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 'integrity'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:01:37 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062531&cid=t_111408_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FEOeADXNNGTg%2F Every now and then I get pissed off by an e-mail sent to me. It doesn’t happen very often, perhaps once every six months or so, but it does happen. And when it does, it’s nearly always because of the same reason. Deciding to give all my ebooks away on Saturday was an impulse decision that I didn’t really think through. I was in on my own as the wife had taken the dogs Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062531 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:54:52 +0100 5062531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028069&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fcase-of-bleeding-heart-prosecutors-how.html ConclusionsThis seems to be the most recently documented example of important but overlooked, or concealed changes in government policies that have enabled the health care system to become more unethical, dishonest and corrupt, and hence more dysfunctional.Here we discussed a Supreme Court decision interpreting US anti-trust law that has been used to prevent medical societies from enforcing ethical rules, and hence helped medicine to become increasingly commercialized, and to increasingly put money ahead of patient care.Here we discussed little discussed legislation from 1945 that allowed US insurance companies/ managed care organizations to avoid federal anti-trust investigation and enforcement, and hence to increased market power.Here we discussed failure of the executive branch, an... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028069 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:09:00 +0100 5028069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934028&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Ftwo-more-settlements-one-more-corporate.html And the legal settlements for health care organizations keep right on marching along.  Here are the basics, per the Wall Street Journal, starting with the outline of the first settlement for Novo Nordisk:Drug maker Novo Nordisk A/S's U.S. affiliate has agreed to pay more than $25 million to end investigations by U.S. authorities related to the marketing of NovoSeven and several diabetes drugs.In one settlement, Novo Nordisk Inc., the U.S. affiliate, agreed to pay $25 million to end a probe and settle a civil lawsuit related to alleged improper marketing practices regarding Novo Seven, which is used to treat patients suffering from rare bleeding disorders. The complaint had alleged that Novo Nordisk promoted NovoSeven for unapproved uses. Here is the outline of the second settlement:Se... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934028 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:12:00 +0100 4934028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911824&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FAutTWJ-YZYs%2F Faced with growing challenges in clinical trials, manufacturing and drug safety - among many other issues - the FDA has decided to elevate the Office of Compliance to a so-called Super Office on a par with others in the Center For Drug Evaluation and Research, such as the Office of New Drugs, the Office of Pharmaceutical Science and the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology. The responsibilities will include ensuring compliance with requirements for good manufacturing practice, good clinical practice, human subject protection, adverse event and drug quality reporting, REMS, drug labeling, drug approval, drug importation, and supply chain integrity, among others, according to a memo from CDER director Janet Woodcock. And the new super compliance office will also have three officewide func... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911824 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:06:07 +0100 4911824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820781&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fwas-wright-medical-ceo-really-pleased.html This story fits into the "if you believed that one, I have a bridge to sell you" category.  Let's go back seven months to 2010, when we discussed the legal settlement, which included submission to deferred prosecution and corporate integrity agreements by Wright Medical, a device manufacturer.  We noted that the company CEO, one Gary D Henley, said he was "pleased to announce these agreements and look[ing] forward to working with the independent monitor as we continue our commitment to the highest standards of ethical and legal conduct."  At the time, we wondered whether the only real reason he was pleased was that he got to keep his job (with total compensation of greater than $2 million a year) and hang onto his stock options (then consisting of 43... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820781 Fri, 13 May 2011 20:21:00 +0100 4820781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670169&cid=t_111408_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F03%2Fhas-psychiatry-really-abandoned-psychotherapy-the-story-behind-the-new-york-times-story%2F A fifteen-minute med check, a ‘scrip for some Prozac, and you’re outta here, buddy! You got other problems? Talk to your therapist! If the front-page article in the March 6 New York Times1 can be believed — and who wouldn’t believe America’s “Paper of Record”? — this is essentially what the practice of American psychiatry has become. But how accurate was the Times’ portrait of outpatient psychiatry? How grounded was it in the best available research? And given the roughly 30,000 psychiatrists in the U.S., how clear a picture can we get by peering through the eyes of one beleaguered practitioner who believes that psychotherapy is no longer “economically viable”? As an occasional contributor to the Times who has great respect for its journalistic integrity, I’m sorr... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670169 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:30:58 +0100 4670169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349514&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-the-term-patient-is-so-important-in-healthcare%2F2011.01.14 An online friend, col­league, and out­spoken patient advocate, Trisha Torrey, has an ongoing e-vote about whether people prefer to be called a “patient,” a “con­sumer,” a “cus­tomer,” or some other noun to describe a person who receives healthcare. My vote is: PATIENT. Here’s why: Providing medical care is or should be unlike other com­mercial trans­ac­tions. The doctor, or other person who gives medical treatment, has a special pro­fes­sional and moral oblig­ation to help the person who’s receiving his or her treatment. This respon­si­bility — to heal, hon­estly and to the best of one’s ability — over­rides any other com­mit­ments, or con­flicts, between the two. The term “patient” con­stantly reminds the doctor of the spe­cialness of... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349514 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:00:02 +0100 4349514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265627&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Felan-eisai-settle-for-related-reasons.html The parade of legal settlements of bad behavior by major health care organizations marches on. The latest to shuffle by are Elan Corp, based in Ireland, and Eisai Inc, based in Japan, for actions taken in the US.  According to Bloomberg:Elan Corp. will pay $203 million and a U.S. unit of the Irish drugmaker will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge to resolve an investigation of its marketing of the epilepsy medicine Zonegran.Elan will pay $102.9 million to resolve civil claims and $100 million in criminal fines and forfeitures, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Japanese drugmaker Eisai Inc., which bought the drug from Elan in 2004 for $128.5 million, also will pay $11 million to settle civil claims.The Elan Pharmaceuticals unit will plead guilty in federal court in ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265627 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0100 4265627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045055&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fanother-wheel-already-invented-in-1988.html At the 2010 Gezonde Scepsis (Healthy Skepticism) "Selling Sickness" conference, I was made aware of another wheel invented a long time ago, the 1988 WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion, a document about which few now seem to be aware.  Were this code to have been widely followed, it might have prevented some of the problems afflicting the pharmaceutical industry today.Some relevant quotes follow:Drug Promotion6. In this context, 'promotion' refers to all informational and persuasive activities by manufacturers and distributors, the effect of which is to induce the prescription, supply, purchase and/or use of medicinal drugs.7. Active promotion within a country should take place only with respect to drugs legally available in the country. Promotion should be in keeping wi... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045055 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:05:00 +0100 4045055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031186&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fwright-medical-settles-but-wait-there.html Everyone loves a parade, and so the parade of legal settlements by prominent health care organizations continues.  The latest to march into view is Wright Medical Group, as reported by Bloomberg:Wright Medical Technology Inc. agreed to pay $7.9 million to resolve U.S. criminal and civil investigations into whether it paid kickbacks to induce doctors to use its hip and knee devices.Prosecutors in Newark, New Jersey, today charged Wright with conspiring to violate a federal anti-kickback statue through consulting contracts with orthopedic surgeons. The U.S. agreed to drop the case in 12 months if a monitor agrees that Wright has reformed the way it hires consultants.Wright, based in Arlington, Tennessee, also agreed to a $7.9 million civil settlement with the Justice Department and insp... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031186 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:51:00 +0100 4031186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013111&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fthat-wheel-was-already-invented-un.html For five years now, we have been writing about concentration and abuse of power in health care, and on specific tactics used predominantly by large health care organizations that threaten the values that physicians and other health care professionals once swore to uphold.Pharmaceutical companies may not have been the worst offenders when it came to threatening these values, but they have not been laggards.  Specific issues we have discussed included (in a peculiar order that I will explain in a minute): failure of the companies' boards of directors to be accountable for misbehavior by its management, sometimes associated with conflicts of interest affecting these board members (e.g., this recent case); outright crime and corruption (e.g., this case); use of key opinion leaders paid by... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013111 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 21:37:00 +0100 4013111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753770&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fnew-cms-chief-donald-berwick-trojan.html On July 7, President Obama appointed Dr. Donald Berwick as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician, is well known as the CEO of the non-profit Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), which "exists to close the enormous gap between the health care we have and the health care we should have — a gap so large in the US that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2001 called it a 'quality chasm'.” Dr. Berwick was one of the authors of that IOM report. His IHI has been a major player in the patient safety movement, most notably with its "100,000 Lives Campaign" and, more recently, its "5 Million Lives Campaign."Berwick's CMS gig is a "recess appointment": it was made during the Senate's July 4th recess period, without a formal confir... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753770 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:33:00 +0100 3753770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3635705&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fattempt-to-hold-health-care-leaders.html We have frequently noted how health care organizations accused of kickbacks, fraud, and other unethical and sometimes illegal behavior involving how they produce or market health care products or services often are allowed to settle the charges only with a fines to the companies, and sometimes with corporate integrity agreements.  Almost never are the people who authorized, directed, or implemented the unethical behavior required to pay any sort of penalty.  We recently commented on a case in which an executive of a medical device company accused of exaggerating the performance of a diagnostic test in development was charged, not with misleading doctors or patients by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but with misleading investors by the US Securities... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3635705 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:30:00 +0100 3635705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526708&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fsunday-settlement-and-guilty-plea.html Here we go again.  AstraZeneca / SeroquelWe have posted frequently about allegations of devious marketing techniques used by AstraZeneca to promote its blockbuster atypical anti-psychotic drug Seroquel (quetiapine.)  See our posts here, here, here, here, and here.  Now, as reported by the New York Times, it is time for AZ to settle with the US government.AstraZeneca has completed a deal to pay $520 million to settle federal investigations into marketing practices for its blockbuster schizophrenia drug, Seroquel, the Attorney General, Eric Holder, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. 'AstraZeneca paid kickbacks to doctors as part of an illegal scheme to market drugs for unapproved uses,' Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services, said at the event in W... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526708 Sun, 02 May 2010 20:49:00 +0100 3526708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508449&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F7UyDiZlYCdo%2F The drugmaker has formally agreed to a settlement with US Department of Justice that calls for paying $520 million to resolve charges that it improperly marketed its widely used Seroquel antipsychotic for unapproved uses, The New York Times reports. The deal is expected to be announced in the morning. Although a corporate integrity agreement is part of the deal, there are no criminal charges. This is not surprising, though. A settlement was expected ever since AstraZeneca set aside the money last fall to resolve two federal investigations and two whistleblower lawsuits over off-label marketing (background). The move also followed huge fines paid by Pfizer and Eli Lilly last year. The investigation, which was underway at the same time that AstraZeneca has been battling numerous lawsuits ov... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508449 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:35:46 +0100 3508449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3504875&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fblogscan-cmss-new-ethics-code-analyzed.html The Council of Medical Specialty Societies got some good press for its new code of ethics regarding medical associations' interaction with industry.  Two of the best skeptical bloggers about health care dissected the code, suggesting it will not be as tough as it was cracked up to be.  See these posts by Dr Daniel Carlat on the Carlat Psychiatry Blog and by Dr Howard Brody on the Hooked: Ethics, Medicine and Pharma blog. (Source: Health Care Renewal) Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3504875 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:52:00 +0100 3504875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266874&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fmerck-settles-another-vioxx-case.html All the shenanigans that went on in the course of Merck's marketing of the now withdrawn Cox-2 inhibitor non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx have provided grist for the Health Care Renewal mill since 2005.  For example, see these posts:- here about ghost-writing of a Vioxx research publication; - here, and here about allegations that Merck executives tried to intimidate Vioxx critics; - here about how advocates of an extreme laissez faire approach to regulation of health care corporations used illogical arguments about the Vioxx case; - here about how an apparently major clinical trial of Vioxx turned out to be a "seeding trial," that is, a study really meant to recruit supposed physician-researchers as prescribers; and - here about how one once promine... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266874 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:18:00 +0100 3266874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178747&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fwhy-are-health-care-organizations.html In conclusion, I asked readers to think about whether their own health care organization had anything resembling such a policy.  I suspect few could identify such policies.  Health care professionals need to inquire why health care organizations, including drug, device, biotechnology and health care information technology companies,  health care insurers, to hospitals, academic medical centers, and medical schools, etc, almost never have real organizational ethics policies.  Of course, the suspicion is that lack of such policies makes it easier for insiders to direct the organization for their personal benefit.  At least if we could make such policies the norm, we could remind organizational leaders that they are supposed to be upholding the mission, not linin... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178747 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:22:00 +0100 3178747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3120436&cid=t_111408_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fauthenticity-as-aesthetic-or-what-is.html In the Forward, Jay Michaelson says that "the myth of authenticity has got to go." In the liberal circles that he and I travel, this claim isn't all that surprising or challenging. I believe he's mostly talking to those of us whose subconscious, when asked to provide the image of an archetypal Jew, summons up a fundamentalist of our time or a prehistorical figure - anything but one of our own hyphenated, conflicted kind. But the hyphenations and conflicts, say Michaelson, are part and parcel - perhaps even the most admirable element - of Judaism. Most of what we value is transient, and always in flux.What should we pursuing if not this myth? Michaelson gives several rephrasings of what I presume is meant to be the same idea: whatever religious, literary, or cultural form "speaks to the dep... Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3120436 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:50:00 +0100 3120436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008331&cid=t_111408_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fglucose-measurement-in-your-ear-for-real.html A gentleman cornered me at the Diabetes Technology Society meeting earlier this month, and said he wanted to talk non-invasive glucose monitoring.  How could I resist? He said his name was Avner Gal, from Israel. He pulled out a chunky little MP3-looking device, and plugged in a cord with a small clamp on the end. Then [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008331 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:23 +0100 3008331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992644&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fomnicare-ivax-settle.html Settlements and kickbacks and corporate integrity agreements, oh my (to the tune of "lions and tigers and bears, oh my")To quote the BusinessWeek version of the story:A $112 million settlement involving alleged drug kickbacks that the Justice Dept. announced with the nation's largest nursing home pharmacy and a generic drug manufacturer on Nov. 3 is part of a wide-ranging investigation of suspected Medicaid fraud by the pharmaceutical industry.Under Tuesday's settlement, Omnicare will pay $98 million plus interest to the federal government and a number of state Medicaid programs to settle allegations that it participated in kickback schemes with IVAX, J&J [Johnson & Johnson], and two nursing home chains. IVAX, a subsidiary of Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA), agreed t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2992644 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:46:00 +0100 2992644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923228&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Forganisational-ethics-policies-primer.html I regret that it took me so long to find an essay on "Organisational Ethics Policies" by Howard Whitton, available from the European U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Center. While it was written with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who "administer aid programs" in mind, it seems applicable to all kinds of NGOs and not-for-profit organizations, including those in health care. In the US, most medical schools and their parent universities, most hospitals and academic medical centers, essentially all medical societies and disease advocacy groups, and some insurance companies and managed care organizations are not-for-profit.The main points of the paper are its summaries of the basic elements of "effective ethics policies."First, such a policy- must first have unequivocal authori... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923228 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:38:00 +0100 2923228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871531&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fpfizer-in-guise-of-pharmacia-pfound-to.html It was only a month ago that Pfizer Inc, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, submitted to a gargantuan $2.3 billion settlement and yet another corporate integrity agreement. As we posted here, this was the company's fourth major settlement of charges of unethical marketing behavior since 2002.Now Pfizer is in trouble again. As reported by the AP,A judge on Tuesday imposed $4.5 million in forfeitures on prescription drug company Pharmacia Inc.[a Pfizer Inc subsidiary] for misrepresenting prices and defrauding Wisconsin's Medicaid system.A jury in February found that Pharmacia violated the state's Medicaid fraud law 1.44 million times over a decade. State Justice Department attorneys had demanded about $212 million in forfeitures, but Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess said juro... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871531 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:01:00 +0100 2871531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2851718&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fintermune-executive-convicted-of-fraud.html From today's New York Times comes word of an unusual legal case,In a verdict that could strike fear into pharmaceutical industry executive suites, the former head of a drug company was convicted of wire fraud Tuesday for issuing what federal prosecutors called a misleading press release that contributed to off-label sales of his company’s drug.But the executive, W. Scott Harkonen, the former chief executive of InterMune, was acquitted by the federal jury in San Francisco of a related charge of off-label marketing itself, known as 'misbranding,' the Justice Department said.The case was unusual because off-label marketing cases are often settled with the company paying a fine. It is rare for prosecutors to press charges against individual executives.'Today’s verdict demonstrates that pha... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851718 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:53:00 +0100 2851718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774584&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fpfour-legal-settlements-for-pfizer-why.html We recently posted about Pfizer's $2.3 billion dollar settlement with the US government (here), which we first mentioned six months ago (here). It is worth reviewing what we know about this settlement. We will start with quoted from the article by Gardiner Harris writing in the New York Times. We will also use quotes from other articles listed below:A Big Settlement(from the NYT)The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations that it had illegally marketed its painkiller Bextra, which has been withdrawn.It was the largest health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine of any kind ever. The penalties include a very large criminal fine, an even larger civil fine, and a corporate integrity agreement (from the NYT).Under the agree... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774584 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:08:00 +0100 2774584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757695&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Ffighting-corruption-in-health-care.html The August issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health featured a number of articles on conflicts of interest (COI) and medical and public health education and research. One notable contribution included authors from the German chapter of Transparency International (Spelsberg A, Martiny A, Schoenhoefer PS. Is disclosure of potential conflicts of interest in medicine and public health sufficient to increase transparency and decrease corruption. J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; 63: 603-605. Link here, requires subscription.) Transparency International is a major international NGO respected for its stand against corruption, and for transparency and integrity.The article's major premises deserve quotation:When Transparency International was founded in 1993, the focus for fighti... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757695 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:49:00 +0100 2757695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703957&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=36939&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscientific-misconduct.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fconsultation.html A hallmark of the UK NuLabour government is the sham public "consultation". Over recent months, Universities have been "consulted" on new procedures for self investigation (and effective cover-up) of research fraud (see consultation). The General Medical Council is "consulting" about their (already reasonable) guidance for doctors who fake research - while they fail to deal with actual doctors who have brought shame on the clinical research enterprise. The GMC is also "consulting" on how it could "improve its procedures for handling Fitness to Practice cases".Much of what passes for "consultation" is theater designed to create an illusion that serious problems with these organisations are being addressed. I have yet to see actual examples of regulatory integrity lapses, cover-up and cock-u... Scientific Misconduct Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703957 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:45:00 +0100 2703957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406285&cid=t_111408_167_f&fid=37833&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutrition.edublogs.org%2F2009%2F05%2F12%2Fusing-humor-and-youtube-to-educate-about-plagiarism%2F Plagiarism or misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own is generally not an amusing topic. These three YouTube clips demonstrate how using a bit of humor along with a video recording can produce some amusing results that are also educational. Because of plagiarism issues in the online course, I have had to change the instruction on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. The first two of these videos will be used in the “Copy and Paste Generation: Promoting Academic Integrity and Preventing Plagiarism” presentation for the Online Teaching Conference at Cabrillo College this June in Aptos. I included the third one because it was so funny. Plagiarism - Don’t Do It The Plagiarism - Don’t Do It video was modeled after identity theft videos. Plagiarism - Identity... Nutrition and Wellness Biology 50 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406285 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:09:31 +0100 2406285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405118&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Firs-changes-form-990-to-make-not-for.html In the US, many important health care organizations are not-for-profit organizations. Many US medical schools, and other health educational institutions, along with their parent universities are not-for-profit. (Essentially all the exceptions are supported by local or state government.) The majority of US hospitals and hospital systems, including academic medical centers, are not-for-profit. Some managed care organizations are not-for-profit. Medical and professional societies, health care advocacy groups, health care charities, and a variety of other groups are not-for-profit.Not-for-profit health care organizations here have hardly been immune from leadership and governance problems. We have discussed numerous instances of ill-informed, conflicted, and even corrupt leadership of these or... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405118 Mon, 11 May 2009 19:15:00 +0100 2405118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2200624&cid=t_111408_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FvDJgd9vaGjg%2F Just these past weeks I read about three articles about misconduct of postdoctoral fellows and research scientists. The first was from a UCLA professor who falsified data on cancer treatment research, and used the data for grants and a publication. In 2005, Mai Nguyen was barred from conducting research for three years, but she has since published 10 articles under her married name, and continues to teach at UCLA. The second misconduct came from a UCSF postdoctoral fellow who changed her own data files (36 files!) and changed images from another researcher’s experiments. None of Nima Afshar’s results were published anywhere, and she is nowhere to be found at the time the report came out last week. The latest was from an NIH postdoctoral fellow who changed gel images to get the desire... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2200624 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:04:00 +0100 2200624 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160333&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Faetna-settles.html As reported by the Hartford Courant:Aetna will reimburse more than $5.1 million on 73,000 health claims for college students it underpaid between 1998 and April 1, 2008, under a nationwide agreement announced Monday by New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo.The claims involved out-of-network care in which Aetna Student Health — formerly called Chickering Student Health — paid physicians what it considered reasonable and customary. Doctors whose charges were higher could bill students for the balance.Aetna will reimburse students if they paid such a balance. If a student wasn't balance-billed, Aetna will reimburse the doctor. The company says its under-payments averaged $25 each nationwide.The inadequate claim payments stem from outdated information that Aetna and other insurers used... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160333 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:07:00 +0100 2160333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1968645&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Flets-do-what-is-right-regardless-of.html There was a column in yesterday's SF Chronicle that dealt with the mortgage crisis. That issue is way beyond our scope here, but one point made by the writer hit my SHS nerve endings. From the column, "Are You an Idiot to Keep Paying Your Mortgage?":But what about the moral obligation to pay off a debt?Elected officials have been chipping away at that by blaming the foreclosure crisis largely on predatory lenders. In a campaign fact sheet, President-elect Barack Obama says he "recognizes that the real victims in the subprime mortgage crisis are not the lenders, but the millions of borrowers who followed the rules and whose only crime was taking out mortgages that lenders told them they could afford."That should be irrelevant. Whatever the government's policies, we should do the right thing... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1968645 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0100 1968645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947099&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fyet-more-investigations-of-umdnj.html We have frequently discussed the plight of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), the largest health care university in the US. Facing indictment for federal crimes, the university operated under a deferred prosecution agreement and the supervision of a federal monitor from 2005 to 2007. We most recently blogged about UMDNJ here, and see links backward.UMDNJ may no longer be under the monitor's supervision, ostensibly because of internal reforms of its management, but a recent story on NJ.com from the Newark Star-Ledger questioned the success of these reforms.The state's medical university was overcharging the federal government by millions of dollars, even while under federal oversight for similar violations of the law, according to internal reports.Those document... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947099 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:18:00 +0100 1947099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933523&cid=t_111408_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHEALTH%2F%7E3%2FyusvpAsvq6k%2F This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. Other Articles You May LikeNIH Increases Support for High-risk Large-impact Biomedical ResearchFunding of Childhood Cancer, NF Research in JeopardyFlat Funding of Biomedical Research: The Threat to America’s HealthLack of Health Insurance Increases Risk of Cancer DeathPhysician Profiling (Source: Highlight HEALTH) Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933523 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:48:29 +0100 1933523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1841253&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F406366468%2F This looks to be the biggest such case involving a biotech. And this involves three - count ‘em, three - drugs that were allegedly marketed for years on an off-label basis in order to greatly widen the potential patient populations, according to court documents. The Cephalon payment includes $375 million in a nationwide Medicaid fraud settlement and $50 million for a corporate criminal plea (here’s the settlement agreement). The drugs in question - Actiq, a “medicated lozenge on a handle” approved only for pain in cancer patients and later linked to some 100 deaths; the Gabitril epilepsy med for adults and children over 12 years, but was pitched as an alternative to Valium and Zanax, and for treating for depression; and Provigil, a narcolepsy med that was promoted f... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1841253 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:43:39 +0100 1841253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652286&cid=t_111408_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Famerigroup-settles.html Another addition to the cavalcade of settlements, from the Virginian-Pilot,Amerigroup Corp., which faced $334 million of damage awards and court-imposed penalties from a Medicaid fraud suit in Chicago, said Tuesday that it will pay the U.S. government and state of Illinois $225 million to settle the civil case.As part of an agreement struck with federal and state agencies, the Virginia Beach-based health insurer said it also will pay $9 million in legal fees, but it will not admit any wrongdoing.However, Amerigroup said it also will enter into a corporate-integrity agreement with the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that provides part of the funding for state Medicaid programs.The suit's plaintiffs - a former Amerigroup employee, the stat... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652286 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:31:00 +0100 1652286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516779&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F311280258%2F In response to criticism, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which is an alliance of 21 leading cancer centers, has decided to expand its disclosure policy and make public all potential conflicts of interest of all individual expert panel members by the end of 2008. The move, which was made last week, followed complaints that the NCCN’s Drugs and Biologics Compendium for failing to disclose corporate ties of the 20 to 24 experts who sit on 44 guideline-writing panels. Instead, the NCCN listed all companies that gave money or research support to any committee member without listing any specific member or the amount given. The compendium may be used by Medicare to justify reimbursement for off-label use of cancer drugs. Historically, the NCCN has disclosed the names of companie... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516779 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:13:02 +0100 1516779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1278315&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F245558858%2F The Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General is likely to start requiring disclosure of consulting relationships with doctors as part of settlement agreements with drugmakers in the coming year, according to The RPM Report. The arrangement will likely mirror what several device makers are now doing. You may recall that, last fall, four medical device implant makers - Zimmer, DePuy Orthopaedics, Biomet, Smith & Nephew - signed deals with the US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey to address allegations they used “consulting agreements, lavish trips and other perks” as marketing and sales tools. So they signed Deferred Prosecution Agreements and made payments of about $300 million. But that wasn’t all. The prosecutors required them to create lists of all of ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1278315 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:11:00 +0100 1278315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1256405&cid=t_111408_158_f&fid=36160&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeinstitute.com%2Fcaregivingminutes%2F%3Fp%3D43 “What’s Your Motivation?” A great question that we should all ask ourselves before we make a decision or take action. This question came from a middle-aged caregiver who called Pope Institute seeking help for her mom to continue to age at home. She was married, degreed (as all of my middle aged clients have been), and she was on a mission. Among her many background focused questions, she asked me what was my motivation in starting Pope Institute. I must admit, that was a first from anyone other than an interviewer. I find it an easy question to answer. You see, everyone in “elder care” has a motivation: a sick parent prompts someone with no health or elder care experience to enter the market or a professional with many years of experience in the industry feels compelled to “d... CaregivingMinutes™ by Pope Institute blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1256405 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:39:29 +0100 1256405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1148242&cid=t_111408_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F216207144%2Ftop_5_traits_for_2008_leaders.html If you were asked to list the top traits a stellar leader needs for 2008 ... what would these traits be? Since I’ve been asked just that … I began to observe leaders who I expect will reach new peaks in the coming year. Their strengths?1. Integrity to hardwire for  ethical behavior. 2. Curiosity to discover as Einstein did. 3. Vision for inventions that drive the markets. 4. Entrepreneurship to unleash multiple intelligences across a firm. 5. Problem solving skills to strike as many solutions as barriers.Do you know leaders with these strengths? Perhaps you're developing one or two yourself. If so … expect a good year in business … because you’ll come to the table well equipped with a winning edge.What trait would you like to see most used&nbs... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1148242 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 03:05:35 +0100 1148242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1126436&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F209955350%2F Most of the 27 members of an American Psychiatric Association task force that is updating the psychiatrist’s bible - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, have financial ties to pharma, and several failed to disclose significant aspects of their relationships when the panel was announced last July, according to a recent story in US News and World Report. The APA sought to pursue the “most transparent” policy possible, after the last edition of the DSM contained newly named disorders that were seized on by drugmakers and a 2006 study showed that more than half of the researchers who worked on that manual had at least one financial tie to pharma, the mag writes. But the summaries of the disclosure statements that were recently released to the pu... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1126436 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:46:34 +0100 1126436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1015911&cid=t_111408_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F181979143%2F The drugmaker struck a deal with the US Attorney in Philadelphia, and will sign a corporate integrity agreement after agreeing to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The probe reportedly focused on whether Cephalon sales reps were improperly marketing its Provigil narcolepsy drug, which docs have prescribed to treat depression and ADHD. The settlement doesn’t come as a surprise. Cephalon has been under a microscope for off-label marketing for awhile. Last February, the FDA sent the drugmaker a warning letter ordering an end to promotional material for Provigil that included claims that the drug could be used to treat fatigue, which isn’t an approved use. Two months ago, Cephalon sent letters to docs this week warning that several deaths have been linked... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1015911 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:30:39 +0100 1015911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=738986&cid=t_111408_154_f&fid=35773&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.openmedicine.ca%2Fnode%2F50 MMR vaccineDr. Andrew Wakefield, a respected British gastroenterologist and lead author on a 1998 Lancet MMR-vaccine-Autism study, has been accused by the U.K. General Medical Council of conducting unnecessary procedures on children and of coordinating bogus research in alliance with a group of lawyers for autism patients. (See Wikipedia article on Wakefield). The study in question stated that the combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, administered around the world, puts children at risk of autism or bowel disease. The findings, and the subsequent media coverage, led many parents to refuse to vaccinate their children. However, since then, ten of the original 13 researchers have renounced the study, and its conclusions. The article itself was retracted by Lancet. Scientific miscon... Open Medicine Blog - blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=738986 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:56:12 +0100 738986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551444&cid=t_111408_140_f&fid=35440&url=http%3A%2F%2Fspiritualemergency.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F01%2Fspirituality-trauma.html Traumatic experiences force victims to face issues lying outside the boundaries of personal and collective frames of reference. As a result they are forced to confront psychological and spiritual challenges that are unfamiliar to the average person. Therapists need to recognise that organisations of self and God are often thrown into question or destroyed by experiences of trauma. The deconstructive power of trauma exposes the lack of substance and cohesiveness that comprises identity and images of God.Initially, trauma is grounded in pain, loss, and fear. Often it leads to breakdowns. Ultimately, with proper support and guidance, it has the potential to transform individuals into compassionate and deeply spiritual beings. Traumatic events expose victims to aspects of life that most would ... Spiritual Emergency blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551444 Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:27:00 +0100 551444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551443&cid=t_111408_140_f&fid=35440&url=http%3A%2F%2Fspiritualemergency.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F01%2Fspirituality-that-transforms.html In a series of books (e.g., A Sociable God, Up from Eden, and The Eye of Spirit), I have tried to show that religion itself has always performed two very important, but very different, functions.One, it acts as a way of creating meaning for the separate self: it offers myths and stories and tales and narratives and rituals and revivals that, taken together, help the separate self make sense of, and endure, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This function of religion does not usually or necessarily change the level of consciousness in a person; it does not deliver radical transformation. Nor does it deliver a shattering liberation from the separate self altogether. Rather, it consoles the self, fortifies the self, defends the self, promotes the self. But two, religion has also ser... Spiritual Emergency blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551443 Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:23:00 +0100 551443