Booming business helps patients navigate medicine – The Medical Advocacy

<p> Some have annual contracted rates and some have a fixed or hourly fee, as complicated as healthcare has become, sometimes it can pay to get some help.  There many levels of the advocacy business and some cost a lot more, those set up to cater to the wealthy or well to do crowd, but there is help at every level.  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjvl28gsFI/AAAAAAAAIVw/QHzoUyPUFU0/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjvm4ydhMI/AAAAAAAAIV0/PiDS8wjDKUM/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="120" /></a> </p> <p>Employers are beginning to contract with them as well, so it depends on the individual need, short term or long term and exactly what area in healthcare you need help with.  If working with billing situations, that might be considered short term for one procedures or treatment.  The help both the insured and the uninsured.<strong>  There are also volunteers in this field who donate their time for free to help individuals find the information and healthcare they need</strong>.  If you are confused and need help, perhaps the Medical Advocacy might be in a position to offer some relief.  BD  </p> <blockquote>Currently, the health advocacy business is an industry with about $50 million to $75 million in annual revenue but only about a dozen companies of any significant size, said Richard Rakowski of Intersection LLC, a Connecticut-based investment and development firm that has researched the field. But those numbers have grown from a few years ago, and it may be on track to become a $1 billion industry based on the demand for the service, said Rakowski, the firm's principal.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b4a7e72a-e40f-418d-9109-9378b09bd0dc" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Advocacy" rel="tag">Medical Advocacy</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news136131274.html">Booming business helps patients navigate medicine</a></p>

Booming business helps patients navigate medicine – The Medical Advocacy

Some have annual contracted rates and some have a fixed or hourly fee, as complicated as healthcare has become, sometimes it can pay to get...

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MedAvant Bankrupt, Will Sell – Medical Clearinghouse

<p> The clearinghouse business has become very competitive and the company was not able to maintain the stock pricing requested by NASDAQ.  BD  </p> <blockquote>Claims clearinghouse MedAvant Healthcare Solutions in Atlanta has filed <a href="http://www.medavanthealth.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="167" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjslpmsNbI/AAAAAAAAIVs/yQkSaJgR4b8/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a>for voluntary reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The vendor also has filed a motion to sell its assets to Marlin Equity, an El Segundo, Calif.-based private equity firm, subject to better bids at an  auction sale expected in about two months. Further, MedAvant has obtained a debtor-in-possession financing commitment of $8.1 million by New York-based Laurus Master Fund Ltd. The commitment includes $2.9 million in new credit availability to support business operations during the bankruptcy case.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/clearinghouse26667-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS">MedAvant Bankrupt, Will Sell</a></p>

MedAvant Bankrupt, Will Sell – Medical Clearinghouse

The clearinghouse business has become very competitive and the company was not able to maintain the stock pricing requested by NASDAQ.  BD ...

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GSK chief elaborates on biotech strategy

<p> One CEO comes out and states how biotech will be the new focus for Glaxo, as in a related story whereby <strong><a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/07/glaxo-aids-drug-will-require-genetic-testing/">patients will require genetic testing for their AIDS drug, Ziagen.</a></strong>  In the future I’m sure there will be more about big pharma and their biotech strategies as personalized medicine continues to grow.  BD<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjrrhVJFPI/AAAAAAAAIVk/XvUvP-nT6lE/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="177" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjrsspZ9jI/AAAAAAAAIVo/pCkj5xySHFA/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="154" /></a></p> <p>With profits sliding, GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty used much of his second quarter review for analysts to amplify plans to radically <strong>alter its R&D work, abandoning its old focus on blockbusters in favor of more targeted drugs that earn more modest incomes. Glaxo is shifting more to a biotech approach,</strong> creating small units of up to 80 scientists to pursue development programs. Those groups will then apply for research funds from a central investment board.</p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:f1436bcb-e199-452e-965c-f14dc34e2bcf" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Personalized+Medicine" rel="tag">Personalized Medicine</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pharma" rel="tag">Pharma</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Glaxo" rel="tag">Glaxo</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/DNA" rel="tag">DNA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Genomics" rel="tag">Genomics</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/glaxo-chief-elaborates-its-new-biotech-strategy/2008-07-24?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FB0">GSK chief elaborates on biotech strategy - FierceBiotech</a></p>

GSK chief elaborates on biotech strategy

One CEO comes out and states how biotech will be the new focus for Glaxo, as in a related story whereby patients will require genetic testi...

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California Alcohol Problems Drain $38 Billion Annually

<p> We keep reading the articles about the problem with alcohol in the UK being a problem, well it looks like they are not alone and we give them a run for the money in California, or at least this is the only state with some statistics to report.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, held a news conference and town hall meeting in Los Angeles today to release the disturbing findings of its landmark report, The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Such a comprehensive study has never been done in California.  Marin's study calculates that<strong> moderate-to-high alcohol consumption in California is costing roughly $1,000 per resident. By comparison, tobacco costs California approximately $550 per resident</strong>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115967.php">California Alcohol Problems Drain $38 Billion Annually</a></p></blockquote>

California Alcohol Problems Drain $38 Billion Annually

We keep reading the articles about the problem with alcohol in the UK being a problem, well it looks like they are not alone and we give th...

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I have stem cells in my belly…harvesting fat..

<p> There could be a dual purpose now to having liposuction, save those stem cells during the procedure as they could be used to generate  new tissue or bone to be used in many <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjh7oB8uwI/AAAAAAAAIVc/G2wuxbvlK4Y/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="185" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjh8wWc8gI/AAAAAAAAIVg/ww4qEaPPLlw/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="124" /></a>reconstructive ways.  Clinical trials are ongoing in other countries with fat cells, in in the US, pre-clinical research is taking place.  </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115958.php">In a related story,</a></strong> fat injections are now a new trend with plastic surgery, so one more use for the fat from one’s system.  It sounds like <strong>the fat we all hate just needs some redirection.</strong>  BD  </p> <blockquote>Fat removed from the lower abdomen and inner thigh through liposuction was found to be an excellent source of stem cells, with higher stem cell concentrations than other areas of the body, reports a Brazilian-based study in August's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). This is the first study of its kind to examine whether fat tissues from different areas of the body vary in stem cell concentration.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:12dd5117-dd34-4a6d-97d0-ea0a44e6f330" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Stem+Cells" rel="tag">Stem Cells</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Fat" rel="tag">Fat</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Belly" rel="tag">Belly</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/plastic+surgery" rel="tag">plastic surgery</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115964.php">Want A Reason To Love Your Lower Belly Fat? It's Rich In Stem Cells</a></p>

I have stem cells in my belly…harvesting fat..

There could be a dual purpose now to having liposuction, save those stem cells during the procedure as they could be used to generate  new ...

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UK Doctors to Face Regular Tests of Competence

<p> In the UK a new competence regulation goes into effect in 2009, a competence test to include a review of their peers.  That’s right, every 5 years a re-check for the physicians, but at least it is a review of peers and not the government doing the audit. This constitutes one big change for the MDs in the UK.  BD</p> <blockquote>LONDON (Reuters) Jul 23 - Britain's 150,000 doctors will have to show they are fit to practice once every five years in the nation's biggest change to medical regulation for 150 years. Doctors falling below standard risk being <strong>struck off</strong> the medical register unless they improve, under plans published by England's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson on Wednesday.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/577949?src=rss">UK Doctors to Face Regular Tests of Competence</a></p>

UK Doctors to Face Regular Tests of Competence

In the UK a new competence regulation goes into effect in 2009, a competence test to include a review of their peers.  That’s right, every ...

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Schwarzenegger signs ban on health insurers' rescission reward practice - California

<p>Hopefully this will help give some “teeth” the Department of Managed Care here in California, which recently reviewed carriers and resulted in a fine of over 13 million for Blue Cross and Blue Shield.  No more pay for performance in this area of healthcare hopefully.  BD</p> <blockquote>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Tuesday a ban against <strong>health insurance companies rewarding employees with bonuses for canceling or limiting a patient's coverage. </strong>The law is one piece of legislative, regulatory and law enforcement efforts to curtail the practice that the industry has defended as a little-used guard against fraud that helps control costs.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-fi-hmolaw23-2008jul23,0,6941152.story">Schwarzenegger signs ban on health insurers' rescission reward practice - Los Angeles Times</a></p>

Schwarzenegger signs ban on health insurers' rescission reward practice - California

Hopefully this will help give some “teeth” the Department of Managed Care here in California, which recently reviewed carriers and resulted ...

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FDA's June 2008 Clearances of 510(k)s

<p> How fast is the FDA clearing medical devices?  <strong>This page will show you a list of what was approved for the month of June.</strong>  The list is quite long and lists medical devices from <a href="http://www.medicaldevicestoday.com/2008/07/fdas-june-2008.html"><img align="right" alt="fda1" border="0" height="128" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIjEIDwzPII/AAAAAAAAIVY/q8e6mXGEvHQ/fda1%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="fda1" width="118" /></a>all areas of health care.  BD   </p> <blockquote>Includes clearances for Abbott Vascular, Biomet Spint, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Medtronic Vascular and 240 other top medical device companies. See what your competitors are doing. FDA's June 2008 Clearances of 510(k)</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:f8bbf9f4-4a78-4c7d-8445-62c0b03bf203" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FDA" rel="tag">FDA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Devices" rel="tag">Medical Devices</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.medicaldevicestoday.com/2008/07/fdas-june-2008.html">Medical Devices Today: FDA's June 2008 Clearances of 510(k)s</a></p>

FDA's June 2008 Clearances of 510(k)s

How fast is the FDA clearing medical devices?  This page will show you a list of what was approved for the month of June.   The list is qui...

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Bristol-Myers Could Cut More Jobs

<p>There is more potential downsizing going on with big Pharma.  Just yesterday an article <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/and-next-pharma-plant-to-close-will-be.html">related to the number of plants set to the be closed in the US.</a></strong>  I might guess this could be the sign of more outsourcing overseas.  BD  </p> <p>Last year, Bristol-Myers Squibb said it was <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/12/05/bristol-myers-cutting-jobs-factories-products/?mod=WSJBlog">cutting some 4,000 jobs</a> as part of a plan to save $1.5 billion. This morning, the company said it’s planning “<a href="http://newsroom.bms.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5358">an additional $1 billion of cost savings by 2012</a>” — suggesting more jobs could get the ax. The company said details about the plan — which in the upside-down world of corporatespeak is called a “productivity initiative” — would be released by the end of the year.</p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:061d1977-84db-4bf8-aa32-c04477f5fdc7" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Bristol-Myers" rel="tag">Bristol-Myers</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pharma" rel="tag">Pharma</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medication" rel="tag">Medication</a></div> <p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/07/24/bristol-myers-could-cut-more-jobs/">http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/07/24/bristol-myers-could-cut-more-jobs/</a></p>

Bristol-Myers Could Cut More Jobs

There is more potential downsizing going on with big Pharma.  Just yesterday an article related to the number of plants set to the be closed...

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Statin Side Effect Test: Worth the Price?

<p> Statin side effects, weakening and sore muscles, this topic has been commented on here as well.  My question would be are they one in the same, weakening muscles or just <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIi-fSDWSvI/AAAAAAAAIVM/9ie9RdGRGz8/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="193" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIi-gIP3kCI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/wvvEZqPkRZE/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="100" /></a>muscular pain and are they the same?   It looks now like there is some research in the  <strong>personalized medicine</strong> area to create a test to see who and who would not be vulnerable to the side effects of many of the statin medications.  This is a common reason why patients discontinue their medications.  Do you risk a heart attack with having high cholesterol?  </p> <p><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="181" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIi-hAIK0vI/AAAAAAAAIVU/fIqpdfekVQ0/image%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="103" /></a> There is one enzyme that has been recommended by physicians and one that I take myself for just good general health as I do not take any statins called <strong><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10">COQ10.</a></strong>  I have seen and participated in this discussion on other web sites and it seems to be a popular solution to help with the muscular pain, but again there’s no scientific backing yet for the enzyme and <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10">COQ10</a> still remains a bit of a mystery in some the recent medical journals as well.  They key with such a test is to have available for every physician to have access as well before it could fully go mainstream.  BD  </p> <blockquote><em>The tens of millions of Americans who take statin drugs to control their cholesterol levels are also taking a calculated risk -- the small chance that they might experience muscle weakness, the most common side effect of the drugs.  "My first impression is that this is the first time that genomics can be useful in day-to-day clinical medicine," said Dr. Christopher Cannon, a heart researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved with the study. "It seems to be a useful test, and could be one that patients would want to know when they are starting therapy."</em></blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:156e574f-5673-4100-a0a7-7cd6c8f5cbf4" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Statins" rel="tag">Statins</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Prescriptions" rel="tag">Prescriptions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medications" rel="tag">Medications</a></div> <p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseNews/Story?id=5435984&page=1">ABC News: Statin Side Effect Test: Worth the Price?</a></p>

Statin Side Effect Test: Worth the Price?

Statin side effects, weakening and sore muscles, this topic has been commented on here as well.  My question would be are they one in the s...

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Saint Mary's warns of possible data leak - Nevada

<p> <strong>Data breach story of the week,</strong> this was not the main health care records files, but <strong>data bases used for community programs.</strong>  Not too long ago I remember having this conversation with an organization too about not taking any of this information out of the area on USB sticks to work on at home.  There are a lot of letters to go out and free credit monitoring service offered as the usual temporary solution.  BD</p> <blockquote>The database, used for Saint Mary's health education classes and wellness programs, contained personal information such as names and addresses, limited health information and some Social Security numbers. The database did not contain medical records or credit card information, said Gary Aldax, marketing manager for Saint Mary's. "What happened was that an unauthorized person may have accessed the database," Aldax said. "We're currently working with Equifax, which is one of the three major credit agencies, to help handle this for us.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d6abf1e2-641a-4725-8c96-dcc80ab3e658" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Data+Breach" rel="tag">Data Breach</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/medical+records" rel="tag">medical records</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080724/NEWS10/807240352/1321/NEWS">Saint Mary's warns of possible data leak | www.rgj.com | Reno Gazette-Journal</a></p>

Saint Mary's warns of possible data leak - Nevada

  Data breach story of the week, this was not the main health care records files, but data bases used for community programs.   Not too lon...

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Senator Dr. Tom Coburn – Talks about Bloggers, Healthcare and Technology from the US Senate…

<p></p> <p> Nice interview with Senator Tom Coburn, one of two doctors in Congress, but he is the only medical doctor that continues to practice.  Imagine going to see you doctor the Congressman!  Robert Scoble in his Washington series discussed blogging, Healthcare and how Congress operates, good topics.  The Senator states that <strong>Washington is operating out of the 50’s and that the low rankings of late are deserved.</strong>  </p> <p>He also believes just like Congressman Culberson that we need <strong>TRANSPARENCY</strong> in Congress for the constituents.  His office regularly monitors blogging sites and uses sites as such to get in contact versus running his own blog.  <strong>He likes bloggers!</strong>  </p> <p>He states we are spending enough on healthcare, but is the money going toward helping people get well, that’s the problem!  <u>No we are not.</u>  He likes the technology and supports the R and D that comes along with it, and make R and D tax credits permanent.  He feels the government should step out of the way in some instances.  He fully agrees with putting the government on the net and <strong>his message to technology is to keep on doing what it’s doing.</strong>  BD  </p> <object data="http://service.twistage.com/plugins/player.swf?v=c664fca047c41&p=fctv-homepage" height="274" id="embedded_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://service.twistage.com/plugins/player.swf?v=c664fca047c41&p=fctv-homepage" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="base" value="http://service.twistage.com" /></object> <p><em> "Tech is how we get our freedom back," </em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Coburn"><em>Senator Tom Coburn</em></a><em> says. He wants a totally transparent government thanks to technology. We have a wide-ranging conversation about a number of topics, but he focused in on why he thinks bloggers are changing how politicians talk to their constituency.”</em></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c193df6d-f880-4062-88af-21c424d25631" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Blogging" rel="tag">Blogging</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Senate" rel="tag">Senate</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Senator" rel="tag">Senator</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Tom+Coburn" rel="tag">Tom Coburn</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Congress" rel="tag">Congress</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Politics" rel="tag">Politics</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/senator-tom-coburn-tells-me-why-he-likes-bloggers">http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/senator-tom-coburn-tells-me-why-he-likes-bloggers</a></p>

Senator Dr. Tom Coburn – Talks about Bloggers, Healthcare and Technology from the US Senate…

Nice interview with Senator Tom Coburn, one of two doctors in Congress, but he is the only medical doctor that continues to practice.  Im...

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Slydial – Go Direct to Voicemail on the Cell phone you are calling without disturbing the other person by ringing the phone

<p></p> <p>This is nice from any wireless carrier and no sign up required.  Just dial the number and it will bypass the voice capabilities of the person you are calling on the cell and go directly to voice mail.  <a href="http://www.slydial.com/index.php"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="97" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIfnVjreJSI/AAAAAAAAIVI/Ke_iPEsjJN0/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="181" /></a> </p> <p>I can see this being very helpful in healthcare for physicians so as not to disturb them with a ringing phone.  This only works in the US so far.  BD</p> <p><strong>Just call to confirm</strong> <br /><em>You have several meetings scheduled for the afternoon. You want to call to confirm but you don't want to disturb them or give them the opportunity to reschedule. Being able to just leave them a voicemail is not only polite but advantageous.</em></p> <ol> <li>Dial <strong>267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425)</strong> from any landline or mobile phone. </li> <li>At the voice prompt, enter the U.S. mobile phone number of the person you want to slydial. </li> <li>You will be directly connected to their voicemail. Leave them a voicemail, sit back and relax. </li> </ol> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:1a6e355a-18fc-4a9b-9d43-6cf0b15f445d" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cell+Phone" rel="tag">Cell Phone</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/VoiceMail" rel="tag">VoiceMail</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Phone+calls" rel="tag">Phone calls</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Messaging" rel="tag">Messaging</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.slydial.com/index.php" title="http://www.slydial.com/index.php">http://www.slydial.com/index.php</a></p>

Slydial – Go Direct to Voicemail on the Cell phone you are calling without disturbing the other person by ringing the phone

This is nice from any wireless carrier and no sign up required.  Just dial the number and it will bypass the voice capabilities of the per...

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Roche snaps up Arius platform for $189M

<p> Mark up one more purchase for Roche this week.  Pharmaceutical companies are <img align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIQrirCvvXI/AAAAAAAAITI/7weNg4GsI_k/image[5].png?imgmax=800" /> looking for for biotech purchases and Roche is not wasting one moment this week.  Arius fits right in with current ongoing cancer research.  Who will be on the list tomorrow?  BD  </p> <blockquote>Roche announced this morning that it is paying $189 million to buy Canada's Arius Research, a move that will help beef up its portfolio of experimental therapies for cancer and inflammation. Shareholders controlling a majority of the company's shares have already signed off on the pact, which provides a 14.5 percent price premium over Tuesday's close.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:7d0a9210-44b5-41e8-bfdd-2433b93f4a51" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Roche" rel="tag">Roche</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Biotech" rel="tag">Biotech</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cancer" rel="tag">Cancer</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/roche-snaps-arius-platform-189m/2008-07-23?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FB0">Roche snaps up Arius platform for $189M - FierceBiotech</a></p>

Roche snaps up Arius platform for $189M

Mark up one more purchase for Roche this week.  Pharmaceutical companies are looking for for biotech purchases and Roche is not wasting on...

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Kaiser Permanente -The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group partners with West Coast group

<p>All locations have the the same medical records at all facilities and now they can consult with each other coast to coast.  The patients and records were already connected and now the physicians are connected.  BD  </p> <p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/related_content.html?topic=The%20Mid-Atlantic%20Permanente%20Medical%20Group">The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group</a> and The Permanente Medical Group, a national medical group, have formed a bi-coastal affiliation that will unite 7,000 physicians.  <strong>Since both groups use the same electronic medical records system, physicians in both groups will be able to consult with each other to obtain additional opinions and expertise.</strong></p> <p>Robert Pearl will become Rockville-based Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group’s new president and CEO Jan. 1, 2009. He will continue is also executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, which is based in Oakland, Calif.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/07/21/daily20.html">http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/07/21/daily20.html</a></p>

Kaiser Permanente -The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group partners with West Coast group

All locations have the the same medical records at all facilities and now they can consult with each other coast to coast.  The patients and...

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Press Release E-MDs Health Care Records - Maryland

<p> As an added benefit, for the participants in the program, special pricing incentives have been included for the group.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs), announces it has been selected as a qualified participant to assist the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) in an aggressive initiative to accelerate the adoption of EHRs among Maryland physicians.  Full Press Release below…</p> <object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="500" id="doc_90971178398533" name="doc_90971178398533" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://documents.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=4069153&access_key=key-18y5mo65soxe2gli3lca&page=&version=1&auto_size=true"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <embed src="http://documents.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=4069153&access_key=key-18y5mo65soxe2gli3lca&page=&version=1&auto_size=true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_90971178398533_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="500" width="100%"></embed> </object> <div style="display: none"> </div> <a href="http://media-newswire.com/release_1069025.html">Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency</a></blockquote> <p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:5e25e0cd-e650-4ca4-ab98-160820abdbc4" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/E-MDs" rel="tag">E-MDs</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Records" rel="tag">Medical Records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a></div></p>

Press Release E-MDs Health Care Records - Maryland

As an added benefit, for the participants in the program, special pricing incentives have been included for the group.  BD  e-MDs, an ...

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3rd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on The Road to Interoperability – Key Note Speakers, Goals and PHRs

<p><u>This week the Congress meeting is in Boston.</u><strong>  <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/healthcare-leaders-favor-personal.html">I referenced in a earlier post</a></strong> that <strong>PHR's, (personal health records)</strong> are being viewed by Healthcare leadership as the favorite vehicle for interoperability.  There is a podcast at the link below.  There was a full line up of guest speakers, including <strong>Dr. Crounse from Microsoft</strong> and you <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/healthblog/archive/2008/07/22/a-possible-sea-change-in-thinking-on-how-to-share-health-data.aspx">can read more from his blog here about the conference.</a> </p> <p>How important are <strong>Personal Health Records</strong> and what is being done to spread the word, as other <strong>key healthcare individuals from Microsoft</strong> are also speaking and <a href="http://www.healthvault.com/"><img align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SGRNCPIU39I/AAAAAAAAH34/yO31Ff2JSJg/healthvault[2].png?imgmax=800" /></a> spreading the word as well.  <strong>Dr. James R. Mault,</strong>  will be speaking in September at the <strong><a href="http://www.dmaa.org/ics08/index.asp">Integrated Care Summit</a> </strong>about how personal health records can help in the fight against chronic disease in the workplace.  His area of expertise includes <strong>medical devices</strong> and the pharma business and he is the <strong>director of new products and business development for the Health Care</strong> solutions group, and a key figure behind the <strong><a href="http://www.healthvault.com/">HealthVault.</a></strong> <strong> Interoperability is on everyone’s mind and plan of attack today for health care records.</strong>  Software as a Service is making this possible today.  BD  </p> <p><strong>The 3rd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on The Road to Interoperability</strong> assembles the industry’s foremost industry practitioners and thought leaders who will address best practices in the implementation of innovative information technology strategies and solutions to improve the state of the healthcare system, to transform operations and enhance safety and quality,<strong> in an effort to meet the federally-mandated 2014 goal for nationwide health record portability</strong> and health data exchange. <br />Specific solution areas to be covered include: </p> <ul> <li><strong>Electronic Medical Records (EMR) </strong></li> <li><strong>Personal Health Records (PHR) </strong></li> <li><strong>Patient-Centric Portals/Internet-based Communication Exchanges </strong></li> <li><strong>Regional Health Information Networks (RHIO)</strong> </li> </ul> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:701c458b-15a9-4465-98c4-84ab44a033e5" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Microsoft" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Microsoft+Healthcare" rel="tag">Microsoft Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Records" rel="tag">Medical Records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Interoperability" rel="tag">Interoperability</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EMR" rel="tag">EMR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9630" title="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9630">http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9630</a></p>

3rd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on The Road to Interoperability – Key Note Speakers, Goals and PHRs

This week the Congress meeting is in Boston.   I referenced in a earlier post that PHR's, (personal health records) are being viewed b...

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And The Next Pharma Plant To Close Will Be

<p> This article is an eye opener when we think about reality and where pharmaceuticals are being manufactured, and there are 26 more still scheduled to close.  Some may just be old and out of date, but this might suggest to ponder how much manufacturing is done here anymore and how much is done overseas, and why the FDA is increasing their mobility to inspect more outside of the US.  Recently <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-europe-australia-to-jointly-inspect.html">Australia and the UK have joined efforts with the FDA</a></strong> on joint inspections overseas. BD</p> <blockquote><em>“When we talk about shrinkage, we usually toss out the number of jobs being cut. But another way to look at consolidation is to track all the plants closing. Since January 2007, <strong>a total of 77 industry sites employing more than 14,000 people were either closed or have been put on notice,</strong> according to Industrial Info Resources, a research firm.”</em></blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:711fe562-65e5-4bca-bed0-da159399d000" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pharmaceutials" rel="tag">Pharmaceutials</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FDA" rel="tag">FDA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/07/and-the-next-pharma-plant-to-close-will-be/">And The Next Pharma Plant To Close Will Be& // Pharmalot</a></p>

And The Next Pharma Plant To Close Will Be

This article is an eye opener when we think about reality and where pharmaceuticals are being manufactured, and there are 26 more still sch...

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North Hawaii hospital CEO quits after 2 months – Grady gets new CEO

<p> Hospitals under stress with re-organization – North Hawaii also just lost their big financial supporter, Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic.  Meanwhile, Grady in Atlanta gets a new CEO to hopefully guide them in the direction they need to go as well.  BD</p> <blockquote>Jeff Comer, chief executive of the embattled North Hawaii Community Hospital on the Big Island, has resigned. Comer joined the Waimea hospital just two months ago and the hospital board said it will start searching for a new CEO immediately.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/07/21/daily28.html">North Hawaii hospital CEO quits after 2 months - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):</a></p>

North Hawaii hospital CEO quits after 2 months – Grady gets new CEO

Hospitals under stress with re-organization – North Hawaii also just lost their big financial supporter, Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic....

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The Medical Travel RoadShow Debuts in Six U.S. Cities

<p> If you haven’t heard enough about Medical Tourism, they are taking it on the road now.  Health screenings, including blood pressure and cholesterol testing, disease management counseling will be offered to attendees with giveaways and prizes drawn.  </p> <p>It is not free and requires a $5.00 registration fee by signing up on the web.  The first show doesn’t make it’s stop until October in Dallas.  <strong>What else will go on the road next,</strong> doctors, hospitals, nurses, or MRI's?    BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>RICHMOND, VA, DALLAS, TX and AUSTIN, TX, Jul 23, 2008 (MARKET <a href="http://www.themedicalroadshow.com/Locations.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="91" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIe0v1GVJmI/AAAAAAAAIU8/s6BuA4qc_TM/image%5B11%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="189" /></a> WIRE via COMTEX) -- U.S. residents will have their first look at the vast array of options for accessing high quality medical care at significantly lower costs when the Medical Travel RoadShow makes its first stops in six cities hosting Your <strong>Health Expos <a href="http://www.themedicalroadshow.com">www.themedicalroadshow.com</a></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIe0x6bwqoI/AAAAAAAAIVA/DFCfXNSkvVM/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="262" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIe0zSg3wfI/AAAAAAAAIVE/al8lWs5f7oE/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="459" /></a> </p> </blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c785d232-b23f-4626-95e5-6acde4125444" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Tourism" rel="tag">Medical Tourism</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Insurance" rel="tag">Insurance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Surgery" rel="tag">Surgery</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/first-opportunity-us-consumers-explore/story.aspx?guid=%7B70759B35-E3B7-4508-AB39-9CFE4822E07F%7D&dist=hppr">First Opportunity for U.S. Consumers to Explore Medical Travel: The Medical Travel RoadShow Debuts in Six U.S. Cities - MarketWatch</a></p>

The Medical Travel RoadShow Debuts in Six U.S. Cities

If you haven’t heard enough about Medical Tourism, they are taking it on the road now.  Health screenings, including blood pressure and cho...

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Medpedia, new Wikipedia of medical information – Medical Professionals can sign up now…

<p> We have another encyclopedia type site in addition to the new <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/google-opens-doors-to-knol-online.html">Knol from Google,</a></strong> except this new <strong>Wikipedia is healthcare only</strong> and membership is for Medical Professionals; however, everyone can contribute and give ideas and feedback.  The official launch is not slated until the end of 2008 but contributors are being solicited now from the site.  To take a look and sign up, follow the links on the images to find out more.  Four university Medical schools are associated with the project, teaming efforts to create the resources.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>July 23, 2008 (Computerworld) A project launched today aims to create what is in essence a medical version of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia <strong>focused on explaining conditions, drugs, procedures, medical facilities and other topics written by physicians and Ph.D.s.</strong><a href="http://www.medpedia.com/index.php/Main_Page"><img alt="image" border="0" height="395" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIer7bEU9yI/AAAAAAAAIU0/BgMJXT7KOkQ/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="520" /></a> </p> <p><em>“<strong>In association with Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, Berkeley School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School and other leading global health organizations, the Medpedia community seeks to create the most comprehensive and collaborative medical resource in the world.</strong> Medpedia will serve as a catalog, database, and learning tool about health, medicine and the body for doctors, scientists, policymakers, students and citizens that will improve medical literacy worldwide.”</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.medpedia.com/index.php/Special:Preview"><img alt="image" border="0" height="485" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIer_U_1j3I/AAAAAAAAIU4/UueF4maunWk/image%5B12%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="485" /></a> </p> </blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:e675a473-4fb9-4e36-a335-bc959c5ddea0" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Encyclopedia" rel="tag">Encyclopedia</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medpedia" rel="tag">Medpedia</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Information" rel="tag">Medical Information</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110541&pageNumber=1">Doctors, Ph.D.s to edit new Wikipedia of medical information</a></p>

Medpedia, new Wikipedia of medical information – Medical Professionals can sign up now…

We have another encyclopedia type site in addition to the new Knol from Google, except this new Wikipedia is healthcare only and membersh...

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Healthcare leaders favor personal networks (Personal Health Records) to RHIOs for data exchange

<p> If you are not familiar with the term RHIO (<em>regional health information organization</em>) this is the efforts of communities working together to make medical records talk to each other and exchange information in simple terms.   Personal Health Records are looking to emerge as the more proficient way to exchange medical records data, with the patient in control.   <a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/informResults.cms?origin=9630&keywords=Google+Inc."><strong>Google Health</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/informResults.cms?origin=9630&keywords=Microsoft+Corporation"><strong>Microsoft</strong></a><strong>'s </strong><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/informResults.cms?origin=9630&keywords=Microsoft+HealthVault"><strong>HealthVault</strong></a><strong> are 2 that can be found on this site</strong>.  Anytime you want to connect and begin your online health records and forget where to go, the links are here.  <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="123" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIel671pnHI/AAAAAAAAIUw/E107NEFmOfg/image%5B6%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="336" /></a> </p> <p>With<strong> Software as a Service</strong> available today, there are many routes to go.  The key is to have information with you or available, as it beats the heck out of starting from scratch, especially in the ER room with a real emergency where the <strong>doctor has to shoot from the hip and they don’t like that either</strong> and would rather have some background information if at all possible.  BD  </p> <blockquote>BOSTON - Personal health information networks are likely to prove better models for health data exchange than regional health information organizations, or RHIOs, speakers said Tuesday at a world conference on interoperability in Boston. The personal health record platforms, such as those provided by Microsoft, Google and Dossia, provide hope for the exchange of health information sooner than could be achieved by RHIOs, said R. Tim McNamar, founder and chief executive officer of e-certus Inc. , at the 3rd Annual Leadership Summit on the Road to Interoperability.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:7fe99cd3-422f-48b6-8bdf-67946fd30b55" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Records" rel="tag">Medical Records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Microsoft" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Google+Health" rel="tag">Google Health</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HealthVault" rel="tag">HealthVault</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9630">Healthcare leaders favor personal networks to RHIOs for data exchange</a></p>

Healthcare leaders favor personal networks (Personal Health Records) to RHIOs for data exchange

If you are not familiar with the term RHIO ( regional health information organization ) this is the efforts of communities working together...

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Healthcare professionals leading source of information On company's prescription savings programs

<p> If you forget to ask, there’s a reference on this site called <strong>“Needy Meds”</strong> that will link to a page that will offer additional assistance with getting access to many drugs, always listed in the right hand side of the site, under the $4.00 Prescription section.  BD </p> <blockquote><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIegZQt6ddI/AAAAAAAAIUs/CVZhdYntOys/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="283" /></a> More than a third of the people who contacted AstraZeneca to inquire about the company's prescription savings programs learned of the programs from their doctors or pharmacists, according to a year-long survey of more than 12,000 patients. The survey found that 35 percent of the patients who called AstraZeneca's information center regarding prescription savings programs said they were referred by healthcare professionals. Another 14 percent learned of the program from brochures, which also are available in doctors' offices, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.news-medical.net/?id=40218">AstraZeneca Survey: Healthcare professionals leading source of information On company's prescription savings programs</a></p>

Healthcare professionals leading source of information On company's prescription savings programs

If you forget to ask, there’s a reference on this site called “Needy Meds” that will link to a page that will offer additional assistance ...

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Google Opens Doors to Knol – Online Encyclopedia - Open for Contributions...

<p> If you are familiar with <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/148823/28332320/SIG=10r7eomhe/*http://www.wikipedia.org/"><strong>Wikipedia</strong></a><strong>,</strong> Knol will be no problem to understand and work with.  There are a few changes though with authors not being anonymous with their entries as is the case with Wikipedia.  </p> <p><strong>They would like real names, but that is an option.</strong>  Readers can also request changes to articles created, but the author has the final word.  Google will not be editing content.  Authors choosing not to use a real name will have the availability to have their real identity (especially if one chooses a pen name) to have their real identity  confirmed with a phone or credit card process, and these articles will show a <strong>""verified" stamp.</strong>  <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/knol#"><img alt="image" border="0" height="368" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIee4k-Uy6I/AAAAAAAAIUk/YCtpHS6-WKc/image%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="587" /></a> </p> <p>This looks to be very interesting with adding accountability to what is written.  What is first on the featured page, <strong>items on healthcare.</strong>  <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/knol#"><img alt="image" border="0" height="386" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIee6t3AbSI/AAAAAAAAIUo/Nu0u7hiksqM/image%5B11%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="588" /></a> </p> <p><strong>You can use your Google email address to log in and get started.</strong>  It looks like we now have another alternative to looking up definitive information on the web.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><em>Google has launched Knol, its user-generated online encyclopedia, which it announced in December but had kept under wraps in private testing. Although its goal and approach are similar to Wikipedia's-- to tap the collective knowledge of Internet users within an encyclopedia format-- Knol is different in several ways. Knol will encourage writers to use their real names.</em></p> </blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:5cf6b920-1b60-4675-a66d-a0a0c66428d8" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Google+Health" rel="tag">Google Health</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health+care" rel="tag">Health care</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Google" rel="tag">Google</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Encyclopedia" rel="tag">Encyclopedia</a></div> <p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080723/tc_pcworld/148823">Google Opens Doors to Knol - Yahoo! News</a></p>

Google Opens Doors to Knol – Online Encyclopedia - Open for Contributions...

If you are familiar with Wikipedia , Knol will be no problem to understand and work with.  There are a few changes though with authors not...

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Struggling generations: Bankruptcies among seniors soaring

<p>Senior bankruptcy rates go up, while middle ages filing go down, this clearly reflects a need to get Medicare reconnected, as this is not what the “Golden Age” should be about, and the number one cause is healthcare costs.  Where is that “Golden Age” anyway?  BD</p> <p>The average age for filing bankruptcy has increased and the rate of bankruptcy among those ages 65 and older has more than doubled since 1991, say researchers Teresa Sullivan of the University of Michigan, Deborah Thorne of Ohio University and Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School. </p> <p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news136042127.html" title="http://www.physorg.com/news136042127.html">http://www.physorg.com/news136042127.html</a></p>

Struggling generations: Bankruptcies among seniors soaring

Senior bankruptcy rates go up, while middle ages filing go down, this clearly reflects a need to get Medicare reconnected, as this is not wh...

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Roche Helps Catch Tour de France Cheater

<p><strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/roche-makes-offer-to-acquire-all-of.html">Roche has been all over the news this week</a></strong> and one more claim to fame to their technology was the ability to catch an athlete cheating.  Athletes still keep trying but hopefully efforts like this will keep the competition honest and fair, nobody wants a cheater to win.  BD  </p> <p>Ricardo Ricco, who upset some big names in biking during this year’s tour, was caught doping after the drugmaker planted a traceable molecule in the banned stamina-building drug he had taken, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency. And so the 24-year-old was kicked off after testing positive for EPO, or erythropoietin.</p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ef278924-bb89-4ff4-a01d-a9be200f333e" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Roche" rel="tag">Roche</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Tour+de+France" rel="tag">Tour de France</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Drugs" rel="tag">Drugs</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/07/roche-helps-catch-tour-de-france-cheater/" title="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/07/roche-helps-catch-tour-de-france-cheater/">http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/07/roche-helps-catch-tour-de-france-cheater/</a></p>

Roche Helps Catch Tour de France Cheater

Roche has been all over the news this week and one more claim to fame to their technology was the ability to catch an athlete cheating.  At...

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Dennis Quaid tours Dallas hospital

<p>Dennis Quaid is continuing his efforts for better safety in taking a tour of a hospital in Dallas that is using a bar coding system.  Hat’s off for his continued efforts and taking the time to find out what’s available out there.  As everyone remembers his 2 children had staff infections and were taken to Cedars-Sinai, which was the visit that ended up being disastrous with the Heparin overdose.  BD</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIeQwpCIfQI/AAAAAAAAIUc/Z-HSSS4dSEA/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="156" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIeQxTOmm6I/AAAAAAAAIUg/cYjyrwVmFl0/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="123" /></a> DALLAS — Actor Dennis Quaid, whose twins were given an overdose of a blood thinner as newborns at a California hospital, toured a Dallas hospital on Tuesday to learn about a system to prevent such errors.</p> <p>Officials at Children's Medical Center Dallas showed Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, the hospital's system of bar-coding medications to allow the drugs to be tracked electronically from the point of dispensing until being administered to the patient.</p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:05c7a370-7e71-4fcf-a501-9c664809312f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Heparin" rel="tag">Heparin</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Quaid" rel="tag">Quaid</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hospital" rel="tag">Hospital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical+Errors" rel="tag">Medical Errors</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5901900.html">http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5901900.html</a></p>

Dennis Quaid tours Dallas hospital

Dennis Quaid is continuing his efforts for better safety in taking a tour of a hospital in Dallas that is using a bar coding system.  Hat’s ...

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Viagra helpful to women on antidepressants, study finds

<p> Well it sounds like the female gender could soon be enjoying the benefits of Viagra according to the study, especially when taking anti-depressants.  Viagra blocks an enzyme that inhibits blood flow and thus additional blood flow can travel to other parts of the body.  Back in March there was an article that addressed the<strong> </strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/03/increasing-use-of-antidepressants-some.html"><strong>concern of the increasing use of anti-depressants as well,</strong></a> so I assume as time moves on there will be more data available as far as whether depression should be treated medically or if further counseling might be an advantage prior to prescribing antidepressants.  </p> <p>Also, back in March, the study conducted then stated<strong> depressed women have more sex,</strong> so I ask what might be happy medium here, and it appears that maybe Viagra may offer some answers if a course of action is taken to end depression, otherwise one can perhaps remain depressed and have better sex? (grin) BD  </p> <p><object height="321" id="WNVideoCanvasDEFAULTdivWNVideoCanvas" width="500"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="windowless"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="movie" value="http://video.latimes.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf"></param> <embed src="http://video.latimes.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="windowless" width="500" height="321" allowFullScreen="true" FlashVars="isShowIcon=true&affiliate=LATMS&affiliateNumber=421&backgroundAlphas=100,100,100,100&backgroundColors=eeeeee,eeeeee,eeeeee,eeeeee&backgroundRatios=0,25,130,255&backgroundRotation=270&borderAlpha=100&borderColor=aaaaaa&borderWidth=1&clipId=2722057&closecaptionPaneLabelText=&closePaneLabelText=&commercialHeadlinePrefix=Commercial&controlsBackgroundAlphas=100,100&controlsBackgroundColors=eeeeee,eeeeee&controlsBackgroundRatios=0,255&controlsBackgroundRotation=270&controlsBorderColor=212121&controlsBottomPadding=8&controlsButtonLeftBorderColor=c7c7c7&controlsButtonRightBorderColor=656464&controlsHeight=40&controlsOffFaceColor=828282&controlsOverFaceColor=454444&controlsSidePadding=8&defaultStyle=flatlight&disableTransport=false&domId=WNVideoCanvasDEFAULTdivWNVideoCanvas&emailErrorBorderColor=ae1a01&emailErrorMessageFaceColor=ae1a01&emailFormFieldAlphas=80&emailFormFieldColors=dddee0&emailFormFieldRatios=0&emailFormFieldRotation=90&emailInputFaceColor=454444&emailMessageLabelText=&emailPaneLabelText=&emailSentConfirmationMessage=&errorMessage=&fullScreenControlType=none&hasBevel=false&hasBorder=true&hasBottomBorder=true&hasFullScreen=true&hasLeftBorder=true&hasRightBorder=true&hasTopBorder=true&helpPage=http://www.latimes.com/about/site/stv-flash-video-about,0,301457.htmlstory&hostDomain=video.latimes.com&idKey=DEFAULT&imgPath=http://latms.images.worldnow.com/images/static/video/flash/&invalidRecipientFieldMessage=&invalidSenderFieldMessage=&isAutoStart=&isMute=&landingPage=http://www.latimes.com/video/&loadingMessage=&offFaceColor=828282&overFaceColor=454444&overlayBackgroundAlphas=92&overlayBackgroundColors=b6b6b5&overlayBackgroundRatios=0&overlayBackgroundRotation=90&overlayOffFaceColor=454444&overlayOverFaceColor=ffffff&pauseButtonText=&playAtActualSize=0&playButtonText=&playerHeight=321&playerWidth=500&recipientEmailLabelText=&sendEmailButtonText=&senderEmailLabelText=&senderNameLabelText=&shareListItemHighlightBorderColor=ffffff&shareListItemOffFaceColor=828282&shareListItemShadowBorderColor=b1b0b0&shareListListItemOverFaceColor=828282&sidePadding=3&smoothingMode=auto&staticImgPath=http://latms.images.worldnow.com&summaryGraphicMessage=&summaryGraphicScaleStyle=stretchToFit&summaryPaneLabelText=&tabBackgroundAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundColors=e6e6e6,e6e6e6&tabBackgroundOverAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundOverColors=eeeeee,eeeeee&tabBackgroundOverRatios=0,100&tabBackgroundRatios=75,255&tabBackgroundRotation=90&tabBackgroundSelectedAlphas=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderAlpha=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderColor=aaaaaa&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderWidth=1&tabBackgroundSelectedColors=eeeeee&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBevel=false&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBorder=true&tabBackgroundSelectedHasDropShadow=false&tabBackgroundSelectedRatios=0&tabBorderAlpha=100&tabBorderColor=aaaaaa&tabBorderWidth=1&tabFontSize=10&tabHasBevel=false&tabHasBorder=true&tabHasDropShadow=false&tabHeight=26&tabLeftBorderColor=e5e5e5&tabOffFaceColor=828282&tabOverBorderAlpha=100&tabOverBorderWidth=1&tabOverFaceColor=454444&tabOverHasBevel=false&tabOverHasBorder=true&tabRightBorderColor=868686&tabShadowColor=333333&topPadding=3&videoSliderBackgroundColor=cccccc&videoSliderKnobBackgroundAlphas=100,100&videoSliderKnobBackgroundColors=cccccc,cccccc&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRatios=0,255&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRotation=90&videoSliderKnobBorderColor=959495&videoSliderKnobOffFaceColor=444444&videoSliderKnobOverFaceColor=212121&videoSliderKnobShadowColor=5a5a5a&videoSliderLoadIndicatorColor=828282&videoSliderProgressIndicatorColor=454444&volumeSliderOffColor=cccccc&volumeSliderOverColor=828282&"></embed></object></p> <blockquote>The long search for the female equivalent of Viagra has led researchers to . . . Viagra. In a small study of 98 women published today, the little blue pill helped women whose sexual performance had flagged as a side effect of taking antidepressants, known as SSRIs -- a very specific finding that could open a new use for the male impotence drug.</blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b08eb504-68c3-4d00-88da-83532bca10be" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Viagra" rel="tag">Viagra</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Depression" rel="tag">Depression</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sex" rel="tag">sex</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/antidepressants" rel="tag">antidepressants</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-viagra23-2008jul23,0,4135770.story">Viagra helpful to women on antidepressants, study finds - Los Angeles Times</a></p>

Viagra helpful to women on antidepressants, study finds

Well it sounds like the female gender could soon be enjoying the benefits of Viagra according to the study, especially when taking anti-dep...

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The cancer patient gives his verdict on Drug Trial - Abiraterone

<p>At 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer, tried radiotherapy and hormone suppressants, but a few months later the cancer had spread to his bones.  He was told he had around 2 <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIZfmaPZ90I/AAAAAAAAIUU/sRv8yD2rqdU/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="194" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIZfofRaOGI/AAAAAAAAIUY/SNAOuCBLFpE/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="201" /></a> years left to live and was in a big amount of pain.  He signed up for the trial of the drug <strong>abiraterone</strong> and there were substantial improvements in his condition within a week, and within 6 weeks no longer needed pain tablets.  The downside of the drug was a little extra weight.  He’s a fan of this drug and trial and <strong>perhaps can offer hope to others as he feels without it he may not be around today.</strong>  BD  </p> <p>Simon Bush was told that he had prostate cancer three years ago. In January this year he went skiing for the first time in 25 years. “I had so much fun that I went again in March,” he said. </p> <p>This is remarkable, considering that a little more than a year ago Mr Bush was in such pain that he struggled simply to get in and out of a car. </p> <p><a href="http://www.genomeweb.com/issues/news/148352-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS">http://www.genomeweb.com/issues/news/148352-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</a></p>

The cancer patient gives his verdict on Drug Trial - Abiraterone

At 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer, tried radiotherapy and hormone suppressants, but a few months later the cancer had spread to his bones...

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Generics Are Cheap, but They Could Be Cheaper

<p>Good article from the Wall Street Journal blog here about generics, however in the example quoted below, the patient’s benefit payment of 146.53 just doesn’t come close to taking advantage of a cash prescription of the <strong>same drug for $10.00 for a 90 supply at Wal-Mart or Target</strong>.  In this case with this particular drug, the cash paying patient <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIZcfM5vAFI/AAAAAAAAIUM/sucvCUcqLhM/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="168" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SIZcgd_iRHI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/9oGV9BTkOjg/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="image" width="88" /></a>will win if choosing this option as more than likely there’s at least a $10 or more co-pay.  There are links on the site to PDFs that reference both the $4.00 and $10.00 prescription drugs available.   </p> <p>One note though, when a patient opts to pay cash and there are a number of patients in the practice that choose to do this, <strong>P4P (pay for performance)</strong> can reflect a potential <strong>negative hash mark on the participating physician</strong> as some programs when evaluating a physician for bonus money take in to effect how many generics are prescribed and the cash records for scripts purchased at a discount may not be available, <strong>thus the physician stands a chance of getting dinged if they are outside the guidance levels of prescribing their recommended percentage of generics as they are not tracked through the insurance company.  BD  </strong></p> <p><em>The differences between what the PBMs pay pharmacies and what they charge the plans can range from a few dollars to well over $100. In one case, a Medicare patient filled a prescription for a 90-day supply, or 270 pills, of the generic antinausea medication prochlorperazine. The difference between what the PBM, Express Scripts, paid the pharmacy and the price that showed up on the patient’s explanation of benefits was $146.53.</em></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:25e59513-e911-4def-8d40-0d9eba4375dd" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Prescriptions" rel="tag">Prescriptions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Generic+Drugs" rel="tag">Generic Drugs</a></div> <p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/07/22/generics-are-cheap-but-they-could-be-cheaper/" title="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/07/22/generics-are-cheap-but-they-could-be-cheaper/">http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/07/22/generics-are-cheap-but-they-could-be-cheaper/</a></p>

Generics Are Cheap, but They Could Be Cheaper

Good article from the Wall Street Journal blog here about generics, however in the example quoted below, the patient’s benefit payment of 14...

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