Study points to need for 40,000 more healthcare IT professionals

As health care finally automates, additional support and consultants to assist in the progress will be in demand...the rush is on due to the lack of technology adaptation over the last few years...BD 

WASHINGTON - As the nation's healthcare system moves toward automation, the need for healthcare information technology professionals in the workforce is growing. The need is deemed to be at almost 40 percent more - or 40,000 additional IT employees at U.S. hospitals, according to a new study.

"If our data represent a correct sampling of the entire U.S. , then the current IT staff workforce is about 108,390 FTE (full-time equivalents)," the report said. "However, if the U.S. HIT agenda is fulfilled and hospitals move to higher levels of adoption, an additional 40,784 FTE will be required. "

Study points to need for 40,000 more healthcare IT professionals

Read More

HMO Chief's Pay Doubles Pre-Merger - Fear of Lack of Competition with the merger

Also under examination are the huge salaries of the top executives...and if the merge is allowed, then patients and members fear another rate hike as there will be little competition to keep premiums at an affordable level...in 2006 a lawsuit was filed to stop the intended merger at that time....BD 

Last night, state insurance officials were critical of the pay hike for executives and indicated the boost in compensation might have an impact on the agency's decision about the future of the companies.

"We are very concerned about HIP's announcement that it has doubled the salaries of its top 10 executives at a time when the company has not been performing well," a spokesman for the department, David Neustadt, wrote in an e-mail message. "As we consider its pending merger with GHI and conversion to a stock company, we will be asking the executives tough questions about this decision."

Since then, patient advocates, physician groups, and some lawmakers have been critical of the plan, which some said would eliminate competition in the marketplace and result in higher premiums.

HMO Chief's Pay Doubles Pre-Merger - April 18, 2008 - The New York Sun

Read More

States Crack Down On Online Gene Tests

The FDA has left the matters up to individual states...in some states you need to have a physician involved....the web sites are portals set up to accommodate and provide the tests..called "Wild West" gene testing..."What's a diagnostic? What's not a diagnostic? And it's tricky."...but on the other hand you can go for a body scan if you want without a physician prescribing, although there will be a radiologist involved in the interpretation...and most of the sites recommend you do not share with your medical records to avoid misinterpretation from an insurance carrier...so who's genes are they?  Enquiring minds want to know....BD  

California health regulators are also investigating 12 complaints from the public about certain online gene testers. California won't name the targeted companies, but notes that in the state "all genetic tests must be ordered by a licensed physician." Overall, 24 states prohibit or limit so-called direct-access testing without a doctor or other medical professional's involvement, according to a 2007 survey by Johns Hopkins University's Genetics & Public Policy Center.

The clash highlights the fragmented regulatory environment for bespoke genotyping. The Food and Drug Administration has left it up to the states to decide what's permissible without a doctor's approval. "Basically everybody's trying to figure out what the regulatory environment is going to be for this consumer stuff," says Jay Flatley, Illumina's chief executive. "What's a diagnostic? What's not a diagnostic? And it's tricky."

States Crack Down On Online Gene Tests - Forbes.com

Read More

Slow Blog Today

Had some technical issues, but all should be back to normal...my apologies...BD 

Read More

The Good Morning America Crew Skis on the Wii

Perhaps coming to a physical therapy office near you soon..it does your BMI as well....BD 

Diane Sawyer and her companions on 'Good Morning America' got their hands (well feet) on the hotly anticipated Wii Fit, due out May 19. The $90 package comes with a balance board used to track your weight and play a number of physically involved mini-games that test your balance, coordination, and get your heart rate up... in theory.

Diane Sawyer and the Good Morning America Crew Ski on the Wii - Switched

Read More

Microsoft Award for Breakthrough Consumer Health Application Platform, HealthVault(TM)

The award focused on privacy features....BD 

Based on its recent analysis of the Health Information Systems (HIS) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Microsoft Corporation with the 2008 Global Healthcare Information Product of the Year Award for Microsoft® HealthVault™, the company’s breakthrough consumer health application platform.

Traffic on HealthVault Search is encrypted by Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security and advertising on such pages is not connected to search histories or HealthVault records. Microsoft also employs the Security Development Lifecycle which embeds privacy and security considerations through the development process.

Frost & Sullivan Lauds Microsoft Corporation for its Breakthrough Consumer Health Application Platform, HealthVault(TM) @ SYS-CON Media

Hat Tips:  On 10.netblogs    ZD Net

Read More

Dictaphone links lab to EMR

Basic requirements are a PC with Internet access and/or a telephone that can dial a toll free number.  There's also a desktop version of the software available for download...currently in use at facilities such as the UCLA medical center and many more...visit the site for additional information....archives of voice messages maintained...compliant with JCAHO and HIPAA...the system continues to send alerts until a response has been made...flexibility between the phone and PC is a big item if a PC is not readily available...a good Tablet PC with dual array microphones can make simple work of this as well....the HL7 integration will end up being a huge time saver...BD 

BURLINGTON, MA - Nuance Communications has introduced a new solution designed to bridge the gap between the lab and the electronic medical record.

Nuance's Dictaphone Healthcare Division this morning rolled out the Vocada Veriphy-Ready HL7 Integration Server (VIS), which allows Vocada Veriphy, the company's critical test result management (CTRM) solution, communicate directly with internal diagnostic systems and enterprise-wide clinical information systems.   Critical test results from any internal diagnostic system are thus automatically routed to the ordering physician, populated in the patient record and verified and audited.

Veriphy's core application is a hosted solution that requires no investment in hardware or software. Once a hospital subscribes to the service and Vocada's technical team builds the Veriphy Communications Directory of referring clinicians, the advanced communications system is ready for use.

Dictaphone links lab to EMR

Read More

One more article on health care reform..taking employers out of the picture....

The video is also very entertaining...and promotes taking the insurance business out of the hands of employers....BD

Don't Screw With What People Have (otherwise known as "it's the status quo bias, stupid."). Rather than encouraging employers to buy into a group market, as most other plans do, Wyden dissolves the employer role in health care almost entirely. He forces them to redirect all money they were spending on employee insurance into paychecks. At the same time, he creates “Health Help Agencies,” one in each state, which are regulated markets where various insurers compete for business. No cherrypicking, no high premiums or denials of coverage for preexisting conditions. Everyone pays the same price, but everyone has to buy insurance that’s at least as comprehensive as the current Blue Cross-Blue Shield Standard Plan. There are subsidies for those with low-incomes, and penalties for those who don’t buy in. Medicare still exists for the elderly.

EzraKlein Archive | The American Prospect

Read More

Insurers shift cost of drugs to consumers

Tier 4 coming, along with higher co-pays..."The more the sick person pays, the less the healthy person pays."...BD 

Private insurers began offering Tier 4 plans in response to employers who were looking for ways to keep costs down, said Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, which represents most of the nation's health insurers. When people who need Tier 4 drugs pay more for them, other subscribers in the plan pay less for their coverage.

But the new system sticks seriously ill people with huge bills, said James Robinson, a health economist at the University of California at Berkeley. "The more the sick person pays, the less the healthy person pays."  "This is an erosion of the traditional concept of insurance," Mendelson said. "Those beneficiaries who bear the burden of illness are also bearing the burden of cost."

The Modesto Bee | Insurers shift cost of drugs to consumers

Read More

How I built a successful medical practice in under seven years

Good article on how this physician built a medical practice in Wyoming...part of the secret to success....starting with electronic medical records from the start...and he was able to negotiate with the hospital to help with the debt from medical school...and bring on PAs with incentives....BD 

My next good move was in negotiating my contract with the hospital. I was committed to living in Rock Springs, although I had to convince my wife that this was the place for us.I negotiated an eight-year forgiveness of the approximately $220,000 borrowed against a two-year income guarantee from the hospital.....I started using an EHR on my first day in practice. I happened to get a demo disk for e-MD's EHR software from a fellow resident who'd picked it up in Florida at a conference. This ultimately turned out to be one of my best decisions. I had some challenges implementing the system, but overall, it has gone remarkably smoothly—with the help of my trusted IT professional. I credit this EHR for much of my success.

On top of all this, I no longer have hospital call; recently, hospitalists took over that responsibility. I work four days a week.

How I built a successful medical practice in under seven years - This author had a mountain of medical school debt, but he made savvy decisions that brought professional and personal satisfaction.

Read More

Kids' Book About Tummy Tucks, Nose Jobs

A new book on how to explain why Mom is having plastic surgery...new night time bed story...hmmmm.....necessary?  Will probably be a best seller just for the sake of curious individuals at minimum...BD 

"My Beautiful Mommy," written by Florida-based plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer, is billed by its author as the first book that explains plastic surgery to kids, an issue with which he says many of his patients struggle.

However, D'Amico said the illustrations are definitely not ideal and may be more offensive than the plot line itself.

"I understand they are cartoon figures, but I thought that the mommy's breasts were just a little too big and she was a little too stylized," said D'Amico of the book's lead character, who wears belly-shirts and tight-fitting pants. "I would have liked it much better if mommy looked like a real person."

ABC News: Kids' Book About Tummy Tucks, Nose Jobs

Read More

Get your NPI number NOW - After May 23, only this identifier will get your Medicare claims paid

Reminder from Medical Economics on the NPI numbers and the article answers some commonly asked questions...BD 

One crucial deadline for implementing the NPI has already passed. As of March 1, doctors are required to put the NPI in the primary-provider fields of electronic Medicare claims, although they're free to include their old "legacy" identifier, such as a Medicare Provider Identification Number (this deadline didn't apply to claims processed by private insurers). CMS claims data from early February suggest that providing both identifiers is what most physicians have done.

However, on May 23, that option will disappear. You'll be required to use only the NPI on electronic claims submitted to Medicare and private payers alike. From that day on, adding the legacy numbers will trigger a rejection, at least by Medicare (more on that later). The requirement applies not only to electronic claims—the vast majority received by Medicare—but those on paper. While HIPAA technically doesn't govern the world of paper, it allows payers to require the NPI on hard copy claims, and that's what Medicare and some private payers have done.

Get your NPI number NOW - After May 23, only this identifier will get your Medicare claims paid. - Medical Economics

Read More

Incontinence Drugs May Hurt Memory

Hopefully one won't forget where to find the bathroom...BD 

Lots of systems deteriorate in the aging body; sometimes in trying to fix one thing, you end up making another thing worse. For example, popular drugs for urinary incontinence may speed age-related memory loss, researchers said yesterday.

Prompted by anecdotal reports of patients having memory problems after going on a class of drugs that includes Pfizer’s Detrol LA, researchers looked at data from a long-term neurologic study. They were able to compare 679 people who took the drugs with 191 who did not. Over the course of several years, those who took the drugs lost their memory faster than those who did not. The drugs act on a class of chemicals used to transmit messages in the nervous system.

Health Blog : Incontinence Drugs May Hurt Memory

Read More

Acupuncture provides effective relief from hot flushes for women taking tamoxifen after surgery for breast cancer

Acupuncture provides effective relief from hot flushes in women who are being treated with the anti-oestrogen tamoxifen following surgery for breast cancer, according to new research presented today (Friday) at the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) in Berlin.

Mrs Jill Hervik, a physiotherapist and acupuncturist at the Vestfold Central Hospital (T?rg, Norway), told a news briefing that breast cancer patients who received traditional Chinese acupuncture had a 50% reduction in hot flushes, both during the day and the night, and that this effect continued after the acupuncture ceased.

"Acupuncture is increasingly used in western countries to treat the problem of hot flushes in healthy post-menopausal women, so we wanted to see whether it was effective in women with breast cancer suffering from hot flushes as a result of their anti-oestrogen medication," she said.

Acupuncture provides effective relief from hot flushes for women taking tamoxifen after surgery for breast cancer

Read More

Feds to collect DNA from every person they arrest

This means that the federal government could store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime...privacy?  BD 

WASHINGTON - The government plans to begin collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency — a move intended to prevent violent crime but which also is raising concerns about the privacy of innocent people.

Using authority granted by Congress, the government also plans to collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained, whether they have been charged or not. The DNA would be collected through a cheek swab, Justice Department spokesman Erik Ablin said Wednesday. That would be a departure from current practice, which limits DNA collection to convicted felons.

Feds to collect DNA from every person they arrest - Yahoo! News

Read More

Kroll Ontrack Awarded Exclusive Endorsement from American Hospital Association

I have one word about these folks....GOOD....these are the forensics and they have branch offices all over the US...I have seen them work...if you need data recovery or wiping services...these are the folks to turn to....BD 

Minneapolis – April 8, 2008 – Kroll Ontrack®, a leading provider of data recovery and legal technologies products and services, today announced the endorsement of Kroll Ontrack’s data recovery services and eraser portfolio as the preferred data management solutions for the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) membership of nearly 5,000 hospitals and healthcare organizations and 37,000 healthcare professionals.

From more information regarding Kroll Ontrack’s data recovery and data eraser solutions visit www.ontrackdatarecovery.com.

Kroll Ontrack Awarded Exclusive Endorsement from American Hospital Association

Read More

Texting while driving? Time to unplug

Good points made by this article...I unplug when needed...not a bad idea...other bloggers have commented and do the same thing...BD 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sharon Sarmiento knew it was time to unplug when she realized she was blogging in her dreams and hearing imaginary instant messages.  Greenfield said various studies estimate that 1 to 10 percent of the U.S. population uses technology in a way that negatively impacts their lives, relationships, health or jobs.

Stallings, 33, a Seattle author, blogger and part-time marketing manager for Microsoft Corp, made a resolution in January to spend "52 Nights Unplugged" this year.  Now she sometimes unplugs for an entire weekend. "I had to work up to that," she admits. "It is nice. It feels like you are going on a little retreat. It has opened up more quality of life for me."

Texting while driving? Time to unplug - Yahoo! News

Read More

Metabolife Launches New, Two-Stage Weight Management Program To Support Diet Success

Here's a name from the past making a come back with a weight loss program...BD 

Metabolife, a weight management industry pioneer that successfully helped millions of people lose weight, is back on shelves with a new two-stage supplement program and online support services. The program includes the newly reformulated flagship Metabolife Ultra which is based on clinically-tested ingredients to assist with healthy weight loss by reducing body fat and curbing appetite as well as four other products to help support weight management efforts. The two-stage weight management program was specifically designed to support a healthy eating and exercise plan.  Metabolife Ultra®, our most popular product, has been improved and now includes Co-enzyme Q10, which delivers sustained energy without increasing caffeine levels.*

Metabolife Launches New, Two-Stage Weight Management Program To Support Diet Success

Read More

Robotic tweezers that can grasp single cells

A bargain at $10.00 as stated in the article...potential use in heart surgery and even with working on circuit boards...BD 

That's the terrifying reality being brought to life at the University of Toronto, where researcher Yu Sun and his team have developed semi-autonomous microscopic robo-tweezers that can sense touch and grip strength acutely enough to pick up and move individual heart cells during tests without damaging them. The tiny rig is just .1 inches long, and the grippers on the ends are fine enough to pick up cell just 10 micrometers wide. So far they've just been arranging cells during testing, but Yu says eventually they can be used to assemble silicon parts on circuit boards, or even engineer tissue. No word on when these might hit production, but when they do Yu says he expects them to cost just $10 each

Researchers develop robotic tweezers that can grasp single cells - Engadget

Read More

Keeping the Development Trains on Time

 This can't be any more plain than in health care...changes are usually not welcomed whether it be an EMR, CRM, or business intelligence software...but as the article states, consolidation is needed to enable individuals to work with the massive amounts of information that is headed our way every day, and simply create the reports needed to make intelligent decisions...BD 

By now everybody and his brother is familiar with the statistics that show how many software development projects fail and our collective abysmal ability to manage these types of projects. But while everybody likes to shake their head in dismay about the problem, very few people seem willing to do anything about it because application development tools are largely built for single users who don't lend themselves to any collective oversight. And because developers themselves don't want to be bothered by having to actually report on their progress or lack thereof, everybody is pretty much in the dark about the status of any given project.

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the assets of most companies in business today are tied up in their IT applications, and anything that offers the potential to bring some order to the chaos that mars most application development projects may not be welcomed by everybody equally, but it sure is needed.

Masked Intentions - Application Development - Keeping the Development Trains on Time

Read More

White House Threatens To Veto Legislation That Would Delay Implementation Of New Medicaid Rule Changes

In the letter, Leavitt said that the new provisions proposed by the subcommittee "were merely cosmetic and do not alter our substantive opposition to the bill."....one more potential veto for Congress to work with...BD 

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Tuesday in a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee members said that senior White House advisers will urge President Bush to veto legislation (HR 5613) that would delay implementation of seven new Medicaid regulations for one year, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 4/15).

Under the regulations, states would not be able to use federal Medicaid funds to help pay for physician training. The regulations also would place new limits on Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and nursing homes operated by state and local governments and limit coverage of rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses

White House Threatens To Veto Legislation That Would Delay Implementation Of New Medicaid Rule Changes

Read More

Harvard Docs: Bring On the Drug Reps

The new proposed law could end up being more of a nuisance than a help...although the sample closets I have seen lately sure don't resemble the types of medications normally seen just a few years ago....more blockbuster drugs seem to be in stock...BD 

They warn that that the proposed anti-gifting bill in Massachusetts is “both severe and vague, inviting inquisitors and individuals with personal grievances to harass physicians involved in a large variety of potentially constructive research and educational activities. Such harassment will inevitably inhibit appropriate industry support of these legitimate activities.”

Health Blog : Harvard Docs: Bring On the Drug Reps

Read More

Huge Data Theft at U-Miami

Data breach story of the week....no free credit reporting this time as experts stated the information can't be read, hopefully encrypted...BD 

The University of Miami has announced that a case of six computer back-up tapes containing data on 2.1 million patients was stolen from a vehicle on March 17. Anyone who has been a patient at the university since Jan. 1, 1999, is likely included on the tapes.

The university is not offering free credit monitoring services to any affected patients. “All the experts told us this information can’t be breached,” says a university spokesperson.

Huge Data Theft at U-Miami

Read More

Anthem Blue Cross sued over rescissions

There's a lot of Anthem Blue Cross news today...first getting sued....then the purchase of Resolution Health, a company that analyses data driven personal health care guidance....and then we have the partnership with the FDA...which everyone states is underfunded....but where's the money to pay claims?  BD 

The state's largest for-profit health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, was accused Wednesday of a widespread pattern of false advertising and fraud in a $1-billion lawsuit that claims that the company's coverage "is largely illusory."
Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo alleged in the suit that the insurer sold people false promises of coverage and concealed a scheme to renege on policies for those diagnosed with serious and often expensive medical conditions, including cancer and congestive heart failure. The suit says more than 500,000 people were tricked into buying individual and family policies from Blue Cross.  Three days after arriving home from the surgery, "I received a letter from Blue Cross telling me they were pulling the rug out from under me," she said. "It was right before Christmas. It was a great gift."

Anthem Blue Cross sued over rescissions - Los Angeles Times

Read More

The Server Unleashed - Windows Server 2008

This is one of the best marketing sites I have seen and yes it uses Silverlight...make sure you have the update to enjoy the presentation. There's something here for everyone...screensavers, desktop wallpaper, etc.  as well as links for the technical information.  You can turn the sound off in the left hand side of the screen...nice display of what is in store with Silverlight too...love the robot...

Nice presentations on case studies from Dell, Starbucks, and Continental Airlines who are using Server 2008....and you can read about Vanderbilt University Medical Center and their use of Server 2008 as well for a health care application... BD 

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/serverunleashed/default.html

Read More

Microsoft indemnifies Novell Moonlight users

Moonlight is the open source program that will bring Silverlight to Linux, version 1.0...and getting patent protection from Microsoft...Version 2 of Silverlight looks to be a bit different....BD  

Mix 08 The Novell-sponsored project porting the Silverlight cross-browser plug to Linux is getting patent protection from Microsoft, indemnifying users from aggressive patent holders and litigators such as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Microsoft will provide codecs worth $1m to every user downloading Moonlight from Novell under a special patent covenant. This is separate to the companies' broader - and controversial - patent protection and interoperability deal of November 2005.  Sam Ramji, Microsoft's director of open source and Linux strategy, told Reg Dev after the panel that Microsoft is supporting Moonlight to give developers greater choice in target platforms. Moonlight kicked off precisely because Microsoft was unable to commit to Linux in Silverlight version one, which supported Safari, Firefox, and Mac versions 10.4.8 or higher on PowerPC and Intel, in addition to Internet Explorer and Windows

Microsoft indemnifies Novell Moonlight users | Reg Developer

Read More

Lawmakers worry about FDA funding

Is this how Anthem Blue Cross comes in to the picture...sure wish we had some tech savvy folks at the top....BD

 

Lawmakers on both side of the aisle say it appears the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seriously underfunded for next year.Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Sen. Robert F. Bennett, R-Utah, agreed that the FDA needs a great deal more money than President George Bush is currently offering, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Kohl heads the Senate Appropriations subcommittee and Bennett is the ranking minority member. "To us, it's clear that they're seriously underfunded," Kohl said after a hearing of the subcommittee.
A report by outside FDA advisers last year said the agency lacked the money, staff and scientific expertise to protect the U.S. public. The White House has proposed a 3 percent budget increase to $1.8 billion next year but that is not enough to cover increased costs, the newspaper said.

Lawmakers worry about FDA funding

Read More

Clothes That Monitor Health

The project is aimed at diabetics and children initially...physicians will read the output in real time...glucose levels...Smart Clothes...BD 

Most clothing designed for health monitoring focuses on physiological measurements, such as body temperature and heart rate. This is one of the first attempts to continuously analyze biochemical signals using clothing. The team employed a novel approach for monitoring: a combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic yarns woven together to channel the sweat to the sensors. By utilizing natural attraction and repulsion actions to move the sweat, the method also circumvents the need for additional power sources, which would add bulk to such a device and make it less convenient for everyday use.

Once the tiny reservoirs are full of sweat, the user throws away the chemical part of the patch, which is about 5 to 10 square inches. The patch-embedded band or shirt can be washed, and the monitoring electronics reused.

Technology Review: Clothes That Monitor Health

Read More

Heartbeat Genes Could Provide Alternative to Pacemakers

Very interesting concept and research...having something natural would certainly be of benefit over a mechanical device it appears....BD 

Pacemakers have kept millions of patients’ tickers on track for years, but they’re by no means a perfect solution for people with slow or irregular heartbeats. Besides requiring a surgical procedure, the devices’ batteries fade and their wires can go bad.

Columbia University heart researcher Michael Rosen has been working on an alternative: putting pacemaker genes into the parts of the heart that aren’t beating properly.

Health Blog : Heartbeat Genes Could Provide Alternative to Pacemakers

Read More

Glaxo and Regulus Ink Deal on Small, Small RNA

Interesting article and partnership...big pharma investing in biotech for better selection of candidates for clinical trials with inflammatory disease...BD 

GlaxoSmithKline has inked a deal with a company called Regulus, a joint venture of Alnylam and Isis that’s doing research in a budding field around something called microRNA. The crux of it, discussed in more detail in this post, is that microRNAs are itty bitty strands of RNA that are involved in protein production within cells. As Regulus CEO Kleanthis Xanthopoulos explains it, they “control the stability of the messenger RNA and its ability to be translated into proteins.”

So, to the Glaxo deal: It means the companies are going to work together to sift through 500 or so microRNAs and narrow down the list to the top four they want to use to create candidates for clinical tests in inflammatory disease, Xanthopoulos says. Regulus already has a relatively short list in mind.

Health Blog : Glaxo and Regulus Ink Deal on Small, Small RNA

Read More

Military health forum envisions clinical analytics

The DID and VA are going to talk about collaborating on combined efforts...BD

Making use of the vast volumes data in the DOD and VA systems will involve “instituting a culture of analytics,” he said.
That culture will yield tools to help clinicians at the point of care in addition to providing researchers and policymakers with information at the health population or demographic level.

Military health forum envisions clinical analytics

Read More

Memory Problems In Older People Affects Men More Than Women

Well I guess this is good news for me...BD 

Scientists in the US have discovered that mild cognitive impairment, as characterized by problems with memory and thinking and known to be a transition stage before dementia, appears to affect older men more than it does older women.
Research co-investigator Dr Rosebud Roberts, associate professor of epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and member of the American Academy of Neurology, presented the study yesterday, Wednesday, at the Academy's 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting, which is taking place in this week, from 12th to 19th April.

Memory Problems In Older People Affects Men More Than Women

Read More

Hospital Docs Beg Drugmakers To Pay For Staff

One hospital recently was funded by the sale of an airport and this hospital is looking to big pharma for funds...BD 

Staffing shortfalls are so acute at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, Australia, that senior doctors have been lobbying drugmakers for funds to privately recruit workers, according to a public inquiry into New South Wales hospitals, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The issue raises questions of the independence of the medical profession after it was revealed last month that drugmakers had paid $30 million for doctors and nurses to attend educational events.

Pharmalot » Hospital Docs Beg Drugmakers To Pay For Staff

Read More

Lab Vendor Offers CRM System

Lab company is getting in to CRM...realizing the value of keeping on top of customer relations...CRM and Business Intelligence at the helm of all reporting services today...BD 

Jersey City, N.J.-based NeTLIMS NJ LLC has launched a customer relationship management application designed for reference laboratories.

The vendor's AutoCRM system helps labs track and improve service to their referring organizations. It offers the ability to prioritize and categorize lab test requests and tasks, as well as assign them to employees with a due date. It also features electronic tracking of lab test requests, complaints and progress, as well as the ability to view all requests by referring organization or by lab employee.

Lab Vendor Offers CRM System

Read More

Robotic snake technology slips its way into many applications

Enter the robotic snake...takes surgery to a new level with procedures to cover minimally invasive cardiac surgery, electrophysiology, laparoscopy, colonoscopy and arthroscopy....will eliminate the need to break ribs for heart surgery...and the overall costs may be reduced as well...reduced blood loss...and the unit is operated with a joy stick...it assumes the shape of its surroundings or can be reshaped...BD 

"Something once performed by a surgeon may now be done by a specialist.”The laparoARM™ will be able to reach any anatomical location, no matter how complex the path, from one single access port."

A thin snake that slithers its way into challenging openings and convoluted spaces may revolutionize heart bypass surgery and the repair of power turbines in the future.

The technology is now being considered for the inspection of engines and the repair of large power turbines. “If you need to go into a space where the size varies a lot,” says Choset, “it makes sense to have a snake robot crawling around.”

The probe is highly flexible and thus either assumes the shape of its surroundings or can be reshaped.  The probe “remembers” its previous configurations as it moves through a three-dimensional volume.  The links of the probe can be made out of almost any material, including plastic, allowing it to be “disposable”.  A working channel or lumen, allows tools to pass through the probe and perform various procedures.

Pop City - Robotic snake technology slips its way into many applications

http://www.cardiorobotics.com/about.htm

Read More

Windows Server 2008 Virtualization Hyper V Video

 Hart Hat Area:  This is a nice 11 minute short introduction into the Hyper V portion of Server 2008.  Nice that you can take online screenshots, so if you are installing something new and have issues, simply revert back to an online screenshot, just like system restore in a sense, does the same thing with reverting the settings...and you can set up guest VMs to only be able to communicate with each other, without ever having access to the host...BD 
In this video, Keith Combs discusses a general overview of Windows Server 2008 Virtualization including how you create and manage virtual machines. 

Windows Server 2008 Virtualization

Read More

House Democrats Look to New York City for EHR Guidance

The largest community based EHR...200 physicians and 1000 by year end...Congress is looking....BD 

On Tuesday, lawmakers said that New York City could become a model for the rest of the country in electronic health record adoption, the New York Sun reports (New York Sun, 4/16).
The New Democrat Coalition met yesterday with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to discuss the city's experience helping many health care providers transition to EHR systems (Johnson, CongressDaily, 4/16).
New York City is on track to meet its goal of providing more than 1,000 local health care providers with secure EHR systems by the end of 2008. The effort will create the country's largest community-based EHR network (Government Technology, 4/15).

House Democrats Look to New York City for EHR Guidance - iHealthBeat

Read More

Health care in New Hampshire..Blue Cross looking for Physicians....contracts in peril...

The article states it runs out in August...and the carrier is looking for replacement physicians, just in case...BD 

LACONIA, N.H.—Up to 15,000 New Hampshire residents may need to find new doctors or pay higher costs if a contract dispute between the area's largest commercial health insurer and its most prominent health care provider is not resolved.

The dispute was over the amount of money Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield pays doctors working for LGRHealthcare, which represents about 80 percent of Laconia and Franklin primary care doctors and runs Lakes Region General Hospital and Franklin Regional Hospital.

"This time, Anthem is looking for private doctors who could handle an influx of new patients if an agreement is not reached."

Health care dispute could affect about 20,000 N.H. patients - Boston.com

Read More

Anthem Blue Cross going after some outsourced HR business?

They already are in agreement with the FDA on a partnership with drug analysis, so now they want a piece of the pie with HR assistance?  Ok so California has a high rate of absenteeism related to hypertension...how about the hypertension caused by getting claims paid and medical care covered?  I think I would still rather chose a friend or a known entity, depending on the situation at hand..."Whether the issues involve substance abuse, emotional conflicts, legal and financial issues or workplace trauma, Anthem EAP work/life services can help give employees and their families the support they need."...wished it would work the same for the folks who pay for their health insurance....BD 

Californians have access to face-to-face counseling with network providers with Anthem Blue Cross.  In addition to competitive Health and EAP benefits, Anthem also offers access to Dental, Vision, Life and Disability. For more information on Anthem's EAP, visit www.anthemEAP.com.  Anthem's EAP provides confidential, professional assistance when an employee's life and work are affected by personal problems such as relationship, stress, legal or financial issues, career concerns, and anxiety or depression.  According to the American Hospital Association.

Anthem's EAP provides employees with toll-free, 24/7 telephone consultations and referral services, face-to-face counseling, legal and financial consultation, child care and eldercare referrals, provider search, and an information library for employees and household members. Given the reduction of human resource staff in many organizations and the complexity of issues in the workplace, many human resource professionals are utilizing EAP on-site services. These services include supervisor/manager training, educational workshops, substance abuse policy consultation and recommendation, workplace trauma response and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) services.

Anthem Blue Cross Employee Assistance Program to Help Reduce Employee Absenteeism: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Read More

Warning on Storage of Health Records

This is a bit of what I call an oxymoron...is it just the fine print about HIPAA we are concerned about...and where is HIPAA these days...with all the security breaches all over the place with medical information I don't see any fines being levied...and I do have to reflect back to an earlier story here...about the government and Congress asking the tech industry for help with security...did they turn to folks like Microsoft and perhaps Google too for help?  In the defense of Microsoft, I can't say there is anyone else out there who has been as large of a target for security, thus it can't help but make them better...not to mention their full line of personal and server security products....client/server and now many web based...I guess now we are just waiting for some fine print?  At this point I can't see where a HIPAA regulation going to make or break the bank...it's a matter of each individual taking care of their own health records in which ever manner they choose, be your own HIPAA with your health records...BD 

In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, two leading researchers warn that the entry of big companies like Microsoft and Google into the field of personal health records could drastically alter the practice of clinical research and raise new challenges to the privacy of patient records.

But the authors see a need for safeguards, suggesting a mixture of federal regulation — perhaps extending HIPAA to online patient record hosts — contract relationships, certification standards and consumer education programs.

Warning on Storage of Health Records - New York Times

Read More

Premier Hospitals to Test Technologies

A good way to spread the word with successful emerging technologies...hospitals talking to hospitals...BD 

"The free program is open to health care I.T. vendors, suppliers, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and service providers. Interested companies should submit specific details about their technology innovations, including product attributes, performance measurement criteria, research and data analysis, testimonials and an overview of how they anticipate the technology would perform on the core measures."

A total of 150 hospitals that are members of the San Diego-based Premier Inc. alliance will participate in a new three-year program to test company’s new health care technologies.

Hospitals participating in the Quest Supplier Innovation Program will measure the effectiveness of new technologies against an established set of five measurements: mortality ratio, evidence-based care, efficiency, patient experience and harm avoidance.

The hospitals will share data and best practices with each other, and ultimately establish new benchmarks for hospital performance.

Premier Hospitals to Test Technologies

Read More

FDA says generic Wellbutrin OK despite reports

Only a few slipped back in to depression with the generic drug the report states..and there were a few other side effects...but not enough for any read danger as interpreted by the FDA...BD 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A cheaper, generic version of GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Wellbutrin XL antidepressant is just as safe and effective, despite complaints from some patients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc also makes a 300-mg XL version of bupropion, though it was not part of the FDA's review.

GlaxoSmithKline makes other versions of Wellbutrin that face generic competition. Total sales of Wellbutrin slipped 37 percent last year in the face of generic competition, the company has reported.

FDA says generic Wellbutrin OK despite reports - Yahoo! News

Read More

AstraZeneca in Pact With Rival to Delay a Generic Drug

Wow...wonder what this might have cost...or what alternatives were in the agreement to protect Nexium from having a generic equivalent made in India?  Now the date is in the year 2014 before a generic will be available...but there's still the generic copy of Protronix from Wyeth to arrive...another heartburn drug...BD 

LONDON — Shares in the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca soared Tuesday on news that an agreement with an Indian company would delay the release of a generic competitor to its best-selling heartburn drug for six years.

AstraZeneca said financial guidance for 2008 would remain unchanged, but the company’s shares shot up more than 7 percent in London as analysts sensed less of a profit risk for the company, which is based in London.

AstraZeneca in Pact With Rival to Delay a Generic Drug - New York Times

Read More

Merck Wrote Drug Studies for Doctors

This has been all over the Internet and chances are well have all either done some ghost writing or incorporated some, but his was not the right circumstances here for ghostwriting.....BD 

The article, based on documents unearthed in lawsuits over the pain drug Vioxx, provides a rare, detailed look in the industry practice of ghostwriting medical research studies that are then published in academic journals.  The article, based on documents unearthed in lawsuits over the pain drug Vioxx, provides a rare, detailed look in the industry practice of ghostwriting medical research studies that are then published in academic journals.

Merck Wrote Drug Studies for Doctors - New York Times

Read More

Remote Microscopy - Cell Phone Microscope Attachment

One more use for the Cell Phone with health care...and to think it was built for $75.00...affordable and will be interesting to follow the progress...BD 

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a modular, high-magnification microscope attachment for cell phones. The device will enable health workers in remote, rural areas to take high-resolution images of a patient's blood cells using a cell-phone camera, and then transmit the photos to experts at medical centers.

The total cost of the first prototype, built from off-the-shelf components, was $75. The current version provides its own sample illumination from cheap, low-power LEDs. The device comes in two versions: with a magnification of about 5 times, for taking images of moles and rashes, and with a magnification of about 60 times, for capturing the details of blood cells and parasites.

The scheme is to train local personnel and provide them with the necessary equipment to take pictures of patients' blood on special slides, and then phone in the images to specialists who can identify and count malaria parasites.

Technology Review: Remote Microscopy

Hat Tip:  Science Roll

Read More

Tree Man' Gets Second Chance at Life

Updated story on the "Tree Man"...I posted about this unusual story a couple months back and now it appears help in on the way...strange infection to say the least...and it has been on the Discovery Channel in the recent past..BD 

Dede Koswara, popularly known across Indonesia as "Tree Man," has been living in a tropical hospital for months, where a team of doctors has been sawing away at the barklike growths that have slowly encased his entire body.For now, Dede's family watches as he slowly returns to the appearance of his former self.

His father, Ateng Koswara, told The Telegraph, "You can see the form of his 10 toes now. He can wear flip-flops. He loves doing Sudokos. He is in good condition."

ABC News: 'Tree Man' Gets Second Chance at Life

Read More

Doctors face trouble after YouTube video stunt

A bizarre video now removed from You Tube and I happened to watch it last night before it was removed...clearly in bad taste all the way around...BD 

MANILA, Philippines - A video posted on YouTube showing Philippine doctors laughing while removing an object from a patient may lead to charges against the surgeons and cost them their medical licenses, officials said Wednesday.

The unauthorized nearly 3-minute video of a noisy operating room shows doctors and nurses laughing, giggling and cheering.As a doctor gingerly pulls out the 6-inch long canister from the male patient's rectum, someone shouts, "Baby out!" amid loud cheers. He said his client was too drunk to remember how the body spray canister ended up in his body.

The doctor then removes the canister cap and sprays the contents toward the crowd of nurses and doctors viewing the procedure.

Doctors face trouble after YouTube video stunt - Health care- msnbc.com

Read More

BioMedEcon Reports Three Times Higher Healthcare Costs Among Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Compared To Patients With Depression

It's cheaper to take care of a depressed individual than one with Obsessive-Compulsive ailments....perhaps harder to diagnose OCD and not as many pharmaceutical cures out there...well yet...BD 

BioMedEcon Health Economics and Outcomes Research has just delivered an oral presentation summarizing the results of a pioneering study that compares healthcare costs of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to those of patients with depression.  OCD, which affects approximately two percent of the U.S. population, is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Whereas many studies have found that patients with depression have higher healthcare costs than patients without depression, few studies have examined the healthcare costs incurred by patients with OCD.

BioMedEcon Reports Three Times Higher Healthcare Costs Among Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Compared To Patients With Depression

Read More

Dollars to doughnuts diagnosis

One physician talks about breaking the shackles of the insurance business...and yes he practices in Beverly Hills, so he might be positioned better than many to do this...but some insurance companies are dropping contracts for the concierge or boutique physicians, which doesn't help the patient if they go to this type of practice and even file their own claims...what gives here?  BD 

Anyone who has visited a primary care doctor lately knows the drill: You show up on time, only to wait 45 minutes or even an hour. In the examination room, the physician (who offers no apology) seems distracted, harried and eager to get to the next patient. Then you're referred to a specialist -- who doesn't have an opening for a month.  When doctors break free from the shackles of insurance companies, they can practice medicine the way they always hoped they could.

To be sure, physicians are not entirely to blame. With insurance companies dictating how much doctors can charge for services as diverse as a routine checkup or an appendectomy, a doctor has only one route to more income: increase volume. I know. When I began my own private practice in internal medicine, my volume grew quickly, and so did my work hours. I didn't complain because I took that as a sign of success. But before long I found myself toiling nights and weekends just to keep up with the volume. First I sacrificed my free time to my practice, then my sleep and finally the quality of my practice itself.

Dollars to doughnuts diagnosis - Los Angeles Times

Read More

Veteran recalls nightmarish conditions in Dallas VA Medical Center's psych ward

In the news recently, the 51 bed psych ward has been closed by the VA due to 4 suicides...I guess we'll know more once the investigation completes as to why and what was happening at the facility...BD 

The voices in Jack Edenburn's head began soon after he returned from Vietnam. They told him to end it all.

He ignored them for almost 40 years, until the day he stood at the railroad tracks near his Lancaster home, fantasizing about stepping in front of a train. That's the day he went to Dallas VA Medical Center. And some days, he says, he regrets that decision.

"Imagine hell," he said of his five days in the psychiatric unit, "then think worse.""I was more traumatized after five days in the VA than I was when I was admitted," said Mr. Edenburn, who works in the mail room of an insurance office. "And remember, I was suicidal when I went there."

Veteran recalls nightmarish conditions in Dallas VA Medical Center's psych ward | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News

Read More

Feds Looking for Surveillance Help

Posted an article about this yesterday...looks like the FDA is open and willing to work with WellPoint...and now there's talk about information coming from retail clinics to mine..as they are standardized electronic record system and to use the clinics for rapid delivery of countermeasures....to mine or not to be mined...looks like the choice is diminishing...BD 

Federal agencies are reaching out to health care organizations for data to improve public health surveillance efforts.  HealthCore Inc., the health outcomes research subsidiary of Indianapolis-based WellPoint, is developing a Safety Sentinel System to mine data from the insurer’s 35 million member database.

Feds Looking for Surveillance Help

Read More

Gene Genie at My Biotech Life

Science Roll tells us about a new website, a blog set up to discuss Genomics and clinical genetics...BD 

It’s the blog carnival of genes and gene-related diseases. Our plan is to cover the whole genome before 2082 (it means 14-15 genes every two weeks). We accept articles on the news of genomics and clinical genetics. The news and articles of personalized genetics are also included. Check out Gene Genie for more about this unique field of medicine.

Gene Genie #29 at My Biotech Life « ScienceRoll

Read More

Illumina Launches The IScan(TM) System - DNA

Currently being used at Scripps...identifies genetic determinants of cardiovascular disease and can produce up to 225 million genotypes per day with one scanner...BD 

Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) launched the iScan System, a next-generation scanner that provides researchers conducting genotyping and gene expression studies with significantly greater throughput, enhanced automation, and improved ease of use. When used with the recently launched Infinium® High-Density (HD) Human1M-Duo and Human610-Quad Genotyping BeadChips, and Illumina's laboratory information management systems and automation options, the iScan System can complete genotyping studies up to six times faster than studies run on Illumina's BeadStation.

Illumina's versatile VeraCode technology is the ideal molecular diagnostics tool as it analyzes both DNA and RNA at high throughput  with the ability to target single to several hundred analytes in a single sample.

Illumina Launches The IScan(TM) System

Read More

Golden State Medical Supply Selects IBM Technology to Comply With California Prescription Drug Pedigree Regulations

ARMONK, NY and CAMARILLO, CA, Apr 15, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- IBM (NYSE: IBM: 119.92, +2.75, +2.34%) and contract manufacturer Golden State Medical Supply (GSMS) today announced GSMS will be ready to comply with California's landmark prescription drug pedigree regulations this year. GSMS is using IBM technology to manage serialized drug pedigree information and offer new services to their customers. The software will be run on IBM System x servers, which will be provided by IBM Business Partner Direct Systems Support.

The California Board of Pharmacy recently gave the pharmaceutical industry a two-year extension to January 1, 2011 to comply with its regulations, which are the first of their kind. The GSMS-IBM collaboration will be ready to begin this summer though, well in advance of the original effective date. In business since 1986, Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. is a contract manufacturer licensed by the California State Board of Pharmacy to sell pharmaceuticals to our valued partners in the medical industry. For more information, visit www.gsms.us

Golden State Medical Supply Selects IBM Technology to Comply With California Prescription Drug Pedigree Regulations

Read More

Insurance Chief Advocates Just One Regulator for Health Plans

He cites increasing problems with health care plans...perhaps some business intelligence software could help ease some of the reporting functions too...BD 

On Tuesday, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (R) told members of the California Medical Association that he thinks one regulator should have authority over the health care insurance industry, Capitol Weekly reports. Currently, the departments of Managed Health Care and Insurance share responsibility for overseeing the industry, with authority over different types of health plans.

Poizner said that unlike any other state, California has dual regulatory schemes and that the insurance department "has to step up here" because of increased problems with health plans.

Insurance Chief Advocates Just One Regulator for Health Plans - California Healthline

Read More

WellPoint Breach Affects 130,000

I hope issues as such are under control before the process begins to create the new system to monitor the issues of drug interactions and side effects begins to help the FDA...BD 

WellPoint Inc. in recent days has notified nearly 130,000 insurance plan members that their personal information may have been accessible to unauthorized users via the Internet. The Indianapolis-based insurer has received no reports of identity theft or credit fraud, according to a spokesperson.  This is the third major health data security breach WellPoint has publicly acknowledged in the past 18 months. Stolen back-up computer tapes contained data on about 200,000 members, and a disc with information on 75,000 members was missing for a time and later found.

WellPoint Breach Affects 130,000

Read More

An Option For Poor Families Could Be Homemade Asthma-Relief Device

If patients can't afford the inhalers, make your own?  Get a plastic soda bottle or a Styrofoam cup....BD 

When an asthma attack occurs, many sufferers use a device - a "spacer" - to increase the chances that rescue medicine travels from an inhaler all the way down to the airways where it is needed. A new review of studies found no difference between the effectiveness of commercially manufactured devices and homemade spacers - sometimes fashioned from a plastic soda bottle or a Styrofoam cup.

An Option For Poor Families Could Be Homemade Asthma-Relief Device

Read More

Michigan Will Lose 15,300 Jobs, 1.5 Billion Dollars In Business Activity Due To Bush Administration's Medicaid Cuts, Families USA

Michigan as well as California feeling the pinch....BD 

"The devastation caused by the Administration's cuts will affect millions of people who rely on Medicaid for their health lifeline. This will be tragic for their families," Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today.
"Additionally, these cuts will harm state budgets at the worst possible time. These cuts in federal Medicaid payments will have a ripple effect through state economies that are already struggling during this economic downturn. This economic insult will increase the number of people who may need Medicaid, as thousands of Michiganians see their paychecks being cut or their jobs being eliminated.

Michigan Will Lose 15,300 Jobs, 1.5 Billion Dollars In Business Activity Due To Bush Administration's Medicaid Cuts, Families USA

Read More

Health Care Industry Spent $445M On Federal Lobbying In 2007

Companies are spending a lot of money lobbying the staff...as many members of Congress either don't utilize technology or don't have a computer...posted in an early entry from an article stating such and that the staff actually creates most of the reports.....BD 

Health care interests spent $445 million on federal lobbying in 2007 -- more than any other sector of the economy -- to finish as the top spender for the second consecutive year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, CQ HealthBeat reports. A more specific breakdown of 20 industries that spent the most on lobbying in 2007, pharmaceutical and medical products companies rank first with $227 million in spending, while health insurance companies spent the second-most at $138 million. Hospitals and nursing homes spent $91 million, ranking fifth; while health professionals spent $70 million, ranking 15th; and HMOs/health services spent $52 million, ranking 19th.

Health Care Industry Spent $445M On Federal Lobbying In 2007

Read More

Lilly Is Laying Off 500 Manufacturing, R&D Workers

Big Pharma continues with layoffs...this time not sales...BD 

The drugmaker is scaling back at sites in Indianapolis that make active pharmaceutical ingredients for the Humalog and Humulin insulin meds, as well as for the Forteo osteoporosis treatment. UPDATE: A Lilly spokesman tells us that 430 of the jobs will come from manufacturing, no sites are being closed and API production isn’t being shifted elsewhere. The drugmaker employs about 12,000 people in Indianapolis.

Pharmalot » Lilly Is Laying Off 500 Manufacturing, R&D Workers

Read More

Mushroom Extract Could Stop Breast Cancer Cell Growth

The return of the mushroom...interesting study on how it could be beneficial to help with the spread of breast cancer...BD

Mushroom extracts could halt the growth of breast cancer cells, suggests research published in the British Journal of Cancer* yesterday.
Extracts of the mushroom Phellinus linteus have been used for centuries in Eastern Ancient medicine where it is believed to refresh bodies and extend life. Recent studies have shown that this type of mushroom can slow the growth of different types of cancer cells and improve the effects of anticancer drugs**.

Mushroom Extract Could Stop Breast Cancer Cell Growth

Read More

Senators Rip EPA Over Drugs in Water

Do we need to start testing on a regular basis...well I guess the Senators drink the water too and would like to know what's in there...the fish don't have a choice....they are stuck with the sex hormones and there have been recent stories about some species that are evolving with both reproductive systems...but that's only one element being found today in our drinking water.  BD

The Environmental Protection Agency was lambasted during a Senate hearing Tuesday for allowing the American public to learn that traces of pharmaceuticals are in much of the nation's drinking water from an Associated Press investigative series, not the federal government.The AP's five-month inquiry found that while water is screened for drugs by some suppliers, they usually don't tell customers they have found medication in it, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones.

ABC News: Senators Rip EPA Over Drugs in Water

Read More

'I check their underpants to ensure there is only one penis'

A story about how some drug abusers will go the limit for their urine tests...BD 

Authorities in northern Sweden have discovered that some drug abusers have been using false penises to help them submit fake urine samples.

Police recently confiscated a false penis, a tube and a container during a raid on a drug addict's home in the Haparanda region, Dagens Medicin reports.

The Local - 'I check their underpants to ensure there is only one penis'

Hat Tip:  Kevin, MD

Read More

Medicare May Add to List of No-Pay Hospital Errors

Read the article for more information...will there be more?  Hope not...BD 

Last year, Medicare said it would stop paying hospitals to treat certain conditions that arise after patients are admitted to the hospital and tend to be caused by poor hospital care. Now the feds say they may expand the program to more than double the number of hospital-associated conditions that won’t be reimbursed.

Health Blog : Medicare May Add to List of No-Pay Hospital Errors

Read More

Want a new hospital? Well sell the airport!

That's one way to get a new hospital....BD 

Money raised by the Queensland Government's sale of Cairns and Mackay airports and the Port of Brisbane Authority's share of Brisbane Airport will apparently be used to build new hospitals in north Queensland.

Premier Anna Bligh says Mackay, Cairns and Mt Isa all need new hospitals and the revenue from the sale of the airports should cover the cost of the new health facilities.

Want a new hospital? Well sell the airport!

Read More

ATM for Prescriptions

The perfect companion for E-Prescribing...just add the machine to your computer network and you are set!  Is this the way of the future?  BD 

Dr. Lonnie Draper demonstrates his invention - an ATM for patients to pick up their prescription before leaving the doctor's office.

YouTube - ATM for Prescriptions

Read More

WellPoint opening Anthem office in China

WellPoint opens up in Shanghai, under the name of WPMI with 40 employees initially...earlier WellPoint stated they could also do a better job than the FDA does with monitoring hazardous combinations of drugs and treatments too...and will the citizens have to work with canceled policies and denied claims like we do here..."is the insurance market married to the mafia", to quote another publication today?  In the recent news reflecting that the heparin drugs were made from a cheaper ingredient, will an insurance interest force more of this economic type of behavior in the background for the sake of saving money and greater profits...BD    

WellPoint already provides benefits to roughly 35 million people in America, giving it the largest membership of any U.S. commercial health insurer.

Now, in its first foreign venture, the Indianapolis-based company is eying China, one of the world’s most rapidly growing economies.

WellPoint, in partnership with three other U.S. insurers, this month is opening an office in Shanghai to provide administrative services to Chinese-based insurance companies.

WellPoint opening Anthem office in China | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Read More

The Robot Revolution May Finally Be Here

Health Care is indeed a big area for robots, there's Robo Doc and several hospitals use robots to deliver supplies to various floors of the hospitals, they ride the elevators and make the appropriate stops as needed...and then there is Neuro Robotics as discussed in this article...BD 

...It's unclear how many civilians are ready to buy robots. IRobot has managed to attract enthusiasts but in only 3 percent of U.S. homes. It may take 20 years to get 10 percent, warns Paul Coster, a JPMorgan equities analyst.

But iRobot isn't alone. The medical field, for one, is a focus for robotics, where autonomous delivery carts already reduce costs at a few bustling hospitals. Robotic joints enable more affordable, intense rehabilitation for stroke patients. In early use, a robotic elbow from start-up Myomo has returned some movement to the paralyzed arms  of patients, even after the device is removed. Kailas Narendran, one of the elbow's inventors, says a patient was surprised when the robot was removed and she'd regained movement. "She said, 'It's my own motion!'" Narendran recalls. Hence, the company's name.

The Robot Revolution May Finally Be Here - US News and World Report

Read More

Health Canada looking for firm to grow its medical marijuana

Do you know how to grow pot?  Canada is looking to put the project out to bid... so it can be bought directly from Health Canada instead of the continued licensing of home grown products....maybe a little tax money to be made here too...anyway, there is an incumbent supplier who will also need to re-bid the process as there are rules and regulations as to what type of pot is acceptable and certified...must be an interesting job to certifying weed but we have folks that do that here in the US too....BD 

The department served notice Monday it will soon invite firms to bid on a contract to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana, which is now being done in Flin Flon, Man., by Prairie Plant Systems Inc.

The winning firm will be expected to deliver a steady stream of government-approved dope to certified medical, users starting in the fall.  The winning firm could wind up in the advantageous position of one day being the sole supplier of medical marijuana.

Health Canada posted a notice on a government tenders website saying it would put out a formal request for proposals in the spring of 2008, without specifying a date. 

The Canadian Press: Health Canada looking for firm to grow its medical marijuana

Read More

One in Every 20 Healthcare Workers Is MRSA Carrier

Good article...being it is carried in our nasal passages, screening is helpful, but will have some misses...BD 

But the vast majority is without symptoms and only 5.1% have full-blown clinical infections, according to Stephan Harbarth, M.D., of the University Hospitals of Geneva, and Werner Albrich, M.D., of University Hospital Bern.

One implication is that screening efforts aimed at symptomatic infections are likely to miss a large proportion of colonized healthcare workers who might transmit the bacteria, they wrote in a literature review in the May issue of Lancet Infectious Diseases.  "Staphylococcal dispersal is mainly dependent on whether the person is a nasal carrier," they said, so that "screening of infected healthcare workers only will likely miss a large number of asymptomatic personnel capable of transmitting MRSA to patients.

Medical News: One in Every 20 Healthcare Workers Is MRSA Carrier - in Infectious Disease, General Infectious Disease from MedPage Today

Read More

Linux integration components for Hyper-V RC now available

 Hard Hat Area:  Server 2008 - hosting Linux on a virtual....BD 

The virtualization team is pleased to announce the release of the Linux Integration Components for Hyper-V RC! These components provide compatibility with the recent Hyper-V RC release. You can  obtain the Linux Integration Components via the Microsoft Connect site.

Windows Virtualization Team Blog : Linux integration components for Hyper-V RC now available!

Read More