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Microsoft Surface Has Twitter Client And Some Nice Healthcare Related Software

7/18/2009 08:18:00 AM  , ,  

This has to be the ultimate for using Twitter, SurfaceTwitter using Windows Presentation Foundation.  Surface is very cool and not too long ago I had the opportunity to do some protein folding on Surface, which was very cool.  Not too long ago Microsoft stated they were working on an even larger Surface hardware/software application and table that will be dedicated for use with healthcare too, so stay tuned as more information on the healthcare side emerges with Surface.  BD 

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The capabilities of SurfaceTwitter are:

  • Show the 25 most recent Tweets in a “ScatterView” control, making each Tweet a movable and resizable object on the Surface.
  • Automatically detect the presence of a TwitPic picture linked in a Tweet and display the picture’s thumbnail attached to the tweet it belongs to.
  • Mark Mentions (of the person currently logged in) by coloring the Tweet window blue.
  • Send Tweets using the Surface on-screen keyboard.

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Here are some healthcare related links for Surface:

3D Multi Touch Application for Heart Surgeries – Microsoft Surface and HealthVault

Microsoft HealthVault Videos - Device Communication and Surface at the Doctor’s Office

Related Reading:

Hospital Operator Demos Health Care Application For Microsoft Surface

Visual Genomics as seen on Microsoft Surface Technology

Swiss MSDN Team Blog : Welcome to SurfaceTwitter, a multi-touch Twitter client for the Microsoft Surface!

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Primary Care Division Funding Halted at Harvard Medical – Petition Circulated to Reinstate

7/17/2009 08:50:00 PM  ,  

Is this somewhat stating that Primary Care is perhaps not an emphasis at Harvard without enough academic education?  You can also read the CEO’s message from Harvard Pilgrim Health resignation speech here.  BD

More than 500 medical students, doctors, and professors have signed a petition urging Harvard Medical School to restore funding for its Division of Primary Care, cuts the school says reflects a reorganization and not a retrenchment from its commitment to primary care medicine and education.

"Such a budget cut seems at odds with both increased national recognition of the crisis in primary care and encouraging signs of late that imageHarvard acknowledges its responsibility to help address this crisis," the petition says. 

The division had been embedded in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, a partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. But after that department moved over to the health plan as of July 1, Harvard's side of the endeavor, which was devoted to research and education, eliminated funding for the division in the renamed Department of Population Medicine.

Dr. David Himmelstein, a faculty member who practices internal medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance and signed the petition, said suspending the division for the next academic year is symbolically important.

Halt in primary care division funding causes stirs at Harvard - White Coat Notes - Boston.com

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The Orthopedic Surgeon’s Chopper (Motor Cycle)

7/17/2009 08:26:00 PM  ,  

Is this just what you would like to see in the rear view mirror?  (grin).  One thing, is sure is not pretty.  BD 

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Three states investigating Scrub Nurse Who Spread Hepatitis C by Swapping Needles - Update

7/17/2009 07:45:00 PM  ,  

I hope this is the end of where she worked, started out in one state, Colorado and now spread to two other states, Texas and New York. 

Hospital Employee Injected Patient Drugs and Replaced Syringe content with Saline Solution

The hospital hired her even though they knew she had hepatitis and had provided counseling on how to limit her exposure to patients, which in this case didn’t work and now she faces a number of charges, especially if anyone dies from being exposed.  You hate to see big brother type of imagemonitoring grow, but sometimes it might prove beneficial, like perhaps in the operating room where she was found and did not have permission to be.  So far, nine patients have tested positive.  BD 

Reminder:  Double click on any word for a dictionary or additional information.

DENVER — Thousands more patients may have been exposed to hepatitis C by an infected Colorado nurse who allegedly swapped needles, as the investigation spreads to New York and Texas.

Kristen Diane Parker, 26, is accused of taking syringes meant for patients off operating room carts and replacing them with used syringes filled with saline solution at medical centers in Denver and Colorado Springs. The syringes she allegedly stole were filled with fentanyl, a narcotic painkiller 80 to 100 time stronger than morphine.

State health and hospital officials say up to 6,000 patients who had surgery at the two Colorado centers since October may have been exposed to hepatitis C.

The Associated Press: 3 states investigating hep C infected scrub tech

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e-MDs Solutions Software Released To Include Continuity of Care Documents – Share with a PHR

7/17/2009 07:38:00 PM  ,  

Here’s an example of another EHR system utilizing the CCR Standard to enable sharing of medical records, and if you are in pediatrics or cardiovascular medicine, the software is also certified in those 2 specialties.  BD

e-MD, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practical management solutions imageannounced the release of the latest version of the e-MDs Solution Series(TM) suite of software applications. 
Dr. Michael Stearns, President and CEO of e-MDs told DOTmed, "e-MDs is constantly working to improve Solution SeriesTM to adapt and meet the greatest needs of our clients and physicians across the country. These are pivotal times for healthcare technology and our company is dedicated to keeping pace with emerging requirements such as certification that supports meaningful use and specialty specific needs."
Solution Series 6.3.0 is a CCHIT 2008 Certified(r) Ambulatory EHR, and is one of few EHRs with additional certification for both Child Health and Cardiovascular Medicine.

CCD - 6.3.0 supports Continuity of Care Documents (CCD), in addition to Continuity of Care Records (CCR). This enhances the ability to transfer and share relevant and reportable clinical information between providers, regardless of the care setting with any CCD-compliant health information system.

DOTmed.com - Latest e-MDs Solutions Software Released

Related Reading:

More EHRs Get Certified – CCHIT But Many are Pre-Market or Pending e-Prescribing

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Add Your Advanced Directive to Google Health – Specify Your Wishes in Case you are too ill or injured

7/17/2009 06:13:00 PM  ,  

This is a good idea and come to think of it, I need to get mine in there too.  My mother and I have hers altogether and it was one of the first items we put in her PHR.  BD 

SAN FRANCISCO — Google has invited people to store "end-of-life" wishes at its free online health records management service.

Google Health made available "advance directive" forms on which people can specify what they want doctors to do or not do in the event they are too ill or injured to express their wishes.

Forms created with collaboration from an organization specializing in elder care are available free for download online and can be customized to the laws in US states, according to Roni Zeiger and Julie Wilner of the Google Health team.

Advanced Directive Forms all 50 States

AFP: Google Health to safeguard "end-of-life" wishes

Related Reading:

E-Patient Dave evaluates Google Health – A comprehensive look with pros and cons

CVS Caremark – Import Medication Records to Google Health

Google Health Information Can be Shared - New Vendors and Services have been added

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Goldman Sachs and the Big Connections to the US Government – Glen Beck Explains (Video)

7/17/2009 05:41:00 PM  ,  

No wonder big concerns were out recently when someone broke into Goldman and stole some of their code, perhaps our national security relies on some of this with financial concerns. 

Somebody Stole Goldman’s Algorithms – Code that Makes Their Money Just Like Health Insurers Use

Whether or not you like Glen Beck, this is a pretty funny presentation and makes a point of how close Goldman is to the government and perhaps why Mr. Paulson had some of the opinions he had expressed and recommendations a few months back. 

Whether you love him or hate him, Glenn Beck has an excellent piece here that is a must see video. It really puts things into perspective and shows the ridiculous crap that is currently going on between GS and the government. I am not one to believe in conspiracy theories, nor do I tend to believe people/groups are innately evil, but with GS is there really any other explanation?

The gigantic web that is Goldman Sachs and the US Government

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Pfizer Looking At Turkish drug company for Possible Acquisition

7/17/2009 05:21:00 PM  ,  

Turkey appears to be one of many targets that Pfizer may be eyeing and overall it appears interest in acquiring companies abroad in developing imagecountries it picking up.  BD 

Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceuticals company, is lining up Turkey’s largest drugs company, Abdi Ibrahim, for a deal, according to an M&A banking source. What form a tie-up would take is not yet known, but only last month the president of Pfizer’s emerging market business unit revealed that the drugs company was considering new acquisitions.

Only last month the president of Pfizer’s emerging markets business unit revealed that the drugs company was considering new acquisitions.  Pfizer wants to add $3 billion in annual revenue by 2012 from emerging markets, which include China, Brazil and Turkey.

“We see opportunities coming from the financial crisis… opportunities to build partnerships in emerging markets.

DealZone » Blog Archive » Pfizer seen circling top Turkish drug company | Blogs |

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Online Portal for Cancer Researchers from the UK - New

7/17/2009 05:10:00 PM  ,  

I know there are several online tools, this is a new data mining program from the UK for everything from clinical trials to genomics.  BD 

The National Cancer Research Institute's free online cancer research portal, ONIX, has launched to the public today. ONIX (Oncology imageInformation eXchange) enables scientists and clinicians to search through and access international research data held online - to improve the flow of cancer research information between individuals, institutions and organizations. 

The portal is free-to-use and uses powerful search technology - which significantly reduces the time it currently takes for scientists and clinicians to find cancer-related data and information across the spectrum of research from genomics to clinical trials. This reduces duplication of research effort across the globe and makes it easier for researchers to collaborate on similar studies. It will speed up the development of new therapies, and could potentially improve prognosis and diagnosis.

ONIX - New Online Portal for Cancer Researchers

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Kaiser in Bellflower, CA Receives Another Fine – But How Often Does this Occur with Non-Transparent Hospitals?

7/17/2009 08:26:00 AM  , ,  

Kaiser uses a system from Epic, and back a few months ago I talked with Memorial Hospital in Long Beach about the privacy features in the system, called “Break the Glass” at their facility and the same may be in place at all installations I might guess.  There is no way to keep everything 100% secure in any system, just as the old paper records went too, anyone could come along and pick up information if left laying around.  Kaiser is probably getting more attention on the matter due to the fact that they are electronically connected. 

Long Beach Memorial Center’s Conversion to Electronic Medical Records – Interview with Dr. James Leo

The only issue I could say here was maybe the reports on who was reading which file was maybe not accessed fimageast enough?  They do have the data and an employee outside the care of the patient really has to go some to enter information as to “why” they are accessing this file and those reports are compiled and reviewed in real time if needed.  Being connected, access information is more readily available where as a paper hospital with the same issue may not make the news and as a patient you may never know your information was accessed at a paper hospital too.  The fines are probably being levied by folks who don’t completely understand any effort of transparency and security and are not up to date on where real technology is today with hospitals and healthcare.  I somewhat see this as more of a political gesture and perhaps not seeing the whole story all the way around, as again Kaiser is known for their technology and personal health records efforts, something nobody in the Senate back in January had ever taken 20-30 minutes to look at and had no idea what a personal health record was, so again, it goes back to lack of education at the Congressional level too, and the need for a big “oh my gosh” story on privacy in this issue.  I feel none are aware of the real data processes in place and how they work.  BD 

Why Doesn’t Anyone in Congress or at the AMA Talk about their Healthcare – Do They Use Any New Technology Themselves, like a Glucose Meter or a PHR – Magpie Healthcare?

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today that Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Hospital in Los Angeles County has been assessed an administrative penalty of $187,500 after a determination that the facility failed to prevent unauthorized access to confidential patient medical information.
This is the second time CDPH has assessed an administrative penalty to this facility under new legislation intended to protect the confidentiality of medical records, said Dr. Mark Horton, director of CDPH. “We are very concerned with violations of patient confidentiality and their potential harm to the residents of California. Medical privacy is a fundamental right and a critical component of quality medical care in California.”
CDPH has determined that the hospital failed to prevent unauthorized access to patients’ medical information, as required by Section 1280.15 of the Health and Safety Code. The hospital compromised the privacy of four patients when eight employees improperly accessed records.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES $187,500 ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY TO KAISER PERMANENTE BELLFLOWER HOSPITAL IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Related Reading:

Long Beach Memorial Center’s Conversion to Electronic Medical Records – Interview with Dr. James Leo

Kaiser Permanente offers Abbreviated Personal Health Records on a Read Only USB drive for $5.00

Kaiser finds some low tech solutions along with high tech..

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Michael Moore's 'Sicko' on Television – In Case You Missed It

7/17/2009 08:19:00 AM  ,  

Thanks for the bloggers at Pharmagossip for keeping us updated on the television schedules, so in case you missed it the first time, here’s another chance to view “Sicko” from Michael Moore.  With healthcare reform all around Washington, this might be a good time to tune in.  You may also want to view Wendell Potter on PBS as he spoke out as an insider who worked in the business for years.image

Wendell Potter Speaks on PBS with Bill Moyer on Health Insurance Reform – The Industry Did Not Keep Their Word (Video Previews)

Mr. Potter stated that “Sicko” was right, so whether or not you are a fan of Michael Moore, the film offers some good insight and worth taking a look.  BD 

The Movie Channel, this evening, will be airing the Oscar-nominated documentary, "Sicko," Michael Moore's film about a villain known as the health insurance industry. With the debate raging in Washington, D.C. -- Republicans trying to scuttle it, the President trying to hang on to his public option, and nearly a hundred members of Congress pushing for a single-payer system -- showing "Sicko" tonight is very timely. Mike lays out all the facts and the arguments as to why the private insurance companies are never going to side with what's best for the American people.

"Sicko" airs on The Movie Channel tonight at 8:00 PM. It's also scheduled to air on The Movie Channel on July 27th at 4:05 PM and on TMC Xtra on August 2nd at 10:45 PM and August 5th at 2:15 AM and 7:30 AM. Click here for showtimes.

PharmaGossip: Michael Moore's 'Sicko' on US TV Tonight

Related Reading:

Senate Testimony – Insurers Confuse Consumers and Dump Those Who are Sick, a Wall Street Run System
How Similar is Wall Street to the Health Insurance Business
If you Lie – You Die said the Insurance Carrier (You did not report your acne)

LEAKED INTERNAL MEMO; 'SiCKO' Has Capital BlueCross Exec Scrambling to Respond

SiCKO Health Care Card...

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Physician-Owned Hospitals Under Attack Again – Needless and Dated Legislation Should Go Away

7/17/2009 07:20:00 AM  , ,  

I’m just glad that physicians still have an interest in owning hospitals with the way the economy is today with 43% being in the “red” today.  They also argue that better outcomes with treatments and surgery occur with hospitals owned by doctors.  I think this argument is a bit dated and if a hospital is doing the job, leave them alone, as we all know there are no big huge profits being made today by most, so again, this should be considered a “dead” issue and left alone and maybe we can get out of the 70s on some of the legislation proposed with healthcare reform when it no longer is an issue.  Where are the “big profits” that everyone is worried about? BD   image

Pete Stark has campaigned against doctor-owned hospitals over and over again. These setups, he argues, allow doctors “to participate in what would otherwise be illegal kickbacks,” by sharing in the profits of hospitals where they refer patients.

So it’s not terribly surprising that the House health-reform bill introduced earlier this week (and co-sponsored by Stark) bars physician ownership in new hospitals, and limits the growth of existing hospitals, according to this summary of the bill.

In addition, physician-owned hospitals must give a “detailed description” to the feds of the stake of each physician-owner and investor. They must also tell patients about their stake in the business.

House Health Bill Would Ban New Physician-Owned Hospitals - Health Blog - WSJ

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China bans electro-shock Treatments at Mental Hospital for treating Internet addicts

7/17/2009 07:10:00 AM  ,  

Has it gotten to this point?  Drugs and electro shocks were both used to treat patients at a mental hospital, and on 2nd thought, I somewhat wonder imageif it really worked?  BD 

It's been a while since the specter of IA has reared it's ugly head 'round here (or maybe we've just learned to accept it) but now it looks like it's back in the news. According to Reuters, the Chinese Ministry of Health has banned electro-shock therapy for the treatment of  Internet Addiction after it came to light that a doctor named Yang Yongxin (also known as "Uncle Yang") has wired up as many as 3,000 teenagers in his Internet Addiction Treatment Center at Linyi Mental Hospital. The treatment included the aforementioned electro-shocks as well as psychotropic drugs, at a cost of 5,500 yuan ($805) a month -- cruel and unnecessary, sure, but a small price to pay to get your teenager off of MySpace.

China bans electro-shock for treating Internet addicts, far too late to help McMurphy

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DOD seeks software solution against denial-of-service attacks

7/17/2009 07:01:00 AM  ,  

In addition to the Department of Defense, the Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department Web sites were also under attack last week and were down at certain points.  It was just back in December that DOD has a virus throughout the system imagewhich appeared to have landed there due to using a USB flash drive.

Malware attack - Department of Defense

Denial of Service attacks occur when the server is flooded with requests and basically jams the system so nobody can get through to the site and now a software reporting solution is being sought for administrators to be alerted as to when an attack occurs.  BD   

The Defense Information Systems Agency wants commercial products that could help network administrators detect and react to distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks, according to a request for information posted today.

“The goal of this solution is to detect and mitigate all DDOS attempts to disrupt [Defense Department] network communications and to detect internal assets displaying anomalous behavior across the Internet-to-NIPRnet boundary,” the notice states.

Last week, hackers used that type of attack on government and private-sector Web sites in the United States and South Korea to varying degrees of success.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal last week, DOD officials confirmed that their networks had been struck. But the officials said the intrusions were detected quickly and did no real damage. Other U.S. government Web sites reportedly didn’t fare as well.

DOD seeks defense against denial-of-service attacks -- Federal Computer Week

Related Reading:

USB Memory Stick Round 2 – More Medical Record Information on a Lost Drive
Security tightened over data loss – Flash Drives Can be One of HealthCare’s Biggest Nightmares
Healthcare Workers Sharing Music and they could also be sharing Medical Records and Files

Read More

Fresh Air Children’s Fund Looking for Racers to Join the Team and Sponsor

7/16/2009 07:37:00 PM  ,  

This is an event in New York City to raise money so take a look if you live in the area.  BD 

Would you like to run this year's New York City Half-Marathon on August 16th while also helping Fresh Air Fund children? Join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team today! If you would like to register, please visit http://freshair.kintera.org or just click here!  If you have additional questions or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Kate at runners@freshair.org or call (800) 367-0003 ext. 8890.

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Last summer's NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE was a huge success for The Fresh Air Fund, and we couldn't have done it without all of our Fund-Racers! Thank you to the dedicated runners who participated through our team and to everyone who came out to support us! We raised more than $125,000 which will go directly to our free programs for NYC children.

Half-Marathon

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US FDA OKs new painkiller for cancer patients – Onsolis an Opiod Drug

7/16/2009 07:11:00 PM  ,  

Patients need to already be using an opioid pain medication around the clock.  I thought these types of drugs were being scrutinized, but ok that imagecancer patients who need the relief can still get it.  The medicine will be sent directly to a patient’s home though?  Hopefully it may be return receipt requested as this is a heavily controlled substance so others do not take it from those who really need it.  Providers and pharmacies will both need to be enrolled in a training program in order to prescribe and availability should be in the 4th quarter.  BD

Eliminating Vicodin and Percocet would Lower Doctor’s Options for Treatment

* Drug cleared for use in certain cancer pain

* Distribution will be restricted to prevent misuse - FDA

WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials approved a new opioid drug to relieve severe flare-ups of pain that occur in cancer patients despite treatment with other pain medications.

The drug, called Onsolis, is made by Aveva Drug Delivery Systems and marketed by Meda AB (MEDAa.ST) under a license from BioDelivery Sciences International Inc (BDSI.O), the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday.

For patients who are not opioid tolerant, Onsolis "can lead to overdose, sudden serious breathing difficulties and death," Bob Rappaport, head of the FDA division that reviewed the drug, said in a statement.

UPDATE 1-US FDA OKs new painkiller for cancer patients | Industries | Healthcare | Reuters

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Aetna Personal Benefits Advisor – “You Don’t Know Aetna”

7/16/2009 06:52:00 PM  , ,  

Jellyvision is best known for its best-selling interactive entertainment properties such as YOU DON’T KNOW JACK and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM, so maybe the sequels here might be “who wants to get a health care claim paid” or “You don’t Know Aetna”.    They could always opt to make the plans simpler but that would be too easy I guess to just take care of patient health issues.   This way you will know up front maybe, if you or part of your health issues are not covered before the EOB arrives.  One more incentive to keep the employer based insurance rolling it appears.  BD 

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE:AET) today announced an agreement with The Jellyvision Lab to offer Aetna Personal Benefits AdvisorSM, an online decision support experience, to employers nationwide. Personal Benefits Advisor, created exclusively for imageAetna, leads consumers through a highly personalized online conversation to help them make important decisions about their health benefits. It includes three modules. The first helps employees choose the medical and dental plan that best meets their needs. The second is a life and disability module to determine how much insurance they will need. The third educates employees about other benefits that may be available to them, including pharmacy, Employee Assistance Program services and online tools such as a personal health record. image

“In the same way that many of us now depend on a global positioning device to help find a destination, Personal Benefits Advisor helps Aetna members navigate the challenges associated with choosing a benefits plan,” said Karen Weinseiss, Aetna’s head of innovation and product management. “We understand that for many employees, making decisions about health insurance benefits can be quite confusing. This new tool simplifies the process. It focuses only on the needs of the person sitting in front of the screen.”

Employers Nationwide Now Offered Aetna Personal Benefits Advisor

Related Reading:

Aetna and United HealthCare Secure Military Contracts with Tri-Care

Here Come the Health Coaches - Aetna Locks Contract with Bank of America for Health Insurance for 3 Years – Cigna Lines Up 3 Major Employers

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Lidocaine Can Be Mixed With RADIESSE Dermal Filler – The Process gets a little less painful With FDA Approval

7/16/2009 06:34:00 PM  , , ,  

The site states there’s a treatment to use the technique and treatment to even bring your voice back to a more youthful sound, so it’s not only skin deep it appears and there’s a treatment for hands too.  BD 

Press Release:
BioForm Medical Receives FDA Approval for Mixing Lidocaine With RADIESSE(r) Dermal Filler

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioForm Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:BFRM) today announced U.S. Food and Drug imageAdministration (FDA) approval for a method of mixing RADIESSE(r) dermal filler with lidocaine, which, in clinical trials, has demonstrated an improvement in patient comfort and an increase in patient satisfaction with RADIESSE dermal filler procedures. BioForm Medical will immediately begin commercial efforts to educate physicians to use this method of mixing RADIESSE dermal filler with lidocaine.

"Dermal filler procedures can create some level of patient discomfort due to injection pain. Being able to mix RADIESSE dermal filler with lidocaine has been proven to provide a significant advantage in improving patient comfort," stated Rhoda S. Narins, M.D., former President of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) and a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at NYU Medical Center. "I have found in my practice that mixing with lidocaine makes RADIESSE dermal filler easier to use in many treatment areas." 

image

This technique for mixing RADIESSE with lidocaine was developed by Mariano Busso, M.D. and the methodology was first published in the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery in June 2008. BioForm Medical conducted a 50-patient controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of mixing RADIESSE dermal filler with lidocaine. Patients in the split-face trial at two clinical sites reported that RADIESSE dermal filler mixed with 2% lidocaine was less painful than RADIESSE dermal filler not mixed with lidocaine, while providing comparable aesthetic correction. The results from the clinical trial demonstrated: 

 * Approximately 60% reduction in scores immediately following
   treatment, measured on a Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS)
   (p<0.0001).
 * 100% of patients found RADIESSE dermal filler mixed with lidocaine
   to be less painful than non-mixed RADIESSE dermal filler.
 * 96% of patients found that the difference was significant enough
   to affect their preference for one treatment over the other.
 * Both RADIESSE dermal filler mixed with lidocaine and non-mixed
   RADIESSE dermal filler were safe, with comparable local adverse
   events, typical of dermal fillers. There were no serious adverse
   events in the clinical trial.
 * RADIESSE dermal filler mixed with lidocaine produced a comparable
   aesthetic improvement as compared with treatment with RADIESSE
   dermal filler without premixing.


The clinical study which supported this approval by FDA was conducted by Ellen S. Marmur, M.D., Chief of Dermatologic and Cosmetic Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, N.Y., and Lawrence J. Green, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.



The method approved by FDA is based on using a mixing syringe and the female-to-female luer lock connector to mix RADIESSE dermal filler and lidocaine. Components for this mixing technique are commercially available through various sources, however, in the near future, BioForm Medical will be providing them in an separate Accessory Kit as a further convenience to its customers.



About BioForm Medical, Inc.:



BioForm Medical, Inc. is a medical aesthetics company headquartered in San Mateo, California, developing products that enhance aesthetic procedures performed in dermatology and plastic surgery practices. BioForm Medical's lead product is RADIESSE(r) dermal filler, a long-lasting filler for use in facial aesthetics. BioForm Medical is developing several future aesthetics products, including a radiofrequency treatment to reduce nerve function in the forehead, a sclerotherapy treatment for spider veins, and a surgical adhesive for brow lifts. For more information about BioForm Medical, please visit www.bioform.com. 



CONTACT:  BioForm Medical, Inc.
          Can Gumus, Senior Manager, Corporate Development
          650.286.4003



BioForm Medical Receives FDA Approval for Mixing Lidocaine With RADIESSE(r) Dermal Filler







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Update Cisco Lays Off Hundreds - UnitedHealth To Spend Tens of Million of Dollars with Cisco to Build Nationwide Telehealth Network –

7/16/2009 06:06:00 PM  , ,  

On the same day more details come out about the project, Cisco lays off a big number of employees.  You can read the original post below.  This sounds like a great project for the rural areas, but why financed by a health care insurance company that patients have issues with on paying claims, maybe it was that extra income from Ingenix that is helping finance the huge and expensive project?  Actually all carriers should be able to participate in something like this and I somewhat wonder why the government is not involved with grants, thus perhaps some of the money spent could be left imageover to cover healthcare.  United could make money leasing space to other insurance companies once the network is set up, just like they did with Ingenix so it’s about money and health care insurance companies are certainly beginning to resemble Venture Capitalists more all the time.  BD 

UnitedHealth To Spend Tens of Million of Dollars with Cisco to Build Nationwide Telehealth Network

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--United Health Group (UNH) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) announced Wednesday a new health initiative that will use technology to bring remote medical care to rural and underserved populations.

The first national telehealth network, called "Connected Care," will employ Cisco videoconferencing and other technologies to simulate in-person doctor visits between United Health's 590,000 medical professionals and patients in rural areas, the workplace and underserved populations. United Health is providing "tens of millions of dollars" in funding the program, the company said in a statement. The program also aims to connect hospitals and clinics with patients at home or in the workplace.

"This new technology-enabled delivery model will improve productivity and efficiency in health care while at the same time minimizing costs for access to quality care services," Dr. Kaveh Safavi, vice president of Cisco's Global Healthcare Practice, said in a statement. United Health is talking with at least six states about rolling out the program, first in clinics this summer and later to patients in their homes.

In one of the first official implementations, residents of rural New Mexico will be able to get remote health screenings and treatments through a partnership with the humanitarian organization, Project HOPE.

Article - WSJ.com

Related Reading:

Texas Joining the Ingenix Inquisition with Introducing Bill for New Penal Codes – Fraud Against Practitioners

The 2 New Hot Words in Healthcare: Algorithms and Whistleblowers

The AMA and the California Medical Association file legal suit – WellPoint and Ingenix
The search for John Doe – Who’s running the queries (Algorithms) and wants to know
The Ingenix Inquisition – Hearing Requested by Senator Rockefeller
Prescriptions risk score used to deny health insurance

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Microsoft Announces Call for Presentations for First Annual BioIT Alliance Meeting and Conference

7/16/2009 05:50:00 PM  ,  

This is the opportunity for member companies to share best practices and discuss what is driving new biological data.  There will also be a vote on the 2009 board of directors. 

“The Alliance is a group of organizations working together to realize the potential of personalized medicine. The Alliance unites the imagepharmaceutical, biotech, hardware, and software industries to explore new ways to share complex biomedical data and collaborate among multi-disciplinary teams to speed the pace of discovery in the life sciences.”

In a related story today, HealthVault is conducting a survey about images stored in Personal Health Records.  Today, DICOM is the standard format that can be stored and added to the PHR and they are questioning the need for adding potential formats or parsing capabilities with developers.  BD

Life sciences influencers and member companies to come together to accelerate realization of personalized medicine.

REDMOND, Wash. — July 16, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a call for presentations for the first annual 2009 BioIT Alliance Meeting and Conference, where member companies will come together to share best practices and discuss the shared vision of driving collaboration, integration and interoperability among organizations to shorten the time between the discovery of new biological data and its application to human health. The meeting will be held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 8 and 9.

The BioIT Alliance is an industry consortium of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, laboratory, diagnostics, hardware and software companies working together to realize the promise of personalized medicine. Presentations, accepted from member companies, will focus on case studies demonstrating collaboration and integration among members and new and innovative technologies that relate to the Alliance’s shared vision.

“With most drug discovery organizations relying on paper and nothing electronic and sharable outside the small lab workgroup, the BioIT Alliance formed with the vision of promoting integration and collaboration between these organizations to accelerate the realization of personalized medicine,” said Les Jordan, industry technology strategist at Microsoft and executive director of the BioIT Alliance. “With more than 100 member companies today, the Alliance has made great strides in promoting this vision, and our first annual conference will serve as an opportunity to share best practices and discuss the state of the industry.”

The call for presentations will close Aug. 28. More information, including details about deadlines and eligibility, is available at http://www.bioitalliance.org.

Also at the conference, members will vote on the 2009 BioIT Alliance board of directors. In June, the BioIT Alliance announced the formation of the board of directors, made up of seven individuals representing vendors, the biopharmaceutical industry and related industry standard boards. Led by Executive Director Les Jordan, the board of directors will provide guidance and direction to help the BioIT Alliance fulfill its vision.

About Microsoft in Health

Microsoft is committed to improving health around the world through software innovation. Over the past 12 years, Microsoft has steadily increased its investments in health, with a focus on addressing the challenges of health providers, health and social services organizations, payers, consumers and life sciences companies worldwide. Microsoft closely collaborates with a broad ecosystem of partners and develops its own powerful health solutions, such as Amalga and HealthVault. Together, Microsoft and its industry partners are working to advance a vision of unifying health information and making it more readily available, ensuring the best quality of life and affordable care for everyone.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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A Deep Dive into Microsoft Life Sciences Today and in the Future – Interview with Michael Naimoli
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Genomics and Silverlight from Microsoft working together for Great Visual Enhancement– BioMashUps

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Cook Medical Announces FDA Clearance for Advance® 35LP PTA Balloon Dilatation Catheter - PVD

7/16/2009 12:01:00 AM  , ,  

Not too long ago I had an extensive interview with the Leg Therapies Division of Cook Medical too, follow the link below for the full story. 

Cook Medical Interview Discussing PAD Leg Therapies– Rob Lyles, VP Peripheral Intervention Division

“I posed Rob with a scenario, and asked whether I would have the same type of surgery on my leg as my heart if I were a PAD patient.

Rob said that actually, the arteries and veins in the legs are a bit more complex.  Aside from pumping the heart is stationary, whereas the legs are constantly moving.  We can still approach treating the legs in a minimally invasive way though.  With placing a stent in the leg, extra care for durability is a big concern as again, the leg will be moving and the device needs to remain in place and not slip or move.” 

This procedure can save legs and potentially avoid amputations, so take a look at this one.  BD 

Press Release:

”Workhorse” device completes suite of low-profile PTA balloons, provides physicians with enhanced deliverability to the superficial femoral, iliac and renal arteries

Bloomington, Ind., July 15, 2009 – Cook Medical has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its newest balloon dilatation catheter, the Advance® 35LP. The device is intended for use in patients with lesions in the femoral, iliac and renal arteries and rounds out Cook’s complete line of low-profile PTA balloons.image

The Advance 35LP will play an integral part in Cook’s Leg Therapy Program, an initiative geared toward helping physicians address the anatomical challenges of treating Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and deliver clinically effective interventional solutions to the patients who need them most.  Commonly associated with diabetes, hypertension and coronary disease, PVD can result in amputation or death if left untreated. Few are aware of the minimally invasive treatment options available apart from amputation or surgical bypass, the latter of which is the current gold standard in treating this disease.

The Advance line comprises three low-profile balloons (14LP, 18LP, 35LP) that range in size and composition to treat lesions in the peripheral arteries as well as obstructive lesions of native or synthetic arteriovenous dialysis fistulas. The Advance 35LP balloon, compatible with a .035-inch wire guide, is designed to address common above-the-knee blockages. The Advance 18LP, compatible with a .018-inch wire guide, is geared toward the femoral artery and popliteal region of the leg. The Advance 14LP, compatible with a .014-inch wire guide, is reserved for treatment of the most tortuous anatomies of the lower leg, including the popliteal and infrapopliteal arteries.

Each balloon features a low crossing profile and small-sheath compatibility, which helps reduce the need for an invasive arterial entry and may shorten patient recovery time. Advanced thermal setting of the balloon folds improves rewrap and sheath pull-back, and a unique double-lumen shaft construction using optimized nylon-blend material reduces balloon inflation/deflation time and improves pushability while maintaining kink resistance.

About Cook

Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates minimally invasive medical device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional radiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; peripheral vascular medicine; bone access and oncology; interventional cardiology; general surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Founded in 1963 and operated as a family-held private corporation, Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.

Related Cook Medical Reading:

Cook Medical Unveils MicroWires to support Leg Therapy - Peripheral Arterial Disease

Cook's Medical still growing
Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections - Interview
Heart valves implanted without having open-heart surgery
Regenerative Medicine and How it Works – Interview with Cook Biotech (Medical)
Cook Medical Announced the new Strategic Business Unit – Interventional Radiology
Cook Medical Unveils MicroWires to support Leg Therapy - Peripheral Arterial Disease
Interview with Bart E. Muhs, M.D., Yale School of Medicine – Aneurysm Repair Surgery
Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections - Interview

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Medical-device maker Saebo Retrains Stroke Patients To Regain Use of Hands and Other parts of the Body

7/15/2009 11:46:00 PM  ,  

The products can help both stroke and other other neurologically damaged patients learn how to use their hands and arms again, and Medicare is now imageapproving.  The therapist works with the patient and then it can be used at home as well during the re-training process.  Each device is custom sized for each patient. 

After a 2 day training session clinicians are eligible to measure, fit Saebo’s dynamic neurological orthoses.  The products are also sold outside the US.  This is great news and hope for stroke victims with rebuilding muscle coordination.  BD 

Today, the occupational therapist is a leading force at Saebo Inc., a growing Charlotte company that develops and manufactures rehabilitation products for stroke survivors.

“For years, there were no options,” says Hoffman, Saebo’s president.

image

They created and patented a line of orthotics — specialized mechanical devices to support weakened parts of the body. The goal is to help patients regain the use of their hands and upper extremities.

The company’s SaeboFlex device, a spring-loaded orthotic that reteaches a patient how to grasp and release objects, is its biggest seller.  To date, more than 3,500 therapists have received that instruction. Saebo also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Greece, with 400 trained therapists. Three employees in Europe support those operations.

image

“Now we’re at the stage where we want to expand our distribution,” Hoffman says.

The company also has two products under development: a next-generation SaeboFlex and a new device for patients who are unable to use a product called the SaeboStretch.

image

Medical-device maker Saebo flexes muscle in growing market - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Docs writing Rx's to mystery patients – Online prescriptions

7/15/2009 11:17:00 PM  ,  

Without an examination you may have drug interactions, and all kinds of nightmares.  Good advice from Dr Stanley, make sure you have been examined in person first.  This is going to even get a little more complicated too when we start seeing more web cam visits, but those are limited to what can be prescribed to the patient supposedly in the system so perhaps a bit more control there as some issues still require a physical visit to the office.  Certainly a web cam could show a cut, bruise, etc. and some other areas that are visible.  Some of the drugs online through a doctor you do not know could have questionable origins too, in other words where are they coming from, a reputable pharmacy or pharmacy benefit manager? 

Amazing that one doctor had issued thousands of prescriptions in this story.  BD 

WWLP) - Doctors across the country are cashing in by writing prescriptions online to patients they've never met.  image
Dr. Torino Jennings of Virginia is pleading guilty in Boston's U.S. District Court to writing thousands of prescriptions for strangers.
Laura Lee Harrington of Belchertown said she's not surprised that people are risking their health for quick prescriptions. She said. "We as a nation just love to have things immediately, and we don't really care how we get them.  "Dr. Dirk Stanley of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton told 22News: "If you mix prescriptions, you can have strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure, liver failure, or even death."

Docs writing Rx's to mystery patients

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CCHIT Battles With Leavitt and Klepper Exchange Words and Opinions And One Install of a Hybrid EHR in Northern California

7/15/2009 11:04:00 PM  , ,  

The battle heated up today on whether or not CCHIT should be the governing certification unit in it’s present state, the big battle being over including vendors on the board.  I think the most unfair portion though is the fee to be certified and if that could be reduced to allow additional vendors to participate, that would cool a lot of heels.  In other news today though a large network of 21 practices, Northern California Medical stated they got rid of 2 CCHIT EMRs as they were too time consuming and out of date and chose a hybrid product from a company named SRSSoft.

"After inheriting two CCHIT-certified point-and-click EMRs, we realized that they would be too time-consuming and cumbersome for our diverse multi-specialty practice," says Ruth Skidmore, CEO of NCMA. "The SRS pilot program gave us the confidence that their hybrid EMR would be embraced throughout our enterprise. The positive feedback from our physicians about SRS has been incredible."image

"It's great to see that market leaders are acknowledging that CCHIT products cannot meet the needs of high-performance practices," says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. "The high cost of lost productivity inherent in point-and-click solutions is simply unacceptable."

“SRS was designed with direct input by its high-performance physicians to provide them with a system that fits their needs, helps them to work more efficiently, and enables them to achieve a rapid return on their investment. SRS, which has built the largest national network of high-performance practices that successfully use an EMR, attributes its unmatched adoption rate to ease of use, fast implementation, and an accelerated timeframe for training physicians and office staff.”

My thoughts, user interfaces are way to confusing and there are too many of them to learn.  I think the Common User Interface is a good idea, so at least the items are found in somewhat the same areas and fashions and of course the emerging personal health records formats from HealthVault and Google Health are the ultimate patient back up, so when all else fails or is not available, you have your own and have the ability to share the information easily enough with an EHR/EMR used at the doctor’s office or hospital.  BD 

Microsoft HealthVault and Common User Interface Presentation from the UK - Slideshow

The commission charged with certifying health information technology is unduly influenced by legacy vendors whose concern for their own welfare is threatening the success of the national HIT initiative, a healthcare analyst told a federal workgroup Tuesday.

Brian Klepper, a panelist at Tuesday's HIT Policy Committee Certification/Adoption Workgroup hearing in Washington, DC, said the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology is led by people with strong ties to legacy software vendors and their trade group, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Klepper suggested that the CCHIT's role in defining certification rules be reduced, and that other certifying entities be brought in to perform those functions. He also suggested that CCHIT's executive leadership "should be replaced."

That idea didn't sit well with CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt, who was sitting a few feet from Klepper on the same panel.

Leavitt, the former CMO at the HIMSS, denied the assertion that legacy vendors are running the show at CCHIT. However, he said it would be unrealistic to exclude vendors from the process.

He added that Google, Microsoft, and New York Presbyterian and Beth Israel hospitals are ignoring CCHIT and swapping data on their own. "When the market begins to ignore what you are doing because what you are doing isn't keeping up, that means you are not current," he said.

HIT Panelist Bashes CCHIT as Legacy Vendors’ Puppet - www.healthleadersmedia.com

Related Reading:

A Deep Dive into Microsoft Life Sciences Today and in the Future – Interview with Michael Naimoli
Electronic Health Records Not Enough – Aggregation and Better Interfaces Needed
Genomics and Silverlight from Microsoft working together for Great Visual Enhancement– BioMashUps
EHRs need Standard Templates – So Let’s Look at the Common User Interface Project, a lot of the work is already in progress and partially completed

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