Virtual Sex Based on Real Movement - Could this be showing up at the ER any time soon??

This is expected to be out in the stores next year...the psychiatrists  will be busy for years to come...this is to be marketed to the Second Life residents...if you are not aware of what Second Life is, here's a virtual health clinic whereby you can create your own diseases, treatment plans, etc. and react with virtual physicians...there are some good things about Second Life, but recently even television shows such as CSI-New York have profiled stories whereby the virtual and real world collide....resulting in crime...and folks are making money over there...housewives as virtual escorts, etc. with their real identity hidden, or very well hidden...but when creating an avatar, there's always the connection of another data base via a simple query...well here you go, at least when someone shows up dressed in this attire, it will give you at least a clue as to some current activities and what may have lead up to their visit... and they could be paying their bills with the money they are making in Second Life...the video below will explain more...no doubt the porn industry will have some interest in this product as well...big companies such as Xerox and IBM also use Second Life to market new products....so there's a lot going on and it's just where and when does virtual meet reality...money a little short in the real practice, it appears there could be potential to make up this up in the virtual world....hmmmm....but then again are there virtual insurance companies to file claims with as well.... just something a little different for the blog today...BD 

There is nothing more sensual than the movements of hot and bothered bodies when having sex. Kevin Alderman, creator of the sex animations for Second Life, is developing a wireless, consumer-level motion-capture suit that will allow people to contribute sex animations to any virtual world of their choice.

“We are soliciting (Second Life) residents to tell us what they want to see in adult motion capture,” Alderman says. “More realistic caresses? More erotic dances? More action?”

The suit, will allow users currently registered as Second Life residents to contribute sex animations to any virtual world of their choice. ‘the Suit’ aims at bridging the gap between the expensive mo-cap technology currently owned by big-time entertainment studios and the more user-accessible ‘avatar’ controlling technologies that are likely to become commonplace in the future.

Motion-Capture Suits - Virtual Sex Based on Real Movement

http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/motion-capture-suits-offer-better-virtual-sex-experience-to-the-painfully-introverted/#comments

Technorati Tags: Virtual World,Second Life,Technology,healthcare

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Squeak Hips - can they hear you coming?

No serious consequences, although the FDA has warned Stryker...ceramic on ceramic...about 3% of patients experiencing problems...the video shows you what it sounds like...BD 

As all three patients — and hundreds of others — discovered once they pinpointed the source of the noises, they had become guinea pigs in an unfolding medical mystery. Their artificial hips are made of ceramic materials that were promoted as being much more durable than older models. But for reasons not yet fully understood, their hips started to squeak, raising questions about whether the noises herald more serious malfunctions.

“There is something amiss here,” said Dr. Douglas E. Padgett, chief of adult reconstructive and joint replacement service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. More than 250,000 Americans get total hip implants each year, a procedure that generally costs close to $45,000. Hip replacements have a success rate of more than 90 percent, based on patients’ achieving relatively pain-free mobility after recovery periods that range from a few months to a year.

That Must Be Bob at the Door. I Hear His New Hip Squeaking. - New York Times

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Wi-Fi Devices to alert of a Heart Attack - UK

The communications regulator in Britian is working to bring WIFI to your wireless device...having a heart attack, well in the near future it could send the message out over WIFI...and we are once more talking devices that are implanted in to the human body...and later there will be more extended use of Bluetooth and a GPS system, so they can find you too thus eliminating the need for someone to call an ambulance.  More work and research needed of course to see how to bring this technology to life without creating another wireless intrusive device for us mere humans to deal with....BD 

The technology that we use to access the Internet and transfer data on wire-free basis will now be greatly appreciated by the doctors and people involved in health and medical help. Medical science introduces devices from Ofcom which will alert doctors and emergency help sections to give a heart attack alert through the Wi-Fi technology.

The Ofcom Device will incorporate sensors implanted into patients who have a high risk of heart attacks and it would send an alert of emergency that will help to quickly respond to the patient. The new breakthrough in technology is yet to go through its testing phase, the security and safety will also be monitored closely.

Wi-Fi Devices to alert of a Heart Attack

Technorati Tags: Medical technology,Heart Attack,Medical Devices,UK,Healthcare

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Baby Boomers Go 'Bionic' as Body Replacement Devices Soar in Popularity

Good video and information on the progress of bionic body parts...knees and joints lead the way with bionic hands and other parts coming in second...Stryker, Medtronic, and Zimmer are 3 companies leading the pack...and don't forget the Department of Defense and their studies and technologies as well...and implanted cardiac devices are not out of the picture by any means...BD  

The baby boomer generation is going "bionic," according to a recent ChangeWave survey of 148 doctors involved in the medical devices market. The survey looked at demand trends for joint replacements, cardiac implants and other types of body repair and correction medical products.

One-in-two (50%) doctor respondents to the survey believe Joint Repair/ Replacement devices will experience the largest growth in demand over the next 12 months -- well ahead of Artificial/ Implantable Cardiac devices (24%) and Spine & Back Repair/Replacement devices (20%).

Baby Boomers Go 'Bionic' as Body Replacement Devices Soar in Popularity According to ChangeWave Survey

Technorati Tags: Baby Boomers,Healthcare IT,Medical Devices,Technology,Bionic Body

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Experiment with double cochlear implants gives woman 'ears'

A choice made here as well...with the implants she cannot have an MRI at any point in time..and anything magnetic will stick to the side of her head...for hearing ability and if in the same scenario, I would make the same decision...no male or female voice, everything sounds like "Kermit the Frog" she says...and she did experience some vertigo initially...and music is a challenge...BD 

Shelly Farmer's "ears" are barely noticeable beneath her dark, curly hair. She can take them off, put them back on, let the batteries recharge overnight.
She can adjust them to tune in everyday sounds, tune out background noise or to take in music.
Make no mistake, they are not hearing aids. Her cochlear implants are more like replacement parts, highly technical electronic stand-ins for the original organs, which conked out more than 20 years ago for reasons neither Farmer nor her doctors understand.
Parts of her "ears" as she calls them — specifically, the magnet that attaches the miniature transmitter to the receiver implanted on her scalp — make her susceptible to other magnetic objects.

Experiment with double cochlear implants gives woman 'ears' - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

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Medical device "cooked" a man's heart...

Edwards Lifesciences is on the hook with the current lawsuit...I can't even imagine what the man experienced...we put our trust in new technology and yet stories of this sort keep appearing...a product overheating inside the human body is just down right scary...the monitor turned off the fail-safe devices and enabled the catheter to reach temperatures of up to 500 degrees...hopefully this has been corrected!...BD 

A California manufacturer of medical devices "chose to cross their fingers and roll the dice," gambling with people's lives, a Snohomish County Superior Court judge said Wednesday.
Judge Linda Krese said it amounted to "reckless disregard for the safety of others" when Edwards Lifesciences Inc. failed to warn users about dangers of a machine that malfunctioned and literally cooked a man's live heart in 2004.

The jury ruled that Edwards, of Irvine, Calif., bears almost all the blame for what happened to Singh, 54, because it didn't tell doctors about flaws in the device that could cause overheating under certain circumstances.  After the surgery, doctors couldn't restart Singh's burned heart. Singh was kept alive with blood-pumping machines and received a heart transplant at University of Washington Medical Center 11 weeks later.

HeraldNet: Jury's $40 million award stands in cooked-heart case

Technorati Tags: Edwards Lifesciences,Cooked Heart,Lawsuit,Medical Devices

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Seeking sleep, willing to pay - What Works?

Consumers are spending a lot of money and time looking for the ultimate solution that will work...attending conventions like the "Big Sleep Show" to find the answer...."If it didn't work, he reasoned, he'd be out $1,000 or so in travel expenses. If it did, it might change his life."....myself, I still like wine...BD 

The Chicago computer consultant, 61, said he wakes frequently because of sleep apnea and stress. Neither surgery nor medical devices have ended his problem, setting him on a weary but tenacious quest for new solutions.
His search brought him Friday to the Big Sleep Show, an expo at Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Center with dozens of purveyors of mattresses, medicine and gizmos holding out the promise of sweet, peaceful slumber.

Virtual Relaxation Solutions claims its $8,000 system offers the equivalent of several hours of rest in just 20 minutes of reclining on a lounge that mildly rocks and rotates. The aim is to simulate the motion of waves while thrumming music vibrates through the cushion.

Seeking sleep, willing to pay -- -- Chicago.com

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Massachusetts General Hospital has a new treatment for wrinkles...

Good news is that you can cover with makeup around 4 days after the procedure...usually 4 or 6 treatments...good news for those with acne scarring or deep wrinkles from sun exposure...BD 

Dermatologists at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are using a powerful new type of laser to evaporate patients' wrinkles and sun damage with fewer treatments. Called Fraxel re:pair™, this novel technology has roots in the Boston area. The concept was originally developed at the MGH and has led to a whole class of lasers in use across the country, including the Fraxel re:store™ and Fraxel re:pair™. The MGH Dermatology Laser and Cosmetic Center is the first dermatology practice in New England to offer this newest technology.

MGH Dermatologists First In New England To Offer New Laser Treatment

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Medical Devices Made with Tainted Heparin Recalled by Medtronic

The heparin saga continues...devices may also be coated with contaminated heparin...BD 

Medtronic Inc. is recalling some medical devices because they may be coated with tainted heparin, a drug linked to 81 deaths in the US. The disposable medical devices, used during cardiac bypass surgery, are made with Medtronic’s Carmeda BioActive surface, which includes heparin. No injuries have been reported in relation to the Medtronic devices, but the recall underscores the enormous scope of the problems involving contaminated heparin.

Medical Devices Made with Tainted Heparin Recalled by Medtronic

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Southern California Smog to be monitored by an unmanned aircraft for continued studies..

The aircraft will fly in military airspace for it's mission...look for the aircraft in the air once a month or once every 2 weeks...the study will determine how much of our polluted air comes from Asia, Mexico, and from right here, and the results will help create better air for all in Southern California....BD 

Using sophisticated unmanned aircraft, research scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego hope to assess Southern California's potential for climate change and better understand the sources of air pollution.  Data collection began on April 2, 2008 and will continue through January 2009, offering researchers a chance to view seasonal variations in air pollution.

Unmanned Aircraft To Study Southern California Smog And Its Consequences

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CorMatrix(R) Announces FDA 510(k) For Novel Biomaterial Implant For Intracardiac Repair

The CorMatrix ECM is made from small intestinal submucosa derived from pig jejunum and stimulated the patient's natural healing mechanisms with collagen...the tissue in time replaces the graft, thus it appears this is done once and then it is left up to the body....4000 or more have had the procedure at over 160 US hospitals.  BD 

CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc., an Atlanta- based company dedicated to developing and delivering unique extracellular matrix (ECM(TM)) biomaterial technologies that harness the body's innate ability to repair damaged cardiovascular tissue, announced that the company has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its CorMatrix ECM(TM) for Cardiac Tissue Repair, which utilizes the company's proprietary ECM Technology(TM).

Following implantation by a surgeon, CorMatrix ECM Technology products act as a scaffold into which the patient's own cells migrate and integrate, stimulating the body's innate wound-healing mechanisms to repair tissue at the site of implantation. As the patient's cells populate the matrix they lay down their own collagen, which matures over time to form a functional tissue repair. The implanted ECM material is gradually replaced and resorbed by the body as the patient's tissue is remodeled.

CorMatrix(R) Announces FDA 510(k) For Novel Biomaterial Implant For Intracardiac Repair

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FDA Approves Strattera(R) For Maintenance Of ADHD In Children And Adolescents

ADHD often fascinates me as far as whether is is totally a genetic condition that can be diagnosed, or is is sometimes a "learned" behavior in today's world...or is it accelerated due to the deluge of information we are handling as humans today...I guess whatever the diagnosis could be, there's help on the way with Strattera...which is a non stimulant...something new from what has been on the market to date.  BD 

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Strattera(R) (atomoxetine HCI) for maintenance treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Strattera, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is the first FDA-approved non-stimulant to treat ADHD in children, adolescents and adults.
"The approval provides physicians and their patients with the first treatment option that is indicated for maintenance of ADHD" said Thomas J. Spencer, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. "This is critical as ADHD may be a life-long disease and effective long-term control of symptoms may mean improved outcomes in children and adolescents."

FDA Approves Strattera(R) For Maintenance Of ADHD In Children And Adolescents

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Norovirus in the Wild at Sun Microsystems Convention

We are starting to hear more and more about bacteria and virus activity at conventions and meeting place...have they always been around or are we just now more intelligent to recognize them...Sun Microsystems in addition to working against computer viruses also had to deal with a real viral bacteria spread by touching surfaces...perhaps one day servers will need protection from both kinds of infections, data and human...also in the news was another situation in Canada where one passenger died when folks came down with flu like symptoms...where it was determined that there was not a virus in the air, but authorities all the same had to investigate and now are looking at the potential of foul play...I guess repeated incidents will continue to push the on line web conventions to thrive....BD 

(AP) -- It's a new kind of virus for Sun Microsystems Inc. At the company's JavaOne conference this week in San Francisco, 70 people came down with what officials believe is norovirus, a type of medical virus easily spread by touching dirty surfaces.

The city's Department of Public Health started receiving reports on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, the department warned people who felt they had been infected to stay home.

Shawn Dainas, a spokesman for Santa Clara-based Sun Microsystems, which makes servers and software and is accustomed to protecting against viruses of the digital variety, said the company also alerted attendees about the illness by e-mail.

70 people sickened during San Francisco conference

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Newborn Screening Act - Passes Congress

There are a total of 29 condition disorders to be tested on all newborns...California has one additional provision, testing for hearing...BD 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) recently announced the passage of legislation she authored to eliminate preventable newborn deaths and severe disabilities through the increased use of comprehensive and standardized newborn screening tests.
The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act now heads to the president who is expected to sign the legislation into law.

The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act (HR 3825) provides federal funding to educate parents and healthcare professionals about the importance of newborn screening, and improves the systems for follow-up care for infants detected with an illness through the newborn screening tests. In addition, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure the quality of laboratories involved in newborn screening, and establishes a system for collecting and analyzing data that will help researchers develop better detection, prevention and treatment strategies.

The Downey Patriot Online

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Man says this was his second self-tracheotomy

He felt the ambulance would not get there fast enough so he bolted for the kitchen and took matters in to his own hands...wild story...but he may have saved his life...his doctor said he did a pretty good job...and the patient asked to split the bill!....BD 

OMAHA, Neb. - The 55-year-old Omaha man who performed a tracheotomy on himself with a steak knife says he did the same thing to himself two years ago. "I didn't feel no pain. I was just trying to survive," Wilder said in his high-pitched, gravelly voice. "I got relief right away. There was a big gush of blood, and I was able to start sucking in air."

After medics took him to a hospital, he was given antibiotics to prevent a possible infection. The next day his physician inserted a tube in his throat.  He said he's had three tracheotomies since 2004. He performed the first one on himself in 2006 under similar circumstances.

Omaha man says this was his second self-tracheotomy - Yahoo! News

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Feds Expand NHIN Trial Sites for Medical Records Integration

Grants in the amount of $600,000 total....may not be enough money though...depending on how much architectural work needs to be done to have all communicate and integrate...BD 

The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded grants to enable six additional organizations to participate in trial implementations of the national health information network.

Participants in the trials will implement and test NHIN specifications and demonstrate connectivity to others, according to HHS. They also will demonstrate core services to support four principal outcomes: patient lookup and information retrieval; secure information routing and delivery of data, including a summary patient record; provision of data for population management uses; and consumer managed access to appropriate information.

More information is available at hhs.gov/healthit.

Feds Expand NHIN Trial Sites

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'It Makes Me Crazy': Woman Can't Forget

I am very much looking forward to this show...why....hate to admit it, but I have the same and similar thing...and it is different to live with.  No I have not bothered to keep a diary and watch very little TV, but what the story says is true about remembering what happens to you...it also depends on what you focus on....there can be a number of things going on around me and if I am not paying attention or am not focused, then no, this does not stay in memory.

Anyone who has known me for a while can hear me remark about the fact that there are things stored upstairs that I wish would "go away"...the part about being a recording is very true though as I refer to it like accessing a data base...it is a strange phenomena when asked a question and the voice and explanation that comes out is on auto pilot...I'm not even thinking at the time, or thinking about something else at the same time...I can be awake at any hour and go back to some data base query that I wrote 5 years ago....now that is the stuff I really don't need, worked as a real asset when I was actively writing code though...but for some strange reason it's still there.  Working with data did a lot to enhance my memory, thus when I use any electronic devices, well that's another story and I guess I should head on over to UCI soon...(grin). 

You do get some funny reactions from others though or strange I might also say...the only time when I totally shut down is when I am sick and basically I am making the effort mentally saying no, I don't want to do this today or a couple glasses of wine will help shut things down too...otherwise it's just like a hard drive on a computer constantly spinning around accessing memory. There is a difference also between just accessing information about an event and information that relates to any type of a process...the latter sometimes takes a few more seconds to kick in, thus I think the name of the "Medical Quack" here has perhaps been appropriate....and fun too! 

What would you do if you couldn't forget anything in your life? For most of us, our memories fade as we age, and only the occasional song, smell, or photo will take us back to a particular time and place.

"I would get totally stressed out if I had to memorize a poem, or if I had to memorize a monologue for drama class, I would completely freak out," Price said. "Because I can't do what they do. I can't look at a phone book and memorize names. I don't do that. It's just really my life."

ABC News: 'It Makes Me Crazy': Woman Can't Forget

Related Story:  http://www.physorg.com/news129561635.html

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Cool Technology of the Week - Blog Talk Radio - Dr. Anonymous Radio Show

If you have not participated in one of these broadcasts, I recommend it and keep the link to each presentation on the blog on the right hand side.  I learned a lot and can't say how nice it is to put a voice to the presenters, and this is social networking at it's best...very cool and neat for health care.  I have participated in about 4 of the broadcasts so far and recommend it to anyone.  Speakers are announced ahead of time so you can plan to mark your calendar.  Dr. Halamka, CIO and Paul Levy,CEO both of Beth Israel Deaconess had excellent presentations and you can listen to the recorded broadcasts.  ...BD 

Part of the participation for me was being able to sit in what I call the "peanut gallery" or chat room as it is officially called and interact with others listening, or simply type in a question as the presenters also have access to see what is going on...and perhaps jump to a topic quickly...you can also use a phone number to call in and actually talk...that I have not done yet, but I have been well tolerated in the "peanut gallery" talking about "Crackberries"....<grin>..among other subjects at hand..BD 

"I've become a real fan of social networking technologies and have been an active participant in Blogger, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, various Wikis, and countless Webex collaborations. I'm a champion of any technology which democratizes the communication process, turning anyone into an author, publisher or broadcaster. One such technology is Social Networking Radio from blogtalkradio.com "

Life as a Healthcare CIO: Cool Technology of the Week

Technorati Tags: Dr. Anonymous,CEO,CIO,Blog Talk Radio,Hospital,Health Care,Social Networks

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Retailers can use DNA tracing to track meat - Where's the Beef?

DNA has gone to the Cows...Pfizer thinks it's a wise investment...so what's the DNA that is in this hamburger I'm eating?  "If you see a DNA TraceBack label, believe it," Marvin said. "It's true. It's DNA." ...might guess this could be helpful to track mad cow diesease as well...BD 

Bovigen LLC, a Louisiana company recently purchased by Pfizer Animal Health, also offers USDA-approved DNA tracing. But Bovigen plans to use it only to help producers identify beef cattle for specific traits for breeding purposes, said spokesman Rick Goulart.

Dave Schafer, executive director of the Kansas Meat Processors Association, said he is skeptical that DNA tracing is necessary in the U.S. or that producers will want to add to already high food prices.

TraceBack can determine not only where meat came from but whether it's organic or Angus - or whatever the label says, company officials said. Chief Executive Don Marvin said it's the first product to offer DNA tracing for the entire meat supply chain.

Retailers can use DNA tracing to track meat

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Microsoft Talks up Mobile Devices as relates to Health Care

"The mobile phone user might then go to a clinic so they could print out the medication. The computer would assess the person's weight, sex and other factors to determine the right combination of ingredients to treat the ailment, then print out a sheet of "tablets."...the Windows Mobile page has a lot of useful information and if you are a regular reader of this blog, there are multitudes of posts with medical devices talking to mobile devices...total cost of ownership is also 20-28% less than  Blackberries...I just wrote a post last week on new software that will deliver a scent with your text messages...augh...not good for those with allergies...but case and point is a lot of this technology is either there or about to be there real soon...use the tool to figure Windows Mobile ROI...lots of posts on tis site with medical devices that use Bluetooth to connect with cell phones as well...BD  

I have run Epocrates on my cell phone for years and there's also a link on this blog to look up drugs that anyone can use...I use it mostly for demo purposes but there have been times when I have needed to look up a formulary for me...another new product worth looking at is OPUS...pocket dictation...BD 

In the not-too-distant future, people could use computer printers to make simple medicines as part of a do-it-yourself model of health care, a top Microsoft executive said Friday.

Printers are already liquid delivery systems, but instead of ink, people might someday put the ingredients of different medications into printer cartridges, said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, in a speech in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday.

The drugstore-in-a-box, as he called it, would be part of several devices that could increasingly use information technology for health diagnosis and treatment.

PC World - Business Center: Microsoft Talks up Using Printers to Make Drugs

Technorati Tags: Microsoft Healthcare,Windows Mobile,Cell phone,healthcare IT

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Packaged pythons cause scare at German post office

Don't know why someone would be shipping a python...big health risk involved here if someone got bit...BD 

BERLIN - A trio of packaged pythons has caused a scare at a German post office. Police in Darmstadt say the snakes were stuffed into a parcel that was handed in for mailing to eastern Germany. It contained two tiger pythons and an albino tiger python of more than 3 feet in length.

A post office worker noticed one of the reptiles on Thursday afternoon after it apparently bit through the package.

Packaged pythons cause scare at German post office - Yahoo! News

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Hospitals to share electronic records - Oklahoma

Information to be shared includes patient demographics, medications, allergies and reactions, diagnosis history, lab results, procedures, immunizations and health care providers....basically most of the components of any EHR/EMR....on target to be up and going in September....BD 

The hospitals announced Thursday that they have signed on to a network in which they will share electronic records of patients who seek care in their emergency departments.  It seemed that that (SMRTNET) tool really fit the desire of those Oklahoma City hospitals to say ‘here is a cost-effective way to test creating this health information network,'” said Craig Jones, president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association. "After they looked at it and determined it would be cost effective to get it up and going and test it, that's why they jumped on it.”

Oklahoma City-area hospitals participating in the initial implementation of the electronic records sharing network are Edmond Medical Center, Integris Baptist Medical Center, Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital, Integris Southwest Medical Center, Mercy Health Center, Midwest Regional Medical Center in Midwest City, Norman Regional Health System, which includes the Moore Medical Center, Oklahoma Heart Hospital, the OU Medical Center and St. Anthony Hospital.

Hospitals to share electronic records | NewsOK.com

Technorati Tags: Hospital,Medical Records,EHR,Physician

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FDA Scraps Helsinki Rule On Human Subjects

In think they are right, move clinical trials will move overseas...BD 

The change, which goes into effect in Octoer, is likely to push more clinical trials abroad, where an estimated 35 percent of all trials submitted to the FDA in new drug applications now take place, according to ISW. Unlike trials conducted in the US, drugmakers don’t have to submit an investigational new drug application (IND) to the FDA before beginning research in foreign countries.

Pharmalot » FDA Scraps Helsinki Rule On Human Subjects

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3D Plastic Surgery Software...

This is interesting...if you are thinking about plastic surgery...do a virtual first....get a facial scan and go to work...looks like this can be more fun that Photoshop...BD 

 

http://www.renai3d.com/en/info/vs_process.php

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Illinois Gov. Blagojevich To Stop Enrolling People In Expanded FamilyCare Program

The reason, the state can't afford it...BD 

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will follow a judge's orders to stop enrolling uninsured residents in his expanded version of FamilyCare, a state program that subsidizes health care for families, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/6).
The Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in February voted 8-2 to reject, for the second time, an emergency order by Blagojevich to expand the FamilyCare program. The legislative oversight committee first rejected the expansion in November 2007. Currently, families with annual incomes up to $38,202 are eligible for the program.

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich To Stop Enrolling People In Expanded FamilyCare Program

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Personalized Doctor - One patient's story of Satisfaction...

One patients story on his satisfaction...but some carriers like United Health care don't like it....and more here....as posted earlier this year, some are canceling their contracts with doctors who have gone in to the "boutique" or "" medical business ....sad and what I call counter productive as patients are trying to find physicians who can give them the time they need for both diagnostic and preventative health care....BD 

But Dr. Craig is part of a growing group of family physicians offering more personalized care. His group: "MDVIP" hopes to offer what it's name implies: VIP treatment from your doctor.

"I think this new practice model gives us the time to spend and educate and really work with the patient," said Dr. Craig.

All that one-on-one time will cost you, though. Patients signing on for the MDVIP treatment will pay $1500, or $125 a month. That's above and beyond what you pay for insurance premiums.

Personalized Doctor - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com

Technorati Tags: concierge medicine,boutique medicine,physician,healthcare,health insurance,patient care

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Xobni for Outlook Plug In - Outstanding!

If you have not heard about this product, check it out...I have used it for a few months now and it helps me keep right up to date on everything I need....I have an old saying "if it's not in Outlook, then I don't get to it"...and that is the key here. Bill Gates even recommended the product and had an article in Newsweek....even in health care, this is a valuable tool...find out which patients, doctors and so on in a couple clicks that need follow up...run some stats on how your email is fairing...on a business network, IS or IT department involvement is required to allow, but if you have administrative rights on your computer and have your own network...go for it...you will be amazed at how this will increase your productivity and just keep you on top of what's going on in Outlook...it's somewhat of a free CRM of sorts....BD 

Xobni is the Outlook plug-in that saves you time finding email conversations, contacts and attachments.

After a quick install, you'll see the new Xobni toolbar appear in Outlook - and suddenly information will become much easier to find. When a new email arrives, the sender's full communication history appears in the Xobni sidebar, including past conversations, attachments and contact details. Xobni also includes a blazing fast email search tool.

Xobni: Learn more about Xobni for Outlook

Technorati Tags: Xobini,Outlook,Email,physician,toolbar

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The invasion of the Bedbugs - NYC Commuters

They are probably living everywhere where there is upholstered seats...think of it, movie theaters, airplanes, buses...get on board and cuddle up...good news though is exterminating processes can handle the job...but now these nasty little guys also carry disease...and can burry their way under the skin too...BD 

The insects, which can be elusive due to their small size and nocturnal nature, are known to be able to live in both fibers and wood. They are also known for their bites, which lead to itchy bumps on the skin.

But the bite can lead to more than an itch. According to reports from the U.S. Public Health Service, bedbugs are known to carry dozens of infectious diseases, from smallpox to the flu.

ABC News: Bedbugs May Be Biting NYC Commuters

Technorati Tags: Bed bugs,infection,bites

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Genomic Research and Personalized Medicine: An Expert Interview with Francis Collins, MD, PhD

Good article well worth reading...and it points out some of the areas where we already have personalized medicine in place today...health care providers will need to get up to speed...more genetic counselors will be needed...physicians who have not tracked this information will be put on the spot...do we start incorporating this information in to medical records...software developers put on the spot...design the processes for the physicians...and last but not least, reimbursement for prevention needs to be accelerated...BD 

Medscape: What are the most important developments in genomics that might affect clinical practice?

In terms of diagnostics, we are already in a position with some heritable conditions where it's possible to determine who is at risk even before the disease has appeared, perhaps most dramatically in circumstances like the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

You will see more of those kinds of diagnostic tests to assess what are the appropriate next steps to take for cancer, particularly now that we have The Cancer Genome Atlas project.  Then there's pharmacogenomics, the effort to try to make better predictions about getting the right drug at the right dose for the right person.

For example, the commonly used drug warfarin, for blood clotting, now includes on the FDA label a suggestion that physicians be aware that genetic testing can help choose the proper maintenance dose of a drug that has a very narrow therapeutic window. Potentially in the next 2 or 3 years, that suggestion will become a recommendation based upon data that are being accumulated right now.

Genomic Research and Personalized Medicine: An Expert Interview

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Nobody Does it better - Docs Excel at Suicide

"Medical know-how puts doctors at greater suicide risk; new campaign aims to ease stigma"...When you stop and think about the pressures...physicians live every day with life and death situations and most of us outside might tend to forget about this from time to time...stress levels are high..and then add on some economic pressures on keeping a practice open with compensation getting lower all the time...well that's enough to depress anyone....we rely on him/her to be there for us in our times of need....BD  

  There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own. An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year — a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.

Depressed doctors frequently decide to self-medicate but don't seek psychotherapy that could help them deal with underlying issues, said Dr. Glenn Siegel, who runs a suburban Chicago program that treats doctors with drug abuse, depression and other psychiatric problems.

ABC News: Physician, Kill Thyself? Docs Excel at Suicide

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Nuns Sell the Hospital that Nobody Wanted

 Update:  Good news as the hospital in Illinois was slated to be closed...as it could not even reach a break even point and continued to lose money...1400 employees slated to lose their jobs....BD 

The hospital the nuns couldn’t give away for free is getting bought.

St. Francis Hospital in Blue Island, Illinois, has problems plenty of facilities can relate to: After a successful run through the 20th century, it’s faced tough times as other hospitals siphon off people with good insurance, and patients with conditions that tend to be especially profitable to treat.  But yesterday SSM Healthcare, which owns some 20 hospitals and is affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, said it had found a buyer: MSMC Investors and its affiliate, Transition Healthcare Co. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Related Story:  http://www.nbc5.com/news/15778141/detail.html

Health Blog : Nuns Sell Unsellable Hospital

Technorati Tags: hospital,St.Francis,insurance,Investors

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Committee Evaluates Impact Of Planned Cut To Medicare Physician Fee Payments, USA

We all know the end result here if this passes and I truly hope stories like this one with Medicare outsourcing to WellPoint are not the answer to solving the upcoming crisis for funding Medicare...in an earlier story this will have a huge effect on rehabilitation compensation for therapists too...no referral from an MD, no rehab to speak of either....view the video below for an update on the committee comments...BD  

 Small medical practices provide essential services and ensure all patients have access to quality care. However, cuts to Medicare physician fee payments threaten to undermine the work of

these firms. Committee Members heard from the Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They also received testimony from a panel of health care providers, who noted the planned cuts would greatly limit services to the nation's neediest communities.

Committee Evaluates Impact Of Planned Cut To Medicare Physician Fee Payments, USA

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More Hepatitis C Cases Tied to Las Vegas Clinic

I truly hope this does not turn out to be one of those "economic" decision stories with the clinic re-using syringes to keep the cost down....BD 

The hepatitis C outbreak tied to unsafe practices at a Las Vegas clinic got uglier yesterday, as health officials said some 77 cases of the chronic liver disease may be tied to the facility.

Those cases represent people who were treated at the clinic, tested positive for the disease and did not report other common risk factors, such as the use of intravenous drugs. “We can’t say for certain that they got it at the clinic; however, the clinic is the obvious source of infection considering they had no other risk factors,” a state epidemiologist told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Health Blog : More Hepatitis C Cases Tied to Las Vegas Clinic

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NHS shake-up to axe hospital services

Patients in the UK may now have to travel further distances for health care as the NHS consolidates and merges it services...and according to the article protests are on the way...BD 

Ministers are preparing for a summer of protest as residents campaign against proposals that could mean local hospitals losing specialist services to large regional centres.

Scores of hospital departments such as maternity units and cancer clinics will be closed or merged across the country under plans for a radical shake-up of the NHS.

"Patients want to be treated in their local hospital safely," Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said.

"To be admitted to a hospital 60 miles away from your home is not convenient. It is all very well having specialist centres around the country but it is not want the public want."

Lord Darzi, a surgeon, said specialist services would be moved into larger regional centres only where there was evidence to prove that doing this would provide better care

NHS shake-up to axe hospital services - Telegraph

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WellPoint wins multimillion-dollar Medicare contract to outsource several administrative functions

Does this mean that Medicare has outsourced part of it's administration and that the insurance company will be handling appeals, audits, and more for Medicare instead of being handled internally?  If I am reading this correctly, this is what appears to be an outsourcing contract...to handle business normally handled in house...BD 

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. announced Monday that its National Government Services subsidiary was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to administer the Medicare Administrative Contract for an area that includes New York and Connecticut.

Under the new contract, the WellPoint unit will perform key administrative functions for Medicare's contracts with hospitals, skilled nursing complexes and physicians, including appeals, audit and reimbursement, claims processing, medical review and coverage determinations.

WellPoint wins multimillion-dollar Medicare contract - Business First of Louisville:

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Kaiser Permanente members targeted in hospital billing dispute

More disputes among hospitals...Kaiser once more slated as not paying the bills...after just settling with Tenet a couple months ago for the same thing...once more patients are caught in the middle....Dr. Reddy states Kaiser should pay the balances on the bills due...BD 

An ambulance rushed her to the emergency room at West Anaheim Medical Center. The couple paid their portion of the bill – a $250 deductible – and six days later, Vicki was released after treatment for respiratory distress.

But late last week, the Fowlkes were stunned to receive letters from the hospital and a collection service demanding $50,739.70. They were told Kaiser had not paid the full bill and the Fowlkes had 30 days to pay or be turned over to credit bureaus.

About 6,000 Southern California Kaiser members like the Fowlkes have received billing notices over the past week from eight Prime Healthcare Services hospitals, including West Anaheim and two others in Orange County. The massive and unprecedented collection attempt is part of an accelerating dispute between Kaiser and the controversial hospital chain founded by Dr. Prem Reddy.

"We really don't want the patients to pay us," Reddy said. "Patients are the only messengers to the health plans. They should call and say, 'We paid you dearly, how come you don't pay for my emergency care?'

Life: Kaiser Permanente members targeted in hospital billing dispute | Kaiser Permanente, Prime Healthcare Services, Prem Reddy, West Anaheim Medical Center - OCRegister.com

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Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Medicare requires patients to obtain a referral from a physician to see a therapist...well it rolls downhill....less physicians seeing Medicare patients, less rehabilitation without the referral...and if the bill for rehab services is over the cap, well we all know what happens then....BD 

Physical therapists, in particular, are being hit especially hard, according to DiAngelis. Not only will they experience the overall 10.6 percent reduction in payment under the fee schedule, they also will be subject to an arbitrary annual cap of $1,810 per beneficiary on outpatient services beginning July 1.

"This cap will not save the Medicare program money," added DiAngelis. "It would only shift the cost of care away from outpatient facilities and small business to more costly and less efficient inpatient facilities. Small businesses in physical therapy will be impacted as the therapy cap policy includes an exemption for hospital outpatient departments. This exemption will do nothing more than encourage patients to seek services in the hospital setting to avoid having to change providers over the course of their physical therapy treatment when they reach the cap." APTA is advocating for a repeal of the therapy caps or an extension of the current exceptions process that maintains access to clinically appropriate physical therapy services under Medicare.

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Technorati Tags: Rehabilitation,physician,medicare,patient care,medical,insurance

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Mayo Clinic Enables Mobility Solutions to Enhance Patient Care

It will supply wireless services for 5,000 mobile users and 1,000 with wireless Voice over IP Phones...in addition there are a multitude of wireless medical devices and equipment connected....2,000 infusion pumps, 300 patient controlled PCA pumps and 100 pulse oximeters for monitoring patient hears and breathing rates.  Doctors and nurses will be able to access the patient information where ever they are in the hospital....BD 

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - May 7, 2008) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced today that Mayo Clinic, the largest integrated, not-for-profit group medical practice in the world, has deployed a Cisco® Unified Wireless Network to improve its patient care. The network encompasses more than 3,000 Cisco access points, Cisco 4400 Series controllers and the Cisco Wireless Services Module for the Catalyst 6500; delivering a broad set of healthcare mobility applications to its population of approximately 40,000 physicians, nurses and staff within its three U.S.-based campuses. In addition, Mayo will begin evaluating Cisco's 802.11n Aironet® 1250 Series Access Points to enable a broader set of new mobility applications across its facilities. Cisco also announced that Mayo Clinic received Cisco's five millionth Aironet access point, which began shipping in 2000. This marks yet another major milestone for Cisco in the evolution of the enterprise wireless market.

Healthcare Leader Mayo Clinic Enables Innovative Mobility Solutions to Enhance Patient Care

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Department of Justice Gets in On Vytoringate

Can trials be completed sooner...biotech might have some answers in the long run with genomic assistance....BD 

Add a few U.S. attorneys to the long list of folks looking into what happened with that failed trial of Vytorin, the cholesterol drug from Merck and Schering-Plough.

There was a flurry of action in the early months of the year, as the company reported that the drug failed to show a benefit over a generic alone in a long-awaited study. Most of the questions had to do with why it took the companies nearly two years after the trial was completed to report the results.

Health Blog : Department of Justice Gets in On Vytoringate

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At Merck, Some Layoffs Are Made By PowerPoint

 Talk about controlling who sees and who has confidential data...the automation process can become very chilling...no human elements left?  Being a tech person there are all kinds of ways to automate the process, but human contact is still the best, rather than a company notebook that auto wipes the drive once you have read your last email notifying you that you are not longer employed for example...and that has been done...shame...BD 

The news that Merck is cutting 1,200 sales reps made headlines, but researchers who work on natural products in Madrid weren’t too thrilled either. That’s because the drugmaker is closing down the 50-year-old research effort, although the disclosure was a mistake - a Merck executive inadvertently included the plan in a PowerPoint presentation to an audience that included Merck employees.

Pharmalot » At Merck, Some Layoffs Are Made By PowerPoint

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Homeless services to boost healthcare through donated EHR

Nice....one interesting item is the Mobile Health Clinic offered ...it is much like the Dream Center does in Los Angeles, a mobile physicians office for free health care for those who have no other access ....I have seen the one from the Dream Center a couple years ago and these mobile MD offices are clean and ready to take care of patients..nice move for McKesson here.  BD 

SAN DIEGO - Father Joe's Villages, a nonprofit corporation based in San Diego that provides services to the homeless, aims to improve medical record documentation and promote health screenings thanks to an electronic health record system donated by McKesson. 

McKesson donated its Practice Partners  Patient Records software to help improve care for thousands of indigent patients at Father Joe's.Father Joe's relies on more than 200 volunteers to provide programs such as education, job training, childcare, medical and dental care and substance abuse counseling to underserved communities through its flagship operation, St. Vincent de Paul Village and Martha's Village & Kitchen, located in Indio, Calif.

Homeless services aim to boost healthcare through donated EHR

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ReWalk...Rehab...

The device is now in clinical trials and hopefully available next year...video at the site to watch and see how it works....nice hope for some restricted to wheelchairs...he even gets out and drives in the video...nice...potential for a a rehabilitation product...BD 

It's a concept borrowed from the spider and the horseshoe crab: an exoskeleton, designed to assist disabled people with standing, walking and climbing stairs.

ReWalk, by Argo Medical Technologies of Israel, consists of a lightweight brace-support suit featuring motors at the joints, rechargeable batteries and a computerized control system carried in a backpack.

The user chooses the desired movement -- stand up, take a step, stand still, sit down -- on a remote control. Sensors then determine the angle of the user's chest and guide the legs along while allowing the person to maintain his or her balance. The user typically uses crutches while wearing the suit, which is intended to be worn under clothing.

A Human Exoskeleton - washingtonpost.com

Hat Tip:  .gizmowatch.com

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Sermo - Doctor's Unite

Sermo, the physicians social network has an open letter for any MD interested to digitally sign and join...the letter addresses issues with the current health care system and encourages patients and physicians alike to unite for better health care...the MDs will no longer be silent...BD 

"We, the physicians of the United States, will no longer remain silent. We will not tolerate a healthcare system where those without medical expertise or genuine interest in our patients' health have absolute control. This letter is merely a summary of the most important problems in our current system. We believe that by partnering with the public we can start to demand real change and formulate practical solutions."

http://www.sermo.com/doctorsunite

Hat Tip:  Kevin, MD

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FDA Is Urged To Ban Ortho-Evra Patch

 The warnings are nothing new, as I myself have used such products and my physician warned me years ago of the potential blood clots with use of the products...the product works great though I must say...and sure was nicer than taking a pill...but I myself no longer use the product over the same concerns and the potential connection to breast cancer...BD 

Citing studies indicating the birth control patch increased the risk of dangerous blood clots, Public Citizen has petitioned the agency to withdraw the Johnson & Johnson product over a six-month transition period in which the healthcare giant is urged to release a newer formulation. (Look here).

The consumer group argues that Ortho-Evra results in 60 percent more estrogen on average exposure; greater variability in estrogen levels; a possible two-fold increased risk of venous thrombosis; increased risk of side effects such as breast discomfort, severe menstrual pain, nausea, and vomiting; a 50 percent increased likelihood of discontinuation, and no improvement in contraceptive outcomes.

Pharmalot » FDA Is Urged To Ban J&J’s Ortho-Evra Patch

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Ambulances for the Dead

 The organs will be harvested, and then the choice of "yes" or "no" comes in to play...the consent would come in to play after the fact...benefits to both sides here..but the real magic would be to register yourself as a donor so it is done up front...BD 

The controversial twist: Crews would swoop in and perform procedures on a corpse without consent in order to preserve the organs until the family had time to give consent for organ donation. No organs would be taken without consent.

New York City officials plan within months to dispatch the nation's first ambulance equipped to preserve bodies of the newly dead so that families have time to consider organ donation.  But some doctors and families are expected to dislike the idea of performing procedures without consent.

ABC News: NYC Plans Ambulances for the Dead

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E-prescribing: Where they go after government service

They turn into investment experts...or firms that leverage funds....but why not invest in the physicians...they are the front line individuals who need the help directly as they care for us, the patients....some additional entries into the already fragmented health care business...BD 

Remember internist David Brailer, once the point man for EHRs in the Bush administration? He’s now the chairman of a private-equity firm that’s bankrolling a healthcare IT startup with its own cast of ex-public servants.

Brailer’s firm, Health Evolution Partners, announced on April 28 that it was investing an undisclosed amount of money in an e-prescribing company called Prematics. Various health plans have introduced Prematics’ e-prescribing service—including wireless hand-held computers—for participating physicians to use free of charge.

E-prescribing: Follow the money—and former government officials - - Medical Economics

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E-prescribing: Please get everyone on the same team!

Why and again I ask why is the 10% pay cut coming in to play here when we can't get the DEA to endorse e-prescribing...many physicians already use e-prescribing, but have to put down the tablet PC or step away from the computer to pick up an old paper script form for these types of scripts and there are other entities like the mail in pharma companies who won't take e-prescribing as well. and the doctors still have to send a fax to them!!..can we all get on the same bandwagon here?  In a related article, nearly 3 in 10 physicians don't even take credit cards to get reimbursed...so why do we continue to badger our health care providers and not extend some helping resources and funds...teamwork not penalties will create unified solutions...the insurance industry is a big promoter of the potential legislation, so why don't they help the DEA while they are at it?  BD 

A bill in Congress that would require doctors to e-prescribe for Medicare patients or else take a pay cut has been endorsed by an impressive list of groups representing patients, employers, and insurers. But only one major physician organization has jumped on the bandwagon.  The legislation they’re all endorsing is the Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection Act, which sets a deadline of 2011 for doctors to electronically transmit their prescriptions to pharmacies for Medicare patients. Doctors who don't would receive 10 percent less in reimbursement for any related E&M service. Medicare could waive the penalty for hardship cases.

E-prescribing: Big business, labor, insurers lobby for mandatory e-prescribing bill - - Medical Economics

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Officials Testify on Disaster Plans

Hmmmm....don't know where the thought process is here...how about the fact that so many hospitals need help with technology to handle this...what if folks were all sent to a paper based hospital in an emergency...where would patient information come from...sure wish we had some IT savvy folks around today that make these decisions...and stop putting the cart before the horse...we can't even get the daily routine of taking care of Medicaid patients done right...can we focus on one thing at a time and then move forward...all these items are not going to work without a good underlying system, the one we have now does not work...be done with it, add a federal sales tax, pay everybody including the doctors and hospitals and  move forward....and this way everybody contributes...and it's about the only pool that could be created that would be large enough..all the present pools of funds are running short...time for something new?  BD 

Leavitt and Chertoff spoke two days after the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), released a survey showing that hospitals in seven major U.S. cities would be overwhelmed in case of a Madrid-scale attack. In that incident, 191 people were killed and as many as 270 patients were sent to a single hospital within hours.

President Bush has threatened to veto House legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on changes sought by HHS to Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor. Congressional budget analysts say the reimbursement changes would lower federal spending by $17.8 billion over five years. State officials said the impact would be greater, including cuts to physicians at teaching hospitals and to urban public hospitals whose emergency rooms are already strained.

Officials Testify on Disaster Plans - washingtonpost.com

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University Of Southern California Receives Nearly $27 Million In Funding For New Stem Cell Research Facility

Other related stories at the links below for other universities in California..here's the breakdown from yesterday's post...BD 

Noting the project as innovative in terms of energy efficiency and research collaboration, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded nearly $27 million in funding for a new stem cell facility at the University of Southern California (USC). USC was one of 12 California institutions considered for CIRM's Major Facilities Grants, which will provide $271 million to build stem cell research facilities throughout California. The new facility will be named the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC.

UCSF Stem Celll Funding         UCSB Stem Cell Funding

University Of Southern California Receives Nearly $27 Million In Funding For New Stem Cell Research Facility

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Hackers' posts on epilepsy forum cause migraines, seizures

Cruel and mean...yes...one other thing comes to mind as well...flashing pictures also play havoc with those individuals who have vision problems...my mother for one can't use certain web pages due to the flashing advertisements on the pages...this affects her email client as well...so we have now redirected the email to Outlook, where she can read her email without all the flashing advertisements...it's not the advertisement, it is the flashing effect...something web developers might give some thought to...as consumers will use and install ad blockers....BD 

AP) -- Computer attacks typically don't inflict physical pain on their victims. But in a rare example of an attack apparently motivated by malice rather than money, hackers recently bombarded the Epilepsy Foundation's Web site with hundreds of pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images.  

The breach triggered severe migraines and near-seizure reactions in some site visitors who viewed the images. People with photosensitive epilepsy can get seizures when they're exposed to flickering images, a response also caused by some video games and cartoons.

Hackers' posts on epilepsy forum cause migraines, seizures

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More ex-pharma execs joining the ranks of the BioTech Industry

BioTech, the new Big Pharma?  BD 

John LaMattina, a chemist who retired as head of Pfizer R&D last year, has been named to the board of directors of Human Genome Sciences, a biotech company still looking for its first product.

LaMattina joins a cast of former Big Pharma honchos on the HGS board, including Chairman Jerry Karabelas, formerly of Novartis; Jürgen Drews, ex-Roche; and Maxine Gowen, ex-GlaxoSmithKline.

Health Blog : Ex-Pfizer R&D Chief LaMattina Joins Human Genome Board

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Fed Up With Bureaucracy, A Family Doc Gives Up On Tricare

One more article on how complex it is for a physician to get paid...from the government....and this is a plan for retired military individuals...BD 

Chalk up one more casualty to the growing hassles of medical bureaucracy. Ben Brewer, Illinois family doc and WSJ.com columnist, says he’s stopped accepting an insurance plan that covers current and retired military personnel and their families.

“It seemed too often that I was doctoring with one hand tied behind my back,” Brewer writes. The paperwork was “three times the work” of other health plans, including Medicaid.

Health Blog : Fed Up With Bureaucracy, A Family Doc Gives Up On Tricare

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Zamzar - online file conversion

This could be help and interest...an online document conversion service...no software to install...convert a PDF to Words, etc.....the business plan will use an SSL 128 bit encryption service...and would be the one to choose for use at work...the free services would work for average home use to convert small documents...BD 

Zamzar supports conversion between a wide variety of different file formats. We're adding support for new formats all the time - if there's a format that you'd like us to support why not contact us and we'll do our best to add it.

Zamzar - Free online file conversion

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UroToday Inc. Launches A Unique Open Access Journal

Free and open resources....with a current audience of over 55,000 professionals..BD

UroToday Inc. announces the launch of the UroToday International Journal® (UIJ), a new online, peer-reviewed, fast-tracked urology and urologic oncology publication. The uniquely targeted journal focuses on the professional global urology and urologic oncology audience. UroToday Inc. strives to elevate access to education for urology and urologic oncology professionals worldwide.

UroToday Inc. Launches A Unique "No Cost" Open Access Journal Focused On Urology And Urologic Oncology

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