Carl Icahn: We Won’t Sell Biogen Immediately

<p> Interesting battle to watch here...what is the story behind Biogen...will it be sold someday...what happened to the interest from the big Pharma folks...and then there's the Yahoo - Microsoft case that also keeps everyone on the edge of their seats with Mr. Icahn...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>There’s nothing like a proxy fight to feel alive. In <a href="http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/875045/000092847508000195/0000928475-08-000195.txt">a letter</a> to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Carl proposes three board members for Biogen Idec and vows that “we are not seeking to immediately sell the company. Because of the failed sales process, we do not believe that now is the time to initiate another process.” <p>Icahn prompted the episode by snapping up a chunk of the biotech and continues to complain that Biogen execs “doomed” a sale from the start. How so?<strong> He carps that they made it difficult for would-be buyers to explore Biogen’s key relationships with Elan and Genentech.</strong></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/05/carl-icahn-we-wont-sell-biogen-immediately/">Pharmalot » Carl Icahn: We Won’t Sell Biogen Immediately</a></p>

Carl Icahn: We Won’t Sell Biogen Immediately

Interesting battle to watch here...what is the story behind Biogen...will it be sold someday...what happened to the interest from the big P...

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New software connects Anoto Digital Pen to BlackBerry

<p> Working currently in the UK...the digital pen records what is being written on a special form, when complete the Blackberry goes to work to transmit back to a server....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>A new software package from PaperIQ will make it easier for end-users to combine the benefits of two of the most popular productivity tools, BlackBerry® smartphones and Digital Pen and Paper (DPP). <br>The Anoto Digital Pen Integration Kit for BlackBerry provides everything required to integrate Anoto’s digital pen technology with a BlackBerry smartphone application or enterprise system.  <strong>Medicals Direct, which carries out health screenings on behalf of life insurance providers in the UK, rolled out Anoto’s digital pens and BlackBerry smartphones to streamline the processing of half a million screening forms which its nurses complete every year. </strong>Now when a medical is completed, the pen transmits the form data wirelessly to the nurse’s BlackBerry, which automatically forwards it to a back-end server.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=39219&hilite=">SourceWire | Press Releases - New software connects Anoto Digital Pen to BlackBerry</a> </p> <p>Hat Tip:  <a href="http://www.gottabemobile.com/Anoto+Pen+Coming+To+The+Blackberry.aspx">GottaBeMobile</a></p>

New software connects Anoto Digital Pen to BlackBerry

Working currently in the UK...the digital pen records what is being written on a special form, when complete the Blackberry goes to work to...

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Bureaucracy Has Delayed Plans For Three FDA Offices In China, HHS Secretary Leavitt Says

<p>But is Mr. Leavitt part of the Bureaucracy....when I read about articles like this where it states last week <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/federal-judge-say-no-to-5-billion-cut.html">he ran in with a "typo ridden final rule" to the Office of the Federal Register to file a rule before Congress could pass a law</a>,</strong> requiring a federal judge to intervene to put a stay on funds for Medicaid cuts...what gives....and sure we need to be in India, I agree,...but <strong>is this the pot calling the kettle black </strong>I ask and are his actions also part of the bureaucracy problem?  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.hhs.gov/">HHS</a> Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday said that Chinese bureaucracy has delayed plans to establish <a href="http://www.fda.gov/">FDA</a> offices in three cities -- Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou -- that would monitor exports of food, medications, medical devices and other consumer products to the U.S., the <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jbComwdCp5Vt0SqZwgtFD0z-MMMAD90RKLT82"><cite>Associated Press</cite></a> reports. Leavitt said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs must formally approve the plans, after which the agency will begin the process of approval of diplomatic visas for the 13 FDA employees who will staff the offices. <br>In addition to China, Leavitt said that he hopes to establish FDA offices in India. He said, <strong>"There are 90 to 100 FDA-inspected facilities there producing mostly drugs and medical devices," adding, "I expect that number to grow.</strong> The connection between the U.S. pharmaceutical industry and India is real and expanding. We just need to be there."</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108940.php">Bureaucracy Has Delayed Plans For Three FDA Offices In China, HHS Secretary Leavitt Says</a></p>

Bureaucracy Has Delayed Plans For Three FDA Offices In China, HHS Secretary Leavitt Says

But is Mr. Leavitt part of the Bureaucracy....when I read about articles like this where it states last week he ran in with a "typo rid...

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1.5 Million New Statin Patients in the U.K.

<p> Statin guidelines changing in the UK...maybe more clinical information might become available...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Lots more middle-aged folks in the U.K. may soon find themselves taking statins. The influential National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, based in London, is issuing new guidance (<a href="http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG67NICEguideline.pdf">online here</a>) that says patients should go on the cholesterol-lowering drugs if their 10-year risk for serious cardiovascular problems is 20% or greater. <p>The guidance does say docs should consider modifiable risk factors such as weight, smoking and exercise. But NICE says docs shouldn’t be shy about putting patients on statins, and even recommends a particular dose of a particular drug: 40 mg of simvastatin, a generic drug that Merck developed under the brand name Zocor.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/05/28/coming-soon-15-million-new-statin-patients-in-the-uk/">Health Blog : Coming Soon: 1.5 Million New Statin Patients in the U.K.</a></p>

1.5 Million New Statin Patients in the U.K.

Statin guidelines changing in the UK...maybe more clinical information might become available...BD  Lots more middle-aged folks in the U....

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Indian Drugmakers Threaten to Strike

<p> Not what we need....BD </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The Indian drug industry says it will quit making dozens of bulk drugs unless the government increases prices.</strong> <p>It’s hard to tell from here if the industry is serious about this threat, but the story does point to lots of interesting issues in the drug business today — how globalized it is, the tense relationships between governments and drug companies everywhere and the constant tug of war on prices.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/05/28/indian-drugmakers-threaten-to-strike/">Health Blog : Indian Drugmakers Threaten to Strike</a></p>

Indian Drugmakers Threaten to Strike

Not what we need....BD The Indian drug industry says it will quit making dozens of bulk drugs unless the government increases prices. I...

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Robosoft shows off Microsoft Robotics Studio-based service robot

<p> New technology helpful with healthcare...send alerts if a patient falls...etc....video at the site...BD </p> <blockquote><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2uXLF9_oI/AAAAAAAAHNg/pdtBgmxcsG8/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="183" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2uZbF9_pI/AAAAAAAAHNo/Sk7WzvGibh4/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="150"></a> It looks like France's Robosoft is keen on getting its robots into as many places as possible, with it now following up its <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/13/robotic-robucab-takes-you-on-a-slow-speed-autonomous-ride-of-do/">RobuCab</a> and <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/11/robudog-fetches-plays-dead-has-wifi/">RobuDog</a> with a service robot designed to help the elderly and <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2ucLF9_qI/AAAAAAAAHNw/f7mYfxCNHKc/s1600-h/image%5B7%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2uerF9_rI/AAAAAAAAHN4/3jenqGSmAEY/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="179"></a>disabled. Like the RobuDog, this one makes heavy use of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/microsoftroboticsstudio">Microsoft Robotics Studio</a>, and provides just about all the features you'd expect from a 24-hour monitoring bot, including daily reminders, remote teleconferencing abilities, scaring off of house pets, and alerts if the patient falls or is in trouble </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/28/robosoft-shows-off-microsoft-robotics-studio-based-service-robot/">Robosoft shows off Microsoft Robotics Studio-based service robot - Engadget</a></p>

Robosoft shows off Microsoft Robotics Studio-based service robot

New technology helpful with healthcare...send alerts if a patient falls...etc....video at the site...BD It looks like France's Roboso...

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Medical Device Companies Seeking Investment and Partnering Opportunities - Partnerships for Investing or for Advancing Technology???

<blockquote> <p> Confused about where the medical device market is going...well you are not alone...by reading this full article, you may become even more confused!  <strong>Where is the balance...</strong>investors want a return on their money, consumers want technology that will save or promote better health care...<u>but the consumers can't get the health care without someone footing the bill</u>...various presentations...including “<strong>Early Stage Investing, Financing and Exit Strategies", “Mining China for Potential Investments”, “Creating Effective Presentations", “The Impact of Recent Patent Infringement Decisions and Litigation Outcomes on Your Medical Device Company", How Large Companies Sustain Growth through M&A and Strategic Partnerships”</strong> and more....wait a minute...<strong><u>DOES HEALTHCARE ENTER THE PICTURE AT ALL HERE???</u></strong></p> <p>Obviously this is a conference to help the investment folks make some sense out of where the money should be invested as well....everyone has their opinions on where the financial side of things will go...I'm sure this is a very challenging area today from everything I read and post on the blog...other lectures include "<strong>What are the Hot Deals Now and in the Future"...</strong>one more fractured portion of health care today in the US with <strong>"Hot Deals"</strong> having the focus  rather than a direction towards what will heal....my own personal thoughts lead me to question what's wrong with this picture and <strong>is healthcare really all about the money?  Nobody</strong> has a crystal ball today....but we could all sure wish one existed...and what happens when the Hot Deals go sour...I guess that's another story... but in the meantime <strong>investors and bio tech companies alike will be knocking heads to figure it out...</strong>BD  </p> <p>NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - (Business Wire) <a href="http://www.medtechinsight.com/"><strong>Medtech Insight,</strong></a> a division of Windhover Information, Inc. and a leading provider of business information for the medical device industry, has announced that more than 40 early- to late-stage medical technology companies seeking funding and/or strategic partnership are confirmed to date to present at its "Investment In Innovation (In3) Medical Device Summit," taking place June 17-19, 2008 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, out of approximately 50 to present in all. </p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p>Medtech Insight and its parent company, Windhover Information, have established a reputation as holding the premier forums worldwide for discerning senior executives in the medical device, diagnostics, biotech, and pharmaceutical business development and investment communities to meet and screen promising early-stage life sciences companies in need of funding, acquisition and/or strategic partnership, and to network with key decision makers in the industry<strong>. Over 1350 emerging medical technology company presenters and over 7200 attendees have participated at In3 events over the past 7 years.</strong></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/50-early-to-late-stage-medical,409103.shtml">50 Early- to Late-Stage Medical Device Companies Seeking Investment and Partnering Opportunities to Present in 3 Weeks at ''Investment In Innovation (In3) Medical Device Summit''</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:953322c9-7712-4cef-a9a6-232939b3ccec" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical%20Devices" rel="tag">Medical Devices</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Venture%20Capitolists" rel="tag">Venture Capitolists</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HealthCare" rel="tag">HealthCare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Technology" rel="tag">Technology</a></div>

Medical Device Companies Seeking Investment and Partnering Opportunities - Partnerships for Investing or for Advancing Technology???

Confused about where the medical device market is going...well you are not alone...by reading this full article, you may become even more ...

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Handheld device to help track US Military medical records

<p>Medical records entered into thousands of Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) laptop computers.   Commanders to view near real-time medical surveillance in a clean and standardized format.  Good story on how medical intelligence is being use by the US Military...and some of the expertise will no doubt be used with dealing with our own issues here in the US...the MC4 system is a consolidation and combination of several technologies already in use and coming in under one umbrella...commanders have access to view a variety of tools including maps to monitor medical assets in real time...BD  <p><a href="https://www.mc4.army.mil/mc4newsletter/2008_5/featurestory.asp"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="147" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2R_LF9_lI/AAAAAAAAHNI/OlD6CNq20Rk/image%5B13%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="149"></a>A hand-held device used by Army doctors to track medical information for soldiers on the battlefield will now be used by all the services. <blockquote> <p> Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker said May 27 that the Medical Communications for  Combat Casualty Care, or MC4, will allow all medical personnel to quickly input medical information for all service members in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat deployment. <p>MC4 first went to the combat  zones in 2003. In the past, combat medics <a href="https://www.mc4.army.mil/mc4newsletter/2008_5/spotlight.asp"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="127" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2SArF9_mI/AAAAAAAAHNQ/8MK6fphrSSg/image%5B15%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="244"></a>have tracked patient care with paper records — sometimes pinning the documents to a patient’s chest. The new system ensures the documents follow the patient all the way back to hospitals in the U.S. or Germany, where doctors on the ground know exactly what to expect when patients land. <p><a href="https://www.mc4.army.mil/mc4newsletter/2008_5/PMcorner.asp"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="142" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2SBrF9_nI/AAAAAAAAHNY/l18CbH0NdMc/image%5B16%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="202"></a>“When we see a trend of a particular injury or illness, we call for assistance from our sister battalion, TF 56 MMB, since TF 261 does not have a preventive medicine mission for Iraq,” Christopher said. <strong>“When we see these incidents reported in JMeWS, we alert TF 56 and they dispatch the appropriate preventive medicine detachment for analysis and action.”</strong></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/05/military_handheld_medicaldevice_060908w/">Handheld device to help track medical records - Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c0cfcf70-2698-42f6-b961-a4336cb636ab" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/MC4" rel="tag">MC4</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Military%20Healthcare" rel="tag">Military Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical%20Devices" rel="tag">Medical Devices</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PDA" rel="tag">PDA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical%20Workstations" rel="tag">Medical Workstations</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/US%20Army" rel="tag">US Army</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/US%20Air%20Force" rel="tag">US Air Force</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/AHLTA" rel="tag">AHLTA</a></div> <p><a href="http://www.armymedicaltechnology.com/">http://www.armymedicaltechnology.com/</a></p>

Handheld device to help track US Military medical records

Medical records entered into thousands of Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) laptop computers.   Commanders to view near ...

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Fresno hospital halts cardiac surgeries due to infections

<p> A Catholic hospital is suspending open-heart surgeries while the state investigates a rash of postoperative infections.The California Department of Public Health recommended this weekend that Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno stop performing the surgeries.</p> <blockquote> <p>Last year, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked into bacterial infections that sickened at least a dozen Saint Agnes heart surgery patients and may have contributed to two deaths.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/27/state/n171802D50.DTL&type=health">Fresno hospital halts cardiac surgeries due to infections</a></p>

Fresno hospital halts cardiac surgeries due to infections

A Catholic hospital is suspending open-heart surgeries while the state investigates a rash of postoperative infections.The California Depar...

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Abbott Laboratories heart device poised to be a blockbuster

<p> The article states that Abbott is prepared to provide about 50 to 70 percent of the market...The coated stent was considered the wave of the future until 2005 and 2006, when concerns about blood clots led to several recalls. But many of the questions revolved around the way the stents were inserted and complications from medication taken afterward to prevent clots, and not about the devices themselves....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>The heart stent produced by 4,000 workers in Temecula at Abbott Laboratories' factory -- a product that many say could end up being the best of its kind -- could hit the American market within weeks. <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2MPLF9_jI/AAAAAAAAHM4/20m5xjZ_DsM/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="159" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD2MRLF9_kI/AAAAAAAAHNA/t1Oi7fCcepM/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="244"></a> Abbott expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve <strong>Xience V,</strong> its entry into the drug-coated stent market, sometime before July. That is likely to keep the Temecula plant and its 4,000 workers busy for years to come. <p>Based on a series of clinical trials, Abbott's drug-eluting stent could go straight to the head of the class. Tests, including one just concluded this month, indicate that Xience could eventually dominate the three competing medical device companies that make these products.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_xience27.3ff8fde.html">Abbott Laboratories' Inland-produced heart device poised to be a blockbuster | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:084564bd-96d5-455b-96f3-a2c82d802bf8" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Stents" rel="tag">Stents</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Heart" rel="tag">Heart</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Abbott" rel="tag">Abbott</a></div>

Abbott Laboratories heart device poised to be a blockbuster

The article states that Abbott is prepared to provide about 50 to 70 percent of the market...The coated stent was considered the wave of th...

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The Dangers of Consumer-Driven Medicine with Medical Devices and Implants....

<p> New England Journal of Medicine article addressing consumer driven medicine and devices...one item mentioned is the J and J stent...and the marketing tactics currently in place to promote via television ads....and the debate is still open overall with medical professionals....and <strong>why is this being directed at the public when they are not informed enough to make a decision of the sort</strong>...also of interest is the study whereby actors from the University of California made visits to 152 primary care physicians requesting certain brands of medications...device remedies are a bit different than prescribing a drug....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Medical device makers are taking direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising to a perilous new level. In a piece titled "<a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMp0801433v1">Crossing the Line in Consumer Education?</a>" that will appear in the May 22 issue of <i>The New England Journal of Medicine</i> (NEJM), Drs. William E. Boden, and George A. Diamond tackle the issue, arguing that a new campaign to peddle medical devices directly to patients warrants close scrutiny. Manufacturers are inviting consumers to decide not only what is best for them, but what is best for their surgeons. This is "consumer-driven medicine" at its most dangerous.</p> <p>Yet why else would J&J spend millions on television advertising? The company's goal is to create demand -- a "buzz" that will cause patients to ask about the product, and that will make some hospitals and surgeons feel that they must use it.</p> <p>Patients want to be able to ask questions. They want their doctors to take the time to give them detailed answers. <strong>But the more DTC ads encourage patients to make demands of their doctors, the more doctors and patients are positioned as antagonists rather than collaborators.</strong> <p><strong>That's a recipe for friction, not patient satisfaction. One last question: even if patients get the Cypher they want, what happens when they develop a blood clot? Who is responsible then?</strong></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/86572/?page=entire">The Dangers of Consumer-Driven Medicine | Health and Wellness | AlterNet</a></p>

The Dangers of Consumer-Driven Medicine with Medical Devices and Implants....

New England Journal of Medicine article addressing consumer driven medicine and devices...one item mentioned is the J and J stent...and the...

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Kennedy has major cancer bill in Senate

<p> He had already begun work on the bill before his diagnosis of cancer...and has been a leader in the push for universal health care coverage ...and his family has been no stranger to cancer as well....a personal battle from here on....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>WASHINGTON - Sen. Edward Kennedy's battle with a malignant brain tumor is likely to put a dramatic personal stamp on a health care cause he first championed nearly 40 years ago: The nation's war on cancer. <p>The bill Kennedy plans to put forth seeks to improve the coordination of cancer research, prevention and treatment while giving more money to the National Cancer Institute and other public research agencies.  He's been instrumental in promoting biomedical research, AIDS research and treatment, a national bone marrow donor registry and anti-tobacco bills. <p>His family has been touched by cancer over the years — two of his children, Kara and Edward Kennedy Jr., are cancer survivors. Edward Kennedy Jr. lost a leg to bone cancer in 1973 at age 12, and Kara was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_go_co/kennedy_cancer_bill_3">Kennedy has major cancer bill in Senate - Yahoo! News</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d838af6f-345e-47c7-970c-8b93b23eaad6" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Kennedy" rel="tag">Kennedy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cancer" rel="tag">Cancer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health%20Care" rel="tag">Health Care</a></div>

Kennedy has major cancer bill in Senate

He had already begun work on the bill before his diagnosis of cancer...and has been a leader in the push for universal health care coverage...

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute to Invest $600 Million in Medical Research

<p> The funds will be given to 56 scientists from more than 2 dozen universities and research institutions.  HHMI is the largest private backer of biomedical research in the United States...</p> <blockquote> <p><strong><a href="http://www.hhmi.org/">The Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a></strong> says the $600-million initiative will focus on high-risk, high-reward areas of study where there is little or no guarantee of success, but where breakthroughs could lead to significant advances in fields ranging from epidemiology to genetics.<a href="http://www.hhmi.org/news/research.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="68" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD0ELbF9_iI/AAAAAAAAHMw/JmnsYd6p2Vc/image%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="244"></a> <p>The institute, based outside Washington, says it will fund research into vexing questions such as the effect of global climate change on the spread of infectious diseases, as well as unconventional ideas such as the correlation between computer engineering and the human immune system.  As many as 70 researchers will be selected as HHMI Early Career Scientists through this competition, which will be completed in the spring of 2009. <p><em>HHMI chose the 56 scientists from among 1,070 applications submitted in a nationwide competition, which was announced in 2007. Researchers with 4 to 10 years of experience as faculty members at more than 200 institutions were eligible to apply. To evaluate the applications, HHMI assembled review panels of distinguished biomedical scientists.</em></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-27-voa74.cfm">VOA News - US Group to Invest $600 Million in Medical Research</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:08bc5053-9ea2-47a7-bc63-42399f28c90f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HHMI" rel="tag">HHMI</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/BioTech" rel="tag">BioTech</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Genetics" rel="tag">Genetics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Research" rel="tag">Research</a></div>

Howard Hughes Medical Institute to Invest $600 Million in Medical Research

The funds will be given to 56 scientists from more than 2 dozen universities and research institutions.  HHMI is the largest private backer...

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Health care to get the Hollywood treatment

<p> Hollywood writers working with AARP to create material to bring to focus the problems of US Healthcare...and are asking groups to come forward with information...ironically the producer of Law and Order is a pediatrician who attended Harvard Medical School, so there's a real interest on his part to contribute as well....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>More than 500 Hollywood writers and producers are working with senior advocacy group AARP to bring attention to the need to provide affordable health care, the groups will announce today.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD0B-7F9_gI/AAAAAAAAHMg/_tqmwER4ue4/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="78" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SD0B_rF9_hI/AAAAAAAAHMo/AX3sc4MD57U/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="144"></a> <p>Divided We Fail, an AARP campaign that wants to find bipartisan ways to make health care affordable, will work with the Hollywood Radio & Television Society, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Motion Picture & Television Fund to make sure health care messages are included in the story lines of popular TV shows and movies  .<strong>Neal Baer, producer of <i>Law & Order: SVU</i>, says he was drawn to the AARP campaign because he is also a pediatrician.</strong> While at Harvard Medical School, he read a script for <i>ER</i> and ultimately spent six years as its executive producer. <p><strong>During a luncheon in Los Angeles on Thursday, writers and producers will share personal anecdotes, as well as clips from shows that have tackled health care."<em>  Television, like it or not, teaches people," he says. "Writers are speaking to millions of people. Any forum that brings these issues to the forefront is both welcome and needed."</em></strong></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-27-aarp-hollywood_N.htm?csp=34">Health care to get the Hollywood treatment - USATODAY.com</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ab0b3027-fcd0-4078-a6d6-d104bc7a9a67" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/AARP" rel="tag">AARP</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Harvard%20Medical%20School" rel="tag">Harvard Medical School</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health%20Care" rel="tag">Health Care</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hollywood" rel="tag">Hollywood</a></div>

Health care to get the Hollywood treatment

Hollywood writers working with AARP to create material to bring to focus the problems of US Healthcare...and are asking groups to come forw...

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Supply Chain Standards Groups Merge

<p> "<em><strong>GS1 Healthcare US is a new industry group that</strong> focuses on driving the adoption and implementation of GS1 standards in the healthcare industry to improve patient safety and supply chain efficiency. GS1 Healthcare US brings together members from all segments of the healthcare industry to address the issues that most impact healthcare in the United States."...</em>open for anyone to join...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p> <strong>The Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Coalition has merged into the GS1 Healthcare US standards development organization.</strong> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDyaurF9_eI/AAAAAAAAHMQ/nLojUrBIkrU/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="64" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDyaw7F9_fI/AAAAAAAAHMY/MqT7Rjyipa0/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="159"></a>This means the 30 organizations that are members of the coalition, which the Chicago-based National Alliance for Healthcare Information Technology formed in 2006 to tackle inefficiencies in the supply chain, will become members of GS1 Healthcare US workgroups. <p>Consolidating the organizations will eliminate redundancy of work and expedite adoption of standards, says Joe Dudas, who served as chair of the coalition and is director of accounting and supply chain Informatics at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/standards_supply_chain26341-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS">Supply Chain Standards Groups Merge</a></p>

Supply Chain Standards Groups Merge

" GS1 Healthcare US is a new industry group that focuses on driving the adoption and implementation of GS1 standards in the healthcar...

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Estrogen helps drive distinct, aggressive form of prostate cancer

<p> Interesting study...<strong>potential of too much estrogen for men may not be good either</strong>...yes men do have a small bit of it...and the latest cancer research indicates the agents that dampen estrogen activity could also inhibit fusion positive prostate cancers...so in other words it sounds like choking out the agents that produce estrogen in men could be an alternate solution in the war on prostate cancer....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>The finding could have implications for prostate cancer research, including drug development. According to Dr. Rubin, "<strong>We now believe that agents that dampen estrogen activity (ER-beta antagonists) could inhibit fusion-positive prostate cancers.</strong> Alternatively, any intervention that boosts estrogen activity (ER-alpha) might also give a boost to these aggressive malignancies." <br><strong>"Now, we show for the first time that this natural estrogen can stimulate the production of the cancer-linked TMPRSS2-ERG transcript, via the estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and ER-beta.</strong> These receptors are found on the surface of some prostate cancer cells," Dr. Rubin explains. </p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news131129093.html">Estrogen helps drive distinct, aggressive form of prostate cancer</a></p>

Estrogen helps drive distinct, aggressive form of prostate cancer

Interesting study... potential of too much estrogen for men may not be good either ...yes men do have a small bit of it...and the latest ca...

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FDA official sees some delays over safety

<p>And....I<strong> would hope to say the "safety area" includes the new software data mining package, Sentinel,</strong> that is due to come on line...and it's only normal that the process is going to take a bit more time as there will be more information available for analysis...technology can be great, but also bear in mind the influx of additional intelligent information that will be flowing in to the pipeline...more <strong>data and better decision making processes...hopefully the clinical trials outside the US will also be able to communicate their offerings and findings...</strong>and then it is up to the FDA to determine what is considered credible and useful to make their final decisions...big welcome to the FDA to the world of real time clinical information...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>"We have to change ... We have gotten that message loud and clear from the public," Woodcock said. <p><strong>But, she added: "We are not losing our emphasis on drug development."</strong> <p>Woodcock also said the agency was concerned about the safety impact of the growing number of clinical trials being conducted outside the United States by drugmakers.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTON77285320080527">FDA official sees some delays over safety | Health | Reuters</a></p>

FDA official sees some delays over safety

And....I would hope to say the "safety area" includes the new software data mining package, Sentinel, that is due to come on lin...

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Medsphere EMR/EHR Software Embraces Open Source Model

<p> They used to charge for the software and now money will be made from support by offering the clinical software and server source code for no charge...in essence making the EMR/EHR software truly open source for those who want to run the Vista system, originating from the VA...tweaked to accommodate an installation outside of the VA....BD</p> <blockquote> <p>Hospital electronic records vendor Medsphere Systems Corp. has substantially changed its business model, releasing on the open source market the source code of its OpenVista clinical information system. <p>The Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based company previously sold a commercialized version of the VistA information system developed at the Department of Veterans Affairs. VistA’s source code has been available for free for many years. </p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/open_source26342-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS">Medsphere Embraces Open Source Model</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:fadd0a9e-e486-4960-a21e-c8760bb58b6f" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/VA" rel="tag">VA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medica%20Records" rel="tag">Medica Records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Open%20Source" rel="tag">Open Source</a></div>

Medsphere EMR/EHR Software Embraces Open Source Model

They used to charge for the software and now money will be made from support by offering the clinical software and server source code for n...

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Pre-clinical Data Demonstrate Ability To Regenerate An Entire Bladder

<p> There are around 300 people walking around with bladders created from stem cells...it regenerates within 6 months of implantation....so this looks to be one more step ahead in improving the process and reporting pre clinical trial information...good news for those with bladder problems and/or cancer it appears...videos at the web site on the process...BD  </p> <blockquote><a href="http://www.tengion.com/news/videos.cfm#"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="130" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxkhbF9_bI/AAAAAAAAHL4/SUZHz6NvIvE/image%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="175"></a> <strong><a href="http://www.tengion.com/news/videos.cfm#">Tengion, Inc.,</a></strong> a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of neo-organs and neo-vessels, presented preclinical efficacy data for its Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement™ at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxkiLF9_cI/AAAAAAAAHMA/l6laQtjeGS4/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="89" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxki7F9_dI/AAAAAAAAHMI/X_mbThV7Yjw/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="120"></a>Association (AUA) in Orlando, Florida on May 18, 2008. The data were presented by Tim Bertram, D.V.M., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Science and Technology of Tengion, during both a poster session and a press briefing sponsored by the AUA. </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108862.php">Preclinical Data Demonstrate Ability To Regenerate An Entire Bladder With Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement(TM)</a></p>

Pre-clinical Data Demonstrate Ability To Regenerate An Entire Bladder

There are around 300 people walking around with bladders created from stem cells...it regenerates within 6 months of implantation....so thi...

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Want to Live Longer? Get a Life!

<p> Ok, so now we are like a fruit fly...enough about mice and rats...the flies kept in the dark and separated from the others somewhat got depressed...and after being separated from the others had a harder time adjusting...well don't think this is any big secret, but glad the flies are around to help us understand...actually this is a very important issue <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/looking-for-perfect-woman-woman-robot.html"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="161" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxe5rF9_aI/AAAAAAAAHLw/AcDf7Dyj_Lc/image%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="67"></a>today with "disconnected people"...and it can happen to anyone...working too much and forgetting to take a break...I have been there and done that too...we need social interactions beyond the technical level...and if that doesn't work, well <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/looking-for-perfect-woman-woman-robot.html">I guess there's always one of these available</a></strong>...as of next month...BD   </p> <blockquote>It has been suggested that humans and other vertebrates live longer if they have more social interactions, and now this has been verified – in fruit flies.  However, Wu has studied several genes that influence lifespan in fruit flies, and not all of them can be overridden by social interaction, he says.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4939428&page=1">ABC News: Want to Live Longer? Get a Life!</a></p>

Want to Live Longer? Get a Life!

Ok, so now we are like a fruit fly...enough about mice and rats...the flies kept in the dark and separated from the others somewhat got dep...

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Big Pharma Pace of outsourcing accelerating

<p> <strong>Big Pharma is changing the way they do business....</strong>outsourcing is the name of the game for manufacturing...but this can be a tricky business as we all witnessed with the recent Heparin problem...and at some point in time the outsource may want to come in and deal directly...this goes on in every business that does private label manufacturing, but something new to big Pharma in a way...something they have not had to deal with up until now...so how does one handle the outsource company coming in for a lesser amount <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxc1rF9_YI/AAAAAAAAHLg/NKL8UblvqbE/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="158" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxc3bF9_ZI/AAAAAAAAHLo/KNISvxJMt2c/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="115"></a>of money?  <strong>Intellectual property is still alive and well, but as the world turns, that issue</strong> will tend to get tied up in our court systems for some time to come...what they are doing here is to change directions and invest in BioTech companies....but those also exist overseas as well....BD  </p> <blockquote> <p> <strong>Drugmakers are pulling out of manufacturing at an </strong><strong><a href="http://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/news/ng.asp?n=85511-ms">unprecedented rate</a></strong><strong>,</strong> according to a new report from IMS Health. Four of the top 10 pharma players announced big new outsourcing programs last year. That's evidence that pharma execs are thinking in vastly different ways from their predecessors, who believed R&D and manufacturing had to work hand-in-glove, and that the skills required to make drugs couldn't be found in emerging markets.</p> <p>The drug industry should also be mindful of lessons from other industries, such as electronics. For example, Taiwan's Acer was a contract manufacturer but eventually developed its own personal computer brands and started to compete with its former customers. <p><strong>"<em>Co</em><em>ntract manufacturers can turn the tables</em>,"</strong> says IMS, noting that concerns about intellectual property protection as complex manufacturing and processing information is signed over to third-parties has receded but<strong> "<em>could well come back to haunt major pharmaceutical companies as the true cost and complexity of manufacturing becomes transparent.</em>"</strong> <p><a href="http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/pace-outsourcing-accelerating-ims-says/2008-05-27">IMS: Pace of outsourcing accelerating - FiercePharma</a></p></blockquote>

Big Pharma Pace of outsourcing accelerating

  Big Pharma is changing the way they do business.... outsourcing is the name of the game for manufacturing...but this can be a tricky busin...

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Information tech for health care - Commentary

<p><em>"U.S. health care is sick. If it's to get better, it needs health IT. It is just what the doctor ordered."....Yet many still hang on to the old methodologies....</em><strong>good point about Amazon...they can remember your books, but how about having something more important like medical records remembered?...BD  </strong> <blockquote> <p>At a recent doctor appointment, a friend of mine who is about to turn 80 handed the clipboard right back to the receptionist, when asked to "update their records."<strong> She exclaimed in annoyance that they should already have all that information, as she had been seeing that doctor for more than four years. </strong> <p>This was her rebellion at being asked to once again retrieve from her failing memory details about insurance, prescriptions, scans, tests, surgeries and more. <strong>If amazon.com can remember what books you ordered over the last three years, why can't your doctor's computer remind him what drugs you're taking</strong> and determine if there is a potentially dangerous combination?</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/may/27/information-tech-for-health-care/">The Washington Times COMMENTARY: Information tech for health care</a></p>

Information tech for health care - Commentary

"U.S. health care is sick. If it's to get better, it needs health IT. It is just what the doctor ordered."....Yet many still h...

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Takeda gains RNAi tech with $1B Alnylam deal

<p> Japanese pharma company...ready to provide generics as expiring patient dates arrive...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Takeda's quest to expand in the U.S. market--and off-set expiring patents on big drugs--continues. The Japanese company announced today a $1 billion alliance with RNAi company Alnylam. The deal covers RNAi therapeutics in the fields of oncology and metabolic disease with the option to expand to additional therapeutic areas in the future. Alnylam gets $100 million in up-front and additional $50 million in near-term technology transfer payments.</p> <p><a href="http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/takeda-gains-rnai-tech-with-1b-alnylam-deal/2008-05-27?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FB0">Takeda gains RNAi tech with $1B Alnylam deal - FierceBiotech</a></p></blockquote>

Takeda gains RNAi tech with $1B Alnylam deal

Japanese pharma company...ready to provide generics as expiring patient dates arrive...BD  Takeda's quest to expand in the U.S. marke...

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The "Fat" Ranch - Inpatient care for Eating Disorders...

<p> Inpatient service to work on eating disorders...you get a Psychiatric and Primary Care Provider, A dietician...and more...and when you are done you can return to normal family life and live a healthier productive life...accredited by JCAHO and licensed by the State of Arizona...but so far only women are treated for Anorexia and Bulimia...and if you relapse, you can go back....BD  </p> <blockquote>PHOENIX, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders (<a href="http://www.remudaranch.com"><strong>http://www.remudaranch.com</strong></a><strong>),</strong> the nation's leading and largest inpatient treatment center for women and girls suffering from eating disorders, has published Eating Disorders: A Handbook of Christian Treatment, a <a href="http://www.remudaranch.com/general/information/index.php"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="280" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxUcLF9_XI/AAAAAAAAHLY/_a_Mgyk_b8w/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="342"></a> comprehensive guide to the mysterious world of eating disorders. The handbook explains eating disorders, along with proper assessment and intervention, across the bio-psycho-social-spiritual continuum. It was written by a multidisciplinary team to be of value to a broad range of healthcare and pastoral professionals, practitioners, educators and students. The handbook offers state-of-the-art, scientifically valid knowledge of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, integrated carefully with non-denominational Christianity.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.mworld.com/m/m.w?lp=GetStory&id=308215981">Macro*World Investor</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:0bb4d42f-e694-4e6b-9973-690413aa5a51" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Eating%20Disorders" rel="tag">Eating Disorders</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Anorexia" rel="tag">Anorexia</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Bulimia" rel="tag">Bulimia</a></div>

The "Fat" Ranch - Inpatient care for Eating Disorders...

Inpatient service to work on eating disorders...you get a Psychiatric and Primary Care Provider, A dietician...and more...and when you are ...

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A bumpy ride ahead for the hospitalist movement?

<p> Good article addressing some insight on the plight of the hospitalist...will they become employees and where will the compensation lie in the future...right now they are capitalizing on physicians "fleeing the building"...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>The other answer was more down to earth:<strong> the bubble will burst the morning CEOs wake up and realize that there is no longer a <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxSEbF9_VI/AAAAAAAAHLI/Z8VgpxF4Qos/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="137" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxSGLF9_WI/AAAAAAAAHLQ/EnjBpQEh0rY/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="133"></a> shortage of hospitalists.</strong> Don’t expect that to happen for decade or so according to the panel. One thing we can all agree on---it’ll be a bumpy ride.</p> <p><em><strong>So the latest buzz seems to be that hospitalists will take advantage of the fact that other doctors are fleeing the building faster than you can say “</strong></em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Blue#Code_Brown"><em><strong>code brown</strong></em></a><em><strong>”.</strong></em></p> <p>Attempt to "improve' PPS further by including inpatient physician services within DRG payments to hospitals. "It will be the responsibility of the hospitals and the physicians providing the care to allocate the payment.  'Thank goodness it died. But if after 24 years it’s resurrected hospitalists will finally be employees in every since of the word. Tension between white coats and suits will mount. Does it mean the bubble of increasing hospitalist salaries will burst? </p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://doctorrw.blogspot.com/2008/05/bumpy-ride-ahead-for-hospitalist.html">Notes from Dr. RW: A bumpy ride ahead for the hospitalist movement?</a> </p> <p>Hat Tip:  <a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/05/hospitalist-bubble.html">Kevin, MD</a></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:fd77edff-44c3-49a6-8272-614debb4ae29" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hospitalist" rel="tag">Hospitalist</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CEO" rel="tag">CEO</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hospital" rel="tag">Hospital</a></div>

A bumpy ride ahead for the hospitalist movement?

Good article addressing some insight on the plight of the hospitalist...will they become employees and where will the compensation lie in t...

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Athletes Rely on Gold Medal Science - Goes Hi Tech

<p> How scientific has competing in the Olympics become...very....training centers that use state of the art  equipment...with world class doctors and trainers....there has been discussion over this in the past with athletes being selected on the DNA make up...it can get right down to the the needed power stroke to wine the boating/rowing competition...analyze, analyze and analyze one more time....BD</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxOWrF9_TI/AAAAAAAAHK4/GYLJznP3gmc/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="151" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxOX7F9_UI/AAAAAAAAHLA/pf_8EOXIwws/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="143"></a> "We know more about the human body, we know more about how to train -- when to put a stress on the training sessions, when to pull it back and let them recover," Ingram said. <strong>"The great coaches know exactly how much stress and pressure to apply." </strong> <p>Given the pressures of performing one's best on race day, mental analysis is part of that assessment, thanks to the rise of sports psychology. At Northern Arizona University's Center for High Altitude Training in Flagstaff, <strong>runners receive analyses of what their foot posture and gait mean for their performance."</strong>  <em>The big advantage for us is that we have<strong> 16 cameras between two gyms and are able to record from so many angles,"</strong> said Ron Brandt, men's senior gymnastics coordinator in an August statement announcing the technology.</em></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=4937903&page=3">ABC News: Athletes Rely on Gold Medal Science</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:0c58c759-1ef7-4b5c-9673-f4cb3545672e" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Olympics" rel="tag">Olympics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hi%20Tech%20Training" rel="tag">Hi Tech Training</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Performance" rel="tag">Performance</a></div>

Athletes Rely on Gold Medal Science - Goes Hi Tech

How scientific has competing in the Olympics become...very....training centers that use state of the art  equipment...with world class doct...

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FTC Report on Generic Drug Deals

<p><strong> "Pay for Delay Settlements" continue...</strong>good news for big pharma, but not so good news for consumers...there is proposed legislation to ban such agreements...interesting fact stated here as well...<strong>this year the FDA has been to the hill no less than 10 appearances</strong>...in 2006 they only appeared 12 times...going to be a busy year at the hill for the FDA...big pharma perhaps looking to buy additional generic firms?  How will the FTC and FDA work together may end up having a Congressional review and hearing...BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxK_7F9_RI/AAAAAAAAHKo/VxEXuTlH94E/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="128" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxLBLF9_SI/AAAAAAAAHKw/cbhrgNhbZ58/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="138"></a> The subject of the <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/05/mmaact.pdf">report</a> are agreements between brand name and generic manufacturers to delay the entry of generics to the market.  Quoting the release, "In fiscal year 2007, there were 33 final settlements, nearly half of which (14, or 42%) included both compensation to the generic company and a restriction on the generic’s ability to market its product. Of those 14 settlements, seventy-nine percent involved agreements with first-filer generic companies. Unlike FY 2006, however, most of the FY 2007 agreements involving restrictions on generic entry did not include a side deal involving elements not directly related to the resolution of the patent dispute. Instead, the majority involved compensation to the generic firm through an agreement by the branded firm not to sponsor or compete with an authorized generic product for some period of time. "</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.eyeonfda.com/eye_on_fda/2008/05/ftc-report-on-g.html">Eye on FDA: FTC Report on Generic Drug Deals</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:83b325af-ef9b-4712-b0b8-8840c6e1a001" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FDA" rel="tag">FDA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Congressional%20Hearing" rel="tag">Congressional Hearing</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Generic%20Drugs" rel="tag">Generic Drugs</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pharma" rel="tag">Pharma</a></div>

FTC Report on Generic Drug Deals

"Pay for Delay Settlements" continue... good news for big pharma, but not so good news for consumers...there is proposed legislat...

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Silverlight Training Videos

<p> <strong>Hard Hat Areas : Developers...</strong>Great tip from Sarah at Channel 10, a nice new site to explain the controls used in Silverlight...I just liked watching the overall <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxJJ7F9_PI/AAAAAAAAHKY/pcM_li56ewE/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="222" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxJL7F9_QI/AAAAAAAAHKg/Cc1yQgzE79I/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="306"></a> presentation...reason for mentioning this relates back to the recent development of the <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/search?q=silverlight"><strong>Common User Interface</strong></a> for health records being developed by Microsoft and working the the NHS in the UK...in case you missed it, here's the You Tube video from a prior post below...BD  </p> <blockquote>The website, created by <a href="http://mtaulty.com/communityserver/blogs/mike_taultys_blog/default.aspx">Mike Taulty</a> and <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/mikeormond/">Mike Ormond</a>, is <a href="http://www.silverlightscreencasts.com"><strong>http://www.silverlightscreencasts.com</strong></a> and there you will <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:b46a9699-c52c-4f50-a597-2023636010e6" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: right; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 226px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="189" width="226"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eJALVQo-HyM&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eJALVQo-HyM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="226" height="189"></embed></object></div></div>find 50 free videos that cover all things Silverlight from layout and controls to data binding and styling, and much more. There are even some great tips and tricks that go beyond what you'll find in the documentation. Of course, you'll need Silverlight 2 to view these.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://on10.net/blogs/sarahintampa/Silverlight-Training-Videos/">Silverlight Training Videos | Sarah In Tampa | Channel 10</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:29e1cd58-0048-4a40-90b4-6088ad7270d7" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Silverlight" rel="tag">Silverlight</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical%20Records" rel="tag">Medical Records</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Developers" rel="tag">Developers</a></div>

Silverlight Training Videos

  Hard Hat Areas : Developers... Great tip from Sarah at Channel 10, a nice new site to explain the controls used in Silverlight...I just li...

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Hospital inadvertently puts records of 6300 patients on the Internet, error with vendor to create a fundraiser event...

<p> <strong>Security Breach Story of the Week.....</strong>One third of the nations hospitals are operating in the red...fundraising is becoming increasingly important...it is part of today's culture...some hospitals are not asking as they say it's too hard to track...maybe we need a software update here...there are a couple of issues with this security breach<strong>...number one <u>why did the hospital not anonymize  the information....</u>and second of all, what <u>was up with the vendor they contracted with as they sign a HIPAA agreement in order to do business</u>...2 areas where big red flags were missed...overall 6300 records were posted on the Internet for the sake of fundraising...the hospital shared the information with a vendor that searches data bases to find potential "wealthy" donors...Fundraising is wonderful, but do it right</strong>....for everyone's sake..and when fund raisers are successful, maybe the hospitals might invest a little in Health IT...still are many at the top of the command change that don't understand the process<strong>....BD</strong>  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxE9bF9_NI/AAAAAAAAHKI/wy3iLJqMqaw/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="123" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxE-bF9_OI/AAAAAAAAHKQ/2CRKrPriRyw/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" width="166"></a> </p> <blockquote> <p>Fundraising efforts by UCSF led to a recent privacy breach involving more than 6,300 patients whose names and other information were inadvertently posted on the Internet - <strong>the institution had shared patient information with a vendor that searches databases to find wealthy potential donors.</strong> <p>Mark Laret, chief executive of the UCSF Medical Center, in an interview with The Chronicle, called the breach a "serious problem." In its wake, fundraising practices are being re-examined, he said.  In the UCSF breach, the names of the patients and the medical departments where they were treated were shared with the vendor and exposed on the Internet along with the patients' medical record numbers. <p>The information provided to the vendor exceeded what is permitted by federal law, which allows only patient "demographic information," including name, address and dates of medical <strong>care</strong>, to be used for fundraising purposes without specific patient consent.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/27/MNPO10NRCR.DTL&hw=health+care&sn=010&sc=541">Hospitals, patients clash on privacy rights</a> </p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:104ab120-b30d-4c29-a101-22d5c39a3ca1" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hospital" rel="tag">Hospital</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Privacy" rel="tag">Privacy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HIPAA" rel="tag">HIPAA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/San%20Francisco" rel="tag">San Francisco</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Medical%20Records" rel="tag">Medical Records</a></div>

Hospital inadvertently puts records of 6300 patients on the Internet, error with vendor to create a fundraiser event...

  Security Breach Story of the Week..... One third of the nations hospitals are operating in the red...fundraising is becoming increasingly ...

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Looking for the perfect woman? The 'perfect woman' robot launches June 11th!

<p> <strong>Perfect for the "detached male' in today's society</strong>...the robot can cook, go shopping, do chores, give massages and dress and recharge herself automatically...they gave her an <strong>IQ of 130...now wait a minute...why only 130....</strong>well maybe <strong>the male <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxAc7F9_LI/AAAAAAAAHJ4/gvnHdOJiB3U/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="157" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SDxAd7F9_MI/AAAAAAAAHKA/wu7QOnvbr6c/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" width="178"></a> gender doesn't want a robot that is too smart...</strong>cameras in the eyes...so when is the male version due to help out the "disconnected females" in society...well you might guess that could be in the works...<strong>I'll have one with an IQ of less than 130....(</strong>grin)...the company expects sales to skyrocket...and the robot will learn as she goes along...but what happens when you need tech support...<strong>call a human, reboot, or what if the sensors get crossed...well I guess this one remains to be seen</strong>.....no mention of the price...but I can guess it won't be cheap...<strong>oh gosh the days of real human intervention and compassion are at risk of being replaced with electronic sensors...BD  </strong></p> <blockquote> <p></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:437444e6-0954-4f10-96d9-43b11b7d4af7" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: right; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 249px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object height="207" width="249"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i2wYWAlg8Do&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i2wYWAlg8Do&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="249" height="207"></embed></object></div></div>Meet the 'perfect woman'. As of June the 11th, you'll be able to order your very own Angelina, Gwyneth and err, Julie Andrews. The company AI Robotics has created the most superior robot to date (pardon the pun), which can cook meals for you, go shopping, do the housework and even given 'massages'. <p>In addition to that, she can hold a conversation just like any other woman (well, most), and can entertain you with topics including music, culture and world travel. Just like the UGOBE Pleo, her skin contains thousands of sensors, her eyes have integrated cameras, and she even has inbuilt Wi-Fi!</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://techdigest.tv/2008/05/looking_for_the_1.html">Tech Digest: Looking for the perfect woman? The 'perfect woman' robot launches June 11th!</a> </p> <p><a href="http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/05/27/perfect-woman-will-be-available-june-11/">http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/05/27/perfect-woman-will-be-available-june-11/</a></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:7602f290-c335-4571-83a7-062e8cdc79ee" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Robotics" rel="tag">Robotics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Perfect%20Woman" rel="tag">Perfect Woman</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Technology" rel="tag">Technology</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Health%20IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a></div>

Looking for the perfect woman? The 'perfect woman' robot launches June 11th!

  Perfect for the "detached male' in today's society ...the robot can cook, go shopping, do chores, give massages and dress and...

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