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Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Layoffs Coming Up to 120 Jobs–Medical Employment at a Standstill in California

12/11/2010 11:37:00 PM    

Salinas is about 100 miles or so south of San Francisco and due to escalating costs and the need to save money layoffs have been announced.  Interesting enough the imagelocal Healthcare Union stated the hospital should begin reducing the salaries paid to hospital executives.  Remember back when a hospital back in Boston under the suggestion of the CEO came up with an idea to forgo bonuses and some pay cuts in order to keep more employees on board?   I wonder if that methodology has been tried in other hospitals where layoffs occur?   This took place back in April of 2009 and was successful in keeping many of the rank and file employed. 

Hospitals that Care Enough to Make A Difference

In other news the LA Times recently ran an article about how healthcare employment is not growing in California as it is in other states.  Employer provided insurance too is more expensive in California and has raised faster than the national average.  Even RNs are having problems finding jobs that are new and right out of school and RNs have always been in demand for as long as I can remember. 

Now I’m a bit confused here as to where does the money come from and why is this big LifeCare Campus being built where March Air Force base was with all the layoffs? 

Gov Schwarzenegger participate in in Demolition Ceremony To Make Way for Construction of March Memorial Hospital – Former March Air Force Base Health Community

I know it is creating jobs with builders to put it up and eventually offer jobs to healthcare workers and physicians, but if hospitals are laying off employees now, and money is tight, what are we doing?  Maybe somebody has a good answer for me and I’m open to listen, but in the face of what we are seeing today, other than creating construction and building jobs, I’m not sure.  BD

SALINAS, Calif.—As many as 120 hospital workers will soon be out of work after Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital announced it will be reducing its staff.

Hospital officials said Friday that in a move to cut operating costs, up to 120 employees will be getting layoff notices.

About 40 nurses are expected to be let go, with the rest of the layoffs hitting unit assistants, clerical workers, housekeepers and nutrition workers.

Hospital spokeswoman Adrienne Laurent told the Monterey Herald that the "quality of care won't suffer" because the hospital exceeds patient-nurse ratios set by state law.

But John Borsos, vice president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, criticized the layoffs, saying the hospital should consider reducing expenses by slashing the salaries it pays to executives and reducing the number of managers at the hospital.

Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital announces layoffs - San Jose Mercury News

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Jon Stewart Addresses Tax Cuts–Some of The Rich Are Giving Away Their Wealth- Visibility for Identifying Greedy Corporate and Govt Behavior Awareness Increases

12/11/2010 12:54:00 PM  , ,  

Who doesn’t like Jon Stewart but in seeing what philanthropy is doing today, some of the richest and most accomplished people today are giving away a big section of their wealth and I think this sets a very important role model for out future.  They don’t have to give back, but they are as it’s the right think to do with the Giving Pledge so if a tax law were to enforce that those in the high income brackets have a higher tax rate, then it’s a matter of a law that creates basically what the leaders in philanthropy are doing anyway and without a law the others clearly look like they don’t want to follow suit and don’t see the value here with current economic times, sad.

Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz From Facebook Join the Giving Pledge To Commit The Majority of Their Wealth to Philanthropy

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Supercuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

It does do one thing though with the current law and those who support the tax breaks for the rich, those caught up in “greed” are becoming immediately recognizable and I was actually surprised that a “deal” to maybe even look at raising the higher taxes to maybe $500 a year was not entertained, as again those folks at the top are giving away their wealth.  How many “greedy” members of Congress can you identify?  This was a very tough situation for the President to where greed controlled and held hostage the breaks that are needed by the middle class and people will remember this as to how it all came down to protecting the rich so the middle class would not get squashed in the process.  

Some were all ready, willing and able to let this happen, the illiterates or non participants in general consumer IT literacy I believe as when you watch the video you have to laugh at how the clips were done via the presentations in Congress here with the 70s analogies, and it appears a bit less than professional along with Jon’s comments that make it even more visible and funnier.  Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are truly ahead of the game and I think their hearts and brains are in the right place by comparison.  BD   

John Oliver explains that the wealth from the Bush tax cuts will trickle down like a golden stream of oddly hot champagne.

Supercuts - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 12/07/10 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

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Scientists Grow Human Brain Stem Cells in Rats- “Smart Rat Therapy” That Can Lead to Treatments for Brain Damage, Epilepsy or Parkinson's

12/11/2010 11:45:00 AM  ,  

One more breakthrough with research and development in showing that human brain stem cells can function and work outside the donor and function like native cells.  Granted this is only at the beginning stage but opens the door for further imageresearch to where this may someday open up doors for stem cell therapies and treatments for those afflicted with neurological disorders.

The brain cells developed into the appropriate neurons for each part of the brain.  In the news recently, Spain created the first human organ transplant laboratory in where organs that may not be candidates for transplants can be used to extract the stem cells and store them and some will have the potential to be used to grow organs.  In the US, human bladders have been grown and implanted for several women and children and when this gets to the point to where livers can be grown, well that’s a potential new life saving area for sure and so far a small liver has been grown at the facility in Wake Forest, and this is the first step. 

First Human Organ Transplant Laboratory Opens in Spain–Regenerative Medicine

In this case with the rats the experiment shows outside of growing organs that the stem cells can take on the characteristics of the location in the brain where they were transplanted.  The “smart rat” research here stands to open many new doors as this progresses.  The research is looking to use a patient’s own stem cells but there’s perhaps this possibility too with non matched donors as was announced this week in the spinal cord area of research too with an outside donor making it possible for recovery in this area.  BD  

Spinal Cord Injury Patient Treated With Non-Matched Donor Adult Stem Cells Is Walking Again

Scientists in the US have made a major breakthrough that has the potential for people with brain damage, caused by epilepsy or Parkinson's for example, to use their own brain stem cells as a treatment.

Steven Roper of the University of Florida discovered that stem cells from the human brain that were transplanted into the brains of newborn rats matured and were able to function just like native rat cells.

The researchers found that the adult stem cells had the ability to turn into all types of brain tissue in the rats, including the neocortex, which deals with higher processing, and the hippocampus, involved in memory and spatial awareness

Scientists grow human brain stem cells in rats

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Oklahoma Legislator Donates Bone Marrow Stem Cells and Saves Arizona Woman’s Life Who Has Hodgkin's Lymphoma

12/11/2010 10:59:00 AM  , ,  

Stems cells are hot, and they save lives too.  Again I hope our government can quit stumbling all over themselves and get the laws written so all of the research can imagecontinue here and we can go about saving lives and continue the valued research as Congress had approved this bi-partisan many times, it’s just a matter of the language the judges feel is needed. 

This story was a rare match to where the woman had injections of her own stem cells first and the cancer came back so out to the registry they went and found a match, a man who is in the Oklahoma legislator, and big kudos to him for taking the 2 days needed to extract his stem cell as he was rate match.  What was needed in her case was a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. 

The folks over at the Medicaid department in Arizona should take a look at this and recalculate their “death panel algorithms” by all means and get some folks involved who are intelligent enough to look at the whole picture instead of just cutting funds in certain areas.

What Is A Life Worth–Arizona Politicians Have No Clue And Need Clinical Guidance When Interpreting Algorithmic Formulas–Health IT Illiteracy Continues to Threaten Lives

The 31 year old now requires no rejection drugs and is basically asymptomatic with her Hodgkin's.  These are the miracle folks that realize what a life is worth versus the the politicians making decisions in Arizona and they should study this case by all means and it clearly sends a message that politicians are not qualified to make these types of decisions alone.  BD

Tillman, now a healthy 31-year-old, was on her second relapse with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her first marrow treatment was with her own bone marrow. Yet the cancer snapped back six months later.

Tillman needed a peripheral blood stem cell transplant from someone else this time. Since her siblings weren’t a match, she was desperate for a lifesaving transplant from a stranger.

But the Arizona woman is black, and only 7 percent of the potential donors worldwide who register with “Be The Match” are black. She was very sick, and she began what doctors hoped wouldn’t be the last wait of her life.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, was busy talking to constituents and studying potential laws affecting Oklahomans. He hadn’t thought in years about his college days at Langston University, much less that day in 1995 when he registered as a peripheral blood stem cell donor.

Tillman now is a lively, upbeat woman striding toward the next chapter.

Spreading out her hands and smiling, she said: “I’m perfectly healed. I’m not on any rejection drugs. I’m cancer-free.”

Oklahoma legislator’s donation helps save Ariz. woman’s life | NewsOK.com

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Beth Israel Physicians Group Moving Towards New Blue Cross Care Model

12/10/2010 11:59:00 PM  ,  

Last week Blue Cross announced their plan for employers to encourage the use of imagethose on the “low” list versus the “high” group and as you can see from the link below there are 15 on the “high” list to where it will cost the patient more and will have higher premiums.  This agreement is at the hospital level with insurers.

Blue Cross Launching New Health Coverage Option in Massachusetts-Encourages Consumers Via Employer Plans to Avoid 15 Named High Cost Hospitals

“Alternative Quality Contract” is what is being introduced here with Blue Cross and the physician’s group, giving doctors a budget of sorts to work with and when reconciling if they stay under budget, the physicians group keeps the change and splits with Blue Cross and the same is said for the over budget provisions, they both split the cost.  The article says doctors are a little nervous, and who isn’t these days with a new process being tried as sometimes you never know who it will work until everything is played out.  It may mean some adjustments in billing but I believe that is more over at the insurer’s side.  This appears to be solely between the insurance company and the physician’s group.  You can also read more over at Paul Levy’s blog, “Running a Hospital” for more details and information.  BD

BOSTON — If you feel the earth shaking near Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the next few months, it may be the rumble of 1,800 physicians adjusting to a new way to deliver and get paid for care. These doctors are the latest and largest physicians group to sign a global budget contract for HMO patients at Blue Cross — and many are uneasy.

“There’s guarded optimism, there’s outright anxiety, there’s everything in between,” said Rich Parker, medical director at the Beth Israel Deaconess Physician Organization.

Now, instead of getting paid for every visit, test and procedure, doctors at Beth Israel will receive a budget to care for their 75,000 to 80,000 Blue Cross HMO patients. If the physicians group goes over-budget they split the loss with Blue Cross. If they come in under budget, they share the surplus, based on how much they improved the care of patients with say, high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes. If the doctors can’t show improvement in patients’ conditions or that patients are getting more preventative tests, they don’t share the surplus.

There will be both health and financial incentives to keep patients at Beth Israel Deaconess. If patients go to some other hospital, these doctors would have to pay the rival hospital’s bill and may not have easy access to their patients’ records.  Both Beth Israel and Blue Cross say the contract will save money over time but they are not sharing details.  Primary care doctors will take the lead in managing a patient’s care under this contract — and that’s where another major change comes in.

Beth Israel Doctors Take Risk For Managing Care | WBUR

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Sergey Aleynikov Found Guilty of Stealing Goldman Sachs Code

12/10/2010 10:12:00 PM  ,  

I don’t know if we will get to hear additional information on this case but the jury found Sergey Aleynikov of stealing algorithmic computer code on his last day of employment before going to another firm.  He did find a way to get the small sized file on the last day of work, which if someone knows they are going to leave I would think they would not wait until the last day but who knows.

Goldman Code-Theft Trial Begins–Did The Stolen Code Have The Potential to Create Algorithms for High Frequency Trading

When I read the part about only transferring less than 32 megabytes, just common sense would tell me this is indeed only a portion of what would be required, however it could be a module that could be used elsewhere, as I used modules written by others in some of my projects, which by itself was pretty useless as it only did one or two things, and of course a full program like an EMR needs lots of modules and SQL (structured query language) statements.  On the other hand too, I could see a programmer accidentally scooping up some code accidentally if multi-tasking with other items on the computer he’s working on. 

A jury has found a former Goldman Sachs computer programmer guilty of stealing source code from the bank’s high-frequency trading platform.  Part of the argument was that the code was open source and if that was the case why didn’t he get it somewhere else where open source code is usually open and available?

It is strange that he had the code with him on his computer though so there must have been some value, and perhaps the code had been modified from it’s original source too.  I do hope we hear more about this case from the technology side and how it was proven that there was code stolen that had value and was a module  that was used for high frequency trading.  The circumstances of the code being found with him somewhat leads one to believe there was some value to it other than just being free and open source code/algorithms.  BD

The trial of Sergey Aleynikov, a 40-year-old Russian immigrant, spotlighted the world of high-frequency trading, which uses complex computer algorithms to make rapid-fire trades to exploit tiny price discrepancies. High-frequency trading has become a growing important source of revenue at Wall Street firms. As a result, banks fiercely protect the code underpinning their businesses.

Sergey Aleynikov Guilt of Stealing Goldman Trading Code - NYTimes.com

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Winner-Lenovo M90Z Computer–Medical Quack Contest Has Ended-More Opportunities to Win With Additional Participating Blogs!

12/10/2010 05:30:00 PM    

UPDATE WE HAVE A WINNER  

Stephen Sigal from Tyler, TX

I did my selection the old fashion way and threw all entrant names into a hat (well a bag in my case that did the same work) and drew a name so everyone had an equal chance of winning.  Congratulations to Stephen Sigal who happens to be a doctor (I know that from Twitter) so I hope he has some medical software to try it out with, medical records, practice management, some medical imaging files, you name it.  I think it pays to follow Twitter too as I did my best to alert all followers  to enter.    Congratulations and for everyone else, try the other blogs below to enter and good luck as you can enter at as many other blogs as you like until the end on December 24th. 

The contest at the Medical Quack has ended and a winner has been selected and will be notified shortly however, there are other opportunities at the blogs listed below, enter again at the other links listed below by all means so keep entering!  Thanks so much again to everyone who participated at the Medical Quack and good luck with your chances with the other opportunities at the blogs listed below.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER HEALTHCARE BLOGS LISTED BELOW, AS THEY ARE ALSO GIVING AWAY A LENOVO TOUCH SCREEN COMPUTER AND LOOK FOR THE DATES TO ENTER.  THEIR CONTESTS WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN MINE SO READ THE RULES AS TO HOW TO ENTER FROM THEIR BLOGS.

Participating Healthcare blogs are giving away 20 computers in 20 days.  Don’t forget to enter if you are a non profit or charity organization read here for a chance to win 5 Lenovo computers for your company or group. 

  • Dec 1 - Dec 5: Medicine and Technology
  • Dec 2 - Dec 6: Geeks Room
  • Dec 3 - Dec 7: Neowin
  • Dec 4 - Dec 8: Gear Diary
  • Dec 5 - Dec 9: The Medical Quack
  • Dec 6 - Dec 10: Digital Home Thoughts
  • Dec 7 - Dec 11: Chip Chick
  • Dec 8 - Dec 12: Teach 42
  • Dec 9 - Dec 13: Slash Gear
  • Dec 10 - Dec 14: Medgadget
  • Dec 11 - Dec 15: Absolutely Windows
  • Dec 12 - Dec 16: Small Business Trends
  • Dec 13 - Dec 17: Cool Cat Teacher
  • Dec 14 - Dec 18: Web 2.0 Classroom
  • Dec 15 - Dec 19: The Healthcare IT Guy
  • Dec 16 - Dec 20: Gear Live
  • Dec 17 - Dec 21: Healthcare IT Strategy
  • Dec 18 - Dec 22: Active Win
  • Dec 19 - Dec 23: The Healthcare Blog
  • Dec 20 - Dec 24: Practical Theory

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    Walgreen Customer Email Listing Has Unauthorized Access So Be Watchful of Potential Spam Emails

    12/10/2010 04:01:00 PM  ,  

    How hot is marketing in healthcare, hot enough to where folks are poaching for email addresses and the usual attempts for identify theft.  Walgreens said no personal information as far as passwords or account numbers were hacked so it’s just the email addresses according to this report so watch out for the spammers. image

    If you get a funny looking email don’t use those links as they may not lead to Walgreen’s site but rather to a site that might be attempting to get information about you.  Walgreens listed this as a security breach.  BD 

    (Reuters) - Drugstore chain Walgreen Co on Friday warned customers they may have received unauthorized emails seeking personal data after a breach of one of the company's customer lists.

    The company said in an email to customers that it recently became aware of the unauthorized access to an email list of customers who receive special offers and newsletters. It said those customers may have then received some spam email messages directing them to another website and seeking personal data.

    "The important thing to note is only email addresses were obtained, so things like customer passwords, account information, prescription information, any other personally identifiable information was not at risk because that data was not contained in the email system," Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said.

    Walgreen warns customers email addresses accessed | Reuters

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    Spinal Cord Injury Patient Treated With Non-Matched Donor Adult Stem Cells Is Walking Again

    12/10/2010 03:18:00 PM  ,  

    MediStem is located in San Diego and this was the first patient to be injected with stem cells from a donor as he had severe spinal cord damage a result of an imageaccident.  This is totally amazing with the results as he was no longer walking and from the time of the injection in November of 2008 until July of 2009, he’s no again walking and regained the ability gradually.  From everything I am reading today with stem cells and the spinal area, before having certain surgeries it certainly doesn’t sound like it hurt at all to look at this possibility for the healing processes if people are again walking. 

    Geron Gets FDA Approval To Resume Stem-Cell Study - Spinal Cord Injuries - Go UC Irvine!image

    At UCI the Geron clinical trials are also taking place with the use of stem cells to regenerate the spinal cord with injuries and perhaps even birth defects or other situations.  This was reported in the journals and as the press release states, this is only one patient but the results sound excellent to continue forward. MediStem plans to begin clinical trials in the first quarter of 2011, right around the corner.  Endometrial stem cells can be made into lung, liver, brain, pancreas, bone, fat, blood vessel heart and muscle tissues as well.  Hopefully they will get the stem cell laws straightened out soon as it stands in the way of progress and curing diseases.   This is why are are beginning to see organ transplant labs opening to where the organ may not be sufficient to use for an actual transplant, but they can get in there and drain the stem cells and grown new organs.  BD 

    First Human Organ Transplant Laboratory Opens in Spain–Regenerative Medicine

    SAN DIEGO, CA--announced today peer-reviewed publication of its data on what is believed to be the first "combination therapy" adult stem cell protocol for spinal cord injury.

    The patient treated, who was 29 years old at the time, suffered a spinal cord injury resulting from an airplane crash on May 13th of 2008. He had no walking ability, intermittent pain and loss of sexual function. The patient was injected with a combination universal donor stem cell therapy in November of 2008, and January and July of 2009. A gradual improvement was observed subsequent to each administration of stem cells.

    Currently the patient has recovered sexual function, is walking, and has a dramatic reduction in pain symptoms.

    The medical article describing the procedure was published in the peer-reviewed journal International Archives of Internal Medicine and was co-authored by scientists at the University of California San Diego, Indiana University, and University of Utah. It can be accessed at this link: http://www.intarchmed.com/content/pdf/1755-7682-3-30.pdf.

    Spinal Cord Injury Patient Treated With Non-Matched Adult Stem Cells

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    Arizona Gov. Brewer wants Medicaid Waiver To Reduce Medicaid Rolls To Lower Costs

    12/10/2010 12:21:00 PM  , ,  

    Earlier this year the state had to reverse a cutback as the new healthcare reform disallowed states to reduce their eligibility and now basically it looks like they are looking for relief somewhere along the line here to reduce it in another fashion.  We are probably all aware of the Medicaid transplant rules which were all over national news and one patient has already died as with applying those algorithmic formulas made the patient not eligible for the organ.  Again I wonder how they all come to terms and project budget needs overall and if other areas have been explored?image

    What Is A Life Worth–Arizona Politicians Have No Clue And Need Clinical Guidance When Interpreting Algorithmic Formulas–Health IT Illiteracy Continues to Threaten Lives

    So is this the solution to just cut funds and not allow care for those who need it?  There has to be a better way and this clearly goes to show the present business models for insurance are not sustainable and perhaps we will be default lean towards a single payer plan as when death panels and choices as such are made States and the US really fall down on the job as far as providing medical care.  Certainly there’s other areas where costs should be reduced with drugs and devices as well, but one area that is huge and created big Wall Street profits is the overall organization of how payables are done, the intangible cost that runs in the background that nobody takes the time to full explore and evaluate as it is above the understanding of most who are doing budgets.  We can’t continue to support all the systems that exist today as the transactions keep feeding themselves additional revenue with new mathematical formulas.  

    Transaction Fees and Services Account for Large Expenditures in Health IT -Those Algorithmic Processes Creating Profits-Subsidiary Watch

    To reset all the IT systems put in place at this point is also cost prohibitive and thus repeal of reform is too costly as well.  It’s all about those algorithms and the formulas and profits they create.  BD

    PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Thursday she'll ask for a waiver under the federal health care overhaul so Arizona can reduce its Medicaid rolls to lower costs that Brewer and fellow Republicans say the cash-short state can't afford. If approved, the change could mean the loss of government-funded health care for hundreds of thousands of people.

    Brewer's administration previously said it might request a waiver, but the governor on Thursday said "yes we are" when asked directly whether she would.

    "We need flexibility from the federal government in order to get our state budget in line," she said.

    Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman later said details of the waiver request are still being decided, including how many people could lose coverage.

    Ariz. Gov. Brewer wants Medicaid waiver for state - Bloomberg

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    Extormity Introduces A Death Panel Module For the Algorithmically Challenged IT Illiterate Crowd And Is “Seedie Certified” (Humor)

    12/10/2010 11:18:00 AM  ,  

    They need to send this module over to Arizona to get those folks up to date and schooled on how to use reporting and formulas, aka those algorithms to make intelligent decisions.  Back to the humor side here, the program will automatically select a death program choice and will generate all the documentation for this, and again this is mocking how the IT illiterate out there don’t know how to use reporting with ethics and how to analyze reports and further more look at their sources for reports.  Last month Extormity created the all so useful Medicare Fraud modules so they are keeping everyone up to date on the most current technologies in healthcare <grin>.

    The end of life scratch off cards pretty much symbolizes the marketing we have today in healthcare being to the absolute point of being less than professional and how absurd some of this gets to be with using technology to run smoking mirrors past both doctors and the patients and how some are furthering this philosophy of creating nothing but total confusion and less care and ethics for the patients. 

    Extormity EHR Launches Medicare Fraud Module (Humor) Up Coding Made Simple

    If the current day marketing continues in the vain we are seeing, then Extormity should have a ton load of takers real soon with all their “Seedie” certified products. BD  

    Gargantuan electronic health record vendor Extormity has announced the availability of a new module focused on helping patients select an end-of-life care protocol.

    “While the talk about death panels was revealed to be alarmist rhetoric, the overwhelming response indicated an opportunity for Extormity to profit from the anguish surrounding this topic,” said Extormity CEO Brantley Whittington. “We talked to physicians who complained that absent meaningful reimbursement for end-of-life counseling, taking the time to guide patients through this difficult decision making process makes little economic sense.”

    The new Extormity module serves as a virtual death panel modeled after an online slot machine. During an encounter, patients are able to click on a “Play” button in the EHR that will randomly select an end-of-life plan and generate applicable documentation — saving the physician valuable time and shifting responsibility to patients.

    For example, one of the plans launches a Simon Cowell avatar who announces (in a British accent) “I hope you go somewhere nice in the afterlife, because you are definitely not going to Hollywood.” The Extormity EHR then prints out a Do Not Resuscitate order.

    “Extormity has taken electronic patient engagement to the next level, capitalizing on the popularity of online and electronic gaming applications,” added Whittington. “And for those patients who are intimidated by technology, we are also offering end-of-life scratch-off cards.”

    About Extormity
    Extormity is an electronic health records mega-corporation dedicated to offering highly proprietary, difficult to customize and prohibitively expensive healthcare IT solutions. Our flagship product, the Extormity EMR Software Suite, was recently voted “Most Complex” by readers of a leading healthcare industry publication. Learn more at www.extormity.com

    Extormity Alerts - Extormity launches Medicare Fraud Module

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    Wendell Potter Talks to the Wall Street Journal and Suggests Investors May Not Be Seeing Big Returns From Health Insurers

    12/09/2010 11:21:00 PM  ,  

    Mr Potter has been featured on many shows such as Dateline to explain, but again we need to pay more attention to the processes here and get with it and drop the imageOMG stories that keep us distracted with not getting to the core of the problems.  Today he answers a few questions for the Wall Street Journal. 

    Wendell Potter Tell All Book–Deadly Spin–One to Put On My List as “He Knows Algorithms and How they Create Profits”

    He stated the insurers state they want to be on the side of reform and he brings up the movie Sicko from Michael Moore.  Is there a way for all to get along she asks, and Mr. Potter doesn’t think its going to be a good match in order to meet Wall Street’s goals.

    “Department of Algorithms – Do We Need One of These to Regulate Upcoming Laws?

    He also states that the exchanges will allow for more transparency with health insurance.  If you follow his website you can see he has quite few appearances booked in the upcoming months.  BD 

    Investors shouldn't expect big returns from health insurers as the reform law kicks in, but consumers should get easier-to-compare health plans starting in 2014, says Wendell Potter, a former health-insurance executive-turned-whistleblower.

    Video - Health Reform: Good for Patients, Not Investors - WSJ.com

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    NeuroWave Systems Approved by the FDA for Brain Monitoring During Anesthesia

    12/09/2010 11:08:00 PM    

    The device is to be used during anesthesia, which would be during surgical procedures and this is the first device approved for NeuroWave.  The company has used grants and other donations to get started and had not had any investors, so a lot of work and hopefully the product will make it’s way to hospitals to be used when brain monitoring would be needed.  BD

    image

    Medical device startup NeuroWave Systems Inc. has received regulatory clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to begin selling a brain-activity monitoring system.

    The Cleveland Heights, Ohio-based company’s NeuroFAST Monitoring System is intended for use in hospital operating rooms, emergency departments and intensive care units, plus for clinical research. The system monitors both brain hemispheres and acquires and displays electroencephalographic signals (EEGs) — which are produced by neurons firing in the brain — obtained from electrodes placed on a patient’s forehead, according to a statement from the company.image

    The market for brain wave-monitoring devices used during anesthesia is estimated at more than $1 billion a year and growing, according to CleveMed. The market is dominated by Aspect Medical Systems Inc. in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to Neurotech Business Report. Aspect was acquired last year by medical products supplier Covidien (NYSE:COV).

    NeuroWave Systems gets FDA clearance for brain-monitoring system « MedCity News

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    Congress Stops Medicare Pay Cuts for Doctors for Another Year

    12/09/2010 10:18:00 PM  , ,  

    At least this time we have a year this time so perhaps somewhere along the line a permanent fix could be created.  This has gone now for I think around 10 years and imagecorrect me if I am wrong here but it’s way over due for a permanent fix as the provisions written 10 years ago don’t apply today. 

    At least this time I don’t have to go back and resubmit claims again as I had some get lost with the extra work created last time when CMS has to reset the data files a couple times to be compliant with the laws that were in place as the contractor at Medicare seemed to have some errors with all this switching around.  BD 

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is attributable to Cecil B. Wilson, M.D., President of the American Medical Association (AMA):

    "The AMA welcomes bipartisan House passage of legislation to stop the Medicare physician payment cut for one year. Stopping the steep 25 percent Medicare cut for one year was vital to preserve seniors' access to physician care in 2011.  Many physicians made clear that this year's roller coaster ride, caused by five delays of this year's cut, forced them to make difficult practice changes like limiting the number of Medicare patients they could treat. 

    AMA: Congress Passes One Year Delay of Medicare Physician Cut -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

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    Scrubs Gallery Discount for December–Valued Advertiser on the Medical Quack

    12/09/2010 10:02:00 PM    

    One again I thank ScrubsGallery for their continued support of the Medical Quack imageBlog.  Each month they offer a discount for readers and you can use the link in the image above to take advantage of the discount offered this month.

    Next time you need to order scrubs or other healthcare apparel, please check out their website and compare. 

    Get 15% off veterinary scrubs with code "vet_sale"

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    Have Gas or Heartburn? Don’t Ask J and J Recall for Rolaids–Extra Ingredients Found Wood and Metal Bits

    12/09/2010 04:16:00 PM  ,  

    This is getting even bigger than I ever thought as I predicted recalls were going to grow and J and J certainly has their share.  Last month it was Mylanta so if you have heartburn or gas, look else where for the short time being for relief, that is unless you believe the wood and metal bits might help the process >grin>. 

    More Johnson and Johnson Recalls–Mylanta and Contact Lens Products

    They had mouthwash issues too.

    Johnson and Johnson’s Next Nightmare With the FDA–Listerine Mouthwash But In Good Company with Walgreens and CVS This Time–Advertising Issues with Plaque Removal Not Founded

    There was also the Tylenol that stunk and on the device side we have a ton of issues with the DePuy hip implants in progress. 

    Recall of Tylenol Expands on Adult Products – Smelly Chemical Issue – Bar Coding with Tags Really Needed To Alleviate Confusion and Problems Finding Products

    I think they might get serious soon about some bar coding as when recalls reach the consumer level they are tough and the company suffers a loss of confidence when it occurs at this level. The Tweets want it and you can vote on the blog if you would like to scan with your cell phone to find recalls. 

    Here’s another reiteration on my little campaign here on how to handle recalls and be sure and cast a vote on the poll if you would value being able to use your cell phone to find recalled drugs and devices immediately.  This is the answer for both devices and drugs and enables the consumer and would make it easier for the FDA to regulate compliance too, so everyone wins here.  BDimage

    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….

    You know everyone who entered my computer contest this week and voted for having bar codes, I think this might also send a message.  I did a sample heat map if these Rolaids would have contained bar codes, well guess what, a heat map could have been helpful in locating all of them too. 

    Microsoft Tag Bar Codes–Who’s Been Scanning the Medical Quack–The Bing Heat Map Tells All And Could Help Find Stolen or Expired Drugs and Devices With This Methodology

    There will be more recalls in both food, drug and device products so we need a system that can work for everyone and especially the consumer as we are the ones affected.  When you look at this map, and when products were scanned, guess what, it could give Abbott even more intelligence in knowing where the product was due to “spots” on the map so they in turn could be more pro-active here too with finding the product quicker!  What technology that is available today for implementation can do and save lives too.  BD

    J&J, which recalled some Rolaids products in November, said it was voluntarily recalling all lots of its Softchews products after potentially uncovering problems with a third-party manufacturer that left particles in the medicines.

    The recall is the latest in a string of pulled products for J&J's McNeil consumer unit that has drawn attention from U.S. authorities and Congress, hurt sales and tarnished J&J's reputation.

    "While our investigation is ongoing we have suspended production" of the recalled products, McNeil said in a statement. It will not begin manufacturing the antacids again until the problems have been fixed, the company added.

    Consumers who bought those products should not use them, the company said. Representatives for J&J did not return calls seeking additional comment.

    J&J Softchews recall grows as wood, metal found | Reuters

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    Community Health Offers $3.3 Billion With A Non Solicited Bid for Tenet Healthcare

    12/09/2010 03:13:00 PM  ,  

    If the Tenet Board were to accept the offer then the combined group would stand to be the largest for profit hospital company in the US, behind HCA.  The offer went public after the board at Tenet rejected the bid amount earlier this week.image

    What is also interesting is the comment in this article stating that Community could go hostile on the take over if Tenet continues to reject their offer and it has the support of the Community Board so I guess they mean real business.  Community Health systems has over 12 billion in revenue and has $243 Million in profit last year, not a big percentage based on what came in.  BD

    From the website:

    “Community Health Systems, Inc. is one of the leading operators of general acute care hospitals. The organization's affiliates own,operate or lease 126 hospitals in 29 states, with an aggregate of approximately 19,400 licensed beds. In 65 percent of the markets served, CHS-affiliated hospitals are the sole provider of healthcare services.”

    Community Health Systems on Thursday unveiled a $3.3 billion unsolicited offer for a smaller rival, Tenet Healthcare Systems, in an effort to become a new leader in the for-profit hospital sector.

    The offer by C.H.S., the biggest publicly traded for-profit hospital company, is the latest in a wave of deals across the health-care spectrum. Analysts and deal-makers have said that new regulations would help spur consolidation in a variety of health-related industries.

    Under the terms of the offer, C.H.S. would pay $6 a share, comprised of $5 a share in cash and $1 a share in stock. The price represents a roughly 40 percent premium to Tenet’s Thursday closing share price of $4.29.

    Community Health Unveils $3.3 Billion Bid for Tenet - NYTimes.com

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    Man Has Camera Implanted in His Head to Capture Images As Seen From the Back of His Head

    12/09/2010 11:01:00 AM  ,  

    Now this makes one ask, how important are memories?  Do you need a camera in imagethe back of your head to do this?  This is an experiment and the first one like it to see how it could work.  He has a sponsor for this experiment.

    He literally does have eyes in the back of his head.  He is a New York artist and the project is called “The Third Eye”.  Daily images will be transferred to the internet and his focus with this project is privacy.  He’s created a platform that creates pictures where ever he goes.  When you watch the video on how the camera is placed, well, you can make your own opinion as it requires 3 dermal implants for the camera mount.  I hope this is not the way of the future for us to all be able to remember <grin">.  BD 

    http://in.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=167432484&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=Technology&videoChannel=6&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FINVideoTechnology+%28Video+%2F+IN+%2F+Technology%29

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    CIO Confidence In Meaningful Use Drops-The New Left Curve of Technology That Arrives Daily Contributes-Don’t Burn These Folks Out

    12/09/2010 10:24:00 AM  , ,  

    Meaningful use in some area is a moving target to a degree even though we have goals outlined but again you can’t overlook the fact that new technologies arrive daily whether it is on the web or with mobile technologies.  Sometimes the best made plans have to be re-evaluated almost daily.  It’s nobody’s fault and is just the world we live in today.  Results of such surveys might reflect results to on what day you ask the Healthcare CIOs. 

    Last month I made the effort to attend a brainstorming convention to where some o the most intellectual scholars and individuals in this business came together on panels to collaborate and answer questions and this was an education process for myself too.  There were no big egos floating around here, just more or less a collaborative effort to discuss how things can be done better and more efficiently imageand everyone here agreed on one item with my discussions and questions, things change rapidly.

    Institute for Health Technology Transformation Convention–Fall 2010 Convention - Insights From The Medical Quack

    Below is a quote from my interpretation of the convention and a couple of items mentioned.  One of the major problems is the payers.  We don’t see their formulas and with their constant shifting business models and rules, this becomes a huge area for CIOs to work with.  It all rolls downhill so when they make changes, guess where it goes?  Granted there are other areas that lead to continuous disruption but all in all the one item that all seemed to agree upon was the highest level comes from the payers. 

    “If nothing else from one day of attending, you get a huge appreciation for the amount of data, security, intelligence and just day to day clinical use that is facing the hospital CIO today, not to mention the new left curve we get from technology every day.  Payers and the obstacles and data considerations needed were mentioned in every forum so it’s right up there with bringing all the system together from the point of care to payment.”

    This is not an attack by any means, just an acknowledgement of what occurs with data systems and medical records today and we need to be aware of this so we don’t burn out some really smart CIOS.  Sometimes a lot of what they do is beyond and above where the layman may comprehend and at times it is also a very thankless position too when having to relate to a Health IT CEO that is illiterate in how processes work as one has to think and sit down and try to explain what is in the works and the necessary budgets needed.  Some are luckier and have CEOs that get it, but not all do. 

    Last year I did an interview and tour with a CFO of a new children’s hospital built here in Long Beach and boy did he and the IT staff have to jump through hoops in both the planning and building as he was smart enough to stay on top of new developments in Health IT and Healthcare technology to interrupt the process when something new came along that they felt needed to be immediately implemented into the program and that’s a lot of disruption, a good type, but still takes a toll on the thought processes and as I mentioned, getting the CEO buy in with comprehension of the goals to be accomplished and they were going as green as they could too.

    Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach – Brand New Pavilion Carries Focus on Patients and “Green”

    They had a good team of a CFO and CIO and others on their IT staff who worked together well and all comprehended the processes and disruptive changes that occurred in the building of the new hospital wing. 

    In summary, all this disruption and changes in technology can certainly influence on how the CIOs feel about the ability to meet all the rules and regulations relative to Meaningful Use so be kind to your Healthcare CIO and realize they have many hoops to jump through today and the sometimes extreme efforts needed to stay on track.  BD 

    The percentage of CIOs who expect their organizations to qualify early for Meaningful Use stimulus funding has dropped by half, according to a recent survey by CHIME.

    Implementation of CPOE is looming as one of the more difficult objectives to achieve; with more than half saying their biggest concern is getting clinical staff to use the systems, stated CHIME.

    CHIME: CIO Confidence in MU Nosedives | healthsystemcio.com

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    What Is A Life Worth–Arizona Politicians Have No Clue And Need Clinical Guidance When Interpreting Algorithmic Formulas–Health IT Illiteracy Continues to Threaten Lives

    12/09/2010 09:22:00 AM  , ,  

    This is what happens when you allow people to make decisions that have no medical input and rely on algorithmic formulas supplied from insurers like United Healthcare.  When you watch the video it’s a call for outrage as they basically say “well the patient is going to die anyway”.  They now claim they were given bad information from the Medicaid office, give me a break as this is an excuse for making unethical decisions.  If they had anyone with a brain they should look at getting reductions on the cost of data services and using cloud services. Companies are rich due to auditing algorithms and this is an area beyond where most lawmakers tend to educate themselves and thus illiteracy allows for huge profits in this area, the duh group.  The link below shows some comparisons if you want to look at how algorithmic formulas make millions and is definitely an area where savings could be seen. 

    Transaction Fees and Services Account for Large Expenditures in Health IT -Those Algorithmic Processes Creating Profits-Subsidiary Watch

    Nationally though we have a Senate that dropped funds for cloud computer too, so again illiteracy on how IT systems work and those folks should get some Algo Men around to help them soon or we will hear of more illiterate and non ethical decisions on the part of those who do not know how to interpret and use data as such.  Until folks educate themselves, the folks that create the formulas just keep compromising the illiterate for financial gain, time for a wake up call for the IT illiterate. 

    Senate Cuts Cloud Services From Budget That Would Allow for Data Center and IT Infrastructure Consolidation–Back to the 8 Track Tapes Next?

    Lobbyists and special interest groups though love the illiterate as they are easy to manipulate and show a few formulas and completely convince them to get what they want, lobbyists and illiteracy in IT makes for some very questionable circumstances and we see this in the news with the next OMG story that hits every day.  You can read at the link below where the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured offered their 2 cents and stated that medical information was lacking in their decisions so others in big places are recognizing the ignorance and illiteracy of properly using reports and statistics, it’s a big white elephant in the living room.

    Arizona’s Medicaid Cuts On Transplants Is A Classic Example of Decisions Not Based on Medical Needs But Rather Budget Only

    I almost hate to say I am from that state and many years ago worked for the State for around 6 years and some of the mentalities of the 70s that was there then still live today.  The governor is not known for her brains for goodness sakes and there are certainly other areas where cuts could have been entertained. 

    Arizona Death Panels

    Democrats are requesting a special session or transfer of other available funds and again from what I have heard the governor doesn’t have even a high school degree so how in the world could she be effective enough to understand algorithmic formulas.  We have more illiterate waste in the system with those who do not understand economics and/or mathematical formulas and are easily swayed when a company like United gives them figures but this is no excuse for non ethical decisions which should be understood at any level. There are people with lives attached to those numbers. 

    IF THERE ARE PROFITS TO BE MADE, CODE WILL BE WRITTEN AND EXCUTED TODAY AND EVERY LAW PASSED TODAY REQUIRES AN IT SYSTEM TO ENFORCE AND PUT INTO PLACE – DIGIGAL IT ILLITERACY AT THE TOP OF STACK FOR WAY TOO MANY TODAY.  BD

    Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is facing intense criticism and scrutiny for declining requests to hold a special session to reinstate medical transplant coverage, which for some patients was covered by the state until recently when the health care program ended.

    Jan Brewer Medicaid Cuts Prompt Dire Calls For Life-Saving Coverage & Criticism Of 'Brewercare'

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