
Not quite Madonna...funny...BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=_uVYKzKW_bM&feature=related …
Not quite Madonna...funny...BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=_uVYKzKW_bM&feature=related …
Dental robots...well these for for training purposes...this one sure is ugly without her skin though...actually pretty scary but a real nice set of teeth! No here yet, just in Japan...BD The days of a guaranteed pain-free visit to the dentist may not be far off thanks to a petite Japanese woman i…
One more time...will it be vetoed again? BD WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After waiting a month, Democratic leaders in Congress said on Friday they would formally send a bill expanding a popular children's health-care program to the White House despite a veto threat. The bill would provide health insuran…
Patients who cannot move their arms can switch on the TV set with a control attached to their forehead. Now this is really cool...all I have to do is twitch my forehead or blow through a plastic straw! Streaming videos...all on the network with it's own IP address...doesn't get much better than t…
EMR = Save a Tree. After reading about the encounter of the big green type, I would have more than respect for Douglas fir trees...good article about going green and using paperless records..BD "Therefore, if every doctor in America was fully electronic, according to the figures provided, we could …
If you're going to seek an imaging procedure such as an MRI or CT scan, you'd better need it. BD New insurance company restrictions this year have cut high-tech scans in Minnesota, preventing those that appear wasteful or unnecessary. Two weeks of back pain might have triggered a scan last year, f…
Better than crash test dummies by all means....BD J.B. may look like a crash-test mannequin, but he’s no dummy.In many ways, he looks and acts like a living person: His eyes blink; his pupils dilate; his chest expands and contracts as he breathes; and if you place a stethoscope on the spot where hi…
A microwave generator emits an electromagnetic wave that agitates water molecules in the surrounding tumor tissue, producing friction and heat that eventually destroy the tumor. BD ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2007) — A cancer treatment that uses microwave energy to shrink or eliminate tumors can be sa…
Scary story...from Phoenix, AZ the closest neurosurgeon was in San Francisco...BD In an emergency room situation the seconds between arriving, diagnosis and treatment can determine whether a patient lives or dies. But a study released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change suggests…
Make sure you have a good anesthesiologist and be sure to not to forget to mention all your medications..there isn't a machine out there yet that can replace a good Anesthesiologist. BD You're supposed to be unconscious from the anesthetic, but suddenly your brain wakes up, so you hear and feel ev…
Doctors say no new patients until the contract is fixed...due to a 4 percent recent cut in rates..BD The state's largest commercial insurer and one of Central Indiana's largest physicians' practices are showing few signs of backing down from their battle over what doctors are paid for their service…
Unless generics are available, many patients don't take their medications if they are out of reach with insurance plans or if they don't have insurance...BD The study that appeared recently in The American Journal of Managed Care analyzed the healthcare use, costs, and behaviors of more than 100,0…
I know all of these programs are good, but do want to ask how many reminders and so on can one human sustain in a day? How many devices does one need to have available...thus I go back to having all of this in one instrument...the phone. BD InforMedix expects that the Med-ePhone system will pro…
From medications to working for Dubai, advising on investments...BD JP Garnier, outgoing chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline, has agreed to join a newly formed advisory board of Dubai International Capital, the Middle East Emirate's $13bn sovereign wealth fund. Mr Garnier, who will take up the posi…
Tourism from other countries creating doctor shortage for Thai citizens...is tourism creating shortages in other countries...BD November 29, 2007 · Millions of people come to Bangkok for medical care. They get everything from face-lifts to heart-bypass operations. These medical tourists have help…
Perhaps lack of sunshine? BD LONDON - Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a "probable" cause of cancer. It is a surprising step validating a concept once considered wacky. And it is based on research that finds higher rates of breast and prosta…
This is one for the Health Care IT Folks...John Halamka, CIO from Beth Israel was kind enough to share...as the hospital continues with it's goal of transparency in the interest of better health care for all...if you are in healthcare IT, this article is well worth reading as well as visiting the en…
Needs I say more regarding security for medical records...BD LONDON (Reuters) - A "cyber cold war" waged over the world's computers threatens to become one of the biggest threats to security in the next decade, according to a report published on Thursday. About 120 countries are developing ways to u…
Need to find the restroom...now you can have a text message sent telling you where the closest one would be if you are in the Westminster area of the UK...the key word is toilet...toilet to text..or text to toilet..BD LONDON (Reuters) - First came SatNav for lost drivers. Now there's "SatLav," a …
Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a total knee replacement surgery. I had a few minutes to check the site and I chose the wrong knee...well that certainly leaves me out as far as being a surgeon...there are a few others on the site such as virtual hip replacements, etc. and you do need to…
He wrote to the Wall Street Journal.....and the hospital wrote off the bill...BD Dawsons cap was $1.5 million but after a staph infection spread throughout his body, he was still stuck with a $1.2 million bill from California Pacific Medical Center. He and was wife were outraged to learn about the …
Check out the list....I hear #6 all the time.....(6. "I hate technology")..good article...use the link below to read the rest..BD 1. "They should put me on the endangered-species list." A good primary-care doctor someone to coordinate your health care, help choose your specialists and be the firs…
8 Slice CT scanner, can be in the office, in an ambulance, etc. and offers both 2D and 3D images....BD NeuroLogica Corporation announced that The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, N.C. is the 50th hospital to purchase its CereTom® portable CT scanner. NeuroLogica has seen widespread …
Robbing Peter to pay Paul? There actually is no pay for performance here, just a readjustment of payments..somebody in the game such as any game will have to lose...sad...looking forward to additional Medicare cuts doesn't make anyone's day...and what it everyone exceeded the guidelines and payment…
Have we finally peaked out? BD A new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released yesterday, 28th November, said that the rate of obesity among adults aged 20 and over in the US appears to be levelling off, and maybe even going down slightly in women, but at around 34 …
Reminds me of the old commercial asking if "Mikey likes it"....we look to polls for just about everything these days and I guess food will be no different....could also hurt the vendor though if their ratings go down when it comes to shelf space..BD OK, I admit it. There are really two questions …
Information on the procedure and band to be available next month...BD Dr. Trace Curry performed surgery and placed the first five RealizeTM Adjustable Gastric Bands in the state of Ohio on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. All five patients are reported as doing well. Dr. Curry was the first surgeon in…
CT Scans are really proving to be useful in so many areas of health care...if you watch CSI - NY, you will see the crime lab routinely using a CT and MRI Scanner, as well as one of our favorite mobility tools, the i440D Tablet from Tablet Kiosk...BD Radiologists are investigating the use of compute…
Trucks and then there are more trucks...mobility is not only with computers and mobile phones today...we have all seen the mobile MRI trucks...now enter the bone density truck...BD GE® Lunar has partnered with Specialty Vehicle Services, LLC. to provide you premium mobile solutions that support an…
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a novel computer technique to search for the side effects of major pharmaceuticals. The study, reported November 30 in PLoS Computational Biology relates to a class of drugs known as Select Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs), wh…
Just get off our "you know what"...interesting study...stand up and don't sit as much...enzymes are suppressed when sitting...BD Scientists have found intriguing evidence that one major reason so many people are overweight these days may be as close as the seat of their pants. Literally. According…
This is the "hard hat" area of the blog ....for the health care IT folks, so feel free to skip this one if you are not in IT as it will not make any sense...but for those readers who are in IT, take a look. Roll out Linux, Windows, etc. on a pre-configured application. Also some nice support for a…
Video about insurers and changing medications to a generic...most of us today would prefer a generic due to price, but there are sometimes additional incentives involved as well as price...BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_JAYbgDS8 …
As most regular readers probably know by now, I am in Southern California. If you have a moment while reading, take a moment out and cast a vote. Dr. Mike found out about the contest for the MRI as a result of reading this blog, so every vote helps! Below the You Tube video is a link to take you…
Great use of the CT scanner to accomplish this...BD CHICAGO (Reuters) - Freezing tumors may help relieve the extreme pain of cancer that has spread to the bone, which is often untouched by narcotics or radiation, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. This freezing process, called cryoablation, is often …
Neat story and wonderful technology....hope to see more of this...BD A bionic hand that restores the sense of touch to amputees could soon be developed thanks to new research that has enabled two patients to feel sensations, new research shows. Claudia Mitchell, 27, a former U.S. Marine who lost he…
More information on what we used to call sleep walking...can be much more to it as this article states..sleep apnea..doing things while we sleep...BD By day, Mike Doyle is a mild-mannered bank executive who lives with his wife in a suburb of Minneapolis. By night, he wanders the house in a deep slu…
Free technology can help here too...take a look at what you can do for free from Microsoft...and a Google toolbar add on will translate for you as well...I have and do use both of these..and if you use MS Office, (not free) you can also easily translate documents...use this one too...and available …
Will your insurance company soon be recommending a visit outside the United States for surgery? Some carriers are already starting to reimburse for some treatments and surgeries out of the country and are buying in to the concept....BD When Doug Duke needed laparoscopic surgery, he knew he would…
Do Nursing Home facilities belong on Wall Street? BD Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. hasn’t set Wall Street on fire in its first six months as a public company. That doesn’t bother its top official.“If you’re a newly traded company (investors) will want to watch a couple of quarters to make sure y…
And they didn't even pay their taxes...health care or profit? BD ST. ALBANS — Following a scathing series of investigative reports by the Hartford Courant in Connecticut, Haven Healthcare, which operates nursing homes throughout New England, has declared bankruptcy. Haven Healthcare operat…
Instead of presents, Santa Claus might deliver a note to more than 56,000 families in California that will inform them that their children will no longer have health insurance by the end of the year. This is not because these children were on Santa's naughty list. It's because of dangerous Washingt…
As the article states...start with generics from the beginning if possible...ask your doctor and shop at the retailers that offer $4.0 or discounted prescription charges...we have links on this site to help...BD When patients hit the donut hole, all sorts of bad things can happen. First, switchin…
Secret Shopper program to check and see how insurers are pitching and selling...BD Weems acknowledged that he wasn't just a shopper. He's actually the acting chief of the entire Medicare program. To get a better feel for the marketing practices of private insurers, Weems ordered senior staff at the…
The Medicare Rights Center filed suit in federal district court today, asking a judge to declare unlawful the Bush Administration's refusal to allow Medicare coverage of a broad range of medically necessary "off-label" drugs. "Too many people are being forced to go without needed medications beca…
An organ can be scanned in one rotation...eliminating the need to reconstruct slices from multiple points in time...and everything is in 3D....BD Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., a leader in diagnostic and medical imaging, today announced FDA clearance of the most advanced diagnostic imaging …
Not as big as the one in the UK, but serious as well...the second biggest cause of security breaches is the human tendency to ignore policy or at least be ignorant regarding security policy. Again, anyone heard of secured servers for storing this information? Encryption is pretty cheap. BD Cana…
One more that was left off the listing yesterday...BD NEW YORK, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Health insurer Cigna Corp(CI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it had reached an agreement to buy the health-care unit of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Co. for about $1.5 billion in a move to expand…
Good comments and article as always from the wisdom of Dr Crounse...I agree that data input is a big final frontier and there are electronic tools that can make it a lot easier. BD "I've called "data input" the final frontier in clinical computing. In fact, data input has been a frequent topic on…
The study states they get less care than legal immigrants...BD Such immigrants tend not to have a regular doctor or other health-care provider yet do not visit emergency rooms -- often a last resort in such cases -- with any more frequency than Latinos born in the United States, according to the …
Update...sad things are still not getting any better... ATLANTA - For generations, Grady Memorial Hospital has treated the poorest of the poor, victims of stabbings and shootings, and motorists grievously injured in Atlanta's murderous rush-hour traffic. Now, Grady itself is in grave condition. St…
The findings show the importance of the first-time pill for erectile dysfunction patients who could potentially see better results by switching tablets or increasing the dose, Dr. David Edwards, a general practitioner in Oxfordshire in England, and colleagues said. When the pills did not work the …
3 Wrong side brain surgeries in one year 3 different doctors...BD PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island Hospital was fined $50,000 and reprimanded by the state Department of Health Monday after its third instance this year of a doctor performing brain surgery in the wrong side of a patient's head. We ar…
Update on the UK security breach: Sad lesson indeed here, but something to pay attention to if you are in the health care business and use devices to transport patient documents...not a good thing to do without encryption...and better done on a secured server..."The cost of data breaches can run in…
Five million appointments and 45,000 surgical procedures were postponed yesterday when Italian doctors staged a 24-hour strike over short-term employment contracts. Hospitals said that only emergency services were assured. Veterinary surgeons responsible for health checks on meat and fish also join…
Is this all we can do, get an AARP shirt? BD You’ve heard about how one in seven Americans, or some such awful number, has no health insurance. But I’m not here to talk about that. Today, I’m talking about the other six of us who have coverage. If routine — not even catastrophic, but routine — hea…
Good time to check out all your software at the office...BD WASHINGTON - Michael Gaertner worried he could lose his company. A group called the Business Software Alliance had written him to claim that his 10-person architectural firm in Galveston, Texas, was using unlicensed software. The letter…
And she does not use a keyboard to enter her information. Nice story from Tablet PC Buzz and they have included a video with additional details as well. Healthcare is all about mobility...BD Devmar Home Health is a nursing agency that provides in-home care for their clients. Several months ago, t…
Pretty awesome images to say the least...with the new Essence technology...and the images can be viewed on any computer in the hospital...BD They are pictures from the frontier of medical technology, revealing the interior of the human body with a clarity never seen before. One exposes the skull…
Security breach of the week...big one this time in the UK...one question, why do folks continue to put information UNENCRYPTED on CDs? The information should in my opinion be retained on a secured server...with today's network connections, etc. there is really almost no reason to be transporting su…
Works for me..and glad that it doesn't take long to reap the rewards...BD Attention, wine (and beer and martini) lovers: After years of flip-flopping, research seems to be settling in alcohol’s favor.Raise your glass and say cheers…. “The healthiest people do include moderate drinking in their…
Woof! Woof! Can man's best friend be trained to take on this task...BD Queen's University researchers are appealing for volunteers to help investigate whether dogs can reliably detect changes in their owner's diabetic state. Dr Deborah Wells from the School of Psychology at Queen's and Dr Shaun …
Well one answer for the physician is to not participate..and then they can balance-bill a percentage..but that's not a win for the patients on that side of the coin...so what's the answer....pay the doctors and stop the 10% looming pay cut that is on the books for January...that's a good start...in …
And the overall winner is work for an Orthopedic office, although for clerical staff, OBGYN is a bit higher.... and Family Practice sadly drags the bottom place...as we need those folks the worst..good article from Medical Economics...BD Ever wonder how your staff salaries compare with those at o…
Another way for trauma doctors to boost their income but perhaps not for all physicians...good work in saving the lives of officers too...having a doc along can mean the difference between life and death when an officer is down...BD Dr. Alex Eastman doesn't lack for excitement in his life. He is a …
In some areas, regular Medicare is the best paying plan around for both physicians and hospitals due to contracts with the private insurer sector for the rates they honor and pay...example...the private insurers, as this article indicates gets 112% of the Medicare fees, and yet due to contracts with…
2 more states join California to halt Medicare auditing procedures...BD WASHINGTON -- Florida and New York hospital officials are leaping onto legislation sponsored by California lawmakers that would temporarily halt a Medicare auditing program. The commission-based auditing program has been oper…
Can it get any closer to home...employees inside the Senate...BD When senators debate health care, they usually speak in abstract terms about soaring health costs and the plight of the uninsured. But just 20 feet from the Senate chamber is a young man who knows those problems all too well from …
Also the watched activity in the state of Nevada from the AMA referenced in prior posts...hey forget about "the Russians are coming", it's more like "the insurer's are coming"...as the larger firms continue to buy and purchase smaller companies both here in the US and abroad...welcome to club Aetna …
More about SCHIP...and why we need it...even the 8 year old son is aware there is no money for broken arms...BD AMERICAN dream scene: a gorgeous Southern California day. A car-free cul-de-sac on a hilltop overlooking a canyon. A boy and his father, shooting hoops.But stark reality intruded for a br…
Is it safe for humans, or just fish? You might need to carry around your own black light too...BD "I do doctors, attorneys, firemen, policemen, teachers, you name it," said Welch. UV ink has been on the market for five years and has received FDA approval. It does cost more than regular tattoo in…
Interesting and entertaining post about "man's flu"....although it could be just plain old IMS, irritable male syndrome....and yes IMS is real...added some links for additional information. BD The problem with man flu is that it's so competitive," says my friend Jane. "It's apparently physical…