Medical Quack

First Unionized Hospital In Texas - Houston RNs Vote To Join Nation's Largest RN Organization

First Unionized Hospital In Texas - Houston RNs Vote To Join Nation's Largest RN Organization

We all know how strong the representation is with the California Nurses Association...appears Texas is working toward the same...BD In a...

Monday, March 31, 2008

Joint Statement On FDA Investigation Of Singulair From The AAAAI And ACAAI

Joint Statement On FDA Investigation Of Singulair From The AAAAI And ACAAI

These 2 groups state there is not substantial data that links suicide with the use of Singulair...BD Leadership from the American Academy...

Monday, March 31, 2008

Toshiba Receives FDA Clearance For Two CT Clinical Applications

Toshiba Receives FDA Clearance For Two CT Clinical Applications

In one instance, one scan can be done instead of 2 separate procedures...software available for purchase for both...BD Toshiba America Me...

Monday, March 31, 2008

When Egg Donors Have Genetic Disease

Good questions arise...if the eggs have genetic diseases...something that we can now track that was unavailable before...new procedures needed to inform ahead of time?  BD  <blockquote> But seven years after she was paid to donate her eggs, Jessica was diagnosed with colon cancer, at the age of 29. She died two years later. Hers was a rare diagnosis for someone so young and something Jessica's biological children will never know, despite Jessica's mother's attempts to contact the broker who sold her daughter's eggs. <a href="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R_Ed6FKN-pI/AAAAAAAAEgk/sChMTGZSWww/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R_Ed61KN-qI/AAAAAAAAEgs/TEA22rTeo1A/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="119"></a> But when Schneider asked the egg donation broker to reveal the identities of the families who had received the eggs, the broker said she had destroyed her records. Jessica donated her eggs three times. Now, the Witts can see how the 15 pages of health information provided by their anonymous donor may not tell them everything they want to know. But at this point, they believe their donor has done more than enough. "We love them to pieces," Chris said, referring to his children. "I can't imagine life without them."</blockquote> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4544449&page=1">ABC News: When Egg Donors Have Genetic Disease</a>

When Egg Donors Have Genetic Disease

Good questions arise...if the eggs have genetic diseases...something that we can now track that was unavailable before...new procedures nee...

Monday, March 31, 2008

Selling the bitter EMR pill (HIMSS meeting) ...IT and IS, CIOs and CEOs...Quit Chopping Trees to find the answer...

This is one of my absolute pet peeves to discuss...there are tons of articles about getting physicians to buy in to new technology and YES we all agree you need to have the physicians buy in...and in today's world Tablet PCs are a very involved part of the process.  Ok, a few notes from my experience and my feelings on the subject... I have sat in meetings with IT and IS department members who sit there and still take notes on scrap pieces of paper....<a href="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZzVKN-jI/AAAAAAAAEfs/pbyoDh3ahgE/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="167" src="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZ0FKN-kI/AAAAAAAAEf0/9-FcEkS8HyI/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="124"></a> and now these same folks tell the physicians how great tablet PCS are...excuse me...the pot calling the kettle black here...you bet!  If they are so great and work so well, how come the CEO, CIO, and other administrative personnel don't use one...Good Question...and they can't really involve the physician as they don't use one, so what gives them any credibility to sell this to the physicians...if you want to sell the physicians and have them realize what a great tool tablet PCs and mobility are...well start at the top and be a model...and don't come across like an expert when you are on the side of the table that has not taken advantage and learned the skills yourself....after all anyone who sits in meetings and takes notes, no matter who you are can use one.  IT, IS, and administrators listen up...help yourself at the same time...and you will have much better results in getting the <img align="right" src="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R4KCGC6VCdI/AAAAAAAABbk/iC82UJQyKEk/image_thumb[1]?"> physicians to buy in.  I sell and recommend tablet PCs and do I do the same, YOU BET!  I take all my notes on the unit and use it for dictation, it is my portable office...it has value to me as a consultant...gee just imagine how valuable it could be to a CIO or IT manager...take notes in meetings.. After all what incentive do the health care personnel have to buy in if top management doesn't partake...and more importantly the IT and IS departments. If paperless technology and data input are so important to the future growth and data management, then why, Mr. IT are you still sitting there chopping trees?  <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZ01KN-lI/AAAAAAAAEf8/-ZYh4G8UWtI/image%5B11%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="126" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZ1VKN-mI/AAAAAAAAEgE/hanT8yhq2UA/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="138"></a> I attended a recent launch of the Microsoft CRM software program and the same mentality with resistance to change is alive and well there too.  Folks would rather work twice as hard, poking around their PCs for data that is easily brought under one roof with customer relations software.  In essence, you have the same battle going on here as you do with paperless health records...old dogs who won't learn new tricks and spend hours on projects that could be done with the right software in 10 minutes.  Go figure! I attended the HIMMS conference this year and I felt like the "Lone Ranger" out there as I saw many others visiting booths and gathering any information just as I was doing, but did any of <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZ2FKN-nI/AAAAAAAAEgM/WP0oCaiGg68/image%5B7%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="133" src="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R_BZ21KN-oI/AAAAAAAAEgU/r4Q6F7CHud4/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="112"></a>them bother to take notes on a tablet...I sure didn't see any...there were lot's of them out there for demonstration purposes, but was anyone using it as a tool to take notes like I did...NO...and so sad too as I returned with a complete set of accurate notes and besides that, the folks I did talk to appreciated the fact that I was taking notes, it shows interest and I didn't  have to chop any trees in the process.  It worked!  Do you want to get the physicians involved....get yourself involved first as a role model...and partake in a little mobility of your own, get a tablet and see how your own efficiency and time skills will benefit along the line.  BD  <blockquote> A few days after the University of California Medical Center in Irvine went live with its new electronic medical record system, a letter arrived on the desk of the hospital administrator. "I think the person who chose the [EMR] system should be shot first and then fired," the note read. She and others shared success stories, as well as lessons learned, of implementing new technology. The common thread was the realization that for major IT projects to be successful, physicians need to be on board, early and often. The solution, many found, was engaging doctors in leadership roles before implementation.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/04/07/bisa0407.htm">AMNews: April 7, 2008. Selling the bitter EMR pill (HIMSS meeting) ... American Medical News</a>

Selling the bitter EMR pill (HIMSS meeting) ...IT and IS, CIOs and CEOs...Quit Chopping Trees to find the answer...

This is one of my absolute pet peeves to discuss...there are tons of articles about getting physicians to buy in to new technology and YES w...

Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Doctor and the Rep

The Doctor and the Rep

Cute Video...what if some of the roles were reversed? BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bqk4CEYdxgA&feature=related

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Future of personal health care - Concept by Microsoft

A couple weeks ago I posted some pictures and now here's the video showing Microsoft's concept of future healthcare....from the MIX08 convention earlier this month...we will all need white walls.  BD                                             <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-9FvVKN-hI/AAAAAAAAEfU/8VW9-nV_rNw/image%5B9%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="70" src="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-9Fv1KN-iI/AAAAAAAAEfc/efWFihRcFIE/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="103"></a> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:51f144ab-7b7e-4f88-9da3-d6cd4c3dd823" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 278px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="228" width="278"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6F1u36Y-qlE&eurl=http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_s_vision_on_the_future_of_healthcare"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6F1u36Y-qlE&eurl=http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_s_vision_on_the_future_of_healthcare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="278" height="228"></embed></object></div></div>        <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35Kv6-ZNGA&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35Kv6-ZNGA&feature=related</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F1u36Y-qlE&eurl=http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_s_vision_on_the_future_of_healthcare"></a>

Future of personal health care - Concept by Microsoft

A couple weeks ago I posted some pictures and now here's the video showing Microsoft's concept of future healthcare....from the MIX0...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Cancer patient has PSP stolen en route to chemotherapy treatment

Cancer patient has PSP stolen en route to chemotherapy treatment

Disgusting...but the police department bought him a new unit and they got his medical records too....BD There's depressing gaming s...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

LA County negotiating to reopen Martin Luther King Hospital

LA County negotiating to reopen Martin Luther King Hospital

But they would only have enough staff to care for 77 patients...BD LOS ANGELES—County officials are negotiating with a small hospital to...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Medical Quack - Blog Radio - Dr. Anonymous

<a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6n1VKN-fI/AAAAAAAAEe8/JuvgeGQ5vKY/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="158" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6n11KN-gI/AAAAAAAAEfE/4EokVZ7toVc/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="188"></a>Each week I am trying to focus and bring attention to the resources on this page in the right hand column.  Another resource listed on this page is the Blog Talk Radio connection for Dr. Anonymous...April 3rd is the next broadcast...I have not made it yet to a full hour, but will get there and plan on being there on April 3rd...he has had some great guests.... Click on the profile link in to visit the page...if the broadcast is not live, you can watch and listen to prior broadcasts...link is also listed below...BD  <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctoranonymous">http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctoranonymous</a>

The Medical Quack - Blog Radio - Dr. Anonymous

Each week I am trying to focus and bring attention to the resources on this page in the right hand column . Another resource listed on this...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

'A Race to the Starting Line': Diagnosing What's Holding Biotechnology Back

As the article states, it is more of an understanding now instead of hit and miss diagnosis based on genetics....both better diagnostic and treatment procedures are in high demand today..with the help of biometrics some of the clinical trials could be eliminated or the time of study reduced...and then enter our current reimbursement system...which doesn't make it easy at all...try to get something experimental covered...although the insurance companies state they are working to make a better medium here...claim denial still exist today for experimental procedures and drugs...comes back to a better infrastructure all the way around that is needed...BD  <blockquote> <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6j2lKN-dI/AAAAAAAAEeo/n6D9XRk1nrM/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="114" src="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6j3VKN-eI/AAAAAAAAEew/DDSktk-1jgY/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="149"></a> The overall environment of healthcare's move toward a more individualized approach has begun to help, but more investment in biotechnology would create a more competitive arena and complement the rapid advances in technology, Pollard noted. A burgeoning number of new products is expected to enter the market over the next few years, due in part to important strategic alliances within the industry that have allowed for their development, he added. As an example of the changing healthcare environment affecting biotech companies, Pollard cited his company's paradoxical achievement last year: It had its fewest number of product approvals in the last 24 years while reaching far greater levels of understanding about the diseases they aim to treat. "If we understand diseases at the molecular level, then we should be able to do better, and that's really where personalized medicine comes in," Popovits said. "What's exciting right now are all of these targets that are sitting there and all the new technologies" available to help better understand them.</blockquote> <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1924&jsessionid=9a30d4200daa5b671e74">'A Race to the Starting Line': Diagnosing What's Holding Biotechnology Back - Knowledge@Wharton</a>

'A Race to the Starting Line': Diagnosing What's Holding Biotechnology Back

As the article states, it is more of an understanding now instead of hit and miss diagnosis based on genetics....both better diagnostic and...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Personalized Medicine...Big Pharma Business Models Restructure

Companies like Genentech are already working in this direction, especially with genetic research related to cancer...will the big blockbuster promotions soon be a thing of of the past since the best medication for our ills will be determined by our genes?  Big Pharma has some new potential business models to explore in the near future...and on the other hand there may be some new life to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120631682077958247.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">failed drugs of the past</a>....With personalized medicine, a visit to the doctor's office could reveal much more than a mere diagnosis.....BD <blockquote> <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6gtlKN-bI/AAAAAAAAEeU/B2AyWEgrbp0/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="110" src="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6guFKN-cI/AAAAAAAAEec/ThXRJCHA4lw/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="133"></a> “One of the biggest challenges for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the 21st century will be to develop and deliver drugs that fit the individual patient’s biology and pathophysiology,” Jan Trost Jorgensen, principal scientist at Dako, wrote in the January issue of Personalized Medicine. “These changes could mean an end to the blockbuster philosophy in ‘big pharma’ and thereby impose major changes in company structures.”  In fact, Robert Schmouder, executive director of translational medicine at Novartis, has put a similar 10-year life expectancy on the blockbuster model Many industry observers have pointed out that perhaps big pharma needs to rethink its business model since innovation has been drying up, as seen in the dwindling number of new treatments approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last year. In 2007, the FDA approved 17 new molecular entities and two biologic license applications, the lowest number recorded since 1983. “It was a parallel development. <a href="http://www.gene.com/gene/products/information/">Genentech</a> very early on realized that it was important to have an assay to select the patients that would respond to” Herceptin, Jorgensen said. “They developed [internally] from Phase II – which is the way that drug-diagnostic co-development should be done – a clinical trial assay.”</blockquote> <a href="http://www.pgxreporter.com/issues/6_13/features/145888-1.html">Dako Scientist Says Most Cancer Meds Will be Dx-Based, Personalized in Next Decade</a>

Personalized Medicine...Big Pharma Business Models Restructure

Companies like Genentech are already working in this direction, especially with genetic research related to cancer...will the big blockbust...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Will sinus surgery work?

One woman's story on sinus surgery...how a new procedure has changed much of the methodology...painless....compared to routine sinus procedures...BD  <blockquote> I was swayed by technology, in particular a new image guidance system that, because of the complexity of my case, would be available to me. The key is an infrared camera system through which a sensor on an instrument placed inside the nose creates an image on a video screen in the operating room. "This technology has revolutionized surgery," Dr. Metson told me. "The infrared camera tracks the movement of the surgical instruments." So I went for it. As in most cases, my operation took about an hour and half. It went well, and I had surprisingly little pain afterward. There was also almost no bleeding. As promised, the post-op fatigue was considerable.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/columnists/jforeman/stories/DN-nh_foreman_0325liv.ART.State.Edition1.4645d4d.html">Will sinus surgery work? | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Health Columnist Judy Foreman | The Dallas Morning News</a>

Will sinus surgery work?

One woman's story on sinus surgery...how a new procedure has changed much of the methodology...painless....compared to routine sinus pr...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

SmartCase, Inc. - Medical Information Management - Software as a Service for Legal Cases for referencing specific medical records

New software to allow the legal profession to review and share medical records relative to a trial or court appearance...software as as a service requires no software installation and available with a web connection....BD  <blockquote> <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6aoVKN-ZI/AAAAAAAAEeA/nJThAiMVqC8/image%5B8%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="137" src="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6apVKN-aI/AAAAAAAAEeI/BWjJ3lKF95A/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="244"></a>Attendees at each conference will learn how SmartCase.com provides law firms, corporate legal departments, paralegals and legal nurse consultants with a manageable platform for case-specific medical records. "In short, SmartCase.com allows users to input, store, sort and organize medical records by subject, case or client, share data with team members, and create professional work products in preparation for deposition or trial," says Marousek.  Users also have the ability to monitor multiple cases in a single view, as well as quickly retrieve other active cases and link electronic document images to each case, or submit documents to SmartCase to scan and post to the case file.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/article/smartcase-displays-power-medical-information-management-industry-conferences_536356_1.html">SmartCase, Inc. Displays the Power of Medical Information Management at Two Industry Conferences</a>

SmartCase, Inc. - Medical Information Management - Software as a Service for Legal Cases for referencing specific medical records

New software to allow the legal profession to review and share medical records relative to a trial or court appearance...software as as a s...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Israel courts medical tourists

Israel is also a world leader in many types of technology and medical technology is no different...thus far though there are not many websites that feature Israel for medical tourism and perhaps that will change in short time....BD  <blockquote> <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6XbVKN-XI/AAAAAAAAEds/F8GJxoC4g5Q/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6XdlKN-YI/AAAAAAAAEd0/NXbMxRnF05c/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="173"></a> Jerusalem is one of the world's great destinations - for generations people have traveled to the city to see the religious sites. Now the government of Israel is hoping that visitors of a different kind will go to the country.  At the moment, few medical tourism websites feature Israel. "The treatments that we can provide are much cheaper than the ones that you are going to receive in Europe."  In this country with many immigrants, medical staff are often multilingual. His hope, as well as that of the Israeli government, is that this combination of facilities and expertise will persuade people to travel here for treatment, whatever the security situation.</blockquote> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7307525.stm">BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel courts medical tourists</a>

Israel courts medical tourists

Israel is also a world leader in many types of technology and medical technology is no different...thus far though there are not many websi...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Area Kaiser patients less satisfied than many at other hospitals

In southern California Hoag Hospital in Orange county was rated the highest and Kaiser at the other end of the spectrum....2500 hospitals participated in the survey...BD  <blockquote> ARLINGTON, VA. -- -- Patients treated at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California were less satisfied than many of those at other hospitals in the region and across the country, according to data released Friday from the first nationwide satisfaction survey. <a href="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6Vj1KN-VI/AAAAAAAAEdc/LtLzwJwl-M8/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="98" src="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-6VklKN-WI/AAAAAAAAEdk/iWY5rmQAYLc/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="127"></a> None of the 10 Kaiser hospitals in Southern California that participated in the survey exceeded the regional average when patients were asked if they would "definitely recommend" the hospital to friends and family. Kaiser runs the largest hospital system in the region. Among the 94 hospitals in Southern California that participated in the survey, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach ranked highest, with 87% of patients saying they would definitely recommend the hospital. At the bottom was Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park, where 42% of patients gave that positive endorsement.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-kaiser29mar29,1,1790182.story">Area Kaiser patients less satisfied than many at other hospitals - Los Angeles Times</a>

Area Kaiser patients less satisfied than many at other hospitals

In southern California Hoag Hospital in Orange county was rated the highest and Kaiser at the other end of the spectrum....2500 hospitals ...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Weird Hospital - Los Angeles

Finally decided to have a civil service exam for the 6 candidates...basically a charity position that nobody seems to want...BD  <blockquote> Southern California, breeding ground of cults and quacks, of nudists, sun-<a href="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-308VKN-TI/AAAAAAAAEdE/5LgaKdM1o2Q/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="116" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-309FKN-UI/AAAAAAAAEdM/ktEfA__OLY0/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="168"></a> worshipers, gland doctors and colonic irrigators, is also the home of some 7,000 harassed, exasperated physicians, and the second largest general hospital in the U. S.: 23-story Los Angeles County. Built in 1933, the gleaming white skyscraper houses 3,154 beds, serves 50,000 patients a year.  Doctors and osteopaths work in separate wings, seldom speak to each other. For nearly six months it has had no director, and many of its prominent staff members have marched out in a huff. Last September the County Board of Supervisors began sending out confidential letters to prominent hospital directors from Maine to California asking them if they would like to run the world's largest hospital for $9,000 a year. All said no.  He further advised: "A minimum of $12,000 salary should be offered to the new incumbent, rather than $9,000."</blockquote> <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763614,00.html">Weird Hospital - TIME</a>

Weird Hospital - Los Angeles

Finally decided to have a civil service exam for the 6 candidates...basically a charity position that nobody seems to want...BD Southern...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Patients rate local hospitals

Find your local hospital in the data base...<a href="http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Search/Welcome.asp?dest=NAV|Home|Search|Welcome#TabTop">Site is located here</a>..."<a href="http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Search/Welcome.asp?dest=NAV|Home|Search|Welcome#TabTop"><img alt="image" border="0" height="70" src="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-3VTlKN-SI/AAAAAAAAEc0/FYtb3HB4910/image%5B4%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="587"></a> This tool provides you with information on how well the hospitals care for all their adult patients with certain <a href="http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Search/Welcome.asp?dest=NAV%7CHome%7CSearch%7CWelcome#">conditions or procedures</a>. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide. Talk to your doctor about this information to help you, your family and your friends make your best hospital care decisions."...BD   <blockquote> WASHINGTON - What do former patients think about the care they received at your local hospitals? The government wants to make it easier for you to find out. Federal health officials in recent years have made strides to improve transparency in health care. But measuring how well hospitals do their job can be technical. New patient satisfaction scores, which went online Friday, cover basic premises that just about every hospital patient and their family members can understand. _Did doctors treat patients with courtesy and respect?   _How often were the room and bathroom cleaned?  _Was the area around the room quiet?  _Did the patient get immediate help after pressing a call button?</blockquote> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_go_ot/health_patient_satisfaction_3">Patients rate local hospitals - Yahoo! News</a>

Patients rate local hospitals

Find your local hospital in the data base... Site is located here ..." This tool provides you with information on how well the hospit...

Friday, March 28, 2008

NY to Develop Unified Medical Records

Will be interesting to follow this story and see where it goes...BD  <blockquote> Gov. David Paterson announced Friday $105 million in grants to help develop a unified system of electronic medical records for New Yorkers he said would reduce errors and duplicative testing. The governor said the electronic system will not only improve care, but avoid cases like when he fainted on a flight to Buffalo last year and kept having to explain to medical personnel at two hospitals that he was not diabetic. The federal and state grants for 19 projects around the state include $5.2 million for the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange with 16 hospitals, four health plans and one long-term care provider. Another $12.7 million in grants go to the Brooklyn Health Information Exchange with seven hospitals, five health plans and 17 long-term care facilities.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/03/28/ap4827912.html">NY to Develop Unified Medical Records - Forbes.com</a>

NY to Develop Unified Medical Records

Will be interesting to follow this story and see where it goes...BD Gov. David Paterson announced Friday $105 million in grants to help ...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Pfizer Exec Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

Not good press for Pfizer...more work for the forensics it sounds like with checking some audit trails and other data areas if he signed on at work...do some folks just not get it?  BD  <blockquote> A Pfizer vice president has been arrested on charges of receiving, possessing and <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0pD1KN-QI/AAAAAAAAEcc/J54x2CG-o2Q/image%5B5%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="41" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0pEFKN-RI/AAAAAAAAEck/LG3isN7uyUw/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="63"></a>distributing child pornography. Alan Hesketh, 61, was arrested at JFK airport by federal agents Wednesday and is being held without bond, reports the newspaper <a href="http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=6d7dffa2-7d41-431b-90c5-5f11fdabf4c4">The Day</a>. Hesketh, who works on patent issues in the firm’s offices in New London, Conn., is currently on leave from the company, a Pfizer spokesman told the WSJ . The company is “cooperating fully with authorities,” the spokesman added.  He signed on as “Suzybibaby” from his home, as well as from an Internet address registered to Pfizer in New York.</blockquote> <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/03/28/pfizer-exec-arrested-on-child-pornography-charges/?mod=WSJBlog">Health Blog : Pfizer Exec Arrested On Child Pornography Charges</a>

Pfizer Exec Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

Not good press for Pfizer...more work for the forensics it sounds like with checking some audit trails and other data areas if he signed on...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Is Depression Contagious?

Sure I think so, we become a product of the environment and the company we keep...there's still much about our emotional make up that we don't know and maybe will never know all..comes back around to balance...in my own occupation of IT consulting I make a cognizant effort to determine <a href="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jHVKN-KI/AAAAAAAAEbo/i0fsYMuoNuY/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="125" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jIFKN-LI/AAAAAAAAEbw/yVRWx44Otos/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="137"></a> which item or part of my work to focus on for the client...i.e.  am I the networking tech today, software installer, trainer, or sales person?  Depending on client needs, and sometimes I am providing more than one service...as an example, I do not focus on sales at the same time I am doing a software installation, or try to train while doing the same, that is done on another day when I put on my "training" hat...so I can not only keep myself focused, but also not to confuse issues with clients as these items to have a tendency to cross at times...and then there' the end of the day where you dump all of this <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jIlKN-MI/AAAAAAAAEb4/4cPJwtj_Sz8/image%5B12%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jJFKN-NI/AAAAAAAAEcA/I_WkMhZyp4U/image_thumb%5B6%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="84"></a>to go see a movie and take a break!  It's a challenge we all fact today with multi- tasking...having to switch gears on the run and sometimes depending on the situation it's better to switch days as well as gears...address the other scenario when you can focus and give full attention to the matter at hand and provide a better consulting solution if it is not an emergency situation...there's probably a bit of "bi-polar" lurking in all of us somewhere..now just think about the physician and the number of gears he deal with every day...with healthcare decisions they may not always have this luxury at all times to put issue off to another time and day...<a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jJlKN-OI/AAAAAAAAEcI/BTW-boFBAjw/image%5B7%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="113" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0jKFKN-PI/AAAAAAAAEcQ/4aSb7ea83O0/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="136"></a> But....is there a pill for uncontrollable crying when the pressures mount?  <a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/will-investors-need-a-pill-for-uncontrollable-crying/">According to this article</a> there is work in this area of "involuntary emotional expression"...I had no idea what it was until I read the post....will it make us happier folks and will the FDA be able to substantiate it's value...I guess time will tell....BD  <blockquote> Ron and Carol Rossetti had a storybook romance. The two were high school sweethearts, went to prom together and married after college. "He was like the fun in my life," Carol Rossetti recalled. "But had I known the ride I was going to be in for, I'm not sure I would have signed up for it." Spouses are at high risk for depression when one party has a clinical disorder like depression or bipolar disorder, because they spend a large amount of time with them and are emotionally invested in their well-being.  "I was so blocked up, I couldn't respond to her overtures," Lappen said. "Outside of the marriage, she wasn't depressed. She was able to tap into her vitality and vibrancy."</blockquote> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4539059&page=1">ABC News: Is Depression Contagious?</a>

Is Depression Contagious?

Sure I think so, we become a product of the environment and the company we keep...there's still much about our emotional make up that w...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Dennis Quaid Acts on Medical Errors

He's right, there's no "take 2" in healthcare...and wants to go to court...the article states the hospital is considering a bar code system or another similar alternative to avoid the same in the future...BD <blockquote> Dennis Quaid is smiling now. But the actor, whose newborn twins were almost killed by massive overdoses of blood thinner last year, has become a sober advocate for changes in health care to reduce medical errors. “In my line of work if I make a mistake, we have take two,” Quaid told reporters, including the Health Blog, at the <a href="http://www.healthjournalism.org/secondarypage-details.php?id=165#quaid">annual meeting of the Association of Health Care Journalists</a> outside Washington, D.C., yesterday. “If you’re a health-care professional and make a mistake you could kill somebody.”</blockquote> <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/03/28/dennis-quaid-acts-on-medical-errors/?mod=WSJBlog">Health Blog : Dennis Quaid Acts on Medical Errors</a>

Dennis Quaid Acts on Medical Errors

He's right, there's no "take 2" in healthcare ...and wants to go to court...the article states the hospital is considerin...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Seeing Beyond Changing Skin Color

The "Michael Jackson" disease...more information on the unusual skin disease...perhaps some new genetics studies will shed more light in time...BD  <blockquote>A medical mystery doctors still don't fully understand made her skin color different from that of her brother and her parents. When people see them together, many <a href="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0UvFKN-II/AAAAAAAAEbQ/HkzcZhM_8zE/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="149" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0UwFKN-JI/AAAAAAAAEbY/TD-dFbh-vSs/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="133"></a> assume the 14-year-old was adopted.  With vitiligo, pigment cells that provide skin color are suddenly attacked by the body's immune system and destroyed one cell at a time. The disease affects people of both sexes and all races equally, but is much more noticeable in those with darker complexions.  "We have patients who say, I got mono and then a month later I had white spots," said Dr. Nanette Silverberg, a vitiligo specialist at New York's Beth Israel Medical Center. "I've had a patient say, 'I got divorced, within a few weeks I had white spots on my skin.' There is no one universal factor."</blockquote> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4535420&page=1">ABC News: Seeing Beyond Changing Skin Color</a>

Seeing Beyond Changing Skin Color

The "Michael Jackson" disease...more information on the unusual skin disease...perhaps some new genetics studies will shed more l...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Blogging Phone in Japan Goes on Sale

Blogging Phone in Japan Goes on Sale

This could stand to represent a real change to the blogging world if it takes off...complete with the capability to create an instant video...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Texan faces charges over snake vodka

Questions over the medicinal values of rattlesnakes...but not in this case...rattlesnake in a bottle of vodka is not seen with any medicinal value....BD  <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0SklKN-GI/AAAAAAAAEbA/t6xAkZed98I/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0SlFKN-HI/AAAAAAAAEbI/1Ww8Wk1ZJmE/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="132"></a> <blockquote>Bob Popplewell, who runs "Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch" tourist attraction west of Fort Worth, was believed to be selling the vodka in the Asian community, where snakes are seen having aphrodisiac properties, state authorities said.  In some of East Asia, parts of snakes and other animals are thought to have medicinal qualities and are used to make soups, powders and other preparations. In Vietnam, for example, the serpents are added to bottles of rice whisky and wine.  A Texas man is facing charges for selling liquor without a license after he was found peddling bottles of vodka containing dead baby rattlesnakes.</blockquote> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080327/od_nm/texas_rattlesnake_dc">Extra bite - Texan faces charges over snake vodka - Yahoo! News</a>

Texan faces charges over snake vodka

Questions over the medicinal values of rattlesnakes... but not in this case...rattlesnake in a bottle of vodka is not seen with any medicin...

Friday, March 28, 2008

The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Employs Actors And Robots

Breathing mannequins with heart tones, palpable pulses, etc. with software that tests decision making skills for medical students...cost of the center is 5 million....BD  <blockquote> A medical student places a chest tube in a patient lying on an operating table, while <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0QGlKN-EI/AAAAAAAAEaw/yf9bUBJRRUE/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="131" src="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0QHVKN-FI/AAAAAAAAEa4/7qOtig2U3jg/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="117"></a>another student conducts a colonoscopy. Everything is just as it would be in a real OR or treatment room, except that the patients won't be harmed or complain if mistakes are made - they're robots.  These high-tech, electronically outfitted mannequins are equipment in the new $5 million medical and surgical simulation training center at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center in East Baltimore that opened in March.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102030.php">New $5M Simulation Training Center At The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Employs Actors And Robots</a>

The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Employs Actors And Robots

Breathing mannequins with heart tones, palpable pulses, etc. with software that tests decision making skills for medical students...cost of...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Social Security Disability - New Debit Card, Going Paperless

Debit card from Social Security...article discusses the pros and cons...Social Security recipients participating in the Direct Express program are allowed one free ATM cash withdrawal per month from a designated ATM...you pay for additional withdrawals...savings generated by not having to cut paper checks...BD  <blockquote> Starting next month Social Security Disability Insurance recipients in some states will have the option of receiving their benefit payments electronically on a debit card, rather than via a paper check. However, eligible individuals - many of whom are "unbanked" - should have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of opting for the debit card, particularly the financial ramifications, according to <a href="http://www.allsup.com">Allsup</a>, which <a href="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0OyVKN-CI/AAAAAAAAEag/IEUpg8hYoc0/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="103" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-0OzFKN-DI/AAAAAAAAEao/tly8-NEchpM/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="134"></a> represents tens of thousands of people in the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) process each year. It also offers services that support the financial and health well-being of individuals with disabilities. The debit card program, called Direct Express, is run by the U.S. Treasury Department through Comerica Bank with the intent to encourage Social Security recipients who do not have a bank account to elect to have their benefits loaded electronically onto a debit card. The Direct Express program will be introduced this spring in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas before being phased in across the nation during the summer.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102020.php">Social Security Disability Insurance Recipients Need Better Understanding Of Pros And Cons Of New Debit Card, Allsup Says (USA)</a>

Social Security Disability - New Debit Card, Going Paperless

Debit card from Social Security...article discusses the pros and cons...Social Security recipients participating in the Direct Express prog...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Paul Levy CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Great interview...I didn't even know this existed until last evening;....transparency...accountability....interview from Holland...very informative...BD  "Paul Levy talked at the interimic healthcare event about running a hospital, transparency, using webblogs and innovation." <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:0ec4dff5-6042-4e7c-913e-8061c298ae6c" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 279px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="233" width="279"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJkHxABvLF8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJkHxABvLF8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="279" height="233"></embed></object></div></div> <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=zJkHxABvLF8">http://youtube.com/watch?v=zJkHxABvLF8</a>

Paul Levy CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Great interview ...I didn't even know this existed until last evening;....transparency...accountability....interview from Holland...ve...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Waking Up Is Hard To DO

Hey these guys can really sing!  The Laryngospasms.....BD  <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:5125a516-e01f-40d4-b222-bf9c9ac2390c" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 266px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="223" width="266"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WOrjcLJ2IE0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WOrjcLJ2IE0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="266" height="223"></embed></object></div></div> <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0">http://youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0</a> and one more......Breathe... <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:8ddf7b04-92dc-4977-b508-db083bb61400" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 255px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="213" width="255"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kP2OuZ_vI_s&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kP2OuZ_vI_s&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="255" height="213"></embed></object></div></div> <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=kP2OuZ_vI_s">http://youtube.com/watch?v=kP2OuZ_vI_s</a>

Waking Up Is Hard To DO

Hey these guys can really sing! The Laryngospasms.....BD http://youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0 and one more...... Breathe... http...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

CRM - Microsoft Dynamics Healthcare Presentation

<a href="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2SlKN94I/AAAAAAAAEZE/kOnTtSMxJJI/image%5B15%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="86" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2UVKN95I/AAAAAAAAEZM/XQZ4PKGiMc4/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="244"></a>New <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/gp/demos/IPSS_Healthcare.htm">presentation</a> relating directly to health care...bring everything under one roof...works well with Office as it was designed that way...here are a few screenshots...built in workflow...great for managing HR departments...runs an audit trail and reports are just a few clicks...here in Southern California, a large medical Group, Talbert Medical is a current client and has added information to the site from a customer stand point....set the reports to run on schedule via email....this is the first video I have seen with direction specifically at health care and hospitals...helps explain the process of CRM....and it integrates with current systems already in use...can't lose on that portion with licenses...BD   <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2WFKN96I/AAAAAAAAEZU/qnO2XIL-f-o/image%5B19%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2XlKN97I/AAAAAAAAEZc/KX5CoN8keh4/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="461"></a> <a href="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2a1KN98I/AAAAAAAAEZk/xO7Hz-E39oE/image%5B20%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="286" src="http://lh5.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2c1KN99I/AAAAAAAAEZs/Ek44G9M3GiM/image_thumb%5B8%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="462"></a>  <a href="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2hFKN9-I/AAAAAAAAEZ0/4DEMbpj_99o/image%5B21%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="316" src="http://lh3.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2kVKN9_I/AAAAAAAAEaA/gfJgyViqa1Q/image_thumb%5B9%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="469"></a> <a href="http://lh4.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2nlKN-AI/AAAAAAAAEaI/Exsa1N6MzuE/image%5B26%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="315" src="http://lh6.google.com/DucknetServices/R-w2qFKN-BI/AAAAAAAAEaQ/pIlkM1fqsNE/image_thumb%5B12%5D.png" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="476"></a>  <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/gp/demos/IPSS_Healthcare.htm">http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/gp/demos/IPSS_Healthcare.htm</a>