Ascension Health and Private Equity Firm Oak Hill Capital Form Joint Venture To Buy Catholic Hospitals and Health Systems

<p>According to the article, Oak Hill Capital will invest $400 million and assume $495 <a href="http://www.ascensionhealth.org/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="72" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWyVjt3QNWI/AAAAAAAAse0/oVcqHIFrGcY/image%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="184" /></a>million in debt.  Ascension which was created in 1999 currently has 69 hospitals in 20 states.  The agreement also allows for the hospitals t adhere to the teachings of the Catholic religion.  The goal is to give Catholic hospitals an option of staying within the Catholic health system without having to sell out completely to a private equity firm, like what occurred in Massachusetts with the Cerberus group and Caritas.  BD</p> <blockquote> <p>Ascension Health, the country's largest Catholic health care system, has tapped Leo Brideau, the former chief executive of Columbia St. Mary's, to oversee a new venture that plans to buy Catholic hospitals and health systems throughout the country.<a href="http://www.oakhillcapital.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="87" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWyVkGWDAeI/AAAAAAAAse4/bZca__ijuBI/image%5B9%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="137" /></a></p> <p>The goal is to preserve the identity and mission of Catholic hospitals that need capital by giving them an alternative to selling out to private equity firms and for-profit chains.</p> <p>Ascension, the parent of Columbia St. Mary's, and Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., have formed a joint venture - Ascension Health Care Network - that will buy Catholic hospitals and health systems.</p> <p>Many of those hospitals and health systems are burdened by debt, unfunded pension obligations, older facilities and limited access to the capital. That could force them to consider offers from for-profit chains and private equity firms.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.jsonline.com/business/116581173.html">Ascension Health venture seeks to preserve Catholic care ideals - JSOnline</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c72919b6-7d89-426d-9350-7dc007d15471" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Ascension+Healt" rel="tag">Ascension Healt</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Catholic+healthcare" rel="tag">Catholic healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Oak+Hill+Capital" rel="tag">Oak Hill Capital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hospitals" rel="tag">hospitals</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/money" rel="tag">money</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/funds" rel="tag">funds</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/private+equity" rel="tag">private equity</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/debt" rel="tag">debt</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/non+profit" rel="tag">non profit</a></div>

Ascension Health and Private Equity Firm Oak Hill Capital Form Joint Venture To Buy Catholic Hospitals and Health Systems

According to the article, Oak Hill Capital will invest $400 million and assume $495 million in debt.  Ascension which was created in 1999 cu...

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HHS announces $200 Million in State Grants To Help Fight Health Insurance Rate Hikes-Time to Apply and Buy Some More Business Intelligence Health IT Reporting Algorithms

<p>Back in June of 2010 HHS announced $51 Million in grants and that was not enough it appears.  This is a tough battle as health insurers come back with their business <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxRga6rG0I/AAAAAAAAsdQ/lrPJaVt_TvI/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="148" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxRg7gy1-I/AAAAAAAAsdU/SPQTX4Ul_O4/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="195" /></a>intelligence generated reports that substantiate their demands for premiums increase. To dispute and look at accurate numbers, they states need IT infrastructure to do this so now there’s some additional funds out there to get some some software/algorithms out there to work with.  The original post said over $250 million would be sent and when you add up this post and the funds released in June of 2010, is this it for the state IT infrastructure budgets?  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/hhs-announces-51-million-in-grants-for.html"><font size="2">HHS Announces $51 Million in Grants For the Creation of Algorithms To Enhance Health Insurance Premium Rate Review Processes</font></a></h4> <p><em>“AHIP agrees, however, that states are best suited to review premiums because <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxRhopdetI/AAAAAAAAsdY/CvGvTFKNlgE/s1600-h/image%5B5%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="147" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxRh2B0fKI/AAAAAAAAsdc/nLePAC1xFO4/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="197" /></a>they have the experience,infrastructure, and local market knowledge needed to ensure that consumers are protected and health plans are solvent, she said</em>.”</p> <p><strong>It sure would be nice not to have this 800# gorilla around</strong> and this is<strong> big project that will require states to update infrastructures and more</strong>.  If you don’t get those algorithms developed, <strong>states are certainly going to have a hard time battling the insurance industry that has the technology of “machine guns” while the rest of  us are kind of running around with “swords and daggers”.</strong> BD</p> <blockquote> <p>WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday nearly $200 million in new grant funds to help states make health insurance premiums more transparent and to give states the power to stop "unreasonable premium increases."</p> <p>HHS officials said this new funding opportunity builds on the $46 million HHS awarded last August to help 45 states and the District of Columbia crack down on "unreasonable" premium hikes. It also complements new HHS rules proposed last December that require insurance companies to publicly justify "unreasonable" premium rate increases. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://healthcarefinancenews.com/news/hhs-announces-200m-state-grants-fight-health-insurance-premium-hikes">HHS announces $200M in state grants to fight health insurance premium hikes | Healthcare Finance News</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:a85328ec-260f-44c9-877f-f1d09c62dee1" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+reform" rel="tag">health reform</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/United+HealthCare" rel="tag">United HealthCare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/technology" rel="tag">technology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/balance" rel="tag">balance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Congress" rel="tag">Congress</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/education" rel="tag">education</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/algorithms" rel="tag">algorithms</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Venture+Capital" rel="tag">Venture Capital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/business+intelligence" rel="tag">business intelligence</a></div>

HHS announces $200 Million in State Grants To Help Fight Health Insurance Rate Hikes-Time to Apply and Buy Some More Business Intelligence Health IT Reporting Algorithms

Back in June of 2010 HHS announced $51 Million in grants and that was not enough it appears.  This is a tough battle as health insurers come...

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IHA Receives $2.9M AHRQ Grant to Pursue Demo on Bundled Payments

<p>Last August 2 hospitals were to start the project but I have not heard much more <a href="http://www.iha.org/iha_principal_projects.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="185" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxNJik4dDI/AAAAAAAAsdE/C12g-qi-xdM/image%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="148" /></a>than the announcement that was made at that time between Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the UCLA Health System and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach for charging lump-sum fees for hip and knee replacements.  The IHA association it looks like there’s a bit more money here to further study how to do this.  You can read further and see that ultimately there are a lot more participants to come to include the Tenet System of hospitals in southern California.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/southern-california-hospitals-to-begin.html"><font size="2">Southern California Hospitals To Begin Offering Lump Sum Fees for Hip and Knee Replacements</font></a></h4> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/10/national-accountable-care-organization.html"><font size="2">The National Accountable Care Organization Congress Is Born</font></a></h4> <p><strong><u>From the IHA Website:</u></strong></p> <p><em>“The <strong><a href="http://www.iha.org/iha_principal_projects.html">Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA)</a></strong> is a statewide leadership group that promotes quality improvement, accountability, and affordability of health care in California. IHA is a nonprofit association working to actively convene all healthcare parties for cross sector collaboration on health care topics. IHA administers regional and statewide programs and serves as an incubator for pilot programs and projects. <br />IHA membership includes major health plans, physician groups, and hospital systems, plus academic, consumer, purchaser, pharmaceutical and technology representatives. IHA's principal projects include pay  for  performance, the measurement and reward of efficiency in health care, value based purchasing of medical devices, health care affordability, bundled episode of care payments, and prevention programs directed at obesity</em>.”</p> <p>This all comes about the same time ICD10 and SNOMED are on the agenda too, so a challenge it is.  The group also has other projects they work on, like pay for performance and accountable care organizations.  It’s a challenge to work all this in when taking care of patients and all the extremely complicated payment systems.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>The Integrated Healthcare Association has been awarded a three-year, $2.9 million grant by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to demonstrate bundled payments for physicians, hospitals and other <img align="right" border="0" height="125" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S9O2gNjzyAI/AAAAAAAAdkM/99K6RpDhfBY/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="142" />providers and to evaluate their effectiveness compared to current payment methods in California, according to an IHA news release. <br />The demonstration funded by AHRQ will build on existing small pilot funded by the California HealthCare Foundation in Los Angeles and Orange counties and expand the project statewide. It will eventually involve 20 teams of physicians, hospitals, surgery centers and other providers. <hr /> <br /><strong><u>Participants include: <br /></u></strong>• Physician Organizations: Brown & Toland Medical Group, HealthCare Partners, Monarch HealthCare and St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare. <br />• Hospitals: Cedars-Sinai, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Huntington Hospital, Mission Hospital, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, St. Jude Medical Center, Tenet California and UCLA Medical Center. <br />• Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Monterey Peninsula Surgery Centers. <br />• Health Plans: Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Cigna and HealthNet. <hr /></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/california-hospitals-physicians-take-part-in-demo-on-bundled-payments-through-29m-ahrq-grant.html">California Hospitals, Physicians Take Part in Demo on Bundled Payments Through $2.9M AHRQ Grant | Hospital-Physician Relationships</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:a54ab557-459d-43c9-a98b-2e3cba2fa339" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Billing" rel="tag">Medical Billing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/knee" rel="tag">knee</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hip" rel="tag">hip</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hip+replacement" rel="tag">hip replacement</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/knee+replacement" rel="tag">knee replacement</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/surgery" rel="tag">surgery</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hoag+Hospital" rel="tag">Hoag Hospital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cedar+Sinai" rel="tag">Cedar Sinai</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/UCLA+Medical" rel="tag">UCLA Medical</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tourism" rel="tag">tourism</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pricing" rel="tag">pricing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a></div>

IHA Receives $2.9M AHRQ Grant to Pursue Demo on Bundled Payments

Last August 2 hospitals were to start the project but I have not heard much more than the announcement that was made at that time between Ce...

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Fujifilm Buys Merck Biotech Supply Unit To Make Up for Declining Sales with Imaging and Cameras-Subsidiary Watch

<p>This <a href="http://www.merck.com/">Merck</a> division was only created about a year ago and Fujifilm is a recent <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxE1VCPtlI/AAAAAAAAsc0/sIifZm79dDc/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="118" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWxE1ioTS_I/AAAAAAAAsc4/Mo7YwMUVSr4/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="196" /></a>addition to the biotech market with the purchase of another chemical company last year.  As mergers and acquisitions go with the use of business intelligence, companies are aligning themselves with “like” or similar technologies in the race for generating more revenue but this one looks a little odd as now Fujifilm moves into a new area from imaging, where they have been most pronounced in healthcare.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=4901:JP">Fujifilm Holdings Corp</a>. will buy two units of Merck & Co. that make biopharmaceuticals as it targets growth in the health-care industry to make up for declining sales in cameras and film. </p> <p>The Tokyo-based maker of imaging equipment and digital cameras will acquire laboratories in the U.S. and U.K. for 40 billion yen ($490 million), Nikkei English News reported today without saying where it got the pricing information. Toshihiro Matsumoto, a Fujifilm spokesman, confirmed the purchase by phone today, without giving a price. </p> <p>he company will buy BioManufacturing Network Diosynth RTP LLC of Research Triangle Park, <a href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/north-carolina/">North Carolina</a>, and MSD Biologics (U.K.) Ltd., based in Billingham, <a href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/england/">England</a>. The deal for the units, which generate about 13 billion yen in sales a year, should be completed by early April, Matsumoto said. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-27/merck-agrees-to-sell-its-u-s-u-k-units-for-biotech-supplies-to-fujifilm.html">Fujifilm Buys Merck Biotech Supply Unit, Accelerates Medical Industry Push - Bloomberg</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:1a641207-4bd0-41ec-a406-1c42129d60c9" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Fujifilm" rel="tag">Fujifilm</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/heatlhcare" rel="tag">heatlhcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mergers+and+acquisitions" rel="tag">mergers and acquisitions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Merck" rel="tag">Merck</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/biotech" rel="tag">biotech</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/profits" rel="tag">profits</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/film+medical+imaging" rel="tag">film medical imaging</a></div>

Fujifilm Buys Merck Biotech Supply Unit To Make Up for Declining Sales with Imaging and Cameras-Subsidiary Watch

This Merck division was only created about a year ago and Fujifilm is a recent addition to the biotech market with the purchase of another ...

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NIH Offers Mobile Health Workshop for Behavioral Science With Mobile Health Algorithms And Formulas-We Want To Know Your Thoughts and What You May Do (Grin)

<p>Well here it is now from the government.  A couple years ago I started posting about <a href="http://obssr.od.nih.gov/training_and_education/mhealth/index.aspx"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="87" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWw7Uv1O7CI/AAAAAAAAscg/Gy6nWlDxo7U/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="276" /></a>behavioral health and mostly relative to insurance companies.  They use data to project risk and keep cost down with their algorithms.  Guess what, they want the data like everyone else to predict and keep costs down, nothing new here.  The event is cosponsored by Qualcomm.  Is this amazing that we have reached this point with wanting all the data available to predict our behaviors?  They want to know what you are going to say and do next and mobile technology as well as for better health gets mixed in there.  This is all fine and dandy if you are on the receiving side to profit but when you are the little person out there it’s a bit over whelming.  We still need the balance of what is called participatory sensing before this moves forward or there could be a real angry <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SjEVX8rx6fI/AAAAAAAAQKk/6ylJ_UUseys/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" />crowd develop out of some of this if not implemented correctly with the proper privacy.</p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/06/are-cell-phones-enabling-anyone-to-be.html"><font size="2">Are Cell Phones Enabling anyone to be a Scientist or Doctor - Participatory Sensing from CENS at UCLA</font></a></h6> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/06/participatory-sensing-medical-devices.html"><font size="2">Participatory Sensing – Medical Devices Reporting Data for Patient Compliance</font></a></h4> <p><strong>Like it or not (and I don’t like all of this either) the algorithms for predictive behaviors now have the attention of the NIH.</strong>  This means getting data from your smart phone, medication compliance, what your personal habits are, etc. so this is still pretty touchy when you have one side wanting power and control justifying by saving money (which it could save some) but more or less wielding it out of control with thinking that algorithms will give them all the answers.  Grants are given out for this.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/10/ucla-and-5-university-of-california.html"><font size="2">UCLA and 5 University of California Hospitals Receive $9.9M from HHS Study Use of Wireless and Remote Care Management to Reduce Hospital Readmissions–Participatory Sensing</font></a></h4> <p>If that still is not good enough, this IPA has a 3 million dollar bounty for the algorithms that will predict and prevent re-admissions to hospitals.  <img align="right" border="0" height="63" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TJcGp1oHKzI/AAAAAAAAhfM/jyY8xKNrAKY/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="162" /></p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/02/heritage-providers-continues-to-promote.html"><font size="2">Heritage Providers Continues to Promote $3 Million Dollar Prize to Create An Algorithm To Predict and Prevent Hospitalizations</font></a></h4> <p><strong>Research and crunching numbers certainly helps but not when out of balance with humans ethics and we are seeing that out there today with those who perhaps are not as digitally literate and it’s technological war fare.</strong>  The news you see doesn't quite address this topic enough with connecting all the dots as sometimes the news is maybe a bit distracted with more ratings and OMG type of material.  They have to market and sell like everyone else out there. <strong>  We have these developing, the human audit trails with data to use to analyze:  (I wrote this 2 years ago). </strong></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/10/human-audit-trail-to-automatically.html"><font size="2"><strong>The Human Audit Trail to automatically track your fitness and sleep and a few other things…</strong></font></a></p> <p><strong><u>From the website:</u></strong></p> <p><em>“Using mobile technologies to more rapidly and accurately assess and modify behavior, biological states and contextual variables has great potential to transform medical <img align="right" border="0" height="209" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SvT91Zgb4dI/AAAAAAAAa2s/XC3od2FZJdI/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="276" />research.<strong> Recent advances in mobile technologies and the ubiquitous nature of these technologies in daily life (e.g., smart phones, sensors) have created opportunities for research applications that were not previously possible (e.g., simultaneously assessing behavioral, physiological, and psychological states in the real world and in real-time).</strong> The use of mobile technology affords numerous methodological advantages over traditional methods, including reduced memory bias, the ability to capture time-intensive longitudinal data, date- and time-stamped data, and the potential for personalizing information in real-time.<strong> However, challenges in mobile health (or mHealth) research exist. Importantly, much of the work being done in mHealth arises from single disciplines without integration of the behavioral, social sciences and clinical research fields</strong>. Without integration, mobile technologies will not be <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SjEVV7dNvfI/AAAAAAAAQKc/NLuL6oH-xQU/image_thumb%5B6%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" />maximally effective. is unlikely in other discipline or trade-specific venues”.</em></p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/smart-inhaler-with-blue-tooth-and.html"><font size="2">The Smart Inhaler with Blue Tooth and Wireless Capabilities</font></a></h6> <p>There are other devices too, recently mentioned was the application that works with an iPhone to measure your activity for the day.  You can read more at the link below.  There needs to be a balance on how and where devices are used to create better health and not end up with a big brother effect, that in turn will end up defeating the purpose for the sake of just saving a few dollars. <strong> At any rate the NIH wans to get in on adding their 2 cents to savings end of things it looks like as well.    </strong></p> <p><strong>The White House is very aware of participatory sensing and made this video on the topic about a year ago.  BD</strong></p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-house-speaks-about-wireless.html"><font size="2">White House Speaks About Wireless Technology – Healthcare And Participatory Sensing</font></a></h6> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; width: 344px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:5b745c35-eb54-4939-bd5f-3e348b186fdc" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="a5fbd1c6-d810-4a7d-8b6a-94ee7fd349d3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R20uqxz4u04" target="_new"><img alt="" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('a5fbd1c6-d810-4a7d-8b6a-94ee7fd349d3'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"344\" height=\"209\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/R20uqxz4u04?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/R20uqxz4u04?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"344\" height=\"209\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWw7VSYUXAI/AAAAAAAAsck/G4q0npeRugE/video2f5552bff754%5B16%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none"></a></div></div><div style="width:344px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Participatory Sensing</div></div> <blockquote> <p>The National Institutes of Health will offer a mobile-health workshop for behavioral science researchers, federal health officials and other members of the medical and health technology communities this summer, according to a news release from the Washington-based agency. </p> <p>Participants in the weeklong NIH mHealth Summer Institute will receive instruction on the engineering, behavioral and clinical science behind mobile-health technology and will work to develop potential mHealth research projects. </p> <p><strong>"NIH is committed to harnessing the power and reach of mobile technologies to extend healthy life and to reduce the burden of illness and disability,"</strong> said Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, in the release. <br /><u>Mobile technologies such as smartphone diagnostic and imaging applications, electronic health records and wireless home-use medical devices "hold the promise of reducing costs and errors, removing geographical and economic disparities and personalizing healthcare," according to the release</u>. The institute will take place June 20-24 in San Diego; applications to participate are due Thursday, March 3. Additional information and registration can be found at the <a href="http://obssr.od.nih.gov/training_and_education/mhealth_application.aspx"><b><u>website of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research</u></b></a>. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20110228/NEWS/302289987?AllowView=VW8xUmo5Q21TcWJOb1gzb0tNN3RLZ0h0MWg5SVgra3NZRzROR3l0WWRMZmJWdjhKRWxiNUtpQzMyWmVwNVhRWUpiU20=">NIH offers mobile-health workshop - Healthcare business news from Modern Healthcare</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:863ffec9-d637-425e-89c3-d96531fe5f31" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/NIH" rel="tag">NIH</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mHeatlh" rel="tag">mHeatlh</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/devices+that+record+data" rel="tag">devices that record data</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/wireless" rel="tag">wireless</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mobile+heatlh" rel="tag">mobile heatlh</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/technology" rel="tag">technology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/privacy" rel="tag">privacy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/participatory+sensing" rel="tag">participatory sensing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/heatlhcare" rel="tag">heatlhcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/business" rel="tag">business</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/algorithms" rel="tag">algorithms</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/intelligence" rel="tag">intelligence</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/predictive+behavior" rel="tag">predictive behavior</a></div>

NIH Offers Mobile Health Workshop for Behavioral Science With Mobile Health Algorithms And Formulas-We Want To Know Your Thoughts and What You May Do (Grin)

Well here it is now from the government.  A couple years ago I started posting about behavioral health and mostly relative to insurance comp...

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Verizon Investments Inc. (Venture Capital) Participates in BL Healthcare Platform Financing

<p>We are certainly hearing a lot of new names in Health IT and this was a new one <a href="http://www.blhealthcare.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="59" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvZppRcWI/AAAAAAAAsbw/B1BYnyCEiOY/image%5B9%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="163" /></a>for me, although their technology is similar to many others being developed.  Verizon has invested.  BL Healthcare has several solutions which go from television, to touch screen computers to Kiosks.  </p> <p>The Touchscreen even has FDA approval for the platform.  This looks to be a simple <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvaXw-u_I/AAAAAAAAsb0/xJFOe46o7-s/s1600-h/image%5B33%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="127" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwva-xltdI/AAAAAAAAsb4/N78w4aS85J8/image_thumb%5B13%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="188" /></a>Icon driven type of menu for all different levels to talk.  The platform can use a touch screen or a television for patients to communicate.  The platform brings devices, video conferencing, social networks and other programs that can be added.  This is kind of interesting as I had not seen anything like this yet.  Both wired and wireless devices can be connected.  The information is available for providers and patient through the web based program.  </p> <p>Messages and alerts can be added as well as video conferencing.  At any rate it appears Verizon is in the ball game here, thus the announced investment.  BD  </p> <p><a href="http://www.blhealthcare.com/system_demo.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="207" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvbIt9fmI/AAAAAAAAsb8/c9ocz-jY__Y/image%5B21%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="272" /></a></p> <blockquote> <p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BL Healthcare Inc. today announced Verizon Investments Inc.'s participation in BL Healthcare's most recent financing round. The investment, which was arranged through Verizon Communications Inc.'s Verizon Ventures group, facilitates BL Healthcare's expansion of its remote health care solutions, including those underway with Verizon. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvbvxLlDI/AAAAAAAAscA/NIQ5XAFhEFc/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="378" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvb345EhI/AAAAAAAAscE/wR1XsnwKrgg/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="349" /></a></p> <p>Working with the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center, BL Healthcare showcased HD video enabled remote health care applications running over the Verizon Wireless LTE 4G network at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and at the Hospital Information Systems Show in February. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvcaktFUI/AAAAAAAAscI/Nm5JeQ_qn5M/s1600-h/image%5B20%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="248" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvcu828LI/AAAAAAAAscM/SJdnfP8SlRM/image_thumb%5B9%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="348" /></a></p> <p>"BL Healthcare's work with Verizon Wireless' LTE Innovation Center is focused on leveraging the increased bandwidth of the LTE 4G network to enable an entirely new experience of HD video enabled, personalized, remote and home health services – Michael Mathur, CEO of BL Healthcare.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvc49zJhI/AAAAAAAAscQ/JQA7gqX0bmw/s1600-h/image%5B29%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="230" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwvdKnyBvI/AAAAAAAAscU/l98-4tv51pU/image_thumb%5B11%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="352" /></a></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bl-healthcare-inc-today-announced-verizon-investments-incs-participation-in-bl-healthcares-most-recent-financing-round-116958703.html">BL Healthcare Inc. Today Announced Verizon Investments Inc.'s Participation in BL Healthcare's... -- FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:68963f7b-110d-4dd4-8fcd-03707dbe3e9d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Verizon" rel="tag">Verizon</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/BL+Healthcare" rel="tag">BL Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/doctors" rel="tag">doctors</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HeatlhIT" rel="tag">HeatlhIT</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/patients" rel="tag">patients</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sofware" rel="tag">sofware</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/platform" rel="tag">platform</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/devices" rel="tag">devices</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FDA" rel="tag">FDA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/wellness" rel="tag">wellness</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data" rel="tag">data</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/bandwidth" rel="tag">bandwidth</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mHealth" rel="tag">mHealth</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eHealth" rel="tag">eHealth</a></div>

Verizon Investments Inc. (Venture Capital) Participates in BL Healthcare Platform Financing

We are certainly hearing a lot of new names in Health IT and this was a new one for me, although their technology is similar to many others ...

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St. Joseph Health Systems To Roll Out Allscripts Software As Service Care Management and HomeCare And Will Work with AT&T for Telehealth Stations

<p>This is a combination post of a couple of new things going on with St. Josephs <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/en/solutions/ambulatory-solutions/ehr.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="59" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwmHADidTI/AAAAAAAAsbU/Kxji_TNqUQ4/image%5B22%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="137" /></a>Health Systems.  First of all the <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/">Allscripts</a> Software as a Service will be rolled out to help track patients through their system and secondly the Home care unit will provide a medical records system for hospice and <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/en/solutions/post-acute-solutions/referral-management/overview.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="33" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwmHv2xXkI/AAAAAAAAsbY/kBJ5lDvgfoQ/image%5B19%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="132" /></a>those who care for patients at home settings.  </p> <p>The second part of this post deals with “stations” that St. Joseph’s will be installing at 7 different locations so individuals can visit the <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/en/solutions/acute-solutions/care-management/overview.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="35" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwmH-JgweI/AAAAAAAAsbc/t8rwDmsxQpw/image%5B23%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="129" /></a>station and interact with a physician from a remote location, in other words not physically being present.  This will allow for “virtual visits” to be conducted.  </p> <p>The telepresence was built in connection with Cisco and you may have heard some <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S7DZYbcT40I/AAAAAAAAdDo/9MSL62Cvl50/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" />of this already with the Cisco NOW vans that travel the US and demonstrate their capabilities.  The link below will catch you up on where telepresence technology from Cisco is being used, a few videos to watch as well and see how the bank are connected already.</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/03/cisco-telepresence-expanding-beyond.html"><font size="2">Cisco TelePresence Expanding Beyond Healthcare with Collaboration with Bank of America</font></a></h4> <p>A couple of years ago UnitedHeatlhCare and Cisco teamed up for their vans that also run across country and you can read more about that project below.  BD</p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/07/unitedhealth-to-spend-tens-of-million.html"><font size="2">UnitedHealth To Spend Tens of Million of Dollars with Cisco to Build Nationwide Telehealth Network</font></a></h6> <blockquote> <p>The Allscripts <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/en/solutions/acute-solutions/care-management/overview.html">Care Management</a> solution will help ensure continuity of care by automating and consolidating everyday tasks for SJHS's hospital case managers including utilization management, discharge planning, <strong>documentation integrity, audit management and quality management.  The fully-integrated, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application also will streamline the referral of patients requiring long-term care to SJHS's network of post-acute organizations as well as the Allscripts proprietary network of 110,000 post-acute providers.</strong></p> <p>"Allscripts will standardize case management processes across the organization while improving transitions of care for all of our patients," said Clyde E. Wesp, Jr., MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer of SJHS.  "A key benefit is the automation of the discharge process, which lets us quickly and easily connect with our own and other long-term care organizations to find the best fit for patients who need further care, and helps patients make a faster, more informed choice."</p> <p><strong>The St. Joseph Home Health Network's home health and hospice</strong> agencies across California and Texas will deploy the Allscripts <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/en/solutions/post-acute-solutions/homecare/show/overview.html">Homecare</a> solution, providing billing, scheduling, and an Electronic Health Record in a unified, seamless electronic system. During home visits, SJHS nurses will use the EHR to document patient care and compare their assessments from previous visits. They can also generate customized care plans and OASIS quality reports for Medicare. </p> <p> <hr /></p> <p>ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Joseph Health System (SJHS), a $4.6 billion Catholic healthcare organization, and <a href="http://www.att.com/gen/landing-pages?pid=3309">AT&T</a>* today announced an agreement with plans to implement a new telehealth pilot project that will allow patients and physicians in disparate locations to meet and consult via immersive video utilizing <a href="http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2820">AT&T <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwmINj6z-I/AAAAAAAAsbg/_DnU8t_MNpo/s1600-h/image%5B17%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="137" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwmItf57hI/AAAAAAAAsbk/L8KFkPNzUXQ/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a>Telepresence Solution</a>®.</p> <p><strong>Under this collaboration, St. Joseph Health System will have seven interactive wellness stations that will help improve access to specialty care, urgent care, wellness and health improvement services.</strong> This new pilot will be rolled out in the next several months in various Southern California locations including physician and patient sites.</p> <p>The wellness stations will include a fully managed AT&T Telepresence Solution comprised of components including Cisco HealthPresence®, connectivity to the AT&T Business Exchange and AMD Global Telemedicine medical peripherals. This project will allow physicians and other health and wellness specialists to connect with patients virtually using the AT&T global network and real time, immersive multi-point video and audio technologies.</p> <p>The focus of this pilot is to address the needs of patients who experience financial, social, geographic and other barriers to care.</p> <p>Five initial sites have been selected by SJHS: Occupational Health Services at St. Jude Heritage Medical Group in Fullerton, Camino Health Clinic in San Juan Capistrano, St. Jude Neighborhood Clinic in Fullerton, Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach and a standalone kiosk in Rancho Cucamonga. <strong>Two additional sites are expected to be selected by year-end.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-joseph-health-system-selects-allscripts-care-management-and-homecare-solutions-116728079.html">St. Joseph Health System Selects Allscripts Care Management and Homecare... -- CHICAGO and ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-joseph-health-system-expands-access-to-care-with-new-telehealth-project-with-att-116646864.html">http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-joseph-health-system-expands-access-to-care-with-new-telehealth-project-with-att-116646864.html</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:56e5c2bf-b215-40a6-809b-aadec18c8095" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/St.+Josephs+Health+System" rel="tag">St. Josephs Health System</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hospitals" rel="tag">hospitals</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Heatlh+IT" rel="tag">Heatlh IT</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/software+as+a+service" rel="tag">software as a service</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Allscripts" rel="tag">Allscripts</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+records" rel="tag">medical records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/AT%26T" rel="tag">AT&T</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/physicians" rel="tag">physicians</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pilot" rel="tag">pilot</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/wellness" rel="tag">wellness</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/urgent+care" rel="tag">urgent care</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cisco" rel="tag">Cisco</a></div>

St. Joseph Health Systems To Roll Out Allscripts Software As Service Care Management and HomeCare And Will Work with AT&T for Telehealth Stations

This is a combination post of a couple of new things going on with St. Josephs Health Systems.  First of all the Allscripts Software as a S...

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Harris to Acquire Carefx Data Aggregator

<p>This is one way to get technologies collaborating, buyouts.   think this year at HIMMS probably data aggregation and finance were the most popular, at least with the the <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwaVsQ45oI/AAAAAAAAsa8/tcjf8GvZufU/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="85" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwaV9EpvQI/AAAAAAAAsbA/XfD0iVqsw44/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a>exhibitors.  Here’ we have Harris who is doing work for the Florida HIE move and has other government contract purchasing a medical data system that provides dashboards and aggregation of data across networks.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>ORLANDO, FL – Harris Corporation Healthcare Solutions, an international communications and information technology company, will acquire <strong><a href="http://www.carefx.com/services">Carefx Corporation</a></strong>, a provider of interoperability workflow solutions, for $155 million. Officials said Tuesday that the deal was agreed to at the HIMSS conference. <a href="http://www.carefx.com/services"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="60" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwaWuOdSeI/AAAAAAAAsbE/cCOkVk5jDSc/image%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="166" /></a></p> <p>The acquisition will expand Harris' capabilities in government healthcare, provide an entry into the commercial healthcare market, and strengthen its overall position as a leading provider of interoperability solutions, said officials.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/harris-acquire-carefx-155m">Harris to acquire Carefx for $155M | Healthcare IT News</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b8e58221-f15d-418d-9ad3-8a07b91bc276" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Harris" rel="tag">Harris</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HIE" rel="tag">HIE</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/government+contracts" rel="tag">government contracts</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CareFX" rel="tag">CareFX</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data+aggregation" rel="tag">data aggregation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mergers+and+acquisitions" rel="tag">mergers and acquisitions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hospitals" rel="tag">hospitals</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+records" rel="tag">medical records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a></div>

Harris to Acquire Carefx Data Aggregator

This is one way to get technologies collaborating, buyouts.   think this year at HIMMS probably data aggregation and finance were the most p...

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Privacy on the Internet–Tracking User History With Cookies and Flash Cookies And More-Use a Program Like CCleaner to Fight Back

<p><strong>Everyone is marketing to try and predict and of course in healthcare this is prevalent too and “why they market their ass off”.</strong>  Tracking and snooping is part of marketing if you have not figured that out yet today.  In the video below even ABC has finally come out to state how insurance tracks you, been going on a long time.  </p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-is-almost-everyone-in-healthcare.html"><font size="2">Why Is Almost Everyone In Healthcare Marketing Their “Ass” Off</font></a></h6> <p><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,124,0" height="278" id="ABCESNWID" width="344"><param name="movie" value="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="flashvars" value="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=12299832&showId=12984499&gig_lt=1298927183896&gig_pt=1298927186410&gig_g=2" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="344" height="278" flashvars="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=12299832&showId=12984499&gig_lt=1298927183896&gig_pt=1298927186410&gig_g=2" name="ABCESNWID"></embed></object></p> <p>Prescription data is bought and sold every day with subsidiaries of companies like United Healthcare.  This has gone on for years and you are for sale.  Prescription data does not fall under the auspices of HIPAA. </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/08/prescription-data-used-to-assess.html"><font size="2">Prescription Data Used To Assess Consumers - No Privacy Unless You Pay Cash...</font></a></h4> <p align="center"><u>Here are 2 companies that sell prescription data and profiling information.  </u></p> <p><em><strong><a href="http://www.rxhistories.com/faq.html"><img alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SkL9EgMQ4bI/AAAAAAAATeU/wYXysErXZ8k/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="185" /></a> <a href="http://www.ingenix.com/Products/Payers/UnderwritingActuarial/UnderwritingActuarialSolutions/MedPointPrescriptionProfiling/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="68" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SkL9GOgy_rI/AAAAAAAATec/4yxb2jf7CV8/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="170" /></a></strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>“HIPAA does not give the </strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080302077_2.html"><strong>Department of Health and Human Services</strong></a><strong> the ability to directly investigate or hold accountable entities, such as pharmacy benefit managers or companies such as Ingenix and Milliman, who are not covered by HIPAA.”</strong></em></p> <p>Do you like those bottles that remind you to take your pills, gotcha once more with data to sell so read the disclosures on all of these types of programs and devices.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/vitality-and-at-selling-glow-caps.html"><font size="2">Vitality and AT&T Selling Glow Caps Prescription Bottle on Amazon-Compliance Help and Also Creates Data for Sale</font></a></h4> <blockquote></blockquote> <p align="center"><u>Do you like coupons, then read the link below be all means.</u></p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/habits-and-identities-revealed-via.html"><font size="2">Habits and Identities Revealed via Coupons – Facebook Fan Pages Can Make User ID Visible – Shopping Algorithms Reduce Privacy And Increase Visibility</font></a></h6> <p>Below is an image from the wall Street Journal that shows some of the applications that were exploiting the information in the past.  When you get a ton load of queries running with many applications without each entity having their own security strongly in place, this type of stuff appears.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TLvjFq_KeaI/AAAAAAAAiMY/5NHFyFxCjdg/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="126" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TLvjGSwA--I/AAAAAAAAiMc/Yl-UinYer9M/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="378" /></a></p> <p>We had the story about the website Patients Like Me that was breached too by a user disguised as a forum member.</p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/10/patients-like-me-experienced-data.html"><font size="2">Patients Like Me Experienced Data Mining Through a Data Mining Research Firm Break In –The Nielsen Company</font></a></h6> <p><strong>My favorite goes back to all the game players on Facebook back in 2009 where they were suckered into sending funny money which turned into real contributions that went to insurance companies.</strong>  My thought are though that one could spend at least a few of those minutes on learning instead of wasting your time playing games all the time, try to balance this stuff. <u> If one remains brainless on the internet today, somebody will cash in on you if you are only here for shear entertainment.  </u></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/12/have-you-been-suckered-in-by-facebook.html"><strong><font size="2">Have You Been Suckered In by FaceBook to Play Games To Support Employer and Insurance Company Reform Initiatives?</font></strong></a></p> <p><strong>There’s a program that I use to clean my computer all the time and now it also </strong><a href="http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner"><strong><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="113" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwQ5dvhwPI/AAAAAAAAsak/VazVcERNfrg/image%5B8%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="115" /></strong></a><strong>does “flash cookies”.  It is called CCleaner.</strong>  I like the name and when it first came out years ago it was called “crap cleaner” but they changed the name to sound a little better but it does the job and cleans up the “crap” that is left on your computer to track you.  If you use the defaults, you are pretty safe here and it will also clean up your registry.  I recommend this program as so do many others.  </p> <p><strong>You can read more about <a href="http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/screenshots">CCleaner here</a> and it is free.  Download the <a href="http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner">latest version here</a> (look on the upper right hand corner).  </strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwQ565wUwI/AAAAAAAAsao/Vy-Xh25kfAI/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="311" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwQ6CN32SI/AAAAAAAAsas/IIoZ1ae_drc/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="393" /></a></p> <p>Using the program will give you a head start and I recommend reading the help section to get started as it can even do a system restore for you.  It will also make your browser work faster too when cleaning the cache.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4075096&page=1">Internet privacy</a> is the new black (or at least it's the new green). A recent eye-opening investigative series in the Wall Street Journal exposed the complex web of companies that are <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3948166&page=1">"tracking" your every move</a> online, and just how much information about you and your online behavior they're collecting in the process.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/tracking-online-myths-track/story?id=12984499&page=1">Who's Tracking You Online? 4 Myths to Know About 'Do Not Track' - ABC News</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:fe789ea1-cf44-41f9-aa36-f97f8ce8ba63" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Insurance" rel="tag">Insurance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/algorithms" rel="tag">algorithms</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/formulas" rel="tag">formulas</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data+bases" rel="tag">data bases</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EMR" rel="tag">EMR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/personal+health+record" rel="tag">personal health record</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pharma" rel="tag">pharma</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/drugs" rel="tag">drugs</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/prescriptions" rel="tag">prescriptions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/business+intelligence" rel="tag">business intelligence</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/privacy" rel="tag">privacy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CCleaner" rel="tag">CCleaner</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Flash+cookies" rel="tag">Flash cookies</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/do+not+track" rel="tag">do not track</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data+mining" rel="tag">data mining</a></div>

Privacy on the Internet–Tracking User History With Cookies and Flash Cookies And More-Use a Program Like CCleaner to Fight Back

Everyone is marketing to try and predict and of course in healthcare this is prevalent too and “why they market their ass off”.   Tracking a...

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GE Healthcare Becomes the Next Medical Records System to Offer Ipad and Iphone Software Solutions

<p>It is certainly beginning to look like the Ipad is becoming a working hardware partner in the medical records business as GE is the latest to announce Centricity <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwJiy1WZjI/AAAAAAAAsaM/A6yxVGl0qVI/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="140" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwJjd5r8YI/AAAAAAAAsaQ/nAoGhrTc4Rk/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="133" /></a>Advanced and Centricity Practice Solutions coming to an Ipad soon.  Back in January another medical records program also announced their Ipad application.  The applications will become available later this year and were demonstrated at the HIMSS convention in Orlando, Florida this year.  BD</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/amazing-charts-ehr-now-has-ipadiphone.html"><font size="2">Amazing Charts EHR Now Has An IPad/Iphone Mobile Application</font></a><font size="2"> </font></h4> <blockquote> <p>ORLANDO – GE Healthcare showcased the extension of its healthcare IT portfolio to mobile devices and tablet computing at HIMSS11 earlier this week. Its portfolio of EMRs for physician practices, including Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution, is now available for use on the iPad and iPhone. <br />Officials say GE Healthcare is focused on shifting the architecture of its proven software solutions to web technologies, which lighten the application footprint and bring clinicians the benefits of anytime, anywhere access to critical patient data.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwJjuZadwI/AAAAAAAAsaU/LY7s1RMTljg/s1600-h/image%5B6%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="104" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwJkACCV3I/AAAAAAAAsaY/NcvzHsY3UJw/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="207" /></a></p> <p>Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution are part of GE Healthcare’s portfolio of integrated EMR, practice management and patient portal solutions for physicians. In a separate announcement at HIMSS11, GE Healthcare announced the launch of Centricity Practice Solution version 10, which features integrated quality reporting dashboards that are included in the mobile access offering.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ge-healthcare-moves-centricity-ipad">GE Healthcare moves Centricity to iPad | Healthcare IT News</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:9448e4db-8a71-4fcf-aada-38fc7594d766" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/GE+Healthcare" rel="tag">GE Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Iphone" rel="tag">Iphone</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Ipad" rel="tag">Ipad</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/healthcrare" rel="tag">healthcrare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+records" rel="tag">medical records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/patient" rel="tag">patient</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/doctors" rel="tag">doctors</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/heatlhcare" rel="tag">heatlhcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HeatlhIT" rel="tag">HeatlhIT</a></div>

GE Healthcare Becomes the Next Medical Records System to Offer Ipad and Iphone Software Solutions

It is certainly beginning to look like the Ipad is becoming a working hardware partner in the medical records business as GE is the latest t...

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Humana Keeps Tricare In The South And Back in May of 2010 HealthNet Was Able to Keep the Northeast-Both Companies Filed Appeals

<p>This makes for somewhat of an interesting story as Tri-Care went up for bid and <img align="right" border="0" height="125" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S-JfTqQMrRI/AAAAAAAAd10/o0C09WEqTDQ/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="129" />Aetna and United were awarded new contracts; however, Humana and HealthNet filed appeals and both Aetna and United lost the bids and they reverted back to the incumbent insurance carriers.  Back in May of 2010 it was announced that HealthNet would stay in place in the north as somehow it was determined that Aetna was considered to have “cheated” with a conflict of interest and now the appeal for Humana has been granted with United Healthcare having to give up their contract too.  Here’s a flashback on HealthNet below.  <img align="right" border="0" height="163" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SyvKda-nU6I/AAAAAAAAblw/gmfkEHjXkt4/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="248" /></p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/healthnet-will-keep-tri-care-north.html"><font size="2">HealthNet Will Keep the Tri-Care North Contract – GOA Investigated the Original Award to Aetna</font></a></h4> <p>Here was the original announcement for United and Aetna.</p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/07/aetna-and-united-healthcare-secure.html"><font size="2">Aetna and United HealthCare Secure Military Contracts with Tri-Care</font></a></h6> <p>It took the GAO quite a while to sort all this out too as back in January of 2010 the bids were still in limbo.  The original announcement of the bids took place in July of 2009. </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/01/tri-care-contracts-still-not-defined.html"><font size="2">Tri-Care Contracts Still Not Defined – Aetna and United Bids Still in Limbo From the GOA<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="139" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWwEFhmogaI/AAAAAAAAsaE/NS2FKeeTR4I/image%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="161" /></font></a></h4> <p><strong>This somewhat makes one wonder how difficult is the bidding process and did the other 2 cheat and how?</strong>  These of course are big contracts, over 23 billion for Humana, and HeatlhNet and Humana are small in size by comparison to United Healthcare and Aetna, so perhaps good news for both.  Is the administration of healthcare insurer contracts so complicated now that a bidding process can’t be correctly executed?  The GAO was there to crunch numbers and verify the results and it took a long time for the results to become published.  BD  </p> <p><strong></strong></p> <blockquote> <p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Humana will continue providing <a href="http://topics.chron.com/topics/Health_care">health care</a> to military members and their families in the South.</p> <p>The company announced Friday that the Department of Defense re-evaluated an earlier decision to award the contract for <a href="http://topics.chron.com/topics/TRICARE">Tricare</a> health coverage to <a href="http://topics.chron.com/topics/UnitedHealth_Group">UnitedHealth</a>. A congressional agency supported Humana's protest in late 2009.</p> <p><a href="http://topics.chron.com/topics/The_Pentagon">The Pentagon</a> said the contract's potential value is $23.5 billion over more than five years, <a href="http://topics.chron.com/topics/The_Courier-Journal">The Courier-Journal</a> reported.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/7446628.html">Defense Department awards Tricare deal to Humana | Business news | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d9da782f-9df7-4e4b-aa73-02bcf087e0d1" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Humana" rel="tag">Humana</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Aetna" rel="tag">Aetna</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/TriCare" rel="tag">TriCare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health+Net" rel="tag">Health Net</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pentagon" rel="tag">Pentagon</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Tri-Care" rel="tag">Tri-Care</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/United+Healthcare" rel="tag">United Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/GAO" rel="tag">GAO</a></div>

Humana Keeps Tricare In The South And Back in May of 2010 HealthNet Was Able to Keep the Northeast-Both Companies Filed Appeals

This makes for somewhat of an interesting story as Tri-Care went up for bid and Aetna and United were awarded new contracts; however, Humana...

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NY Times Sells UCompareHealthCare to MDx Medical-Physician Find and Compare Website Search Algorithms And Marketing

<p>If you read here often enough at the Medical Quack occasionally I go back and take a look to see how updated some of these listings are.  <strong>They all seems to have removed the listing for my former obgyn that was on all the data bases back </strong><a href="http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Glen_Justice.html"><strong><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="74" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4sifhqAI/AAAAAAAAsZY/3ABz4eGv-xI/image%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="166" /></strong></a><strong>in September of 2010, and she has been deceased for around 8 years.  I </strong>still also wonder about how accurate these sites are and if they somewhat all use the same data base.  For a little history you can visit and see what I found just a few months ago.</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/09/healthgrades-and-other-md-rating-and.html"><font size="2">HealthGrades And Other MD Rating and Referral Sites List “Dead Doctors” on Their MD Information Pages And Even Include the Insurance Plans the “Dead Doctors” Honor</font></a></h4> <p><strong>I advise all to use these locations websites lightly and realize that all the information you seek may not be up to date</strong>.  Perhaps the NY Times felt it was easier not to have to maintain this data base as it changes frequently as what happens with doctors changes as they<a href="http://www.ucomparehealthcare.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="57" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4s9UV3JI/AAAAAAAAsZc/4SW-3i7gQYg/image%5B20%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a> move, retired and so on.  <strong>As mentioned below MDxMedical is the parent company of Vitals and I did some checking around on the oncologist who was all over the national news with Medicare and health insurance fraud, who’s sentencing was just postponed until June of this year and he’s still listed</strong>, even though he admitted fraud and patients reported did not get the cancer medicine he billed for.  <strong><a href="http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Glen_Justice.html">Patients have added a few comments</a></strong> so you be the judge here.  Both Vitals and UCompareHealthcare have almost the same information on their websites.  Back in December I took another look and you can read more about a few other sides at this post.</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/12/cms-physician-compare-site-same-as.html"><font size="2">CMS Physician Compare Site-Same as Websites For Profit? <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4tB7LrmI/AAAAAAAAsZg/_lfbAJHz9vI/s1600-h/image%5B16%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="286" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4tn0pTrI/AAAAAAAAsZk/KjFMM5VxXo0/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="243" /></a>Same MD Convicted of Medicare Fraud and Dead Chimney Doctor on the List</font></a></h4> <p><strong>Also look for the hospitals where doctors as associated at the screenshot shows Dr. Justice affiliated with a hospital in northern California</strong>, which he may well be, but I ran across several doctors who emailed me and commented on how many of the sites had them listed with hospital affiliations to where they had never set foot in.  </p> <p><strong>I did find the doctor who died in a chimney last year still listed on both sites</strong> and Vitals at least put a link to the story but still has her listed.  Be prepared as you may find “dead” and “retired” doctors still listed.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/11/california-doctor-who-passed-away-in.html"><font size="2">California Doctor Who Passed Away in September With Being Stuck in a Chimney Still Searchable on MD Referral Sites</font></a></h4> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4tz5-hEI/AAAAAAAAsZo/56HB6FkQO9I/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="316" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4uJl9rPI/AAAAAAAAsZs/wNnA6qUfsRM/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="365" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4uu7INKI/AAAAAAAAsZw/5McHivpcd-s/s1600-h/image%5B12%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="191" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWv4u_JYCxI/AAAAAAAAsZ0/b8e9QX7psi0/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="369" /></a></p> <p><u></u></p> <p><strong>Most of the sites have links of course to sell you something too so many are ad supported so again, everything you find on these sites may not be accurate and up to date</strong>.  Actually I had several doctors compare their listings on the commercial sties compared to the MD listing on the HHS government site and <strong><u><a href="http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-doctor/provider-search.aspx"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="65" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TS5vUijwQEI/AAAAAAAAoOQ/LSCcNWhtn7g/image%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="193" /></a>they found Medicare.Gov a bit more accurate, perhaps lacking details</u></strong>, which are to be added as I understand on the next round, but you can find information here that only Medicare has, and again from the feedback I received, there were fewer dead and retired doctors and the information that has been included appeared to be more accurate.  </p> <p>I did a little explaining to one of the writers on Forbes too as everyone somewhat attacked the levels of information included, <strong><u>when in fact when you look at the commercial sties, it’s just as bad if not worse, so don’t discount the Medicare.Gov site when it comes to looking up doctors</u></strong>.  I won’t comment on the ratings done here, as that’s another story with it’s own issues.    </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/update-on-physician-compare-sites-one.html"><font size="2">Update on Physician Compare Sites-One MD Reader Found CMS to be More Accurate</font></a></h4> <p>I guess we can wait and see if they combine data resources here and improve what is out there for the consumer.  The accuracy here is actually an important issue as those committing fraud also mine the web for NPI numbers and can connect outdated information to a potential physician they could bill against, and with outdated insurance carriers listed, that could give them some areas to pursue fraudulent billing.  Hopefully the “no pay” listing from the government is forthcoming and I would guess that some of these types of listings would be included.  </p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/creation-of-do-not-pay-list-announced.html"><font size="2">The Creation of a “Do Not Pay List” Announced by Government – Will Help Keep those MDs in the Grave from Cashing In</font></a></h6> <p>In another opinion piece Dow Jones thought it would be easy to have a company list what doctors were paid by Medicare and I took exception to that based on what I see here with listings from private firms, it’s not as easy as it looks and would not <img align="right" border="0" height="66" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TJcGp1oHKzI/AAAAAAAAhfM/jyY8xKNrAKY/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="169" />serve any real purpose, and all police agencies though should always have access.  Right now though the Dow might be more concerned with what’s happening with the exchanges though based on recent news instead of what I called somewhat of a useless lawsuit.  BD</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/dow-jones-files-lawsuit-against-hhs-to.html"><font size="2">Dow Jones Files Lawsuit Against HHS To Overturn Ruling To Keep Medicare Physician Compensation Confidential In the False Name of Transparency-Distraction is More Like It</font></a></h4> <blockquote> <p>The <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ny/new_york/the_new_york_times_company/117863/">New York Times Co.</a> (NYSE: NYT) has sold a website designed to help patients compare health care providers to Lyndhurst, N.J.-based <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/ca/bc/vancouver/mdx_medical_inc/3196194/">MDx Medical Inc.</a></p> <p>Marlborough, Mass.-based UCompareHealthCare.com provides interactive tools to help consumers to find and compare health care services, health care providers and health care facilities. MDxMedical is the parent company of Vitals.com, a website that allows users to rate doctors.</p> <p>“Combined, the UCompare and Vitals.com Web sites are visited more than 100 million times annually by patients. They use the sites to make more informed and intelligent decisions about their doctors, hospitals and other health care facilities,” Mitch Rothschild, CEO of MDx Medical, said in a statement. “With this acquisition, we’ll have the scale to make health care access simpler and more transparent for the consumer-patient. We’ll be introducing powerful Web-based and mobile applications so patients can access better quality care more conveniently.”</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2011/02/28/ny-times-co-sells-marlborough-operation.html">NY Times Co. sells Marlborough website | Boston Business Journal</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:68f461e2-aeb8-4abf-9a36-3406dd8db532" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Vitals" rel="tag">Vitals</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data+bases" rel="tag">data bases</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/human+resources" rel="tag">human resources</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tech+denial" rel="tag">tech denial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/infrastrucure" rel="tag">infrastrucure</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/lazy" rel="tag">lazy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/employer+insurance+HealthGrades" rel="tag">employer insurance HealthGrades</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/NY+Times" rel="tag">NY Times</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/MDX+Medical" rel="tag">MDX Medical</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/UcompareHealthCare" rel="tag">UcompareHealthCare</a></div>

NY Times Sells UCompareHealthCare to MDx Medical-Physician Find and Compare Website Search Algorithms And Marketing

If you read here often enough at the Medical Quack occasionally I go back and take a look to see how updated some of these listings are.  Th...

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Explosive Device Found On Man Treated At Emergency Room After Automobile Accident-Bomb Squad Called The Hospital

<p>Strange things are happening at the ER rooms today and this ranks up there.  The man had been in an automobile accident, taken to the hospital and when the staff was removing clothing for treatment lots of goodies were found to include drugs, pills and a bomb.  The Kansas City Police Department’s bomb and arson unit, along <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWoEov5HItI/AAAAAAAAsW8/Vbyipk-G2oI/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="170" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWoEpJaEsXI/AAAAAAAAsXA/OkjnbaSuyaU/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="122" /></a>with agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, used a robotic device to move the device to an open parking lot to detonate the explosive device.   </p> <p>I guess we may hear more later but the man has been released and the investigation will continue.  Who knows what he planned to do with the explosive device were it not for the car accident.  From the description given of being 6 inches long and having a fuse it sounded a bit large to be a firecracker.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Staff at Liberty Hospital called authorities this week after finding an explosive device in clothing worn by a patient admitted to the emergency room.</p> <p>Liberty police responded just after 11 a.m. Thursday to the hospital, where staff members had been assisting a 19-year-old Holt, Mo., man who had been involved in a rollover car accident near Kearney.</p> <p>Staff members had found marijuana, assorted pills, drug paraphernalia and an apparent explosive device in the man’s clothing. They moved the items to the ambulance bay and called police. </p> <p>Officers said the device was cylindrically shaped and about 6 inches long. It was covered in yellow tape and had a small green fuse. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/25/2683036/explosive-device-found-on-man.html">Explosive device found on man treated in hospital emergency room - KansasCity.com</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:8937f212-9f94-4e2f-97b8-bd1e9fb94a21" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ER" rel="tag">ER</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Explosive+device" rel="tag">Explosive device</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FBI" rel="tag">FBI</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/bomb+squad" rel="tag">bomb squad</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hospital" rel="tag">hospital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ambulance" rel="tag">ambulance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Kansas" rel="tag">Kansas</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/car+accident" rel="tag">car accident</a></div>

Explosive Device Found On Man Treated At Emergency Room After Automobile Accident-Bomb Squad Called The Hospital

Strange things are happening at the ER rooms today and this ranks up there.  The man had been in an automobile accident, taken to the hospit...

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Medtronic Inc. Cancels Contracts With Novation Hospital Buyer Group-Wants to Save Money Negotiating Direct With Hospitals

<p>Whether or not this represents a savings for hospitals is not known yet but the company wanted to remove the “middlemen” so they could set their own pricing without the reliance of joining the buyers group. We kind of all know how volume sales work and bring the cost down, so in absence of such a big player in the group, other companies who are members could actually see pricing go up potentially.  Last week Medtronic announced lay offs and there has also been talk of divesting the Physio Cardio company they own.  <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TO4KK3cYv_I/AAAAAAAAjmc/AGJC_07MYd0/image_thumb%5B6%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" /></p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/02/medtronic-to-lay-off-up-to-2000-workers.html"><font size="2">Medtronic to Lay Off Up to 2000 Workers Worldwide–Business Model for Market Conditions & Profitability-Subsidiary Watch</font></a></h4> <p>Medtronic also stated they negotiate their own contracts locally for the most part and will break free of the 2 to 3 percent administration fee.  Some money is going into software that supports their devices, more algorithms.  BD</p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/medtronic-carelinkr-network-goes.html"><font size="2">Medtronic CareLink(R) Network Goes Cellular – Devices That Report Data Connecting to EHR Records With HL7</font></a></h6> <blockquote> <p>IRVING, Texas, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Novation, the leading health care supply contracting company, announced today that Medtronic Inc. has cancelled five contracts with Novation that cover cardiovascular and orthopedic products.  Novation is owned by VHA Inc. and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), and VHA and UHC members represent $2 billion in annual purchases for Medtronic in these product categories. Novation has been in constant contact with Medtronic and has made every effort to maintain member value in these high cost categories. Medtronic stated in a letter to Novation that the company wanted to manage their business relationships with hospitals locally, rather than through a national GPO contract.</p> <p>"This move will likely raise costs for member organizations by eliminating the price protection that members benefit from through Novation's national agreements," said Pete Allen, senior vice president of sourcing operations at Novation. "In addition, through our contracts members generate cooperative returns, and have more favorable terms and conditions. The contracts also protect members from pricing confidentiality clauses, eliminate freight fees, and mandate that new technology is added to contracts when the technologies are released." </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medtronic-inc-cancels-cardiovascular-and-orthopedic-contracts-with-novation-116855588.html">Medtronic Inc. Cancels Cardiovascular and Orthopedic Contracts With Novation -- IRVING, Texas, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:f093bf34-4067-4601-a9d4-f577e92d006c" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medtronic" rel="tag">Medtronic</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/technology" rel="tag">technology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/M-Link" rel="tag">M-Link</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/cell+phones" rel="tag">cell phones</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/cardiology" rel="tag">cardiology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/data" rel="tag">data</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/devices+that+report.+Novation" rel="tag">devices that report. Novation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/budgets" rel="tag">budgets</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/heatlhcare" rel="tag">heatlhcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+devices" rel="tag">medical devices</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/purchasing" rel="tag">purchasing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hospital" rel="tag">hospital</a></div>

Medtronic Inc. Cancels Contracts With Novation Hospital Buyer Group-Wants to Save Money Negotiating Direct With Hospitals

Whether or not this represents a savings for hospitals is not known yet but the company wanted to remove the “middlemen” so they could set t...

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Los Angeles REC Center (Medical Records Assistance) is Open for Business HITEC-LA

<p>I try to keep some updates on what’s happening at the ONC created REC centers <a href="http://www.hitecla.org/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="74" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWgAp-7wttI/AAAAAAAAsTo/0RqRdMgHHiA/image4.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="189" /></a>across the US and everyone is a little different being they are a private enterprise coordinating to help physicians and medical businesses with converting and setting up electronic medical records.  Below are a couple recent posts regarding actives in Oregon and in Florida and one of the centers was represented this year at HIMSS, Florida.   </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/whats-happening-at-onc-rec-centers-and.html"><font size="2">What’s Happening at ONC REC Centers and HIE Initiative Centers-Connecting, Licensing, Training and Getting A Little Cozy?<a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/whats-happening-at-onc-rec-centers-and.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="52" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWgAqWD6ZfI/AAAAAAAAsTs/q9awR9urxHU/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="253" /></a></font></a></h4> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/01/regional-extension-center-rec-working.html"><font size="2">Regional Extension Center (REC) Working in Florida-What the Centers Are Doing to Help Physicians With Electronic Medical Records</font></a></h6> <p>I do have to admit when the announcement was made to establish such centers I didn’t have much of a clue as to how successful it would be or exactly how they <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWgAqrxGjRI/AAAAAAAAsTw/sGZLdek2EVI/s1600-h/image7.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="105" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TWgAqxHse9I/AAAAAAAAsT0/0hRRrVWmxOE/image_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a>would work.  It’s like anything today too, you don’t know until the organizations are out there functioning.  On on a personal comment here now that I am seeing how they are beginning to work for providers I shun when I see bills wanting to de-fund some if this activity because it is truly needed!  The goal is to have 3000 members and they are half way there and in Los Angeles I think this goal will be easily met. </p> <p>I looked around at what the <strong><a href="http://www.caloptima.org/en/Providers/RegionalExtensionCenter.aspx">Orange County REC center in California</a></strong> is doing and they are not up to this level yet and basically still have a questionnaire to fill out and that’s about it on their website.  </p> <p><strong>One of the supporters and advertisers of the Medical Quack, Office Ally announced they were the first EHR vendor for the Los Angeles REC center this week.</strong>  You can read more at the link below at their blog and if you are in Los Angeles County you can contact the REC Center or Office Ally for additional information.  California was kind of the forerunner with HMOs and thus the networks of connected physician’s groups tend to have a bit more structure and organization than what we may see in other states.  <img align="right" border="0" height="71" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TGrKR-pztkI/AAAAAAAAgn8/cYqZqQVTu4Q/image%5B15%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" width="189" /></p> <h4><a href="http://officeally.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/office-ally-selected-at-the-first-ehr-vendor-for-la-rec-center-los-angeles/"><font size="2">Office Ally Selected at the First EHR Vendor for LA REC Center (Los Angeles)</font></a></h4> <p>Again, when the centers were announced I like others were not quite sure how they would come together with the funds from HHS, but it appears the centers are growing to be an integral part for assistance and help for doctors and hospitals with software solutions and just keeping up with the news on what’s happening as it relates to the specific area covered by the REC center.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Substantial incentives are available for providers that achieve <a href="http://www.hitecla.org/meaningful-use">Meaningful Use</a> of Electronic Health Records (EHR). HITEC-LA assists qualifying practices in accessing up to $44,000 (Medicare) or $63,750 (Medicaid) to meet the criteria.</p> <p>Regardless of where you are in your EHR implementation, we can provide you with the resources and <a href="http://www.hitecla.org/benefits">benefits</a> to power your practice!</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.hitecla.org/">http://www.hitecla.org/</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:612a3247-4f8f-44b5-9ac8-55d46dd694b0" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ONC" rel="tag">ONC</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/REC" rel="tag">REC</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Los+Angeles" rel="tag">Los Angeles</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+records" rel="tag">medical records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/meaningful+use" rel="tag">meaningful use</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/technology" rel="tag">technology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vendors" rel="tag">vendors</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/licensing" rel="tag">licensing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/members" rel="tag">members</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/non+profits" rel="tag">non profits</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/training" rel="tag">training</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stimulus+money" rel="tag">stimulus money</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medicare" rel="tag">Medicare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medicaid" rel="tag">Medicaid</a></div>

Los Angeles REC Center (Medical Records Assistance) is Open for Business HITEC-LA

I try to keep some updates on what’s happening at the ONC created REC centers across the US and everyone is a little different being they ar...

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Doctors Have Become One of the Largest Software Beta Testing Groups–”Magpie Healthcare” Unfortunately Still Thrives

<p>I made this comment on Twitter and actually had a couple medical record companies agree with me, making the point that yes they as well as almost everyone else out there at some point in time has put out some “buggy” software.  Let’s face it we want to get the doctors to move up the ladder to electronic records but on a day to day basis, they have a lot staring them in the face.</p> <p><strong>When you go see your doctor do you want him/her to focus on your blood pressure or fixate on his cloud services?</strong>    I think we all know the answer to that one and for the MD to bring all of this under one roof and ensure your chart is documented properly and that you get the correct care and treatment, it’s a bit of a juggling act at times.  I think we are looking at time where the old KISS (keep it simple stupid) value is getting lost or revalued somewhere along the line.  Why are we <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TKV7fU273tI/AAAAAAAAh0M/SED_nXc00q8/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" />seeing “scribes” appearing in emergency rooms?  You have to stop and think about it as if it were so easy and simple, why do these folks now exist?  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/09/medical-scribes-still-continue-to-grow.html"><font size="2">Medical Scribes Still Continue to Grow Beyond Just Emergency Medicine…</font></a></h4> <p>In a hospital setting today I think we have some strong structured implementations too and the CIOs do their best to make it as easy as possible, but they too in the middle of their design have to take detours so as to not overlook something that should perhaps be added.  <strong>Let’s not also forget the doctors are keeping up on their continuing medical education efforts, staying on top of FDA recalls, keeping up to date with new procedures, meeting the rules from the hospitals relative to utilization, answer to an IPA for meeting standards, attend board meetings, oh yes, and see patients too.</strong></p> <p><strong>In short I think the doctors would like a little room to breathe here and there as continuous software updates on a very frequent basis are disruptive to their working environment too</strong>.  Most are willing to try out new features of course to give feedback but again there needs to be a balance here as we don’t want to lose the focus of taking care of the patient for the sake of software updates or buggy software as it occasionally happens today.  </p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/09/scribes-in-healthcare-continue-to-grow.html"><font size="2">Scribes in Healthcare Continue to Grow At Major Hospitals–Proof that Medical Records Systems are Still Not User Friendly Enough And Can Disrupt Physician Time With the Patient</font></a></h6> <p>Consumers are now starting to get a taste of this too with participation from their end and when it comes to keeping a personal health records <strong>I don’t see a whole lot of participation there either.  For that matter we have no role models either, but rather groups of “experts” who have never used a PHR that say '”you should use one”.  <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/SwV5ZiX_UoI/AAAAAAAAbDM/AF2f0U5S__0/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" /></strong></p> <p>The experts have not quite figured out social values yet with social networks as the value here is comparing notes with someone who is in your similar or same situation<strong>.  I call this “Magpie Healthcare” for all of those who just repeat and don’t participate as a consumer themselves</strong>.  I don’t care where your article gets published on personal health records, as if you are not using one, then we have more magpies on the loose.  </p> <p><strong>Anyway, just give some thought here before you jump all over your doctor for their use or non use of medical software and think about what you are doing as a consumer and if you are joining the cause here.  I wonder how many in government are using a PHR?</strong>  We never hear anything even though the Surgeon General’s office supplies one for free?  When you get right down to it<strong>, many of those folks are too busy being “Experts” telling everyone else what they should do.  Those are a dime dozen today out there on the web</strong>.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/02/relying-on-experts-when-they-may-not.html"><font size="2">Relying on Experts When They May Not Exist–Many Intelligent and Smart People But Do We Have Misconceived Paradigms-TED</font></a></h4> <p><strong>When you see that scribe in the examining area with you, now you might have a guess as to why they are there</strong>.  With as complicated as healthcare has become today just look at the over all picture before beginning to throw stones and pass judgment.  That doctor in the course of his day might be a “beta tester” and is working hard to get the documentation and treatment done right.  That is why Extormity  exists, the parody of all of the complicated processes of medical records. <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TNx1CPzHLTI/AAAAAAAAi7U/4IVODbi40aI/image%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" /></p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/02/extormity-revealed-medical-informatics.html"><font size="2">Extormity Revealed! Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE) and NoMoreClipboard.com The People Behind the Parody</font></a></h4> <p>One other thought here too, remember your doctor in his plight for electronic medical records might be facing his own peer “Magpies” too so again the need for the exchange of opinions and experience there too helps things along.  When it comes to many avenues of healthcare from both the clinical and consumer side, we are still stuck with this old paradigm of “its for those guys over there’.  <img align="right" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TKYXI9HNaQI/AAAAAAAAh1M/7da7_nnWx-c/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" /></p> <p>What makes the so strong is the fact that we<strong> all live in a world that is very non predictable today and sometimes folks look outside their own world of perhaps doing something constructive for themselves and focus on what others are doing wrong. </strong> This makes them feel good as they feel they have contributed some good when in fact it may not have been appreciated, especially if the advice is coming from a “non participant” in other words those Magpies out there swooping again.  <strong>Non participants are everywhere but at times they get particularly irritating when they are individuals in the government that claim to be experts at something they have never experienced or written about.  </strong></p> <p>We all do it to some degree here and there <strong>but when Magpies become rampant and everyone is an expert at something they have never touched or dealt with, it’s obnoxious.</strong>  We deal with it in person, on the web and everywhere we turn today and<strong> thus the rise of social networks to where people can find someone who has in fact experienced the same issue or is a participant in the same area thrives.  </strong></p> <p><strong>So next time when you visit your doctor give this some thought, do you want to talk to a software beta tester or a clinician?</strong>  Be patient and see the whole scenario before one begins throwing stones and help stamp out “Magpie Healthcare” for your own sake of getting better care via constructive and be a participant from the consumer end of Health IT.  BD    </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:f05087b5-66a5-47e7-9129-124a831ec05e" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medicare" rel="tag">Medicare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Education" rel="tag">Education</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Training" rel="tag">Training</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pilot+program" rel="tag">Pilot program</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR+Choice" rel="tag">PHR Choice</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Magpie+Healthcare" rel="tag">Magpie Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Non+participants" rel="tag">Non participants</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Value" rel="tag">Value</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Magpie+healthcare" rel="tag">Magpie healthcare</a></div>

Doctors Have Become One of the Largest Software Beta Testing Groups–”Magpie Healthcare” Unfortunately Still Thrives

I made this comment on Twitter and actually had a couple medical record companies agree with me, making the point that yes they as well as a...

Read more »