Sharing “For The Good” All But Disappears as “Sharing For the Good Money” Is Taking Over–NHS To Continue Selling Patient Records to Health Insurers As Patient Privacy and Dignity Suffer Another Loss…

<p>It sounds like the NHS has some of the same issues we have in the US, a lot of “Dupers” that have no clue on how data mechanics logic works from reading this article.  You have to realize today that an insurance company is not just one function, they do a lot of different things to include data selling.  In the US, United Healthcare is one of the biggest data selling companies around and they make money at it as well as drug store chains like CVS and<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="153" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PH5Jx4gfobM/VHi3Wi6HuDI/AAAAAAABL5k/NZRfJo5Mf3k/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="223" /> Walgreens pulling in 1 to 2 billion with a “B” selling data.  It’s an epidemic and sadly it sounds like it’s moving it’s way into the NHS with again “duping the government” on value.  </p> <p>“Sharing for the Good” in the US started out that way years ago, but it’ no more as companies found they can make money with mining and selling our personal data versus just giving it away and thus “For the Good” has readily been replaced with “For the Good Money” and I should add here, it’s their good money and not yours.  Here’s the original post where over 47 million records were sold.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/02/major-insurance-company-in-uk-bought-47.html">Major Insurance Company in the UK Bought 47 Million Medical Records From the NHS</a></h5> <p>If you have some “data mechanics logic” about you, it’s not hard to figure this out as you can visualize exactly where folks go for the money, it’s in the data.  As a matter of fact some of the doctors and employees of the NHS created a documentary on how all of this and related analytics is not creating better care for patients and we have the same problem in the US, with just a heck of a lot more data to profit from, well not us, them.   Also in the US too, these models are beginning to fail as well as the double sell with making a buck and providing better care is just not happening.  Sure when you mine registries of medical records and keep that all in house to help create better care, that works, but it’s not what’s being done today as the sharing “for the good money” has taken over. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-take-over-and-sell-off-of-nhsby.html">The Take Over and Sell Off of the NHS–By Companies from the United States, United Healthcare and Others - A Documentary</a></h5> <p>Here’s another example her in the US where the high hopes of Big Data seem to be deluged a bit, again for the sake of making money.  You have Optum Labs making money with paying subscribers such as Merck, Boston Scientific and more digging through de-identified medical records and sure there will be some findings come out of this but it’s not going to be some big pot of gold that is currently being sold out there <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XZsVwDqWyCk/VHi3XcjhVYI/AAAAAAABL5s/MBfjLkkRLPE/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="285" />with data.  You can mine and dig through data and always find “something” of course of use, but again it’s being way over rated today with trying to sell “some great white hope” that doesn’t exist, so enter the “dupers” that cling on to this belief and data selling for profit continues to grow.  Patients at Mayo for example all have their de-identified records sent to Optum Labs for the paying clients to research and mine through.  </p> <p>I was chatting with an EMR vendor not too long ago and they said this is way over rated with the way insurers are pushing claim data as it’s the clinical data that matters.  In science and genomics, big data is the business but that’s not what’s being done here so far at Optum Labs, again the push is “here have some claim data” at the front.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2013/10/unitedhealthgroup-and-aarp-get-cozier.html">UnitedHealthGroup and AARP Get Cozier, AARP Still Gets Paid for Marketing Use of AARP Name As AARP Becomes an Optum Labs Data Selling Promoter Amidst Doctor Complaints Received Relative To United Firing of 5500 MDs–Subsidiary Watch</a></h5> <p>Also the US Government has an entity at the FDA that does the same thing as money making Optum Labs is doing relying on “donated” data called the “Sentinel” program so again see where profit holes are cut here.  In way you can’t blame Mayo for looking at additional revenue streams as their compensation is being cut from insurers when you get to the other side of the insurance business.  As a matter of fact those who buy an exchange insurance policy this year with United Healthcare will probably not only experience “narrow networks” but you might also want to know that your MD who is “in network” will be paid at reimbursement rates a shade above Medicaid and below Medicare rates.   I started calling it<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-secret-scoring-of-americas.html"><strong><em>“The Secret Scoring of America’s Doctors’</em></strong></a> when this occurs as our US doctors are given no reason for being knocked out of network and it’s the Quants modeling and designing our US insurance policies, some of which were former employees of Hedge Funds and Banks.  It is what it is.  I expect most readers to bail at this point as it makes them uncomfortable to see the word “Quant” and healthcare working together and granted I’m not happy with it as it’s all about money but please just see the reality of what it is.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html">Data Scientists/Quants in the Health Insurance Business–Modeling Beyond the Speed and Capabilities of Humans To Keep Up With The Affordable Care Act–Turning Into A World of Killer Algorithms That We All Hate..</a></h5> <p><strong>“Sharing for the Good” is in in fact not an illusion; however today it minimally exists as it’s been taken over by “Sharing for the Good Money” as as consumers we marketed to the fact that is is is “for the good” when it is not.</strong>  We don’t know who’s selling our personal data and repackaging us over and over and thus the best way to deal with this today due to data selling epidemic for profit is just to assume sharing is “for the good money” and so far it has not lead me down the wrong path when I apply some data mechanics logic.  It’s like banks and companies with data burning a hole in their pockets with our data, if you will today.  </p> <p>This is why I came up with the idea in the US to have all data sellers be licensed as that would provide consumers a look up of what banks and companies sell, i.e. what kind of data they sell and to whom.  You can’t even start with any real privacy efforts until you know who the players (data sellers) are until you get step one accomplished.  This is where the lawyers and others who have no data mechanics logic have stumbled for years as their perceptions of what’s really going on are wrong and they are dupers.  I’ve read all their whacked out perceptions for years now.  </p> <p>There’s been no better care as a result and as a matter of fact we pay for all these additional services as the overhead is included in our premiums.  Here’s my campaign and for those UK readers here, maybe it might be an answer to help the NHS there as well<a href="http://www.youcaring.com/other/help-preserve-our-privacy-/258776"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WjSMddBKiho/VAJ2n8h7WcI/AAAAAAABLOU/rTfddMqQxlU/GoFundMe%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" /></a>.  This is like the blind leading the blind with lawmakers and lawyers out there and of course this will meet with some objections of the data sellers as the big dupe works for them and they don’t want transparency here.</p> <h5><a href="http://www.youcaring.com/other/help-preserve-our-privacy-/258776">Licensing All Data Sellers – We Need Transparency on Who’s Selling What Kind of Data to Who…</a></h5> <p>Here’s another link from a Computer Scientist that all tells how this practice is stripping consumers of their dignity and freedom and one below where I discussed the acceleration of inequality as data selling also allows scoring of consumers to disallow you access to something and the web data is becoming more flawed all the time, so people are judged on fake or flawed numbers.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/computer-scientist-jaron-lanier.html">Computer Scientist Jaron Lanier, Computer Scientist Explains How Big Data Is Used to Limit Our Freedom–The Value of Your Personal Data…</a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/data-selling-and-direct-correlation-to.html">Data Selling and the Direct Correlation To Accelerated Inequality - Epidemic Spreading Like A Virus Moving Money Keeping Corporations Cash Rich and Consumers Cash Poor</a></h5> <p>Who knows when things really get tough, and I say this with a bit of satire but nothing surprises me <a href="http://www.ducknet.net/attack-of-the-killer-algorithms/"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6HDDm04lOwA/Ts0zq-EuFHI/AAAAAAAA4d8/nMT-KL0JEDY/image_thumb%25255B12%25255D.png?imgmax=172" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" /></a>anymore, maybe the new data selling developers will be trained and working from US Prisons?  <strong>Don’t laugh as we have that going on here in the US, which is pretty silly if you look at rehabilitation as it would be much better to prepare prisoners with computer skills that consumers use every day versus sticking them in “hard coding classes”:)  We have a bunch of nut cases running the world today and goofy perceptions such as San Quentin get sold to the non data mechanics dupers all the time.</strong>  BD  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/training-prisoners-to-code-at-san.html">Training Prisoners to Code At San Quentin–What A Great Way to Train Future Hackers…</a></h5> <p>Be careful and be aware over there in the UK and keep on top of what’s going on as you might prisoners writing your next medical records program before long, that is to keep the data selling business “for good money” alive and growing.   Spend some time at the <a href="http://www.ducknet.net/attack-of-the-killer-algorithms/"><strong><em>Killer Algorithms page</em></strong></a> and learn up on what goes on behind the scenes here as it’s the machines and those who load up the code that’s running things.   </p> <p>It sounds like Sir Nick Partridge with the Health and Social Care Information Center is in the same boat with our US Dupers in not seeing how this impacts consumers but those folks live in different worlds and cast a blind eye or are just blatantly “that duped”.  BD</p> <p> <hr />The National Health Service will continue to sell medical data to insurers and other third parties despite an investigation that has discovered tens of thousands of patient records were unlawfully sold. </p> <p>Fears were raised earlier this year that patient records were being misused and sold to insurers, and the Government amended the law to restrict access to data. </p> <p>The report from an eight-month inquiry has found tens of thousands of records were wrongly passed to third parties. </p> <p>However writing in the Telegraph, Sir Nick Partridge, the deputy chairman of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, says that <strong><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11256622/Why-sharing-medical-data-could-be-good-for-your-health.html">the NHS will continue to sell the information</a></strong>, arguing that proper checks and balances are now in place. </p> <p>Actuaries had admitted that they could obtain 13 years of hospital data – covering 47 million patients identified by date of birth and postcode – in order to help insurance companies “refine” their premiums. </p> <p>The data sold came from hospital records. But the furore coincided with growing concerns over an NHS project to store details from GP records in a giant database. </p> <p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11256570/Tens-of-thousands-of-medical-records-handed-to-researchers.html#disqus_thread">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11256570/Tens-of-thousands-of-medical-records-handed-to-researchers.html#disqus_thread</a></p>

Sharing “For The Good” All But Disappears as “Sharing For the Good Money” Is Taking Over–NHS To Continue Selling Patient Records to Health Insurers As Patient Privacy and Dignity Suffer Another Loss…

It sounds like the NHS has some of the same issues we have in the US, a lot of “Dupers” that have no clue on how data mechanics logic works from reading this article.  You have to realize today that an insurance company is not just one function, they do a lot of different things to include data sell…

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Computer Scientist, Jaron Lanier Explains How Big Data Is Used to Limit Our Freedom–The Value of Your Personal Data…

<p>He discusses the suffering of wealth distribution, recoveries that don’t have jobs included to start out.  The internet is not helping but rather is hurting.  We have not seen an explosion of wealth, but rather more a seeking of attention, and he specifically talks <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="150" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zRU_zAoQJMg/VHgkBHM0EfI/AAAAAAABL5E/ynoDEG-mg_4/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" title="image" width="305" />about the media being affected by this phenomena.  He states we have failed the tests of realities, but it really doesn’t work.  I have a post on that one from a while back as well which refers to the confusion we have out there today with people not being able to tell the difference between virtual world values and the real world.  It’s been a pretty popular post. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-worlds-real-world-we-have.html">Virtual Worlds, Real World We Have A Problem And It’s A Big One With A Lot of Gray Areas Finding Where The Defining Lines Exist, Confusing Many With A Lot of Weird Values And Strange Perceptions…</a></h5> <p>Who owns the data?  The data we produce is a very strange object he continues on.  Information is very valuable to only designated people who are allowed to buy it and the rest of us are excluded.  We have no power at all as consumers.  The third parties control our information and there are several types, like the NSA for the government role, the consumer agencies, but the most important are the banks and financial industries he says are the most important where people don’t focus on it.  </p> <p>It’s not behavior modification is behavior restriction and boy do we see that played on the web and marketed all the time.  Google is not an advertising company as they don’t make their money with ads and he says that Google and Facebook are more of a function of restricting your options, behavioral option management is the description he uses.  He states it’s like putting blinders on us with micro-managing and making money controlling what people know about.</p> <p>Big data itself can be extremely useful he says and it’s not the problem, it’s the use of Big Data that can be the issue.  He gets the same confusion I get with people thinking I’m not pro-technology when I am, it’s just again the methodologies used with Big Data.  Anonymization is stupid and not really possible.  Figuring out what data is worth is hard to do he says, especially with 3rd parties.  It’s hard to know how much people are paying for data and how much money they are making.  All the folks in the tech business know who Jaron Lanier is as he speaks at Microsoft, Google and many other big tech companies.  </p> <p><iframe height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7rpQKalPqcc" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>He states we are destroying economic growth right now.  Here’s another one of my posts that relates to the same topic..the direct correlation.  BD</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/data-selling-and-direct-correlation-to.html">Data Selling and the Direct Correlation To Accelerated Inequality - Epidemic Spreading Like A Virus Moving Money Keeping Corporations Cash Rich and Consumers Cash Poor</a></h5> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rpQKalPqcc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rpQKalPqcc</a></p>

Computer Scientist, Jaron Lanier Explains How Big Data Is Used to Limit Our Freedom–The Value of Your Personal Data…

He discusses the suffering of wealth distribution, recoveries that don’t have jobs included to start out.  The internet is not helping but rather is hurting.  We have not seen an explosion of wealth, but rather more a seeking of attention, and he specifically talks about the media being affected by …

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What’s Going On With the Media–Journalism Interviewing Data Bases, People And Journo Bot Comes In To Play…

<p>Kenneth Cukier from the Economist explains in this 15 minute video how the face of journalism is changing and as readers we don’t <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="124" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kWUJxhR3ams/VHgrGuDz1aI/AAAAAAABL5U/9jkY4f7G_gE/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="187" />all of it, but it’s good to be aware and understand what they are working with today.  He states sure we need both, input from people and data.  News media companies are all hiring data scientists to handle some of the more complex data situations to take a look at data and see if there’s story in it.  We get some good stories and sometimes we get junk with numbers that may not relate to us as consumers.  We have to remember too that stock markets on Monday through Friday when the markets are open, the bots get the news first and we are the secondary audience to the bot.</p> <p>Working with information is a must for the future of journalism he states and the same art of story telling is not going to go away at any time he says.  Individuals will need to have a basic familiarity with the data tools.  Cukier predicts that news will be created in “teams” and that can include both stories on humans and with data.  It’s hard to find all those skills in one person.  </p> <p><iframe height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/arJTMfytwJo" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>There’s also the journobot that is automating some of the news we read and you see some of that already out there.  Data on it’s<img align="right" height="122" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rSYG015GC3s/UrTuzX_IrII/AAAAAAABI7s/epOj5wEW9p8/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="float: right; display: inline" width="187" /> own can be very misleading and he called the Economist a “views paper” and gives options for readers to choose from.   Also we have to be aware of over quantitation and I wrote about that a while back with some news articles we read today.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2013/12/quantitated-justification-for-believing.html">Quantitated Justification For Believing Things That Are Not True And Using Mathematical Processes To Fool Ourselves-The Journalistic Bot Functionality Debuts As Media Can’t Resist the Formulas…</a></h5> <p>Here’s a video that will set you on your side to see how automated news can be.  The creator wrote 10,000 books with this journo bot and put them on sale at Amazon and a little data news story is no problem.</p> <p>This is a very complex bot and there are others out there that are simpler in design but keep in mind these are some of the tools that are being used by journalists today.  BD  </p> <p><iframe style="height: 315px; width: 573px" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SkS5PkHQphY" frameborder="0" width="420" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJTMfytwJo&list=UUqJ6GC0klkbFuQa-0ZePqkQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJTMfytwJo&list=UUqJ6GC0klkbFuQa-0ZePqkQ</a></p>

What’s Going On With the Media–Journalism Interviewing Data Bases, People And Journo Bot Comes In To Play…

Kenneth Cukier from the Economist explains in this 15 minute video how the face of journalism is changing and as readers we don’t all of it, but it’s good to be aware and understand what they are working with today.  He states sure we need both, input from people and data.  News media companies are …

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Online Data Brokers Persist, Listing Consumers on Chronic Disease Mailing Lists And More–Need To License and Index All Data Sellers, Brokers, Banks, Companies, Otherwise You Don’t Have a Complete Listing of Who They Are…

<p>As much as this is in the news, it still persists and people don’t like it, especially when it’s flawed and it really represents some sloppy data work, all to make a buck.  The FTC has again asked for help from Congress.  The TV station went knocking door to door and people were not happy.  One State lawmaker Georgia says this could be attacked with both state and Federal levels.  The FTC is somewhat stuck unless Congress<a href="http://www.youcaring.com/other/help-preserve-our-privacy-/258776"><img align="right" border="0" height="199" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WjSMddBKiho/VAJ2n8h7WcI/AAAAAAABLOU/rTfddMqQxlU/GoFundMe%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" width="276" /></a> does something.</p> <p>Again I have my campaign to index and license all data sellers.  Most consumers don’t even know data brokers exist.  For 3 years I have been bugging the FTC and members of Congress to get on this and there’s more videos at the campaign.  Help me out if you can as it’s been a hobby and I would really like to see a law that has some teeth for transparency.  What I am suggesting doesn’t stop data selling but with consumers being able to see who’s selling what kind of data and who the customer types are, it would really help.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/senator-schumer-of-new-york-calling-for.html"><strong>Senator Schumer of New York Calling for Privacy Protections With Sharing Data From Wearable Devices, As FTC Found Some Are Sending Data To 3rd Parties, Once Again Need To License the Data Sellers & Distributors</strong></a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/somebody-needs-to-start-calling-foul-on.html"><strong>Somebody Needs to Start Calling “Foul” On Proprietary Predictive Algorithms When They Cannot Be Replicated For Accuracy As This Accelerates Inequality and Promotes Even More Data Selling For Profit</strong></a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/argus-analytics-produces-share-of.html"><strong>Argus Analytics Produces “Share of Credit Card” Data On Consumers - Digs Up The Dirt on Your Credit Card Behavior Patterns-US Consumer Protection Agency Is A Client-We Are Paying for Richard Cordray’s Slow Education Process</strong></a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/oh-crap-now-hospitals-are-now-buying.html"><strong>Oh Crap, Now Hospitals Are Now Buying Data From Acxiom - Data Selling Epidemic Continues to Evade on Personal Privacy As “Algo Duped-Stat Rat” People Try to Implement Virtual Models That Won’t Work…</strong></a></h5> <p>Why do you think inequality keeps growing in the US so fast, it’s the scoring that denies access.  BD  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/data-selling-and-direct-correlation-to.html"><strong>Data Selling and the Direct Correlation To Accelerated Inequality - Epidemic Spreading Like A Virus Moving Money Keeping Corporations Cash Rich and Consumers Cash Poor</strong></a></h5> <p><a href="http://www.youcaring.com/other/help-preserve-our-privacy-/258776">Here’s the campaign!</a>  </p> <p><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="390" id="flashObj" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isSlim=1&autoStart=false" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=3896103840001&playerID=2857340257001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_0PyCk~,_pBlGqvGs07peliXKyUvG14oYtXJQN9_&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming==true&autoStart=false" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="autoStart" value="false" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isSlim=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=3896103840001&playerID=2857340257001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_0PyCk~,_pBlGqvGs07peliXKyUvG14oYtXJQN9_&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true&autoStart=false" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="480" height="390" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"><param name="autoStart" value="false" /><AutoLoad>false</AutoLoad> <AutoPlay>false</AutoPlay></embed></object></p> <hr />ATLANTA -- Medical information is something most of us expect to be kept confidential. But believe it or not, some of your medical history may be available for purchase online. <p>Data brokers collect and sell consumer information, including medical conditions.</p> <p>The 11Alive investigators bought a sample of that data to show that anyone can get their hands on this data for a price.</p> <p>Diane Murphy was one of thousands of names found on a list the 11Alive Investigators bought it from an online data broker. For $400, they purchased a list of names and addresses, people in Atlanta who are listed as diabetic or taking medications common to the illness.</p> <p><a href="http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/investigations/2014/11/17/data-brokers-health-info/19201629/">http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/investigations/2014/11/17/data-brokers-health-info/19201629/</a></p>

Online Data Brokers Persist, Listing Consumers on Chronic Disease Mailing Lists And More–Need To License and Index All Data Sellers, Brokers, Banks, Companies, Otherwise You Don’t Have a Complete Listing of Who They Are…

As much as this is in the news, it still persists and people don’t like it, especially when it’s flawed and it really represents some sloppy data work, all to make a buck.  The FTC has again asked for help from Congress.  The TV station went knocking door to door and people were not happy.  One Stat…

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HHS Error on Enrollment Figures–Grave Layers of Distraction With Both Government and Consumers, How Easily Distraction Occurs Today Relative to Odd Perceptional Priorities Along With A Cast of Dupers In Tuck, What a Joke..

<p>So how long are we going to be distracted and hang on to this error?  For goodness sakes when you errors at such if people had any data mechanics logic they would understand that an error of such is common as  the queries require a long process with analytics and there are a team of people that are responsible for creating the reports.  We talk about complexities all the time, well folks this report is one of the many out there. <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="187" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YR1obutDC3Y/VHS0_CMyq5I/AAAAAAABL4k/YWyWIM0VoPc/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="166" /> This is like a bunch of kids out there with the handling and news reporting of this error, I have never seen anything like it but it goes to show that once emotions get involved here, and we are all humans, how the distraction levels disconnect folks from what really matters.  I mean I have to laugh not only at the folks picking this apart, but also the administration reaction.  </p> <p>So what, an error was made and you are going these things over and over and over, so get a life and get used to data reporting errors as they will happen.  Funnier yet is the responses from Burwell at HHS with her tone and public comments.  This is a joke with what I have read.  You want to manage data and tech folks and get their respect?  “This is unacceptable”…please, get used to it as there will be more and just cop up that the technical folks made an error, not on purpose and it was not some “evil” attempt to inflate numbers.  Media, government and the public sure have a long ways to go here with understanding how errors like this occur and will continue to occur.  Reading this in Bloomberg, makes me laugh along with the fact that Facebook was used as an avenue to initially communicate the concern.  </p> <p><em>“As public servants, we must constantly work to earn the trust of those we serve,” she said in the memo. “That trust is built on our commitment to transparency, ownership, accountability and accuracy, and being forthcoming about where we can do better.”</em></p> <p>Now enter Issa on this and he’s just as distracted as the rest of them in making this some kind of sticking point, folks get a life and understand that when you deal with big data as such, stuff happens.  Oh these poor folks that are unaware of the the entire digital society we have today and again the media reporting, it’s a joke.   <strong>So on December 9th, we have another “Spanish Inquisition”</strong> where poor Tavenner once again will be grilled on this issue.  I though Issa would be smarter being he owns a technology company that does car alarms and maybe he just owns it and is far enough removed from the technology that he owns?  I don’t know but I would expect a little bit more from his side.  </p> <p><strong>Mistakes like this will happen and they are not intentional, ask anyone who does analytics work for goodness sakes.  These folks don’t understand models and how it all comes together.</strong>  We have a lot of bad models out there and CMS is no exception on what they are trying to work with as some are old and need to be updates as after a while the models don’t work anymore.  You can read the link below on how Bloomberg with all his money and power got duped on Big Gulp himself with trying push those “science” numbers he had and it still didn’t work.  People don’t’ know when to stop and yes people with money and power get really duped too.</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-more-bloomberg-big-gulp-failed.html">How Many More “Bloomberg Big gulp” Failed “Proof of Concept” Models Can We Sustain Before Everyone Splits a Gasket?</a></h5> <p>Furthermore, talking of bad models the head of CDC was the one who sold Bloomberg and then later we see the same stuff at CDC with part of their site having to be taken down as people again, with their use of data an perceptions stuck a proof of concept out there that attacked consumers as employers used the rationale to fire employees?  Now how smart is that?  Remember data can hurt people and it’s all the interpretation and perceptions.</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/cdc-shuts-down-obesity-for-work-place.html">CDC Shuts Down Obesity For the Work Place Web Site–One of Those Failed Models That Continues to Tie Obesity to Financial Losses-A Broken Proof of Concept Model That Does Not Work And Strips Employees of Their Dignity</a></h5> <p><strong>Seriously, Issa needs to get a bigger focus here and do something that matters.</strong>  Sure we know some things take time, like IRS situation and that too is a joke in the way it’s been reported, as they finally got the folks who do Outlook Exchange IT services there to dig through all the masses of back ups to find the missing emails.  Shoot anyone in tech knows those are there and the time it takes and “they didn’t just disappear”.  What’s funny though about all these missing email accountings though is the fact that both CMS and the IRS alluded to the fact that their PCs had hard drive problems.  People in technology just roll on the floor laughing when we hear such as the emails are stored on a server and most do no back up copies on their own PCs and besides the active directory and group policy settings might be set to prohibit such anymore for security reasons…geez…</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-long-before-we-proclaim-complex.html">How Long Before We Proclaim Complex “Health Insurance” As A “Science”? Some Economists Think “Risk is a Science” And Mistake Laws For Just A Theoretic Framework or Idea…”The Grays”</a></h5> <p><strong>So again we have Tavenner to testify again with Issa so get some popcorn out and get ready.  Why in the heck don’t they get her number two person, Andy Slavitt to testify?</strong>  There’s a brain right there who doesn’t rely on other folks for most of his information, why, he’s been on the inside track for years.<strong>  His background began as a Goldman Sachs banker, and then some time over at McKinsey, not to mention United acquiring a company he created, so duh?</strong>  Maybe we want this to be yet one more “display of the commons” for those who don’t want to understand how technology impacts business?  Duh?  Like I keep saying we have folks out there today that live in “virtual” worlds and confuse that with the real world it looks like clear case of that here all the way around with the exception of Mr. Slavitt as his financial modeling background puts his knowledge way ahead of this and all he has to do is kind of play bliss and go on about his business.  </p> <p>A couple former CMS folks told me for a number of years United was somewhat at the disposal to help mentor them with building their models and that should not come as a surprise as all you need to do is go over to the CAP (Center for American Progress, the think tank HHS and CMS uses to write policy and see the present and past cast of characters and the names are right there.  You can start with Gruber and Zeke Emanuel if you like and we all know Zeke is just a walking/talking commercial and has been for years for United Healthcare.  I guess we’ll keep hearing that from him until he hits the age of 75 right? (grin).  </p> <p>I finally came to the point where I named some of these perceptions out there the<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/04/secretary-sebelius-at-hhs-resigns-wrong.html"><strong><em>“Sebelius Syndrome”</em></strong></a> as it became so exaggerated with her perceptions out there being so off base and even comical at times, which is very sad.  <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/02/kathleen-sebelius-kansas-governor-for.html"><strong><em>Actually back in 2009</em></strong></a> I saw that one coming with the fact that the insurance business was so beyond what government would be able to perceive (here we go with whacked out perceptions again) that they would<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="109" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jwTJgqx-Kfw/VHS0_4YRgOI/AAAAAAABL4s/ZQUBoKvOnQ4/image%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="249" /> just work methodically with data and marketing and take over..so what do you think has happened here?  I had a banker the other day that loved the correlation of the Sebelius Syndrome:) </p> <h5><em>This unwelcomed phenomena that exists today…”The Grays”….</em></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-worlds-real-world-we-have.html">Virtual worlds, Real World We Have A Problem And It’s A Big One With A Lot of Gray Areas Finding Where The Defining Lines Exist, Confusing Many With A Lot of Weird Values And Strange Perceptions…</a></h5> <p>For God’s sakes can’t we get beyond this and look at how technology impacts the real world today or are we going to continue testimonies like this that do nothing?  It’s a changed world and it’s not like it used to be when we went raffling through papers in the old days.  You want to go back in time and read an article from the New York times from a Congressional testimony when Mr. Slavitt worked for Optum/Ingenix? <strong><em> </em></strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/business/01insure.html?_r=0"><strong><em>Here’s the link and read it.</em></strong></a>  Senator Rockefeller was kind of left speechless as again these are smart money math model folks and the testimony was done and life went on with no actions as laws today with only verbiage that are not data centric in nature leave loopholes galore.   Here’s what Rockefeller said: </p> <p><em>“He also expressed disappointment in the unwillingness of the two executives to acknowledge consumers’ concerns about whether they were being shortchanged.  “This is profoundly troubling testimony from both of you,” he said.</em> </p> <p>These guys use math models for money, plain and simple and are like the banks on Wall Street and that’s the way they think.  I’m not making a case one way or the other here, as there’s plenty on that topic all over the web.  Let’s face it, Tavenner is the head of CMS backed now by a much more powerful financial thinking individual who knows how to build math models for profit, anyone remember Ingenix and the AMA settlement?  Case made on that one.  Just like the banks do,  <strong>“don’t change the portfolio, just change the math” to quote Paul Wilmott, one of the the most respected Quants in the world.</strong></p> <p>You want to know why insurance policies are so complex today and hard to understand?  Look at the classified and see how many quants insurers are hiring, armies of them to do math modeling and design and the job of the quant is to ensure profit, so you figure out where that leaves us as consumers, ok?</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html">Data Scientists/Quants in the Health Insurance Business–Modeling Beyond the Speed and Capabilities of Humans To Keep Up With The Affordable Care Act–Turning Into A World of Killer Algorithms That We All Hate..</a></h5> <p>Anyway I assume I will look forward to another show, nothing accomplished with Issa not looking at the big picture and we’re going to hammer this error of including dental data until the horse dies.  Maybe Issa might want to learn how to code, you think (grin).  Just posted yesterday <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/training-prisoners-to-code-at-san.html"><strong><em>the prisons are now ready to turn out coders</em></strong></a> soon too:)  We have a world today where people function like magpies that need to be able to stand up and quote numbers and stats all the time instead of using common sense like we used to.  I see it on Twitter every day and the perceptions of what people “think” matters is scary, it’s a brainwashing effect.  While I’m on that topic, how about Issa tweeting the Constitution?  Tech folks all the web just roared and roared on that one as what was he doing?  What did he accomplish?  Nothing other than lose a bunch of followers and gave tech folks a really good laugh.  </p> <p><strong>The message I guess here in what I’m trying to say, is get in touch with the real world and see the impact <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="169" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c1e4tMM3gLU/VHS1AoPgh1I/AAAAAAABL40/jQUIR7cgkxQ/image%25255B9%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="187" />of technology and both the good and bad that comes out of it, as there’s both.  I’m just reading all the press on this and thinking to myself “what a circus of distraction” and furthermore, what’s accomplished other than some air time on TV and web?</strong>  Oh yeah, let’s have some disciplinary action for the hard working techs that probably made an honest mistake, burn the tech folks at the cross, the bad guys:)  I don’t give a darn about this “public service servants” line given, just get your perceptions on with the real world and let’s move forward.  Everyday the gap between how the administration reacts and talks in the press and the strange perceptions just play out much clearer every time and it’s not doing much for the public’s perception of managing the agency.  </p> <p><strong>Same for Issa as I have to ask at times myself “what planet are you living on”</strong> and he’s down in the OC where technology is very advanced and rules, so what gives here with these whacked out perceptions?  I just don’t get it as to why we continue to need these showdowns that don’t do anything?  We all knew Sebelius hated technology as it made her look bad and she couldn’t control it so why keep going down that same perceptual path again, better get used to tech errors as the rest of the world has in private industry and work with it.  BD</p> <p>PS:  <a href="http://www.ducknet.net/attack-of-the-killer-algorithms/"><strong><em>Visit the Killer Algorithms Page</em></strong></a> or simply watch the 4 videos in the footer of this blog and you’ll tune in quickly on what’s really going on out there.  Killer Algorithms page has a lot of content so you could bookmark it and come back when you have time as some of the videos are 30-60 minutes long and you will be educated and get some real signals as to when to be a skeptic and not duped as often.  </p> <p> <hr />A “culture of increased transparency” is needed at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said, after Obamacare enrollment data were padded with dental plan customers in what she has called an error. </p> <p>The mistake was “unacceptable,” Burwell said in a memo sent to her senior managers yesterday evening, obtained by <a href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/bloomberg-news/">Bloomberg News</a>. As an first step, she told them to convene meetings with staff to solicit suggestions to increase “transparency, ownership and accountability” at the <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2015-hhs-budget-in-brief/hhs-fy2015budget-in-brief-overview.html">77,000-employee</a> agency she runs. </p> <p>The number of people signed up for health insurance is a key measure of success for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The health department <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Issa-Final-Signed.pdf">acknowledged</a> Nov. 20 that it had double-counted about 393,000 people in dental plans when it announced that 7.3 million Americans were enrolled in August. Enrollment was revised downward as a result, to 6.9 million in August and 6.7 million in October. </p> <p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-24/u-s-health-chief-calls-review-after-obamacare-inflation.html">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-24/u-s-health-chief-calls-review-after-obamacare-inflation.html</a></p>

HHS Error on Enrollment Figures–Grave Layers of Distraction With Both Government and Consumers, How Easily Distraction Occurs Today Relative to Odd Perceptional Priorities Along With A Cast of Dupers In Tuck, What a Joke..

So how long are we going to be distracted and hang on to this error?  For goodness sakes when you errors at such if people had any data mechanics logic they would understand that an error of such is common as  the queries require a long process with analytics and there are a team of people that are …

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FDA Rules to Require Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Pizza Parlors and More to Post Calorie Counts on Menus-Smart Way to Address Obesity With Education Versus Apps and Algorithms & Infographics Mapping Fat People..

<p>We have seen obesity all over the map from the recent errors at CDC on their website to tons of people who love to make infographics to show us where all the fat people are in the US.  I hate those infographics as they don’t do anything other than let the creator say <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="126" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zfpojPqQmes/VHQDN9udj3I/AAAAAAABL4U/t-dz5SnZ5kk/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="233" />“look what a pretty infographics I made” and it’s also a very negative impact on those who are abuse, like <strong>infographic bullying if you will.</strong>  People that are obese are not hidden in some data base somewhere where you can’t find them but on the web, the folks that live way too virtual seem to think there’s something to that.</p> <p><strong>Look at what the boneheads thought was a good thing at CDC, get those employers with fat employees in a data base so we can reach out and find them and start making stats</strong>!  The head of CDC, wouldn’t you know it came right from the New York Bloomberg Health Office and sounds like he brought his <strong>Algo Duped Proof of Concepts that failed with Big Gulp</strong> along with him. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/cdc-shuts-down-obesity-for-work-place.html">CDC Shuts Down Obesity For the Work Place Web Site–One of Those Failed Models That Continues to Tie Obesity to Financial Losses-A Broken Proof of Concept Model That Does Not Work And Strips Employees of Their Dignity</a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-more-bloomberg-big-gulp-failed.html">How Many More “Bloomberg Big Gulp” Failed “Proof of Concept” Models Can We Sustain Before Everyone Splits a Gasket?</a></h5> <p>Even alcohol if served at a restaurant will have it’s calories listed but don’t worry the bars are not having to do this and the folks who have vending machine businesses get another year to get their information in place, posted somewhere on the machine.  Take out food places will be challenged a bit I think but again somewhere posted will be the rule and we’ll have to deal with estimates too that are as close as people can come as in a take out shop, the size dished out could vary by one order having 10 more noodles than the next, just based on the way food is dished out and not on purpose.  </p> <p>Movie theaters might stand to loose some business though as the price is usually high enough to discourage many and this might topple it over a bit.  Again there will have to be some slack here as we don’t need an FDA calorie control police unit out there, just get some basic information out there.  The new rules will be out soon and if people take this as an effort to educate and not produce data that is to stand up in court with lawsuits, everyone will probably win.  BD</p> <p> <hr />WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will announce sweeping rules on Tuesday that will require chain restaurants, movie theaters and pizza parlors across the country to post calorie counts on their menus. Health experts said the new requirements would help combat the country’s obesity epidemic by showing Americans just how many calories lurk in their favorite foods.</p> <p>The rules will have broad implications for public health. As much as a third of the calories that Americans consume come from outside the home, and many health experts believe that increasingly large portion sizes and unhealthy ingredients have been significant contributors to obesity in the United States.</p> <p>“This is one of the most important public health nutrition policies ever to be passed nationally,” said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Right now, you are totally guessing at what you are getting. This rule will change that.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/us/fda-to-announce-sweeping-calorie-rules-for-restaurants.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/us/fda-to-announce-sweeping-calorie-rules-for-restaurants.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share</a></p>

FDA Rules to Require Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Pizza Parlors and More to Post Calorie Counts on Menus-Smart Way to Address Obesity With Education Versus Apps and Algorithms & Infographics Mapping Fat People..

We have seen obesity all over the map from the recent errors at CDC on their website to tons of people who love to make infographics to show us where all the fat people are in the US.  I hate those infographics as they don’t do anything other than let the creator say “look what a pretty infographics…

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CMS Gives Hospitals an Extra 30 Days to Complete Meaningful Use Reporting for 2014

<p>Penalties will apply for those who do not submit their qualifying data and this also covered the clinical quality measure submissions.  Again this gives a little breathing room for now but there’s other issues that need work and follow up as the entire process, much like everything else in the world has been hit with a ton of complexities as well as validity of the models used to continue in the future.  When Stage one<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="177" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eaExSg9Jq1Y/VHP6WSmZDlI/AAAAAAABL4E/PSD_f_KHfws/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="251" /> was initiated, it was pretty cut and dry but technology itself moved so fast, the add on came way too fast and quick to be totally absorbed.  The model as created for state two didn’t show that but when it got down to using it in the real world, well that’s when everything comes out in the open as far as whether a model is ok as is or needs adjustments.</p> <p><a href="http://hitconsultant.net/2014/11/12/ama-policy-calls-for-removal-of-meaningful-use-penalties/"><strong>The AMA has been calling for the penalties to be halted</strong></a><strong>,</strong> which may not be a bad idea at this point as there’s lots going on at hospitals beside Meaningful Use that’s demanding attention these days.  Let’s not forget we have open enrollment right now and even the insurers themselves are having problems with what doctor and hospital are in network and who’s not.  This has been complicated due to the fact that insurers now have armies of Quants constantly reviewing policy models and making changes frequently.  We didn’t have all of this during Stage One of Meaningful use and hospitals have been hiring their own Quants and Data Scientists to keep up.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html">Data Scientists/Quants in the Health Insurance Business–Modeling Beyond the Speed and Capabilities of Humans To Keep Up With The Affordable Care Act–Turning Into A World of Killer Algorithms That We All Hate..</a></h5> <p>In October the AMA released their “blue print” recommendations <a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2014/2014-10-14-ama-blueprint-improve-meaningful-use.page">you can read here.</a>  Basically folks, take a chill pill and realize some of the models need some adjusting as otherwise the hospitals will give up if it’s too complex and takes too much time.  By contrast many of the doctors have given up on Meaningful Use two, especially if they have been in the program since the start as the stimulus money is not worth the hassle of attesting.  </p> <p>Again this all has to do with the way the technologies evolved so quickly and you need to have realistic goals, otherwise people just move on and we also have ICD 10 next October and there’s work being done in preparation for that with many deciding to outsource that part of the billing, which is yet another expense and time consuming effort that has to be done by October of next year.  BD  </p> <p> <hr />CMS is extending the deadline for eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program 2014 reporting year from 11:59 pm EST on November 30, 2014 to 11:59 pm EST on December 31, 2014.</p> <p>This extension will allow more time for hospitals to submit their meaningful use data and receive an incentive payment for the 2014 program year, as well as avoid the 2016 Medicare payment adjustment.</p> <p>CMS is also extending the deadline for eligible hospitals and CAHs that are electronically submitting <a href="http://ehrintelligence.com/glossary/clinical-quality-measures/">clinical quality measures</a> (CQMs) to meet that requirement of meaningful use and the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program. Hospitals now have until December 31, 2014 to submit their eCQM data via <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTQxMTI0LjM4NTc0MjIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE0MTEyNC4zODU3NDIyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3Mjk3NjY1JmVtYWlsaWQ9a211cnBoeUB4dGVsbGlnZW50bWVkaWEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1rbXVycGh5QHh0ZWxsaWdlbnRtZWRpYS5jb20mZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&https://www.qualitynet.org/portal/server.pt/community/pqri_home/212">Quality Net</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://ehrintelligence.com/2014/11/24/cms-extends-hospital-2014-meaningful-use-reporting-deadline/">http://ehrintelligence.com/2014/11/24/cms-extends-hospital-2014-meaningful-use-reporting-deadline/</a></p>

CMS Gives Hospitals an Extra 30 Days to Complete Meaningful Use Reporting for 2014

Penalties will apply for those who do not submit their qualifying data and this also covered the clinical quality measure submissions.  Again this gives a little breathing room for now but there’s other issues that need work and follow up as the entire process, much like everything else in the world…

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Training Prisoners to Code At San Quentin–What A Great Way to Train Future Hackers…

<p>Ok so hopefully the title got your attention here as that’s what it was designed to do.  No this is not all bad as they need something to do that’s constructive and right now the entire US thinks everyone needs to code, code, code.  I don’t agree with that but we do need a much larger base of programmers than what we have in the past.  What I feel is really important today is “data mechanics logic” and you can have that and <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="167" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eMhBS88SiL8/VHPPHiShzEI/AAAAAAABL30/-lIeGBaGK70/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="240" />not be a coder or you can learn to code and have that logic and never code, take your choice.  Data mechanics logic is the key to understanding how all of it comes together, so you could take classes and never code but if you grasp the concept it will make you a much smarter person.</p> <p>This article is interesting in the fact that it also comments that state agencies want to possibly use prisoners to do some of their future coding which that has issues.  <strong>Talk about wanting free or cheap labor and I complain enough about Fortune 500 companies wanting folks to code for free.  Look at this link below with United Healthcare and AARP…lot’s of glory on a website but can the developers pay rent?</strong>  So chances are they need some young folks living at home who might get duped into thinking this is for the good when in fact it’s for the good money to be made by United in having some apps that will collect more data on 50+ adults so they can analyze and sell it.  United is one of the biggest data sellers around and I’m actually surprised that Google beat them to the punch with having prisoners code for them as that’s what they want, free code.</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/aarp-and-united-healthcare-form.html">AARP and United HealthCare Form “Longevity Network”–Time To Find Some More “Cheap Code” Looking For Millennials Still Living At Home Who Can Afford The Time To Write…Cash For Code Again</a></h5> <p>The class is small so there’s only 18 students so far and they are not connected to the internet which for some reason this article makes a big deal out of that as you don’t need an internet connection to learn how to code really, other than accessing libraries at their beginning stage.  Again in a way they do get in touch with some technology here but as a prisoner they do not get access to the web at all.  This way when released they are not stone cold on web technologies even as a basic user, which is really what the program is designed to do.  </p> <p>There is one computer connected to the internet and that is the Google instructor, but that’s it.  As far as being future hackers, well there may be a chance, but it’s probably slim and none on that end of things.  So where’s that tech shortage?  Are the big software folks going to come here and hire, well I don’t think so as we’re kind of talking basic coding, but again the state wants some free labor so who knows how far this will go and will folks on the outside be competing one day from prisoners who learned to code..we don’t know that yet as it’s still too new, but again you can’t overlook big companies always looking to get some free coding done and that’s everywhere.  Maybe they’ll come out of prison being able to do rewrites on EMRs:)  BD  </p> <p> <hr /></p> <p>Eighteen students are learning how to code Web pages. There’s one catch: They can’t use the Internet.</p> <p>The men, in matching jeans and blue shirts, are inmates at California’s San Quentin prison. They learn about smartphones from newspaper ads, and take classes in HTML, CSS and JavaScript in the hope the skills may someday help them find jobs outside of prison.</p> <p>It’s not an ideal way to learn. The day-to-day work of a software engineer today is “pretty much constant Googling,” says Shawn Drost, one of their instructors, and co-founder of Hack Reactor, a San Francisco-based coding academy.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/11/24/at-san-quentin-learning-web-coding-without-the-internet/?mod=rss_Technology">http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/11/24/at-san-quentin-learning-web-coding-without-the-internet/?mod=rss_Technology</a></p>

Training Prisoners to Code At San Quentin–What A Great Way to Train Future Hackers…

Ok so hopefully the title got your attention here as that’s what it was designed to do.  No this is not all bad as they need something to do that’s constructive and right now the entire US thinks everyone needs to code, code, code.  I don’t agree with that but we do need a much larger base of prog…

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Many States Trying To Figure Out Where to Get the Money to Keep Insurance Exchanges Open, While the GOP Wants the Money Back Already Spent?

<p>Yes it’s nuts from the GOP at this point to even think about getting the money back and time move on<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="162" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-njlVJQyLXcI/VHLlcMfebjI/AAAAAAABL3k/RY11TF6hVX8/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="187"> with that idea as it won’t work.  Now back on track various states are trying to figure out now that the Federal funds are going away, how to stay open.  These are the states that set up their own exchanges and not the ones covered by Healthcare. Gov.  Those states have another issue called a “lawsuit” where the Supreme Court will make a decision on whether or not they are legal, so if it’s not one thing, it’s another.</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/supreme-court-to-hear-challenge-to.html">Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Obamacare Subsidies- They Hold the Code In Their Hands That Controls the All the Machines Running the Affordable Care Act..</a></h5> <p>California is the only state that looks like there’s enough money and is putting aside some Federal Funds to fight off projected budget cuts.  Some states are adding a tax or a surcharge.  As of January the exchanges are supposed to be self sustaining and all are not making it.  BD  </p> <p> <hr> PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The federal government shelled out billions of dollars to get health insurance marketplaces going in the 14 states that opted to run their own. Now they must act like true marketplaces and start paying for themselves.</p> <p>Under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, state-run health insurance exchanges need to be financially self-sustaining starting in January. Some appear to be on that path, while others have shaky funding models or even none at all.</p> <p>Some states, prohibited from using state money, are imposing fees on plans sold on the marketplaces. Others are spreading costs more widely — which, in one instance, has drawn a federal lawsuit.</p> <p>Rhode Island received high marks for the smooth rollout of HealthSource RI amid last year’s stumbles by the federal government, and the agency director says the state’s health care reform “revolution” has begun. But the state does not have a way to pay for the exchange’s long-term operations, and some lawmakers in the state General Assembly have suggested shifting to the federal exchange.</p> <p>The cost to operate Rhode Island’s exchange is estimated at $17 million a year, although an earlier estimate pegged the cost at $24 million. Republican state Rep. Patricia Morgan introduced a bill last session to transfer its operations to the federal government, but the legislation was held for further study.</p> <p>New York is relying on two agencies’ general revenue, while Maryland is using money from an existing 2 percent tax on insurance plans. Republican Delegate Anthony O’Donnell, a critic of Maryland’s decision to create its own exchange, said he continues to question its sustainability. He said last week that he is concerned “about the entire structure and that it may collapse of its own weight.”</p> <p>To cut costs, Colorado’s state-run exchange has reduced overall spending 18 percent, including on technology and marketing. It’s imposing a 1.4 percent fee on monthly premiums for its plans but also approved charging a $1.25-a-month “general market” fee on all individual and small group policies, including those sold outside the state exchange.</p> <p>Some lawmakers called the fee unfair, and one board member voted against it. It is expected to raise an estimated $13 million a year before it expires in 2016.</p> <p><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/11/23/states-dont-have-the-money-to-run-their-obamacare-mandated-health-insurance-exchanges/">http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/11/23/states-dont-have-the-money-to-run-their-obamacare-mandated-health-insurance-exchanges/</a></p>

Many States Trying To Figure Out Where to Get the Money to Keep Insurance Exchanges Open, While the GOP Wants the Money Back Already Spent?

Yes it’s nuts from the GOP at this point to even think about getting the money back and time move on with that idea as it won’t work.  Now back on track various states are trying to figure out now that the Federal funds are going away, how to stay open.  These are the states that set up their own ex…

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Detroit Hospital the Victim of Identity Theft $500,000 Worth of Fake Patient Tax Returns Filed

<p>Here we go again the tax return scheme.  Last time it was in Florida with a hospital that had been hit 3<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="120" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nzZLjJpr57o/VHLgnEvms1I/AAAAAAABL3U/oaeQb7KUXNw/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="206" /> times in 2 years, all inside jobs. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/09/one-more-reason-to-license-data.html">One More Reason to License Data Sellers–Income Tax Fraud On the Rise-Who Are You Buying Your Data From And Who’s Buying Your Data? 60Minutes Report</a></h5> <p>Hundreds of files were stolen again and as you can read, they went right into filing income tax returns.  This is a big deal now with medical records and until the IRS can patch the hole that allows this to happen, which they are working on, nothing will change.  </p> <p>Take a look at this 60 Minute video and there’s a portion there that tells you all about the data problems at the IRS and why they can’t catch the thieves sooner.  BD  </p> <p><embed src="http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf" scale="noscale" salign="lt" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" background="#000000" width="425" height="279" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="pType=embed&si=254&pid=A_RfvtsPjG99&url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/biggest-irs-scam-around-identity-tax-refund-fraud" /></embed></p> <p> <hr />A pair of thieves stole the identities of hundreds of patients at two metro Detroit hospitals and used their personal information to scam the government out of nearly $500,000 in phony tax refunds, the U.S. Attorneys office announced today.</p> <p>According to an indictment unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court, one of the defendants stole patient records while working at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and DMC Harper Hospital. She then used the patients' personal information to file false tax returns in other peoples' names, the indictment said.</p> <p>Charged in the scheme are Markitta Washington, 29, of Hampton, Ga., and previously of Farmington Hills; and Martez Lear, 29, of Farmington Hills, who is currently serving time in prison for gun-related crimes.</p> <p>The indictment alleges that at least 305 identity theft victims had false tax returns filed on their behalf for tax years 2011 and 2012, resulting in about $489,000 in false refunds. Most of the refunds were sent using prepaid debit cards, some of which were recovered from the defendants' home.</p> <p><a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/11/18/hospital-identity-theft-metro-detroit/19239853/">http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/11/18/hospital-identity-theft-metro-detroit/19239853/</a></p>

Detroit Hospital the Victim of Identity Theft $500,000 Worth of Fake Patient Tax Returns Filed

Here we go again the tax return scheme.  Last time it was in Florida with a hospital that had been hit 3 times in 2 years, all inside jobs. One More Reason to License Data Sellers–Income Tax Fraud On the Rise-Who Are You Buying Your Data From And Who’s Buying Your Data? 60Minutes Report Hundreds …

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Hospital for Seniors Closed Due to Abuse of Patients…

<p>This has to be one of the worst I have read in a while about senior abuse and a facility.  One patient was shoved to the floor by a worker and had to be taken to a hospital.   The last patient was moved out at the end of October.  It took the facility 2 years to get regulatory <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="110" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rIDsNEyuBfA/VHLdRs6rA3I/AAAAAAABL3I/uB7V0GUMc5s/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="187" />qualifications to get Medicare reimbursement so that might say something right there.  It’s pretty bad when the regulators said it was like One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  BD  </p> <p> <hr />Federal and state officials have shut down the Bridgewell Hospital for senior citizens with mental health issues because staff members of the Pleasant Ridge facility assaulted patients, ignored injuries and did not report problems as required, government documents say.</p> <p>The 24-bed facility on Verulam Street was also dirty and poorly maintained, the documents say. Even in front of authorities who were monitoring the facility, staff members treated patients roughly, documents show.</p> <p>Officials with the facility's parent company, Evergreen Southwest Behavioral Health Services, could not be reached for comment Friday.</p> <p>At the time of the state and federal crackdown in September and October, as many as a dozen patients were staying at the hospital. State officials released the shutdown documents Friday afternoon, and they reveal an environment akin to "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest."</p> <p>On Aug. 18, a patient care associate pushed a patient to the floor; the staffer "appeared to laugh and taunt the patient, poking her finger at his hip." Three more staff members "stood closely to the patient after the incident and did nothing to assess or assist him."</p> <p><a href="http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/11/21/bridgewell-hospital-closed/19344183/">http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/11/21/bridgewell-hospital-closed/19344183/</a></p>

Hospital for Seniors Closed Due to Abuse of Patients…

This has to be one of the worst I have read in a while about senior abuse and a facility.  One patient was shoved to the floor by a worker and had to be taken to a hospital.   The last patient was moved out at the end of October.  It took the facility 2 years to get regulatory qualifications to get …

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Goldman Sachs Big Investor in Kensho Analytics & Will Roll Out to Selected Clients– A Siri Service for Investors

<p>Kensho was founded in 2012, so it’s not that old and I say here it’s like a competitor of sorts to IBM Watson if you will but with a specific focus right now on investors to ask questions about the markets.  The software scours the web and gives a response. </p> <p>The responses are customized to the type of investor one is, so there will be different answers<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="202" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B5tSBwv6ciI/VHI6GBJX-jI/AAAAAAABL2w/WDNRWLIameI/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" title="image" width="315" /> sent back, depending on the “view” you have in your profile, so two people would get different answers if you will, in other words a Bull might see a different answer than a Bear for a simple analogy.</p> <p>I guess we will see how this service competes with quants at hedge funds, and oh yes, insider trading might really start to come at a premium now as of course Kensho won’t have that capability:)  Oh the SEC should even get busier with monitoring that end of regulation now if statistics prove to be valuable here.  Bloomberg and Reuters might be on guard and perhaps they may have their own platform under development to compete?  Who knows?  So what will D.E. Shaw and Renaissance Technologies react as they have kind of been the kings here with quantitated information for years?  Interesting too on how this is rolling out with Goldman instead of keeping this type of search tool as a black box type of element.  </p> <p>The technology uses MapReduce which is pretty much a standard element of any analytics out there today with sharing the cloud sharing capabilities for search and processing.  The media, CNBC is all over this and will be showing some commonly asked questions for the public to view.  Also CNBC will be using those good old news feeds to compare stock performance to the weather:)  We all laugh about some of these correlations at times and wonder what’s next to blame poor stock performance on?  You can watch the video and read the clip below it…who got hired from the Fed to work here I wonder?  </p> <p><iframe height="298" src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/gZWlPC/vcps_inline?byGuid=3000331815&size=480_298" width="480" bgcolor="#131313" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p><strong><u><a href="https://www.kensho.com/#/">From the website:</a></u></strong></p> <p><em>“Backed by Google Ventures, and with clients that range from Wall Street's premier global banks to several of the best performing hedge funds in history, Kensho was founded out of MIT and Harvard in 2013. Kensho's team members come from veteran positions at Google, Apple, Facebook, and the United States Federal Reserve.”</em></p> <p><em>“We are a diverse and spirited group of engineers and scientists who are accomplished analytical thinkers and passionate problem solvers. Together, our multi-talented team includes PhD theoretical physicists, one of the seven members of the original Apple iPhone engineering team, a head of financial technology research at Stanford's School of Engineering, PhD economists, a PhD historian, the author of Quantitative Finance for Physicists, and one of the youngest ever entrants to Harvard College (age 15).”</em></p> <p>Here’s an example of a question posed about Apple.  I’m guessing the side of the platform for Goldman clients will be tweaked for extra special queries versus what runs on CNBC, that’s the way the algorithm world works.  </p> <p><iframe height="298" src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/gZWlPC/vcps_inline?byGuid=3000332052&size=480_298" width="480" bgcolor="#131313" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p>This will be interesting to follow and see if there’s good analytics advice that comes out or will will we goofy correlations like we get on so many healthcare studies with spurious correlations?  Will the machine recognize what is spurious?  We already have insurance polices being built by quants so watch this go over to the insurance side, wouldn’t surprise me but there’s a need for human intervention of course when that happens as we are humans and not data.  We really would not want a novice data person asking questions of a platform as such to design a lot of what we use in healthcare:) </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html">Data Scientists/Quants in the Health Insurance Business–Modeling Beyond the Speed and Capabilities of Humans To Keep Up With The Affordable Care Act–Turning Into A World of Killer Algorithms That We All Hate..</a></h5> <p>Meanwhile the financial industry has the the same nonsense as we do in healthcare and<strong><em> <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="157" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VropruA9TTw/VHI6G3WUkAI/AAAAAAABL24/2jMsMkNwjm8/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="244" /></em></strong><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/21/fidelity-stock-city-app/"><strong><em>Fidelity  is telling all their clients to use “Stock City”</em></strong></a> a gamification visualization of a portfolio…a joke as you can see the investors can see through this right up as they don’t see themselves wearing Oculus 3D headsets to view their portfolio.  You do have to remember that Oculus is that 3D company that Facebook paid a lot of money for and they are speculating like crazy to toss stuff out and see what sticks.  Investors realized right off the bat that the visuals were more of a distraction that could lead to not paying attention to areas of their portfolio at times, and again too bad the folks in healthcare have not been able to see this yet.  I don’t mind gamificaiton to produce better skills, etc. and that’s definitely a whole different ball game than Stock City by all means. </p> <p>Of course Fidelity is going to push this as investors asleep at the wheel and dummied down means money for them, just like insurers do in healthcare.  BD</p> <hr />Goldman Sachs has emerged as the largest investor in a financial analytics start-up that enables institutions to mine a wealth of big data, underscoring Wall Street’s drive to tap new technology. <p>Goldman led a $15m round of financing in Kensho, an analytics platform that can instantly answer millions of complex financial questions by automating previously human-intensive research. The bank will roll out the platform across its business as well as to some of its big clients.</p> <p>Kensho, which has been likened to a Siri-style service for investors, analysts and traders, enables them to ask questions such as, “What happens to US homebuilder stocks if a category three hurricane makes landfall?”</p> <p>Analysts said Goldman was probably seeking to save on costs while also tapping into a wealth of so-called “unstructured” data. Such information involves text as opposed to the numeric “structured” data that have traditionally been easier for computers to digest.</p> <p>Research scientists estimate that 80 per cent of all data come in unstructured form; being able to quickly analyze this wealth of information is the holy grail for banks seeking to use big data to augment their business.</p> <p>Initially called “Warren” in a nod to both the billionaire octogenarian investor Warren Buffett and the IBM supercomputer known as “Watson”, the platform has been rebranded to match the company’s name Kensho, partly on Goldman’s advice.</p> <p>While the exact size of Goldman’s Kensho investment is unknown, it is big enough to make the bank the single largest strategic investor in the company, which has previously secured money from groups including Google Ventures, Accel Partners and CNBC, which last week announced its own investment and partnership with the platform.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/db9e08b2-71d7-11e4-9048-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=published_links/rss/home_us/feed//product#axzz3JupWolT9">http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/db9e08b2-71d7-11e4-9048-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=published_links/rss/home_us/feed//product#axzz3JupWolT9</a></p>

Goldman Sachs Big Investor in Kensho Analytics & Will Roll Out to Selected Clients– A Siri Service for Investors

Kensho was founded in 2012, so it’s not that old and I say here it’s like a competitor of sorts to IBM Watson if you will but with a specific focus right now on investors to ask questions about the markets.  The software scours the web and gives a response. The responses are customized to the type…

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Prime Healthcare to Buy St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Port Huron Michigan

<p>Here’s another one for Prime and as we all pretty much know, Prime buys hospitals in financial stress and has been doing that for a few years now and it all began in California where the company is located.  Prime Healthcare Services also acquired Garden City Hospital in<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="187" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WBGgK_OGhHc/VHGXwVO0rQI/AAAAAAABL2g/VFWypCbpvCA/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="123" /> Garden City, Michigan, earlier this year.</p> <p>In California the future of 6 Catholic hospitals that were dumped by Ascension earlier this year is hanging on Prime being able to buy them as that’s their only offer.  BD </p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/prime-healthcare-to-acquire-catholic-6.html">Prime Healthcare to Acquire Catholic 6 Hospital Chain Daughters of Charity Pending Regulation Approval In California</a></p> <p> <hr />Another Port Huron hospital is changing hands.</p> <p>Prime Healthcare Services, of Ontario, California, will purchase St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron.</p> <p>St. Joseph Mercy Health System and its parent company, Trinity Health, announced the "definitive agreement" with Prime Healthcare Thursday morning.</p> <p>The announcement comes about six months after McLaren Health System finalized its purchase of Port Huron Hospital, now known as McLaren Port Huron.</p> <p>"Over the years, we have been talking to various parties on how best to meet the needs of the Port Huron community and this opportunity came up when Prime Healthcare approached us," said Garry Faja, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Mercy Health System Southeast Michigan.</p> <p>Cottengim said the sale of the hospital will include St. Joseph Mercy Health System's interests in the Lakeshore Surgery Center, Advanced MRI and the hospital's subsidiaries and joint venture affiliates such as Tri-Hospital EMS, Mercy PHO, and Mercy Physician Partners.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/2014/11/20/california-based-hospital-system-buy-st-joseph-mercy-port-huron/70008124/">http://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/2014/11/20/california-based-hospital-system-buy-st-joseph-mercy-port-huron/70008124/</a></p>

Prime Healthcare to Buy St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Port Huron Michigan

Here’s another one for Prime and as we all pretty much know, Prime buys hospitals in financial stress and has been doing that for a few years now and it all began in California where the company is located.  Prime Healthcare Services also acquired Garden City Hospital in Garden City, Michigan, earli…

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Johns Hopkins -Insurance Plans From United Healthcare Bought Via Exchanges Will Not Be Able to Use Johns Hopkins Physicians or Medical System–Filed Lawsuit To Sue United, Stating Violation of 1997 Contract

<p>A few days ago I posted with information from the insurer themselves that doctors will be compensated at a rate<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PSHB5iXlf0s/VGwPJs5oSyI/AAAAAAABL1c/Pu3aQqJakfc/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" title="image" width="322" /> slightly above what Medicaid pays, so I’m sure that’s what’s going on here as it’s all contracts and price.  Other United Healthcare polices via employers and I’m guessing Medicare Advantage plans are still ok and accepted.  Insurance carriers have had a busy year with hiring armies of quants and have zeroed in on the restrictive parameters of policies they will offer and making more of them carry a very high deductible which is basically coverage for a major event for most. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/here-come-dead-doctors-again-located-in.html">Here Come the Dead Doctors Again Located In Flawed Directories–Now It’s From Insurance Companies Who Can’t Produce Semi Accurate Listings And They Pay These People…</a></h5> <p>We did get away from pre-existing conditions with the ACA law but now the insurer modelers have just moved that segmentation over to narrow networks to model with.  </p> <p><em>“Also there’s another reason for all of this and that has to do with the <strong>“Secret Scoring of America’s Doctors” to where the armies of Quants that have been hired by insurers use pure analytics of some type to determine risk, costs, etc. and knock them off the network</strong>.  The link below has more on the number of quants that have been hired by insurers.  They want us as doctors and patients to move like algos and the result is flawed data.</em> “</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html">Data Scientists/Quants in the Health Insurance Business–Modeling Beyond the Speed and Capabilities of Humans To Keep Up With The Affordable Care Act–Turning Into A World of Killer Algorithms That We All Hate..</a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-secret-scoring-of-americas.html">“The Secret Scoring of America’s Physicians” - Algorithmic Math Models For Insurance Network Contractual Exclusions, Relating to MDs Who See Medicare Advantage Patients..</a></h5> <p>As a matter of fact the data at times with insurers due to frequent model changes that are also hard on us, we have cases like this in Maryland, where United bid and won a contract but then the left quant didn’t know what the right quant was doing and the doctors in the area had already been fired so they lost the contract as they nobody to see patients.  This is how the constant shuffling of insurance data, they do on purpose for profits is shuffling out to consumers. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/01/howard-county-school-board-in-maryland.html">Howard County School Board in Maryland Rescinds United Healthcare Contract As Retirees Didn’t Want the Medicare Advantage Plan, No Providers Available..</a></h5> <p>So again, those buying a United Healthcare policy via an insurance exchange in Maryland, looks like you are out of luck for Hopkins and their doctors.  BD </p> <hr />Consumers who buy certain policies from UnitedHealthcare through the Maryland health exchange will not be able to use Johns Hopkins physicians or hospitals, the health system and insurer said Thursday. <p>Hopkins, one of the biggest systems in the state, is not excluded from all of the insurer's plans or by the other carriers on the exchange, created under the Affordable Care Act for people who don't get their insurance through their employers.</p> <p>"We believe patients have the right to make informed decisions regarding their health care," said Patricia M.C. Brown, senior vice president of managed care and population health for Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Unless this limitation is clearly communicated, consumers who consider plans based on price alone may not realize they are restricting their access to the quality care and expertise that Johns Hopkins provides."</p> <p>UnitedHealthcare is also still negotiating with the University of Maryland Medical System.</p> <p>Other carriers may yet exclude some other health systems, though officials from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the state's dominant carrier, said its networks were not narrowed for exchange policies and include about 45,000 providers.</p> <p><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/health-care/bs-hs-exchange-exclusions-20141113-story.html">http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/health-care/bs-hs-exchange-exclusions-20141113-story.html</a></p>

Johns Hopkins -Insurance Plans From United Healthcare Bought Via Exchanges Will Not Be Able to Use Johns Hopkins Physicians or Medical System–Filed Lawsuit To Sue United, Stating Violation of 1997 Contract

A few days ago I posted with information from the insurer themselves that doctors will be compensated at a rate slightly above what Medicaid pays, so I’m sure that’s what’s going on here as it’s all contracts and price.  Other United Healthcare polices via employers and I’m guessing Medicare Advanta…

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Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Demand a Fix for Inadequate Care

<p>Last year Kaiser was fined $4 million by the state of California that stated patients were not getting timely care and access.  The California Department of Managed care was the agency who assessed the fine.  I have read other accountings on the web here and there about this <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="298" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--YrPt5hmB1Q/VHF65d2yI5I/AAAAAAABL2Q/v8kO7L1tYl0/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="218" />topic so this is nothing new and even some prior employees have said the same.  Kaiser replied they are fixing things up and hiring more therapists to make the system better.</p> <p>2,500 Kaiser mental health clinicians belong to the National Union of Healthcare Workers and this is the group today that is claiming things are not getting any better.  In some areas and I don’t know how long ago the contracts were signed but you can see where Kaiser has partnered with the “too big to fail” healthcare insurer, United via their Optum subsidiary and they are not alone as when you<strong> </strong><a href="http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/health-plans/medical/optum.html"><strong>view a page from the University of California,</strong></a> Health net, Kaiser and Blue Shield also appear to have Behavioral health benefits there.  </p> <p>In addition, Kaiser provides their “Life Connections” Health Center arrangements for services outside of Kaiser facilities and you find Optum there as well for behavioral health and this appears to be something that comes along with employer provided insurance as there one page that lays it out for Cisco employees you can find on an open search.  BD  </p> <p> <hr />EMERYVILLE -- Psychologists and therapists on Thursday demanded that Kaiser fix what they say is inadequate mental health care, with patients sometimes having to wait more than a month for follow-up appointments.</p> <p>"We're so understaffed that patients are having to wait upward of two or more months to get in for an appointment. The average wait is four to eight weeks," said Marcy Reda, a Kaiser Walnut Creek clinical social worker. </p> <p>Kaiser issued a statement saying the workers were misstating the facts: "We have hired hundreds of therapists in California over the past several years, and are working to hire more," the HMO said in an email. </p> <p><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_26979874/kaiser-mental-health-workers-say-system-broken">http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_26979874/kaiser-mental-health-workers-say-system-broken</a></p>

Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Demand a Fix for Inadequate Care

Last year Kaiser was fined $4 million by the state of California that stated patients were not getting timely care and access.  The California Department of Managed care was the agency who assessed the fine.  I have read other accountings on the web here and there about this topic so this is nothing…

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FDA Approves Another Extended Release Hydrocodone Product With Abuse Deterrent Properties

<p>Well I thought we were trying to crack down on hydrocodone abuse and maybe the deterrent properties are the key here.  In the last couple <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="187" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GZmassYV-ag/VG7CQg_2YQI/AAAAAAABL2A/GnsGuzln6mk/image%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="123" />of years I seem to remember more of these types of products being approved or maybe I’m just imagining things?  It comes from Purdue labs, one of the long time manufacturers of hydrocodone.   Granted we need pain killers for short term after surgeries, etc. and some folks with long term use needed to where there’s not any other alternatives so they can’t go away.  BD  </p> <p> <hr />The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Hysingla ER (hydrocodone bitartrate), an extended-release (ER) opioid analgesic to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. Hysingla ER has approved labeling describing the product’s abuse-deterrent properties consistent with the FDA’s 2013 draft guidance for industry, Abuse-Deterrent Opioids – Evaluation and Labeling.</p> <p>Hysingla ER has properties that are expected to reduce, but not totally prevent, abuse of the drug when chewed and then taken orally, or crushed and snorted or injected. The tablet is difficult to crush, break or dissolve. It also forms a viscous hydrogel (thick gel) and cannot be easily prepared for injection. The FDA has determined that the physical and chemical properties of Hysingla ER are expected to make abuse by these routes difficult. However, abuse of Hysingla ER by these routes is still possible. It is important to note that taking too much Hysingla ER, whether by intentional abuse or by accident, can cause an overdose that may result in death.</p> <p><a href="http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm423977.htm">http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm423977.htm</a></p>

FDA Approves Another Extended Release Hydrocodone Product With Abuse Deterrent Properties

Well I thought we were trying to crack down on hydrocodone abuse and maybe the deterrent properties are the key here.  In the last couple of years I seem to remember more of these types of products being approved or maybe I’m just imagining things?  It comes from Purdue labs, one of the long time ma…

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Science and Healthcare Technologies–Two Parties on Complete Opposite Ends, Enter the World of the GOP Skeptics and the Democratic Dupers

<p>I have never seen anything like this and I’m not happy with either party.  I can understand the battle a bit though as the Democratic Dupers have sucked in so much “junk science” that it has irritated the other side to be the party of no with almost any science.  I get irritated with what I called the Sebelius Syndrome as you can’t find anyone that was more of a repeated “public duper”, not once but over and over<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="197" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B-iV0IPsMko/VG2SRlq2wBI/AAAAAAABL1s/YyhD8xAQv50/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="310" /> and I can’t figure out for the life of me where in the heck she came up with some of her rationalizations and actions.  She had some smart people and and dupers working for her, but I must say the dupers won, either that or she listened to neither and was left to her own duped perceptions.</p> <p>Folks in tech used to just sit and roll at some of what she said and it wasn’t for the fact that it was really messing with some big systems, it might have actually been funny.  One of the best ones though is the letter sent out telling all hospitals and they were billing liars, along with software vendors in the Health IT business.  In that case she even went so far as to duped Holder into signing the letter too:)</p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/09/hhs-and-doj-send-letters-to-hospital.html">HHS and DOJ Send Letters to Hospital Trade Associations Warning of Gaming Billing System Via Use of Electronic Medical Records–Hospitals Just Learned How to Bill Better & Hired Consultants–Case of Being Algo Duped With Numbers?</a></h5> <p>What’s funny about this too is that just a couple months ago CMS found an insurer that billed up $70 billion in “said fraud” using a risk fiddler and soaked them over 5 years so all the billing fraud inquiries and investigations couldn’t even touch this number, so we had a case of Algo Duping deluxe, and again those wacky perceptions we had to listen for a number of years:)  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/08/cms-discovers-that-insurers-offering.html">CMS Discovers That Insurers Offering Medicare Advantage “Really Know How To Sharp Shoot A Model With Adjusting Risk For Profit”, A Common Everyday Occurrence in Financial Markets…</a></h5> <p>So there’s the Democratic Dupers who believe all the stats and formulas insurers tell them, while they algorithmically cash in.  Health insurers have armies of Quants that really know how to work “the virtual” value world and the dupers never questioned it.  I go back to my first sales manager I had when I was young who told me “throw numbers at them and you’ll get your sale” and that what we have with the Democrats here.  Even the White House aggravated me with using junk science numbers with Climate Control and I have no problem with it but it made me mad to see duper stats that nobody can predict, insulted my intelligence but I wrote it off as that came from the Democratic Dupers.  I don’t mean any disrespect here but damn this stuff is getting thick and you sit and wonder how much more will they dupe on in?  Don’t put 2300 less hospitalizations will take place with one year of Climate Control as nobody and I mean me or anyone else can predict that because we have this little element called “variables” out there.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/junk-science-appearing-everywhere-even.html">Junk Science Appearing Everywhere, Even The White House “PR Templated” Correspondence Creates Spurious Correlations…</a></h5> <p>The best I could figure on that one is that the geeks at the White House were mirroring what we see in the news every day and were following a dupe pattern as everyone could be duped right? </p> <p>Here’s another matter, does either party realize “the machines” are running the Affordable Care Act?  From what I read, a<img align="right" height="381" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7T4N9eveehQ/U41RptrzUOI/AAAAAAABKes/I46asIKCq8o/WhiteHouse4.png?imgmax=800" style="float: right; display: inline" width="344" />nd it might be part media too, they don’t get it and still think a big shout down or another “he said she said” deal in the news is going to make a difference?  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-affordable-care-act-is-run-by.html">The Affordable Care Act Is Run By the Machines–So Now What Do Human Lawmakers Think They Are Going To Do About It?</a></h5> <p>So let’s cut the crap here and get the Democrats out of their virtual worlds of sucking any set of numbers you toss at them and maybe the GOP won’t be so mad all the time and hang way at the other side?  You think?  Again I can see the aggravation here as I’m a Democrat and I get mad a their dupes!  It’s stupid and I know better and there’s folks out there a lot smarter than me that read this stuff too, so stop the dupes!  The GOP can stop being party of the “NO”.  The more the Democrats dupe on us, the madder the GOP get and nothing happens.  </p> <p>We have healthcare models at CMS failing right and left and need to be redone and it’s all those over quantitated formulas that United Healthcare mentored over there for years and they don’t work anymore, just like the quantitative formulas for hedge funds, they’re not working anymore and everyone’s on this quest for some magical algorithms and they won’t find them to make big money like they used to.  </p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.fr/2014/03/virtual-worlds-real-world-we-have.html"><strong><em>We have way too many folks confusing virtual world values with the real world</em></strong></a><strong><em>,</em></strong> so much to the point to where doctors are just about choked at the neck with all of this and nobody’s getting any better care but the Health IT bills are going up.  Some of that needed to be weeded out so we have “relative” data and not just data that can be sold to make money.  </p> <p>Watch this video from Paul Wilmott and think “population health” and relate it to what’s he’s saying with all this big data and you’ll see how hard it is with all the numbers to “really” find a pot of gold as how would you find a relationship with such a huge number of patients? <strong> This is where this so called “science” fails as queries with small data might do just as well.  Science need to dig around in big data like this as well as the folks in genomics but it’s way over done with giving patient care and thinking there’s some big scientific breakthrough to arrive with running the business of healthcare</strong>.</p> <p><object height="275" width="485"><param name="movie" value="http://swf.tubechop.com/tubechop.swf?vurl=ed2FWNWwE3I&start=840&end=1025&cid=3048609"></param><embed src="http://swf.tubechop.com/tubechop.swf?vurl=ed2FWNWwE3I&start=840&end=1025&cid=3048609" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="485" height="275"></embed></object></p> <p>Scientists do their share of cheating too and mess with risk fiddlers and P Values as well to tweak “statistical significance” and add that on to this the Democratic Dupers and the GOP perceptions and then we really have a mess:)  When the models get too complex for some non linear work, Quants and Data Scientists guess, especially if their job’s on the line.  With all the complexities out there today, I might think we have a bit of guessing going on out there in healthcare, science and the financial world.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/when-models-are-too-complex-with-too.html">When The Models Are Too Complex With Too Many Bits of Data-Sometimes Quants, Data Scientists Just Guess and Assign a Number Value And “That’s Not Science At All “</a></h5> <p>I’d like to see the day return to where I didn’t have to read through and pick off the dupes out there and the spurious correlations that people confuse for “real news” on some little number crunch that people mistake for science, that’s not science, it’s number crunch.  So can these two parties get their heads together and start looking at the “real” world here so both parties can create laws that are not based on flawed and fake numbers?  </p> <p><strong>Can the GOP quit saying “No” to everything and being a skeptic about anything?</strong>  We do need good numbers and we are not getting that now as the sides are so far apart and it does nothing for the country.  There’s sites besides mine that just rip on folks and their virtual world perceptions and yet they still keep doing it as again they have been confusing virtual values with the real world when they don’t belong and can’t tell the difference anymore.. You have to also remember the business world likes that confusion as it means profits as they will work both sides as needed.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/05/people-dont-work-that-way-world-of.html">“ People Don’t Work That Way” A World of Broken Software Models That Don’t Align To the Human Side,Too Much Push At Times With Only A Proof of Concept That Fails in the Real World..</a></h5> <p>We don’t need any more Bloomberg Big Gulp failed models and see how he was duped in and all the money and power couldn’t shove a broken model down the throats, literally of consumers.   BD </p>

Science and Healthcare Technologies–Two Parties on Complete Opposite Ends, Enter the World of the GOP Skeptics and the Democratic Dupers

I have never seen anything like this and I’m not happy with either party.  I can understand the battle a bit though as the Democratic Dupers have sucked in so much “junk science” that it has irritated the other side to be the party of no with almost any science.  I get irritated with what I called t…

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CDC Shuts Down Obesity For the Work Place Web Site–One of Those Failed Models That Continues to Tie Obesity to Financial Losses-A Broken Proof of Concept Model That Does Not Work And Strips Employees of Their Dignity

<p>What’s the matter with people anymore with being stuck in stat rat world?  Do they think an obese person is going to look at this as something positive?  With as bad as companies have been today with little concern for the people they employ at times (and this is not all employers) do they think this is a positive to motivate people to lose weight?  The key to losing weight is not the expense of an obese person<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="62" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LzhiXEcDwQk/VGvyd5EcnzI/AAAAAAABL1E/Haan2ozPSsc/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="341" />, it’s hitting the right key note to get the person motivated to lose weight for themselves and then everyone wins and you don’t need stupid websites like this.  When a person loses weight for their own self esteem, that’s the best by all means.  I wrote a while back too about another sick bunch that likes to sit around and map the obese in the US.  Well it’s not like they are hiding anywhere and it takes one glance to recognize one who is obese so why all the infographics?  It’s because the people who do them are suffer from narcissism and want you to see their “beautiful” work and the obese who are mapped, well they could be mapping anything really as it doesn’t matter. </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/09/obesity-just-as-big-as-ever-in-usmore.html">Obesity Just As Big As Ever In the US–More Failed Ineffective Models As Technology Is Not The Cure With, Many Proof of Concepts Not Working, Obesity Algorithms Are Not the Answer</a></h5> <p>Actually the head of CDC was the same one who dreamed up the Bloomberg Big Gulp failed model too so again people do things by example and if you remember, look at all we went through over that failed proof of concept.  Bloomberg and Frieden didn’t know when to stop.  I put this Obesity site right in there with being another failed Bloomberg failed proof of concept.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-more-bloomberg-big-gulp-failed.html">How Many More “Bloomberg Big Gulp” Failed “Proof of Concept” Models Can We Sustain Before Everyone Splits a Gasket?</a></h5> <p>Attraction is the means to motivate someone to lose weight and there are much better ways to accomplish that versus segmentation like this.  The obesity calculator is gone and from what I am reading it’s a standard BMI that you can find by the groves anywhere.   That’s ok but when you start directing this type of segmentation to employers, it becomes a different story.  As a matter of fact, I absolutely hate the term “human capital” and wish folks would just reduce it to one word “human” as that’s what we are talking about here.  </p> <p>It’s to the point to where people who are not obese look at those who are with minus dollar signs<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="113" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6OhonnntW0k/VGvygWCk3fI/AAAAAAABL1M/9b-DnF_bPyA/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" title="image" width="302" /> in their eyes and that’s not right as the obese need a little compassion and a reason to care, not this.  We have way many lost today in virtual world values this is the prime example right here.  Heck look at the example the White House produces and this one got my attention as again folks confusing virtual values with real world values.  Now go take a look at the fatties in Congress and nobody’s on their case are they?  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/06/junk-science-appearing-everywhere-even.html">Junk Science Appearing Everywhere, Even The White House “PR Templated” Correspondence Creates Spurious Correlations…</a></h5> <p>The CDC already has their Work Place Health Promotion page and that’s enough and they go over board too with a “work place scorecard” and more over there too.  Heck if I were an employer, the reading is fine but I wouldn’t want to put any more information about my company on the CDC site.  They claim their data is “science based” but I didn’t have time to read it all but doubt all of it is, more or less some of it is just number crunching and stats.  There’s more stuff and resources over there to read and again how many employers will use and read it?  I’m talking beyond healthcare information to be specific to the Healthy Worksite.  </p> <p>Again the information is ok but it will be misleading for some as well as again they want you to share and share and share more data, and I’m out of that ball game and again I don’t any employers are going to dig into that either and we have folks that just went over the edge a bit here.  I can barely stand to be in a CVS or Walgreens store anymore as all of this is just in my face constantly and I can’t browse and shop like I used too and those may be just the stores near me but I started going to Rite Aid for that reason as I get tackled over and over for flu shots and I even get that a bit in the grocery store where I go which has a pharmacy in it.  When things are slow they have the pharmacist handing out coupons…yuk.  </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/09/stop-flu-shot-harassment-at-drug.html">Stop the flu Shot Harassment At Drug Stores–I’ve Had It! Put Take the Corporate Data Scientists Off the flu Shot Model And Give Us a Break..</a></h5> <p><strong>So again we had some folks living just a bit too virtual and didn’t even think how this site would be accepted in “the real world”.  You have give people some space and get out of their faces and quit selling our data right and left as well.  BD</strong></p> <p> <hr />The CDC has taken down a website that offered an “obesity cost calculator” to help American bosses tally financial losses linked to their overweight employees, a spokeswoman for the agency confirmed Tuesday.</p> <p>Called Lean Works!, the federal program drew recent criticism from some nutritionists and advocates for overweight Americans who claimed the site and its obesity calculator fueled workplace discrimination and perhaps even led some companies to fire fat people. NBC News first reported those concerns Nov. 2.</p> <p>Brittany Behm, a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said via email that content once posted at Lean Works! “is under review,” adding: “The calculator is also under review and will be potentially updated with new information, technology.” </p>

CDC Shuts Down Obesity For the Work Place Web Site–One of Those Failed Models That Continues to Tie Obesity to Financial Losses-A Broken Proof of Concept Model That Does Not Work And Strips Employees of Their Dignity

What’s the matter with people anymore with being stuck in stat rat world?  Do they think an obese person is going to look at this as something positive?  With as bad as companies have been today with little concern for the people they employ at times (and this is not all employers) do they think thi…

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