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Artificial Knees and Hips Are not Like Toyotas – No Warranties Given

4/02/2010 10:34:00 PM  , ,  

Back in September of 2008 we were asking “how long is my knee or hip replacement going to last and now we are getting some not so good results, but there are many good ones too. 

How Long is my Knee or Hip Replacement Going to Last?

Johnson and Johnson is phasing out one of their hip products and in this article one patient talks about his misfortune and problems with the knee made by the company.  Device companies state it’s not the devices but rather the surgical skills used with implanting them.   We do not track implanted devices here in the US as do some other countries.

DePuy (Johnson and Johnson) Warning Doctors of High Failure Rates – Hip Product Being Phased Out

Johnson and Johnson earlier this year though bought another company that makes knees and hips so perhaps this is a better alternative with different technology?

Johnson and Johnson Company, DePuy Orthopedics Acquires Finsbury Orthopaedics from the UK

This is big cost on the healthcare system and there needs to be a better way to handle recalls and feedback.  One company in the UK, Biomet said they have somewhat of a warranty plan but it does not exist on their US website.  The warranted devices are so durable that it has had just over a dozen claims since 1997.

image

With all the recalls, you would think we would have a better system.  There is one and it free that medical device companies and drug companies could benefit from as well as having a synchronized data base with the FDA.  Scan with your cell phone to find recalls and updated information. 

Tags for Use in Healthcare – Medical Stents, Medications - One Scan Away From Safety Information in Real Time

Why are we afraid of “free” life saving technology?  This same tag could be placed on drug containers too, scan it and new safety information is available as well as identifying the product is authentic with an FDA supplied key to manufacturers, encrypted.   It’s wild I have written on this topic several times, had a couple somewhat angry frustrated answers from others who didn’t take the time to understand how this free technology saves lives,

Tracking Medical Device Recalls – Sounds Like A Good Place for a Microsoft Tag Data Base at the FDA

When a car breaks, a computer fails or a toaster flames out, the manufacturer is often liable under the product warranty. But that is not how the multibillion-dollar orthopedics industry tends to work, according to doctors, industry experts and three of the biggest device makers.

The million or so artificial hips and knees implanted each year in the United States, they say, are normally not guaranteed. Instead, the costs of replacing

 

implants that fail early because of design or mechanical problems — devices that sell for as much as $15,000 each — are largely paid by Medicare, insurance companies and patients. 

Orthopedic producers may sometimes even profit from the failures because they sell the replacements at full price. 

The type of artificial hip that Mr. Morris had taken out in January, called an ASR and made by DePuy Orthopaedics, has been particularly problematic. In early March, the company issued an alert that new data suggested the device was failing in some patients within a few years of implant.

“Companies have dumped these costs into the health care system,” said Dr. Lawrence D. Dorr, an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles who two years ago took the unusual step of drawing attention to one problematic hip device. “They don’t have any skin in the game.”

News Analysis - Makers of Artificial Joints Rarely Offer Warranties - NYTimes.com

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Suspected Armed Robber Caught – Robbing Pharmacies at Gunpoint and Taking Viagra – To Use On The Black Market When Combined With Ecstasy - “Sexstasy”

4/02/2010 09:16:00 PM  ,  

Viagra has been in the news quite a bit lately and the robber in Spain was holding up pharmacies for Viagra and cash.  This is a new one for me as I had not heard of imagethe club use with mixing with Ecstasy, but today there’s not much that doesn’t surprise me.   Maybe they should look for some herbs next time instead (grin). 

"Horny Goat Weed" Shows Promise In Lab Studies as alternative for Viagra

With the wrong state of health, this looks like it could potentially be a lethal combination too.  BD 

Spanish police say they have detained a man suspected of robbing 10 pharmacies at gunpoint, taking their money and all available boxes of Viagra.

Police in Madrid began receiving reports of the thefts in January.

Victims said the "only objective" of the lone gunman was to take boxes of Viagra and cash.

The authorities suspect the 43-year-old man of selling the pills on the black market, where they are sought by users for recreational purposes.

BBC News - Police in Spain arrest Viagra robber

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FAA to Allow Pilots to Take Antidepressants – Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Lexapro – The Legal Thing Again -Special Certificates To Be Issued

4/02/2010 05:38:00 PM  ,  

So what is depressing our pilots today, is some of this due to loss of pension funds and compensation in some areas, I might guess these are a couple areas that would contribute along with the usual diagnostics for depression.  Is there also a level of disruption leading to depression in the sky?  Disruption created in the imagecockpit with looking at the new bids for working hours on their computers caused two pilots to miss an airport.  The big hero Captain Scully we all know had 40% of  his pay cut and his retirement dumped, so he retired and got out of the sky.  That’s enough to depress anyone, so in view of economic times and financial decisions like this occurring, do we need to ensure that we have the drugs to handle this.  

Distraction and Disruption – A Way of Life Today with Technology - Do Our Leaders Understand What Is Happening?

Our leaders for some reason or another just don’t seem to understand this and perhaps because most are either non participants and living in the world of tech denial.  We seem to have leaders that subscribe to the “its for those guys over there” philosophy and thus they make perhaps dumb and silly decisions, but they affect the public in dumb and dangerous ways.  Here’s one prime example of the House needing 3 years to go wireless, gee good thing the airlines don’t function this way. 

House of Representatives Going Wireless – Slated to Take 3 Years And Could Have Some Real Healthcare Management Benefits for Members

There’s a lot healthcare can learn from systems and training done in aviation, more so than just bird abatement (not this duck).  If a pilot is more than moderately depressed then it becomes a different issue. 

Bird Abatement and Simulation Training – Aviation and Healthcare on the same track

Hey these days you can even do an online assessment for your well being and mental health too.  Again, this is an online algorithms that determines results based on your answers.  You know I keep having to remind people of all the algorithms that surround us and the analysis processes that take place and some just can’t get their heads around this.  I am not in favor of every process by any means, but I just try to let readers know what is out there either today or ahead of time and to be ready, especially if you see the form of technology as a threat or one that needs modifications.  The danger is somebody along the line will take friendly user aide algorithms used for guidance and analyze them and hold you accountable someday for something you just wanted to read up on and test yourself.  Insurance companies are great for this as they can use such information to project risk with your healthcare.  Be aware and alert. 

Online Screener for Determining Mental Health Issues M-3 Symptom Checklist – Integrates with HeatlhVault

Now back to the story here, it still makes me wonder how many will actually use this clause.  Most I know will not as they know later something will come up and it imagecould stand to be used in disfavor.  If not officially, peers will chew each other up.  I don’t see this as a big move and again think there’s going to be few takers on this, but we have rules now that say it ok.  This somewhat reminds me of what Pfizer is doing too, making sure everything is perhaps legally covered, but in real terms is it really safe, ponder that one too. 

Ex-Pfizer Scientist wins $1.37 Million in Lawsuit Against Pfizer in Biotech Viral Exposure Lawsuit

Myself personally speaking after having spent a few hours as a visitor years ago in an Airbus simulator, I think this is just that, a new “legal” statement.  Waitresses in restaurants earn more than pilots in their first couple years.  Recently on television one of the news shows talked about how pilots are paid and talked to a few that are on “food stamps” to make ends meet.  Being a pilot with all the responsibility they have and at the same time needing to partake in food stamps due to not enough income is enough to depress any pilot.  BD 

Washington (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is changing a generations-old policy banning pilots from taking antidepressants, saying the new policy will improve safety by bringing to the surface pilots who either ignore signs of depression or lie about their use of medication for fear of losing their licenses to fly.

Under the new policy, the FAA will, on a case-by-case basis, issue special medical certificates to pilots who take one of four antidepressants: fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro).

"We think it's safer to [make sure pilots are treated for depression] than to continue to drive it underground," he said.

The FAA says pilots have a regulatory duty and professional responsibility to not fly if they know they have a physical or mental condition that makes them unsafe to fly.

FAA to allow pilots to fly while on antidepressants - CNN.com

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Virtual Machine Support Coming to Windows Azure – Put Your Virtual Machine in the Cloud & New Desktop Player Available for Developers and IT Professionals

4/02/2010 11:44:00 AM  ,  

Hard Hat Area:  If you are not familiar with virtual machines, skip this article and read on to the next post.  To me this is great news and I wouldn’t mind giving this a run myself since I used virtual machines a lot and store them on a USB drive to access when needed.  I mostly use them for testing new products where I don’t want imageto put beta or trial software on my production operating system.  

I use Microsoft’s VM products and also play around with a few others as well.  This would be nice to reach and and grab that virtual machine when needed without having to store it locally I must say. 

In some other interesting news if you are a developer, the beta version of the Microsoft Desktop Player is available online and for download, using Silverlight technology.  I’m going to download and try this out myself.  You can find the links at the blog post above from Kurt Shintaku’s Live Site.  This looks to be a dynamic software application to help stay on top of what is happening with events, news and other items from Microsoft.  BD

“Some interesting features include:

  • Offline and Online Player
  • Contextual relevant content surfaced  depending on IT Adoption Lifecycle by selecting the right filters.
  • Local IT Evangelist and Developer Evangelist connection – The player surfaces your local IT Evangelist or Developer Evangelist based on the user profile
  • MSDN and TechNet Events integration www.msdnevents.com, www.technetevents.com
  • Local Community events integration
  • Local CPLS integration to find the best place to get your Microsoft Training”

image

Many of my customers and partners have raised questions around Windows Azure and the pilot program that Microsoft announced with Amazon Web Services.

While Windows Azure is not participating in this pilot, Microsoft is actively monitoring the feedback and will leverage the results this pilot to shape their future offerings. 

Microsoft has committed to enabling customers to purchase Windows Azure through a combination of existing and new licensing agreements. Additionally they will also ensure that they support a centralized seamless and consistent purchasing experience that existing multi-year commercial customers enjoy. Microsoft will have more specific details on this process later in the year.

Below you will find the FAQ for questions related to the pilot program. If you have additional questions please let feel free to comment on this post. I can answer those individually.

Microsoft will add Virtual Machine functionality to Windows Azure to expand the set of existing applications that can be run on it. This Virtual Machine deployment functionality will enable developers to run a wide range of Windows applications in Windows Azure, while taking full advantage of the built in automated service management.

In the future, Microsoft will provide the ability for Windows Azure licensing agreements to be integrated into Enterprise customer programs such as Enterprise Agreement and Select.  We will provide specifics about the licensing model and pricing details in calendar year 2010.

US ISV Developer Community : VM Support in Windows Azure

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Colbert Talks About IPad – More Tablet “Goobers” On the Way Soon! Tablet Computer Paradigms Finally Changing and Becoming Acceptable!

4/02/2010 10:29:00 AM  ,  

Being a Tablet PC user from the day they were released many years ago it’s interesting to see how it has evolved.  I reference the term “goober” as that is how I was seen years ago. I had one hospital CEO that literally used to “run for the hills” when I showed up with my tablet.  It was funny to me to see how a device put the ultimate fear into people as I just walked around taking digital notes and used it productively.  It scared the daylights out of those who live in “tech denial” and still does, although the IPad is working through the paradigm today. 

Tablet PCs – The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread -This Knowledge Has Been Valued by a Very Small Group – Participants and Users – Lesson Learned, Be A Tablet PC Goober No Matter What Everyone Else Thinks!

It is amazing in my estimation on how long it has take the level of acceptance to grow.  At HIMMS in 2008 I walked around using my Tablet PC when even those who sold tablet pcs would not venture out of their booths with their product, why, it wasn’t cool.  At HIMMS 2008 I was truly the absolute “goober” doing what was “uncool” at the time.  At HIMMS it was back to the old “Magpie” philosophy of I’m going to tell you what you can do with a tablet pc, but for God’s sakes don’t expect me to use one, I’m just here to sell you.

HIMMS 2008 summary - getting organized is the trick

When attending meetings everyone had their traditional paper yellow pads, I would just turn on my “digital” pad and take notes with Windows Journal, looks the same but on a device. Oh the looks I got were priceless – how dare you sit in here and not use a paper pad but use a device that perfectly emulates our paper yellow pads!  I was the “goober” alright, why, just because I tried it and liked it and increased my productivity.  I am happy to see the world now at a level of accepting “tablet goobers”!

The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Gets a Free iPad
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

I used to do some training for Intel at retail locations and sometimes I would have a representative from HP show up and we worked together.  It was funny that the HP rep would show up with old paper files to have the Best Buy or Circuit City attendees sign in.  What did I do? I scanned an Intel sign in sheet on the tablet pc and had everyone sign in that way – paperless.  I used to sit and wonder why a progressive company like HP didn’t train their “own” employees on value, but yet were there to pitch and promote their technology savvy products?  What was up with that picture?  HP reps couldn’t use their own tablets?  Most of them I met didn’t even own one, but they could sure tell you how to connect a TV to a notebook, again I mention this as it relates to where our focus is, entertainment and not knowledge.

It was and still is  truly a sad note to see frustration and anger from those who would choose to be non participants and thus saw very little value with Tablet PCs, but hopefully we are now overcoming some of this. 

I have an entire section on this blog dedicated to Tablet Computers, check it out. 

Be a “goober”, a tablet goober by all means.  BD 

Colbert: The iPad Is Just Like The iPhone -- You Can't Make Calls From It

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Avodart Prostate Cancer Drug Appears to Lower Development Risk – Studies or Marketing With Prostate Cancer?

4/02/2010 09:47:00 AM  ,  

In the news of late we have so many studies appearing and conflicts with the experts on which drug to take and for what problem.  In this case Avodart may work on imageon problem; however, the risk of heart failure arises, so what does one do now, prescribe Crestor to handle that part of the issue to keep heart disease at bay?

One More Reason for Statins – May Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer and Better Senior Sex Life

What do we really believe about statins as well, do they lower risk of prostate cancer too?  If they are already doing this, do we need Avodart too?  These are just some questions that are arising today.  Also as mentioned with Proscar from Merck, if you are going bald as well as wanting to prevent prostate cancer, then this could be the drug of choice without running the higher risks of heart failure?  In this case you may not need the additional statins it appears, but if you are a senior you could miss out on the better sex life, so what do you want?

Doctors are backing a wider consideration of prostate drug - Proscar

Recently from the FDA they said it was ok for everyone to take a statin, but what about their side effects with aching muscles?  Do you want to have aches and pains in your muscles to lower your potential heart attack and stroke risk? 

I guess at this point it might be time to run some algorithms here specific to your conditions and see what the numbers may say, but this is an indication only and a “human” decision from a healthcare professional, doctor is what is going to occur.  image

My Drug is Better than Your Drug – Prostate Cancer

With all of this information today it seems that there’s some areas that are a bit gray in my opinion – what is documented clinical use and what is marketing?  Sure big pharma wants to sell drugs but are we evaluating for better care or better marketing sometimes?  Prostate cancer certainly seems to be high on both lists, care and marketing and sometimes how can you effectively tell the difference?  This even goes into the genetic area of biotech with Myriad, the company who just lost the gene patent legal case, introducing a new test that will predict the recurrence of prostate cancer.  Do we add this test to the battery of information currently available too and do we need this?  I don’t know, I’m just asking and where do you find the ultimate experts?  Their opinions too can change based on new developments and studies released. 

Myriad's BRCA (DNA Breast Cancer) Patent Ruled Invalid Today – US Patent and Trademark Office Also Off the Hook

On the over the counter side of the story, Bayer is being sued for labeling One A Day vitamins as helping prevent prostate cancer.  What does help prevent prostate cancer as an effective drug and where does common sense enter the picture on just perhaps making lifestyle and diet changes to be on the upside of preventing prostate cancer.  Is common sense and life style adjustment enough or is a drug needed and that of course depends on your condition and whether or not one has been diagnosed to begin with. 

Bayer Is Sued Over Labeling Stating It Helps Prevent Prostate Cancer – One A Day

Again, there’s a lot of confusing information out there today and as you can see from the few examples above, selecting the appropriate medication for you, based on clinical decisions could be a bit daunting.  The doctors are out there reading even more than the patients to create an appropriate decision too, so again when you as a patient have questions, talk about it with your doctor.  Sometimes marketing and prescribing treatments are a bit confusing today and at times, you wonder if we can in fact tell the difference on some of this.  BD 

The drug dutasteride, sold under the brand name Avodart, has been used for years to reduce the size of enlarged prostates. A new study promotes an additional benefit: It appears to lower the risk of developing prostate cancer.

But the study also revealed a surprising downside: Subjects who took the drug had heart failure at higher rates than those who took a placebo.

The study, published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine, reignited the debate about how to treat a disease that affects 192,000 men a year and kills 27,000.

The study reached a similar conclusion that a government-funded study reached eight years ago about a similar drug called finasteride, which is made by Merck & Co. and marketed as Proscar (it’s also available generically; Merck invented it as a baldness cure and once called it Propecia). That study also showed a reduced risk of prostate cancer among the men who took it, but finasteride showed no evidence of heightened heart-failure risk.

Good news, bad news on prostate drug - Healthy Living : The Orange County Register

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Pfizer Suing Teva To Block Generic Version of Viagra Until 2019 Instead of 2012 Expiration Date – Viva Teva

4/02/2010 12:36:00 AM  ,  

The FDA has given Teva tentative approval to begin selling a generic version in 2012.  Teva states the patent for 2019 is invalid and a generic product will not infringe.  This goes back to 2004 when Teva notified Pfizer of their intention.  Pfizer on the other hand didn’t have such good luck in the US Trademark Office and denied the copyright saying it resembled the active ingredient in “Horny Goat Weed”.  The link below contains so other interesting alternatives to treat ED as well including a device that supposedly “cures” in a short amount of time too.  

Viagra Patent Rejected By US Trademark Office – Not Much Different Than Horny Goat Weed

As you can see there are some lab studies going on with the weed too.  Teva is very busy in court these days challenging patents to bring more generics to market.  There’s a few more under the related links below to read about. 

"Horny Goat Weed" Shows Promise In Lab Studies as alternative for Viagra

If you are curious as to how much the drug costs, the link below will give you an idea, and it’s not cheap.  Viva Teva!  BD 

What Does Viagra Cost?

Pfizer Inc. has sued generic maker Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. in federal court to block a copycat version of its Viagra erectile-dysfunction drug from being sold in the U.S. until 2019.

Israel-based Teva has tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell a generic of the drug upon the March 2012 expiration of its primary patent, covering its composition, according to the suit. Viagra, which brought $1.9 billion in world-wide sales for Pfizer in 2009, is also covered by patent expiring in October 2019 that covers its use in erectile dysfunction.

Method-of-use patents allow companies to patent a new use for an already covered compound, but they often aren't considered as strong as an original composition-of-matter patent

Pfizer Sues Teva Over Generic Viagra - WSJ.com

Related Reading:

FDA To Review Teva Biosimilar of Amgen's Neupogen – Authority to Approve? Only Our Congress Knows

Teva Pays Off Novartis – One Legal Battle Over A Patent Comes to an End With Generic Famvir

Drug Deals – Nexium and Teva Purple Pill Agreement, And What Is This Costing Us?

Generic Prevacid SoluTab Is Here – Teva Wins Court Battle on Patent Challenge For Heartburn Drug

Teva Wins Again – Merck’s Patent on Temodar Chemotherapy Drug Not Enforceable

Teva Suing Amgen Over Intellectual Property Infringement – Sensipar for Kidney Disease

Merck and Singulair – More Legal Battles Besides Teva With Patent Challenges

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US Drug sales Top 300 Billion for 2009 – Antipsychotics Were The Top Selling Class Of Medications

4/02/2010 12:16:00 AM  ,  

How many in the US are taking antipsychotics?  From this report it’s the largest selling class.  In reference to the recent Eli Lilly heist, it looks like the thieves did imagetheir market share homework as that is primarily what was stolen.   They need a better system to try to recover and find them too.

Eli Lilly Pill Heist in Connecticut – Worth a Few Million on the Black Market And Should Have Been “Tagged” for Identification To Help Identify Reselling By the Thieves

Generic drugs are also on the rise accounting for 75% of all prescriptions.  BD  

WASHINGTON - Growth in U.S. sales of pharmaceuticals bounced back last year as rebates and low-cost generic drugs drove an increase in the number of prescriptions filled, according to data tracking firm IMS Health.

U.S. pharmaceutical sales climbed 5.1 percent to $300.3 billion in 2009 after two prior years of slower growth. IMS Health attributed the turnaround to increased filling of prescriptions, which grew at a 2.1 percent pace compared with 1 percent in 2008.

Generic drugs, which often cost a fraction of branded products, made up 75 percent of all prescriptions filled last year. In 2004 generics made up just 57 percent of the market, according to IMS. The low-cost alternatives are launched after the patent on the original product expires or is successfully challenged in court.

Antipsychotic drugs like Eli Lilly's Zyprexa and AstraZeneca's Seroquel remained the top-selling class of medications with $14.6 billion in sales last year. Drugs to treat heart burn and high cholesterol made up the second and third best-selling classes of drugs.

U.S. drug sales top $300 billion in 2009 - Health care- msnbc.com

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David Letterman – What’s an IPad? (Video)

4/01/2010 11:30:00 PM  , ,  

The top 10 questions you ask while waiting in line for an IPad…funny!  Love it when it powers off! 

Also check out this link and see the Colbert Report too, I love this as I have been using and promoting tablets ever since they came out.  Great too, so be a “goober” and and “productive goober” at that.  BD

Colbert Talks About IPad – More Tablet “Goobers” On the Way Soon! Tablet Computer Paradigms Finally Changing and Becoming Acceptable!

David Letterman Does the iPad | GottaBeMobile.com

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Arizona Governor Signs Bill Authorizing Lawsuit Against Healthcare Reform – Attorney General Declined to Join The Effort

4/01/2010 10:37:00 PM  ,  

I believe this week it was MSNBC that talked about how the lawsuits can be fund raisers and if that is the case, maybe this is driving Arizona to the court as they imageneed money.

Arizona May Sell Government Buildings Including the State House, Senate, and a Hospital

In addition, they have some pretty drastic moves here with healthcare and intend to roll back coverage for many adults.  BD 

Arizona Becomes the First State to Drop Children’s Health Insurance Program and Roll Back Medicaid Coverage for Adults – 310,000 People To Be Dropped

PHOENIX -- Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill giving her authority to skirt the state's Democratic attorney general and file a lawsuit challenging federal health care legislation.

Brewer signed the legislation Thursday after requesting last week that lawmakers approve it.

Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat, angered Republicans last week by declining to join more than a dozen other states in suing to block the health care overhaul bill signed by President Barack Obama.

Ariz. governor signs bill authorizing health suit - washingtonpost.com

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Ex-Pfizer Scientist wins $1.37 Million in Lawsuit Against Pfizer in Biotech Viral Exposure Lawsuit

4/01/2010 10:29:00 PM  , ,  

I have posted on this before and below is the prior article about Becky McCain.  This is fascinating to listen to her comments and anyone can benefit here.  She states that the dangers imageare being hid and is requesting OSHA coverage for workers due to the condition she contracted as a molecular biologist, who manipulates DNA, works with assays and clones genetics with stem cells. 

Injured Pfizer Biotech Talks About Biotech Safety and How She Became Infected and Sick at the Lab - Pfizer Won’t Release Health Records to Her Physician

“She was working with stem cell research and with various viruses.  Pfizer will not release her medical records.  It took 2 years to find out what she had been exposed to.   What is shocking is that it was ruled that “trade secrets” were ruled as more important than her being able to get her health records.  Genetically engineered viruses are created in all labs so cures can be created.  They are cells that can make animals sick, so they can make humans sick too.  She brings up some very good points about Biotech safety being needed everywhere. 

What is scary is the changing of the coatings of a virus made for research, supposedly they do not replicate but by doing so, a virus could change properties and become airborne.   Epidemics could be created if accidentally released in the wild.  The government has guidelines, but no real laws and want to keep it that way so as not to interfere with progress and there’s no way they want the news getting out to the public.  She’s calling for scientists to stand up and speak out for public health and safety standards in Biotech.  Watch the last few minutes of the somewhat lengthy video though as she speaks of another injured worker, again from a virus in the lab.”

In the news in September 2009, one scientist’s death was apparently related to a bacteria he was researching. 

Scientist Dies and There’s a Possible Link to the Bacteria He Was Researching

This is new territory with research in safety and she questions the money issue.  She talks about the roof blowing up off the facility and thought it was a good time to talk safety.  She was told her “unsafe” working department was legal, and they followed what was “legal” but maybe not “safe”.  They had a mysterious illness at the lab over months and they finally pinpointed the source, a hood where embryonic mouse stem cells were based. 

She says its about money and not only just Pfizer with safety and working conditions.  She states that unless it’s a human type virus, not much attention is paid as humans will not get the virus.  She can’t get specifically from Pfizer as to exactly what virus she was exposed to after her doctor diagnosed her with post viral exposure.  They need the genetic code and the structure, something perhaps above and beyond what the comprehension of OSHA could be.  Trade secrets had the priority over getting the information.  Nobody had authority to order the exposure records.  Judge ordered Pfizer to release records, but they have not.  People were also eating their lunch in the lab, not good. 

She talks about changing the properties of problems like HIV by stripping the coat off and place a rabies like coat on it and now the HIV virus can spread via the eyes or breathing.  Again, very much worth listening to her video and glad she’s making progress here in bringing this to focus as we have more and ore biotech labs in existence today and safety is something that has not been addressed.  Private industry has guidelines but they have no teeth so basically they can be ignored and there is nothing that can be done – it’s about the money with no liability or responsibility for the working conditions.  BD 

Hartford — Becky McClain, a Deep River scientist who claims to have been infected by an experimental virus while working at Pfizer Inc.'s Groton laboratories, was awarded $1.37 million today by a U.S. District Court jury.

Workers' rights organizations immediately hailed the verdict, in which Pfizer also was ordered to pay McClain's attorneys' fees. They said the outcome of the federal civil suit was a major milestone for biotech and nanotech workers everywhere.

McClain said she asked for a transfer out of Lab B313 because of ongoing health concerns. Later, she developed chronic fatigue symptoms, according to the suit, and discovered that a co-worker had been working next to her with a "dangerous lentivirus material (similar to the AIDS virus) and embryonic stem cells on an open lab bench without biological containment."

Backers of McClain said OSHA denied her workplace complaints largely because federal worker-safety laws have not kept pace with the rising hazards in U.S. laboratories. They have called for OSHA to reopen its investigation of the McClain case, a cause that may have received a boost from the six jurors whose verdict was read in court today.

But McClain has said there is no known cure for the condition, and claims that Pfizer has refused to hand over exposure records that might help her identify the virus that infected her. She said Pfizer has claimed exemption from laws requiring health records to be handed over based on other laws that protect patent information.

The Day - Ex-Pfizer scientist wins $1.37 million in federal lawsuit | News from southeastern Connecticut

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Diabetes Side Effect for Crestor – Who’s Bandwagon Do We Jump On?

4/01/2010 03:17:00 PM  ,  

Is my doctor going to become an FDA approved “Crestor” pusher?  We still have conflicts here on which is the right way to go, but now doctors can prescribe Crestor to individuals who have no problems with cholesterol problems.  This seems to be some type of daily vaccine of sorts, and AstraZeneca stands to make a ton of imagemoney.

Statins do make muscles ache though and many use COQ10, an enzyme to help relieve the pain, but the diabetes connection is something to be aware of for sure.  Over 6 million are deemed to be targets for the drug.  There’s also Lipitor from Pfizer which is the number one statin sold in the US.  Some doctors dismiss the muscle aches for the trade off on cholesterol and the smaller chance of a stroke, so good that it might hurt.

Are we looking at a little bottle now that reminds us to take our Crestor with and tell on us if we are late or miss, even though we have no cholesterol problems but now have been roped into compliance “because this is good for us”, not because we have a health condition that warrants it?   Is this the shape of things to come? 

We are trying to win the war on diabetes 2, so this seems a little strange to still be having such a strong recommendation here.  I still like what the Happy Hospitalist had to say about this, he’s right there front line with hospital medicine.  BD 

“What if we all took Crestor to reduce the chance of developing heart disease?  Happy Hospitalist does a pretty good job here on lining it all up!  Talk about side effects.  

  • All Americans will now get Crestor to reduce their CRP to reduce their chances of developing heart disease. 
  • All Americans Will now get lisinopril to prevent the proteinuria they will get from their diabetes they get from Crestor
  • All Americans will now take metformin to treat the diabetes they developed while taking Crestor
  • All Americans will now take Lyrica to prophylax  for the the neuropathic pain they will get from developing diabetes while taking Crestor.
  • All Americans will now take an aspirin to reduce the risk of developing a stroke from the diabetes they got from taking Crestor.
  • All Americans will now take prilosec to reduce the risk of developing an ulcer from the aspirin they were taking to reduce the risk of stroke due to the diabetes they developed while taking Crestor to reduce their asymptomatic CRP level.
  • All Americans will now take carvedilol to reduce the risk of death from the coronary artery disease they developed as a result of the diabetes they developed as a result of the Crestor they were taking to reduce their CRP to reduce their chances of developing coronary artery disease. “
With the government’s blessing, a drug giant is about to expand the market for its blockbuster cholesterol medication Crestor to a new category of customers: as a preventive measure for millions of people who do not have cholesterol problems.

Risks Seen in Wider Use of Statins Like Crestor - NYTimes.com

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Money Driven Radiologist – Accessed PACS File of Patients for the Purpose of Solicitation at Another Facility

4/01/2010 02:47:00 PM  , ,  

I spent many years in sales and this is marketing technique.  In sale when one knows they are leaving, they will usually try to get all the information possible to take a imagecompetitor and this is how I see this.  Is the an ill effect of “hospital marketing” gone wrong with trying to bring more business to a new place of employment, sounds like it to me.  Watch the trailer of “Money Driven Medicine” and this may make more sense. 

MONEY-DRIVEN MEDICINE – The Movie (Official Trailer)

Certainly there is “public information” like we used to have in general contact files with names, addresses and phone numbers, but from what I am reading here, the study of the images was used to determine what direction to take with solicitation.  In other words, by looking at what the patient had done, the area of focus to convince the patient to come to another facility for a procedure would cut down the the chase on selling; however, as what happened here, privacy issues arise.  Patients know where they had imaging done, so why is this other facility calling me, busted! 

Radiology here attempted to join the glut of marketing in healthcare that is out there today, but it was not in the transaction algorithms areas which is where most make their big money, he just wanted patient revenue and the opportunity to x-ray or scan.  BD  

Griffin Hospital has notified 957 patients of an apparent breach of personal protected health information during the period from Feb. 4 to March 5, after an investigation prompted by patient inquiries revealed the breach.
Based on available information, Griffin, which is located in Derby, Conn., said that a radiologist previously, but not currently, affiliated with the hospital or on the Griffin Hospital medical staff accessed patient radiology reports on the hospital's PACS using the passwords of other radiologists and an employee within the radiology department. The passwords were obtained and/or used without their knowledge.
From the investigation conducted by Griffin, it appears the radiologist who gained unauthorized access scanned the PACS directory listings of 957 patients who had radiology studies performed at Griffin during the period and selected and downloaded the image files of 339 of these patients.

Radiologist breaches data, images of nearly 1,000 patients via PACS

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Vitality Pill Bottle to Use AT&T Wireless to Transmit Medication Compliance and Refill Information

4/01/2010 12:26:00 AM  ,  

This is interesting as I ponder the contract here giving AT&T a new list of consumers to potentially market?  As mentioned before prescription medication information is bought and sold and not covered by HIPAA, so where does this open the doors for 3rd party companies to market you too.

The Colbert Report Takes On Vitality GlowCaps (Video) – Check Out the Privacy Issues Here As Medication Data is Created That Can Be Sold To Health Insurance Companies For Use With Underwriting Algorithms

One other issue that concerns me too is the potential implication of missed pills being held against a patient later when compliance algorithms are run and a minor compliance issue arises, is this grounds to question a claim and potentially deny coverage?  We see many more insurance companies buying wellness programs who are the “parents” here pushing patients to ensure they take their medications.  We all know how the analytic system goes today and it’s what’s in the data that comes first before even asking the patient sometimes. The CEO of Vitality is excited to have “minute by minute” data and the ability to anticipate a refill.  The reminder portion of the bottle is perhaps a good thing but how will the data be used beyond reminders and family information is a bit of a gray area and rings a bit of “big brother” type monitoring if in fact algorithmic formulas are used to determine policy cost and potential denial of claims if there are a few areas in question with compliance and taking all meds.  If we didn’t have the “scoring” and forensic risk assessments involved, it could see a happier welcome here.  BD  

image image

“HIPAA does not give the Department of Health and Human Services the ability to directly investigate or hold accountable entities, such as pharmacy benefit managers or companies such as Ingenix and Milliman, who are not covered by HIPAA.”

The Pill Bottle That Talks To Your Cell Phone, Creates Data Reports and More…

Reminders  =  Data  =  Reports

Medical Device =  Algorithms  =  Medical Data  =  Data Reports  =  PHR  =  EHR  =  _____.

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Vitality, Inc. and AT&T announced Tuesday that AT&T will provide the nationwide wireless network connection for Vitality GlowCaps, intelligent pill caps designed to help patients take medications regularly.

According to David Rose, CEO of Vitality, the AT&T-connected GlowCaps fit on standard prescription bottles and use light then sound reminders, which can be followed by a phone call or text message to remind patients to take their medication.

"For the first time in the healthcare industry, we can use minute-by-minute adherence data to motivate healthy behavior," Rose said.

Vitality, Inc. and AT&T partner to improve Rx adherence | Healthcare IT News

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VA Can’t Prescribe Medical Pot – Looking for a Solution But Narcotics, Anti Psychotics are No Problem

4/01/2010 12:00:00 AM  ,  

I never really thought much about this but it seems true that the VA is in the middle of all of this until federal laws and state laws reach a happy medium along theimage line here.  The culture on pot has certainly changed a lot over the years and somehow I think some of the stronger and powerful anti-psychotics drugs we have around today may have had some influence there in making pot look much less evil.  

If everyone could agree here it could be e-prescribed and traced just like all other drugs and carry the DEA information forward as well.  BD 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- When Paul Culkin came home to New Mexico after serving with an Army bomb squad in Iraq, he tried counseling and medications offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs to cope with his post traumatic stress disorder.

Nothing worked very well. Then he found a new alternative: marijuana.

New Mexico is the only state that explicitly allows people with PTSD to smoke pot under its medical marijuana law - an issue that is getting attention around the country at a time when traumatized vets are coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in large numbers.

"The irony in this ... is it's a common thing for veterans to tell me, 'The VA is telling me if I just stay away from medical marijuana, we'll give you all the pills you want, morphine, whatever,'" he said.

Krawitz, 47, was severely injured in a motorcycle accident while stationed in Guam with the Air Force about 20 years ago and eventually received a medical discharge.

He praises the care he's gotten from the VA, but adds: "I feel sorry for the VA; they're caught in the middle ... They have a clear mandate to take care of veterans."

Given their inability to get medical marijuana from the VA, New Mexico veterans are finding their own go-to physicians, including Dr. Eve Elting in the central part of the state.  "Everyone's happy to give them a million narcotics, anti-psychotics. It's frustrating," she said.

VA doctors prohibited from prescribing medical pot - washingtonpost.com

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Private Equity Firm Golder Rauner LLC (Devicor Unit) Makes Offer for J and J Ethicon Breast Care Business

3/31/2010 11:39:00 PM  ,  

Below is a statement from the Devicor website, so it appears their business acquiring and growing healthcare companies.  The article also mentions below that J and J had been somewhat shopping for a buyer.  We have more private equity firms growing into healthcare.  image

“Devicor™ Medical Products, Inc., is a fast-growing global company dedicated to acquiring and growing healthcare companies that provide important medical technologies used by clinicians worldwide to improve patient experiences and outcomes.”

In January the Johnson and Johnson had also halted their clinical trials for their molecular lab test that was to help determine and predict whether or not patient lymph nodes should be removed during the first surgery and not having a second.

Johnson and Johnson Pulls GeneSearch Breast Cancer Diagnosis Test – Trials Ended

I guess when time allows away from “stent battling” in court, the company is exploring other areas for their overall business models.  BDimage

Where’s Some of the Focus for Johnson and Johnson Revenue Cycles – “Legally Patented Stent Wars”?

The offer stands until June and is expected to be complete by the 3rd quarter.  BD 

A Johnson & Johnson unit received an offer from private-equity firm GTCR Golder Rauner LLC for its breast-care business.

The unit has been exploring a possible sale of the division to focus on areas with higher growth potential.

J&J is among those in the drug industry that have been streamlining amid increasing regulatory hurdles for drug approvals and rising development costs. The giant health-care products maker has also been hurt by generic competition for some of its big-selling prescription drugs.

The "irrevocable, unconditional" offer, by GTCR's Devicor unit for an undisclosed amount, is for the Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. division, which sells products designed to help diagnose breast cancer in its early states. The division's products include breast-biopsy and tissue markers as well as marketing and distribution rights for the division's Neoprobe gamma detection systems.

J&J Unit Gets Bid for Breast-Care Business - WSJ.com

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Capital BlueCross Eliminates 182 Jobs – Automated Algorithmic Processes and Technology Advances Now Doing the Job

3/31/2010 11:12:00 PM  ,  

This is one more sign of technology taking over work where humans used to the jobs and it is moving today at rocket speeds everywhere.  In this press release the imagecompany clearly states this, again as I say we have swords to do battle with and they have machine guns in the infrastructure and technology areas.  From last week I posted about expecting more scoring to occur with the changes in healthcare reform and this is all carriers, not just Blue Cross.  “Fraud” is the catch all reason for investigating claims and some are fraud and some merely get false positives.  When you are a false positive at times, it’s almost like you have been convicted of fraud already and need to prove innocence.  No doubt we need this capability to audit claims, but we also need the ability to have audit trails on the parameters used so they don’t cross the line, as in the Ingenix inquisition where lawsuits are still ongoing and perhaps more coming where the lines were crossed and it was not the patients and doctors with a case of fraud as it was the opposite. 

Healthcare Reform Bill – Expect “Fraud Algorithm” Use to Increase With “Scoring” the Insured With Our Leadership Trapped Embellishing Old Paradigms

Good question with all of this, who do you trust?  We get to see Medicare’s formulas and algorithms and have somewhat of a say there, but the ones run by insurers are anyone’s guess.  Back on track, we saw what record profits were made by insurers, but when algorithms can do faster what humans have done, well we know the story there.  Be aware.  BD 

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross today announced that it has eliminated 182 positions as part of its ongoing effort to increase efficiency and lower its operating costs.

Capital BlueCross' ongoing cost-control efforts have included evaluation of how new technologies have improved its efficiencies in various operations, such as claims processing.  This technology has resulted in increased productivity, while gradually decreasing the needed manpower.  Technological advances accounted for many of the job reductions announced today at Capital BlueCross and its subsidiary companies.

"At Capital BlueCross, we have been doing what all businesses are doing during this uncertain economic time -- we're looking at every way possible to be more efficient, to keep our costs down, and to be even more competitive and strong," said William Lehr, Jr., Capital BlueCross President & CEO. "Advances in technology, particularly, enable us to reduce our costs at Capital BlueCross and its subsidiary companies, while still providing award-winning service.

Capital BlueCross Eliminates Jobs -- HARRISBURG, Pa., March 31 /PRNewswire/ --

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Microsoft Tags on CBS Early Show – Wake Up FDA, Pharma and Medical Device Companies –Scan Those Drugs, Medical Devices and Synchronize with an FDA Tag Data Base – Recalls, Theft Tracking and More….

3/31/2010 02:35:00 PM  , ,  

Everybody that reads here, knows I am a fan of Tags and I have an entire series of how they can be used in healthcare, they work with RFIDs too.  Watch the video and see how they are used for entertainment.  I guess that must come first, you think?   This is all free too.  The link below explains all.  We have a huge case here of tech denial or the inability to admit that Tags can save lives.

Tags for Use in Healthcare – Medical Stents, Medications - One Scan Away From Safety Information in Real Time

I know some of this is difficult as Congress is just now addressing not allowing government employees to use peer to peer music and video sharing networks, which companies and other institutions have dealt with years ago, tech denial and lack of participation at it’s best at the top levels.  Use that phone and put your insurance EOB information into your PPR, not typing…

Scan that knee, hip, defibrillator before you use it, takes a few seconds and will help hospital registries function and less mistakes. 

People die as they get implanted with a device that has been recalled and accidentally got left on the shelf, is this not reason enough to get on with this as it is a preventable death!!  Watch the video and pretend there’s a box with a stent in it that has been recalled, would it not be nice to see that appear on the screen instantly???


Watch CBS News Videos Online

If it has been recalled, one scan would let you know.  Medical device companies can use this to ensure recalls are not missed.  I wrote a post about one man who died because the doctors and hospitals missed the implant recall and it malfunctioned.   Here’s my tags and you can find them on the blog all the time, ones goes to a text file and the other takes you to my blog on your cell phone browser.  Try them out.  BD

The clip above was shown today on the CBS Early Show. CNET's Natali Del Conte discussed how QR codes may change the future of advertising and how consumers can scan the codes with their cell phones to receive information on their mobile phone.  Although the segment focused mostly on the QR code, Natali did show off several Microsoft Tag examples in magazines such as Self, Details and Golf Digest, video games like Halo Wars and even a We The Kings promotional music poster. Having the Tag reader on your phone allows you to read any Microsoft Tag that you may come across.  It's easy to distinguish a Tag from a QR code:

  QR Code               Microsoft Tag

http://blogs.msdn.com/tag/archive/2010/03/31/tag-showcased-on-cbs-early-show.aspx

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HealthVault PHR Can Help Save You Find and Track Savings on Prescriptions – Integration with OptimizerX

3/31/2010 12:43:00 PM  , , , ,  

Optimizer also offers a prescription card you can print out to receive discounts.  As a member you can upload your prescription records into HealthVault and this canimage help you keep track of possibly where you get them filled and what you paid for them.  There has been quite a bit in the news lately about HealthVault, couple links below, connect a scale and import the data automatically.

Withings WiFi Connected Body Scale Integrates with Microsoft HealthVault To Use WiFi to Record Your Weight

You can also get an encrypted Tag to be ready for EOBs from insurance companies to use you cell phone to import your insurance data too.  This is neat and I like tags and it is very simple to use for anyone, and it’s free.  OptimizerX can help those without insurance to find saving on drugs when the search for a generic doesn’t turn up the desired results too.  BD  

Connecting HealthVault/Google Health and More to RazCode Encrypted Microsoft Tags – Automate Data Inputimage

OPTIMIZERx (OTCBB: OPRX) today announced that its Web-based consumer information site, which provides information about prescription medicine savings, is now integrated with Microsoft HealthVault, a personal health application platform. 

image

For HealthVault users that store their medication inventory within their personal HealthVault account, this connection enables access to prescription coupons, cost-saving notifications, co-pay savings, and trials, which can help them better adhere to treatment regimens in a more affordable way, and OPTIMIZERx users can upload their medication records into their HealthVault account, enabling them to create a more comprehensive health profile.

 image

"We are excited to be working with Microsoft HealthVault to further expand our reach and ability to help more consumers better afford their rising prescription costs through available prescription savings and other support programs," stated David Lester, Chief Executive Officer of OPTIMIZERx.

OPTIMIZERx Connects With Microsoft(R) HealthVault (TM) to Reduce Medication Costs

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