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Saint Luke's will end contract with UnitedHealthcare
Saint Luke's will end contract with UnitedHealthcare

Termination date is for a year from now...until February 2009.  BD  Saint Luke's Health System said Thursday that it intends to terminate its network provider contract with UnitedHealthcare on its Feb. 28, 2009, termination date because the insurers' reimbursement rates are too low. The terminat…

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31Jan2008


Microsoft conference calling
Microsoft conference calling

 Hilarious....conferencing can be fun and there's even a little time left to dance!  Have fun with Office Communicator!  BD  More about Office Communicator here …

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31Jan2008


Heroes Happen Here - Pitfalls of Paper...
Heroes Happen Here - Pitfalls of Paper...

  http://blogs.technet.com/hhh_comic/archive/2008/01/31/hhh-comic-series-day-3.aspx …

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31Jan2008


Executives - Mobility and Tablet PCs - A Commentary
Executives - Mobility and Tablet PCs - A Commentary

In my travels and in communicating with folks at various levels of health care, the one thing that somewhat continues to boggle my mind a bit is the "stereo typing" of a Tablet Computer.  In other words when having conversations with executives and others in management, they all seem to be of the op…

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31Jan2008


Straight Talk from the Stanford ER
Straight Talk from the Stanford ER

Hash cookies...good work from the ER in finding this....especially since the child had medical issues already....I thought some of this died in the 70s, but what do I know...BD  The events were playing out too quickly. I enter the room-“The Nanny” is there, as well as the father, and the mother i…

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31Jan2008


Official says no drugs for off-duty police - Amsterdam
Official says no drugs for off-duty police - Amsterdam

No pot for the off duty police...BD  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch interior minister wants police officials to stop using soft drugs when they are off-duty as it tarnishes the image of the force. The use of some soft drugs is tolerated in the Netherlands and the sale of cannabis in small quanti…

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31Jan2008


Experts, Lawmakers Call For Increased FDA Funding To Address Agency Problems
Experts, Lawmakers Call For Increased FDA Funding To Address Agency Problems

 Update:  Back in December it was noted that many front line employees don't have computers...and the article stated they never ask for money...along with the antiquated email system...the FDA has a lot of responsibility for our safety and we all rely on their judgement...but can someone get some ne…

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31Jan2008


Medtronic Announces FDA Approval of CGMS® iPro™ Continuous Glucose Recorder
Medtronic Announces FDA Approval of CGMS® iPro™ Continuous Glucose Recorder

288 readings a day for 3 days....return to your physician at the end of the 72 hours and go over the data collected on the computer....BD  MINNEAPOLIS — January 29, 2008 — Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the FDA approval of a new physician-use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) syste…

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31Jan2008


Washington State Health Care Associations Announce Resolution To Stop Charges For Preventable Medical Errors
Washington State Health Care Associations Announce Resolution To Stop Charges For Preventable Medical Errors

And the insurers will not pay as well....again the question in some areas, what is preventable..some are obvious but there's an areas of gray here with even some of the CMS regulations as well...each case I believe is truly it's own...BD   Washington state health care providers no longer will charg…

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31Jan2008


Terminated - California Health Care
Terminated - California Health Care

Back to the same issue..who's going to pay the bill?  There's quite a bit of money in the "cash reserves" held by the insurers...billions....BD  Like collapses in Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, this one crumpled because of the costs, which are always much higher than anticipated. The truth…

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31Jan2008


Should health insurance companies be for profit?
Should health insurance companies be for profit?

Is it time to scrap the entire system and start over?  This article explores some opinions and thoughts on the issue...BD  Not only should health insurance companies be non-profit - they shouldn't exist, period. I just read that we spend 16% of our income in the United States for health care. Tha…

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31Jan2008


Turns out it wasn't just false labor...
Turns out it wasn't just false labor...

NORWOOD, Ohio - A woman who had been told that her pains were false labor pains gave birth in the driveway of her home. Charryse Brooks, 25, had gone to a hospital about 2 a.m. Sunday because she thought she might be in the early stages of labor. She wasn't due with her first child until Feb. 22. …

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30Jan2008


Lawsuit alleges testing fraud at Presbyterian Hospital
Lawsuit alleges testing fraud at Presbyterian Hospital

One more for the legal system...real diagnosing or a matter of money?  Not enough of a story here to speculate...BD  Eleven women have filed a lawsuit against Dallas' Presbyterian Hospital, alleging fraud on the part of doctors who allegedly recommended treatment for conditions they did not have.…

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30Jan2008


Marijuana machines could be cure for inconvenience - California
Marijuana machines could be cure for inconvenience - California

I guess this will be easier for the DEA to arrest a machine...well at least help put an end to the recent activity of yes it ok, or no it is not...and there is security so it's not like getting a bag of chips or a candy bar...and your picture is taken each time the machine is used...and there is a …

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30Jan2008


The Database Taste Challenge!
The Database Taste Challenge!

This is the hart hat area...as stated it is a trade promotion and you need to check company policy to ensure you are eligible to participate..basically set up to promote being trained with both Oracle and SQL 2005 and the value of using both...the game is challenge your skills...BD  What tastes be…

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30Jan2008


Mobility Matters™: Tablet PC Mounting Solutions - Sahara i440D
Mobility Matters™: Tablet PC Mounting Solutions - Sahara i440D

From Gail at the TabletKiosk blog...nice visuals that show the docking cradle for the Sahara i440D tablet...be sure to watch the video in the upper right hand corner to see some of this in action and a couple of other new items that add some modularity....BD  "This made me start thinking that I nee…

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30Jan2008


A 'Crystallized Fart' Lasts Forever .....
A 'Crystallized Fart' Lasts Forever .....

There could be some value with an issue we seek medical advice for....for more on this story I have to leave it to Robert Scoble who found out a lot more about this as Davos...quote below...and read his blog input here...the heck with ever thinking about selling a black market kidney, this is legal…

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30Jan2008


A swiped Blue Cross laptop puts data at risk - New Jersey
A swiped Blue Cross laptop puts data at risk - New Jersey

Anybody heard of Windows Server 2003 or 2008 with the ability to wipe a mobile device...security breach of the week...or what's wrong with a secured VPN set up....better effort here with the information set up to self destroy at a certain date....BD  Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey i…

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30Jan2008


President Bush Signs Bill With Veterans' Health Care Funds
President Bush Signs Bill With Veterans' Health Care Funds

The veterans are getting a little help...now how about children and seniors...BD   President Bush on Monday signed into law a revised $696 billion fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill (HR 4986), CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 1/29). The bill includes improvements in health care for ve…

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30Jan2008


Congress Budget Office Director Calls For Improvements In CMS Demos, More Data From Insurers
Congress Budget Office Director Calls For Improvements In CMS Demos, More Data From Insurers

Budget office does not appear happy with the current reporting system...begging for data from insurance companies as relates to Medicare Advantage plans....we've been wondering the same things about money saved and quality of health care....BD  Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag on…

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30Jan2008


Doc admits leaking study results to drug maker
Doc admits leaking study results to drug maker

It could have been worse...could have been posted on Sermo?  BD   A Texas doctor leaked confidential research to the makers of the popular diabetes drug Avandia weeks before a study was published tying the drug to higher heart risks, the scientific journal Nature reported Wednesday.  "Why I sent i…

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30Jan2008


Physicians Can Update Evidence-Based Medical Information Using  WiserWiki -in Beta format at present
Physicians Can Update Evidence-Based Medical Information Using WiserWiki -in Beta format at present

The site is open for all to read, but only board certified members can create and non certified can edit....While members of the public may access information on the site, they are informed that WiserWiki is intended primarily as an informational site for medical professionals.  Unlike Sermo, it is…

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30Jan2008


2 hospitals got millions, spent little on charity - San Francisco
2 hospitals got millions, spent little on charity - San Francisco

Somewhat difficult to make full sense of this report as there are many other factors in the study that were possibly not included, such as location and where the uninsured go for treatment....BD  San Francisco's five nonprofit hospitals received $79 million last year in tax breaks intended to com…

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30Jan2008


United/PacifiCare fined record $3.5 million
United/PacifiCare fined record $3.5 million

Update:  Penalties could get upgraded according to this article..as posted earlier in the state of Washington there are reserves of 2.2 billion for the major 3 insurers...I would guess the reserves are available to more than cover an extended fine here?  Is somebody listening?  BD  Regulators als…

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30Jan2008


Microsoft - Protect yourself from Piracy
Microsoft - Protect yourself from Piracy

Felt a need to mention this site relative to concerns about identity theft...another good reason these days not to use pirated software as it's a big more dangerous than it has been in years past..used to just be viruses...but now you could get a bot net in the process too...there's a reason for th…

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30Jan2008


HMO To Offer Humana Associates Innovative Program For Weight Loss by use of your cell phone
HMO To Offer Humana Associates Innovative Program For Weight Loss by use of your cell phone

This HMO is taking the approach of letting your cell phone be your weight loss coach...now you can have your phone help you with your diet, etc...my phone is busy enough as it is and having it guide me through what I eat every day...not sure this is a fit for me as it would be more of an annoyance …

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30Jan2008


Reputation managers step in against Internet thugs
Reputation managers step in against Internet thugs

Good advice here, especially if you are in Health Care, Google yourself once in a while to see what the anonymous world of the web has listed...you could be surprised and if you find it, the rest of the world can too...BD  "It's more and more important to know what's out there about you," IRM's K…

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30Jan2008


Verizon Calls For Halt To Data Mining Of Wireless Phone Numbers
Verizon Calls For Halt To Data Mining Of Wireless Phone Numbers

Wireless carrier takes a stand on privacy...if you were a physician for example and wanted to keep a number private, it's almost impossible if someone pays a few dollars...BD Nearly four years ago, Verizon Wireless said that a wireless directory would be a “dumb idea.” Now, as another company lea…

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30Jan2008


California regulators to audit health insurers
California regulators to audit health insurers

Health insurance is expensive...a report recently released reporting on the 3 major insurance carriers in the state of Washington recently reported a cash surplus of $2.2 Billion (with a B) for the year 2006...any guess on what the cash reserves for the State of California might be with even a much…

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30Jan2008


i-LIMB bionic hand approaches 100 fittings
i-LIMB bionic hand approaches 100 fittings

January 30, 2008 Touch Bionics has announced that its i-LIMB - the world’s first commercially available bionic hand - is expected to achieve the milestone of 100 patient fittings by the end of February this year, having already reached more than 70 people worldwide since its July 2007 launch. In …

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29Jan2008


Microsoft partner first with hosted Communications Server
Microsoft partner first with hosted Communications Server

 Looking for a solution to outsource Exchange...here's one solution and the opportunity to combine Office Communicator at the same time..."If you think Exchange is difficult to set up for a small business, think about setting up Exchange and OCS," Bradbury said. "It's an absolute nightmare for SMBs …

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29Jan2008


Drug-name mix-ups getting worse
Drug-name mix-ups getting worse

Big mistake and consequences...BD  Dr. Julius Pham's stomach churned when he saw a critically ill heart patient getting an antibiotic instead of a drug to support his blood pressure — the kind of mix-up that is increasingly common in the United States, according to a new report. "If you have ever…

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29Jan2008


Grady CEO to leave position at hospital
Grady CEO to leave position at hospital

Update:  The continuing saga of saving Brady hospital...big job to turn the hospital around and establish relief for financial debt which is more than one person at work, it's a team..but perhaps the new plans might offer some light at the end of the hall with the nonprofit corporation at the helm.…

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29Jan2008


Most Small Firms Don't Offer Health Insurance
Most Small Firms Don't Offer Health Insurance

Current economics on small businesses and health insurance...and they also see the US economy taking forefront to the war...BD  Healthcare costs are a perennial burden for small businesses and a new poll released today finds that 77 percent of small business owners do not offer health insurance t…

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29Jan2008


LightEdge Solutions Partners with Misys Healthcare to Host Electronic Medical Records
LightEdge Solutions Partners with Misys Healthcare to Host Electronic Medical Records

You may hear a bit on this blog about Web 2.0 and software as a service, here's one electronic medical records company taking the product to the next level...software as a service..from the cloud...BD  LightEdge Solutions, a leading provider of managed IT services, today announced that Misys Healt…

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29Jan2008


The Shock Factor of Shock Therapy
The Shock Factor of Shock Therapy

Psychiatrist explains how this type of therapy is useful and dispels some old rumors and interpretations...BD  I have been taking care of many severely ill patients with depression and bipolar disorder over the past month, patients hospitalized on the mood disorders service at Johns Hopkins Hospi…

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29Jan2008


Grant to help connect Evansville with statewide health network
Grant to help connect Evansville with statewide health network

These folks found a federal grant to help with record integration and information exchange which  involves 33 hospitals and large number of physicians....we could use more of this!  BD  EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A $1.3 million federal grant will help connect Evansville with a growing network of health c…

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29Jan2008


More Hitting Cost Limit on Health Benefits
More Hitting Cost Limit on Health Benefits

Not something all of us will have to deal with, but what about those that do and it could happen to any of us with an accident as an example...back to who's going to pay the bill..is this similar to exceeding one's credit limit?  BD The predicament of those who burst through lifetime insurance caps…

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29Jan2008


Operator of Walk-In Clinics Shuts 23 Located in Wal-Mart Stores
Operator of Walk-In Clinics Shuts 23 Located in Wal-Mart Stores

Is this part of driving down lower prices?  Just like doctors offices they need 25 to 30 patients a day to pass the break even zone...otherwise no profit (sounds like a practice who sees many HMO patients)...Wal-Mart states they have not given up the idea and will look for a new clinic company to l…

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29Jan2008


HIMSS Analytics Doubles The Number Of Free Benchmark Reports Given To Healthcare Organizations
HIMSS Analytics Doubles The Number Of Free Benchmark Reports Given To Healthcare Organizations

HIMSS Analytics announced that it has more than doubled the benchmarking reports made available to healthcare providers. The new reports include 27 additional hospital-level reports and 13 new reports that compare de-identified healthcare system IDS/datacenter information. These FREE hospital benchm…

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29Jan2008


Link Between Severe Acne and Prostate Cancer
Link Between Severe Acne and Prostate Cancer

Tetracycline was one of the antibiotics of choice years ago and now studies are linking some of the potential downsides that have developed years later, something to be aware of...BD  New research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore finds men who took tetracycline --…

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29Jan2008


Caffeine Increases Blood Sugar In People With Type 2 Diabetes
Caffeine Increases Blood Sugar In People With Type 2 Diabetes

Coffee being studied once more...interesting thing about this study was the use of chips to collect the data...hmmmm.....guess it's ok as long as the chips are removed afterwards...and hope this was the only information being collected......hat's off to the volunteers here for their participation..…

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29Jan2008


Defense Department Funds Study Of Drug That May Prevent Radiation Injury
Defense Department Funds Study Of Drug That May Prevent Radiation Injury

DARPA is hot on this and the results could have some benefit to those undergoing radiation therapy...BD  In preliminary tests at M.D. Anderson in July 2007, mice showed enhanced protection when exposed to lethal doses of ionizing radiation when they were given first-generation NTH drugs prior to e…

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29Jan2008


FDA Grants Medtronic Approval To Begin Clinical Trial Of First Pacemaker System Designed For Safe Use In MRI Machines
FDA Grants Medtronic Approval To Begin Clinical Trial Of First Pacemaker System Designed For Safe Use In MRI Machines

People with pacemakers and other devices cannot have an MRI due to potential interference, so perhaps this study and trial will create some good results..BD Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced the start of a United States clinical trial to confirm the safety and efficacy of the Medtronic EnRhyth…

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29Jan2008


House Republicans Introduce Sonogram Measure
House Republicans Introduce Sonogram Measure

This sounds a little crazy to me, why not let the doctor make this decision, besides we have folks needing MRI and other diagnostic treatments that I feel should take center stage first...and fine the doctor on top of all this...give me a break..and the doctors too...BD  Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) a…

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29Jan2008


Washington Post Examines Lack Of Congressional Action On Health Insurance Tax Deduction Proposal
Washington Post Examines Lack Of Congressional Action On Health Insurance Tax Deduction Proposal

Don't think this is what Congress had in mind...BD  The Washington Post on Monday examined the lack of congressional action on a proposal from President Bush that would provide federal tax deductions to help U.S. residents purchase health insurance, "with administration officials falling short in …

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29Jan2008


Middle Aged Misery: Why 44 is Worst Age
Middle Aged Misery: Why 44 is Worst Age

Perhaps this is the age that we all come to terms that we are getting older...getting old sucks and what more can one say...BD  They found that men and women in their 40s were more likely to be depressed and weren't as happy as other ages. Middle age is such a low point for well-being that it's a…

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29Jan2008


Marriott E-Health Record System Spots Medical Mishaps
Marriott E-Health Record System Spots Medical Mishaps

Run by Aetna, Dr. makes some good points here...he gets alerts on patients he doesn't even know and suggests the patients should be notified first...and then once more there's the liability question down the road, if the patient was alerted and did not react or react soon enough, will they be denie…

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29Jan2008


9 deaths at VA hospital in Downstate Marion due to substandard care
9 deaths at VA hospital in Downstate Marion due to substandard care

Sounds like the questions here is how did the surgeons get approved to provide procedures they were not specifically trained for at this facility?  VA now has a toll free number for patients to call with their concerns...hope it helps...and 6 surgeons are no longer at this facility...BD  The insp…

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29Jan2008


Marshfield Clinic Nominated for Healthcare Innovation Award for Chartless Care Initiative Based on Tablet PCs
Marshfield Clinic Nominated for Healthcare Innovation Award for Chartless Care Initiative Based on Tablet PCs

One more hospital success story based on the use of Tablet PCs...and they saved a bunch of money while they were at it...not to mention better health care...BD  Healthcare IT Summit(TM) is produced by Vision Events(R), a Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) company, and the Healthcare Innovation Awards are v…

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28Jan2008


Internet helps doctor get back to basics
Internet helps doctor get back to basics

He uses a secured server that goes through the web, as he states sometimes folks at work have access to email of others, this way it's done by the patient and nobody else sees the email...he doesn't take insurance, but helps with filling out the forms for reimbursement...BD  WASHINGTON (Reuters) …

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28Jan2008


New treatment can clear brain clots
New treatment can clear brain clots

Approved by the FDA in late December 2007....doctor's discrimination required as sometimes this is not always the best method...each patient is different...BD  WASHINGTON - It's a tiny vacuum cleaner for the brain: A new treatment for stroke victims promises to suction out clogged arteries in hop…

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28Jan2008


Heparin Recall
Heparin Recall

Batch and lot numbers available at the source story below...BD  January 28, 2008 (Deerfield, IL) - Baxter Healthcare is recalling nine lots of heparin sodium injection 1000 units/mL 10-mL and 30-mL multidose vials from the US market due to an increase in the number of reports of adverse reactions…

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28Jan2008


First Cell Phone That Reads To The Blind And Dyslexic
First Cell Phone That Reads To The Blind And Dyslexic

A phone that will read content to the blind user through a single button access with braille buttons available....BD K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc., a company combining the research and development efforts of the National Federation of the Blind and Kurzweil Technologies, Inc., unveils an exciting…

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28Jan2008


An Alzheimer's Hat -- Will It Work?
An Alzheimer's Hat -- Will It Work?

Trials to begin this summer...one thing for sure someone with Alzheimer's would be easily identified...BD  What if the secret to stopping the progression of Alzheimer's disease — and perhaps even reversing its ravages — lay in the use of a special hat? Too crazy, too goofy, too good to be true,…

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28Jan2008


Will the Doctors drop Medicare....
Will the Doctors drop Medicare....

Some already have...not because they want to, but when the profitability goes away...is there a choice?  The doctors are not the bad guys here, it's the payment system...BD  Some on Capitol Hill expect Congress to slap a similar payment patch on Medicare in June, although one prominent House Democ…

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28Jan2008


Hospital Groups Lobby Against Expansion of Medicare Audit Program
Hospital Groups Lobby Against Expansion of Medicare Audit Program

Is the audit program soliciting better health care or justification for non payment to hospitals?  17 million in over payments, 14 million in underpayments...is the program worth 3 million a year?  Supposedly they are paid on how much they save the government...is this better healthcare or just ano…

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28Jan2008


Double amputee walks again due to Bluetooth
Double amputee walks again due to Bluetooth

Bluetooth...coming to a prosthetic device near you soon.....this is the same technology used in your cell phone...years ago I used to wonder if Bluetooth would every find it's niche...it has done that and then some...watch the video....great help for injured veterans and the Bluetooth legs enable hi…

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28Jan2008


Who gets what level of care - UK
Who gets what level of care - UK

Some doctors in the UK want to withhold medical care from those who had lead an unhealthy lifestyle...and this blogger states it may even appeal to the Bush Administration..one in 3 physicians in the UK claim medical care should not be given to the elderly if they feel it will not be long term...wh…

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28Jan2008


U.S. should have Medicare for all ages
U.S. should have Medicare for all ages

Good points here...can Medicare work for all?  BD There is a somewhat illogical argument being made against expanding Medicare to include all citizens and taxpayers in the U.S., which is that Social Security and Medicare are going to go broke. This argument makes no sense. For one thing, if this we…

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28Jan2008


Kidney racket scandal shocks country - India
Kidney racket scandal shocks country - India

More on the black market for kidneys...scary...BD  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The uncovering of an illegal kidney transplant racket in a booming IT city has gripped India, with reports hundreds of poor laborers may have been duped or forced into donating organs to wealthy clients, including foreigners…

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28Jan2008


Medi-Cal Cuts Will Exacerbate Health Care Crisis In California Health Care Providers Will Testify, USA
Medi-Cal Cuts Will Exacerbate Health Care Crisis In California Health Care Providers Will Testify, USA

It already appears that the legislation for California's insurance plan is facing a dim future and many predict it will not stand a chance of being approved...less money...less healthcare..not too difficult to figure that one out...BD  Doctors and other health care providers will testify before a…

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28Jan2008


Community Hospitals Transfer More Patients To Trauma Centers, Despite Their Own Ability To Treat The Injuries
Community Hospitals Transfer More Patients To Trauma Centers, Despite Their Own Ability To Treat The Injuries

There might be another issue here as well...funds and money available to community hospitals..BD Researchers suggest that this trend could be a result of recent changes in the Emergency Medical and Active Labor Treatment Act (EMTALA) that no longer require community hospitals to provide emergency sp…

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28Jan2008


Center For Medicare Advocacy Calls For Support For Traditional Medicare in Anticipation Of The State Of The Union, USA
Center For Medicare Advocacy Calls For Support For Traditional Medicare in Anticipation Of The State Of The Union, USA

Prediction for more of the same...more cuts to standard Medicare and pumping more money in to private plans from the President...years ago Medicare was professed as being doomed and inefficient, but look what we have now...back then we didn't have anything to compare with, but we sure have the grou…

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28Jan2008
 
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