Four Preview Videos in the Footer
Pinhole-Glasses - Help Improve your vision inexpensively
Something worth a try and looking at...for $19.95 a pair it's definitely worth a try...and they even include the shipping charges...with all the work I do on the computer it certainly couldn't hurt...BD Are you tired of constantly changing your prescription eyeglasses to meet the ever-increasing …
FDA Seeks Civil Penalties From Calif. Device Maker - Advanced Bionics
The issue goes back to hearing aides shipped in 2005 and 2006...failure to notify of potential risks appears to be the case...BD The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is seeking a $2.2 million penalty against a California hearing aid manufacturer for violations of federal law,…
Doctors support universal health care: survey
59%...up ten percent from the year 2002..more feel the for profit fragmented system obstructs more than it promotes good health care...and in another related story in Texas...the number of physicians accepting Medicare continues to drop...an all time low of 58.1 percent. BD WASHINGTON (Reuters) -…
Windows Vista SP1 Toilet Paper - It's really available now
This was just too funny not to post...in Japan of course...BD The Japanese are simply hyping Vista SP1 release. I was just surprised to find that a roll of toilet paper printed with highlighted features is already available in Japan. You kind of have to feel a little bad for Vista -- it just k…
In Defense of the Electronic Medical Records Developer/Vendor
This is something I have been wanting to write about for a while and today's the day to finally express a couple of my own opinions about some gray areas and technology in healthcare. Healthcare as we know today is so terribly fragmented and there is nobody feeling the squeeze worse than the softw…
Riding the Hospitalist Boom to an IPO
Good video explaining the role of today's hospitalist....and the study states this business is fragmented to a degree, just like the rest of healthcare....BD A national physician practice outfit called IPC The Hospitalist Company rode the wave in hospitalist medicine and went public earlier this…
New Internet ID Card Prevents Online Fraud
Look for this to be out as soon as this summer. With the recent post about how easy it is for a hacker to collect your RFID information from a normal credit card, this is indeed good news...and something healthcare might want to entertain for authentication use for medical information soon to iden…
State ignores law requiring annual Medi-Cal payment studies - California
Does the State get to ignore or bypass the law....California Medical Association doesn't think this is the case....potential lawsuit in the works...relating to the recent cuts in Medicaid compensation...BD When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers agreed last month to cut 10 percent from wha…
Vytorin Pain May Be Abbott's Gain
Will Abbott Labs be successful with a combination drug? BD What’s bad for Merck and Schering-Plough may be good for Abbott Laboratories. Yesterday’s downbeat discussion about Vytorin at a meeting of caridologists may lead doctors to look farther for alternative cholesterol treatments when stati…
German hackers threaten to publish Merkel's fingerprints
Not all folks around the world are supportive of new biometric capabilities...German passports require a biometric chip to identify an individual by fingerprint....in protest of security and privacy...BD The Chaos Computer Club (CCC), one of Germany's oldest and largest hacker organizations, on…
Celebrate National Doctors' Day
Every year, March 30th is National Doctor's Day...yes they do have a day of their own! Say thanks to your physician today for his continued care for your health...it is red carnation day! BD The American Medical Association (AMA) honors the more than 900,000 physicians in the U.S. on National Doc…
Hawaii's Largest Insurer, HMSA, Plans Rate Hike
12.8 percent increase....how will the employers continue to afford the increases and provide benefits down the road...might see more of this on the mainland too....BD Haeaii's biggest health insurer wants to hike health insurance premiums by more than 12 percent next year, the biggest increase in…
Tapping Into the Code of Life With Science - Some of this is here today...not science fiction...medical technology is on the rise...
There are folks walking around with bladders that have been created through this process and it is no longer science fiction....how long before a heart can be created...they are working on it...and the good news once more about red wine...but not at the trace amounts found...1000 bottles a day...w…
Big Insurers Pay for Online Doctor Visits
With a plan such as RelayHealth, that has the potential to integrate with Electronic Medical Records and facilitate e-prescribing, a data audit trail can track each entry and lab ordering can be done as well through the system...and obviously all the needed information is systematically sent to the…
Allergan and J&J Pump Up Weight-Loss Surgery
Gastric banding...have reported on this in the past...is it safer overall than a complete gastric bypass surgery....the pharmaceutical business thinks so...and it certainly is a lot less expensive...BD Minimally invasive surgery to treat obesity is getting the Big Pharma treatment. Sales reps ar…
Researchers identify a gene responsible for Lou Gehrig's disease
Hope on the horizon with more genetic information available...BD A team of Canadian and French researchers has identified a novel gene responsible for a significant fraction of ALS (sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) cases. ALS is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, an incurable ne…
Lost in the labyrinth - Massachusetts Insurance law...
Some are not re-enrolling in the Massachusetts health plan...are they criminals? How do you get blood from a turnip? BD "So far, we've been able to insulate the quality of care from the financial damage," he adds, "but that can't go on forever. There are winners and losers in this equation and…
How reliable are defibrillators - they can keep going after you are gone...
After the patient passed away, the defibrillator just kept on going...a magnet was needed to disarm the device...the gift that keeps on giving....BD Except nobody remembered to tell his ICD. The damn thing just wouldn't give up! Long after the patient had basically expired, long after his heart …
'It's a bad therapy, but it's all we've got'
Physician wishing there were better alternatives to treat adult sickle cell disease...BD "I challenge you to find any one of my patients who has not been treated like a drug addict," says Dr. Sophie Lanzkron, director of the Sickle Cell Center for Adults at Johns Hopkins. "There are only so many …
Is an HSA worth it?
A blog from a 25 year old debtor who makes way too much money to be in this much debt...asks the question of whether or not he will ever be able to use a Health Savings Account...BD I used esurance to find a pretty good high deductible health insurance plan for fiance. It has a $5K deductible. So,…
Britons get stressed without mobile phones: survey
Now we have a new source of stress....could apply to us in the US as well...BD Over half of Britons feel anxious when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit or have no network coverage, according to a survey published Monday. Some 58 percent of men and 48 percent of women pa…
Some Total Body-brand products recalled
Web page has a listing of the products affected...BD The FDA said the recall involves Total Body Formula in tropical orange and peach nectar flavors and Total Body Mega Formula in the orange-tangerine flavor. The FDA said the liquid dietary supplement products might cause severe adverse reacti…
Quotes from Schering-Plough's CafePharma message board
What do Schering and Spitzer have in common? Both had high-priced whores who turned on them in the end. Almost every single key opinion leader panned Zetia and Vytorin when they were asked today. Veltri and Musliner came off as two wounded dogs screaming the wilderness. QUESTION AUTHORITY by Dr. Ro…
U.S. Health System Should Not Rely On Employer- Opinion
He makes a good point...will the employees still be there to reap any benefits or will they have moved on to another company? BD According to Beilenson, employer-based coverage does not encourage companies to cover preventive care because it is likely employees will leave before the company will…
First Unionized Hospital In Texas - Houston RNs Vote To Join Nation's Largest RN Organization
We all know how strong the representation is with the California Nurses Association...appears Texas is working toward the same...BD In a dramatic breakthrough for the aspirations of Texas registered nurses to have a stronger voice to speak out for patients and themselves, a northwest Houston hos…
Joint Statement On FDA Investigation Of Singulair From The AAAAI And ACAAI
These 2 groups state there is not substantial data that links suicide with the use of Singulair...BD Leadership from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology released the following statement in response to the Thursday announceme…
Toshiba Receives FDA Clearance For Two CT Clinical Applications
In one instance, one scan can be done instead of 2 separate procedures...software available for purchase for both...BD Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has received FDA clearance for two new CT clinical applications that will improve throughput and enhance workflow, while further reducing co…
When Egg Donors Have Genetic Disease
Good questions arise...if the eggs have genetic diseases...something that we can now track that was unavailable before...new procedures needed to inform ahead of time? BD But seven years after she was paid to donate her eggs, Jessica was diagnosed with colon cancer, at the age of 29. She died t…
Selling the bitter EMR pill (HIMSS meeting) ...IT and IS, CIOs and CEOs...Quit Chopping Trees to find the answer...
This is one of my absolute pet peeves to discuss...there are tons of articles about getting physicians to buy in to new technology and YES we all agree you need to have the physicians buy in...and in today's world Tablet PCs are a very involved part of the process. Ok, a few notes from my experienc…
The Doctor and the Rep
Cute Video...what if some of the roles were reversed? BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bqk4CEYdxgA&feature=related …
Future of personal health care - Concept by Microsoft
A couple weeks ago I posted some pictures and now here's the video showing Microsoft's concept of future healthcare....from the MIX08 convention earlier this month...we will all need white walls. BD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35Kv6-ZNGA&…
Cancer patient has PSP stolen en route to chemotherapy treatment
Disgusting...but the police department bought him a new unit and they got his medical records too....BD There's depressing gaming stories, and then there are outright travesties. Unfortunately, this case falls squarely into the latter category, as a 7-year old cancer patient had his beloved PlayS…
LA County negotiating to reopen Martin Luther King Hospital
But they would only have enough staff to care for 77 patients...BD LOS ANGELES—County officials are negotiating with a small hospital to take over and reopen troubled Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Medical Center. The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Pacific Hospital of Long Beach is con…
The Medical Quack - Blog Radio - Dr. Anonymous
Each week I am trying to focus and bring attention to the resources on this page in the right hand column. Another resource listed on this page is the Blog Talk Radio connection for Dr. Anonymous...April 3rd is the next broadcast...I have not made it yet to a full hour, but will get there and plan …
'A Race to the Starting Line': Diagnosing What's Holding Biotechnology Back
As the article states, it is more of an understanding now instead of hit and miss diagnosis based on genetics....both better diagnostic and treatment procedures are in high demand today..with the help of biometrics some of the clinical trials could be eliminated or the time of study reduced...and t…
Personalized Medicine...Big Pharma Business Models Restructure
Companies like Genentech are already working in this direction, especially with genetic research related to cancer...will the big blockbuster promotions soon be a thing of of the past since the best medication for our ills will be determined by our genes? Big Pharma has some new potential business…
Will sinus surgery work?
One woman's story on sinus surgery...how a new procedure has changed much of the methodology...painless....compared to routine sinus procedures...BD I was swayed by technology, in particular a new image guidance system that, because of the complexity of my case, would be available to me. The key…
SmartCase, Inc. - Medical Information Management - Software as a Service for Legal Cases for referencing specific medical records
New software to allow the legal profession to review and share medical records relative to a trial or court appearance...software as as a service requires no software installation and available with a web connection....BD Attendees at each conference will learn how SmartCase.com provides law fir…
Israel courts medical tourists
Israel is also a world leader in many types of technology and medical technology is no different...thus far though there are not many websites that feature Israel for medical tourism and perhaps that will change in short time....BD Jerusalem is one of the world's great destinations - for genera…
Area Kaiser patients less satisfied than many at other hospitals
In southern California Hoag Hospital in Orange county was rated the highest and Kaiser at the other end of the spectrum....2500 hospitals participated in the survey...BD ARLINGTON, VA. -- -- Patients treated at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California were less satisfied than many of t…
Weird Hospital - Los Angeles
Finally decided to have a civil service exam for the 6 candidates...basically a charity position that nobody seems to want...BD Southern California, breeding ground of cults and quacks, of nudists, sun- worshipers, gland doctors and colonic irrigators, is also the home of some 7,000 harassed, ex…
Patients rate local hospitals
Find your local hospital in the data base...Site is located here..." This tool provides you with information on how well the hospitals care for all their adult patients with certain conditions or procedures. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide. Talk to your …
NY to Develop Unified Medical Records
Will be interesting to follow this story and see where it goes...BD Gov. David Paterson announced Friday $105 million in grants to help develop a unified system of electronic medical records for New Yorkers he said would reduce errors and duplicative testing. The governor said the electronic sys…
Pfizer Exec Arrested On Child Pornography Charges
Not good press for Pfizer...more work for the forensics it sounds like with checking some audit trails and other data areas if he signed on at work...do some folks just not get it? BD A Pfizer vice president has been arrested on charges of receiving, possessing and distributing child pornograph…
Is Depression Contagious?
Sure I think so, we become a product of the environment and the company we keep...there's still much about our emotional make up that we don't know and maybe will never know all..comes back around to balance...in my own occupation of IT consulting I make a cognizant effort to determine which item …
Dennis Quaid Acts on Medical Errors
He's right, there's no "take 2" in healthcare...and wants to go to court...the article states the hospital is considering a bar code system or another similar alternative to avoid the same in the future...BD Dennis Quaid is smiling now. But the actor, whose newborn twins were almost killed by mass…
Seeing Beyond Changing Skin Color
The "Michael Jackson" disease...more information on the unusual skin disease...perhaps some new genetics studies will shed more light in time...BD A medical mystery doctors still don't fully understand made her skin color different from that of her brother and her parents. When people see them to…
Blogging Phone in Japan Goes on Sale
This could stand to represent a real change to the blogging world if it takes off...complete with the capability to create an instant video with an RSS feed reader....BD Japanese bloggers have a new tool with which to update their sites with the launch of a new Sharp phone that packs a small QWERT…
Texan faces charges over snake vodka
Questions over the medicinal values of rattlesnakes...but not in this case...rattlesnake in a bottle of vodka is not seen with any medicinal value....BD Bob Popplewell, who runs "Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch" tourist attraction west of Fort Worth, was believed to be selling the vod…
The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Employs Actors And Robots
Breathing mannequins with heart tones, palpable pulses, etc. with software that tests decision making skills for medical students...cost of the center is 5 million....BD A medical student places a chest tube in a patient lying on an operating table, while another student conducts a colonoscopy. …
Social Security Disability - New Debit Card, Going Paperless
Debit card from Social Security...article discusses the pros and cons...Social Security recipients participating in the Direct Express program are allowed one free ATM cash withdrawal per month from a designated ATM...you pay for additional withdrawals...savings generated by not having to cut paper…
Paul Levy CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Great interview...I didn't even know this existed until last evening;....transparency...accountability....interview from Holland...very informative...BD "Paul Levy talked at the interimic healthcare event about running a hospital, transparency, using webblogs and innovation." http://youtube.co…
Waking Up Is Hard To DO
Hey these guys can really sing! The Laryngospasms.....BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0 and one more......Breathe... http://youtube.com/watch?v=kP2OuZ_vI_s …
CRM - Microsoft Dynamics Healthcare Presentation
New presentation relating directly to health care...bring everything under one roof...works well with Office as it was designed that way...here are a few screenshots...built in workflow...great for managing HR departments...runs an audit trail and reports are just a few clicks...here in Southern Cal…
