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 'industry'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:49 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181970&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhi-tech-choose-your-own-adventure-coming-medical-school-near-you Though it was longer ago than I care to admit, I can remember checking out every copy of the Choose Your Own Adventure® series my local library had to offer. Whether it was “Prisoner of the Ant People” or “Zombie Penpal” (nope, I didn’t make those titles up!), those books allowed me to control my own destiny, choose my own fate – escape from the ant people or allow my long-distance pal to eat my brains for breakfast. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181970 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:02:32 +0100 5181970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182342&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F09%2Ffuture-of-pathology-jim-harrison.html This is a guest blog note by Jim Harrison, M.D., Ph.D. He is a pathologist and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia. It's a repost of a document that he circulated on the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) listserv earlier in the year and is, in part, a compilation of input from other pathologists about anticipated changes in AP and CP. Earlier this summer I posted a request to the API list for thoughts about key changes that might occur in AP and CP within the next five years and how those changes might be best supported by IT. A similar request was passed around in CAP's informatics-related committees, and the results were compiled for distribution to the CAP Pathology Transformation project. I did receive several responses from this list, so I'm summari... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182342 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:42:49 +0100 5182342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181971&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Felevator-pitch-your-60-second-commercial Trade shows, conferences, networking events…these are all prime opportunities to grease the opportunity wheel. Say you’ve been eyeballing a certain hospital or company, maybe you even submitted a resume already, but you’re at an event and suddenly an executive is standing right in front of you. Here’s your chance to talk yourself up and shine, but you might only have their attention for a minute. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181971 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:17:36 +0100 5181971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182291&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2F02%2Fhow_many_new_drug_targets_arent_even_real.php So, are half the interesting new results in the medical/biology/med-chem literature impossible to reproduce? I linked earlier this year to an informal estimate from venture capitalist Bruce Booth, who said that this was his (and others') experience in the business. Now comes a new study from Bayer Pharmaceuticals that helps put some backing behind those numbers. To mitigate some of the risks of such investments ultimately being wasted, most pharmaceutical companies run in-house target validation programmes. However, validation projects that were started in our company based on exciting published data have often resulted in disillusionment when key data could not be reproduced. Talking to scientists, both in academia and in industry, there seems to be a general impression that many results... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182291 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:05:32 +0100 5182291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181974&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-evaluate-hipaa-security-compliant-data-center If you host your healthcare data with a data center, certain administrative, physical and technical safeguards should be in place, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. Although all service providers tout their data centers as secure, how do you confirm it truly is HIPAA Security Rule compliant?  read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181974 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:57:30 +0100 5181974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181975&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fehr-incentives-likely-improve-quality Healthcare is one of the last industries in the United States to universally incorporate technological advancements. While most sectors have made significant investments in information technology to improve efficiency and consumer relationships, America’s health care system is still largely paper-driven. As a result the healthcare system is plagued by inefficiency and poor quality. Delivery is slower, more prone to errors, and harder to measure and coordinate than it should be. Investments in health information technology can help improve this situation. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181975 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:19:45 +0100 5181975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182065&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FI8F8AzUnEz4%2F We are pleased to announce that full recordings for all presentations delivered during the 2011 SharpBrains Summit: Retooling Brain Health for the 21st Century (March 30 — April 1, 2011) are now available both to Summit Participants and to non-Participants. You can Learn More Here and Access 40+ Talks and 20+ hours of up-to-date information and analysis of brain science, technology and innovation, delivered by nothing short of a world-class faculty. –> Reg­is­tered Sum­mit Par­tic­i­pants can access all Ses­sion Record­ings by click­ing on the ses­sion titles in the Agenda page and using the same Username and Password they used to participate in the Summit. –> Didn’t Reg­is­ter to Par­tic­i­pate in the 2011 Sharp­Brains Sum­mit but want to access all Ses­... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182065 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:21:34 +0100 5182065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181959&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FTHPZrzE1cCI%2F In a post on EMR and EHR about Social Media and EMRs, Andre Vovan, MD MBA from Mitochon Systems offered an interesting insight into the comparison between EMR and social media. Social media and EMR are a natural fit. Think about what social media really enables. The ablity to stay connected, following different strings of info/story weaved by connected people. Say for instance you and your friends went to the Grand Canyon, one person took pictures while the other did the cooking, planning, and was responsible for entertainment during the trip. When they try to retell the story to their friends, each will be able to add different aspect of the story and with social network platforms such as facebook, this is possible. Now take the story above, and insert 2 doctors and change the trip taken ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181959 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:44:38 +0100 5181959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181976&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwisconsin-insurer-creates-mobilenurse-app A managed care organization serving more than 100,000 members in southern Wisconsin is entering the wild, wild world of mobile health apps with its own urgent care solution – and offering it for free to anyone who might want it. The Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation, based in Madison, is making its MobileNurse app available for iPhones and will have an Android version available shortly. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181976 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0100 5181976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181980&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-are-millennials-vital-health-care Before we dive in, it is important to ensure we understand some of the characteristics of the Millennial Generation. The timing of this generation is generally those born between 1978 and 2000 (some say those born after 1980). Some of the characteristics of this generation include:* read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181980 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:14:43 +0100 5181980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182345&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ftulaboratory-based-genetic-counselors-reduce-the-cost-of-ordered-tests.html Appropriate test ordering by clinicians is a key aspect of clinical laboratory management. It can save time and money. One of the most obvious goals of this approach is to cull out duplicate test orders when the patient in question is clinically stable and the additional results are useless. The number of test cycles to arrive at a diagnosis can also often be reduced by immediately ordering a more specific test rather than repetitive groups of less-specific tests. The more specific test may be more expensive than the others but the total cost of testing may be less. In general, clinicians often require the most advice when ordering molecular and genetic tests. They tend to be the most expensive, most complicated, and require the most interpretive skill. ARUP Laboratories has published a wh... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182345 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:54:47 +0100 5182345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174871&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fmdespite-patent-victory-myriad-still-faces-challenges.html A recent article about Myriad Genetics makes some important points (see; Despite Gene Patent Victory, Myriad Genetics Faces Challenges). Here's an excerpt from it: Myriad Genetics retained its monopoly on a lucrative genetic test for breast cancer risk when a federal appeals court recently upheld the company’s patents on two human genes — and the validity of gene patents in general. But newer DNA-sequencing techniques are far faster and only a fraction of the cost of the 1990s technology that Myriad uses. Indeed, it will soon be possible to sequence a person’s entire genome, all 22,000 or so genes, for less than Myriad charges for just two genes. Executives at Myriad say they are preparing for changes. Although its major patents start expiring in 2014, the executives say the comp... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174871 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:10:36 +0100 5174871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174712&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Finternships-support-career-advancement HIMSS Career Services offers a variety of supporting tools in support of our member’s growth in the health IT profession.  One of these is our new offering called Health IT Internships on our Career Services website.  Health IT internships offer a chance to learn and to discover different elements that may be of interest and may also be a deciding factor on whether you would be satisfied in pursuing a future in health IT. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174712 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:38:11 +0100 5174712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174713&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fend-beginning-and-launch-i2o When Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, addresses more than 4,700 healthcare professionals at the Allscripts Client Experience in Nashville on Monday morning, Aug. 29, he’s likely to discuss one of the most exciting developments in healthcare today – and perhaps surprisingly, it won’t be the meaningful use of electronic health records.  read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174713 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:48:46 +0100 5174713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174748&cid=t_98595_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F28%2Fpharma-reps-friends-or-foes%2F From a practice management perspective, I find my visits with the reps very valuable. Besides the obvious, which is they bring info about their product, here are my 5 reasons why I think pharma reps are valuable to a practice. Many reps have a pulse on the market, so to speak. I always ask the Prevnar guy, how’s business going? If he tells me sales have dropped in his area, I know not too many newborns have been born lately. If he tells me that the practice down the street isn’t busy, and either are we, I know it isn’t just us. Reps can be great recruiters… we found our last employee thanks to one of the reps. Many reps have valuable first hand knowledge. For example, today we had the Merck rep came by (yes, the food they brought was delicious). One of the things they were pr... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174748 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0100 5174748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169545&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-physicians-have-a-role-in-controlling-healthcare-costs%2F2011.08.27 The Role of Physicians in Controlling Medical Care Costs and Reducing Waste by the RAND Corporation and David Geffen, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Santa Monica was just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  I do not think the JAMA should have published this article. 1.Why would the JAMA publish such an article? 2. Why are physicians blamed for all the waste in the system? 3. Why is it the physicians’ responsibility to eliminate waste when they are not the cause of the greatest percentage of the waste? “The amount of money spent on medical care is increasing faster than the gross domestic product (GDP), and the federal deficit is increasing.” The initial statement assumes that the government deficit is increasing because phy... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169545 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:05:19 +0100 5169545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159861&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ffepic-beaker-ready-or-not.html There is going to be a lot of money made as the result of the potentially large-scale deployment of Epic's immature LIS called Beaker. One of the first in line to shake this money tree will be KLAS. Here is their announcement of a report on this topic by the company (see: Epic Beaker: Ready or Not?): The laboratory market typically sees little movement. Because of the expense and complexity from a laboratory system’s deep penetration into a hospital, laboratory systems are not changed frequently. If providers do change, it is rarely from a more sophisticated solution to a more immature one. One product that seems to be bucking that trend is Epic Beaker, Epic’s newly available laboratory solution. Of surveyed Epic hospitals currently using other laboratory solutions, over half are p... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159861 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:19:45 +0100 5159861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159314&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Femergency-room-balancing-act There seems to be an undercurrent of debate going on with regard to emergency room wait times. I’ve come across a number of articles and blogs lately having to do with the growing trend of hospitals advertising the wait times of their ERs to the surrounding community. Healthcare IT is helping many to go mobile with these timely messages. Patients in need of emergency care can text their zip code to 4ER411 and receive a list of area hospitals and their ER wait times from Miami-based ER Texting. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159314 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:02:16 +0100 5159314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159315&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdoctors-documentation-how-get-physicians-board-icd-10-initiatives ICD-10 implementation is a problem that affects how physicians will practice medicine. But just how to you persuade them that they need to get involved in the training and planning now? The first thing you do is put a physician on the ICD-10 steering committee. That physician is going to be your champion who gets his or her peers to understand and support the changes needed. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159315 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:56:36 +0100 5159315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159862&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fdoes-epic-have-a-near-monoply-for-large-hospital-emrs.html Joseph Conn, who writes for ModernHealthcare.com, picked up on one of my blog notes about the Epic EMR dominance in larger hospitals (see: Not yet an Epic monopoly or conflict). Here is his note: Bruce Friedman, in a post on Lab Soft News says, "Epic has achieved a near monopoly of the (electronic health-record systems) installed in the largest U.S. hospitals." And writing in the Washington Examiner, Lachlan Markay, an investigative writer with the conservative Heritage Foundation's Center for Media and Public Policy, reveals that Epic Systems Corp. CEO Judith Faulkner not only has made campaign contributions to Democrats but also has served as a member of the federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which "holds in its hands the future of health informat... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159862 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:51:59 +0100 5159862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159317&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhospital-marketing-are-you-ready-patient-experience Social media in healthcare is evolving and finding its way into operational and clinical tools and this has been where much of my focus has been lately.  However, I do want to check-in with where healthcare social media got it's start and a recent survey of hospital marketers will help us with this. Some interesting survey results were released not long ago and I want to share the link to the report and highlight a couple of things.  By 2013, hospital marketers predict: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159317 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:52:46 +0100 5159317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159863&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fapathology-informatics-2011-conference-only-six-weeks-away-1.html The second annual Pathology Informatics 2011 conference is only about six weeks away. It will be held in Pittsburgh on October 4-7, 2011. It's the merged version of two prior, long-standing informatics conference, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. You can review the entire conference schedule as well as register on-line. Three separate content tracks are being offered: Clinical Information Management, System Support and Connectivity, and Digital Imaging. The 3 1/2 day conference with a venue at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand offers an opening day with three workshops, included in the registration fee, 10 plenary lectures, and 27 track lectures. A total of 43 faculty members will participate. Also presented will be about 40 scientific presentations and 15 e-posters that have been selected fr... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159863 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:47:29 +0100 5159863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159864&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fepic-as-a-victim-of-its-own-success.html Katherine Rourke, who blogs over at Hospital EMR and EHR picked up on one of my recent notes about Epic (see: The Feasibility of Using the Epic EMR as a "Platform" to Extend Its Functionality) and posted the following note: Could Epic End Up The Victim Of Its Own EMR Success? Here is a copy of her commentary with a few minor edits. Boldface emphasis is mine: In essence, the [recent Lab Soft News] post makes three key points: Epic is implemented, or soon will be, in virtually every large U.S. hospital Epic keeps very close control of how its system is implemented and developed in an effort to control performance Given this desire for control, Epic isn’t likely to let other vendors create software to interoperate with its EMR If the Lab Soft News author has his facts right, Epi... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159864 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:46:33 +0100 5159864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159319&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffive-rights-staffing-maximizing-clinical-and-financial-benefits-acuity-system Hospitals and health systems often purchase acuity systems as a valuable tool to allocate nursing resources based on patient care needs. However, these organizations don’t always use their acuity systems to their full capability. In many cases, at least one of what we call “the five rights of staffing” is absent. According to “the five rights of staffing,” an acuity system should give hospitals: 1)    the right number of staff 2)    with the right skills read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159319 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:39:23 +0100 5159319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159320&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmember-advancement-himss-what-it-what-does-it-mean HIMSS has a very strong foundation and history of educating its membership on the many healthcare industry topics we have seen past, present and in the future health ideals in discussion today. HIMSS places a strong emphasis on professional development for our members with well over 35,000 individual members alone of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, not for profit or government organizational spaces.  HIMSS very much has the pulse of the heath industry at its fingertips. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159320 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:29:38 +0100 5159320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159321&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F3-trends-impacting-growth-texas-medical-real-estate As a booming state in many aspects, it’s no surprise that Texas is also a leading state in new hospital construction and renovation. As reported by Reed Construction, Texas is building $1 billion or greater in hospital new construction and hospital renovation. Among the factors contributing to this increase are: a growing population, aging elder demographic and a movement to an urban setting. 3 Trends Impacting the Growth of Texas Medical Real Estate 1)    Population Growth: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159321 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:26:06 +0100 5159321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159865&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fsix-major-disruptions-still-to-come-in-halthcare.html Predictions about strategic shifts in healthcare intrigue me. There is always the question in one's mind about whether you agree with the list. A recent article was labeled as a list of healthcare "disruptions" but otherwise caught my attention (see: 6 Major Disruptions Still To Come In Healthcare). Here's the list stripped of the accompanying brief explanations: Conversion of physicians to electronic health records. Removing the responsibility of records-sharing from the patient. The rise of the genomic signature as part of the medical record. Moving the responsibility [for] care and outcomes from the provider location to the consumer location. The rise of health avatars. The change in physician compensation from fee-for-service to fee-for-outcomes. What interested me... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159865 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:15:33 +0100 5159865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159866&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fuse-of-facebook-pages-by-big-pharma.html For some companies and hospitals, creating Facebook pages might seem too good to be true. This type of social media provides a soft-sell opportunity for products and services and also a means to create a closer relationship with customers and patients (see: Why and How Hospitals Should Market Themselves to Consumers on the Web; Should Hospitals Set Up Private Social Networks for Their Patients?). The appeal of Facebook has not been lost on Big Pharma companies that have been setting up their own pages. However, Facebook management is now forcing these companies to enable commenting and this is causing problems (see: Facebook Forces Pharma to Show Comments). Below is an excerpt from the article: Facebook [has] enabled commenting on some drug companies pages..., a move that is forcing some t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159866 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:56:23 +0100 5159866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139949&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsocial-vs-professional-networking-sites There has been significant debate over how much information an employer should be privy to when researching a candidate. Should they do an Internet search and glimpse at your Facebook profile? Is this legal or even ethical? When it comes down to it, potential employers don’t care about what you had for dinner the night before or how a movie made you “LOL.” Social networking sites are still taboo…for now. You might want to check those privacy settings though, just in case. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139949 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:23:52 +0100 5139949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139951&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fannouncing-metadata-pilots-realize-pcast-vision Those of you keeping a close eye on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and its activities might have noticed the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that was published on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, requesting public input on a set of proposed metadata standards recommended to ONC by the HIT Standards Committee. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139951 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:25:30 +0100 5139951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140316&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fturning-a-static-print-ad-into-a-video-lessons-for-the-clinical-lab-industry.html A recent full-page advertisement in the New York Times by Goldman Sachs reminded me how an embedded QR code can greatly enhance its value. Adjacent to the QR code at the bottom of the page was the following caption: Watch the story on your smartphone. To interpret a QR code that appears in a print print ad such as this one on my smartphone, I launch Google Goggles and snap an image of the barcode. The app then interprets the QR bar code, displays the URL for the web site, and then navigates, at my command, to the on-line video. You get the basic idea. Here's a short explanation of QR codes (see: QR code): A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR readers, smartphones, and, to a less common ex... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140316 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30:21 +0100 5140316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140317&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-most-important-iphone-app-for-pathologists.html In response to a blog note about iPhone ecosystems (see: The iPhone Effect: Smartphones and Their App Ecosystems Have Changed Everything), a reader, Christopher Metts, asked the following question as a comment: If [you] wanted to create an app for a practicing pathologist, what do you think it should do? It's an interesting question and, for me, the answer seems to be obvious.  However, I need to qualify my answer. First, it will encompass all smart phones and not just the iPhone as well as tablets such as the iPad. Secondly. my response will include two broad functions rather than specific app products. Various apps with these functionalities do exist but I don't want to single out any of them. The two functional categories that come to mind for smartphone/tablets that will ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140317 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:42:01 +0100 5140317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139952&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdocuments-vs-data In "The XML Consensus is breaking down" Grahame Grieve distinguishes three camps, heavy engineering crowd, the internet mob, and the data dictionary crowd. He discusses how XML seems to be failing to bring these crowds together. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139952 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:51:04 +0100 5139952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139700&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjc6_ifTclLk%2F By Daniel IkensonRhetorically, President Obama is a champion of industry—as long as it’s green. To put our money where his mouth is, the president has already devoted over $100 billion in direct subsidies and tax credits to promote investment in solar panel, wind harnessing, lithium ion battery, and other industries he deems crucial to “winning the future.” (See Economic Report of the President, 2011, P. 129, Box 6-2 “Clean Energy Investments in the Recovery Act” for a list of some of those subsidies.) Concerning those industries, the president said in his 2010 SOTU address: Countries like China are moving even faster… I’m not going to settle for a situation where the United States comes in second place or third place or fourth place in what will be ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139700 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:57:17 +0100 5139700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130745&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-you-really-need-6-8-glasses-of-water-each-day%2F2011.08.15 “Bueno es saber que los vasos nos sirven para beber; lo malo es que no sabemos para qué sirve la sed”. Proverbios y cantares.XLI. Antonio Machado (‘It’s good to know that glasses are what can help us drink; The trouble is, we don’t know What is the purpose of thirst’) The one thing you can’t afford to have missing when you start a scientific congress or any other professional meeting is not a notepad, a pencil or even an iPad – nowadays, it’s a bottle of water. Offices, airports, handbags and lecture halls, all of them are bursting with all kinds of bottles. It seems they are essential to work and even to stay alive. Bordering nonsense, some people desperately search for a bottled water vending machine as soon as they arrive at the airport, even if that means gobbling i... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130745 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:00:20 +0100 5130745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5131063&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fdeclining-autopsy-rates.html Discussion About Reinventing the Autopsy; Reinventing the Autopsy: CT Imaging as a Routine Part of the Procedure; NYT Highlights the "Virtopsy" Used for All Military Autopsies). The virtopsy would undoubtedly be more accurate than the classic autopsy. It also could be performed less expensively and more quickly. You can refer back to my previous notes for more details about its advantages. It is currently the norm for the U.S. military and also widely adopted in countries such as Switzerland. As noted in the excerpt above, one of the major reasons for the decline in the autopsy rate is that it's time-consuming and thus expensive. It's also an uncompensated hospital service. Needless to say, family members are also often reluctant to allow the procedure on relatives withou... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5131063 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:40:33 +0100 5131063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130866&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fyour-resumeto-post-or-not-post We are seeing more and more on line opportunities to post our resumes whether it is anonymously or otherwise.  Organizations allow us to post our resume and keep it “on file” but all too often we think to ourselves: “will anyone even read this resume or is it going into an abyss?” read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130866 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:21:23 +0100 5130866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125830&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhit-acos-need-part-i-analytic-data The Accountable Care Organization draft rule (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-7880.htm) is out, and the political, clinical and technical trek to establishing these lynchpins of the Affordable Care Act and health reform is on. Community physicians and hospitals are jockeying for potential shares of the incentives that will be distributed via the ACO program. Health Information Technology has been so frequently cited as being a critical part of making ACOs successful that it is now de rigueur. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125830 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:17:53 +0100 5125830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118758&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fless-more-creating-job-posting-attract-right-candidates More than once employers have asked me what they should include in a job posting and if there is any space limitation. I like to use the Goldilock’s analogy: too much information and you could lose applicants and the same applies if there is too little information. Somewhere in the middle is just right. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118758 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:29:42 +0100 5118758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118760&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fintegrating-social-media-emergency-preparedness-efforts The NEJM includes an article that addresses the integration of social media in emergency preparedness efforts from the perspective of physicians. I appreciate the examples they share and agree with the authors.  Key issues include: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118760 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:29:50 +0100 5118760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118761&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcare-different I'm often asked why healthcare has been slow to automate its processes compared to other industries such as the airlines, shipping/logistics, or the financial services industry. Many clinicians say that healthcare is different. I'm going to be a bit controversial in this post and agree that healthcare has unique challenges that make it more difficult to automate than other industries. Here's an inventory of the issues: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118761 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:16 +0100 5118761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118974&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fthe_economics_of_the_drug_industry_big_cant_be_big_enough.php I wanted to extract and annotate a comment of Bernard Munos' from the most recent post discussing his thoughts on the industry. Like many of the ones in that thread, there's a lot inside it to think about: (Arthur) De Vany has shown that the movie industry has developed clever tools (e.g., adaptive contracts) to deal with (portfolio uncertainty). That may come to pharma too, and in fact he is working on creating such tools. In the meantime, one can build on the work of Frank Scherer at Harvard, and Dietmar Harhoff. (Andrew Lo at MIT is also working on this). Using simulations, they have shown that traditional portfolio management (as practiced in pharma) does achieve a degree of risk mitigation, but far too little to be effective. In other words, because of the extremely skewed probabilit... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118974 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:45:04 +0100 5118974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107514&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-discusses-the-confusing-aspects-of-medicare-part-d%2F2011.08.09 I have discussed Medicare Part B and Part F in recent blogs. A reader asked about Medicare Part D: Dr. Feld “Please discuss Medicare Part D, the drug benefit plan available to seniors. It is very complicated and completely confusing to me. My physician gave me a prescription for Levequin 500 mg once a day for 10 days. The pharmacist told me it would cost me $330 dollars. Medicare Part D would pay an additional $110 dollars for a total of $440 dollars. I asked the pharmacist if there was a generic equivalent. The answer was yes. It cost $10 dollars. This is unconscionable. It is highway robbery. Sincerely a.g.” Several issues are presented in this readers note. It is essential to understand these issues. The issues are an indictment against government “controlled” programs. (m... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107514 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:00:44 +0100 5107514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107664&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fabcs-123s-and-healthcare-it My oldest daughter started kindergarten this week – a big day for our entire family. A few tears were shed as she hung up her school bag and told us goodbye, and she seemed a bit shell shocked by the whole experience once back home. Her only negative comment was that “there are so many rules!” read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107664 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:13:20 +0100 5107664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107876&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F08%2Fread_the_comments.php Just wanted to point out to anyone who's not reading the comments here that the ones to this post are of extremely high quality. If you want to hear the thoughts of a lot of intelligent, experienced people on what's wrong with the drug industry and what might be done to fix it, have a look. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107876 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:42:09 +0100 5107876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107666&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Frecognition-never-hurts-career We have all won an award of some sort, whether it a spelling bee as a child, an award for placing in a sporting event or as recognition for a job well done and it felt personally rewarding.  In our careers, awards are a positive affirmation from the outside world of our work performance judged. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107666 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:26:07 +0100 5107666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107667&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2-ways-hospital-new-construction-provides-long-term-growth-strategies At a medical office conference I attended, influential hospital executives stated that investing their capital in infrastructure needs and health information technology (IT) took priority over building new or renovating existing hospital ancillary facilities. However, the many advantages to  new facility construction support hospital growth strategies and has the potential to help the long term viability of any health system. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107667 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:24:12 +0100 5107667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107909&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fwould-the-fda-swallow-an-over-the-counter-lipitor.html Pharmaceutical manufacturers are growing increasingly concerned because so many of their block-buster drugs are coming off patent and reverting to generics (see: Some Interesting Insights into the Use of Generic Drugs). One of Pfizer's responses has been to propose that its well-established Lipitor brand now be sold over-the-counter. This, of course, requires regulatory approval (see: Reader Consult: Would the FDA Swallow an OTC Lipitor?), Below is an excerpt from the article: Pfizer is hoping to milk even more dollars from its blockbuster Lipitor by introducing an over-the-counter version of the cholesterol-lowering drug, the WSJ [recently reported], citing people familiar with the matter. Whether Pfizer can get the FDA to swallow an OTC statin is another matter entirely. The WSJ repo... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107909 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5107909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096462&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fopen-letter-onc-certification-program One of the foundational elements of the CMS EHR Incentive Program is the use of certified EHR technology. On June 18, 2010 HHS issued a final rule to create a Temporary Certification Program “for purposes of testing and certifying health information technology.” This rule also outlined how organizations can apply, meet stringent requirements, and become ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096462 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:20:32 +0100 5096462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096463&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsharpening-your-job-hunting-skills Searching for a new job is almost a full-time job in itself. There are thousands of job boards to choose from and then there are the profiles you have on professional networking sites that need to be updated (LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc…). This is just the beginning. If you sign up for all of these resources, they need cultivation and frequent maintenance (plus, you need to remember the user names and passwords for them all).  read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096463 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:32:03 +0100 5096463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096465&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealth-information-exchange-current-projects-inspiring-future-pathways There’s been a lot of talk lately about the future of health information exchange (HIE)—what it will mean 10, 15 or even 20 years down the road. There is no question that providers recognize the importance of HIE, and realize in combination with electronic health records (EHRs) that it will transform the practice of medicine. The question is whether providers are fully aware of the many HIE projects on the ground right now that already are beginning to impact patient care. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096465 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:07:33 +0100 5096465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097118&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fmara-aspinall-appointed-president-of-roches-ventana-medical-systems.html An important new executive appointment has recently occurred -- Mara Aspinall, a well-known expert in the diagnostics industry, has been appointed president of Roche's Ventana Medical Systems (see: Roche Appoints Mara G. Aspinall President of Ventana Medical Systems), Below is an excerpt from the press release: Ventana Medical Systems..., a member of the Roche Group, announced...the appointment of Mara Aspinall to the role of President, Ventana Medical Systems.  Aspinall was most recently Founder, President, and CEO of On-Q-ity, a start-up diagnostics company focused on circulating tumor cell technology. Prior to this, Aspinall spent twelve years with Genzyme Corporation where she held senior leadership roles such as President of Genzyme Genetics and President of Pharmaceuticals.... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097118 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:46:12 +0100 5097118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096467&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Funitedhealth-improving-rural-healthcare The UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization released a white paper on Modernizing Rural Health Care. To quote from the UHG presser: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096467 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:18:59 +0100 5096467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096470&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2-healthcare-facility-design-trends Today hospital executives can say that their facilities are unlike their predecessors ten years ago, but in another ten years from now health facilities will be even more sophisticated and advanced than the most modern centers today. Being able to see ahead of the curve to accommodate future situations is key for any health facility to stay successful and thrive as market conditions change, patient preferences switch, and amenities not thought related to hospitals are suddenly in high demand. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096470 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:12:30 +0100 5096470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097119&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fsome-interesting-insights-into-the-use-of-generic-drugs.html We are obviously in an era in which most drug prescriptions will default to a generic product when available. A recent article discussed how drug prices are about to plummet on the basis of expiring pharmaceutical company patents. Most, if not all, of these patent-protected drugs will be replaced by generic equivalents (see: Drug prices to plummet in wave of expiring patents). Included in the article were some fascinating facts about generic drugs. Below is an excerpt from it: The cost of prescription medicines used by millions of people every day is about to plummet. The next 14 months will bring generic versions of seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs, including the top two: cholesterol fighter Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix....Between now and 2016, blockbusters with about $2... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097119 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:31:50 +0100 5097119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107650&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fan-opposing-view-of-carecloud-ehr%2F Turns out David, who manages the Smart Phone Healthcare, EMR Videos, EMR Screenshots and EMR News websites, didn’t agree with some of the devil’s advocate positions I took in my Carecloud EHR post. He said that after reading Dr. Blackledge’s post, I missed a number of things. So, the following is his commentary on what I missed in my previous Carecloud post. Pretty much every company out there has some good and bad about it.  There are a few that are completely useless, and a few that think they are perfect, but for the most part every company has some worthwhile traits and some things they need to work on. Last week, John wrote about a new EHR, Carecloud that has been talked about for months, but finally was released last week.  He referenced a post that was written... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107650 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:48:52 +0100 5107650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097043&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fmerck_moving_research_from_rahway.php I've heard from more than one person that Merck has decided to move most discovery research out of Rahway (in favor of the former Schering-Plough site in Kenilworth). Details are welcome in the comments from those with better information. That news does bring on end-of-an-era feelings, since they've been doing medicinal chemistry in Rahway for a long, long time. Kenilworth - well, I joined Schering-Plough when it was still in Bloomfield, and I remember the Kenilworth building site when it was a huge hole in the ground. We migrated into it (the building, not the hole) at the end of 1992, in a massive moving job that involved several convoys of 18-wheel trucks going down a partially-closed-off Garden State Parkway in the middle of the night. The move had to be done; Bloomfield was at the li... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097043 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:42:43 +0100 5097043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086356&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FuEjEDMUJhrQ%2F First of all, an announcement. We are starting a Virtual Internship Program @ SharpBrains, allowing full-time undergrad and grad students and postdocs to lead 100-hour projects jointly defined by themselves and by SharpBrains. Interested candidates should Contact Us indicating a) a preliminary project proposal (200 words or less), and b) brief bio and qualifications (200 words or less). Internships don’t require travel and will be paid in-kind, with access to SharpBrains reports and conference recordings. SharpBrains will select a limited number of Interns based on fit between candidates’ proposal and bio and SharpBrains mission and activities. Let’s now explore the latest edition of the monthly Sharp­Brains eNewslet­ter, starting with a comprehensive perspective on the educati... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086356 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:29:36 +0100 5086356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086327&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fjoin-organization-network-and-get-involved Often times we are so involved in our day to day jobs that we sometimes neglect our careers and the trajectory we want to try and follow.  A job should always bring some type of added skills that expand our career horizons whether it  be adding new talents acquired, engaging into new opportunities or creating and expanding our career networking.  We also have to start thinking about replacing the word “job” with “career."  And networking is an excellent mechanism to support career paths and should be used not only to try to secure a job when approp read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086327 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:21:34 +0100 5086327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077827&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fbilingual-staff-valuable-healthcare-lack-training-liability This is the third post in a multi-part series about the new Joint Commission standards on language access requirements for limited English proficient patients.   read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077827 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:56:24 +0100 5077827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5078012&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2Fthe_secret_history_of_pfizer.php Here's a fascinating account at Fortune of the departure of Jeff Kindler as Pfizer's CEO. The magazine says that they interviewed over 100 people to round up the details, but some of these meetings only feature four or five people in a room, so that narrows things down a bit. It's also a back-room history of Pfizer over the last ten or fifteen years, and there's a lot of high-level political stuff that wasn't widely known at the time: McKinnell kept boosting R&D budgets, maintaining Pfizer's "shots on goal" approach -- the more compounds you explored, in theory, the more drugs you'd generate. But drugs can take a full decade to be developed and approved, and nothing big would be ready for years. So McKinnell fell back on the refuge of the desperate pharma CEO: In July 2002 he announced t... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5078012 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:48:17 +0100 5078012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069579&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fare-job-boards-dead I recently attended a webinar which was almost like a State of the Union address for job boards and online recruiting. Just in the past two years this medium has evolved. The rise in unemployment has sent job seekers to the Internet in droves. Social media has started to play an increasing role in recruitment as well. LinkedIn especially has become the land for virtual headhunters. With all of these components in play, a rumor is going around that job boards are dead. This isn’t true. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069579 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:41:38 +0100 5069579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069580&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fartful-advocacy-healthcare-it From my perch in this business, I read and hear a lot about how healthcare IT is meant to help transform patient care. A laudable goal, to be sure. But rarely do I come face to face with the patients these technologies are being created for – a situation many in this industry probably find themselves in until they or a family member becomes the patient. Even more rare (or so I thought) is the mention of art in the healthcare IT lexicon. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069580 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:38:08 +0100 5069580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077817&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fnew-ehr-company-ready-to-launch-carecloud%2F Aaron Blackledge M.D., founder of Care Practice clinic in San Francisco, sent me a link to a post he did back in April about a new EMR company called Carecloud. The irony of this is that Carecloud had just reached out to me for information about advertising their EMR on my sites since they are getting ready to launch their product. Their impending launch was why Aaron decided to share his post with me. I think Dr. Blackledge’s post about Carecloud is summarized in his final paragraph: My recommendation is if you are about to give up and lay down some hard earned cash on an EMR that is just good enough I would urge you to wait a few more months and compare CareCloud’s first iteration with other emerging platforms now gaining a foothold in the marketplace. Since Carecloud is about to... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077817 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:11:03 +0100 5077817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069583&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-are-you-afraid I read a post earlier today talking about concerns of a healthcare organization that would be sharing its data with its patients.  One of the concerns was that sharing the data (with a competitor) would make it easier for the patient to get care elsewhere. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069583 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:26:54 +0100 5069583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069647&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FLn-_yPbE_50%2F (Editor’s Note: this timely new report illustrates the need for innovative brain fitness interventions focused on maintaining if not enhancing targeted cognitive functionality, such as driving safety or financial decision-making, leveraging lifelong neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve. What the report presents as inexorable, somewhat genetically pre-programmed decline, it is not.) BMO Retirement Institute Report: Boomers’ Ability to Make Financial Decisions Often Declines With Age (Market Watch): - “The BMO Retirement Institute released a report today which raises awareness of the potential impact on aging Canadians of declining cognitive abilities — often caused by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia — and describes how this decline can affect their ability to ma... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069647 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:33:51 +0100 5069647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062337&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdownside-patient-centered-medical-homes-social-media-conversations Last week, Diana Manos, senior editor at Healthcare IT News, reported on the importance of patient-centered medical homes. She covered the annual National Health IT and Delivery System Transformation Summit, which displayed how PCMH can greatly reduce costs and improve care. One of her sources, James Dearing, DO, a family practice physician, outlined four benefits of a patient-centered home. Here is a recap: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062337 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:34:37 +0100 5062337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062493&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fbroader_impacts_indeed.php Since I don't have to write NSF grants, I haven't had to wrestle with "Criterion 2". But ask anyone in academic science about it. The first criterion is intellectual merit, as it darn well should be. Here's the NSF's own description (in full): How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources? But the second criterion, while initially worthy-... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062493 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:01:32 +0100 5062493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062338&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcertifications-do-i-need-one It is often asked today whether obtaining certifications in health IT is of benefit to a healthcare career path and/or will obtaining a certification guarantee securing employment? Well, first thing nothing is ever a guarantee in securing employment because so many variables play into that next career step. But to level set the certification question, various professional certifications are found in almost every industry of today. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062338 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:46:43 +0100 5062338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057936&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fascp-job-market-in-pathology.html A recent article on fellowship training in pathology got me thinking about the number of years of postgraduate training that is required for training in pathology and also the job market (see: 2011 Fellowship & Job Market Surveys), Below is an excerpt from the article: Each year the ASCP Resident Council directs [a] survey on fellowships and the job market for pathologists in training, both residents and fellows....This year, 2,591 residents participated in the survey. Competition is tight for fellowships. Similar to both the 2009 and 2010 results, slightly more than half of residents (54 percent) received one fellowship offer; 21 percent received two fellowship offers. But 12 percent of applicants received no offers (up from 10 percent last year). While 59 percent of residents intend ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057936 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:00:51 +0100 5057936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057727&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-importance-of-social-media-in-the-medical-field%2F2011.07.22 Recently,  I had the pleasure of being surrounded by brilliant health care thought leaders.  First, I delivered a social media presentation at the Eyeforpharma conference.  Secondly, I sat in the audience at the Social Communications and Health Care 2011 conference to listen to others present on social media, and participate in a round-table discussion on social media. It’s clear from the personal discussion that followed with folks from the pharma industry, medical device companies, and hospitals, that they understand the need for social media (or social networking), but they are cautious to dive in. A few concerns I’ve heard:  “social media can be paralyzing,” “senior leadership in the pharma industry is looking for the FDA to make decisions because it’s such a highly reg... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057727 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:00:49 +0100 5057727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050817&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmeaningful-use-clinical-summaries One of the most mis-understood Meaningful Use core measures for EPs is the objective to: “Provide clinical summaries for patients for each office visit" The required measure threshold for this objective is that: “Clinical summaries provided to patients for more than 50 percent of all office visits within 3 business days."  EPs have the option to exclude this core measure if they “have no office visits during the EHR reporting period”. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050817 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:02:47 +0100 5050817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051260&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fclinical-trials-for-early-detection-of-alzheimers-disease-planned.html From a diagnostic perspective, one of the hottest current issues is the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. The volume of testing for Alzheimer's will undoubtedly be large so that the commercial market for a lab test will be attractive (see: Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease with Imaging and Biomarkers). Also, obtaining a population of patients with documented early disease is critical in the development of clinical trials for early drug treatment. Below is an excerpt from an article about early testing for three gene mutations (see: Clinical trials to detect Alzheimer’s 20 years before dementia onset planned): Inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable as many as 20 years before problems with memory and thinking develop....Identifying Alzheimer’s in its ea... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051260 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:51:44 +0100 5051260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050819&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwomans-view-healthcare-it I recently had the opportunity to attend an event in my hometown of Atlanta that honored the top 25 women in healthcare – a group of powerful and intelligent providers and payers that are leading the industry into a new era. The awards were preceded by a conference featuring such illustrious speakers as the US Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin. I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the audience came away feeling like yes, we’ve come a long way, but that there is so much more to be done in terms of truly transforming healthcare delivery. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050819 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:20:43 +0100 5050819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050821&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fresume-writing-101 There is a scene in the movie Legally Blonde where Reese Witherspoon’s character, Elle Woods, is asked if she has a resume. She does and immediately hands it over – on scented pink paper. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050821 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:10:50 +0100 5050821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051262&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Forchard-integrated-diagnostics.html Integrated diagnostics can be achieved by breaking down the sub-specialty silos in the diagnostic specialties like pathology, laboratory medicine, and radiology. The current standard of practice is to present the procedure and test-ordering clinicians with individualized reports from the various specialty labs (e.g., surgical pathology, immunology, microbiology) and radiology units like MRI and CT. This approach results from the super-specialization and subdivision of the diagnostics specialties. Under the integrated diagnostics mantra, the goal of integrating the diverse diagnostic reports is moved upstream and becomes the responsibility of the diagnosticians themselves rather than the clinicians. In my mind, the first major movement toward integrated diagnostics on the manufacturing side... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051262 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:38:01 +0100 5051262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050824&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fconnecting-california-improve-patient-care I finally made it to Redwood MedNet Health Information Exchange Conference and share my learnings and thoughts below. I first learned about their activities when still working for the Santa Barbara County Care Data Exchange back in 2005.  It is great to see how far they have come! Privacy read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050824 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:51:49 +0100 5050824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050826&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Feducation-can-be-impactful-even-when-remote Continuing Education goes hand in hand with supporting our career goals through the various life cycles of advancement. And, having the ability for timely access to information is a key contributor in keeping step with the forever changing healthcare landscape. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050826 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:12:34 +0100 5050826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050827&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F4-ways-digital-hospital-signage-improves-hospital-experience Hospital signage benefits are most easily seen through the enhanced navigation experience provided for patients, but benefits also come with a multitude of other factors. From bolstering brand identity to reducing administration costs, hospital signage is a growing industry with a continuous supply of new and sophisticated tools that spread hospital communication. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050827 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:10:12 +0100 5050827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028563&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fit-true-acos-arent-going-away If you aren’t in an accountable care organization or planning to join one, chances are you are just plain sick of hearing about them. Some people have called ACOs the HMOs of today, indicating they are likely to be just another newfangled idea for containing healthcare costs that will die along the wayside. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028563 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:19:50 +0100 5028563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028564&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fstarting-new-religion I spent some time recently on a call regarding yet another government agency's interest in interoperability in Healthcare IT. It seems, with the advent of meaningful use, interconnected healthcare IT applications and devices, that Interoperability has become the new religion. As with any new "fad", a lot of previously uninvolved organizations are trying to see how they can capitalize upon it and the existing stakeholders are looking at how they should do so also. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028564 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:10:53 +0100 5028564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028567&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fpersonal-health-information-and-rupert-murdoch-effect Personal health information and the lack of security surrounding it has caused quite a bit of buzz lately. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028567 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:26:32 +0100 5028567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028568&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ftransparency-social-media-employers-you-could-be-losing-job-candidates-they-even-apply Remember in high school how it didn’t take long for a rumor or juicy piece of gossip to run rampant through the halls and spread faster than a wildfire fueled by 80 MPH winds? Well, social media is the new word of mouth. Most job seekers, before they even submit their resume for consideration, head to the Internet to find out more about their prospective employer. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028568 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:22:18 +0100 5028568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029241&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcontinuing-discussion-and-clarification-of-the-topic-of-ivdmias-and-ldts-1.html In response to my note yesterday (see: Cancer Diagnostic Scandal at Duke; More Regulation of Multiplexed LDTs in the Future?), two comments were submitted. The first, from molecular pathologist and informaticist Federico Monzon, serves to clarify some of the confusion that I have introduced into the discussion of IVDMIAs and LDTs: You need to make a distinction between multiplexed biomarker tests and LDTs. Your article appears to equate the two. Laboratory developed tests (LDTs) are commonplace in diagnostic laboratories (most molecular tests, HLA, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry assays are LDTs). LDTs can be developed for a single analyte (such as KRAS, Ki67, etc.) or can be multianalyte (a.k.a. IVDMIAs, such as the Duke example). Some multianalyte tests are commercially offered a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029241 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:56:40 +0100 5029241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028570&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Favoid-1-e-prescribing-penalty The Federal Government’s commitment to advancing healthcare IT is seen in its “carrot and stick” approach. Now, for the first time, physicians who are not yet e-prescribing are feeling the “stick” end of the equation. Those doctors who did not report at least 10 paperless drug orders to CMS by the end of June will be penalized by a 1% reduction in Medicare payments. A limited number of hardship exceptions exist: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028570 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:25:05 +0100 5028570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028571&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F2-studies-demonstrating-roi-satellite-emergency-clinics Some health systems are continuing to implement satellite emergency clinics as health system executives see heightened profit margins. Whether for patients with long drive times in rural communities or set in urban settings for a more convenient and quicker treatment, satellite emergency departments are attractive prospects and as two studies show, a fairly lucrative proposition for a health system looking to develop. Excessive Hospital ER Costs: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028571 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:16:22 +0100 5028571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028572&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fso-where-can-i-really-find-job We keep hearing about healthcare IT jobs. And in fact, we are actually seeing more energy around creating healthcare IT jobs than ever before.  Sometimes, however frustration sets in when the jobs we seek don’t directly present themselves whether it be in ads, an article or even on-line job surfing.  So, having the ability to facilitate job searches and educational needs is exactly what HIMSS Career Services is energized to support. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028572 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:12:43 +0100 5028572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029243&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-diagnostic-scandal-at-duke-more-regulation-of-ldts-1.html I have posted a number of previous notes about those diagnostic tests consisting of a set of biomarkers plus an computer algorithm used to interpret the results. This type of lab test was previously referred to as in-vitro diagnostic multivariate indexed assays (IVDMIAs) by the FDA. More recently, they have been called laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Historically, this type of test was also referred to informally in the industry as home-brew. A simple definition for an LDT is that the test reagents are developed by a single lab and all of the testing is performed by that lab. IVDMIAs/LDTs can be used for various purposes including the detection of the presence of a neoplasm in a diagnostic workup using serum. A second purpose has been to analyze the antigens present on a patient's t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029243 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:57:43 +0100 5029243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008449&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fq6v6sBUFKL4%2F Thinking globally to improve mental health: NIH announces international research initiative (press release): - “The Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health Initiative, led by the National Institutes of Health and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, has identified the top 40 barriers to better mental health around the world. Similar to past grand challenges, which focused on infectious diseases and chronic, noncommunicable diseases, this initiative seeks to build a community of funders dedicated to supporting research that will significantly improve the lives of people living with MNS disorders within the next 10 years.“ – “Participating in global mental health research is an enormous opportunity, a means to accelerate advances in mental health care for the diverse U.S. popul... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008449 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:53:39 +0100 5008449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008634&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fphenotypic_screening_for_the_win.php Here's another new article in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery that (for once) isn't titled something like "The Productivity Crisis in Drug Research: Hire Us And We'll Consult Your Problems Away". This one is a look back at where drugs have come from. Looking over drug approvals (259 of them) between 1999 and 2008, the authors find that phenotypic screens account for a surprising number of the winners. (For those not in the business, a phenotypic screen is one where you give compounds to some cell- or animal-based assay and look for effects. That's in contrast to the target-based approach, where you identify some sort of target as being likely important in a given disease state and set out to find a molecule to affect it. Phenotypic screens were the only kinds around in the old days (before,... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008634 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:24:34 +0100 5008634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008380&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcoding-rest-us-why-everyone-your-practice-needs-basic-knowledge-coding There is no one, and I do mean no one, in your medical practice who does not need to know the basics of coding. Here is why: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008380 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:15:51 +0100 5008380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008308&cid=t_98595_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F06%2Fever-had-such-an-intense-interest-in-a-subject-that-learning-was-easy%2F As I’ve noted here before, I’ve recently become obsessed with the sense of smell — which has been an interesting experience, for several reasons. One reason: this obsession has reminded me about the nature of learning. I’ve been struck by how much I’ve learned in the last few weeks. I went from knowing almost nothing about the scent of smell to knowing… well, quite a bit more. And without any effort, any drilling, any assignments on my part. Quite the contrary. I’m gulping down books, jumping around websites, eager to learn more, more, more. The same thing happened when I was working on my Churchill biography. In college, I’d taken classes that covered World War II, and I had to force myself to do the reading, and I struggled to memorize the facts. But through the l... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008308 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:45:37 +0100 5008308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008381&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Falaskan-healthcare-it-lessons-learned I'm back from Alaska and I'll post several blogs about my Healthcare IT and personal experiences in the 49th state. Alaska faces many healthcare challenges given its large area (663,268 sq mi) and population of 710,231 residents (as per the 2010 US Census), approximately half of which live in the Anchorage metropolitan area, making Alaska the least densely populated state. Roads are limited, making boat and small plane the only means of transportation to many locations, especially in the western portion of the state. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008381 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:13:46 +0100 5008381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008382&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F4-factors-driving-hospital-satellite-emergency-department-development The satellite emergency department market is doing well, and from what I have seen, as attractive to patients as hospitals looking to implement them. Satellite emergency clinics are much what they sound like: a remote facility, often time located off campus from the hospital, which perform very similar types of services as a hospital emergency room. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008382 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:48:36 +0100 5008382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008383&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fget-familiar-healthcare-acronyms It doesn’t matter anymore if you are a recent graduate, changing careers, trying to stabilize your current career or if you are even trying to advance in your current role, the use of acronyms is everywhere in healthcare because they (acronyms) have always been a mainstay in healthcare. We all realize the health care field has a language of its own and often time’s newer members in particular to health IT careers feel overwhelmed. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008383 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:29:49 +0100 5008383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992995&cid=t_98595_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FrmAxL8gOtko%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that Arno Therapeutics hired Alexander Zukiwski as chief medical officer. Most recently, he was executive vp for clinical research and chief medical officer at MedImmune, where he was responsible for developing and implementing clinical research, me... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992995 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:56:35 +0100 4992995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992815&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FgROm1dTTA8I%2F Let’s explore some  high-quality new resources, announcements and studies in this June edi­tion of the monthly Sharp­Brains eNewslet­ter. The field is clearly on the move! Portraits of the Mind: Several sharp brains (Rick, Karen, John, thanks!) strongly rec­om­mend the recent book  “Por­traits of the Mind: Visu­al­iz­ing the Brain from Antiq­uity to the 21st Cen­tury” (which includes the image on the left) as great read­ing and as a beau­ti­ful cof­fee table book. Promoting Healthy, Meaningful Aging Through Social Involvement: The cur­rent issue of Cere­brum includes the excel­lent in-depth arti­cle on the value of volunteering program Experience Corps to promote healthy and meaningful aging through social involvement. Working memory training can improve fluid i... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992815 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:04:45 +0100 4992815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984704&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Flower-blood-tranfusion-rates-as-a-metric-for-high-quality-care.html Generally speaking, I think that the amount of blood transfused to a patient can and should be used as a metric for the quality of care delivered by physicians, particularly surgeons. I have long been aware of differences in transfusion rates by hospitals or by regions of the country. Much of this can be explained by local customs and norms rather than well defined standards of care. When I was a blood banker back in the 1970's, one of the hospital cardiac surgeons would frequently transfuse six units of blood for a CABG when type-and-screen was the common blood order for the same procedure at the Cleveland Clinic. Once again, or perhaps still, the amount of blood being transfused is in the news. (see: Too many blood transfusions? New standards urged). Below is an excerpt from a recent... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984704 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:03:47 +0100 4984704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976036&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Ffuv1BBULwMs%2F The current issue of Cerebrum –a great publication of the Dana Foundation– includes the excellent in-depth article Promoting Healthy, Meaningful Aging Through Social Involvement: Building an Experience Corps, written by researcher Michelle Carlson: “Over the last decade, scientists made two key discoveries that reframed our understanding of the adult brain’s potential to benefit from lifelong environmental enrichment. First, they learned that the adult brain remains plastic; it can generate new neurons in response to physical activity and new experiences. Second, they confirmed the importance of social connectedness to late-life cognitive, psychological, and physical health. The integration of these findings with our understanding of individuals’ developmental needs throughout li... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976036 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:01:23 +0100 4976036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975993&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fgoogle-health-too-early-market Few are surprised by this NY Times headline – Google to End Health Records Service After It Fails to Attract Users. Rumors and expectations of this announcement have been in the market for several months now. Reality has struck. Google Health evaporates. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975993 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:29:15 +0100 4975993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976190&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F28%2Fdrug_rd_spending_now_down_but_look_at_the_history.php I hate to be such a shining beacon of happiness today, but this news can't very well be ignored, can it? For the first time ever, total drug R&D spending seems to have declined: The global drug industry cut its research spending for the first time ever in 2010, after decades of relentless increases, and the pace of decline looks set to quicken this year. Overall expenditure on discovering and developing new medicines amounted to an estimated $68 billion last year, down nearly 3 percent on the $70 billion spent in both 2008 and 2009, according to Thomson Reuters data released on Monday. The fall reflects a growing disillusionment with poor returns on pharmaceutical R&D. Disappointing research productivity is arguably the biggest single factor behind the declining valuations of the sector... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976190 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:43:56 +0100 4976190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976216&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fon-the-demise-of-google-health.html I am an unabashed fan of Google. However, if the company suffers from anything, it's a corporate sense of hubris. The founders think that almost any problem can be solved by their engineering mentality and their "search" business model. It turns out that launching a personal health record product was not that easy a nut to crack so the company is now withdrawing from the business (see: Google Shuts Down Medical Records And Health Data Platform). Here's Mr. HIStalk's take on the demise of Google Health (see: Monday Morning Update 6/27/11): Google predictably did what its know-it-all technology company predecessors have done over the years: dipped an arrogant and half-assed toe into the health IT waters; roused a loud rabble of shrieking fanboy bloggers and reporters...... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976216 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:33:50 +0100 4976216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975994&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhimss-career-services-member-needs Welcome to the first blog for HIMSS Career Services!  My name is Helen Figge, Senior Director of Career Services at HIMSS and excited to connect with you. I am a pharmacist by trade but have experience in various aspects of healthcare including teaching, research, grant writing, clinical practice, industrial sales and healthcare practice management. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975994 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:58:11 +0100 4975994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975995&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fincreasing-hospital-efficiency-growing-value-mid-level-providers Mid-level providers, commonly called registered nurses (RNs) or physicians’ assistants (PAs) are a beacon of hope for struggling hospitals as the physician attrition rate and the number of aging Americans continues to spiral upwards. RNs and PAs may help lower costs as well as increase patient care for hospitals in several ways. Two of them are: Medicare reimbursements and reduced readmissions. Reimbursements: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975995 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:52:54 +0100 4975995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968646&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-much-would-you-pay-your-medical-record I recently had to request my medical records from former physicians and have them sent to a new specialist I’m seeing. It is incredibly important for me that my new physician has a comprehensive perspective of my health. I truly believe that if he doesn’t have a complete picture, his decisions may not consider the context of my condition, and my lifestyle and personal will as a part of the solution. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968646 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:31:27 +0100 4968646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968921&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpathology-resident-travel-awards-available-for-pathology-informatics-2011-conference.html The Association for Pathology Informatics is awarding a limited number of stipends of $1,500 to attend the Pathology Informatics 2011 Conference at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand hotel in Pittsburgh. The conference will take place on October 4-7, 2011. Awardees must be residents, post-doctoral students, or fellows in accredited teaching programs. This is the premier pathology informatics conference in the country with three workshops, three discipline tracks, multiple keynote plenary lectures, 44 participating faculty members, and more than 40 exhibitors. Last year's PI-2010 presentation marked the first of these events. The conference represents a merger of two long-standing pathology informatics meetings, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. The application deadline for awards is August 1, 2... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968921 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:55:56 +0100 4968921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960202&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FKL0ko4TEcXU%2F A couple of very interesting recent announcements show (in a military context) how well-targeted brain training can complement and augment existing approaches, both to help “normal” and “clinical” populations, in ways that silo-based, rear-mirror thinking often misses: U.S. Department of Defense Awards $2 Million to Brain Plasticity Inc. to Study Impact of Brain Training for Traumatic Brain Injuries (press release): “Brain Plasticity Inc. (BPI), a technology incubator dedicated to the discovery and development of novel technologies that harness the basic principles of brain plasticity to improve the lives of people with neurological and psychiatric disorders, was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Defense.” “The grant will fund a two-year... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960202 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:21:27 +0100 4960202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960316&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35778&url=http%3A%2F%2Forgprepdaily.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Flast-post%2F Today is my first day with a small privately held biotech company that is developing self-assembling polymers for targeted drug delivery. The group and the projects are awesome – and as much as I am excited about the research and my new job, for obvious reasons I shouldn’t be writing about it. So there will be nothing new to add here. This is it – thank you for visiting! (Source: Org Prep Daily) Org Prep Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960316 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:57:37 +0100 4960316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968647&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat%25E2%2580%2599s-driving-your-ehr-adoption The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced it has paid out more than $75 million for the meaningful use of electronic health records under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Is this really spurring adoption? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968647 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:04:07 +0100 4968647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960179&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat%25E2%2580%2599s-driving-your-ehr-adoption The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced it has paid out more than $75 million for the meaningful use of electronic health records under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Is this really spurring adoption? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960179 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:04:07 +0100 4960179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960336&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpfizer-integrating-telemedicine-into-clinical-trials.html I have a special interest in clinical trials dating back to my five-year stint on the IRB (Institutional Review Board) at my hospital. I therefore read with some interest the news that Pfizer was integrating telemedicine (i.e., remote subject participation) into one of its clinical trials (see: Pfizer Integrating Telemedicine into Clinical Trials). Here is an excerpt from the article Pfizer is starting enrollment of its first ever investigational drug trial with remote patient participation. The trial, aptly named Research on Electronic Monitoring of OAB Treatment Experience (REMOTE), is a study to assess the safety and efficacy of Detrol LA (tolterodine tartrate), a treatment for overactive bladder. The main goal is to determine whether the results of the pilot REMOTE “virtual trial” ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960336 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59:22 +0100 4960336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960047&cid=t_98595_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOYManO2E-iw%2F By David BoazFive years ago this week I noted that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a tip of the hat to Frederic Bastiat, had literally endorsed a candlemakers’ petition to the federal government to protect them against overseas competition. I was reminded of that today when I read that Rep. Michele Bachmann literally thanked the federal government for its purchase of pork from Minnesota farmers: On Oct. 5, 2009, Bachmann wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praising him for injecting money into the pork industry through the form of direct government purchases. She went on to request additional assistance. “Your efforts to stabilize prices through direct government purchasing of pork and dairy products are very much welcomed by the producers in Minnesota, and I would encourag... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960047 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:49:37 +0100 4960047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960315&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fthe_nih_and_conflicts_of_interest.php The NIH has, it appears, been getting quite sensitive about conflicts of interest. There have been some rather ugly scenes involving ghostwritten articles (and entire books), and NIH director Francis Collins has said that the agency's guidelines are in the process of being revised. You'd have thought that the existing ones would have banned that sort of thing, anyway. And in fact, it seems as if many scientists at the NIH already find the rules too restrictive. From the original paper that looked into this: Eighty percent of respondents believed the NIH ethics rules were too restrictive. Whereas 45% of respondents believed the rules positively impacted the public's trust in the NIH, 77% believed the rules hindered the NIH's ability to complete its mission. The problem, as so often happ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960315 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:54:58 +0100 4960315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960180&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-owns-patient-data If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960180 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:34:57 +0100 4960180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953060&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fready-meaningful-use-attestation When the clock struck midnight on April 18, 2011, Jennifer Brull, MD, was ready. She had already registered for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. She had her certified EHR system firmly in place, and working with the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Regional Extension Center for Kansas, she had confirmation that her practice met meaningful use criteria. Dr. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953060 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:27:59 +0100 4953060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953380&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fshands-installs-epic-interesting-facts-about-epic-coverage-in-the-us.html ShandsHealth is a large health system located in Gainsville and Jacksonville, Florida. Like many of the high-end and academic health systems with 500 beds or more, it is converting to the Epic EMR (see: Shands' new records system should simplify things). Here is a brief listing of the new features of this EMR as listed in the press release: Shands patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room.... All Shands patient records are instantly available to all Shands health-care providers. Patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room. Prescriptions are se... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953380 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:32:33 +0100 4953380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953061&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdoes-father-know-best-when-it-comes-pediatric-phrs My musings in a recent blog about my pie-in-the sky dream of an effective pediatric personal health record (PHR) for parents were turned on their head recently when I came across news about a California-based company creating just such a product. (I should know by now that I’ll always be at least three steps behind the development gurus of healthcare IT.) read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953061 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:16:54 +0100 4953061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953062&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2F4-innovative-hospital-programs-driving-efficiency A new Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative, Partnership for Patients, is calling hospitals to focus on nine specific types of medical errors where the potential is great for increased care. The initiative has two over arching goals: keep hospitals patients’ symptoms from worsening, and facilitate patients’ treatment process from the hospital environment to other care settings. This ambitious project’s goal is to reduce readmissions by 20% by 2013. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953062 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:14:47 +0100 4953062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934454&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffate-obamneycare-social-media-reactions In early April of 2006, then Massachusetts Governor and current 2012 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney signed the most influential bill of his political career. The law required that all citizens of Massachusetts have health insurance. When 2008 rolled around and President Obama took office, he did not support the individual mandate as part of his new healthcare reform plan. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934454 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:59:45 +0100 4934454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945198&cid=t_98595_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4icXRPq8wUc%2F The answer may be ‘a lot,’ but that, of course, depends on your perspective. Is $182 per hour a lot? How about $625? There is a range, naturally, reflecting whether the physician who doubles as a so-called key opinion leader is a specialist or primary care physician. But for those wondering just how much drugmakers are willing to pay, here are some figures… Specialists earn a base rate of $324 an hour, but those with a subspecialty earn an added 25 percent, or $404, according to a survey of 26 drugmakers by Cutting Edge Information, a market research firm. The maximum hourly rate for both types of KOL is $625, although subspecialists start at $250 per hour, compared with $100 for a regular specialist. As for primary care physicians, the hourly rate range is $200 to $300, ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945198 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:24:43 +0100 4945198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934455&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fvideo-gaming-your-way-better-health The healthcare IT community is a technologically savvy lot, to be sure. Dreaming up systems that will ultimately improve patient health (and perhaps a bottom line or two) is certainly the work of creative and dedicated professionals. Which is why I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that when this crowd needs to blow off steam after a hard day’s work, they flip on their favorite gaming console – or at least click over to Farmville to see how their latest cash crop is coming along. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934455 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:26:59 +0100 4934455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945132&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F16%2Fwhat_translational_research_should_academia_do.php We've talked quite a bit around here about academic (and nonindustrial) drug discovery, but those posts have mostly divided into two parts. There's the early-stage discovery work that really gets done in some places, and then there's the proposal for the big push into translational research by the NIH. That, broadly defined, is (a) the process of turning an interesting idea into a real drug target, or (b) turning an interesting compound into a real drug. One of the things that the recent survey of academic centers made clear, I'd say, is that the latter kind of work is hardly being done at all outside of industry. The former is a bit more common, but still suffers from the general academic bias: walking away too soon in order to move on to the next interesting thing. Both these translation... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945132 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:14:03 +0100 4945132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934548&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FFQD0FQS_7mw%2F Lumos Labs, the company behind lumosity.com, has raised $32.5 million dollars in a Series C round from Menlo Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Harrison Metal and Norwest Venture Partners. In our 2010 market report Lumos Labs came up as one of the category Leaders given its market and research momentum (not easy for a startup to get clear momentum in either of those dimensions, much less in both of them), so our congratulations to them for now adding such investment traction. This is the largest round of funding so far in the cognitive fitness space so far, and should contribute to the maturity of the field as well as to more innovation and R&D. Description: Lumos Labs is a cog­ni­tive neu­ro­science research and devel­op­ment com­pany that builds soft­ware tools for improv­ing bra... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934548 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:01:51 +0100 4934548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945221&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Falgorithms-as-the-next-generation-of-innovative-laboratory-and-clinical-tests.html I was somewhat surprised by a recent article suggesting that algorithms themselves will constitute a new type of medical test. The short article cited the work of Predictive Medical Technologies as a basis for this claim. The company software generates health predictions based on previous clinical data for ICU patients (see: Algorithms are the new medical tests; How data and algorithms help doctors make use of real-time data). Below is an excerpt from the article: Predictive Medical Technologies claims that it can use real-time, intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring data to predict clinical events like cardiac arrest up to 24 hours ahead of time. Effectively, the startup's algorithms are new types of medical tests that an ICU doctor can take into consideration when deciding on a course ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945221 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:05:24 +0100 4945221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934456&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Faco-development-provider-driver The proposed CMS regulations on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) took the first step in promoting discussions about lowering costs, but how to align these costs between each healthcare stakeholder is still an issue and obstacle, leaving most of us to wonder — how will this all actually work? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934456 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:50:36 +0100 4934456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934457&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcouch-potato-quantified-self-journey-must-be-defined-and-encouraged I’ve been interested in the growing population of folks who self-track objective data for health purposes.  The phenomenon is referred to either as personal informatics or the Quantified Self.  Both concepts have a following and both are intimately tied into the value of connected health.  Connected Health adds value in two fundamental ways:  self–care and just-in-time care.  In both cases, objective, quantified data is a criti read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934457 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:38:22 +0100 4934457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934549&cid=t_98595_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Furd0ifGFTWU%2F Very interesting new study on computerized cognitive training (or brain training), well summarized in LA Times article Memory training improves intelligence in some children, report says. Quote: The training program used by Jaeggi and co-workers focused on ramping up working memory: the ability to hold in mind a handful of information bits briefly, and to update them as needed. Cognitive scientists consider working memory a key component of intelligence. But they have long debated whether strengthening short-term memory capacity will boost a person’s overall intellectual function, and will do so even after the brain-training sessions are over. It can, and it does, according to this new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The full study, Short-term... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934549 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:55:54 +0100 4934549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934458&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ftransforming-healthcare-one-phone-time For those paying close attention to the world of mobile health last week, you may have noticed a number of tweets coming out of Cape Town, South Africa, and the Mobile Health Summit put on there by the GSMA, an organization that represents mobile operators worldwide, and the mHealth Alliance (@mHealthAlliance). read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934458 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:30:28 +0100 4934458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934459&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ffive-factors-showing-growth-medical-real-estate An article headline caught my attention the other day, “A thriving medical industry is a boon for the building.” That statement rings true from my perspective. The medical industry is doing well, and with halted construction projects from the economic downturn back on track, medical real estate’s potential is coming into full swing. There are five main contributing factors for this growth: market economics, healthcare reform, aging Baby Boomers, increase in outpatient centers and a patient centric hospital experience. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934459 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:26:52 +0100 4934459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921569&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fremember-your-story I fell in love with healthcare while working as a radiology technician aide at a well-known imaging center in Dallas during college. I was working late one evening with one of our senior technicians, when I realized the profound opportunity a relationship between healthcare and technology could provide. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921569 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:45:59 +0100 4921569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921765&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-new-take-on-personalized-medicine.html The overarching definition for personalized medicine has always been the following: the right drug for the right patient at the right time (see: Further Consideration of the Definition for Personalized Medicine; Term "Personalized Medicine" More About Business than Healthcare Delivery). Implicit in this definition has been the idea that the "right drug" will exploit the biologic weaknesses of a patient's tumor. The classic example has been the use of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin, for breast tumors that overexpress the HER2/neu protein. A recent article discusses a subtle but interesting paradigm shift relating to personalised medicine and the workflow of cancer care (see: Personalized Medicine Redefines How Docs Treat Cancer). Below is ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921765 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:17:43 +0100 4921765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921734&cid=t_98595_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F09%2Facademic_drug_discovery_a_survey.php Nature Reviews Drug Discovery has an interesting survey of academic drug discovery (summary at SciBx here). The authors were motivated, they say, by the large number of opinions and impressions about this topic, with a corresponding lack of actual data - I think they've done everyone a service. What they found was 78 centers of academic drug discovery (in one form or another) in the US. Cancer and infectious diseases are the most widely worked-on, but tropical and orphan diseases make a strong showing (and I'm glad to see this; they should). Another interesting stat: "49% of targets being investigated are based on unique discoveries that had little validation in the literature". But when we say "drug discovery", we should really be saying "very early stage drug discovery", with little or... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921734 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:20:48 +0100 4921734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911619&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fharmonizing-provider-directory-standards Two weeks ago, I wrote about a strawman for embracing internet-based standards to support the provider directory services needed by health information exchanges. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911619 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:49:07 +0100 4911619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911833&cid=t_98595_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Ffda-gearing-up-to-regulate-apps-and-social-media-or-not-2.html I have gotten used to a degree of vacillation from the FDA regarding various lab regulatory issues. A  recent chapter in this drama was the agency's ambiguity about lab tests originally called IVDMIAs and subsequently referred to as laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Now comes news that the agency may, or may not, regulate medical smartphone/tablet (i.e., mobile) apps and the use of social media by pharmaceutical companies (see: FDA Reportedly Gearing Up to Regulate Apps). Below is an excerpt from the article: From a no less august source than American Medical News comes a report that the FDA is considering the regulation of medical apps.  See “FDA Signals it Will Regulate Medical Apps“.   The article quotes a source who relayed that at a town hall meeting h... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911833 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:03:11 +0100 4911833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911819&cid=t_98595_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpiJzMoYrTX4%2F And yet another country wants to get tough on the interactions between docs and drugmakers. This time, India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals is proposing an updated Uniform Code of Marketing Practice for drugmakers that would tighten rules on doling out samples and encounters between docs and reps. The revised code, which is voluntary, would also improve procedures for reporting complaints. Among the dictums: the code requires employees who draft promotional materials to be familiar with the rules; promotional material such as mailings and journal ads must not be designed to disguise their real nature, and sales reps “must not employ any inducement or subterfuge to gain an interview. They must not pay, under any guise, for access to a healthcare professional.” In general,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911819 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:01:56 +0100 4911819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911620&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Flost-translation-clinical-decision-making-and-need-lab-data-standards The HITECH initiative and the promise of effectively coordinated care are fundamentally based on the adoption of standards as an integral part of the larger adoption of healthcare information technology. Numerous types of standards are being promoted, including messaging standards, secure communication standards and data standards. But perhaps, some of the most important standards are those that are not being enforced. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911620 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:35:04 +0100 4911620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911621&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fnew-apple-developments-will-likely-spur-mobile-health-innovation If you’re reading this blog, you most likely saw the pop-up/interstitial Intel ad that asks “Is Cloud Computing Right for You?” Steve Jobs apparently thinks so. The Apple impresario announced the company’s most talked-about offering, iCloud, at its Worldwide Developers Conference this week, among a number of other new developments that have stirred Apple fans to new heights of evangelism. Mashable.com staffers have been keeping up with conference developments and announcements pretty well. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911621 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:11:59 +0100 4911621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911622&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fconnected-health-technology-first-or-people For some reason of late, I’ve noticed the tagline of the automobile insurance company, Esurance. In case you haven’t seen it, it goes like this: “Technology when you want it, people when you don’t.” When I first heard this, I thought it would be a good tagline for connected health. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911622 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:12:24 +0100 4911622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902521&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fovercrowding-er-spurs-new-facility-development Even before accounting for the mass influx of Americans rushing to hospitals’ emergency departments from healthcare reform, EDs are in serious need of fine tuning as over crowding and escalating inpatient costs are on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emergency department visits increased 117 million from 2007 to 2008 and it shows no sign of slowing. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902521 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:21:14 +0100 4902521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902522&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmeaningful-delivery The objective of meaningful use is to improve patient outcomes, which requires much more than a certified IT system. To truly achieve meaningful use, operations need to be in place to deliver meaningful care. I would submit that workflow, dataflow, operations and processes need to come to the forefront during the preparation for meaningful use. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902522 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:14:58 +0100 4902522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902523&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fits-about-information-not-technology On Thursday (June 2), I joined other speakers at the IBM Healthcare Leadership Exchange, Transforming Healthcare, held at the Chicago IBM Transformation Center. My keynote presentation focused on “Healthcare in the US,” which seemed to balance the morning with the opening keynote by Susan J Hyatt, BSc (PT), MBA, CEO HyattDIO, Inc., Ontario, Canada, who discussed “Global Lessons on Delivering Strategic Healthcare Wins.” No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902523 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:17:00 +0100 4902523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902524&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcda-levels-interoperability The need for interoperability is readily apparent in the healthcare industry. But what does interoperability mean with regards to richness of data? The CDA document is defined with three different levels of interoperability: No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902524 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:20:28 +0100 4902524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902525&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Frip-and-replace-atlanta-thrasher-fans-feel-providers-pain I’ve never given much thought to the similarities between the National Hockey League and the painful process I’ve heard referred to in the healthcare IT world as “rip and replace,” whereby a healthcare facility completely rips out an entire IT system for any number of reasons to replace it – usually - with a more modern, efficient and cost-effective product. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902525 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:17:25 +0100 4902525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902526&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhitech-revises-hipaa-regulations HIPAA regulations long on the books require that covered entities (i.e. health care providers, payors and clearinghouses) provide patients with accounting of disclosures of their protected health information (PHI) for any purpose other than treatment, payment or health care operations (TPO). The HITECH Act upped the ante, requiring accounting of disclosures of PHI for TPO as well. Regs implementing this requirement were to be keyed off of the meaningful use regs, and they have now arrived. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902526 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:39:45 +0100 4902526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902527&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhit-lessons-learned-scotland My trip to Scotland provided a remarkable opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences. Scotland has nearly 100% adoption of electronic health records among general practioners and is making good progress in hospitals with innovative built/bought inpatient systems. As in most countries, health information exchange is still evolving, but novel databases supporting disease management at the community level and an emergency care summary exchange are already live. Here's what I learned while in Scotland: No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902527 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:33:08 +0100 4902527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883714&cid=t_98595_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fphysicians-move-hospital-employment Physician employment by health systems is surging.  According to a 2009 poll by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 65% of physicians who changed jobs in 2009 moved into a hospital employment model. Additionally, almost half of new fellows across all specialties agreed to become hospital employees. This shift in employment is also shifting the medical real estate market. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883714 Tue, 31 May 2011 12:18:40 +0100 4883714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4876473&cid=t_98595_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FNumKmYkZXMY%2F Tweet Steve O’Grady has written a blog post about a recent talk he gave at OSBC. In the post he welcomes the Age of Data. The talk covers two topics of great interest, software and data. In the context of the life sciences I have worked on both the “data as a product” side and on the packaged software side. He notes that none of the top “software” companies in the world are of recent vintage. These are companies making money from selling software (a really difficult business in the sciences). He argues that data driven products is where the market is. The success of Google and others is a testament to this, but in the sciences the entire model of data as product has never worked. I would argue that this is partly cause we’ve always sold the data itself ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4876473 Sun, 29 May 2011 00:38:14 +0100 4876473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872471&cid=t_98595_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpHHGMxSsWCQ%2F So how is this for subtlety? A journal ad for the Yasmin contraceptive pill sold by Bayer noted that the med had a beneficial effect on acne, fluid retention, hirsutism and premenstrual symptoms. At the same time, much smaller type mentioned that acne and fluid retention may be uncommon side effects and that Yasmin is not licensed as a treatment for any of the four afflictions. And so a general practitioner in the UK filed a complaint with the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, which is responsible for administering the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s practice code. The anonymous doc believed it was “highly unethical” to put misleading info into an ad and that patents could be placed at an unnecessary risk. The upshot? A review panel found... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872471 Fri, 27 May 2011 17:32:33 +0100 4872471