Novartis Recalls Birth Control Pills–Packaging Error With the Peach and White Pills–Where’s Those Bar Codes to Make This Process Easier?

<p>Here we go again and it’s been over 2 years since I started my little campaign and still no bar codes for FDA recalls?  What’s it going to take?  Folks on Twitter liked the idea and it’s good for prescriptions, over the counter and medical devices too.  Not all hospitals and small surgical centers have a sophisticated system and consumers would like to have this option, it was a winner hands down on the poll I did.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S_cYrKEcX-I/AAAAAAAAeOA/_Zre_9Hzr2w/image_thumb%5B22%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" /><b><a href="http://www.vizu.com/vot/Business/Grab-bag/Education/Technology/Health+%2F+Medicine/Health+IT/FDA/Recalls/poll-vote.html?n=213352&cId=">YOU CAN STILL VOTE</a> FOR BAR CODES TO USE WITH RECALLS AND IF YOU RAD A LITTLE FURTHER HERE, IT SOVLES A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES LIKE FINDING STOLEN DRUGS TOO.  ONE TECHNOLOGY CAN SOLVE A LOT OF EVILS!   Read the article below on how a man died being implanted with a device that had been recalled but was missed being pulled from inventory. <br clear="all" /> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S_cYvXYgU7I/AAAAAAAAeOc/5tgKrT0xlMg/s1600-h/image%5B42%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="72" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S_cYwHe9YVI/AAAAAAAAeOg/qA2j7MAdVtA/image_thumb%5B28%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="image" width="359" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S_cYwjxjvRI/AAAAAAAAeOk/6RJ-9X0yLyI/s1600-h/image%5B43%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S_cYxSEQW_I/AAAAAAAAeOo/fH0qZVPlKqM/image_thumb%5B29%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="image" width="357" /></a><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/56311471" style="margin: 12px auto 6px; display: block; font: 14px helvetica,arial,sans-serif; text-decoration: underline; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none" title="View Micro-Cap FDA Recalls Never End on Scribd"> <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Micro-Cap FDA Recalls Never End</a><iframe id="doc_86534" class="scribd_iframe_embed" height="600" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/56311471/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list" frameborder="0" width="100%" scrolling="no" data-aspect-ratio="data-aspect-ratio" data-auto-height="true"></iframe> <br clear="all" /></b><a href="http://www.vizu.com/res/Business/Grab-bag/Education/Technology/Health+%2F+Medicine/Health+IT/FDA/Recalls/poll-results.html?n=213352&cId="><b></b></a> <br clear="all" /> <hr /> <br clear="all" />The recall involves a birth-control pill called Introvale that is marketed by Sandoz. The product contains 84 active pills that are peach colored and seven inactive pills in week 13 that are white. <br clear="all" /></p> <p><strong>FDA said the recall, which affects 10 lots distributed between January and May 2012, was prompted by a consumer report of the inactive pills being located in the row labeled week nine</strong>.</p> <p>"While the white placebo tablets can be clearly distinguished from the peach-colored active tablets, the risk of an unintended pregnancy for a patient taking the wrong tablet over several days cannot be excluded," FDA said.<img alt="image" border="0" height="55" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KjJsBlNnF2A/T9Agd19tTgI/AAAAAAAA7Us/qIR-VYbXPeg/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="423" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <p>The lot numbers involved in the recall are as follows: LF00478C, LF00479C, LF00551C, LF00552C, LF00687C, LF00688C, LF00763C, LF00764C, LF00765C and LF01261C. It is not clear how many packages were impacted by the error. A Sandoz spokesman didn't immediately return a request for comment left late Wednesday. </p> <p> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/06/06/fda-novartis-unit-recalling-introvale-birth-control-pills/">http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/06/06/fda-novartis-unit-recalling-introvale-birth-control-pills/</a></p>

Novartis Recalls Birth Control Pills–Packaging Error With the Peach and White Pills–Where’s Those Bar Codes to Make This Process Easier?

Here we go again and it’s been over 2 years since I started my little campaign and still no bar codes for FDA recalls?  What’s it going to t...

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Juan Enriquez–Will Our Kids Be a Different Species–In Other Words Are We Evolving in Real Time

<p> <p> </p> </p> <p> <p> Juan Enriquez is a fascinating person to listen to as he has gone the gambit with Craig Venter, who you may or may not be aware of,<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="115" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DN2B-sNivig/T87YrsI-jEI/AAAAAAAA7UY/CHevDupOCaM/image%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="113" /> but his creation of synthetic cells is all over the news from time to time.  Juan states and emphasizes how “fast” this is all moving and it really is.  Actually back in December of 2010, this was the big announcement made by Venter and he too is a guest on several of the TED conventions.  The group also includes current NIH Director, Francis Collins when it comes to “cracking the code”.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/12/synthetic-life-announced-by-craig.html">Synthetic Life Announced by Craig Venter–All About the Code and Sequencing the Genome</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></h5> <p>He tackles some interesting topics here and a lot of it comes back to the massive amounts of information we handle today and quips a bit about a brain upgrade, listen and see what that is all about.</p> <h5> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:93665cba-6cba-4825-b55c-234428c98f9b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="244" width="434"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Syi9bqfFIdY?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Syi9bqfFIdY?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="434" height="244"></embed></object></div><div style="width:434px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Juan Enriquez–Will our Kids be the same species</div></div> </h5> <h4></h4> <p> <br clear="all" />Throughout human evolution, multiple versions of humans co-existed. Could we be mid-upgrade now? At TEDxSummit, Juan Enriquez sweeps across time and space to bring us to the present moment -- and shows how technology is revealing evidence that suggests rapid evolution may be under way. <br clear="all" /> <hr />Here’s yet one more TED video from Juan, more specific on synthetic genetics.  We are generating “life” code much faster than we can build computers to store it.  Software makes it’s own hardware.  How and where we make stuff is changing and it’s all in Life Sciences in everything from farming to creating a drug or vaccine.  The chart below shows how drugs were being discovered in the 50s to where we are now with dollars spent.  As you can see the number is way down as the cost and research and development is so high.  He asks that maybe we are killing more people with regulation than saving and where is the “cross over” point.  He advocates the cost of measuring versus not measuring.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><img alt="image" border="0" height="289" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NGFD8YOqq14/T87YsFaG4sI/AAAAAAAA7Ug/umB4ylKGS3M/image%25255B10%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="433" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:1025de35-515a-43e1-bf6d-2bb309e7ff19" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="241" width="430"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PzSXTWhBUD0?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PzSXTWhBUD0?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="241"></embed></object></div><div style="width:430px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Harnessing Synthetic Genetics–Solve for X–Digital Code and Life Code</div></div> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syi9bqfFIdY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syi9bqfFIdY</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSXTWhBUD0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSXTWhBUD0</a></p>

Juan Enriquez–Will Our Kids Be a Different Species–In Other Words Are We Evolving in Real Time

  Juan Enriquez is a fascinating person to listen to as he has gone the gambit with Craig Venter, who you may or may not be aware ...

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QuantiaMD Appoints John Halamka, MD to its Board of Directors

<p>We all know who Dr. Halamka is at Harvard Medical and most follow his blog, Life as a Healthcare CIO. <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="57" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Vf6xHkrJNEI/T862pdtfNSI/AAAAAAAA7UM/Pf43M9nGYj4/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="154" /> I had not heard of this site and anyone can join so I did and those who are not physicians are able to read most of the content on the site for information and incentives areas for CMS of course are limited to the physicians.  Again being the first time I have seen the site it looks to have “credible” information and there’s already a good size membership online too.  If you don’t know who Dr. Halamka is, here’s an interview from HealthSystemCIO in 2011 that will tell you more.  BD <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/08/dr-halamka-speaks-about-health-itcios.html">Dr. Halamka Speaks About Health IT–“CIOs are on Overload” and It Would be A Blessing to Stall Off ICD-10 to 2016 - The Straw Breaking the Camel’s Back</a></h5> <h4></h4> <p> <br clear="all" /> <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />WALTHAM, Mass., Jun 05, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- QuantiaMD announces the appointment of John D. Halamka, MD, MS, to its Board of Directors. A national leader in the area of electronic medical records and the secure sharing of healthcare data for care coordination, population health, and quality improvement, Dr. Halamka is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief Information Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Chairman of the New England Healthcare Exchange Network (NEHEN), co-Chair of the national HIT Standards Committee, co-Chair of the Massachusetts HIT Advisory Committee, and a practicing Emergency Physician <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />QuantiaMD is a community of physicians who share practical medical knowledge with colleagues they know and trust. The largest and fastest-growing network of its kind, QuantiaMD brings physicians together on a mass scale to reshape medicine. By joining, physicians can better manage their practices, support their patients and take care of themselves. Members access QuantiaMD for free through any Smartphone, tablet or computer. To learn more, visit www.quantiamd.com . <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/quantiamd-appoints-john-halamka-md-to-its-board-of-directors-2012-06-05">http://www.marketwatch.com/story/quantiamd-appoints-john-halamka-md-to-its-board-of-directors-2012-06-05</a></p>

QuantiaMD Appoints John Halamka, MD to its Board of Directors

We all know who Dr. Halamka is at Harvard Medical and most follow his blog, Life as a Healthcare CIO. I had not heard of this site and anyo...

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Man Dies While Having Sex in a Three-Some, Cardiologist Gets Sued for Failing to Tell The Man To Avoid Exerting Himself Before Stress Test is Done–Doctor Loses and Estate Gets $3 Million Dollars

<p> <p> This was from today over at the Happy Hospitalist blog and yes it’s a good one and also see where Dr. Wes, a well known blogging cardiologist “tweeted” the story.  Both Happy and Dr. Wes are excellent blogs to read and I follow both.  Back on track, where’s the responsibility here? <u> I guess some folks don’t give any thought to their medical conditions and this guy even went an extra mile.</u>  <img align="right" height="97" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NjmqNcS9Qpc/TipJHMkAkBI/AAAAAAAA2FY/RqZLRs1TX_w/image_thumb%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: inline; float: right" width="188" /></p> </p> <p> <p> I think maybe he should have considered one of those FDA approved male vibrators?  <u>Maybe if his doctor would have prescribed on of those vibrators  he might have been off the hook?</u>  Well if that would stand to be the case then the company might stand to see a huge increase in sales.  <br clear="all" />You can read the full article at the link at the Happy blog for the rest of his comments.  Gee, why do we have a hard time getting folks to be doctors today?  Anyway, any cardiologists reading here, listen up and maybe think about prescribing one of  those vibrators if it might help keep yourself documented and in the clear, after all it is FDA approved:) <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/07/fda-approves-first-male-vibrator-for.html">FDA Approves First Male Vibrator for Use for Men Suffering From ED–Available By Prescription Only</a></h5> <h4> </h4> <p>Now on a serious note, here’s what it’s like when a doctor gets <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/07/fda-approves-first-male-vibrator-for.html"><img align="right" height="123" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TAgh5_C51PI/AAAAAAAAelo/4-ygqQoj4Pw/image_thumb%5B13%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: inline; float: right" width="89" /></a>sued and yes Dr. Wes was here too for the screening of this documentary and it’s worth watching this trailer.  There’s no pay for all the legal time and court time as you will hear in this trailer.  I agree with Happy on this one, ridiculous as we all have to have a little common sense and responsibility.  BD <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/vanishing-oath-documentary-one-md-talks.html">“The Vanishing Oath” Documentary – One MD Talks About the Process of Being Sued - The Diminishing Doctor-Patient Relationship</a></h5> <h4></h4> <p> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:f113ec25-f137-43be-b575-e45fc70a3513" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="235" width="418"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IXvdO3VEZdw?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IXvdO3VEZdw?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="418" height="235"></embed></object></div><div style="width:418px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Vanishing Oath–When a doctor gets sued</div></div> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <hr />Yes folks, it really happened.   William Martinez died  in 2009 while having <a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/jury-awards-3-million-1449443.html"><b>sex in a threesome</b></a> (no wife involved).  Unfortunately for cardiologist Dr Sreeni Gangasani, the jury awarded the man's estate a three million dollar judgement against the cardiologist for failing to tell the man not the exert himself before a scheduled stress test was performed.  Mr Martinez had  seen the cardiologist the week before with arm pain. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />This was reported at the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta in 2010 as a  <a href="http://drwes.blogspot.com/2010/03/back-by-popular-demand-sex-heart-and-ed.html"><b>live Tweeting  event by Dr Wes</b></a> for Sex, The Heart and Erectile Dysfunction. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />I am waiting for the day that a jury provides monetary judgment against an internist or cardiologist for  sudden death for a patient who was just thinking about a threesome.  I'm waiting for the day that a hospital patient dies while having <a href="http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2009/02/oral-sex-in-hospital.html"><b>sex in the hospital</b></a> and the hospitalist gets sued and loses for failing to tell the patient on admission not to have sex in the hospital.  Or perhaps the next biggest wave of lawsuits should be against orthopedic surgeons who's post operative hip and knee patients get complications when they  aren't consulted on the correct way to have <a href="http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2011/11/sex-after-joint-replacement-education.html"><b>sex after joint replacement surgery</b></a>.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2012/06/man-dies-during-threesome-cardiologist.html">http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2012/06/man-dies-during-threesome-cardiologist.html</a></p>

Man Dies While Having Sex in a Three-Some, Cardiologist Gets Sued for Failing to Tell The Man To Avoid Exerting Himself Before Stress Test is Done–Doctor Loses and Estate Gets $3 Million Dollars

This was from today over at the Happy Hospitalist blog and yes it’s a good one and also see where Dr. Wes, a well known blogging cardiol...

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National Kidney Registry Migrated to Microsoft Azure Cloud–Significantly Boosting Speed With Multiple Matching Capabilities For Paired Transplantation Candidates

When you visit the website it shows 464 transplants facilitated to date.  With the new Azure cloud service the matching capacity has increased 400% which is a deeper and heavier search that can end up finding kidneys faster for those in need of the life saving transplant.  This is great and shows how the cloud can serve to improve and create solutions in healthcare.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><strong><u>Press Release:</u></strong> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span style="color: ">The National Kidney Registry’s new SMELAC matching system has been successfully migrated to Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud computing platform, significantly boosting<a href="http://www.kidneyregistry.org/?cookie=1"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="46" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n-SoAG-OV_0/T85-3-ZIf-I/AAAAAAAA7Tg/tleXg0HshI8/image%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="217" /></a> paired exchange match processing speeds. The announcement was made at the American Transplant Congress in Boston last night at the 4^th Annual National Kidney Registry Awards Event by Garet Hil, CEO of the National Kidney Registry and Wes Anderson, Microsoft’s Vice President of Public Sector Services.<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/publicsector/ww/Pages/index.aspx"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="124" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1n8mBNVx1v0/T85-4EIbE1I/AAAAAAAA7To/1v75H5vFqfM/image%25255B9%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="141" /></a></span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span style="color: ">The Windows Azure cloud computing platform has increased <a href="http://www.kidneyregistry.org/?cookie=1">National Kidney Registry’s</a> matching capacity by 400% allowing multiple match runs to execute simultaneously. Already the world leader in paired exchange transplantation, the ability to execute multiple match runs simultaneously will enhance the National Kidney Registry’s ability to facilitate even more paired exchange transplants.</span><span style="color: "></span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><span style="color: "><font color="#1f497d" size="2"> </font></span></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span style="color: ">In describing the significance of this breakthrough, Mr. Wes Anderson, Vice President for <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/publicsector/ww/Pages/index.aspx">U.S. Public Sector Services at Microsoft</a> said, “The National Kidney Registry team realized early-on that scaling their success in kidney matching requires variable computing capability that may grow exponentially at very short notice, presenting important <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="50" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yMrPe3mWU-M/T85-4T9SYqI/AAAAAAAA7Tw/WYGgxp9DTO8/image%25255B27%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="159" />conditions for moving back-end processes to a cloud-based solution. By fully leveraging Windows Azure, the National Kidney Registry is continuing its amazing work of helping to provide a long and normal life for the ultimate benefactors of this endeavor – those among us who need the help of the community to overcome end-stage renal disease”. </span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><span style="color: "><font color="#1f497d" size="2"> </font></span></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span style="color: ">Mr. Hil added, “Microsoft <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/health/ww/solutions/Pages/cloud-optimized-datacenter.aspx"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="57" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qYfJKASpDuE/T85-43xs6QI/AAAAAAAA7T4/QL3i3Yz2BvQ/image%25255B25%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="145" /></a>continues to provide valuable technical support as we continue to grow our program. The migration to Azure is the latest advance that is allowing our computing capacity to scale up as our pool of incompatible pairs expands”.</span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><span style="color: "><font color="#1f497d" size="2"> </font></span></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span style="color: ">Expanding on the importance of this latest technology advance, Dr. Marc Melcher, transplant surgeon at Stanford University and<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="45" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-96epH8-VVbU/T85-5Gx8Z9I/AAAAAAAA7T8/rRscQRD4JWo/image%25255B26%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="166" /> Research Director for National Kidney Registry said, “More and more transplant centers are using kidney paired exchange transplantation to help their patients in kidney failure, and the computational power required to support the sophisticated matching algorithms that sift through and evaluate all the potential matches has been growing exponentially”.</span><span style="color: "></span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 7pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><font size="2"><span class="normalchar"><b><u><span style="color: ">About the National Kidney Registry</span></u></b></span><span style="color: "></span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="normal" align="justify"><span style="color: "><font size="2">The National Kidney Registry <span class="normalchar"><a href="http://www.kidneyregistry.org"><font color="#0000ff"><u>www.kidneyregistry.org</u></font></a></span> is the leader in paired exchange transplantation and has facilitated more paired exchange transplants than any other organization in the world. The National Kidney Registry is a nonprofit organization with the mission to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants.</font></span></p>

National Kidney Registry Migrated to Microsoft Azure Cloud–Significantly Boosting Speed With Multiple Matching Capabilities For Paired Transplantation Candidates

When you visit the website it shows 464 transplants facilitated to date.  With the new Azure cloud service the matching capacity has increas...

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Why are Scientists Not Using More “Math” to Determine How Cancer Grows and Mutates? TEDMED Video

<p>Instead of rushing to use humans immediately in clinical trials, <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="136" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Mrq-opdVd0M/T857EGgtuMI/AAAAAAAA7TM/RC4BRmfanIg/image%25255B15%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="116" />model it with math and computer code.  This is not a new idea as Bill Gates invested in a company a couple years ago, Schrodinger, that does just that.  A lot of work can be done on computers before a “wet lab” is ever set up.  As she states, this will not give us all the answers but we have the potential of having a lot more information up front using math if we use it. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/bill-gates-invests-in-software-company.html">Bill Gates Invests In Software Company That Predicts and Helps Generate Creating New Drugs</a></h5> <h4></h4> <p> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/05/us-cancer-genome-diagnosis-idINBRE85415X20120605?feedType=RSS&feedName=health&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=309303"><u>Reuters had an article out today</u></a> about how doctors try to make sense of the genetic jumble with cancer too.  If you followed ASCO this year we are starting indeed to see some of this, namely with changing how breast cancer and melanoma are treated.  The answers lie within math and genetics with the behaviors of the targets.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />She had a great background here with her mother being a nurse and her father being a mathematician and thus the idea of combining knowledge from both side to attack cancer.  She suggests using computational biology to combine the two.  She says it’s weird that we don’t have more math being used in the battle of cancer.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; width: 424px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:51bdf400-ebaf-4303-88fb-d9ba2776e3da" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="238" width="424"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/blsk0AOAung?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/blsk0AOAung?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="424" height="238"></embed></object></div><div style="width:424px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Using Math to Determine How Cancer Grows and Invades</div></div> <br clear="all" />Why aren't scientists using math to decipher how cancer grows and mutates? Fanziska Michor of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute applies computational biology to crack cancer's code. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="192" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vc9FBmvzb-A/T857EoFIwuI/AAAAAAAA7TU/MrJI1WCEh5M/image%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="429" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Dr. Franziska Michor is an Associate Professor of Computational Biology in the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and in the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.tedmed.com/videos-info?name=Franziska_Michor_at_TEDMED2012&q=updated&year=all">http://www.tedmed.com/videos-info?name=Franziska_Michor_at_TEDMED2012&q=updated&year=all</a></p>

Why are Scientists Not Using More “Math” to Determine How Cancer Grows and Mutates? TEDMED Video

Instead of rushing to use humans immediately in clinical trials, model it with math and computer code.  This is not a new idea as Bill Gates...

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US Congress Speaks at a Literacy Level of High School Sophomores–Colbert on Sunlight Foundation Study

<p>This is priceless and perhaps this was why the Constitution had to be read out loud not too long ago:)  Colbert nails it with the fact that this is where many of the lawmakers are.  <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/02/congress-has-panel-on-womens-health-and.html">Congress Has a Panel on Women’s Health <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="96" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-q7SgvTwJ6L8/T85lgQVpFNI/AAAAAAAA7S4/tnbZAApwhUo/image%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="142" />and No Women Were Invited At the House Hearing – ”Default Topics” of Abortions and Birth Control Returned to the Floor</a> <hr /></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/05/digital-illiteracy-still-plagues-law.html">Digital Illiteracy Still Plagues Law Makers–Severe Focus on Abortion Rights Proves It–Is This Where Our Lawmaking Knowledge Leaves Off or Even Begins? Scary…</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="background-color: #000000; width: 368px"> <div style="padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px"><iframe height="293" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:414795" frameborder="0" width="360"></iframe> <p style="text-align: left; padding-bottom: 4px; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 12px; padding-top: 4px"><b><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/414795/june-04-2012/juvenile-speeches-from-congress---president-sparkle-talk">The Colbert Report</a></b> <br />Get More: <a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/">Colbert Report Full Episodes</a>,<a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>,<a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/video">Video Archive</a></p> </div> </div> <br clear="all" /></h5> <p><strong><u></u></strong></p> <p>No wonder they can’t see a technology tool when one was presented, but big business did and those “algorithms for profit are stronger than ever” as Congress, like a number of consumers, are naïve and doesn’t admit they exist, but they do in the form of “<a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/02/attack-of-killer-algorithmsdigest-links.html"><strong><u>The Attack of the Killer Algorithms”…</u></strong></a>happening every day.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, <u>big business is cracking the “algorithm whips” for profit</u> and without something that can keep up with banks, companies, etc. well we are stuck with what we have, high school literacy and the middle class and poor continue to suffer.  Inside job, the movie does a real good job with talking about “those algos” too.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/04/ibm-watson-capabilities-being-pitched.html">IBM Watson Capabilities Being Pitched to Financial Industry-Congress Must Not Have Felt They Needed This So Further Behind We Fall With Effective Intelligent Lawmaking <br clear="all" /></a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/04/inside-joba-learning-experience-and.html">“Inside Job”–A Learning Experience and Documentary About Financial Algorithms-And Some of Same Exists in Healthcare</a></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/04/ibm-watson-capabilities-being-pitched.html"> <br clear="all" /></a> <hr /></h5> <h4></h4> <p> <br clear="all" />Colbert highlighted a study showing that, seven years ago, Congress spoke at the literacy level of a high school junior, and that had dropped to the sophomore level today. “<u>It took them seven years just to be held back a grade,” he joked, and called the issue an outrage, or “Stephen surprisey-frown.” He noted that President “Sparkletalk” is not immune to this problem, as the last State of the Union address was at an 8th grade level, and implored government officials to do better</u>. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />“They should talk in a fancy way that shows more respect for the sacred institutions I have no respect for!” Colbert insisted, demanding his “money’s worth” out of elected officials. <br clear="all" /><strong><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/study-shows-congress-speaks-at-the-literacy-level-of-high-school-sophomores/">RELATED: Study Shows Congress Speaks At The Literacy Level Of High School Sophomores</a></strong> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><img alt="image" border="0" height="304" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TbZYBuQiZu8/T85lgiTtS-I/AAAAAAAA7TA/neJwap7R7zM/image6.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="420" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stephen-colbert-delivers-super-fancy-speech-urging-congress-to-speak-at-a-higher-literary-level/">http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stephen-colbert-delivers-super-fancy-speech-urging-congress-to-speak-at-a-higher-literary-level/</a></p>

US Congress Speaks at a Literacy Level of High School Sophomores–Colbert on Sunlight Foundation Study

This is priceless and perhaps this was why the Constitution had to be read out loud not too long ago:)  Colbert nails it with the fact that ...

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“Previvor, If You Develop the Disease You Get Off the Island”–Subclinical Illnesses Leading to Overtreatment And Possibly Death–Ivan Oransky From Reuters Video

<p> <p> This is a very good talk about subclinical illnesses<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="137" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GwQJZOPPIEE/T85JLtuf5BI/AAAAAAAA7Ss/gZYh-N3jk3g/image%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="145" /> from the TEDMED conference and how it works and does not work.  You may not have given this a lot of thought but once you take a listen some things in healthcare may make more sense, you may not like it but there’s some real words of wisdom.  Ivan is both an MD and a Journalist (the valuable hybrids in today’s world according to Bill Gates as he told the graduating class at Berkeley a couple years ago) and thus so you really get more than one focus.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />He makes a comparison to sports in the fact that you don’t swing at every ball, think about that.  Do we tend to swing at everything in healthcare?  He talks about his own experience and how he has grown with his own coverage as a journalist.  We are all at risk of dying…is this a preclinical condition? <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:6a66620c-989b-4eb4-b768-bdaa69f6949c" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="236" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IUtrYjIGdaE?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IUtrYjIGdaE?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="236"></embed></object></div><div style="width:420px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Ivan Oransky–Risk Factors, Healthcare and “Medicalization”</div></div> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />In addition he mentions how ending up in management is seen as a success when in reality it’s a failure.  Our medical system is not real good a predicting what’s going to happen, even though we are getting better there’s no crystal ball and humans still make the calls.  Sub clinical acne, great topic here and he uses the word “preposterous” as the description for a lot of what <img align="right" height="107" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TJvrWmdnvCI/AAAAAAAAhl8/blbIuqwt4yE/clip_image012%5B3%5D.gif?imgmax=800" style="display: inline; float: right" width="121" />ends up out there.  The treatments can be deadly and I agree with him 100% as I went through that with my own mother and if she would take taken the treatment, she probably would not be here today.  He also touches on hormone replacement for women.  I have some back posts on “that” topic and you can find the links below.  Hot Flash Havoc, a great education video and my extensive talk with Dr. Erika Schwartz a hormone expert who also talks with sanity and gives some real facts and a realistic look at wanting more accountability on the WHI from the NIH.  </p> </p> <p> <p> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/09/hot-flash-havocmenopause-exposed-and.html">Hot Flash Havoc–Menopause Exposed and Explained Documentary For Anyone Who Is A Woman or Knows a Woman–Interview With Heidi Houston, Executive Producer</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></h5> </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/06/bioidentical-hormone-replacement.html">Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy– Interview with Dr. Erika Schwartz</a> <br clear="all" /></h5> <h4></h4> <p> <p> “Go out and lose some weight his doctor told him” (yes he’ right in there with the rest of us in that area) and he didn’t get a pre-clinical diagnosis and this brings the focus right into place as far as how diagnosis processes go.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />One item to also think about here is that with all the diagnosis and pre-conditions, how does this appear when you are looking to purchase health insurance?  We know the insurers do risk assessments and use all the data they can get their hands on, so think about that one too, how much of this do you want on your records if it is really in fact not there to require specific medical attention.  BD <hr /> <br clear="all" />The scourge of preposterous "pre-conditions:" Ivan Oransky, Executive Editor of Reuters Health, says labeling too many patients with subclinical illnesses leads to overtreatment, with potentially fatal results. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IUtrYjIGdaE#!">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IUtrYjIGdaE#!</a></p></p>

“Previvor, If You Develop the Disease You Get Off the Island”–Subclinical Illnesses Leading to Overtreatment And Possibly Death–Ivan Oransky From Reuters Video

This is a very good talk about subclinical illnesses from the TEDMED conference and how it works and does not work.  You may not have g...

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AARP and Microsoft HealthVault Connect Personal Health Records

<p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 14pt"><font face="Arial"><font size="2">If you read here often enough then you know I have <img align="right" height="88" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fvcuxQLx91o/TzFTvnzIVFI/AAAAAAAA5M4/uybusAM3R6M/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: inline; float: right" width="131" />a complete section on PHRs (personal health records) and now AARP is also connecting to Microsoft HealthVault.  The PHR is provided free of charge and when you take a look at the </font><a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-09-2011/health-record-faqs.html"><font size="2">FAQ page</font></a><font size="2"> additional instructions are given on how to get started.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />The “sharing” portion of the medical records all takes place via HealthVault.  You are also free to create and establish your own PHR directly with HealthVault as well.  <a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/health-record-tool/?cmp=RDRCT-HLTHREC_DEC01_011"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="49" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yqmX8LlmM2c/T84r_lRYXGI/AAAAAAAA7Sg/RLFBxMhzEzI/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="184" /></a>Interesting on the FAQ page about signing in with Facebook connect…in my own personal use, I use my own sign on but the question is answered here with using that specific log on.  One more item worth noting is that you can also store medical images in HealthVault and it has a nice handy Dicom viewer too.  <br clear="all" /></font></font></font></font></span></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/04/healthvault-begins-storing-medical.html">HealthVault Begins Storing Medical Images (Dicom) Using Windows Azure Cloud Services With Full Encryption</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></h5> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/02/multi-media-data-sharing-comes-to.html">Multi-Media Data Sharing Comes to HealthVault PHR–Store and Share Your Endoscopic Videos From Physicians</a></h5> <h5> </h5> <p align="left"><font size="2">As always the Medical Quack provides a link to HealthVault to get started and read additional information on how it all works.</font> Just look under the resources area for more information and you can also check out the over <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/search/label/Personal%20Health%20Records">400 posts I have with a full history on PHRs here.</a>  BD  <hr /></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 14pt"> <br clear="all" /></font></font></span></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span><strong><u><font size="2">Press Release:</font></u></strong></span></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><i><span><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 12pt"> </font></font></span></i></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><b><font style="font-size: 11pt">WASHINGTON — June 5, 2012</font></b><font style="font-size: 11pt"> <b>— </b>AARP and Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of AARP Health Record, a security-enhanced<span style="color: "><font color="#1f497d"> </font></span>online service designed to help people over 50 manage and improve their health.  This new tool enables users to enter, store and edit their personal health information in a central location and to share it selectively with caregivers, family members, doctors and other healthcare providers.</font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">Health Record, which is free to AARP members, makes it easy to create and maintain security-enhanced,<span style="color: "><font color="#1f497d"> </font></span>up-to-date electronic records that can be accessed from an Internet connection. By storing all of their health information in one location, members can partner more effectively with their doctors and other healthcare providers, be better prepared for emergencies and reduce wasteful and redundant paperwork. </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">“AARP Health Record is designed to help our members better manage their health so they can focus on the things they care about most — enjoying the happiness and peace of mind that comes from living life to the fullest.” said AARP Vice President Nicole Duritz. “In today’s digital environment, AARP Health Record is the right resource at the right time.” </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">AARP Health Record will focus on giving AARP members a convenient way to track and manage basic health information, such as blood type, drug allergies, medications, and personal and family health history as well as emergency and provider contact information. Users can also print and carry an easy-to-read wallet card with their vital health statistics.  The tool is available in both English and Spanish.</font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"><strong>AARP Health Record connects to Microsoft HealthVault, a privacy- and security-enhanced online platform that enables individuals to compile and store personal health information from multiple sources in a single location,</strong> and to create additional profiles for their spouse, children, aging parents or anyone whose health they need to monitor or help manage.<u> HealthVault account holders can select among hundreds of connected health and wellness applications to monitor chronic conditions and share data with their doctors, or track progress against wellness or fitness goals</u>.  For example, AARP members will be able to import prescription history from a HealthVault-connected pharmacy — like CVS Caremark or Walgreens — into their AARP Health Record, or choose to enter prescriptions manually. </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">“AARP is a trusted source of health information for millions of Americans, and AARP Health Record will establish the organization as a leader in helping people navigate the healthcare system,” said Nate McLemore, General Manager, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. “With this new tool, AARP will increase its value to members by offering them a better way to manage their health and the health of their families.”</font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">AARP Health Record is part of a broader vision of AARP to develop online tools and services </font><span style="color: "><font style="font-size: 11pt">specifically tailored to AARP members and all people 50-plus, helping them manage their medications and chronic conditions and navigate the health system.</font></span></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">“This is the future of health care,” said Duritz. “Our members need information that is current and convenient, so they can ask smart questions and communicate effectively with the health-care system, whether they are in their doctor's office or halfway around the world on vacation. Health Record is a great resource for our members to use when interacting with the medical system—whether for themselves, their kids or their aging parents and other loved ones.”</font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt"> </font></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px" class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">AARP Health Record is available at </font></font><font style="font-size: 11pt"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/healthrecord"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri"><u>www.aarp.org/healthrecord</u></font></a><font face="Calibri"> and </font><a href="http://www.aarp.org/mihistorialdesalud"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri"><u>http://www.aarp.org/mihistorialdesalud</u></font></a></font><font face="Calibri"><font style="font-size: 11pt">.</font></font></p>

AARP and Microsoft HealthVault Connect Personal Health Records

If you read here often enough then you know I have a complete section on PHRs (personal health records) and now AARP is also connecting to M...

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Anthem Blue Cross Announces Algorithm to Pre-Screen Clients for Underwriting–You Can See What the Parameters Are Up Front on What It Will Cost You Via Compare Health Insurance Site

<p>Well it appears we have a tool that is designed for you to enter all your information, especially if you have a number <a href="https://www.comparecarriers.net/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="70" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_n7Rmuo9kPg/T84glppFHSI/AAAAAAAA7SU/CO3ovm7Bq80/image%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="226" /></a>of complex or multiple medical conditions to see what the potential outcome will be for purchasing a health insurance policy from Blue Cross.  Again, with all this information you give, I am also guessing it is maintained on file for an actual under writer to use should one decide to apply.  It’s yet one more algorithm to help consumers see what the criteria looks like when applying for health insurance so perhaps knowing the potential “sticker” price up front will help? <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="https://www.comparecarriers.net/">Compare Health Insurance</a> is the company making the offering with using the software/algorithms created by Blue Cross.  We have seen a number of these types of services and websites appearing of late.  Another one I wrote about a few months ago is called “InsureMonkey” and just for the name alone I don’t care much for their format, let’s keep a little decency in what we call our services for goodness sakes.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/01/insuremonkey-yet-one-more-way-to-shop.html">“InsureMonkey” Yet One More Way to Shop for Health Insurance–The Orbitz of the Insurance Market For Shopping Rates</a></h5> <h4> </h4> <p>Now I could also guess that the information used to get a final rate will also be compared against other information on file with agencies such as the MIB too, so if something was left out either on purpose or by accident, prior claim and history information can be looked at if there is a difference.  If you don’t know what the MIB is, take a look at the link below as they are a storage house of information with all kinds of healthcare and other insurance claim information on file about you and it can go back years.  They also have some “flawed” data hanging out in there as well which many have found and getting some of those issues corrected have turned into massive headaches for consumers.  So let’s don’t forget even though this tool is available, there will be other algorithms with analytical data used in the process.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/mib-health-insurance-bureau-business.html">The MIB – Health Insurance Bureau Business Intelligence Mining May Go Beyond Just Healthcare Information</a></h5> <h4><font size="2"></font></h4> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-is-mib-medical-insurance-bureau.html"><font size="2">What is the MIB - Medical Insurance Bureau - and how does it affect qualifying for insurance?</font></a></h6> <p> <br clear="all" /><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/S74Sh2kqZuI/AAAAAAAAdQs/c_xyf6AYJEs/image_thumb%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" /> <br clear="all" />With risk analysis and current pricing algorithms in place with more levels of data analytics available, as a consumer, just be aware that all of these algorithms are in place as well and do have an impact on what you will pay.  I don’t know if this tool has the capability to pull records from the MIB and combine it with what a consumer has entered, but I guess with all these various algorithms/websites appearing, we will soon find out.  You can see when you visit the site most of the major health insurance carriers are listed as well as Anthem Blue Cross.  On a side note, check out the credit on who created the website in Drupal, they are making sure they are noted here as well to maybe get some additional business and are search engine experts too as shown.  I mention this as many sites do this but normally it’s found in the footer and not in the middle of the site.  BD    <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Compare Health Insurance is pleased to announce an automated tool by Anthem Blue Cross that pre-screens clients with multiple or complex medical conditions. Compare Health Insurance can communicate electronically with an underwriter in order to determine a potential rating before submitting a <a href="http://www.comparecarriers.net">California health insurance</a> application, saving valuable time for our clients. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <p>This service will save time completing a medical application and give California clients a more definitive price for a particular plan going forward. Compare Health Insurance believes the best route when dealing with our valued health partners is full disclosure of health issues so each party is confident on price and coverage. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <p>Owner John Weiss says "this medical underwriting tool will allow our clients to get a firm rate on a plan without making a commitment to purchase coverage". Obtaining <a href="http://www.comparecarriers.net">California medical insurance</a> is now easier than ever with this new service. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/06/05/prweb9570751.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/06/05/prweb9570751.DTL</a></p> <p> <br clear="all" /></p>

Anthem Blue Cross Announces Algorithm to Pre-Screen Clients for Underwriting–You Can See What the Parameters Are Up Front on What It Will Cost You Via Compare Health Insurance Site

Well it appears we have a tool that is designed for you to enter all your information, especially if you have a number of complex or multipl...

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Melanoma Drugs Extending Lives and Working Better Than Chemotherapy–Focus at ASCO

<p> <p> Another targeted melanoma therapy also <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fYxTJuAo34g/T82s8J-h2ZI/AAAAAAAA7SI/dF8kKjxzkUk/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="218" /> from GlaxoSmithkline, dabrafenib , was tested against chemotherapy among 345 patients with inoperable late-stage melanomas and it also targets the BRAF gene.  It stopped growth for around half of those taking it.  There could be a potential of combining both dabrafenib and trametinib for a potential therapy.  <br clear="all" />Briston Myers also has a treatment that gets the immune system to to fight cancer, Yervoy.  You can also read the abstract from ASCO with further details <a href="http://abstract.asco.org/AbstView_114_97785.html">here</a>.  Glaxo will be applying to the FDA for approval.  This is a real game changer with treating melanoma for sure as it is doing better than just straight chemotherapy.  The next issue will be the cost and how affordable treatments will be.  </p> </p> <p> <p> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />This year had some major breakthroughs for cancer at ASCO.  The big focus is in the immune system where the body with targeted therapies helping, shrink the tumors.  All the hard work and research is finally beginning to pay off.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0" height="245" id="msnbc671b9c" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=47682217&width=420&height=245" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc671b9c" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" FlashVars="launch=47682217&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 5px; width: 420px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; color: #999; font-size: 11px">Visit msnbc.com for <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com" style="border-bottom: #999 1px dotted; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important; font-weight: normal !important; text-decoration: none !important">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="border-bottom: #999 1px dotted; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important; font-weight: normal !important; text-decoration: none !important">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="border-bottom: #999 1px dotted; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important; font-weight: normal !important; text-decoration: none !important">news about the economy</a></p> <p> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />CHICAGO — A new type of drug prolonged the lives of patients with advanced <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/melanoma/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">melanoma</a> in a clinical trial, potentially adding to a growing number of therapies for a disease that was once nearly untreatable. </p> <p>“In melanoma, we are living something incredible,” <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Dr. Caroline Robert, lead investigator of the study, said after a news conference Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting here. </p> <p>The new drug, <a href="http://www.gsk.com/index.htm">GlaxoSmithKline</a>’s <u>trametinib,</u> also kept the disease from worsening longer than <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/chemotherapy/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier">chemotherapy</a> did, said Dr. Robert, who is the head of dermatology at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />After six months, 81 percent of those in the trametinib group were alive compared with 67 percent of those in the chemotherapy group. The survival advantage was found even though nearly half the chemotherapy patients switched to trametinib once their disease started to worsen. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/health/glaxosmithkline-melanoma-drug-prolongs-patients-lives.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/health/glaxosmithkline-melanoma-drug-prolongs-patients-lives.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto</a></p></p>

Melanoma Drugs Extending Lives and Working Better Than Chemotherapy–Focus at ASCO

Another targeted melanoma therapy also from GlaxoSmithkline, dabrafenib , was tested against chemotherapy among 345 patients with inope...

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Why Chemotherapy Fails–Weizmann Institute Discusses Why Leukemia Often Returns

<p>Being this is the week of ASCO and the fact that I am catching up after my move this is a good time to see what the Weizmann Institute says about Leukemia.  Chemotherapy alone is not able to cure and drugs are needed to supplement and attempt to eradicate. BD <br clear="all" /><strong><u> <br clear="all" />Press Release:</u></strong></p> <p> <br clear="all" /></p> <div style="line-height: normal" id="navcontainer" align="left"><cufon style="width: 76px; height: 20px" class="cufon cufon-canvas" alt="Explore "><cufontext></cufontext></cufon></div> <div style="line-height: normal" id="dedicationcontent" class="dedicationcancer" align="left"> <div class="content"> <div class="maincontent"> <div class="leftwider leftwiderdedication"> <br /> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">REHOVOT, ISRAEL—May 29, 2012—The fight against cancer is not won in a single battle: long after a cancer has been beaten into <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="130" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wLtpZVyMhUU/T82ZCUk47II/AAAAAAAA7R8/PcbwYtejWc8/image%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="156" />remission, it can return. The reason for this is under debate, and much is unclear. New research led by Weizmann Institute scientists shows that, at least for one type of blood cancer, the source of cancer recurrence is in a set of cells that do not proliferate as quickly as regular cancer cells, and thus are able to survive chemotherapy. The findings, which appear in the journal <em>Blood</em>, have some important implications for the future of the war on cancer. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">Cancer involves a breakdown in the mechanism that regulates the pace of cell division. When this happens, cells divide rapidly, leading to unchecked growth that overruns the body. The most common chemotherapy drugs are those which specifically attack cells that are undergoing rapid division, and these, indeed, often destroy all the cancer and cure the patient. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2"><u>But there are also quite a few leukemia patients who go through chemotherapy only to have the cancer return. Why does this happen?</u> Several explanations have been proposed. One is that the chemotherapy does not kill every last cancer cell, leaving a few to continue dividing out of control until the disease returns in full force. A second explanation proposes that chemotherapy does get all the regular cancer cells, but there is another type of cancer cell that hides in the body. As opposed to the rapidly dividing majority of cancer cells, these undergo slow division, enabling them to evade the chemotherapy drugs. These insidious cells can give rise to new, rapidly dividing cancer cells, which is why they are known as “cancer stem cells.” <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2"><u>Which explanation is correct?</u> The debate is an important one because, if the first explanation holds true, improving upon the existing treatments might help, while the second implies that a completely different approach to treatment will be needed to root out the slowly dividing cancer stem cells. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">To attempt to resolve the debate, the team of Prof. Ehud Shapiro of the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Sciences worked with scientists and physicians from Rambam Medical Center and the Technion, both in Haifa. They used a method of reconstructing cell lineage trees that has been developed over the past few years in Prof. Shapiro’s lab. This method is based on the fact that the genetic material in different body cells accumulates unique mutations during cell division, and these mutations are passed on to daughter cells during cell division. By comparing mutations, one can map out cells’ detailed family trees, and thus determine how far back they share a common ancestor. The end product of this analysis is a tree that reconstructs the genealogy of the cells from their earliest forebears at the base of the tree to the youngest cells at the tips of the branches.</font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">To reconstruct the cancer cell lineage tree, the team used two sets of blood samples: the first taken from leukemia patients right after the disease was diagnosed, and the second from patients who had undergone chemotherapy and in whom the cancer had returned. The researchers could then trace the relationships of the recurring cancer cells back to see if they descended from the original cancer cells. The lineage tree showed that, at least in some of the patients, the source of the renewed cancer was not in the rapidly proliferating cancer cells, but rather in cells that were close to the root of the tree. These cells had only divided a few times. In other words, the cancer arose from cells that divide very slowly, making them resistant to the attacks of chemotherapy drugs. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">Prof. Shapiro says, “We know that in many cases, chemotherapy alone is not able to cure leukemia. Our results suggest that to completely eliminate it, we must look for a treatment that will not only eliminate the rapidly dividing cells, but also target the cancer stem cells that are resistant to conventional treatment.” <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><font size="2">Participating in the research were Dr. Liran Shlush of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Rambam Medical Center; Noa Chapal-Ilani and Dr. Rivka Adar of the Weizmann Institute; Profs. Karl Skorecki and Jacob Rowe of the Technion; Dr. Tsila Zuckerman of Rambam and the Technion; and additional investigators.</font></p> <p style="padding-bottom: 0px; display: block; height: auto; padding-top: 0px"><em><font size="2">Prof. Ehud Shapiro’s research is supported by the Paul Sparr Foundation; Miel de Botton, UK; the Carolito Stiftung; and the European Research Council. Prof. Shapiro is the incumbent of the Harry Weinrebe Professorial Chair of Computer Science and Biology. His research is also supported by an ERC Advanced Grant.</font></em></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Why Chemotherapy Fails–Weizmann Institute Discusses Why Leukemia Often Returns

Being this is the week of ASCO and the fact that I am catching up after my move this is a good time to see what the Weizmann Institute says ...

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Wal-Mart Clinics Go Live In the Cloud with Smart Care Doc–Telemedicine

<p>I went to the Smart Care Doc and so far it looks as though there is one in Pennsylvania that is on board so far.  A registered nurse greets the patient and guides them through the process.  The doctor comes on line via the screen and conducts a medical visit.  The site also has a listing of the conditions the clinic can treat.  The video below does a short walk through.  You can see the patient using the devices and a medical record is created and the patient has access and can get a copy on the way out. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:bf4be70f-a489-49a4-b498-1a613403f81d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object height="236" width="421"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KMwCqgoMDzQ?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KMwCqgoMDzQ?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="421" height="236"></embed></object></div><div style="width:421px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">WalMart Clinic</div></div> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />The charge for the visit is $59.00, and that is the cash price and the site states that actual charges submitted to insurance companies may vary.  BD <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Dubbed Smart Care Doc, this technology, provided by BCS Global Networks Limited and Telemed Ventures, will enable<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="71" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-M8oqO37pHLc/T82QfiqX6-I/AAAAAAAA7Ro/ghAgM6eBZC0/image3.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="97" /> remote video consultations between a patient and doctor through a virtual face-to-face video interface, over a secure video network. Users of the service have the ability to conduct telepresence-quality face-to-face interactions over the Internet using existing laptops, smartphones or tablets – making it a very affordable and accessibly solution for patients, doctors and healthcare providers. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Patients receive all the benefits of a traditional doctor’s visit that they've come to expect: the ability to see<a href="http://smartcaredoc.com/content/what-we-do/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="43" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_bnUlObGCQU/T82QgHYyZHI/AAAAAAAA7Rw/YMoQ2KU9HoU/image%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="135" /></a> a doctor instead of a less experienced practitioner, engaging the doctor in a face-to-face dialogue about medical issues, predictable/transparent pricing options, and the accurate acquisition of vitals and health information. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/walmart-roll-out-cloud">http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/walmart-roll-out-cloud</a></p>

Wal-Mart Clinics Go Live In the Cloud with Smart Care Doc–Telemedicine

I went to the Smart Care Doc and so far it looks as though there is one in Pennsylvania that is on board so far.  A registered nurse greets ...

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Medical Marijuana Is Now Legal In Connecticut–17th State to Legalize

<p>The law is a little different than in most states as pharmacists will be providing it, that is after they have been certified.  There’s a limit on that as well to having at least 3 but no more than 10 certified in the state so nobody will be growing their own. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Patients will need to register and doctors will need to certify<img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="93" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XP9ouXG4azY/T819pzx1kkI/AAAAAAAA7Rc/uWOqXUGJ_SY/image%25255B10%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="132" /> the medical need for the medical marijuana which is pretty much uniform in all states where it is legal.  We have pot cards in California for example.  I wonder how long before the feds kick in here and stop the crazy battle that still exists over whether or not it is legal or not.  Maybe we need a few more states to join in?  BD <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />On Friday, Connecticut became the 17th state in America to legalize the use of <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/should-california-legalize-marijuana.html">marijuana</a> for medical purposes. Governor Dannel Malloy signed the groundbreaking legislation that will allow licensed physicians to certify and prescribe medical marijuana for adult patients will qualifying medical conditions.</p> <p>“For years, we’ve heard from so many patients with chronic diseases who undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation and are denied the palliative benefits that medical marijuana would provide,” Governor Malloy <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/01/us-usa-marijuana-connecticut-idUSBRE85018X20120601">said</a>.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />”With careful regulation and safeguards, this law will allow a doctor and a patient to decide what is in that patient’s best interest,” he said. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-connecticut.html" title="http://www.care2.com/causes/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-connecticut.html">http://www.care2.com/causes/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-connecticut.html</a> <br clear="all" /></p>

Medical Marijuana Is Now Legal In Connecticut–17th State to Legalize

The law is a little different than in most states as pharmacists will be providing it, that is after they have been certified.  There’s a li...

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Komen Founder A No Show at ASCO To Receive Award–Foundation Also Had No Booth This Year

<p> <p> If you have been watching the news then you are aware of the annual big ASCO convention in Chicago where all the news is happening regarding cancer research.  Komen this year according to this article was a no show and I’m sure the publicity with their business units may have had something to do with this.  They had no booth either.  It was just about a month ago the vice president in charge of public relations resigned so perhaps there was not enough time to have a new game plan put together before the conference.  Ms. Brinker was also scheduled to receive an award for her public service efforts as well. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> </p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/05/komen-public-relations-vice-president.html">Komen Public Relations Vice President In Charge of Public Relations, Branding and Marketing Resigns–Business Intelligence Decisions/Marketing Not Popular With Consumers–Algorithm Attack #10 Revisited</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></h5> <p> <p> Philanthropy and business decisions today are having their collisions for sure and we all know how the politicians made it even worse.  BD <hr /></p> <p><img height="307" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j1Q4JLjl_Dg/TyjBLs87vOI/AAAAAAAA5Hc/iGmczFPd2mg/image%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="420" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Komen Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker did not attend this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual meeting to receive the society’s 2012 Public Service Award “for her commitment to breast cancer awareness, fundraising efforts, and legislation in support of cancer research, treatment, and care, as well as her tireless efforts on behalf of patients with breast cancer, survivors, and their families.” <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />According to ASCO news releases and other information, the award was supposed to have been presented during a private event on Friday <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://journals.lww.com/oncology-times/blog/ericrosenthalreports/pages/post.aspx?PostID=22">http://journals.lww.com/oncology-times/blog/ericrosenthalreports/pages/post.aspx?PostID=22</a> <br clear="all" /></p></p>

Komen Founder A No Show at ASCO To Receive Award–Foundation Also Had No Booth This Year

If you have been watching the news then you are aware of the annual big ASCO convention in Chicago where all the news is happening regar...

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Algorithm Predicts Future Medical Conditions–Works Somewhat Like Netflix Based on Patient and Other Patient Experiences–Good for Clinical Arena and Words of Caution With Potential “For Profit” Utilization

<p>This makes sense to help us predict but like all algorithms out there it’s a tool and other factors should be reviewed as well.  <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="103" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0oBPidcltEU/T8zgpbJJmII/AAAAAAAA7RI/ln8_o5nTArc/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="139" />The algorithm will be published in an the journal of Applied Statistics.  This was a joint effort from the University of Washington and MIT and is pretty much the first time an algorithm as such is being used in a medical setting.  What makes this algorithm different than others is the fact that it shares information with experiences of other patients with similar problems. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />It can give information relative to potential medical conditions that could arise in the future, and again this is a tool and not a 100% rule here.  Now the next question that arises is what will insurance companies pay to get a hold of this and base their payment algorithms on such data?  You can almost bet they will be right there first in line for the ability to have more data.  Stokes are one of the conditions that the algorithm is said to have the ability to give information.  <strong>The algorithm is also slated to be “patient friendly” so it’s not technical terminology just for clinicians.  <br clear="all" /></strong> <br clear="all" />This uses a standard Bayesian methodology which is what is used with most predictive models today.  Again if a tool as such is used wisely and not over cooked with too many prevention recommendations, as Netflix doesn’t get theirs right all the time either, it could in fact be a good guidance too and furthermore, add in some genomic information and the value could rise here.  This is not the first time I have blogged about Netflix and how their algorithm methodologies can be useful.  Pharmaceutical companies have also engaged with the same type of algorithms, again for additional information relative to molecular drugs.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-can-pharma-learn-by-using-netflix.html">What Can Pharma Learn by Using a “Netflix” Algorithm – Molecular Ranking and the Drugs Consumers Will Take</a></h5> <p> <br clear="all" />Used as a tool and not a model to not include compensation by insurers this could change a lot of the pictures in the office of the doctor in future.  <strong>With insurer use of some of their algorithms we end up with more of an attack of the killer algorithms when profits enter the picture sometimes.  It happens every day on servers that run 24/7 making life impacting decisions about all of us and we don’t really know if the math and code is good as you can read that in the news every day in both healthcare and the financial areas, i.e. JP Morgan and their troubled math. </strong>Here’s more links about “killer” algorithms that deny and rely on “flawed” data for profit and they kind of take advantage of the naïve consumer in several ways too.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/02/attack-of-killer-algorithmsdigest-links.html"><strong><font size="2">Attack of the Killer Algorithms–Digest & Links for All 30 Chapters–How Math and Crafty Formulas Today Running on Servers 24/7 Make Life Impacting Decisions About You–Updated 5-03-2012</font> </strong></a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <p>A good example of an over sell of this though exists with <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/06/fico-analytics-press-release-marketing.html"><u>FICO that I hope someone calls them on it</u></a> with using your credit score and other data to determine if you will take your medications and they are selling this to pharma and insurance companies with scoring you.  </p> <p><u><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zer_MEsaBdI/T8zgp5674mI/AAAAAAAA7RQ/pXet-rTVEGA/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="117" />Heck, even the algorithm that Netflix uses to determine what you will like is only 60%</u> on target so look at what a fleecing this is with misuse of numbers.  They use predictive modeling with some very far fetched mismatched and flawed data so again if this is kept in the clinical arena where it belongs and not put out there for shear profit, we may get somewhere.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><strong>I would almost bet that this algorithm will end up in front of lawmakers just as the “gene” bill did to not allow insurers and other for profit companies cash in and discriminate against patients</strong> due to the fact that “the algorithm says”.  It will be entertained for sure in the “data rich” world we live in today and other substantiated reports will more than likely be created to justify such use as that’s the way the algorithm game gets played today sadly, for profit and not always for better care.  BD  </p> <hr /> <br clear="all" />Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter. <p>Like how Netflix recommends movies and TV shows or how Amazon.com suggests products to buy, the algorithm makes predictions based on what a patient has already experienced as well as the experiences of other patients showing a similar medical history.</p> <p>"This provides physicians with insights on what might be coming next for a patient, based on experiences of other patients. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />It also gives a predication that is interpretable by patients," said Tyler McCormick, an assistant professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />The statisticians used medical records obtained from a multiyear clinical drug trial involving tens of thousands of patients aged 40 and older. The records included other demographic details, such as gender and ethnicity, as well as patients' histories of medical complaints and prescription medications. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />They came up with a statistical modeling technique that is grounded in Bayesian methods, the backbone of many predictive algorithms. McCormick and his co-authors call their approach the Hierarchical Association Rule Model and are working toward making it available to patients and doctors. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.sciencecodex.com/future_medical_conditions_predicted_with_new_statistical_model-92627">http://www.sciencecodex.com/future_medical_conditions_predicted_with_new_statistical_model-92627</a> <br clear="all" /></p>

Algorithm Predicts Future Medical Conditions–Works Somewhat Like Netflix Based on Patient and Other Patient Experiences–Good for Clinical Arena and Words of Caution With Potential “For Profit” Utilization

This makes sense to help us predict but like all algorithms out there it’s a tool and other factors should be reviewed as well.  The algorit...

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WellPoint to Purchase 1-800 Contacts Eyewear and Contact Lens Retailer For Around $900 Million–Subsidiary Watch

<br clear="all" /> <p>This probably comes as no surprise as we already have <img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="72" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VkQMwERY3BQ/T8xeHt1fe0I/AAAAAAAA7Q0/V47SAsViScE/image%25255B9%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="139" />United Healthcare in the “cheap” hearing aid business and many seniors get a “free” one when enrolling in Medicare Part D contracts, so will WellPoint use the eye glasses and contact lens as a draw for more clients?  Time will tell. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/10/unitedhealthcare-throws-in-free-hearing.html">UnitedHealthCare Throws in Free Hearing Aids for Those Who Enroll In AARP Medicare Advantage, HMO & POS Plans in Miami-Dade County From Their New Subsidiary</a></h5> <h4> </h4> <p>I would assume as time moves forward with the purchase the marketing will kick in here and it is the largest retailer in the contact lens market.  If you read here often enough then you can search for the words “subsidiary watch” and find many articles on the companies insurance companies have either recently bought or have owned for a number of years, it’s a changed world out there.  BD  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />The two companies didn't disclose the purchase price, but a person<a href="http://www.1800contacts.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="64" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IHF54OHOE3o/T8xeH4BhkGI/AAAAAAAA7Q8/yJvxaxBt40k/image%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="160" /></a> familiar with the matter said it is close to $900 million. WellPoint said the transaction will close in the third quarter and start adding to the company's per-share earnings in 2014. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />The deal will be financed with cash on hand, the Indianapolis, Ind.-based insurer added.</p> <p>WellPoint officials said they believe the acquisition will capitalize on a shift toward people selecting their own health-care products and health coverage. The company could develop health plans and vision coverage that offer special discounted access to contacts and eyewear, they said, and it could cross-promote between its customers and the retailer's. The tie-ins could potentially expand to include Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans that aren't part of WellPoint, they added. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918204577444953508462104.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918204577444953508462104.html</a>

WellPoint to Purchase 1-800 Contacts Eyewear and Contact Lens Retailer For Around $900 Million–Subsidiary Watch

This probably comes as no surprise as we already have United Healthcare in the “cheap” hearing aid business and many seniors get a “free” ...

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Misys Acquired by Vista Equity Partners–Company That Was Started in the Medical Records Business

<p><p> </p></p><p><p>Going back to 2008, Misys purchased Allscripts.  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6gDGTiXKeFE/T8rsNu8DWjI/AAAAAAAA7Qg/okqPPY1U2CU/s1600-h/image%25255B11%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="47" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dQkXRBlZyF4/T8rsONWi85I/AAAAAAAA7Qo/zyHcfq-FS1w/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="119" /></a>I remember the Misys MyWay  medical records system that grew by purchasing and integrating other software technologies, which kind of ended up being a problem down the road recently for Allscripts. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p><h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/10/misys-seals-deal-on-allscripts-purchase.html">Misys seals deal on Allscripts purchase</a></h5><p><br clear="all" />Later on they sold Allscripts and it merged with Eclipsys systems again, more software technologies to come together and a lot of code.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p><h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/misys-sells-allscripts-shares-to-enable.html">Misys Sells Allscripts Shares to Enable Eclipsys Merger – Medical Records</a></h5><h4></h4><p><br clear="all" /></p><h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/lehman-bankruptcy-delays-misys.html">Lehman Bankruptcy Delays Misys-Allscripts Deal</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></h5>Now they are pretty much out of the medical records software business and have been for a few years and now cater to banks with business intelligence types of software services.  If you read the news of late, then you know about the code/integration software issues facing Allscripts now with lawsuits and shareholders alike.  BD <hr /><br clear="all" />Two market leaders combine to provide the largest and most comprehensive suite of capital markets and banking solutions in the industry.  <p>Today Vista Equity Partners announced it has completed its acquisition of Misys. As part of this acquisition, Misys and Turaz, the business that includes the Kondor+ product line, are now one company officially operating as one under the name "Misys". <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p><p>By combining these two award-winning enterprise software companies, the new Misys will offer its customers access to an unrivalled pool of expertise and domain knowledge, in combination with the most comprehensive portfolio of software solutions available on the market today.  As the trusted provider to 1,800 customers in 120 countries and with the broadest solution suite available, Misys has the scale and ability to serve customer's capital markets and banking needs across all geographies and market segments. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p><p>Misys was formed by the merger of Misys with Turaz, which includes the award-winning Kondor+ product line.  Combined they are able to address all customer requirements across both the banking and trading book businesses. Misys is the trusted partner that financial services organisations turn to for help solving their most complex problems. </p><p>Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/4530628/misys-merges-with-turaz-to-create.html#storylink=cpy</p><p><br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/4530628/misys-merges-with-turaz-to-create.html">http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/4530628/misys-merges-with-turaz-to-create.html</a> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p></p>

Misys Acquired by Vista Equity Partners–Company That Was Started in the Medical Records Business

  Going back to 2008, Misys purchased Allscripts.  I remember the Misys MyWay  medical records system that grew by purchasing and integratin...

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Sun Screen Spray Sets Man on Fire–Banana Boat Stated They Would Investigate

<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YYFxhXHUQow/T8q99PzqoPI/AAAAAAAA7QM/lqMBmK-IGfg/s1600-h/image%25255B48%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="151" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uwDih8zDtL8/T8q99ScFcXI/AAAAAAAA7QU/dAbDcXgJW40/image_thumb%25255B46%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="107"></a>Banana Boat sunscreen proved to be a little dangerous.  The warning is not quite sufficient states the victim.  This is truly a freak accident but it did happen when his barbeque set him on fire.  Who would have ever thought that sunscreen could do this, but obviously from reading the article there’s a time of around 2 minutes to where it could catch fire.  <br clear="all">The company has since said they are launching an investigation to learn more of how this happened.  The flame just ran up his arm and burned where ever he had the sun block.  He had second degree burns.  BD   <script type="text/javascript" src="http://CBSBOS.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=901780;hostDomain=video.boston.cbslocal.com;playerWidth=385;playerHeight=288;isShowIcon=true;clipId=7350781;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=CBS.BOSTON%252Fworldnowplayer;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=fixed"></script> <p><br clear="all"><br clear="all">STOW (CBS) – A Stow man says he was nearly killed after applying sunscreen.  Standing in front of his barbecue grill, Brett Sigworth says it was only a second before his body was engulfed in flames.</p> <p>“I went into complete panic mode and screamed,” he says. “I’ve never experienced pain like that in my life.” <br clear="all"><br clear="all"></p> <p>He says, “I sprayed on the spray-on sunscreen, and then rubbed it on for a few seconds. I walked over to my grill, took one of the holders to move some of the charcoal briquettes around and all of a sudden it went up my arm.”</p> <p>Brett says his body was on fire, “it went wherever the block went.” <br clear="all"><br clear="all"><a href="http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/31/stow-man-catches-fire-after-applying-sunscreen/">http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/31/stow-man-catches-fire-after-applying-sunscreen/</a> <br clear="all"></p>

Sun Screen Spray Sets Man on Fire–Banana Boat Stated They Would Investigate

Banana Boat sunscreen proved to be a little dangerous.  The warning is not quite sufficient states the victim.  This is truly a freak accide...

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Larry Ellison–Unwired at All Things Digital Conference Video Highlights–One of Larry’s Best!

<h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/09/larry-ellison-announced-as.html"> <br clear="all" /></a></h5> If you didn’t catch this interview from Kara Swisher from All <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZwkRWh8T6ZM/T8qivXmjW4I/AAAAAAAA7P4/q2eD4NRM_Eg/s1600-h/image%25255B9%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="167" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eqtsSU5BucQ/T8qivkT1_oI/AAAAAAAA7QA/NzDUM8_4ghk/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" width="170" /></a>Things Digital, it is well worth watching. I think Mr. Ellison is the oldest CEO in the Silicon Valley. He’s also the founder (who knows and wrote code) of Oracle. He was in the right place at the right time when he created the Oracle data base and the company has grown with acquisitions. On June second he says he will do his first actual first hand tweet. He says the Sun acquisition has already paid for itself. He starts out with talking about the America’s Cup and due to the litigation still in process he can’t say a lot about the Google court situation. <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />He speaks highly of HP and then we have the SAP discussion…funny…a must listen here.  Last year he was given an award for his contributions to Health IT.    <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2011/09/larry-ellison-announced-as.html"> <br clear="all" />Larry Ellison Announced As Distinguished Medical Informatics Awardee for His Contributions to Health IT and the Ellison Foundation From the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (NIH)</a></h5> <p> <br clear="all" />Perhaps one of my favorites besides this recent interview below is the one where he talked about “the box”.  You can find that <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/12/oracle-ceo-ellison-its-in-box-cloud.html">video here.</a>  He’s also a fan of Red Bull:) <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><object height="281" id="wsj_fp" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="videoGUID={909E5610-BBBC-47F4-A056-D96203CBD038}&playerid=4001&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://m.wsj.net/video-players/&autoStart=false" base="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/" name="microflashPlayer"></param><embed src="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoGUID={909E5610-BBBC-47F4-A056-D96203CBD038}&playerid=4001&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://m.wsj.net/video-players/&autoStart=false" base="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/" name="microflashPlayer" width="420" height="281" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <br clear="all" />“In the history of Silicon Valley, there are few characters more colorful than Larry Ellison. The CEO and founder of the enterprise software giant Oracle rarely needs an introduction, and in certain circles he is often referred to by his first name alone - with no doubt as to whom you're referring. Today, he was onstage for an interview with Kara Swisher at D: All Things Digital. May 30, 2012.” <br clear="all" /> <hr /> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Here’s how Larry Ellison reflects on Steve Jobs and his perspective on how he operated and functioned.  He states the leaders of tech companies today and how they don’t trust their boards any more.  Why should they trust the boards and he uses Facebook and Google as prime examples.  <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /><object height="281" id="wsj_fp" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="videoGUID={AA982932-DB8B-440A-99DA-66B04E4BDBC7}&playerid=4001&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://m.wsj.net/video-players/&autoStart=false" base="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/" name="microflashPlayer"></param><embed src="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoGUID={AA982932-DB8B-440A-99DA-66B04E4BDBC7}&playerid=4001&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://m.wsj.net/video-players/&autoStart=false" base="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/" name="microflashPlayer" width="420" height="281" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />Mr. Ellison is also one of the first members of the Gates Foundation Giving Pledge.  He is brilliant and a while back Forbes did a nice history video on Larry and one of his co-workers/founders said “Larry will be running Oracle from the grave:)  BD  </p> <p> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" /></p> <h5><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/08/giving-pledge-call-for-philanthropy.html">The Giving Pledge Call for Philanthropy Continues to Grow–40 Billionaires Committed</a></h5> <p> <br clear="all" /><a href="http://allthingsd.com/20120530/oracle-ceo-larry-ellison-live-at-d10/">http://allthingsd.com/20120530/oracle-ceo-larry-ellison-live-at-d10/</a></p>

Larry Ellison–Unwired at All Things Digital Conference Video Highlights–One of Larry’s Best!

If you didn’t catch this interview from Kara Swisher from All Things Digital, it is well worth watching. I think Mr. Ellison is the ol...

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