with some form of disability often face more than disease, deformity or adaptation. Many chronically ill people live with physical abuse but there are many others who suffer psychological damage by a spouse, a caregiver or another family member. Insults, belittling, threats and severe criticism can hurt as much as physical abuse. You just don’t have an outward bruise to show for it. The wounds to self-esteem, confidence and the joy in relationships can be taken away by another individual without leaving a mark on you; except that large knife wound to the very heart of who you are. Sometimes the loved ones and friends of the chronically ill, like us, don’t understand what we are dealing with every single day of our lives. They get tired of our... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2321740 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:44:00 +0100 2321740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2306978&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fretirement-of-generic-manager.html A frequent theme on Health Care Renewal has been the adverse effects of health care leadership by generic managers with no background or experience in health care, and no intuitive understanding of its values. This type of leadership arose after some health care economists called for abolishing the supposed physicians' "guild," and transferring power over health care to managers as a way to control health care costs. This has not lead to control of health care costs.The recent coverage by the New York Times of the sudden retirement of the CEO of General Motors suggests that the notion that organizations should be run by generic managers is one whose time ought to be past. Wagoner presided over a dramatic decline in the fortunes of GM.Mr. Wagoner presided over some of the biggest losses in ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2306978 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:09:00 +0100 2306978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2206715&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Finformatics-or-infomagic-health-it.html I recently saw a hospital ad for a surgeon in my local newspaper:Professor of SurgeryMust have 5 year post fellowship exp as Thoracic Surgeon, fellowship in advanced minimally invasive surgery of lung & esophagus, & fellowship/post-fellowship exp in thoracic oncology, radio frequency ablation, & airway, esophageal & endoluminal techniques. Board Eligible/Board Certified in General & Thoracic Surgery. Fax resume to James Diehl, MD, Director, Thomas Jefferson University, 215-955-6010.There is nothing at all unusual about this ad. It calls for someone who has completed premed (4 years), medical school (4 years), internship and residency training (4 years), one or two postdoctoral fellowships (~2 years each) in highly complex subspecialties, and at least five years of exper... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2206715 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:22:00 +0100 2206715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2177596&cid=t_119444_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2Fn3u624MSQwY%2F Watch out for your Alzheimer’s family member (and yourself if you’re “senior”) if Obama’s Stimulus Bill sneaks through in its current form.   Deep within the multiple pages of the bill is a provision for a collecting one’s medical records on a national data base and appointing health care coordinators who will “approve” your care and perscriptions.  As ultimately planned, your doctor will have to get permission for your treatment, possibly by someone not medically trained but only looking at the bottom dollar or cost effectiveness:  Is the cost of treating this person (you or your Alzheimer’s family member) economically worthwhile, considering age, life expectency and contribution or drain upon society? Will this person be a prod... Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2177596 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:19:22 +0100 2177596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2086900&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fin-joint-commission-sentinel-events.html In "Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert On Healthcare IT" I applauded the Joint Commission (the organization that accredits U.S. healthcare organizations such as hospitals) for releasing a Sentinel Event Alert in December 2008 on the risks of improperly implemented health IT. At "A 21st Century Plague? The Syndrome of Inappropriate Over-Confidence in Computing" I pointed out that prior to this Alert, those who have written on the issue of HIT risk when improperly designed and implemented have taken reputational hits as alarmists.Finally, at "The Health IT Clueless, Or, Mr. Obama Gets Wrong Cautions on HIT" I wrote that resistance to, or lack of acknowledgement of the findings in this Alert were leading to bad advice on Health IT challenges to the incoming administration. The administrati... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2086900 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:01:00 +0100 2086900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2086901&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fis-medtronic-ceo-abrogating.html It would appear so. If this is the case, this CEO and his board of directors should be dismissed as a danger to the public. The CEO, William A. Hawkins III, being a biomedical engineer, would take special blame for this distorted attitude.In "Pre-emption' Cited as Major Case Is Tossed", Wall Street Journal, Jan. 7, 2009 we learn that a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Richard H. Kyle in Minneapolis, threw out lawsuits on behalf of thousands of patients with heart-defibrillator wires that have been shown to fracture and fail to function or dispatch potentially lethal shocks, concluding that a recent Supreme Court opinion made the dismissals inevitable.Judge Kyle did allow that "the Court recognizes that at least some plaintiffs have suffered injuries from using Sprint Fidelis leads, and t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2086901 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:44:00 +0100 2086901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2013606&cid=t_119444_111_f&fid=34712&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitaldoorway.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Ftexas-comes-deservedly-under-fire.html The appalling care of the mentally disabled in Texas is a story worth disseminating. Whereas the system of state institutions that warehoused and abused the disabled (as late as the 1970s and 1980s) has mostly been dismantled and shuttered around the country, it seems that such treatment is still alive and well in the Lone Star state. Now, the United States Justice Department has weighed in for the third time in three years to clearly state that the Texan system of care for the institutionalized mentally disabled is decades behind the rest of the country and consistently violates consumers' constitutional rights. Unearthed documents detail beatings, sexual assaults, neglect, and possible allegations of homicide. And according to the Associated Press, more than 800 employees have been fired... Digital Doorway blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2013606 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:06:00 +0100 2013606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1951815&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fwhat-is-not-taught-about-leadership-in.html One of our scouts forwarded me a link to the curriculum from an MBA program from the distinguished Yale School of Management designed especially for would-be health care leaders. The program is entitled "MBA for Executives: Leadership in Healthcare."Here are the required courses, in alphabetical order:- Competitive Strategies- Corporate Finance of Biotechnology- Economic Analysis- Enhancing Negotiation Skills- Entrepreneurial Business Planning- Field Studies in Healthcare Management- Financial Accounting- Financial Management- Financial Reporting- Healthcare Policy, Finance & Economics- Hypothesis Testing and Regression- Independent Study- Integrated Leadership Perspective- Law & Management- Leadership- Managerial Controls- Marketing Management- Operations Management- Policy Modeli... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1951815 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:15:00 +0100 1951815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1901415&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fif-this-is-how-wellpoint-has-managed.html Among other news outlets, the Indianapolis Star reported that giant health care insurance company/ for-profit managed care organization WellPoint has had trouble with its investment portfolio:WellPoint is like many other investors these days: Its portfolio took a sizable hit from the financial crisis.The Indianapolis-based health insurance giant saw its quarterly profit fall 5.4 percent, dragged down by investment losses.The company Wednesday reported a profit of $820.7 million for the third quarter ending Sept. 30. That's down from a profit of $868 million a year earlier. WellPoint's quarterly revenue of about $15 billion also was down slightly from a year ago.WellPoint said that those results included pre-tax investment losses of $562.6 million, or 71 cents a share. Of those losses, $229... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901415 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:30:00 +0100 1901415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1785856&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Ftossing-legionella-samples-case-from.html Sometimes you just cannot make this stuff up. Here are extracts of a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:U.S. House members on Tuesday admonished Veterans Affairs officials from Pittsburgh for ordering the destruction of thousands of Legionella samples even as a researcher was attempting to save the 'irreplaceable' collection.The destroyed samples represented nearly 30 years of medical research by Dr. Victor Yu, former chief of the VA's Infectious Disease Section, and Dr. Janet Stout, former director of the Special Pathogens Laboratory in Oakland and one of the nation's leading researchers in Legionnaires' disease.During a congressional hearing held in Washington and carried live on the Internet, VA officials said they destroyed the samples because Yu and Stout did not provide a catalog... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1785856 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:19:00 +0100 1785856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1615929&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fcare-of-mentally-usa-style.html One of the most dangerous places to get a serious physical illness is in a mental hospital. In the UK you get the CMHT. In the USA, you get this. A horrifying story. There can be no excuses. No mitigation. Nothing more to be said. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1615929 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:01:00 +0100 1615929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1556288&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F30%2Fcreative-funding-solutions-for-mental-health-care%2F As we read our way through the detailed, insightful articles of The American Prospect’s special issue on the politics of mental health, we’ll share interesting tidbits from them. Taxpayers historically hate having to pay for public services through increased taxes of any kind. Many of us believe we are taxed enough as it is, and so finding funding for things that should be available in most states — like affordable mental health care — can be challenging. In the Pete Earley article about this topic, he reviews some creative strategies for funding mental health treatment these days, and recounts this amusing story of how difficult funding for public health concerns can be: Historically, mental-health funding has been a low political priority. In Wyatt v. Stickney... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556288 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:10:17 +0100 1556288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546629&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F26%2Fhelp-for-children-with-mental-illness%2F Today’s Boston Globe has one of those feel-good editorials that calls for more of this and more of that aid for children in Massachusetts who have a mental illness. But their insight into this problem is limited, their solutions naive, and they inadvertently continue to promote the stigma attached to mental illness. As the Globe’s Carey Goldberg reported recently, a dozen children faced such delays in recent weeks. Lisa Lambert, executive director of the nonprofit Parent/Professional Advocacy League, a mental health organization, says she has heard of 30 cases in the last six weeks. No state data are available. These emergency room traffic jams are part of troubling national trends. Troubling national trends indeed. Troubling national trends that have been going on for dec... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546629 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:36:13 +0100 1546629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526776&cid=t_119444_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F314597228%2F Should seriously ill Americans have access to experimental meds? A bill introduced in both the US Senate and the House would make that possible. Called the Access, Compassion, Care and Ethics for Seriously Ill Patients Act, the legislation would provide terminally ill patients with access to treatments prior to FDA approval. Co-sponsored by Sam Brownback, a Republican Senator from Kansas, and Dianne Watson, a California Democrat in the House, the legislation came about after the US Supreme Court this past January refused to review a ruling that terminally ill patients have no constitutional right to be treated with experimental drugs even if that means the patient will likely die before the medicine is approved. Last August, a federal appeals court sided with the FDA and decided the gover... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526776 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:59:48 +0100 1526776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1458472&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fpass-ketchup-to-novartis.html The Wall Street Journal just reported on the "makeover" of Novartis. Part of that makeover was the appointment of a new leader for the company's pharmaceuticals division.Joe Jimenez was running Novartis's consumer health-care business and had spent most of his career at packaged-goods companies, including H.J. Heinz Co., before Dr. Vasella tapped him to revamp Novartis's pharmaceuticals as the division's new chief. On Mr Jiminez's accomplishments,Mr. Jimenez, the pharmaceuticals chief, started four pilot projects in tough markets to try to improve Novartis's relations with payers. In the Pacific Northwest, Novartis is trying to develop closer relations with an HMO by paying to train its nurses in some aspects of heart disease.Mr. Jimenez calls this 'key account management,' similar to a pa... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1458472 Tue, 20 May 2008 21:18:00 +0100 1458472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1304936&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fhacking-icd-ham-radio-opinion.html Roy Poses wrote at "Hacking an ICD" that:An ICD is a device whose correct operation is critical for the health and safety of patients in whom it is implanted. One would think that the managers responsible for the design of such devices would have pushed to make sure that the operation of such devices could not be hacked or accidentally altered in ways that could put patients' health and lives at risk.Indeed.It is probably not well known that in addition to being a Medical Informaticist, I am also a ham radio enthusiast, licensed at the Extra class. I know more about electronics than most physicians - and most IT people in hospitals to boot, although that often didn't matter in the dysfunctional world of hospitals and health IT.As a medical informaticist and ham radio operator, I am concern... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1304936 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:28:00 +0100 1304936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1303215&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fhacking-icd.html Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) are battery-powered, computerized electronic devices implanted in the body. They are designed to detect dangerous heart rhythms and administer a shock to the heart to stop these them. We have discussed these devices before, including a story about how one manufacturer suppressed data that suggested some of their ICDs were less reliable than heretofore thought. It appears that a new, and potentially worrisome adverse effect of these devices has just been discovered.An article to be published in the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy [Halperin D, Heydt-Benjamin TS, Ransford B et al. Pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators: software radio attacks and zero-power defenses. IEEE Symposium Security Privacy 2008; in press. Link here.] demons... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1303215 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:35:00 +0100 1303215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1261620&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F02%2F27%2Fforcing-the-mentally-ill-to-move-in-greater-boston%2F There’s no easy way to do this, but when a state wants to cut costs (and ostensibly “improve” treatment, although that remains to be seen) and close a sprawling old mental hospital, and move its remaining patients to group homes, it’s going to run into opposition and problems. The Boston Globe has the sad story about one woman’s apparent forced removal from the hospital, Fernald woman forced to move, advocates say, in today’s paper. The facility is the Fernald Developmental Center in Waltham, Massachusetts and at one time it housed over 2,000 patients. Now it’s down to just 170, and the state is moving them out whether they want to go or not. While all that seems pretty straightforward, a US District Judge ordered the state to not move residents ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1261620 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:17:00 +0100 1261620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1187124&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2F29%2Fnine-reasons-to-get-psychotherapy%2F When is it time to consider psychotherapy? is a great article written by Karen Rogers, MFCC. Sometimes people don’t seek professional help because of stigma and stereotypes, like that a belief it’s only for seriously ill people. Rogers explains what psychotherapy is (for example, that it doesn’t provide answers but helps you reach your own) and suggests nine reasons to consider it. A major life event like a breakup, death, financial crisis or an accident will cause distress - which is totally normal - but if the distress doesn’t improve over time therapy can help resolve it. Other reasons include “when you notice yourself repeating negative patterns with work, family, friends or personal pursuits,” “when your work and/or personal life is negative... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1187124 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:38:30 +0100 1187124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1160975&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fbusiness-think-rationale-for-in-store.html An urban legend that has haunted health care in the last 20 years, to its great detriment, is that the application of business-like thinking, business-think for short, to health care (not just financing health care), will yield enormous improvements.One of the latest health care fads generated by business-think appears to be in-store clinics. We have blogged several times, (most recently here, here, here, and here) about these clinics. Such clinics are situated in retail stores, such as drug stores, staffed by nurse practitioners, but usually not doctors, and claim to treat a limited number of ailments quickly for reasonable prices. They have been touted as the latest business-like solution to the decline of primary care.My biggest concern is that these clinics may fail to provide good car... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1160975 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:41:00 +0100 1160975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1142371&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fwill-minuteclinics-be-wash.html This article implies that CVS Caremark MinuteClinics will not have any plumbing within the clinics proper. They will not have sinks and soap dispensers, and they certainly will not have toilet facilities. How adjacent such facilities would be is unclear.Why is this a big problem? Take a look at the list of conditions which MinuteClinics claim to be able to treat. They include "bladder infections," "pink eye and styes," and a variety of skin infections.Diagnosis of bladder infections requires a urinalysis, and usually a urine culture. How will MinuteClinic patients provide urine samples? If patients are required to go out into the CVS store to find a bathroom, produce their sample, and go back to the clinic, how many would refuse out of embarrassment? If patients with bacterial urinary trac... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1142371 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:29:00 +0100 1142371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=985816&cid=t_119444_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F10%2F28%2Fmore-sick-children-are-dying-at-home-at-that-is-a-good-thing.html by Pat SalberIt is always unbearably sad to learn about a child's death.  But for families with children living with complex chronic conditions, such as progressive neuromuscular diseases or cancer, it is something they must be prepared to deal with.   The miracles of modern medicine simply cannot cure every serious childhood illness.  Given that, what do we know about where these children die?  A recent study, led by Chris Feudtner, MD, PhD, MPH and colleagues, published in JAMA (June 27, 2007) documented that increasingly these children are dying at home instead of in the hospital - and I believe that is a good thing, allowing both the child and loved ones the comfort and privacy we all want to have at the end of life.  Advances in techno... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=985816 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:56:32 +0100 985816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=870236&cid=t_119444_86_f&fid=34454&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicallibrarianmaven.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F09%2F14%2Fdocline-ettiquette%2F Karen Bülow, Health Professionals Outreach Coordinar for the Southcentral Region of the National Nework of Libraries of Medicne, has put together an article on Docline ettiquette.  With the prices of journals, both print and electronic, skyrocketing hospital libraries will be relying heavily on interlibrary loan.  This document was designed to make interlibrary loan for medical libraries as easy and painless as possible. The only addition I would  make is to expand the Sending section to include making sure the lending library scans the Docline coversheet when scanning and sending an article electronically, either by Ariel, email or other electronic means. (Source: Musings of a Medical Librarian Maven) Musings of a Medical Librarian Maven blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=870236 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:04:20 +0100 870236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=864407&cid=t_119444_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F155114478%2F A heavy downpour is soaking the nation’s medicine chest at the moment. This prompts us to want to cozy up to our screen and take in the latest events. Here they are…. King Pharma’s Altace Patent Is Ruled Invalid (Yahoo/Reuters) Prescription Labels Geared Toward Pharmacies, Not Patients (Health Behavior News Service) UK Debates Whether Terminally Ill Should Get Experimental Meds (BBC) Novartis And Sanofi Gear Up For Analyst Presentations (Yahoo/Reuters) Trubion Pharma Shares Plummet On Study News (Yahoo/AP) Nabi BioPharma Sells Florida Ops To German Company (Washington Business Journal) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=864407 Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:07:33 +0100 864407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=856850&cid=t_119444_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F154548326%2F Today kicks off National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. It runs September 10th through the 16th. What is an invisible chronic illness? If you have an illness and it can’t be seen from the outside, you have it. That would include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic back pain, eating disorders, multiple sclerosis and mental illness, just to name a few.Actually over 95% of chronic illness is invisible. Laura from CFS Squared sent me a link to a great website that is officially hosting an area to come together and “feel that there is someone else that gets it”. Go check out all that it offers including… articles, things to buy, chat rooms and a very funny “10 things not to say to a chronically ill person”... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=856850 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:35:54 +0100 856850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=827976&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fblogscan-dilbert-in-medicine.html On Retired Docs Thoughts, this post takes off with a commentary on the recent New England Journal of Medicine article on the rush to do "quality improvement" without evidence that it works to address the rise of the business culture in health care. The best part was:Twenty years ago when I began to do some consultative work with the corporate world,I felt rather smug that my field (medicine) was immune to the Dilbert like silliness that seemed to pervade the corporate culture. However,medicine has become more and more corporate and the business school belief that one does not need know a business to run it is increasingly applied to medical practice . The business-speak jargon now echoes through the hospitals and clinics and we talk about vision statements and leveraging this and that and ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=827976 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:52:00 +0100 827976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638282&cid=t_119444_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Ffri-camping-babes-in-wood.html For reasons too dull to detail, I do not camp, but spouse and the children love to camp. Nature, in all it’s glory, is best viewed from behind a double glazed window, close to a grate ablaze with a glorious fire and a pot of tea near to hand. [translation = "tamed"] They camp once a year, overnight. They camp with a family who have been our close friends for a long time. In previous years, I have spent the time alone, making up medical insurance packages for each boy; sorting the bills into date order, child order, therapist order, 13 sessions per week. An empty house means enough floor space for this paper trail. I anticipate this time with glee, no responsibilities whatsoever for approximately 36 hours, depending upon the traffic. I always doubt that I will manage to complete my paper ... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638282 Fri, 25 May 2007 17:57:00 +0100 638282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=620274&cid=t_119444_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fscheduling-autistic-child.html When your child is diagnosed with autism, there may be a tendency to panic. [translation = probably only me] It is quite possible that panic will prompt a parent into frenzied activity. [translation = research ‘fix it’ yesterday, but faster] After this phase when the fog lifts a little, it may be that the parent sets some goals, tiny ones. It is a good idea to identify some trivial matter that makes life exceptionally difficult and work on that little bit only. [translation = baby steps] In our family circumstances, I decided that henceforward, we would collect the mail from the mailbox every day.Let me explain. The mail comes daily and is placed in the mail box on the fence in the garden. I found that I was unable to leave the house and the mail would accumulate day after day, much to... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=620274 Wed, 16 May 2007 02:23:00 +0100 620274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=586021&cid=t_119444_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2007%2F05%2F01%2Fmy-dogs-get-more-respect%2F **once again, I have yet to form a complete thought….but am heading to DocNo’s, so maybe I’ll have something later** So you get a leftover from my personal blog: ************************************* Good questions being raised today here at  Psych Central, about just this question, regarding the taking of rights “for the good of society” H/T Furious Seasons  okay, on with [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=586021 Tue, 01 May 2007 17:07:45 +0100 586021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=569111&cid=t_119444_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fstalinist-health-care-for-mentally-ill.html British "Care in the Community"The closure of long stay mental hospitals started under Margaret Thatcher. A new strategy of “care in the community” was introduced. Many chronically mentally ill, semi-institutionalised patients were turfed out onto the streets. As always the schizophrenics suffered the most. The promised community psychiatric nurses did not materialise and the patients were left to wander the streets.An army of bag-ladies and tramps.New Labour is extending this policy to hospitals that used to admit patients who had acute mental illness. It is closing psychiatric wards across the country. Wards that were providing a place of safety for the acutely mentally ill.As always it is being done in the name of improving health care. Not a mention of cost-cutting. The government ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=569111 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:11:00 +0100 569111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=552262&cid=t_119444_140_f&fid=35465&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychlaws.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F10%2Fpa-robert-flors-insight.html In the past, Robert Flor refused psychological evaluation and would not argue against getting the death penalty. After a week on new medication, that has all changed.The Bucks County man who admitted this week to killing a Newtown police officer now says he doesn't want to be put to death and would prefer to spend the rest of his life in prison, contrary to previous testimony in the case, according to his defense team.The defense says a new medication Robert Flor, 39, formerly of Bedminster, is taking for bipolar disorder, has dramatically changed his thinking and willingness to cooperate with his attorneys, prompting the change of heart.''What has happened in one week, we have literally moved heaven and earth,'' Bradley Bastedo, one of Flor's three attorneys, said in court Tuesday. Flor, ... Treatment Advocacy Center blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=552262 Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:44:00 +0100 552262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=472266&cid=t_119444_109_f&fid=34794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadseg-shu.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F09%2Fplease-remain-in-your-seats-until.html I was standing at the front desk, looking to see who had checked in to see me. As usual, the assigned staff sat at two desks facing each other, while the "escort officers" casually walked around, frisking patients as they entered, collecting ID's and appointment slips. I sat down behind the supervizing officer at the desk, and almost immediately, a therapy group had concluded and 15 or so men were noisly picking up their ID's and having their appointment slips signed. If a patient happened to live on the same yard as the psych unit, he is just allowed to leave, but the others are gathered into groups and escorted by CO's to their respective yards. Within a few more minutes, another group concluded and those arriving for a group all converged, impatient, loud, frisked as they entered, and c... Turn Your Head and Scoff blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=472266 Thu, 21 Sep 2006 02:23:00 +0100 472266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=552258&cid=t_119444_140_f&fid=35465&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychlaws.blogspot.com%2F2005%2F10%2Fno-death-but-what-kind-of-life.html What passes for good news these days is when people who commit terrible crimes due to symptoms of an untreated mental illness are spared the death penalty.In Ohio, one prosecutor is mad about it. He swears that Gordon Franklin, 39, will spend the rest of his life behind bars. “We will do all we can to ensure [he] never leaves prison, which is all we can do in this case."You may remember that Franklin beat his 13-year-old daughter to death with a golf club. You may also remember that he is severely ill with bipolar disorder and was not taking medication.And California, it looks like the prosecutor will not seek the death penalty for Lashaun Harris, who threw her three children to their death in the bay last week.There is no good resolution to stories like these – jail is a pretty terrib... Treatment Advocacy Center blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=552258 Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:19:00 +0100 552258