Consultants Without Borders, the American Professional Political Consultant - The Daily Show
This is so funny and one of the best satires they have put in a while! Making the best of incredible Llama ads! BD
One More Reason To Repeal the Medical Device Tax – Device Companies May Sell Your Data to Pay Their Taxes – Money Has to Come From Somewhere And They Create Jobs in the US
Let’s use some common sense here and I have been a big advocate of removing the tax and putting it where it belongs and guess what,
this plays right in there so more of your data is at risk of being sold. This is a very profitable business where companies make millions and billions selling data and it’s very little overhead, hire the programmers, write the algorithms and format your data and stick your for sale sign up. Device that manufacturer in the US bring jobs here, hands down and we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Don’t take my word for this, watch the video. Listen to the lady from Medtronic who explains the process. They don’t want to do a website and your doctor does not have time to educate you either as they don’t have time.
800 Medical Device Companies Send Letters to Congress Regarding Excise Tax on Devices–Suggested Alternative Has Been Here At the Medical Quack for Months..Tax the Data Sellers Instead
Right now Medtronic, as stated in the video is not selling web data but they are certainly looking at it to sell to insurers and other health entities, vague in response to a degree as there’s nothing moving here…yet. Again they can huge chunks of money selling your data to pay the taxes and then some as Walgreens made short of $800 million in 2010 selling data. So if the tax goes through it would be a business decision to sell your data and once more the consumer is screwed. You have to look at this as business and go beyond talking if you want to ever get your data. It is what it is. It’s all in this video.
Why do you think corporate profits are at such all time highs…because of the billions made selling your data. I have blogged about this so many times and then we have the folks crying about science and NIH funds, well taxing the data sellers is the answer there too so there’s a lot of cures for a lot of money shortages with taxing data sellers. It just makes sense. So Hugo in the video listen up here this is to help you and all of us.
This is hard for most to see because it is technology based profits and yes it does exist and when it comes to “risk” assessments for companies to get set up and mine and/or sell, the risk low, get good code and queries written is the big risk and then find your market. 
We see that on the web all the time with spun marketing. Shall we review the spun marketing FICO does to tell if you will be medication compliant with their horrible mismatch of data and algorithms designed to make money only? Watch that vide on the left hand side of this blog and see how duped you really are…Context is everything and there’s a sucker born every minute, sadly. I know this sounds like an odd reason to support repeal of the device tax but folks this is reality and the algorithms that move money and and give you parameters on what you can and can’t do in most of your life anymore are running on servers 24/7 and some of them attack you.
For more in formation in that area review the 47 chapters of the Attack of the Killer Algorithms and watch the video at the end or just watch all the videos on the left hand side of this blog, you will get educated. Time for consumers to become bed partners with the device companies, it’s a business strategy and will be a win win all the way around if the data sellers get taxed instead to keep this manageable and keep enough tangible companies operating in the US so we have JOBS. BD
Attack of the Killer Algorithms–Digest & Links for All Chapters–on How Math and Crafty Formulas Today Running on Servers 24/7 Make Life Impacting Decisions About You
I hate to say I told you so on data selling but I did 3 years ago and it’s developed pretty much like I said with consumers in the hole with privacy and any control over their own data. Here’s the links. I worked with data and wrote code and others like me too can visualize this stuff and probably even do it a lot better, they do on Wall Street. BD
Fitbit Wireless Device Monitors your Daily Activity and Movements Released
Patients Want their Data–This Guy Hacked a Fitbit to Get it Along With The API Algorithms
Fitbit Profile Sexual Activity Shows Up In Google Search Results–Default Privacy Settings Allow Search Engines To Post
HealthTap Buys Avvo Doctor Rating and Referral Business and Website
If you read here often enough you know I’m not a big fan of these websites simply because they have so many errors and dump it back on the doctors to have to go to all their various sites and fix their profiles which few of them have time for. There are better services where they actually opt in and join to where they get something back like an appointment service or other items. It was not only this site but a few others like Healthgrades who now is owned by a marketing firm so maybe they get marketed better.
Avvo Physician Rating Service Can’t Get Accurate Information Listed on Doctors - One OC Oncologist Sitting in Jail for Fraud
I guess we shall see if there’s any improvement and the lawyer referral business at Avvo remains as is.
State boards are part of the issue but to maintain such a site you should be trolling the web everyday to update the data base and every time I visit one of these sites the first or second reference I look up, errors to include being on staff at hospitals doctors have never worked in, dead doctors and so forth. I used to be a data base person so I have a bit of an idea as to what should be done. BD
http://www.avvo.com/health-information?referring_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.avvo.com%2Ffind-a-doctor
Parkinson’s Sufferer Wins Six Figure Payout Against Glaxo Over the Psychological Side Effects Created by Requip - Gay Sex and Gambling Addict
This took place in France and the video is in French but English text is included throughout part of it. He began taking the medication in 2003 and was a former bank manager and father of two children. By putting ads on the web for sex he ended up being raped. His behavior returned to normal after quitting the drug and he read about the effect on the web which were disclosed in 2006. BD
A Parkinson's sufferer has won a six figure pay-out against a drug giant after his medication turned him into a 'gay sex and gambling addict'.
Didier Jambart had been a well respected man, an upstanding member of the community in Nantes, western France, and a loving father and husband.
But within two years of taking the drug Requip he
was so addicted to both his vices he sold his children's toys to raise money and advertised himself on the internet for sex. He has now been given £160,000 in damages after a court in Rennes, France, upheld his claims.
The formerly well respected bank manager, local councillor and a father of two from Nantes in western France, had tried to commit suicide eight times after he turned into a sex-crazed gambling addict.
He told the court that he had emptied his bank account, sold his children's toys and stolen money from work colleagues, friends and neighbours
Here We Go Again With the Old Paradigm Witch Hunt and Over Dramatized Media Reports Regarding Medical Record Stimulus Money Audits And Claims Reviews–Total Waste of Time and Will Hold Back Real Progress
You do really have to fully acknowledge the digital illiteracy of what seems to be mostly the GOP folks that are in office today. You know if the participated in their own health concerns electronically, half of this crap would be on the table for discussion but they still subscribe to “it’s for those guys over there” and walk around in bliss as the entire Health IT
world has grown around them. When I say this I’m sure some will say yes I knowledgeable as I use a Fitibit…and that’s probably where most of their participation in their own health leaves off sadly. This report on auditing the attesting and not being audited is way overdone. First of all you have certified vendors who are all over this helping doctors and hospitals to get it right and of course to do that they have to be adequately trained to used an electronic medical record system.
Just something that entered into my head, how many of these folks on this House committee have their doctors e-prescribing and could they tell us? I’m just curious as my representative from the OC still uses “Robocalls” for Town Hall meetings and scares me with not having moved beyond that point and yes he’s GOP. I think the response from the ONC was quite appropriate in saying we will do an audit and I’ll bet you find little if any abuse there, as the stakes are too high for anyone to fraudulently fake this for goodness sakes..again digital illiteracy in understanding how this whole process works. The lawmakers also have not one clue about the time and expense put here to make this work and it’s a lot, so yes, I am anxious to see that 
“wolf call” audit report when it comes out and all this audit concern will be not much more than additional drama queen antics and OMG stuff to get readers in the media. What about these guys…this was awarded back in August of 2010, are they not on the ball? This was the same year I should note that the Senate cut funds for cloud services…ahemm…so what about these guys, hope they didn’t take the money and run:)
Medicare Contractor Gets Deal to Monitor Physician Incentive Payments–Same Folks Earlier This Week Admonished For Not Doing Enough for Fraud Prevention?
Back in 2011 we also had this going on with racking up too many claim denials with hospitals, so I guess they opened up the parameters a little bit on the claim algorithms maybe?
Medicare Contractors Are Not Getting Their Act Together with Consultation Coding – Are Claims Falling into a “Black Hole”
Back in 2010 the contractors overpaid doctors by the tune of over $13 million on their error.
HHS On Miscoded Claims with Wrong Location Designation–Combination Claims Usually at the Root with the Complicated Coding System-Not MDS Ripping the System
On the claims side, where’s the Medicare contractors helping out on this? Insurance companies and/or their subsidiaries get big multi million dollar contracts to work with Medicare and these are the same companies selling commercial insurance..hello…I think we have some Algo Duping going on here as this is not a simple system and all have their carpet bags stuffed with numbers today but do they have value is the question? This whole deal at the link below without citing anyone example was ridiculous.
HHS and DOJ Send Letters to Hospital Trade Associations Warning of Gaming Billing System Via Use of Electronic Medical Records–Hospitals Just Learned How to Bill Better & Hired Consultants–Case of Being Algo Duped With Numbers?
Those lawmakers just seem to be so far out of touch and again when I think of the Robocall Town Halls in my area, that confirms it.
How do you reach those people and educate them I ask? HHS now has the auditing software and it’s working to identify patterns and find fraud and to stay on that case is great but from what I read it’s like starting over again and again and again for lawmakers to get a concept of how Medicare works. So here we go again the big OMG story and some folks making some kind of stand here when there are much more important items to be addressed. I guess none of them understand cash flow with doctor’s practices either. Just wait until one claim is denied and requires a flurry of additional paperwork, been there and done that myself, it’s a mess. Back to the incentives, I don’t think you will find any issues to speak of as doctors and hospitals go through a lot of hoops to put in a medical record system and thus with these folks in Congress who seem to take little involvement in their own health and observe how it is handled we have the big drama queen running to center stage again, this get so old when there are bigger items to work on out there..ho hum. I guess digital illiteracy certainly seems good for keeping everyone’s bowels in an uproar and if they would only move up a few levels here we would all be farther ahead. BD
The conversion to electronic medical records — a critical piece of the Obama administration’s plan for health care reform — is “vulnerable” to fraud and abuse because of the failure of Medicare officials to develop appropriate safeguards, according to a sharply critical report to be issued Thursday by federal investigators.
But the report says Medicare, which is charged with managing the incentive program that encourages the adoption of electronic records, has failed to put in place adequate safeguards to ensure that information being provided by hospitals and doctors about their electronic records systems is accurate. To qualify for the incentive payments, doctors and hospitals must demonstrate that the systems lead to better patient care, meeting a so-called meaningful use standard by, for example, checking for harmful drug interactions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/business/medicare-is-faulted-in-electronic-medical-records-conversion.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121129&utm_campaign=dw_tweets&utm_medium=Argyle%2BSocial&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=2012-11-29-08-59-23
Women in Science–Hacking the Vagina With A Hands Free Vibrator Built With Open Source Software Demonstrating Motion Control of a Device…
No this is not an X rated post at all but the principles shown here are pretty fascinating on how it was designed and how a 3D printer
was used to create the container to hold the wireless device. Be sure you have your wireless network encrypted so this doesn’t get out on the network with an exposed IP address though:) You can watch the video and see how the devices moves around a plate and see the enclosure built. Sure this concept leaves all kinds of ideas open for controlling a medical device of some sort and that’s why it’s here at the Quack to show some innovation. When you think of it though it’s not anything more outrageous than the FDA approved male vibrator that is on the market that you need a prescription for. Wonder if this one will take that route, don’t think so:) If you want to see all the details you can visit her website where she takes you through each component and how they all fit together and it’s very detailed and technical. BD
FDA Approves First Male Vibrator for Use for Men Suffering From ED–Available By Prescription Only
Most hacks are done in the name of hacking with the end result rarely being put to good use, if ever leading to an orgasm. With a simple declaration, one woman took matters into her own hands by removing them from the equation. Her goal: create a hands-free vibrator.
The two black circles are ultrasonic transducers. One of them transmits short “chirps” at a frequency too high for humans to hear. The other listens for echoes. The 4-digit display gives another satisfying bit of feedback, in visceral high-contrast blue LED light. The external antenna gives it quite a bit more radio range than the original remote, and the exposed serial port on the left makes it easy to reprogram the remote using the Arduino IDE.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/hack-vibrator-121129.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1
800 Medical Device Companies Send Letters to Congress Regarding Excise Tax on Devices–Suggested Alternative Has Been Here At the Medical Quack for Months..Tax the Data Sellers Instead
Now that the time is getting closer, the heat is on. When the healthcare reform law was created things were different and the 
economy was better. Any business in the US making tangibles is having a hard time as Wall Street way over inflated the value of software algorithms, social algorithms you name it and the tangible side can’t keep up. You can blame Wall Street for their greed once more, but back on track this tax should be reversed and we don’t have enough folks in executive positions with enough computer science or even a tiny bit of IT experience. Big thumbs up though for Illinois who elected a physicist and I have great hope for him in helping bring some of the digital illiterates we elect up to speed as that’s about our only hope.
Physicist Elected to House of Representatives, Some of His Technology is Used in the Big Collider at CERN–Hopefully This is the Start of a New Trend..Bill Foster
Today reading the news about Darrell Issa proposing a 2 year ban on internet laws…this is sticking out like a huge sore thumb..does he not realize how foot in digital illiterate mouth looks? This is where they 
need to get on board and granted the media continues their somewhat strange reporting at times but those journalists have goals to reach as far as readers and they know sex, drama queen antics, and OMG get readers so that’s what we get and frankly if I were in their position with a boss wanting numbers, what do you do, you play the game or don’t have a job, so no personal attacks there at all. Actually it’s kind of good that they do that as they get the basic news out and then folks like me and others can dissect it and give you another view which is what I try to do with honesty.
I used to write code and so for the most part this blog gets away from the “magpie news formats” as best I can. We need journalists as they bring the story in and the support the bloggers too but yeah I do wish the OMG and drama queen crap were down to a smaller number as I know we need some of that to have a healthy mix. We do have Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert to bring us back to earth when the crap gets real bad and even the press themselves at some point makes fun of themselves too.
We have this entire billion dollar profit machine out there that nobody wants to see I guess that gets their data for nothing and their profits for free and those are the data sellers who “should” be paying an excise tax and be licensed. I keep reading over and over and over about the potential cuts to science, well this tax could fund a lot of 
science at the NIH, help the FDA and what ever else you might want to toss in there as the profits are huge when you bring in banks, companies you name it. You can read more about how it would help the NIH and FDA here. When you think of Walgreens in 2010 making short of $800 million, how big is that pot…HUGE! All business relies on it today and I think about this every time as a consumer when I have to pay an excise tax on a tire I need for my car to keep the highway infrastructure up. What pays for the government IT infrastructure? Nobody…and business benefits more than anyone else from it.
One More Good Reason to Tax the Data Sellers– Create Additional Funding for the NIH and FDA From Sources That Otherwise Are Too Greedy to Share & Contribute
In the meantime we are all somewhat Algo Duped on what data is important and what has value and there’s just flat out crap out there too, everyone knows that but they still seem to spin market crap. It’s totally amazing that corporate USA (this includes companies, banks, trading firms, social media and ton of other entities) are just flat out getting rich from 
selling data. In addition state governments who do license some of these mining bots are now having a new expense with it, software to limit the bots so you and I as consumers can still get access. A while back North Carolina tossed out Core Logic due to this and the fact that they were not updating and paying timely for updated information. Have you as a “consumer data chaser” had the experience of getting corrected information fixed and then wait and wait and wait until it gets updated? This is part of the reason. Here’s another back link of mine on the topic.
Congress To Investigate the Data Sellers - Need To Create a Law to Tax Them As The Algorithms Used For This Business Generate Billions of Dollars, Partly Why Corporate Profits Are So High - Remove the Medical Device Tax as They Produce Needed Jobs/Tangibles
This topic was also chapter 17 of my Attack of the Killer Algorithms series which depicts how math and formulas “get you” when you least expect it and it is due to flawed data or folks using unethical algorithms and formulas for profit. Instead of the Occupy movement as we see it, “Occupy Algorithms” for goodness sakes and let’s get some accurate queries and data out there instead of some of the ones designed for “desired” results. We end up with something along this line:
”Hey dude let’s crunch some numbers and see if we can come up with some analytics to sell”
Well we have one down with the SEC commissioner leaving 
and I hope we get a replacement in there soon with a tiny bit of computer science or IT in their background. Back when Sebelius was nominate I about got chastised when I suggested someone else and this is not personal but when you have written data you can visualize how this is going to play out and at that time I said Health IT was going to run her over and it’s about there with the way technology has evolved. Three years ago I said this below, meaning check the math, the formulas and lets clean things up.
“Department of Algorithms – Do We Need One of These to Regulate Upcoming Laws?
You also have this guy making millions selling our data and he operates outside the government’s jurisdiction, little over head other than maintaining the algorithms that mine the data he sells and you as a consumer have no access.
E-Scoring Credit Algorithms Invisible To Consumers Used to Market and Evaluate, Does Not Fall Under Federal Law And Such Are Used by Insurance Companies - How Will This Work With Exchanges –Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 42
So yes in view of all of this scamming going on, move the tax over here as the device companies are some of the last tangibles we have left in the US and they create jobs..what does Congress not see here? They have to negotiate too with insurance companies to cover a lot of what they 
produce and that’s another bunch who makes billions selling our data, tax them. Sure some device companies may sell data but they would be in there with everyone else and it would not be such a big chunk to absorb as the banks and the social networks I would guess would have most taxes to pay. License them so fines can be given out for selling without a license. Require all to update a federal website where they disclose what kind of data they sell and to who. We all talk about transparency so this would be part of the deal, a win for consumers too.
We need the device manufacturers and even some of them due to this tax have fallen into the area of selling data and not expanding
and do it over seas and why not if you can hire a few technologist to mine and sell data and move your job over seas. I’m not saying all have done this but some have and the US gets no no jobs. If they had to pay a tax on some of this that is stiff enough it could be just enough to where buildings plants and hiring employees looks good again. They didn’t create this issue but our government just sat back and let it grow as so many are digital illiterate to the changing world of technology. I hear the same thing from folks in the markets too that they are appalled at what the government allows to occur but they do things they think are morally wrong because the government allows it.
Here’s a story I did on Cook Medical and it proves exactly what I said in the above paragraph, they are not building a new factory in the US as they have to pay this excise tax. This is not showing favoritism but rather this reality and it’s happening more than what you think, get in to some math and do the numbers. I had people write and thank me for this article.
Cook Medical Cancels Plans for Factory Expansions–We Need Companies That Create Tangible Products As They Create Jobs–Tax The Data Sellers/Brokers Who Make Billions With Data Mining “Killer Algorithms” And Give the Device Companies a Break
Cook Medical claims the tax on medical devices, set to take effect next year, will cost the company roughly $20 million a year, cutting into money that would otherwise go toward expanding into new
facilities over the next five years. This was also one of my Attack of the Killer Algorithm stories, which is a year long grouping of how algorithms and formulas attack you in real life and the reality of all the flawed data arising out there as companies and banks combine credible data with non credible data to make a buck. Now I like data and what it does but I can also see when it gets stupid and formulas created only for money…more on that later..
“Devaluate the Algorithm” And “Tax the Data Sellers”–A Cure for Both Healthcare and an Economy Based Heavily on Intangibles–We’ve Lost Our Balance
I write this because I don’t think our lawmakers are aware of the words choices and options today and we have a lot of them and I tried to tell the device folks “suggest this” as an alternative because if you wait for them to come up with an alternative idea or suggestion, it’s not going to happen. I still have my House of Representatives person here in the OC still doing Town Halls using “robocalls” so I see it and don’t deny it:) My phone rings and he’s just so happy on the robocall recording to have me and all the others robocalled in his presence. Amazing is is not that I live in one of the most technology savvy areas of the US and that’s what I get….ok moving on..
I don’t very often stand by Fox but they have this one right and it could be by accident I don’t know but this is a sure way to send the US economy further down the tubes when there are plenty of other
alternatives and folks just won’t open their eyes. Now one more video and this video under several other posts I have done has been going like gangbusters. It’s on this page too on the left hand side so watch and learn. This is where the trouble begins with greed and fiction with math, codes and formulas. It doesn’t get any better than this when the folks aka quants tell you about their work and the fiction they are paid to write and they too tell you that if we let this continue it’s our own fault. We need to use some logic and drop the OMG and drama queen crap and take a look at the reality here. I just checked the views on this and the maker should be happy here as a couple months ago it only it had 3000 views and now its up over 400,000. I don’t see anyone else pitching it so a good thing as folks are getting educated.
Quotes from the video: “with software you can do anything but not so in real life”…”you become so isolated from the real world”…”making money is like a drug”…”you are just so much better than anyone else”…” I used to be a computer programmer at a major player on Wall Street that is no longer among us for obvious reasons”…”I did the plumbing, not the model itself but the infrastructure surrounding the model”…”I could do it sleeping”…”why I decided to stay off camera and anonymous”…”we sold the software to all the investment banks”…”I left in 2000 and after that it went nuts”…”CEOs are actually fantastic instruments when they slice and dice”…”I have to apologize to the planet (said the quant)”..”I have the ability to see patterns and abstract mathematical symbols”…(most programmers do)…”the managers just have to believe the quants”…”if it’s a hedge fund they are taking a percentage of the money even if you go bankrupt, they don’t lose money it’s the client’s money that is lost”…”wait a minute (developer) these guys are out of control (Wall Street)”…”because I was a technologist I did not fully understand what was going on”…”you have to have some kind of responsibility”…”If people don’t complain now, it serves them right (quant)”…
”people that are in the business now refuse to talk to the press as they would probably be fired”…”you have to be perfect and you have to be right all the time, if the software fails you lose millions and billions”…”it’s a lot of stress”…(that goes for almost any software development, healthcare included)…”you wake up and you don’t know what day it is”…”banking has completely lost touch with it’s purpose”…”sometimes the real world is just dirty (quant)”…'”Quant back to the drawing board and re-do your numbers change the math and make it look less risky”….”hide the risk”…”once you have too much mathematics, it’s difficult to see where the mistakes are”…”banking has become so enormous it has outstripped all other businesses when it should be supporting”…”hedge funds get the black boxes as close as they can to the exchange”…”a black box has a secret or a formula inside, stock prices, etc. that tells you what to trade”…”Google search, trading on what people are searching for”…”people say Goldman itself is a black box, we don’t know how it makes all it’s money”…
So this is where the money went and we need to hang on to our tangible manufacturing business and not send it away and not be duped by the formulas and bad models that cause
“Algo Duping”. Place the tax elsewhere on those who are benefiting from data so we can regain some balance and not lose more jobs. Again after watching the video you may have a lot better idea as to how are arrived at where we are and that the need for key executives with some computer science and IT experience is mandatory or we go further down this road to recession and the dirty code and models for profit win and get more our money, leave the device people alone and look at other choices.
If you want to see more on the algorithms visit Algo Duping 101 for additional videos. BD
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1995105037001/800-companies-demand-repeal-medical-device-tax
Smith and Nephew Buy Texas Wound Care Firm Healthpoint Biotherapeutics–$782 Million
This seems to be a match of related and similar technologies. It was just earlier this year that the PICO system from Smith 
and Nephew received FDA approval which is a small device used either at home or at the hospital for therapy to help wounds heal. Just a couple weeks ago the company said they were looking for new acquisitions in the wound care business. Their knee and hip business is down a little and they have and distribute what has been called the 30 year knee.
FDA Clears PICO* Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System–Instructions for Application Use Provided by a MS Tag (barcode) On Packaging
Healthpoint employs 460 people and has revenues of $150 million so is there something else in the works with new products to come out soon? Johnson and Johnson at one point also tried to acquire Smith and Nephew for more than 7 billion but that didn’t work out. I would guess their knee implant might have been a big motivator there with all the issues J and J had with theirs. You can view the products from Healthpoint here as relates to wound care and they also offer products that help control infection such as hand washes, etc. . BD
LONDON — British medical technology company Smith & Nephew PLC said Wednesday it is buying Texas-based Healthpoint Biotherapeutics for $782 million.
Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, founded in 1992, is a privately owned company that focuses on acute, chronic and burn-related wound care.
Travis Baugh, Healthpoint’s president and chief operating officer, said the acquisition “will enable us to accelerate 
many of the initiatives we wanted to pursue and will provide development and promotional opportunities to our employees that would not have been available to them had we stayed an independent company.”
Healthpoint, which has 460 employees, will continue to be based in Fort Worth.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/uks-smith-and-nephew-buys-texas-based-wound-care-firm-healthpoint-biotherapeutics-for-782-ml/2012/11/28/646d5fc2-3949-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_story.html
MemorialCare in Southern California Buying Assets of an Existing HMO to Create It’s Own Health Plan Names Seaside Health Plan
The new plan will be names Seaside Health Plan and licenses have been applied for. In addition Seaside will also will participate in a state project that addressing the needs of children with
certain diseases and chronic conditions. Seaside will support managed care Medi-Cal members. It will be maintained as a subsidiary of MemorialCare. Universal Care will continue with it’s line of business that was not purchased by MemorialCare. This is one way to keep some of the HMO business from insurance company ownership, which has been big in the OC. Last year United bought the doctors group, Memorial IPA and most of the physician members there work at Memorial hospitals.
OptumHealth (Subsidiary of United Healthcare) Takes Over Memorial IPA in California-Subsidiary Watch
In addition back in 2010 they also opened up 3 retail clinics in the OC, one of which I see when I do my grocery shopping. BD
Memorial Care Health Systems Opening 3 “HealthExpress” Walk In Clinics Inside Albertsons/Sav-On Stores – Orange County
LONG BEACH and ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 27, 2012 — LONG BEACH and ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --MemorialCare Health System in Southern California today announced an agreement to purchase specific assets of Universal Care and the filing of an application for its newly formed Seaside Health Plan to become a California licensed health plan.
Seaside is organized to support managed Medi-Cal members and prepare for the California Children's Services (CCS) demonstration project that addresses the needs of children with certain diseases and ongoing medical conditions.
These developments enhance MemorialCare's mission of ensuring Southland communities have convenient access to high quality, evidence-based medicine, superior value, exceptional service and a network of integrated providers—top hospitals, physicians, outpatient services, ambulatory centers and preventive care for all ages.
http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/11/27/4443483/memorialcare-health-system-announces.html#storylink=cpy
New Jersey to Tax Medical Marijuana–Last Roadblock to Launching and Opening Dispensaries
It makes sense to tax and other states are doing it and it is 
noted that California who is always in the news on this topic will see just under $60 million in revenue. With those who use medical marijuana there’s usually not even so much as a concern about the tax and are happy to pay. We have heard that many times over in California. New Jersey can certainly use the revenue after Sandy. BD
TRENTON — Medical marijuana will indeed be a cash crop in the Garden State.
The Christie administration has determined New Jersey’s 7 percent sales tax will apply every time a pre-screened patient buys marijuana from an approved dispensary, state
Treasury spokesman Andrew Pratt said late today.
The decision could remove the last roadblock to launching New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.
The state has approved 318 patients to participate in the medical marijuana program so far, with 138 more in the application and screening process, Leusner said.
A study by the state Treasury Department in Vermont — which has four dispensaries — reported California was on track to collect at least $58 million in sales tax in 2012, and that Colorado collected $5 million last year.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/nj_to_tax_medical_marijuana_ch.html
UCSF Medical Center Reduced Readmissions With Heart Failure And It Was Not That Magical Flipping Algorithm Everyone Is Looking for That Did the Trick
Everywhere you turn today you are slammed with analytics and not all of it is correct or related properly. If you read here often enough, this old data base person might offer a few words of wisdom in this area since I
used to write the stuff and work with doctors on software creation. The crap you hear is the news is just that when it comes to expectations sometimes. Also keep in mind this is only one element of the re-admissions puzzle, so we don’t know what happened in the other areas. It is also important to note that patient demographics play a role here as well with taking into consideration not only the level of education of the patients but also poverty levels as that makes a difference. I read this article and it’s a nice focus for a change as it was focused on the positive moves they made.
The hospital also had some nice grant money from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation who are constant philanthropists since Betty Moore a few years ago almost died due to a medical error with getting insulin shots she didn’t need as she’s not a diabetic. Sure they used some analytics but used them wisely but after that portion was initiated the human side came in to play with educating patients better on their conditions. Communication with email and phone calls, etc. was a big thing here and with the 2 nurse coordinators all could see at any time where the progress was.
People get sucked in to Algo Duping and former HHS secretary Leavitt appears to have had that happen as well as you have this $3 million dollar carrot going on looking for that magical “flipping algorithm” as 
a solve all problems. Don’t worry, he’s not alone as our current HHS Secretary gets drug in there too with that silly Facebook contest earlier this year and it happens when you have people in executive positions today that don’t know any different and have no IT or computer science background, they are like everyone else getting Algo Duped and then you have the media that builds all of this up like the next best thing to sliced bread and it’s hard.
So What’s Going on Over at the Heritage Health Prize Competition to Predict Who Ends Up Being Re-Admitted to the Hospital–A Lot of Mathematical Algorithms For One…
Here’s a screenshot of the $3 million dollar race for the algorithm…hmmmm..we have players over here…not developers per se as it looks you think? 
So how in the world do you expect people who hate math and fear it to make these types of decisions? You can’t and that's part of what’s going on. I said in a couple other posts this is why Wall Street wins all the time as they have no fear and I think anyone can attest to that. So, on this subject we actually have a PLOS One study that defines this. Yes you might want to
take it a little tongue and cheek but damn the MRI images and the extensive research they wrote seems to have a lot going for it as I do when I mention a little math watch all run away in groves. It is what it is. You know what though a little admittance here, I feel a lot of pain too when faced with some very complex coding but I don’t fear it:) This study stated the the neural regions of the brain got active when a math problem was introduced.
“Algo Duping” – PLOS One Journal Publication Explains Why The Fear of Math Plays a Big Role As One Underlying Reason We All Get Duped And Those Who Don’t Fear Math Take All the Money, Gradually, Using “Mathematical Formulas & Algorithms”
“This journal report was just an absolute “gift” of an explanation for me to include and look at the GOP these days with their interpretations…the 50 shades of rape and I guess when thinking math and experiencing pain for some reason or another and this is especially dangerous when creating laws or when campaigning, they go to something they can think about controlling and from what you have seen on the news and ridiculous statements made, I’m guessing “math” and this substantiated fear really had them running for the hills.”
Do you think I’m tired of the abuse and misuse of math by design or by accident? You’re right and nobody else has enough common
sense to ask questions sometimes…hmmmm…let’s see that formula has square root in it and few other important looking items…well gee it must be right”…wrong:) This is a good place again for the “Charlie” video, “it’s all about context” so keep that in mind because some of the stuff out there is nowhere near the proper context and some code is written just to make and move money. He tells you too in the first few minutes that Algo Duping (my word there) is so successful too as people don’t like math.
By the way he just sued and won a case to get “public” information from the NIH too, so a nice thumbs up there. Listen to him address the algorithm for the perfect butt:) How much nonsense have you soaked in with being Algo Duped. For those of you into anatomy, the perfect butt algo becoming national news will have you rolling on your side.
Now back on track, this worked for the UCSF hospital so why don’t we give some grants to other hospitals to see if we can make this work elsewhere to deal with that crazy readmission penalty algorithm that sucked in the government as a magical formula. Instead we are taking the money from the hospitals when they need it, does this make sense? Again there is not magical algorithm fairy out there. We get smarter with information but we also need to know how to use and apply the data.
Quantitative analytics are not always the complete answer. If you want to know more on that topic and how you get duped in other places, just watch the other videos in the left hand column of this blog or use this link to see all of them at Algo Duping 101. I have more articles relating to this topic and you can search and find them by keywords and please don’t be afraid of asking questions…and let that math give you physical pain if you can help it:) Here’s one more study to where a scientist wrote about how to figure out if in clinical and other medical studies if the authors “fiddled” with the P Values and if you watch the video above, Charlie explains enough of this in layman’s terms so you know what it is. We won’t be fooled again!
PLOS One Abstract–Methodology for Detecting Manipulation of “P Values” To Show Significant Statistical Value, “Inappropriate Fiddling” Which Can Lead to “Algo Duping” Situations And Numbers
So let’s be smarter about all of this and use the data we get in context and not look for that magical one stop shop algorithm because it’s not there and we certainly don’t want to grow to the extent that was demonstrated in Italy with the citizens convicting their scientists of manslaughter for not properly warning and predicting an earthquake as as that is Algo Duping deluxe if you will. I live in southern California and we have a lot of smart people here and believe me if that were the case someone long ago would have convicted Cal Tech scientists of manslaughter and wanted a lot of money for goodness sakes.
Digital Illiteracy and Algo Duping Alive and Well in Italy With Scientists Convicted of Manslaughter for Failure to Predict and Warn of An Earthquake…
I cite this incident in Italy as it is the absolute proof that people 
are being Algo Duped and sucked in to analytics and formulas that don’t fit the occasion or those that are designed to take your money. You don’t see it as they run on servers 24/7 and it’s the silent battle, but as mentioned above government gets sucked in as well and the construction of this re-admission set of algorithms and parameters doesn’t fit very well and it written to penalize instead of helping. Furthermore with people in executive or secretary positions without one stick of IT or computer science knowledge roaming around the US this further puts us as risk as they get duped, that is my risk assessment for the US right now and I think it’s a good one, it certainly is true. BD
According to McCarthy, the program consists of two heart failure program nurse coordinators, supported by a multidisciplinary team comprising a cardiovascular service line director, hospitalists, cardiologists, clinical nurse specialists, case managers, social workers, pharmacists, dieticians, chaplains, educators, primary care physicians, skilled nursing facility staff, home care nurses and outpatient nurse practitioners.
“Not every hospital can hire coordinators but are there lower cost ways to create this approach? Communicating with post acute care providers is important. It’s something that everyone needs to work together on to focus on the entire care episode,” he said. “It improves quality of life for patients and saves money.”
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/ucsf-medical-center-program-slashes-heart-failure-readmissions
San Francisco General Hospital Asking LA Dodgers for a $1.2 Million Dollar Reimbursement for Medical Bills
You may or may not remember this back in 2011 but 2 fans from Los Angeles beat up a San Francisco fan. The 1.2 million is for what is not covered under the man’s personal insurance. That’s a lot of money
and after being brutally beaten and spending time in LA, he was transferred to San Francisco where he was treated for a concussion for several months. He is a father of 2 and ironically a paramedic by profession. The case accuses former Dodger owner Frank McCourt of letting securing fall to unacceptable levels at the stadium and thus there was nobody there to take any action to stop the attack. Not too long ago the LA Clippers had to chip in so their coach could have surgery for prostate cancer when the owner of the team declined coverage so it’s a pretty crappy world we live in sometimes. BD
LA Clippers Team Members Chipped in to Pay for Coach’s Treatment for Prostate Cancer When the Team Owner Declined Coverage
The Los Angeles Dodgers are being asked for a $1.2 million reimbursement by San Francisco General Hospital for extensive brain trauma care given to Bryan Stow, according to reports.
The $1.2 million sum totals the medical bills not covered by Stow's personal medical insurance.
Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan, was brutally beaten by two Dodgers fans outside Dodger Stadium following the 2011 season opener between the two teams.
FICO Buys CR Software And Gains Access to Revenue Cycle Software Business in Healthcare
CR Software on the website promotes Titanium ORE for medical billing and collection services. FICO has been working to get a hand in healthcare I think for a while. Their horrible mismatched data analytics
I think is still out there for medication compliance. We have so many today slapping data bases together and think they have created value. Who sees the value? The users and who faces the Killer Algorithms FICO created with this pseudo analytics service for medication compliance, consumers. Perhaps with this acquisition they are getting in to some realistic business models. You can read more about the Medication Adherence mismatched data services below. Other than a credit report they don’t even tell you what else goes in there but they rate you from zero to 500 on what they “think” you prescription adherence will be and they definitely need some better data scientists in their company as they try to pass this one off.
FICO Analytics Press Release Marketing Credit Scoring Algorithms to Predict Medication Adherence–Update (Opinion)
There’s was another forum yesterday on the web where IT folks from big companies talked about this exact problem with value and the woman from T-Mobile called it right on with people matching up anything that flies and we get duped.
Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game
Back to the story here the dollar amount of the purchase was not disclosed. Frankly this is a very crowded field and I think the companies that do better here are those with founders that are doctors. I’m seeing a lot of that of late as corporate software, no matter how hard they try at times when the shareholder pressure is there, can’t get it right. They have more than just Revenue Cycle and offer expertise on collections, again dime a dozen for companies that do that today with algorithms that either dial your phone, do your analytics for business intelligence and all other other common software issues that a business uses today. Just like every other page in this area of service offers, they will increase your revenue and collections and I certainly hope we see more mergers in this area too, way too many of them out there. BD
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FICO (NYSE: FICO), the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, today announced it has acquired CR Software, LLC, a leading provider of enterprise-class collections and recovery solutions for credit issuers, government organizations, collection agencies, retailers, healthcare providers and other enterprises. The transaction has closed, and terms are not being disclosed.
"FICO has long been a pioneer in providing advanced collections and recovery solutions to the financial services industry, with solutions built around FICO Debt Manager," said 
Martin Germanis, CR Software CEO. "Today, organizations such as governments, healthcare entities, agencies and retailers are demanding the same kind of enterprise-strength solutions as financial services institutions, but tailored to their specific needs. CR Software complements FICO's strengths and expands FICO's portfolio with a solution that yields superior ROI in multiple industries, the public sector and smaller collections agencies."
Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game
This is a great video and the panel really describes the role of the data scientist. They talk about how it gets used and misused at times in the real world like running parametric queries on non 
parametric data for one example, and people doing really “silly” averages of averages the one panel member states and she works in data at T-Mobile, but it’s all over the place and nobody has enough data scientists that can visualize. I agree with that as before we had “big data” around 10 years ago or more I was visualizing, pretty much in my head and thoughts as we didn’t have the tools we have today that puts this in front of us as a “no brainer”.
Joining non summarized data is another fallacy that comes up and you see that all over the place as folks run a query to see what sticks to the wall and then sell it and sometimes there is no value if it doesn’t do anything, or in the case of how we seem to see everything today, money. The panels goes beyond this this though, thank goodness and talks about the “real” value and not just some algorithms created to make money. We saw that and I wrote it up a couple of times with the FICO analytics they sell. It has no value as credit scores and data mined from the web (non credible) has no value when you bring this down to an individual level. Sure there’s no problem using it to predict in numbers, but again what they did was unbelievable and will deny people medical care. Why? The used non credible
data and on social networks anyone can lie their fanny off and yet they are out there selling this ridiculous analytics service to insurance companies and to pharmaceutical companies to predict of you will be a patient that will take your prescriptions. I give that gal on the panel a lot of credit here to be bold enough and tell it like it is. The FICO example is where Algo Duping begins and I do hope that when it comes to predictive analytics that insurers and pharma companies listen to somebody else when it comes to analytics that offer value and not this.
FICO Analytics Press Release Marketing Credit Scoring Algorithms to Predict Medication Adherence–Update (Opinion)
In addition on the panel is a woman from Archimedes who does healthcare modeling. Archimedes was started at Kaiser Permanente years ago and then branched off at their own company. Kaiser is still a client/partner and we have seen some similar data work coming from within the organization as well. The first part of the video drags so to get to the meat and potatoes quickly advance to around the 35 minute mark. You need to investigate when a data scientist, aka advanced analytics is needed when the ultimate business intelligence goal is not defined. Most companies run traditional business intelligence reports including most of the big guys. The video actually mentions Quants who “are” the data scientists.
The gentleman from NASA has a lot to add as well when he speaks of the average scientist being able to use what they build. He says you need a lot of citizen scientists and surprisingly he states in what they do there’s not a real heavy use of quantitative data. Business analysts are being trained in college but people are learning on their own through visualization tools. I learned a new term here “Algorithm Jockey” and they are out there. There’s a nice question and answer at the end that talks about the time required to “prepare” data, and yes that is needed and this goes back to my coined phrase “the short order code kitchen burned down a few years ago and most missed the fire sale”.
Now to finish here, here’s 4 videos that will tell you what Algo Duping is all about, where corporate America has both by plan and some by accident created analytics and a lot done with some big data resources have used algorithms to move the money to the one side where the wealthy have it all.
Attack of the Killer Algorithms – “Algo Duping 101″
Where do you start and where do you pitch is also discussed. Get that executive that is not in a cave or sitting in the 70s and get them to move with it. Now one last thought and here’s a link back to a post from the Medical Quack over 3 years ago, August of 2009…..what do you think? That post below is and was visualization at work and you start thinking this way when you know the mechanics and can visualize.
“Department of Algorithms – Do We Need One of These to Regulate Upcoming Laws?
As this moves quickly should someone be minding the shop? We had Mary Shapiro state she was leaving so a person that is part “computer scientist” running the SEC in the future would certainly be nice and do more for the financial status of this country than what has been done in years. Congress is a big part of that issue too with a huge plague of digital illiteracy and drama queen antics that seem to get the best of them to where they can’t think about visualizing. BD
Does big data live up to the hype? Yes. To me, big data means technology and business alignment---that Holy Grail endlessly pursued by CIOs---becomes a no brainer. Big data projects by nature are about revenue, risk and profits. In other words, IT and the business can't help but be aligned.
Clearly, we're in a big data hype cycle that I put on par with the Linux and open source software craze in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Back then, Linux was going to change the world, kill Microsoft and other things. In many respects, Linux and open source software (Android for instance) did change everything. But a funny thing happened on the way to revolution---open source software became commonplace in every data center and now is take for granted. The revolution happened, but we just stopped talking about it as much. Cloud computing is playing out in a similar fashion.
http://www.zdnet.com/big-data-how-the-revolution-may-play-out-7000007734/
American Academy of Family Practice Physicians Survey Doctors Using Electronic Medical Records and Praxis EMR Comes Up Ranked as #1 Preferred
This sounds like a decent size survey and I agree on the fact that Praxis has been around for quite a while as I remembered seeing the concept processor years ago in action just as I was beginning to write my medical records system. I attended a big conference
in Los Angeles to where they were a partner with a conglomerate using several technologies at the time and Praxis was one of them. I’m sure it has been greatly improved as technology has moved forward and it was funny as I operated from what I designed as “mini templates” at the time, in other words doctors could input quickly a few sentences that were commonly used which still left room for free text to be added to personalize. I remembered the beta doctor I worked with telling me how important it is to capture the patient information and have it recorded in the way the he/she interprets and with big templates you don’t get that today. You can read more about the survey here at EHRScope, one of my great sponsors here at the Medical Quack.
A few weeks ago in the New York Times there was a discussion exactly on this topic with the pros and cons of templates. Again what is really fascinating is that Praxis has been doing this a long time and maybe now it is catching on. I guess you could say Praxis was ahead of their time as now you hear a lot about machine learning and this is exactly what their medical records system does, it learns. BD
The Praxis EMR was voted the top medical records system in all categories with a survey from the AAFP. Praxis is the “no template” medical records system that “learns” how you write in a software program. Like any medical records system it has a small learning curve but once physicians have the “learning” portion of the software in place, the reduction in time and effort really begins to pay off. The association looked at 31 different software systems.
In addition, Praxis integrates with many different billing software systems and you can read more here at the website. The software is certified and qualifies any client to obtain stimulus incentives so you are are good to go. The news in the last few weeks has had several articles speaking about the use of copy and paste and templates as relates to electronic medical records. Praxis has been around for quite a while and has worked on the Concept Processor for a number of years to make it even better.
Siemens to Release the First Wireless Ultrasound –Announced at RSNA the Acuson Freestyle–Scan From Up to 9 Feet Away With Direct Line of Sight
First question asked of course is battery life, which is 90 fun packed minutes of scanning time and it comes with a spare battery pack, so one is good to go for quite a few scans. Not having cords sounds good. 
Siemens bought a company named Penrith and they are the ones who developed the product. Clinical testing has been completed and the system has it’s own radio system so it can operate at a higher frequency and not interfere with other wireless devices being used. 15 sites have the system currently installed and the product should be available by the middle of next year. Ok so we have a start here and how many other units will become wireless one has to ask? BD
With a direct line of sight, the probe can operate 3 meters (9 feet, 10 inches) away from the main system, which means the user can scan a patient standing on the side of the bed opposite the ultrasound unit, Bundy said. The system has a 38-centimeter LED display, he said.
Currently, the system is installed at 15 clinical sites, although Siemens said it did not have permission to name them yet. The company expects the product to be commercially available by the middle of next year. Although it will be shown at RSNA, Bundy said Siemens would not be giving quotes at the show.
http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/19971?p_begin=0
Confetti at Thanksgiving Macy Parade Opens Up Investigation As Some of It Contained Private Information From Police Departments And About Romney Campaign Motorcade and More–Privacy?
This is a good one and I’ll be anxious to hear what happens 
on this one for sure. Did someone decide it was a good time to mix in the confetti with the official confetti that Macy’s uses, or did Macy’s run short and use some from maybe another supplier? These are all just questions since the store says they use non printed paper for their confetti. Well you might say “bye bye” confetti at some point I guess as it’s a mess to clean up anyway:)
Even so there are cross shredders who can make quick work of documents as such and there was a lot of information on these strips as you can see from the video that personal information on police was included, social security numbers, date of birth, banking information and so on. Heck I’m surprised that this time medical records escaped being included in this mess. BD
Something far more concerning than marching bands, balloons, cheerleaders and clowns was at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Confidential personal information is what some parade goers found among confetti tossed during the world's most famous parade. That information included social security numbers and banking information for police employees, some of whom are undercover officers
"There are phone numbers, addresses, more social security numbers, license plate numbers and then we find all these incident reports from police."
One confetti strip indicates that it's from an arrest record, and other strips offer more detail. "This is really shocking," Finkelstein said. "It says, 'At 4:30 A.M. a pipe bomb was thrown at a house in the Kings Grant' area."
For its part, the sponsor of the parade, Macy's, told PIX11 News that it uses "commercially manufactured, multicolor confetti, not shredded paper."
http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-confidential-confetti-at-thanksgiving-parade,0,4718007.story
Ranbaxy Recalling Generic Version of Lipitor–Small Particles of Glass Contamination Cites
This is one of the biggest prescribed generic drugs out there as it was just last year that both Teva and Ranbaxy both announced the
immediate sale of their generic Lipitor formulas once the patent expire. Almost 1 million generic prescriptions are written a week for one of the formulas, and that’s a lot of scripts so the lion’s share goes between both companies. The drug is manufactured here in the US at a New Jersey plant. Atorvastatin calcium is the generic name for the drug. BD
Teva and Ranbaxy Agreement Announced for the Sale of Generic Lipitor
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. (RBXY) fell the most in more than
three months after announcing a recall of the company’s generic version of Pfizer Inc. (PFE)’s cholesterol treatment Lipitor.
Ranbaxy is pulling the pills from the U.S. because they may contain small particles of glass, the company said in a statement on its website. The recall of atorvastatin will cause a “temporary disruption” in the supply of the drug and it will take two weeks to complete an investigation into the issue, Ranbaxy said.
Ranbaxy, which was cleared by U.S. regulators to sell copies of the cholesterol pill last year, agreed to make changes at its manufacturing plants to settle allegations that its pharmaceuticals didn’t meet FDA standards, according to a proposed settlement filed by the Justice Department in January. The company announced on Dec. 21 that it had reached an agreement with the FDA and committed to tightening procedures and policies to comply with industry standards.