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Invisisport Less Invasive Skin Port for Medication Delivery Approved for Sale

This looks really nice for patients who need regular injections of either cancer or antibiotics.  I have seen similar ports but they are something that kind of hangs out imageof your body and this way the port is covered and shows a “bump” to find.

This has to also be a benefactor for fewer infections areas too.  The incision space is smaller and easier for the patient since it is under the skin too so you can shower or whatever without worrying about knocking an object or anything attached to you out of place.  BD 

Stealth Therapeutics, a Fitchburg medical device company, got the go-ahead from regulators this week to start selling its first product: a port inserted under the skin for use in patients who need long-term imagechemotherapy or antibiotics injections.

Developed by Dr. Bradley Glenn, an interventional radiologist formerly in Green Bay and now in California, the polyurethane Invisiport has been under development for two years, says Stealth CEO Peter Drumm.

It's different from other devices already on the market because it's smaller; goes into the arm instead of the chest; requires less anesthesia; and leaves a smaller scar when removed, Drumm says. The patented design has "wings" that rotate when the Invisiport is in place, keeping it stable.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/technology/biotech/article_91078834-fc3a-11e0-a7e6-001cc4c03286.html

GE Centricity EHRs Need To Fix Their Algorithms (Math)-Some Customers May Not Be Able to Attest Until The End of November After the Software Update

I just made a post about healthcare being a few miles ahead with certifying software in comparing other industries so now it looks like I have to eat some of those words.  The clinical records for patients are sound and no problems there but rather the problems lie within the integration portions for reporting.  Crystal Reports imageand the Medical Quality Improvement Consortium are the problem areas.  Now even if you have already attested, they still recommend you run the reports after the update and compare.  If it means missing out on some of the stimulus money you can bet a new report will be run.  Just want the doctors wanted, more administrative time spent on their incentives.  Let’s hope the software update makes the target date of the end of November.

February 29th of 2012 is the deadline for those who achieved Meaningful Use for 90 consecutive days n 2011, so getting that software update in a timely fashion is needed here.  These folks were “certified” by CCHIT so what went wrong there?  Did an update cause something to go wrong or was it missed would be the obvious questions one might ask.  CMS is working with GE to figure out what to do in the cases where the original attestations and those revised after the update have different numbers.  Will that happen, I don’t think we know yet:)image

I said flawed data, two years ago would become a big focus and it is, not only in healthcare but bigger even in the financial areas, and GE plays there too.  This is not to say there’s anything wrong there at all but just stating they are in both markets.   It looks like the folks at CCHIT were caught off guard when asked and were not aware of the GE letters that went out, so gee, good that everyone works to communicate these days?  Don’t ever think that software is a simple matter today and millions and billions are being spent and hopefully all doctors and hospitals will be able to get systems up and running before the money runs out.  BD  

Some customers of GE Healthcare may not be able to achieve Meaningful Use with their current electronic health records (EMR) systems, as the vendor has discovered "inaccuracies" in its software's reporting functions.

GE Healthcare VP and general manager Michael Friguletto disclosed the problem in a Thursday letter to users of GE's Centricity Practice Solution and Centricity Electronic Medical Record (EMR) products.

According to Friguletto, the unspecified inaccuracies may throw off results from SAP's Crystal Reports or GE's Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) reporting tools that many Centricity customers rely on to produce reports necessary to prove Meaningful Use. "The underlying clinical data and logic of the electronic medical record system remain sound," Friguletto wrote.

"If you have already attested in 2011, we recommend that you run the reports again for your particular attestation period after we provide the updates. If your results are different from those used for attestation, you may need to evaluate if you have still cleared all applicable Meaningful Use thresholds for the original period or would meet the thresholds for all applicable measures (not only those that may have changed in the initial reporting period) for a later reporting period in 2011," according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by InformationWeek Healthcare.

Both affected Centricity products have been certified for Stage 1 Meaningful Use by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). When contacted, CCHIT was unaware of the GE letter and offered no further comment.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/EMR/231901451

“Killer Algorithms: Part 2” Disturbing News for Consumers With Credit Scoring Adding New Data Analytics–Some of the Same Methodologies Used by Insurers With Flawed/Potential Erroneous Data–One More Reason to Continue Occupying Wall Street

We see all of this in the news all the time with getting better with analytics and having more information as far as a “consumer rap sheet” on all of us; however the problem still lies in how this is used and the fact that when you dig deep there are tons of errors and flawed data to consider. You have to remember that even up to a few years ago we did not have the elaborate reporting system we have today and we have years and years of data input, which means years and years of mistakes and data input errors too, we are all human here last time I looked

Again, Michael Moore did about the best absolute job with bringing this to light with the movie Sicko to where the woman was denied coverage on her claim when they found a “yeast infection” from many years ago that she did not disclose and the reality here is she probably forgot.  This is the problem with how some in modern day technology are using data against people.  It’s wide spread and this is large part of why the Occupy Wall Street movement is so big. 

The MIB – Health Insurance Bureau Business Intelligence Mining May Go Beyond Just Healthcare Information

Now how far back are the searches for data going to go?  The truth of the matter is that you may find a small percentage of folks out there without some kind of “flaw” whether it is correct or not correct lurking around and being connected to you.  Bean counters see a flaw and and rather I should say the “algorithm” finds a flaw and moves your data file out of the “good” parameters set by those who write the queries, so now you are flawed by the data.  So some may use no or a very small level of forgiveness here and this is where the madness begins.  The MIB has been around long before computers too so that may give you some insight into how much information they might have and now of course, they market too.

The MIB – Health Insurance Bureau Business Intelligence Mining May Go Beyond Just Healthcare Information

Now, let’s add on identity theft, and there’s another new can of worms.  People have nightmares over this and now you have to “prove” to a credit agency that a lot of what is tied to your records is not yours?  Hey I’m a data base person who used to write code and this is the design here.  Granted there will be some cases to where some real information is uncovered and some fraud may even be found, but for the most part when handed to “digital Illiterate cookie cutter” employees who are told to follow a certain procedure, well you know what happens and you are actually lucky if it gets to a human as the algorithm will be doing most of the work here

This is not to discount the employees what so ever as they are hired to do a job and given instructions on how to do their job and many may not be allowed to go beyond what is shown on the screen and thus that is what they are instructed to use for customer services explanations and so forth and if they don’t follow procedures then might be out there with the Occupy movement too.  Here’s a video below that explains how one woman just could not get the data fixed and you can see what her outcome was here, no insurance and this is still happening and I might say it’s getting worse. 

Of course more data makes us smarter, that is if we know how to use it realistically and not rely totally on an algorithmic formula to do 100%.  If you keep up with the news today there are tons of articles out there on “big data” and how to manage and use the rivers of data to make an intelligent decision by all means.  Heck I think lawmakers should really get into this too so we have better thought out laws and get the folks out of the 70s and away from their “default” topic of abortions when they got lost in the tech world and needed laws.  Now we have machine learning coming of age and just think if it is digging around through this old flawed data if it is in fact either fed in to the data bases or given access via the web?  We might have “big flawed data” here with some type of precedence.  Machine learning can be great and save tons of time and again emphasis on what is loaded and the parameters used for guidance with results returned.

WellPoint Hiring IBM Watson Technologies–Congress Needs to Wrap Their Heads Around Using Technology That Processes 200 Million Pages of Info in 3 Seconds to Make Laws

The problem is not the access of the data, but rather on how it is used.  I have written a few times about FICO and what I feel to be their over extended marketing attempts here to sell mis matched analytics to insurers and big pharma.  You can read more at the link and this was carried all the way over to the Daily Kos too a while back.  Marketing today of analytics poses some real dangers when you take crunching numbers down to a personal analytics level with flawed data.  Even Netflix say openly their algorithm and data is only 60% accurate, so when it makes a guess on what you might like, it’s the 60% percenter algorithm. 

When creating risk assessments, we as consumers deserve better than 60% by all means especially if this means a decision on whether or not we get a claim paid or whether we would be underwritten. 

FICO Analytics Press Release Marketing Credit Scoring Algorithms to Predict Medication Adherence–Update (Opinion)

Company Advertisements Get Caught Making False Claims And Are Called to Task And So Much of This Activity is in Healthcare

So with this new CoreScore program, what level of forgiveness will be programmed into this algorithm is my question?  Is this yet one more wild good chase for the consumer to have to take their time to chase?  We already have it in healthcare today and a recent report said doctors spend an average of 83k a year on red tape with insurers so that comes right out of their bottom line profits and who knows some may be higher than that as it would depend quite a bit on the demographics of their patients too, that’s common sense there. 

So will we now be chasing this data to correct as companies present it to us?  What if one has an issue back 20 years ago, maybe something stupid one did as a kid?  If it’s there, they will dig it up and will this be grounds for denying credit and again we have the big monster of identity theft.  Will companies use this wisely or will the algorithm knock you out of the qualification parameters? 

Why Is Almost Everyone In Healthcare Marketing Their “Ass” Off

We have already very publicly been shown how governors, such as the one in Arizona had no clue on how to use analytics and could not find a little over a million in the budget for Medicaid transplants, digital illiterate officials elected who make life and death decisions?  Ignorance killed in that example.  This is why I made the post about the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms” as here they stand.  By the way if you have not seen this one, worth a read with some great audio from NYU professor Siefe who wrote the book “Proofiness, the Dark Side of Mathematical Deception” and how it is used today, along with a great video from Kevin Slavin on how Algorithms impact our lives…again one not to miss. 

“Numbers Don’t Lie, But People Do”–Radio Interview from Charles Siefe–Journalists Take Note, He Addresses How Marketing And Bogus Statistics Are Sources of Problems That Mislead the Public & Government

Occupying Wall Street–It’s All About the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms”–The Unfair and Marketing Exploit of Ethics Using Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie

Self regulating agencies are also getting wise to this as you can see that FINRA and the SEC want some of this code to see how it was written and if it is fair.  Just last week they found a Quant on Wall Street using flawed code. The quant knew for 3 years it was flawed and keep using it with clients…see what I mean, it’s all over the place. 

FINRA and SEC Asking High Frequency Trading Firms To Hand Over the Algorithms of Their Trading Strategies And Code–Time for That Department of Algorithms?

Trading software is all about algorithms and who can create one that out performs the next one as far as the math and speed of the data.  There has been no regulation in this area and back in August of 2009 when Madoff was all over the wires I suggested at that time that perhaps we needed a Department of Algorithms and here we are a couple years later, nothing done. 

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

This is “the insanity” and why the “Occupy” move lives as it should and there might be many out there that don’t even understand this behind the scenes data move themselves, but they can sure get a huge signal that something is not right and it doesn’t take a geek to see that when the Attack of the Killer Algorithms continues and denies, sending consumers on huge missions of finding all the errors and flaws that they had nothing to do with creating. 

Don’t expect too much help either from some levels of Congress as it was noted that their levels of digital literacy still revolve around getting a pdf out in proper format…more on that below…as reported by Rachel Maddow on the GOP pledge.

The Properties of an Adobe pdf Document -Rachel Maddow Rips the GOP on Lack of General Consumer IT Knowledge And Exposes the Input and Authors of the Content–Lobbyists

Data analytics make us a lot smarter if used properly but they also create areas of abuse with over extending predictive numbers when they simply are wrong or flawed.  Actually I made a post about a year ago that was very popular and it’s been around Forbes and other places about the up and coming next 12 step program, data abuse and addictions.  Symptoms include lack of data integrity, flawed data and those who just can’t stop:)

Data Addiction and Abuse –The Up and Coming Next 12 Step Program Is On the Horizon–Side Effects Include Lack Of Data Quality, Integrity And Spasmodic Algorithms

Also, for the healthcare law interpretation, I also suggested that maybe the Supreme Court might get some help with sorting all their data, rent some space from the DOE as they have the 3rd fastest computer in the world that could do the job. 

Supreme Court Likely to Rule on Healthcare Law Early Next Year–This Gives The Justices Time to Rent Some Computing Space from the DOE As They Will Need It

So how will they handle this new are of analytics?  Will there be levels of forgiveness and will consumers have to chase down all this data too that they had nothing to do with it’s creation? 

“In God we trust; all others must bring data”

This is what keeps the “Occupy Wall Street” movement active and alive with the challenges of doing the right thing and not using analytics as a source forget ethics and treating people as humans.  Even our CTO goes about some of this in the wrong fashion too at times with his speeches in saying “ you can become a millionaire writing the right code”, but what is the right code and how is it applied to every day life and business? 

I think we might all be looking to some major shake downs with checking the math used all over in the financial world and in healthcare.

Actually in healthcare, we are a step ahead here as medical records all have to be certified to function properly, an area to where insurers and the financial world could take some lesson in my small humble opinion, but we still deal with the insurers sending consumers on long data chases though, the other side with non certifiable algorithms.  BD

Mortgage lenders will soon have access to new details about a prospective borrower's past -- such as past rental applications, inquiries to pay-day lenders, and missed child support payments -- that will be factored in to a new credit score.

Real estate and mortgage data aggregator CoreLogic says it's signed an agreement to work with Fair Isaac Corp., the owner of the widely used FICO score, to develop new credit risk scores for the U.S. mortgage industry.

Much of the data CoreLogic collects on consumers hasn't been available from traditional credit reporting agencies but is important to mortgage lenders, the company said.

CoreLogic says it will serve as a "supplemental credit repository," augmenting data provided by TransUnion, Equifax and Experian with property ownership and mortgage obligation records, property legal filings and tax payment status, rental applications and evictions, inquiries and charge-offs from pay-day and online lenders, and consumer-specific bankruptcies, liens, judgments and child support obligations. The Santa Ana, Calif.,-based company will generate a CoreScore Credit Report for lenders to alert them to bad debts that might previously have gone undiscovered. The reports may also help some consumers by identifying previously hidden credit history that reflects well on them, the company said.

"By blending the unique data from CoreLogic with the analytic expertise of FICO, we will be able to deliver a new and more predictive credit score with our recently launched CoreScore Credit Report," said Tim Grace, senior vice president of Product Management and Analytics for CoreLogic, in a statement. "Together, this new credit report and credit score will provide the mortgage industry with increased visibility into consumer credit behavior and improved credit risk analysis."

http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2011/10/21/new-credit-score-will-tell-lenders-more-about-you/

Sports Tracker Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor Connects to Smart Phones to Record Your Personal Data

Here’s another one of “those devices” that records data for you if you want to keep imagetrack and use your cell phone as an easy way of recording your heart rate, and if you say ok, it will use the GPS tracking capabilities too.  I looked at their privacy statement and it’s long but here’s a couple of lines that stood out to me, 3rd parties will get some information but have to abide by the company privacy policies.  Your personal data might not get sold but how about profiles and you are open to receiving advertisements too. 

Sport Tracker

When I look at all of these companies who collect on the web, I sure like HealthVault and having a direct place to store data with not having to use a 3rd party site on the web for the data.  I would load a desktop application to work with HealthVault in heartbeat faster than I would use the web based programs out there today, but I like privacy too.  The folks at WalMart who’s insurance just went up may not be able to afford one of these if it comes down to choosing between eating and rent and getting their hear rate though. 

Again, I wonder how many faithfully use some of these products and when I say faithfully, I mean commit to it past the “novelty” stage and incorporate it into activities all the time?  If you have employer based insurance with wellness included you may get one of these devices but again who knows where the data goes and so many wellness companies are owned by insurers today so putting information out there that could be used against one is still a big issue.  BD

“We may share your personal data if we have your consent to do so. Our Service may include sharing your personal data with other users of the service, for example where users publish their own content.

We may provide your personal data to third parties who work on our behalf for the above purposes. Such parties are not permitted to use your personal data for other purposes, and we require them to act consistently with this Privacy Policy and to use appropriate security measures to protect your personal data.”

Sports Tracker is now shipping its Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor, a chest-worn unit that pairs with a smartphone app for viewing stats in real-time as well as storing your data on the company website or sharing it with others through social media.

The heart rate monitor works via a Bluetooth belt that you must first wet before wrapping around your chest (under your shirt). Wetting the back of the monitor ensures that the electrodes read your heart rate properly. Once connected, grab your smartphone and choose "settings" and then "heart rate belt" on the Sports Tracker app. Once it finds the heart rate belt, click "connect" and then enter the pin code "0000" to begin tracking data. Once you see your heart rate on your phone, you are ready to go.

http://www.gizmag.com/sports-tracker-bluetooth-heart-rate-monitor/20142/

Wal-Mart Cutting Insurance Benefits and Raising Premiums for Employees–New Algorithms With New Parameters for Employees to Either Meet or be Disqualified

For part time employees with under 33 hours a week, spouses will no longer be insured.  Those who work part time under 24 hours a week that are hired from here out, will no longer qualify for any of the company health insurance plans, so I guess imagethose who are presently employed are ok, for now as far as not losing coverage.  Many companies do not offer part timers insurance at all and pretty much hire as many part time employees as they can, and that’s been going on for years. 

Well so much for that clause in the Healthcare reform bill about mandating insurance unless the public option is created.  Not creating a public plan is what really made a big mess out of that provision and the law was made during a bit better economic times so digital laws that can adjust should be a consideration here soon in someone’s books. 

Healthcare Law–Economic Times Outdate Original Provisions With Mandate to Buy Insurance and Lack of Public Options–Judicial Systems And Lawmakers With a “Screw Loose” Upstairs?

See when the Supreme Court gets their hands on the law to rule upon, I was not kidding when I said rent some big data computing space from the DOE as they will need it to gather and sort all the information they need to rule on. 

Supreme Court Likely to Rule on Healthcare Law Early Next Year–This Gives The Justices Time to Rent Some Computing Space from the DOE As They Will Need It

With these new provisions of higher premiums and parameters in some cases, guess what, time for new algorithms in the IT infrastructure to run all of this.  That is what these folks and well in reality most of us are upset about is that the decision making process creates algorithms that “take away”. 

Occupying Wall Street–It’s All About the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms”–The Unfair and Marketing Exploit of Ethics Using Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie

For a $9.50 an hour employee who pays around $53.00 every two weeks the jump will go up to $128.00 every two weeks so do the math and see how long employees on those small wages can afford it.  These are the “cost algorithms” that determine what the parameters will be along with associated premiums, the algorithms we don’t like.  BD   

After trying to mollify its critics in recent years by offering better health care benefits to its employees, Wal-Mart is substantially rolling back coverage for part-time workers and significantly raising premiums for many full-time staff.

Citing rising costs, Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, told its employees this week that all future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average will no longer qualify for any of the company’s health insurance plans.

In addition, any new employees who average 24 hours to 33 hours a week will no longer be able to include a spouse as part of their health care plan, although children can still be covered.

In 2009, Wal-Mart said 52 percent of its employees obtained health coverage through it, but on Thursday it declined to give the percentage.

Documents on Wal-Mart’s health and other benefit offerings were obtained by The New York Times from the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, a union-backed group of Wal-Mart employees that is seeking to pressure the company to improve wages and benefits.

Tammy Yancey, a $9.50-an-hour gas attendant at a Sam’s Club in Pinellas Park , Fla., complained that she would no longer be able to afford health insurance from the company. Ms. Yancey, a smoker, said her premiums would jump to $127.90 every two weeks — or $3,325 a year — up from $53.80 at present, when she earns $12,000 a year from her job.

Last year, the company put $1,000 into accounts for families but it will cut the amount by half for next year to just $500. Companies typically put more money into these accounts as a way of encouraging employees to choose these plans, which cost employers less than traditional policies.

Insights from the ER–USCD San Diego Working on Developing A New Care Model Revolving Around Patient Care With Remote Technology-Video

“Insights from the ER” explores next-generation health information technology and how to reach out beyond for a better patient centric future.  If you missed the trailer, imageuse the link below as there’s additional information and another video to watch. 

Insights from the ER Trailer–UCSD Trauma Center–Emergency Medicine Can Transform Other Areas of Healthcare (Video Trailer)

This shows how collaborating and working together can work.  Long lasting relationships are focused, which we are lacking a bit of today in some areas.  The followed an emergency doctor at USCD to observe her shift, and the first patient you see is one who had too many Red Bulls. 

Insights from the ER

This is very well done as you see the care coordination that occurs before the patient arrives.  It keeps things calmer and they can function better.  There are some interesting concepts shown here to include an emergency kit to keep at home.  In the future more care will be delivered to where the patient is located or where it is appropriate.  When I look at the screen the format being used looks so much like the Microsoft forerunner to the Common User Interface called the Contoso EMR.  You can check out the video I did a few years back while I walked around HIMSS with it on my tablet:) 

image

The home kit idea is interesting and who knows maybe each home will have one of those someday, as it combines the medical devices, a computer to connect and talk and a bunch more items for diagnosis and monitoring.  BD 

image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86i12Jk6DyI

Prosthetic Arms That Feel and Connect to the Human Nervous System- Bionics TED Video

This is one of the best videos I have seen in a long time and when the surgical imageprocedure done adds real “feelings” it doesn’t get much better than that.  The video shows several patients working with different models of arms.  Immediately you have to think of soldiers who return from war that are injured having such a need. 

This is where life meets the machine.  BD 









http://blog.ted.com/2011/10/20/a-prosthetic-arm-that-feels-todd-kuiken-on-ted-com/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TEDBlog+%28TEDBlog%29

Best Device I Have Seen In a Long Time–Caffeine Inhaler–No Coffee Breath

This is pretty cool and there’ calories either, have to take your caffeine straight up.  I still like drinking my coffee though but in in a pinch?  If that is not enough, take a shower in it or get a lollipop, chap stick or soap.  BD 

Caffeine: Shower Shock Caffeinated Body Wash, Javapops

For the Love of Caffeine but maybe not for your heart..

image

Aeroshot Pure Energy is a slim, pocket-sized tube that works like an asthma inhaler. Puff gently, and the tube releases a light powder that dissolves instantly in your mouth. Each Aeroshot contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, roughly equivalent to a tall mocha at Starbucks. Unlike a Starbucks mocha, it’s calorie-free, and it won’t give you horrid coffee breath.

http://chime.in/user/Bill/chime/64574074757029888

Abbott Labs To Split Drugs and Devices Into Two Separate Companies

Back in January with restructuring 1900 jobs were eliminated and again this is a profitable company.  The drug division had their issues with Meridia being pulled by the FDA and the recalls of the tons of glucose strips so maybe by having 2 companies they can focus better?

Abbott Labs Cutting 1900 Jobs As Restructuring the The Drug Division Takes Place

In addition one glucose monitor was discontinued, so again looking at what perhaps is profitable and where work is needed in both areas, this could be a good thing and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a biotech incubator come along here as well to help the small biotech companies, others such as J and J are already setting up for that as well.  BD 

Abbott Labs to Discontinue Distributing FreeStyle Navigator Glucose Monitor in the US

Abbott Laboratories said on Wednesday that it would separate next year into two publicly traded companies, one focused on diagnostics and medical devices like heart stents and the other on what it called “research-based pharmaceuticals,” like Humira, its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug.

After the split occurs, by the end of 2012, the medical device company is expected to have about $22 billion in annual sales, and Miles D. White, the current chairman and chief executive, will head up this company. It will retain the Abbott name. The pharmaceuticals company, which has yet to be named, will initially have about $18 billion in annual sales, and will be led by Richard A. Gonzalez, a longtime Abbott official.

Abbott also announced Wednesday it was recording a $1.5 billion charge to cover a potential settlement stemming from a previously disclosed government investigation of accusations that it promoted its Depakote antiseizure drug for unauthorized uses.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/abbott-to-split-into-two/?src=dlbksb

UnitedHealthCare Throws in Free Hearing Aids for Those Who Enroll In AARP Medicare Advantage, HMO & POS Plans in Miami-Dade County From Their New Subsidiary

This is marketing and if one needs a free hearing aid it could potentially have an impact on one’s decision.  I wonder this is going to go over with the other insurance carriers and what will they think of to counter offer?   In case you missed it, United has a new subsidiary that is distributing “cheap” hearing aids from IntriCon.  I am guessing they are made in China but don’t quote me for sure.  Traditional Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids so again the option of getting one to sign up with the United plan is there. 

United HealthCare Gets In the Medical Device Business–Distributing Cheap Hearing Aides Sold Via Hi HealthInnovations Division –Subsidiary Watch

The company has been buying up independent physician’s groups as well such as this example in Orange County, CA.  I try to tag most of my acquisition posts with “subsidiary watch” and you can use those search words to find more here at the Medical Quack.  BD 

United Healthcare To Buy Huge Chunk of Orange County, California Managed Care Business with the Purchase of Monarch Healthcare–Subsidiary Watch

MINNETONKA, Minn., Oct 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group UNH +2.45% company, will offer its AARP MedicareComplete Medicare Advantage HMO and HMO-POS plan members in Miami-Dade County access to high-tech, custom-programmed hearing aids at no out-of-pocket cost. Because Original Medicare does not cover the substantial cost of hearing devices, this new feature could potentially save UnitedHealthcare members in the Miami area thousands of dollars in 2012.

"We design our plans with the goal of helping our members live healthier, more secure lives, which is why we feel it's important to make a critically needed but underutilized product like hearing aids more readily available," said Lissette Garcia, executive director of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in South Florida. "We have significantly lowered the price of the devices without sacrificing quality, offering our members improved hearing, which can help them stay engaged with their families, friends and communities."

The nearly 379,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the county can enroll in UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage plans -- AARP MedicareComplete Plan 1 (HMO) and AARP MedicareComplete Plus (HMO-POS) -- during the Annual Election Period (Oct. 15-Dec. 7).

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/unitedhealthcare-makes-hearing-devices-available-at-no-out-of-pocket-cost-for-beneficiaries-in-miami-dade-county-2011-10-19

Johnson & Johnson Creates Innovation Center Incubator Center for Life Sciences in San Diego–No Strings Attached Janssen Labs

The prospective tenant companies will range from self-funded, seed-stage startups imageto venture capital-backed companies to live in the incubator.  Incubators are becoming much more popular and have existed in countries outside the US a bit longer with Israel being one prime example of using the incubator business model.  I heard a lot about their processes when I attended the Israel Convention this year.  The company featured at the post below came out of Microsoft’s center in Israel.  That was a very good conference and I spoke to a lot of people to include Ilan Spillinger who brought Kinect to Microsoft. 

Physical Virtue Solution To Assess and Train Neck Disorders, Microsoft Kinect And More As Shown This Week at the Israel Conference

Johnson and Johnson’s own R and D center is also to become part of the Janssen group.  There’s not a lot of money being invested in biotech companies when you compare it to those chasing the social algorithms out there, which is like totally over valued and over priced.  At least with a biotech company you get something more than social algorithms and a drug or device that may save lives or cure diseases.  I rant about that quite a bit as the US tries to base their economy on intangible over rates social algorithms, inflated by our “buddies” the banks as they want to create financial algorithms to market the social algorithms, a vicious circle.  All you have is algorithms with social networks and some big file servers somewhere, nothing one can hold in their hand or use to cure them from a deadly disease, although they create addictive diseases of their own:)  I don’t say they have a place but gee whiz this is way over rated in value and coders get super rich writing this aggregated stuff.  I use it and they deserve to make a profit but we are off balanced here.  image

J&J has been already been hosting monthly meetings of the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange (SDEE), a group of biotech, health IT, and medical device entrepreneurs to build up interest.  One other competitor entering the field too is the insurance industry, think I am kidding then read the link below as they may be in contention to buy up small biotech and device companies, well kind of like the one distributorship/subsidiary they just created.  We have cheap hearing aids so what’s next, cheap……

United HealthCare Gets In the Medical Device Business–Distributing Cheap Hearing Aides Sold Via Hi HealthInnovations Division –Subsidiary Watch

They also have subsidiaries that can take a drug or device from start at the FDA all the way to finish to include MD reimbursement, so another good reason for J and J to be on the move in the incubator business. 

United Healthcare (Optum) Owns A Consulting Firm for FDA Drug and Device Approvals, Clinical Trials–CanReg - Subsidiary Watch

The Innovation center, Janssen Labs is due to open sometime in the first quarter of 2012 and I would guess they are opening taking applications at present.  BD 

In a bid to foster life sciences startups, Johnson & Johnson is refurbishing part of its pharmaceutical research and development facility in San Diego to create an “innovation center” for new biotech and health IT companies.

The New Jersey pharmaceutical and healthcare giant anticipates housing from 18 to 20 life sciences startups in the new center, to be called “Janssen Labs at San Diego.” (The name anticipates an internal reorganization that has been consolidating Ortho-McNeil and other J&J pharmaceutical businesses for much of the past year under the Janssen brand.) J&J’s pharmaceutical R&D center, which employs about 300 in San Diego, is slated  to officially become part of the Janssen group later this year.

“It’s a completely ‘no-strings attached’ business model,” says Miralles. He estimates the innovation center will occupy about 35,000 square feet, and consist of “modular and flexible” offices available for startups developing mostly biotech and health IT-related technologies. The companies would share a common space designated for high-end research equipment, such as mass spectrometers and flow cytometers, as well as copy machines, office supplies, and other tools. “There is no quid pro quo. None,” Miralles says. “Entrepreneurs like to be free.”

http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2011/10/18/johnson-johnson-creates-innovation-center-for-life-sciences-startups-in-san-diego/

Amgen Lays Off 300 Employees–Company Profits Average a Little over $5 Billion a Year

Here’s part of that big job question once again.  Do 300 employees really affect the bottom line?  The company says it’s part of a restructuring process, we hear that all the time.  Where are the jobs going to come from? 

Overall the company has reduced it’s size from 20k to around 17k employees over the last couple of years. In January of this year they did acquire a biotech company in Massachusetts and was cited to pay around $1billion for the company who is in phase 3 clinical trials, so sorry employees acquisitions take priority this time it appears, and again where are new jobs going to come from? 

Amgen to Acquire BioVex, a Privately Held Biotechnology Company in Massachusetts

In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim took over their Fremont, California location so all employees will now report to Boehringer Ingelheim, which has it headquarters in Germany at the beginning of this year too.  BD 

Word came out of Amgen last week that it was looking to overhaul its R&D operations, and today the biotech giant confirmed the overhaul is translating into job cuts for 380 people across the company.

Thousand Oaks, CA-based Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) notified 380 employees internally today that their jobs are being eliminated as part of the company’s effort to improve focus and re-allocate R&D resources, according to company spokeswoman Mary Klem. Amgen isn’t closing any of its research sites around the world, but people are being laid off at its major U.S. R&D sites in Thousand Oaks, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston, Klem says.

Here’s the breakdown of job losses at each major Amgen site, according to Klem.

—Thousand Oaks, CA (226)

—Seattle/Bothell, WA (69)

—South San Francisco (37)

—Cambridge, and Woburn, MA (32)

—United Kingdom (the remainder, about 15)

http://www.xconomy.com/national/2011/10/19/amgen-confirms-380-layoffs-in-r-cuts-coming-to-seattle-sf-boston/

Bad Algorithms in Healthcare Payment Systems and Risk Assessments–Did the Hospital Bill Fraudulently or Were They Sold Formulas That Did Not Conform

We see so many of these stories in the news today to where hospital, doctors and so on get caught in some type of an audit and there are those who do commit fraud with billing and “gaming” the system, and this is not about those folks, but rather how many are using 3rd parties who “sell” the fact that “we can save you money”.  Earlier this year one case made the news with Blue Cross and the 3rd party they used for stress tests.  Numbers don’t lie but people do.  This company promised 25 to 30% savings….so where’s the line between finding legit errors that could be saving money and potentially “gaming” the system? 

It was the algorithm that denied stress tests, not a human touching this, all analytical.   See how the algorithms can deny care? 

Med Solutions and Blue Cross Caught On the Stress Test Denial Algorithm (video)

In this case a nuclear stress test was ordered by his doctor and it was denied by Blue Cross 3 times and the doctors had to go to work and interesting how this video shows a web conversation with him and his doctor too.  After 3 times the doctor sent the patient to the hospital where a big blockage was found and if he had not received treatment he would dead said the doctor at the hospital.  He had an emergency quadruple bypass.

Another story in the news of late, another 3rd party who made one big mistake and now Stanford is on the hook for this.  What are these 3rd parties really doing one might ask?  The competition is fierce today out there with saving money for sure and marketing is coming out everyone’s ears. 

Security Breach at Stanford Hospital - Patient Found it - Not the Fault of the Medical Records System but Rather a Careless 3rd Party Analytics/Billing Company

As we have automated coding and billing input, it’s not always a doctor doing the input but rather the software doing the work and that is set up by a programmer with software and algorithms.  We have seen big hospitals such as Mayo, and others get hit with this and we all know that big institutions and all their hard word for good clinical care does not match with “gaming” a system but there’s a lot of data systems that need to come together for all of this. 

Why Is Almost Everyone In Healthcare Marketing Their “Ass” Off

So what are some of these consultants selling?  We have some very mis-matched analytics creeping around out there and the FICO is one of the over marketed and frankly put out there to make money as credit scores and medication adherence  are not related when you bring it down to an individual basis.  If you want to crunch numbers and put those out for stats, different story, but this is where the marketing comes in a skews analytics with over selling and mis matching data to make a imagebuck. 

FICO Analytics Press Release Marketing Credit Scoring Algorithms to Predict Medication Adherence–Update (Opinion)

So in summary when you look at all these news stories today, is it really the hospitals and doctors making the errors or is there a lot of misguidance offered by “consultants” who are marketing to sell their algorithms?  Wait until ICD10 kicks in, as there are analytics folks just waiting in the reigns to sell new algorithms to help advise on that level, as more codes and specifics mean more room to sell more software to help doctors and hospitals.  That’s the way the software game works with aggregation and selling value to add another layer on top of what has already been purchased and it just keeps rolling.  The more complicated the system gets, the more code it requires to sort it out.  We have a pretty public case here in California…was this be design or was it done via software? 

Prime Healthcare Billing Processes Under Question as 25% of Medicare Patients are Showing Malnutrition- Profit Algorithms?

Someone had to do it so was it manually instructed to follow these guidelines on billing or did the algorithm do it?  Here’s a case where the City of Buffalo was sleeping while their algorithm continued to pay insurance premiums on dead employees.

City of Buffalo Has Paid Over $2 Million to Provide Health Insurance for Hundreds of Dead People-Some as Many as 4 Years

I found the online doctor referral services didn’t do much on updating their algorithms or data base references a couple years ago, result, flawed data.

HealthGrades And Other MD Rating and Referral Sites List “Dead Doctors” on Their MD Information Pages And Even Include the Insurance Plans the “Dead Doctors” Honor

We do a lot of work to make sure that medical record software is certified and works as it should but when it comes to the payer analytics and the 3rd parties with their marketing on steroids, nobody pays attention except for when some bad algorithms are caught in an audit. 

Yet in the news, the poor consumer is always depicted as the “bad guy” who doesn’t keep up, well who can keep up with all of this?  I think we might be getting around to the fact that some certification processes like we do for medical records for the financial side just might be in order soon as I hear that from the geeks on the financial side saying the same thing with asking for ISO certification.  Straight math doesn’t cut it anymore for being 100% proof with finding accuracy, its what it is sadly. 

“Numbers Don’t Lie, But People Do”–Radio Interview from Charles Siefe–Journalists Take Note, He Addresses How Marketing And Bogus Statistics Are Sources of Problems That Mislead the Public & Government

Furthermore, this is a big underlying factor as to why the protesters are out in force today.  If you have not read about “The Attack of the Killer Algorithms” and imageBad Science, read up and listen to the audios and videos included at the posts below and see what you think after hearing some terminology and explanations you maybe have not heard before from some real experts at a higher level than myself.   

Occupying Wall Street–It’s All About the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms”–The Unfair and Marketing Exploit of Ethics Using Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie
Bad Science and Bad Analytics That Misleads–TED Video Takes on Advertising on Steroids and Danger of Mis-Matched Analytics And Distortion of Clinical Trials (Video)

It’s time to find out what’s behind the math as it is getting more complex every day and if we don’t start somewhere, well, a path of insanity will follow as marketing and the chase for the dollars continues.  BD 

United Healthcare Posts Net Earnings of $1.27 Billion for 3rd Quarter of 2011 Projecting $6 Billion at Year End

Revenue was down a touch from the same time last year but not enough to say anything is in a down mode here.  In addition the company now has a medical device division that sells hearing aids.  These are due to be in retail stores at some point in time.

United HealthCare Gets In the Medical Device Business–Distributing Cheap Hearing Aides Sold Via Hi HealthInnovations Division –Subsidiary Watch

In addition, they don’t miss much with acquisitions and their subsidiaries as if you read about the Optum sub below, it does the consulting and introduced a drug to the FDA and can carry the ball through most of the processes and with the insurance end they get to control the final reimbursement to MDs via contracts.  Speaking of contracts, a couple hospitals today in Connecticut severed their relationship with United. 

United Healthcare (Optum) Owns A Consulting Firm for FDA Drug and Device Approvals, Clinical Trials–CanReg - Subsidiary Watch

In addition the company is also buying physicians groups so there’s more contract negotiating there with 2 very large physicians groups now under their ownership. 

United Healthcare To Buy Huge Chunk of Orange County, California Managed Care Business with the Purchase of Monarch Healthcare–Subsidiary Watch

OptumHealth (Subsidiary of United Healthcare) Takes Over Memorial IPA in California-Subsidiary Watch

With all the Health IT investments too sometimes it’s maybe a good idea to see where the dollar goes as sometimes you end up being cut on rates and contracts from one subsidiary and then you get sold analytics from their other subsidiary to help you keep what just was cut. 

Subsidiary Watch-Corporate Conglomerate Insurers Reduce Compensation Contracts Using One Subsidiary Then Market Same MDs With Another Subsidiary in Health IT

Last but not least they have a bank with over a billion on deposit from HSA accounts and I would guess this is also where loans are given to healthcare entities as well.  The Optum side of the business was their biggest area of growth this quarter.  BD

UnitedHealth Group Owns a Bank With Deposits Surpassing a Billion – OptumHealth Bank FDIC Insured

“OptumHealth offers three types of HSAs, as well as tax-advantaged health care savings and spending accounts, debit-card services, benefits administration services, and payment products. About three-quarters of the bank’s 1.6 million accounts are employer-generated, while the other quarter are individual accounts.”

UnitedHealth (UNH), the largest health insurer by market value, revealed on Tuesday flat third-quarter earnings that were ahead of Wall Street expectations on stronger enrollment, leading the company to lift its fiscal forecast.

UnitedHealth increased its fiscal 2011 revenue outlook to above $101 billion and upped net earnings to a range of $4.40 to $4.45 a share. Wall Street is predicting earnings of $4.37 a share on sales of $101.51 billion.

The Minnetonka, Minn.-based giant posted net earnings of $1.27 billion, or $1.17 a share, compared with $1.27 billion, or $1.14 a share, in the same quarter last year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting a profit of $1.12 a share.

In a statement, UnitedHealth’s chief executive Stephen Hemsley said the company was generating consistent growth through “practical innovation, useful technologies and responsive and compassionate service.”

However, the health insurance provider said its results were held back by rebates under the new U.S. healthcare reform law that requires insurers to pay fees if their claim costs fail to reach a certain percentage of premium revenue.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/10/18/unitedhealths-quarterly-profit-trumps-street-forecast-raised/

Social Security Master Death Index Data Flawed–Over 31,000 Living Found in the Index

For those who are erroneously listed, this can be a real problem but still let’s keep this in its proper perspective and the error factor is small by comparison of the data that is included and the DMF files are still worth checking by all means.  People were denied bank accounts, jobs and benefits as someone told them “they were dead” data says so.  Now by comparison, look what happened in 2010 with the City of Buffalo paying out over $ 2 million on health insurance premiums for “dead” people.  It certainly would have been worth their time to check.  You can do this online too. 

City of Buffalo Has Paid Over $2 Million to Provide Health Insurance for Hundreds of Dead People-Some as Many as 4 Years

If you find yourself on the list by mistake, then you have to go through the pain staking efforts to correct all of this, and gee they wonder why consumers don’t jump on to analytical software much faster:)  Last I heard the City had to file a lawsuit to try to recover some of the money as the insurers may not have been to anxious to return the money as hey that’s easy money, deal folks don’t file claims.

I ran across my own stuff here too with finding HealthGrades and a number of other online MD directories and rating services including a ton of dead doctors, MDs listed at hospitals they never worked at and so forth.  In one case there was a business agent for one of the HMO carriers listed as a doctor, so same old garbage in and garbage out applies.  Next time someone asks you to verify what’s on the screen, give the consumer the benefit of the doubt as you never know.  In addition we have folks that practice some not so accurate methodologies in creating algorithms for profit and those are usually heavily marketed too, so again, ask questions. “We can’t do your surgery, you are already dead”…could you imagine that statement coming up? 

HealthGrades And Other MD Rating and Referral Sites List “Dead Doctors” on Their MD Information Pages And Even Include the Insurance Plans the “Dead Doctors” Honor

Use this link below and listen to what Professor Siefe from NYU has to say about the dark side of mathematical deception, and how math is not a 100% methodology of finding the truth any more.

“Numbers Don’t Lie, But People Do”–Radio Interview from Charles Siefe–Journalists Take Note, He Addresses How Marketing And Bogus Statistics Are Sources of Problems That Mislead the Public & Government

In August of 2009, I made the post below so algorithmic formulas could be audited and validated for accuracy.

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

Scientists too are making big mistakes too.  The alcohol benefits discussion too is discussed well and how the crunching of numbers is impossible.  Below is one huge mis match that is nothing but full out marketing with relating a credit score to prescription adherence and I hope they are called on this one soon.  What this all says is to question numbers and items given to you if you do not think they are correct and you just might be right when we all face the brain washing marketing efforts we see exploited all over the web today. 

As for the Social Security Death Index, still a great tool by all means but question if you think there is a chance that the person may still be alive or especially if you find yourself listed:)  BD 

FICO Analytics Press Release Marketing Credit Scoring Algorithms to Predict Medication Adherence–Update (Opinion)

From the website:

“The Death Master File, available as an online search application or as raw data files, is important for death verification.   Medical researchers, hospitals, oncology programs all need to track former patients and study subjects. Investigative firms imageuse the data to verify the death of persons, in the course of their investigations. Pension funds, insurance organizations, Federal, State and Local governments and others responsible for payments to recipients/retirees all need to know if they might be sending checks to deceased persons. Individuals may search for loved ones, or work toward growing their family trees. Professional and amateur genealogists can search for missing links.

The Death Master File (DMF) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) contains over 89 million records of deaths that have been reported to SSA. This file includes the following information on each decedent, if the data are available to the SSA: social security number, name, date of birth, date of death, state or country of residence (2/88 and prior), ZIP code of last residence, and ZIP code of lump sum payment. The SSA does not have a death record for all persons; therefore, SSA does not guarantee the veracity of the file. Thus, the absence of a particular person is not proof this person is alive.”

Tens of thousands of people's identities are exposed to identity theft each year due to an unlikely source: the Social Security Administration (SSA). That's owing to the agency's data entry personnel sometimes misclassifying a person, still living, as having died.

The errors appear to affect fewer than 1% of the 2 million deaths that are reported annually and logged in the SSA's Death Master File (DMF). The file is sold to more than 300 clients by the National Technical Information Service--part of the Department of Commerce--and is meant to help block identity theft and fraud.

But in the past three years, 31,931 living people have had their information included in the DMF, reported Columbus, Ind. newspaper The Republic. As a result, those people have faced everything from frozen bank accounts and rescinded job interview offers to cellphone contract cancellations and loan rejections.

Notably, in August Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote to the SSA's commissioner, Michael Astrue, inquiring about the agency's approach to handling incorrectly reported death errors, after reports surfaced about the impact that those errors were having on people's lives. "As you know, if a person is mistakenly placed on this list, it can result in problems with credit agencies, applying for a loan, or even getting a job," he wrote. "In addition, individuals who have been in this situation report that the problem can be difficult to resolve." He also questioned why the number of errors involving Illinois residents had seemed to almost quadruple between 2007 and 2008.