Teva gets FDA Approval for Breast Cancer Drug Arimidex – First US FDA Approved Generic

<p> Most individuals who have searched to find a generic drug have had to go to Canada and outside the US for this drug that is used for treating breast cancer so this is good news with an affordable alternative.  BD  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TClK7gpzwpI/AAAAAAAAfMk/mEmSVFG7Vag/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="61" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TClK8TxRFZI/AAAAAAAAfMo/V1_zXGFc6QI/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="134" /></a></p> <blockquote> <p>Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Monday the Food and Drug Administration approved its generic version of AstraZeneca's cancer treatment Arimidex. </p> <p>The drug, called Anastrozole tablets generically, treats certain forms of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Teva said Arimidex has annual U.S. sales of about $916.8 million.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GKF5Q00.htm">Teva gets FDA approval for generic cancer drug - BusinessWeek</a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:2ff42c04-bd5b-49da-9de3-5103b0e60ca6" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Anastrozole" rel="tag">Anastrozole</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Teva" rel="tag">Teva</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/breast+cancer" rel="tag">breast cancer</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/drugs" rel="tag">drugs</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/FDA" rel="tag">FDA</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Arimidex" rel="tag">Arimidex</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/generic+drugs" rel="tag">generic drugs</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/AstraZeneca'" rel="tag">AstraZeneca'</a></div>

Teva gets FDA Approval for Breast Cancer Drug Arimidex – First US FDA Approved Generic

Most individuals who have searched to find a generic drug have had to go to Canada and outside the US for this drug that is used for treati...

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Wall Street Hiring Continues to Grow While Hospitals and Other HealthCare Facilities Lay Off And/Or Are Purchased by Private Equity Firms To Create Better Profit Algorithms

It was just last week that I posted about Caritas hospitals in Massachusetts that was coming out of bankruptcy and basically was out of money and now are being purchased by a private equity firm, with an option of 25 million to lose their religion, in other words the cash buy out for moving the Catholic ethics from the chain.  The private equity firm is not even here in the US but rather in the UK.  <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjqq4T-AFI/AAAAAAAAfMY/VF-ryPdupE4/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png" linkindex="68"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjqrZieneI/AAAAAAAAfMc/EHdVWDC74C0/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border: 0px none; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="image" width="206" /></a><br /> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/private-equity-firms-and-hospital-buy.html" linkindex="69"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Private Equity Firms And Hospital Buy Outs – More Projected to Come Along And Payer Technology Firms Too</span></a> </h4><b>One more area of job creations is this “non profit” trade association in healthcare investments, created to talk about how to create “profits”.</b>  <br /> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-big-are-private-equity-investments.html" linkindex="70"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How Big Are Private Equity Investments in Healthcare – Large Enough to Create a “Non-Profit” Trade Association To Talk About How to “Profit”</span></a></h6>I wonder do the folks on Wall Street ever wonder who’s going to take care of them when they need healthcare and what is the quality they will receive?  Pretty soon the best that money can buy may not resemble what it is today as more facilities are turned into for profit organizations.  <br /> <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/prime-healthcare-settles-lawsuit-for-12.html" linkindex="71">In California we have several hospitals</a> that were purchased and turned into “for profit” hospitals and in comparison to what services they offered before, they are literally “ghost towns” here today with providing good ER room services as many of the other programs such as support groups for cancer victims and many more are out the window as they didn’t make a buck and it created huge balance due billing problems.  <br /> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/algorithms-of-wall-street-did-we-forget.html" linkindex="72"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Algorithms of Wall Street - Did We Forget How to Create Capital for Businesses</span></a></h4>Perhaps more jobs were needed to stay on top and advise on the stocks overseas, such as what is occurring in healthcare.  <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/unitedhealth-subsidiary-ingenix.html" linkindex="73">Health insurer United is right in there</a> too with their Chinese gateway company to bring Chinese drugs and medical devices to the US at cheaper prices to compete against US companies.  <br /> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/chinese-pharma-and-healthcare-stocks.html" linkindex="74"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chinese Pharma and Healthcare Stocks Growing As Drug and Device Companies Attract Investors From the US</span></a></h4>I am guessing hiring is up there as the next round of algorithms is focusing on global investments and what is left here in the US with healthcare entities struggling to stay alive will just be scooped up by one more investor group, and perhaps not even here in the US.  When you look at the money being offered here and and bragging rights while the rest of the US still struggles to create jobs, does any of this make sense?  BD    <br /> <blockquote>Firms are adding jobs for the first time in two years, rebuilding businesses cut during the financial crisis and offering guaranteed payouts to lure top bankers. In New York, 6,800 financial-industry positions were added from the end of February through May, the largest three-month increase since 2008, according to the <a href="http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/nyc/index.shtm" linkindex="75">New York State Department of Labor</a>. <br /> <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=MS:US" linkindex="76">Morgan Stanley</a> and Citigroup Inc. are among banks that are hiring to replenish their ranks, while <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=8604:JP" linkindex="77">Nomura Holdings Inc.</a> and <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=JEF:US" linkindex="78">Jefferies Group Inc.</a> have been recruiting talent from larger firms in a bid to increase their standing on Wall Street. <br /> Five of the largest banks on Wall Street -- Bank of America Corp., <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=JPM:US" linkindex="79">JPMorgan Chase & Co.</a>, Citigroup, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GS:US" linkindex="80">Goldman Sachs Group Inc.</a> and Morgan Stanley -- increased their total headcount in the first quarter, the first three-month jump since the start of 2009, when Bank of America <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=BAC:US" linkindex="81">purchased</a> Merrill Lynch & Co. <b>The five banks posted combined net income of $16.2 billion in the first quarter,</b> and three reported record fixed-income trading revenue. It was the highest combined profit for the banks since the second quarter of 2007.<br /> <b>Firms are paying 30 percent to 40 percent more than what employees are expecting to earn</b> to lure them from other banks this year, according to an April report from <a href="http://www.optionsgroup.com/" linkindex="82">Options Group</a>, a New York-based executive search and compensation consulting company. <b>Equity derivatives and commodities trading are two of the fastest-growing areas, the report said.</b><br /> The demand for investment bankers and traders has led some firms to offer pay packages as high as $8 million, including guaranteed bonuses, which are paid regardless of an employee’s or the company’s performance, recruiters said. That recalls Wall Street compensation practices before the credit crisis forced banks to cut more than 345,000 jobs worldwide.</blockquote><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-27/wall-street-hiring-increases-most-since-2008-as-guaranteed-bonuses-return.html" linkindex="83">Wall Street Hiring Jumps Most Since 2008 as Guarantees Return - Bloomberg</a><br /> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:5cef4e1a-8cb0-4ac1-b995-fe32a6e23635" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Wall+Street" linkindex="84" rel="tag">Wall Street</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Healthcare" linkindex="85" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/financial+reform" linkindex="86" rel="tag">financial reform</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/algorithms" linkindex="87" rel="tag">algorithms</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/investments" linkindex="88" rel="tag">investments</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/reality+check" linkindex="89" rel="tag">reality check</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/balance" linkindex="90" rel="tag">balance</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/private+equity" linkindex="91" rel="tag">private equity</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/captitalism" linkindex="92" rel="tag">captitalism</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/algoirthms" linkindex="93" rel="tag">algoirthms</a></div>

Wall Street Hiring Continues to Grow While Hospitals and Other HealthCare Facilities Lay Off And/Or Are Purchased by Private Equity Firms To Create Better Profit Algorithms

It was just last week that I posted about Caritas hospitals in Massachusetts that was coming out of bankruptcy and basically was out of mone...

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Hoag Hospital In Orange County HIE Technology Will Include Integration With Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health Personal Health Records

<p> Hoag Hospital in Orange County continues their hi tech efforts with bringing in personal health records in their expansion with medical record integration and <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjggCJwVYI/AAAAAAAAfME/wFj71To0Zf0/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="201" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjggl8JGvI/AAAAAAAAfMI/DAsVpLWVgXw/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="195" /></a>aggregation.  Those who live in Orange County have heard me state over and over to get started with a PHR and as you can see this is the way of the future.  Back in October Hoag began their new RFID process for keeping track of patients in the emergency room and you can read more at the link below.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/10/hoag-hospital-installs-hi-tech.html"><font size="2">Hoag Hospital Installs Hi-Tech Emergency Room Patient Tracking System – Orange County</font></a> </h4> <p>If you want to read up more about personal health records, <strong><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/search/label/Personal%20Health%20Records">I have an entire section on the blog</a></strong> that focuses heavily on both HealthVault and Google Health that explains how you can connect your labs, pharmacies, etc. and get your information into a PHR.  Below are the standing links on my blog that link you right to the websites to get started.  </p> <p><a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=health&nui=1&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhealth%2Fp%2F&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhealth%2Fp%2F&rm=hide"><img border="0" height="38" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SGRPjPR9NVI/AAAAAAAAH30/dA55nv_qrf4/googlehealth%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" width="95" /></a> <a href="http://www.healthvault.com/"><img border="0" height="40" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/DucknetServices/SM3q6TdZm-I/AAAAAAAAI90/u04OgRqDvPI/image%5B14%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" width="96" /></a></p> <p>At some point in time I almost wonder if hospitals will be assessing some type of administrative charge for those who show up with “no records”, it could happen in time.  Ask any emergency room doctor about records, they are indeed happy for any credible information that can be provided and it will lead to better care for consumers/patients and cut down on medical errors.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>SALT LAKE CITY - (Business Wire) <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoaghospital.org%2F&esheet=6341848&lan=en-US&anchor=Hoag+Memorial+Presbyterian+Hospital&index=1&md5=740acd18a2a55501eba852f6a6256fb9">Hoag Memorial Presbyterian Hospital</a>, Newport Beach, California, has selected <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfosite.medicity.com%2FIndex.htm&esheet=6341848&lan=en-US&anchor=Medicity%2C+Inc.&index=2&md5=4b8eef9f129f1decbdfe0a503f59b9ed">Medicity, Inc.</a> as its partner to build a secure community-wide health information exchange (HIE). </p> <p>”This new partnership continues Hoag’s long-term commitment to provide exceptional care to the communities we serve,” stated Tim Moore, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Hoag Hospital. “We wish to maximize the community’s health care experience through a streamlined continuum of services.” <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjghBveIQI/AAAAAAAAfMM/twLy9ZaTNl8/s1600-h/image%5B7%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="175" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjghmRGCjI/AAAAAAAAfMQ/3ZPNbx-xTXY/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a> </p> <p>Hoag Hospital will deploy Medicity’s full suite of <a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/tag/technology.html">technology</a> services – including <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfosite.medicity.com%2FProducts%2FForHIOS_HIES%2FApplicationsAndModules%2FProAccess_Community.aspx&esheet=6341848&lan=en-US&anchor=ProAccess+Community&index=3&md5=1ba55b022e20e1f1d2ad6735299b3370">ProAccess Community</a>, <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfosite.medicity.com%2FProducts%2FForHIOS_HIES%2FMediTrustCloudServices%2F&esheet=6341848&lan=en-US&anchor=MediTrust+Cloud+Services&index=4&md5=a1715d4ba98b14f1db486182f02a237d">MediTrust Cloud Services</a> and the <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfosite.medicity.com%2FProducts%2FForHIOS_HIES%2FNovo_Grid.aspx&esheet=6341848&lan=en-US&anchor=Novo+Grid&index=5&md5=730210c5b3d5a1a15986c6efb138d6bb">Novo Grid</a> – to provide an always-available electronic health record that includes both clinical and administrative data for its <a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/tag/physician.html">physician</a> population, health plans, <a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/tag/business.html">business</a> partners and patients. Medicity’s technology solutions will meet the varied needs of Hoag’s partners throughout the community. </p> <p>As participants come online and the HIE grows from the bottom up, the HIE infrastructure will be expanded to provide more services to the community. <strong>This includes aggregating and staging data, implementing identity management services, establishing a longitudinal community health record and registries</strong> for information access and analysis, and creating gateway services to other care providers within the community. </p> <p><strong>The HIE will also include extensive patient engagement, allowing for, among other things, integration with personal health record applications such as Google Health and </strong><a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/tag/Microsoft.html"><strong>Microsoft</strong></a><strong> HealthVault. </strong></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/continuing-its-commitment-community,1361598.html">Hoag Hospital Partners with Medicity, Continuing Its Commitment to the Community | Earth Times News</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:780fa5a8-32fc-4d63-8c3f-345a3f19c890" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Hoag+Hospital" rel="tag">Hoag Hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Orange+County" rel="tag">Orange County</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/PHR" rel="tag">PHR</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/personal+health+records" rel="tag">personal health records</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/HIE" rel="tag">HIE</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/technology" rel="tag">technology</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/data" rel="tag">data</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/patients" rel="tag">patients</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/hospital" rel="tag">hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/aggregation" rel="tag">aggregation</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/HealthVault" rel="tag">HealthVault</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/GoogleHealth" rel="tag">GoogleHealth</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/integration" rel="tag">integration</a></div>

Hoag Hospital In Orange County HIE Technology Will Include Integration With Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health Personal Health Records

Hoag Hospital in Orange County continues their hi tech efforts with bringing in personal health records in their expansion with medical rec...

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Robert Byrd Senator From West Virginia Passes Away at 92 – Served Longer Than Any Other Member of Congress

<p> At age 92 and still a member of Congress is amazing in itself and being bound to a wheel chair his last years.  Being a senior today is indeed stressful and being a member of Congress, I would guess even more stressful.  The other senator from West Virginia, Senator Rockefeller has also been very involved in healthcare reform <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjW2zeflUI/AAAAAAAAfL4/3R8c5yWOqvo/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="157" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCjW3S5IPxI/AAAAAAAAfL8/uhTXi5VtpXA/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="146" /></a>with calling insurance companies to the carpet on their business practices.   </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/03/ingenix-inquisition-hearing-requested.html"><font size="2">The Ingenix Inquisition – Hearing Requested by Senator Rockefeller</font></a></h4> <p>You can read the entire article here at the link below which is a nice summary of the history of the senator in his years in Congress.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Robert Carlyle Byrd, the West Virginia Democrat who was often called this generation's conscience of the Senate for his devotion to the system of constitutional checks and balances and the prerogatives of power, died Monday. He was 92. <br />Byrd, who served longer than any member of Congress in U.S. history and cast more congressional votes than anyone since taking office in January 1959, died at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va., a spokesman for the family said.</p> <p><strong>He was admitted to a Washington-area hospital late last week suffering from what a spokesman said was believed to be heat exhaustion and severe dehydration as a result of the high temperatures in the capital.</strong></p> <p>In 2006 he was reelected to an unprecedented ninth term in the Senate, winning 64% of the vote.</p> <p>In his later years, beset by health problems and mourning the loss of his wife Emma in March 2006 after 69 years of marriage, Byrd grew more publicly emotional. He cried on the Senate floor at the news that Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. When Kennedy suffered a seizure in Obama's post-inauguration lunch on Capitol Hill, Byrd was so upset that he too was taken out of the event in a wheelchair. <br />And he all but monopolized a hearing on tainted pet food from China, rhapsodizing over his Shih Tzu. So poignant were his outbursts that Democratic colleagues discussed — but did not implement — a plan making Byrd the emeritus chairman and naming Washington's Patty Murray the "acting chairwoman."</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-me-byrd-20100628,0,2531885.story">Senator Byrd: Robert Byrd, West Virginia lawmaker, dies at 92 - latimes.com</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:72f5b048-6a26-46d6-a9a4-3ede1271ca35" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Robert+Byrd" rel="tag">Robert Byrd</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/West+Virginia" rel="tag">West Virginia</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare+reform" rel="tag">healthcare reform</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Senate" rel="tag">Senate</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Congress" rel="tag">Congress</a></div>

Robert Byrd Senator From West Virginia Passes Away at 92 – Served Longer Than Any Other Member of Congress

At age 92 and still a member of Congress is amazing in itself and being bound to a wheel chair his last years.  Being a senior today is ind...

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Microsoft Talks About Healthcare Provider Solutions – Interview With US Director Chris Sullivan

<p>I recently had the opportunity to spend some time discussing with <b>Chris Sullivan, National Director, Health Provider Solutions, Microsoft Health & Life Sciences,</b> the company’s support and solutions for small physician practices and hospitals.  Electronic medical records and Health IT is foremost on everyone’s agenda today and <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxQN2pfCI/AAAAAAAAfJU/UKAUr_pMitI/s1600-h/image3.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="144" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxROw0b0I/AAAAAAAAfJY/srfihyF9LiM/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image" width="148" /></a>Chris provided information on where Microsoft focuses and the many solutions they provide and support.  </p> <p>Last year I talked with <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/05/deep-dive-into-microsoft-life-sciences.html">Michael Naimoli Industry Solutions Director for Microsoft’s U.S. Health & Life Sciences Group</a>, and today we are looking at one of Chris’ areas of responsibility with both hospitals and physician practices relative to product support and offerings from Microsoft. Chris has been in his current position for 4 years and has 15 years with Microsoft all together which tells me there’s a lot of information available to share.   </p> <p>(Over the past 3 years I have several articles that reference some of the technologies Chris and I spoke about today and you can do a simple search to locate some past articles.)</p> <p><b><i>I asked Chris what types of solutions are available for the small practices and what methodologies and services does Microsoft promote?</i></b></p> <p>There are a number of areas where Microsoft can work with small healthcare practices, and one area in particular that clinicians are particularly familiar with is <b>Microsoft Office</b> just simply due to the fact that it has existed for many years as one of our flagship products.<b> </b>Even if a physician has an electronic medical records system in place, chances are that they’re using additional software from Microsoft Office for either support or to complement the existing EMR software.</p> <p><b>Microsoft Office</b> has been around for a number of years and the physician’s familiarity with both <b>Outlook and Word</b> makes for a good starting ground. In addition, many electronic medical record vendors store all their data in Microsoft SQL server, so there’s a good chance that when the practice purchased an electronic medical records system, they may have already invested in <b>software that is using Microsoft technology. </b></p> <p>Microsoft Small Business Server is another great starting place for a small practice as it offers Outlook Exchange and other software to connect to back end storage data on a network. It is less expensive than purchasing Server 2008 <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/sqlazure/datasync/"></a>and has some built-in efficiencies that help make configuring and setting up a bit easier too.  </p> <p><b><i>If a provider office was just looking to purchase a medical records system, would they need a server within the office network?</i></b></p> <p>Great question, as depending on what configurations the practice may be looking at today, they might benefit from web-based services in the “cloud.” In other words, using the web to store records. As you read in the news today, moving to the “cloud”<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/"></a> is becoming a real focus with Web services and storing information in data centers.  On the other hand, practices are looking for “hybrid” solutions. <b>Microsoft Office</b> is exactly that <a href="http://www.officelive.com/en-us/free-website"><img align="right" alt="image52" border="0" height="104" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxRoCex-I/AAAAAAAAfJc/Xq2bmf58Cmc/image524.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image52" width="174" /></a>with <b>Office Live</b> offering several features that would be desirable for a small practice. With <b><a href="http://www.officelive.com/en-us/free-website">Office Live Small Business,</a></b> it’s <a href="http://www.officelive.com/en-us/free-website"></a><a href="http://www.officelive.com/en-us/free-website"></a>fairly simple to get started with email, a small SharePoint Server and secured sharing of documents. This is a solution for those small practices who do not want to maintain a server in the office. It provides a website application that is easy enough to set up and maintain, and a control panel manages permissions for the users. If you have a current web page domain, you can move it on over. </p> <p>In addition to the web services of <b>Office Live,</b> mail and documents also <b>connect easily with desktop Office installations</b>, so this offers the best of both worlds with users having the option of access via the web or through the familiar Microsoft Office desktop software. This is a great value and additional storage space is available by monthly subscription for SharePoint services and a few additional web-based application services.    </p> <p>One item we also emphasize with physicians today is <b>the importance of having a “web presence,”</b> not only as an information showcase, but <b>how to make that website work for the doctors and the practice.</b> <b>Office Live</b> offers simplicity here with the ability to get set up and running quickly without the need for extensive programming and a lot of IT support.  </p> <p>We are really focused on <b>reaching out to involve the practice, from the physicians to the patients,</b> in all aspects whether record keeping or making communication simple and effective.  </p> <p>(I use Office Live myself and have recommended it to small practices.)</p> <p><b><i>There are many small practices in the US and those needing help and assistance, how does Microsoft reach to all of them? </i></b></p> <p>That is a good question and what we do at Microsoft is use a network of “Partners” that develop and market our products. Our <b>Partner Network</b> is very active and through this network small practices are able to learn and purchase products that they can use with Microsoft technologies.  For instance, in <a href="http://www.glostream.com/"><img align="right" alt="image7[1]" border="0" height="32" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxR_cVI2I/AAAAAAAAfJg/gKt_s8Iayuo/image715.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image7[1]" width="96" /></a>the electronic medical records area we have several that work with us. One particular EHR vendor that comes to mind is <b><a href="http://www.glostream.com/">GloStream</a>,</b> and the reason for the mention here is their product has a very familiar interface. GloStream <b>has used the Microsoft Office platform</b> to bring a sense of familiarity to their records system. I feel that this is a key factor to adaptation as their model presents a smaller learning curve due to the fact that many physicians are already familiar with Microsoft Office. Recently in the news <a href="http://www.wwj.com/pages/6478758.php?">GloStream also announced</a> their integration with Microsoft Office 2010.<a href="http://www.glostream.com/"></a><a href="http://www.glostream.com/"></a></p> <p>In addition to our current partners, Microsoft also has a site called <b>BizSpark </b>whereby software companies can get started and connected with investors to fund and continue development of products. <b>GloStream EHR</b> was accepted in 2009 to the <b><a href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/Blogs/rodney_bowen-wright/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=132">Microsoft Startup Accelerator</a></b> program. There have been many others in healthcare featured here and they too have had the ability to get their solutions to market.  <a href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/Blogs/rodney_bowen-wright/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=132"></a><a href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/Blogs/rodney_bowen-wright/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=132"></a></p> <p>(Back in July of 2009 I did a post relative to <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/07/emr-medical-records-solution-created.html">GloStream and Microsoft Office</a> and you can view more information to get an idea as to how it works.)</p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/11/microsoft-bizspark-free-help-software.html">Microsoft BizSpark – Free help, Software, Venture Capitalists and Angel Connections</a> <a href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/Blogs/rodney_bowen-wright/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=132"><img align="right" alt="image6" border="0" height="42" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxSMa1zgI/AAAAAAAAfJk/R9SD5mdATZs/image66.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image6" width="278" /></a></p> <p><b><i>With reference to electronic medical record vendors, are there other partners who take advantage of Microsoft Office?</i></b></p> <p>There certainly are many additional Partners who use Microsoft Word as an enhancement to their medical records programs, companies like <strong>e-Clinical Works, NextGen, and E-MDs are a few vendors that come to mind.</strong> These partners have been around for quite a while and use Word templates and documents to enhance their offerings. Some Partners also integrate and/or create connections with Outlook to enable a familiar process for sending and receiving email within their software. Outlook has been a business/enterprise standard for years.  </p> <p><strong>CRM (customer relations management) software is also playing an important role today with healthcare.</strong> <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/en/us/industries/healthcare.aspx">Microsoft Dynamics</a> is our own CRM software and Microsoft has a version that is specific for use in healthcare. Once more we leverage the strength of our Partners to help create CRM solutions for both small providers and larger institutions such as hospitals. CRM adds the finishing touch to follow up and email communications in healthcare with added automation and thus less time spent by staff members trying to manually keep up with today’s demands with effective patient communication.  </p> <p>In meeting with and talking to small practices, we like to emphasize the importance of understanding <strong>the need to upgrade or buy new IT resources</strong> when needed, as Health IT is continuing to evolve today at a rapid pace. One of our <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcsw409/microsoft-dynamics-crm-for-healthcare-1413666">Partners put together a slide show</a> which can be viewed that describes the use and benefits of CRM in healthcare today. In addition to our own CRM software <b>there are a number of other CRM software companies that also use Microsoft Office as either a platform or an embedded solution. </b>Again, these products make the transition and learning curve a lot easier for physicians as they have likely used and are familiar with the Microsoft interface either through use at the office or at home, too.  </p> <p>   <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/amcsw409/microsoft-dynamics-crm-for-healthcare-1413666"><img alt="image22" border="0" height="183" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxSvgYbmI/AAAAAAAAfJo/KbE1rsxwmhs/image223.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image22" width="240" /></a> </p> <p><b><i>Now that we have talked a bit about some of the offerings and benefits for the small practice, does your division also communicate and work with connecting hospitals as well?  I know Microsoft has their own healthcare products such as Amalga for hospitals and HealthVault for the consumer PHR, so can you tell me how your own in-house products fit into the scenario?</i></b></p> <p>I know you cover a lot of this information in your blog, being a regular reader here, and yes this is another full focus area for our division. Actually, we always talk about healthcare somewhat being behind in many areas of IT, but I feel this area is where healthcare is actually ahead of the pack in many respects. Hospitals are taking an active role in promoting physician connectivity and sharing records to provide a more comprehensive experience for everyone across the ecosystem, including the physician practice and the patient. I remember you covered this quite a bit through your conversation last year with <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/02/steve-shihadeh-vp-microsoft-health.html">Steve Shihadeh, VP Microsoft Health Solutions Group</a>.</p> <p><strong>We see hospitals as key stake holders in the business of Health IT.</strong> One example is <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/12/st-joseph-to-subsidize-physicians-with.html">St. Josephs Hospital,</a> who was an early adaptor of the Microsoft Amalga UIS platform and data services.  They are working with <a href="http://www.allscripts.com/">Allscripts</a> to help subsidize the cost of electronic medical records for the physicians who are on staff and making <a href="file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\mcdonalda\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\AppData\Local\Temp\WindowsLiveWriter-429641856\supfiles6D036B\image%5b41%5d.png"></a><a href="file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\mcdonalda\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\AppData\Local\Temp\WindowsLiveWriter-429641856\supfiles6D036B\image%5b41%5d.png"></a>the purchasing process a little less expensive for their doctors.   <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxTFTMzjI/AAAAAAAAfJs/ZG68T2JmDuQ/image411.png?imgmax=800"><img align="right" alt="image_thumb21[4]" border="0" height="55" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxTY-clHI/AAAAAAAAfJw/gZB1p5J7lYc/image_thumb2143.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image_thumb21[4]" width="126" /></a></p> <p>For more insight on aggregation and <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/amalga/products/microsoft-amalga-uis/default.mspx">Microsoft Amalga Unified Intelligence System</a> we have compiled some information that helps explain the entire process of connecting hospitals, doctors and patients. With aggregating patient information between hospitals and having it available immediately when the patient needs treatment, there’s no comparison to old paper methodologies when it comes to providing better care. The information is readily available at the emergency rooms and in other areas of the hospitals. When you stop and think how long it would take for healthcare facilities to request and receive faxed information, this is a long and tedious process and it can take time away from staff members who have other areas of responsibility to manage.  As for savings realized with Health IT, this is one of the areas although <strong>an exact dollar sign is hard to assign as every situation is different.</strong> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxT4VLrWI/AAAAAAAAfJ0/e2k-xm0jclM/s1600-h/image31.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="162" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxUUHzhJI/AAAAAAAAfJ4/GW7MVhDkyg4/image_thumb17.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" width="240" /></a> </p> <p>Getting back to utilizing Microsoft Office services and platforms, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000007023">today we published a case study</a> on the use of Business Intelligence through leveraging several of our technologies to include SharePoint Server, SQL Server 2008, Excel, and Office 2010 in the Boston area.  <b>CareGroup Healthcare,</b> which includes Harvard teaching hospital Beth Israel Deaconess-Harvard Medical, is a long time user of SQL server and is now realizing some great results with using Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Microsoft Excel.  </p> <p><i>“With SharePoint Server 2010, the CareGroup IT staff will be able to track usage of reports, enforce security policies for sensitive information, conduct audits, and monitor network performance when intranet-based analysis is refreshed with new information from CareGroup databases.”</i></p> <p><b><i>So far we have talked about small practices and hospitals, so how does all the information help the patient, as they are the intricate part of the entire solution, in other words nothing else gets set in motion without having a patient, correct?  </i></b></p> <p><b><i>My mother is 85 years old and is able to reference and add information to her HealthVault account and thus I like to use her as a reference as far as the consumer side as if she can work with it, that leaves a lot of room for more to participate. As her daughter I am glad that we are able to store her information as I have it available to me without having to dig through a box of paper files, and the fact that she lives in a different state would make this almost impossible for me.  How does a hospital connect and work with information flow for the patients?  </i></b></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxUwa1eqI/AAAAAAAAfJ8/JJcFj3mm29k/s1600-h/image38.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="67" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxVLv9LQI/AAAAAAAAfKA/VryVuVLqbms/image_thumb20.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image" width="157" /></a>You are right with involving the patient – whether it’s coming from the physicians practice or the hospital – and this is definitely another focal point for our division. <b>HealthVault as the “platform”</b> used to facilitate and make <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hsg/health-vault-communityconnect/"></a>information available to the most important part of this chain of information, the patient.  I know you have several articles on the blog here about the consumer side of HealthVault. <b><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hsg/health-vault-communityconnect/">HealthVault Community Connect</a></b> uses SharePoint Server and can be a standalone or combined with Amalga Unified Intelligence software.  As a standalone product, many smaller hospitals can benefit. </p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxVpXbjaI/AAAAAAAAfKE/8Ha1dM4AEzQ/s1600-h/image39.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="155" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTxV8Nst1I/AAAAAAAAfKI/BVoIf1UWuJA/image_thumb21.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" width="361" /></a> </p> <p>Microsoft had a pilot program with NewYork–Presbyterian, myNYP.org, that began a little over a year ago and is a health portal built upon Microsoft Amalga UIS and <b>HealthVault. </b>One of the most outspoken and well known users at the hospital, <a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/04/dr-oz-as-seen-on-oprah-discusses-how.html">Dr. Oz has added his recent comments</a> with working with personal health records and their value.</p> <p><i>“The paper-based system is sort of ‘Here, and good luck,’ ” Dr. Oz said. “It’s cumbersome and dangerous.”  The online personal health record makes efficient communication and continuity of care far easier, Dr. Oz said. It can be accessed by the patient and, with permission, relatives and a patient’s personal physician.”</i></p> <p>Our vision is to bring people across the healthcare ecosystem together with the information they need to make intelligent healthcare decisions, while at the same time provide a simple and familiar face to the end users.  We all know how long it takes these days to train and start from scratch with software we have never used or seen before.  </p> <p><b>Thank you Chris for your time and information. We had a word packed line of discussion, as almost everyone knows I do my fair share, and I hope to have captured summary of helpful information today! </b></p> <p>(One item as a footnote here with familiarity, I agree with using Office and the time it saves with moving adaptation along as I did the same thing years ago when writing a medical records system, I tried to leverage Office as much as I could and more specifically Word as the MDs working me would clearly ask or suggest <u>“can you make it work and look like Word”</u>, questions I received from the front line.)</p> <p><b><u>Related Posts:</u></b></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/10/staying-alive-dr-fred-feied-co-founder.html"><font size="1">Staying Alive – Dr. Craig Freied Co-Founder of (Azyxxi) Microsoft Amalga And Hospital Safety (ABC 20/20)</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2007/12/microsoft-research-research-programs.html"><font size="1">Microsoft Research: Research & Programs for Healthcare</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/03/genomics-and-silverlight-from-microsoft.html"><font size="1">Genomics and Silverlight from Microsoft working together for Great Visual Enhancement– BioMashUps</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-joseph-health-system-selects.html"><font size="1">St. Joseph Health System Selects Microsoft’s Azyxxi to Optimize Treatment Decisions and patient care in California, Texas and New Mexico.</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/10/scripps-navigenics-affymetrix-and.html"><font size="1">Scripps, Navigenics, Affymetrix and Microsoft team on groundbreaking health study – Personalized Medicine</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/04/microsoft-introduces-groundbreaking.html"><font size="1">Microsoft Introduces Groundbreaking Technology – Amalga Life Sciences Software</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/02/microsoft-and-national-science.html"><font size="1">Microsoft and the National Science Foundation Enabling Research in the Cloud (Azure)</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/12/microsoft-acquires-sentillion-single.html"><font size="1">Microsoft Acquires Sentillion – Single Sign On To Work With Amalga and More…</font></a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:47de3505-682f-4f7a-917e-7cbe5560be16" class="wlWriterSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Azyxxi" rel="tag">Azyxxi</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Amalga" rel="tag">Amalga</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Microsoft" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Life+Sciences" rel="tag">Life Sciences</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Health+Solutions" rel="tag">Health Solutions</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Microsoft+Partners" rel="tag">Microsoft Partners</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/EHR" rel="tag">EHR</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/EMR" rel="tag">EMR</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Chris+Sullivan" rel="tag">Chris Sullivan</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/New+York+Presbyterian+Hospital" rel="tag">New York Presbyterian Hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Beth+Israel+Deaconess+Hospital" rel="tag">Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/HealthVault" rel="tag">HealthVault</a></div>

Microsoft Talks About Healthcare Provider Solutions – Interview With US Director Chris Sullivan

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time discussing with Chris Sullivan, National Director, Health Provider Solutions, Microsoft He...

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Whistleblower Complaint Filed Against WellCare and Memorial Healthcare System Claims the 2 Conspired Together Defrauding Taxpayers With the Hospital Helping Hide the Money

<p>This comes on the heals of the settlement last week with Wellcare paying over 137 million to the Department of Justice to resolve lawsuits with over charging Medicare.  Wellcare is the largest Medicaid operator in the state of Florida.  <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GIBLI80.htm">More details</a> can be read here from Reuters.  The company was raided by government <a href="http://www.wellcare.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="62" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChZ1TIl5zI/AAAAAAAAfLs/_Gh00OkiDGs/image%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="169" /></a>FBI officials in 2007.  At one point it was even rumored that United was looking to buy them.   A little over a year ago Medicare ordered the company to stop enrolling new patients.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/02/wellcare-in-trouble-once-more-no-more.html"><font size="2">WellCare in trouble once more – No more new Medicare Beneficiaries</font></a></h4> <p>Most areas of crime as such are created with manipulating numbers, in other words the algorithms I always talk about as this is what it comes down too, were the formulas used correct or were they creating “desired” numbers in order to appease investors and keep things moving along?  It’s almost like being associated with the company puts one strike against you from the start so it will be interesting to see if and how the hospital was involved with the report filed by the whistle blower.  </p> <p>The whistle blower stated that fraud was created by accepting payment through one Medicaid program for expenses actually incurred by another, so if that is the case we have some potential rogue algorithms utilized for profit, just like the ones used for the out of network charges that have lawsuits still be filed to recoup money.  If the health insurance business had not used business intelligence for big profits and ran an honest business some where along the line, perhaps they would have a better reputation.  It’s been the machine gun technology with algorithmic formulas taking advantage of the rest of us that only have swords and daggers at best.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>A hospital system in South Florida helped WellCare Health Plans hide some of the money it is accused of stealing from the Florida Medicaid program, according to a whistleblower complaint. </p> <p><strong>The complaint by Sean Hellein, a financial analyst who worked for WellCare Health Plans from November 2002 until October 2007, said South Broward Hospital District ``conspired'' to help WellCare avoid repayment of millions of dollars.<a href="http://www.mhs.net/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="54" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChZ1gC6pEI/AAAAAAAAfLw/3yDWrXQP8F8/image%5B11%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="198" /></a></strong></p> <p>South Broward is now known as Memorial Healthcare System, which advertises itself as the fifth-largest public healthcare system in the nation. </p> <p>The 60-page complaint sets out a number of ways in which WellCare systematically defrauded taxpayers, both the federal government and several states, mainly Florida. It estimates the fraud at $400 to $600 million.  </p> <p>In a Dec. 7, 2005 e-mail, then-WellCare CEO Todd Farha admitted that WellCare's contract with South Broward ``was designed to push us up to the 80% give-back point with the state,'' according to the complaint.</p> <p>On the same date, the whistleblower said, he was told by another executive that he should not discuss high costs in the Healthy Kids contracts signed with South Broward because this was a ``politically sensitive'' topic and ``part of our business strategy.'' </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/27/1704048/whistleblowers-complaint-puts.html">Whistleblower's complaint puts spotlight on South Broward Hospital District - Broward - MiamiHerald.com</a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:6efc4696-ea26-4aad-81a1-3f26889fcb02" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Whistleblowers" rel="tag">Whistleblowers</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Memorial+Healthcare+System" rel="tag">Memorial Healthcare System</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Florida" rel="tag">Florida</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/WellCare" rel="tag">WellCare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/fraud" rel="tag">fraud</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/hospitals" rel="tag">hospitals</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/South+Broward+hospital" rel="tag">South Broward hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Medicaid" rel="tag">Medicaid</a></div>

Whistleblower Complaint Filed Against WellCare and Memorial Healthcare System Claims the 2 Conspired Together Defrauding Taxpayers With the Hospital Helping Hide the Money

This comes on the heals of the settlement last week with Wellcare paying over 137 million to the Department of Justice to resolve lawsuits w...

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Chinese Pharma and Healthcare Stocks Growing As Drug and Device Companies Attract Investors From the US

<p>This is straight out of the Wall Street Journal and we all know China is fast catching up to the US in many areas and that includes healthcare, drugs and medical devices.  So convinced is one insurance company, <strong>United Healthcare, recently purchased a China Gateway company</strong> that has a line of communication with the US FDA and offers their expertise on getting more of the Chinese products to market.  I bring all of this to light to help bring an awareness around as to what is <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChQqsEjh4I/AAAAAAAAfLg/EsWHBFDlS7I/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="269" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChQqyqI0WI/AAAAAAAAfLk/W-n4ITdtIws/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="157" /></a>happening behind the scenes that all may not be aware of.</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/unitedhealth-subsidiary-ingenix.html"><font size="2">UnitedHealth subsidiary (Ingenix Subsidiary I3) Acquires ChinaGate – Working to Sell Chinese Products Globally</font></a></h4> <p>Companies do not buy other companies for “investment” purposes any more, they are working acquisitions and there’s a ton of private equity groups out there with such business models to where now through data intelligence, new ways of collaboration and generating money are being explored.  The article states further that half of the global IPO offerings are coming from China.  BD </p> <blockquote> <p>Even as a giant stock offering for <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=601288.SH">Agricultural Bank of China</a> steals the limelight, China's pharmaceutical and health-care stocks have been steadily attracting more attention from a number of investors eyeing demographic trends and eager for countercyclical stories that are less affected by the vagaries of monetary policy and currency risk.</p> <p>A similar story is playing out elsewhere in Asia, too, as rising incomes and greater government spending on medical care boost the appeal of companies positioned to benefit. Health care is also a popular investing theme in developed markets, particular those with aging populations. But the potential impact is broader in Asia, where governments are building out social safety nets needed to boost domestic consumer demand and reduce excessive reliance on exports, even as wealthier elites are willing to spend more for better hospital care. </p> <p>Potential beneficiaries range from Indian makers of generic drugs to Southeast Asian hospitals offering high-end care to their own populations and so-called medical tourists.</p> <p>Within Asia, China has become especially popular. Even after a recent sell-off, China health-care stocks as measured by the MSCI China Health Care Index are up about 15% this year, while health-care stocks around Asia, excluding Japan, are unchanged. By comparison, broader measures of Asia's markets are lower.</p> <p><strong>A big part of China's appeal is that it has companies producing drugs and medical devices that are well-positioned to tap the burgeoning domestic market.</strong></p> <p>"As the Chinese increase their surveillance and quality control, <strong>then a lot of this stuff that is saleable in China will be saleable globally,"</strong> Mr. Mobius says. "That will of course expand the market."</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704569204575328400754707946.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">THE VIEW FROM HONG KONG: A Prescription for Chinese Health-Care Stocks - WSJ.com</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:1a6b62de-432b-45e6-9034-7031024a6f62" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Healthcare" rel="tag">Healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/China" rel="tag">China</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/stocks" rel="tag">stocks</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/investors" rel="tag">investors</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/drugs" rel="tag">drugs</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/medical+devices" rel="tag">medical devices</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/medical+tourism" rel="tag">medical tourism</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/mergers+and+acquisitions" rel="tag">mergers and acquisitions</a></div>

Chinese Pharma and Healthcare Stocks Growing As Drug and Device Companies Attract Investors From the US

This is straight out of the Wall Street Journal and we all know China is fast catching up to the US in many areas and that includes healthca...

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More Patient Record Dumping in Charlotte North Carolina – Records Contained All the Personal Health Data We Don’t Want Out There

<p>It seems like there’s a report of one of these dumping cases every month on <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChLZwsilVI/AAAAAAAAfLU/2jibfpHtfBs/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="112" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChLaFr6WKI/AAAAAAAAfLY/MQ_hnLlNDJ4/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="image" width="120" /></a>average and those are the ones we hear about.  Shredders are getting easier to find and if you don’t want to do it yourself, there are services that will do it for you incase of a large amount of patient charts.  Not too long ago another medical company paid a fine of $50,000 for dumping medical records in Greensboro.  BD </p> <p><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="212" id="flashObj" width="286"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/34830125001?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="omnitureAccountID=gntbcstwfmy,gntbcstglobal&pageContentCategory=video&pageContentSubcategory=&marketName=Greensboro, NC:wfmy&revSciSeg=J06575_10055|J06575_10056|J06575_10228|J06575_10254|J06575_10384|J06575_10395|J06575_10396|D08734_70033|D08734_70117|D08734_70120|D08734_70121|D08734_70086|D08734_70098|D08734_70107|D08734_70176|D08734_70293|D08734_70509|D08734_70009|D08734_70016|D08734_70023|D08734_70026|D08734_70028|D08734_70034|D08734_70043|D08734_70045|D08734_70054|J06575_10566|D08734_70688|J06575_50001|J06575_50366|J06575_50367|J06575_50507|J06575_50521|J06575_50558|J06575_50640|J06575_50309&revSciZip=&revSciAge=&revSciGender=&division=Broadcast&SSTSCode=&videoId=103935627001&playerID=34830125001&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/34830125001?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="omnitureAccountID=gntbcstwfmy,gntbcstglobal&pageContentCategory=video&pageContentSubcategory=&marketName=Greensboro, NC:wfmy&revSciSeg=J06575_10055|J06575_10056|J06575_10228|J06575_10254|J06575_10384|J06575_10395|J06575_10396|D08734_70033|D08734_70117|D08734_70120|D08734_70121|D08734_70086|D08734_70098|D08734_70107|D08734_70176|D08734_70293|D08734_70509|D08734_70009|D08734_70016|D08734_70023|D08734_70026|D08734_70028|D08734_70034|D08734_70043|D08734_70045|D08734_70054|J06575_10566|D08734_70688|J06575_50001|J06575_50366|J06575_50367|J06575_50507|J06575_50521|J06575_50558|J06575_50640|J06575_50309&revSciZip=&revSciAge=&revSciGender=&division=Broadcast&SSTSCode=&videoId=103935627001&playerID=34830125001&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="286" height="212" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object></p> <blockquote> <p>Charlotte, NC -- A viewer tip to <a href="http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12715146">WBTV</a> revealed hundreds of medical records discarded at a public county dumping facility in Mecklenburg County.</p> <p>Two county officials say they will begin an investigation into the dumped records.  In an email to <a href="http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12715146">WBTV</a>, County Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts says she has been trading voicemails with County Manager Harry Jones and are "looking into the clinic that dumped the records checking [to] see what we can legally do."</p> <p>The records were found within "arms length" at the dumping facility.  They contain social security numbers, addresses, and patient consultations with full medical histories.  There were also copies of insurance cards, medication prescriptions, and photographs.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=144375&catid=57">Hundreds Of Medical Records Found Dumped In Charlotte Area | digtriad.com | Triad, NC | Local</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; 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More Patient Record Dumping in Charlotte North Carolina – Records Contained All the Personal Health Data We Don’t Want Out There

It seems like there’s a report of one of these dumping cases every month on average and those are the ones we hear about.  Shredders are get...

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Car Crashes Through the Doors of the ER That Was Transporting a Gunshot Victim

<p>The driver was not the gunshot victim, but rather someone driving him to the emergency room.  It has to be a loud awakening for the staff at the ER for sure, and sadly the victim didn’t make it.  The article stated the car drove right through the double door entrance and almost sounds like something we see in movies but perhaps not in real life, until today.  BD </p> <blockquote> <p>SCHENECTADY -- A car carrying a gunshot wound victim crashed into the emergency room doors at Ellis Hospital McClellan Street Campus Sunday morning, <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChH7BrrsZI/AAAAAAAAfLI/_HYUpns5ENE/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="136" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TChH7tUAGaI/AAAAAAAAfLM/lQ15xQK0qnU/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="178" /></a>police said.</p> <p>The victim later died. </p> <p>Police said the shooting happened before 1:30 a.m. on the 900 block of Crane Street near The Eldorado Bar.</p> <p>Officers responded to the area but were unable to locate any victim.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/victim-1275408-car-schenectady.html">Car carrying Schenectady shooting victim crashes through ER doors | victim, car, schenectady - Local News - WRGB CBS 6 Albany</a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:2a741423-c5a4-493f-9149-db2b48c28dc8" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/ER" rel="tag">ER</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/gunshot+victim" rel="tag">gunshot victim</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/hospital" rel="tag">hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/emergency" rel="tag">emergency</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/crash" rel="tag">crash</a></div>

Car Crashes Through the Doors of the ER That Was Transporting a Gunshot Victim

The driver was not the gunshot victim, but rather someone driving him to the emergency room.  It has to be a loud awakening for the staff at...

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CMS proposes 6.1% cut in Medicare For Doctors in January 2011 – One More Reason To Have A Permanent Fix

<p>Thank goodness Congress acted and gave the extension until December 1st, but we have the other side at CMS looking at their budget saying we want to cut based on the sustainable growth rate formula by 6.1%, which needs to go away as at this point with current series of events over the years that have occurred it is certainly outdated and no longer a viable measure.  One other item here, just think of the stress and unrest this creates every time it comes around.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCVZcFq6N-I/AAAAAAAAfK8/RkpJ-HnaXDc/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="159" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCVZcqq1O8I/AAAAAAAAfLA/qNyt2eUl1-A/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="154" /></a> </p> <p>Now we know November will be a busy time with elections happening all over the country, and hopefully this will not go as long as it did this time with actually having to make data changes with check.  <strong>CMS says this cut is in addition to the standard 21% cut that has been looming over everyone’s head for years.</strong>  We keep going around and around here and this is not the first time CMS has given their recommendations and it is almost beginning to <strong>resemble a game of cat and mouse with each area “doing legally what they are supposed to do”.</strong>  </p> <p>If you want additional interest with the new CMS incentive page for EHR/EMR use, this would be a good first move to fix this issue.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>Physicians would receive a 6.1% cut to their Medicare payments starting Jan. 1, 2011, under a <a href="http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2010-15900_PI.pdf">proposed rule</a> issued by the CMS. That reduction would be in addition to a projected 23.5% cut that is scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, provided that Congress doesn't act to change it.</p> <p>The proposed rule also seeks to implement an incentive payment for primary-care services as well as provisions in the new health reform law that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for most preventive services. Comments on the proposed rule are due Aug. 24, with a final rule to be issued by Nov. 1.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20100625/NEWS/306259955/1010&rssfeed=rss01">CMS proposes 6.1% cut in Medicare payments to docs for January - Modern Healthcare</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:91372281-4da4-44a7-914a-be1ededec2d5" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/CMS" rel="tag">CMS</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Medicare" rel="tag">Medicare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Congress" rel="tag">Congress</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Doctors" rel="tag">Doctors</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/pay+cuts" rel="tag">pay cuts</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/sustainable+growthh+rate+formula" rel="tag">sustainable growthh rate formula</a></div>

CMS proposes 6.1% cut in Medicare For Doctors in January 2011 – One More Reason To Have A Permanent Fix

Thank goodness Congress acted and gave the extension until December 1st, but we have the other side at CMS looking at their budget saying we...

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John Glaser VP and CIO of Partners Healthcare Leaving - New Job: CEO Siemens Health Services Business Unit

<p>It sounds like Dr. Blumenthal might be looking for a new adviser soon, although there’s some time here as he doesn’t begin until August, but who knows a nice long <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUZZAhR8eI/AAAAAAAAfKs/TKsWgFco3Rg/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="177" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUZZhcJrfI/AAAAAAAAfKw/khvTc7LBlDM/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="126" /></a>vacation might be in order too but he won’t be that far away with going to Siemens.  </p> <p>Back in 2008 Siemens did some major reorganizing and laid off around 16,000 people worldwide after the CEO of the healthcare sector resigned.  The company realigned and somewhat reinvented a lot of what they do and earlier this year the announcement was made with Microsoft to bring HealthVault to Germany.  We could possibly be seeing some involvement in this area of Health IT since we are talking medical records and Health IT.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/01/microsoft-healthvault-and-siemens.html"><font size="2">Microsoft HealthVault and Siemens Bringing PHR Platform to Germany – And a Look at a German EHR</font></a></h4> <p><em>“In Siemens IT Solutions and Services, we have found a reliable and competent partner with whom we can jointly bring innovative solutions to the German healthcare system. With HealthVault, we provide citizens with a platform that allows them to better manage their health and the health of their families, and facilitates their communication with providers,” said Angelika Gifford, Senior Director, Public Sector and Member of Management at Microsoft Germany.</em></p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/04/siemens-medical-investigation-resulting.html"><font size="2">Siemens Medical Investigation Resulting Appears to have resulted from a Whistleblower – Update</font></a></h4> <p>I would also be guessing a substantial raise in income would also be a big motivating factor here too.  BD  </p> <p><strong><u>Press Release:</u></strong></p> <p>ALVERN, Pa., June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Siemens Healthcare announced the appointment of John Glaser, Ph.D. as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Health Services Business Unit.  In his role, Glaser will be responsible for leading Siemens' global healthcare IT business, including product development, strategy, portfolio management, financial performance, and overall customer satisfaction. When his appointment goes into effect on August 16, he will begin leading over 4,500 employees, multiple health information system brands, a robust Global Services arm, and Siemens' world-renowned Information Systems Center. </p> <p>"Dr. Glaser is regarded as one of the world's most influential experts on healthcare information technology, and it is a great privilege for me to welcome him to Siemens Healthcare," said Tom Miller, CEO, Workflow & Solutions Division, Siemens Healthcare Sector.  "Through his private and public roles, Dr. Glaser has shaped the way that hospitals, physicians and regulators are currently embracing information technology to deliver safer, faster and more efficient healthcare while also addressing concerns of privacy, security and cost savings.  This expertise and insight will be a tremendous asset to Siemens as we continue to lead the delivery of innovative IT solutions to the marketplace."</p> <p>Most recently, John served as advisor to David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for healthcare IT, providing counsel to the Office of the National Coordinator and the Department of Health and Human Services on the HITECH portions of the federal government's stimulus bill, particularly regarding national efforts to adopt electronic medical records.  Since 1995, Glaser served as Vice President and CIO of Partners HealthCare (Boston, Mass.), directing IT for an organization of ten hospitals, 7,000 physicians, and 45,000 employees, including a team of 1,300 IT professionals.  He is founding Chair of the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME), past President of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and has served on multiple industry boards.  Most notably, Glaser received the 1994 John Gall CIO of the Year award and CHIME has established a scholarship in his name.</p> <p>"John Glaser has helped put Partners HealthCare on the forefront of health information technology nationally and has enabled us to deliver safer care to our patients," said Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. "John's work at Partners has shaped the conversation about electronic medical records and his efforts have helped to improve the American health care delivery system."</p> <p>The <b>Siemens Healthcare Sector</b> is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: <a href="http://www.siemens.com/healthcare">www.siemens.com/healthcare</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siemens-healthcare-appoints-john-glaser-ceo-of-health-it-business-97177319.html">Siemens Healthcare Appoints John Glaser CEO of Health IT Business -- MALVERN, Pa., June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --</a></p> <p><strong><u>Related Reading:</u></strong></p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/04/siemens-and-draegerwerk-at-odds.html">Siemens and Draegerwerk at odds...</a></h6> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/04/siemens-ceo-of-health-care-sector-to.html">Siemens CEO of the health care sector to resign</a></h6> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/04/siemens-is-technology-and-market-leader.html">Siemens Is The Technology And Market Leader For Connectors Associated With The Electronic Health Card</a></h6> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/siemens-cutting-16750-jobs.html">Siemens Cutting 16,750 Jobs</a></h6> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/siemens-to-resell-kiosks.html">Siemens to Resell Kiosks</a></h6> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ac0520bf-80b2-430b-851c-b1ae51db00ba" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Partners+Healthcare" rel="tag">Partners Healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Blumental" rel="tag">Blumental</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/ONC" rel="tag">ONC</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Siemens" rel="tag">Siemens</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Heatlh+IT" rel="tag">Heatlh IT</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/CIO" rel="tag">CIO</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/CHIME" rel="tag">CHIME</a></div>

John Glaser VP and CIO of Partners Healthcare Leaving - New Job: CEO Siemens Health Services Business Unit

It sounds like Dr. Blumenthal might be looking for a new adviser soon, although there’s some time here as he doesn’t begin until August, but...

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Prescription Solutions Launches Clinical Vantage(SM) – Algorithmic Software Web Client Settings For Risk Management and Cost Control

<p> I believe I am reading this correctly but if you are a member of a company, HMO or otherwise that utilizes the services of Prescription Solutions, this new format will<a href="https://www.prescriptionsolutions.com/"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="99" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUSeiQOC7I/AAAAAAAAfKU/WzQjSkmte1s/image%5B13%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="250" /></a> allow the employer (or who ever is the client) to set and establish parameters in which members can function and receive information.  <strong>Not too long ago Ingenix, another United HealthCare subsidiary announced desktop software for employers to analyze and I am guessing the 2 of these might be related</strong> and data possibly aggregated.  One thing that <strong>United certainly well is produce tons and tons of software to “help” everyone with statistics.  Not to say this is a bad idea, but how many people really utilize them or do they just kind of sit there.</strong>  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/ingenix-unitedhealthcare-subsidiary.html"><font size="2">Ingenix (UnitedHealthCare Subsidiary) Creates Desktop Software for Employers to Analyze Employee Benefit Use To Help Cut Costs – More Analytics and Algorithms To Save That Buck</font></a></h4> <p><strong>Between buying up companies in China, purchasing more wellness companies, the portfolio here is appears to be growing</strong> and with a lot of entities that one would maybe not associate together in the past, but not by today’s economy.  <strong>Companies do not buy a company for an investment, it is consumed and all their data and operations get joined together to work with each other.</strong>  There are<strong> a ton of private equity firms doing the same</strong>, so this company from China might be there to help get more Chinese drugs and devices to the US as they already have a line of collaboration with the FDA established the article states as a prime are of their expertise as they are a “gateway” company.   </p> <h6><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/unitedhealth-subsidiary-ingenix.html"><font size="2">UnitedHealth subsidiary (Ingenix Subsidiary I3) Acquires ChinaGate – Working to Sell Chinese Products Globally</font></a></h6> <p>If in fact the company is able to get more Chinese drugs here in the US as an example, you could in fact begin seeing them mentioned as a potential preferred generic alternative, as they might have a big stake in some of this.  I make this analogy to show how entities owned from different companies are working together today.  </p> <p><strong>Private equity firms plans it that way and already has a potential business model in place way before anything is announced.</strong>  There’s a lot more going on with more than just mailing your prescriptions here as the algorithms of cost and risk management are provided to HMOs and employers<strong>.  BD</strong>  </p> <p><strong></strong></p> <blockquote> <p>IRVINE, Calif., Jun 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefit management organization and a UnitedHealth Group company, has launched Clinical Vantage(SM), a suite of clinical programs that enables clients to create specialized solutions to meet their particular needs to improve the health and well-being of members.  </p> <p>More than 100 evidence-based clinical programs and technological innovations, covering a wide range of therapeutic categories and populations, are gathered under the Clinical Vantage(SM) umbrella. Prescription Solutions clients have the flexibility to select single or multiple program types that best meet their needs or goals to reduce pharmacy costs while improving health care outcomes for their members. </p> <p>The Clinical Vantage(SM) approach has four distinct uses -- creating customized solutions, improving quality and safety, maximizing savings, achieving optimal health -- that individually provide clients with specialized solutions or, taken together, help clients achieve clinical and economic goals.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUSfE3xtRI/AAAAAAAAfKY/Zub5OOb_E3k/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="260" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUSfip5GvI/AAAAAAAAfKc/zWfM0_LCiMQ/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="359" /></a> </p> <p>Other quality and safety-related Clinical Vantage(SM) programs among clients include: </p> <p>-- Drug Interaction Alert Program (DIAP) to help reduce and prevent potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions (DDIs) </p> <p>-- Geriatric RxMonitor Program which helps reduce inappropriate medication use among people age 65 and older </p> <p>-- Polypharmacy Program that notifies physicians about potentially harmful drug-disease interactions and inappropriate duplicate therapies </p> <p>-- Narcotic Drug Utilization Review Program to minimize the occurrence of abuse, diversion and other inappropriate use of addictive painkillers. </p> <p>Maximizing Savings: Clinically Managing Drug Formularies while Promoting Generics and Mail Order </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUSgJGembI/AAAAAAAAfKg/JXQRqWvFiRU/s1600-h/image%5B12%5D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="222" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCUSgu7zt0I/AAAAAAAAfKk/ugxvUVPmVWg/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="362" /></a> </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/prescription-solutions-launches-clinical-vantagesm-to-help-improve-health-outcomes-and-reduce-costs-2010-06-25?reflink=MW_news_stmp">Prescription Solutions Launches Clinical Vantage(SM) to Help Improve Health Outcomes and Reduce Costs – MarketWatch</a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:bfbe7068-e539-458d-a352-3f8b77855224" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Prescription+Solutions" rel="tag">Prescription Solutions</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/United+Healthcare" rel="tag">United Healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/prescriptions" rel="tag">prescriptions</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/algorithms" rel="tag">algorithms</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Clinical+Vantage" rel="tag">Clinical Vantage</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/HMO" rel="tag">HMO</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/employer" rel="tag">employer</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/business+intelligence" rel="tag">business intelligence</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/medications" rel="tag">medications</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/websites" rel="tag">websites</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/patients" rel="tag">patients</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/doctors" rel="tag">doctors</a></div>

Prescription Solutions Launches Clinical Vantage(SM) – Algorithmic Software Web Client Settings For Risk Management and Cost Control

I believe I am reading this correctly but if you are a member of a company, HMO or otherwise that utilizes the services of Prescription Sol...

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Anthem Blue Cross Security Breach Occurred During System Upgrade – Information Accessed by Attorneys Looking for Information Relative to Lawsuits With Carrier

<p>As the world of health care data revolves, this is an interesting case with attorneys being the culprits looking for information, so the folks on the other side are in fact getting smarter technology.   Normally the cases we see involve loss of hardware, like a USB drive or a notebook, etc.  This was different in the fact that after the system upgrade all security evidently was NOT in place and working correctly. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTe8u5jmEI/AAAAAAAAfJI/ZSzVZS6cRHA/s1600-h/image%5B7%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="71" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTe9bvFJTI/AAAAAAAAfJM/jDXw2p3pXME/image_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="196" /></a> </p> <p>According to the article here, anyone who had a current application in process was a potential victim.  Now this opens the door for lawsuits to be filed for those who’s records were exposed.  Again, I don’t know how long the current business models can be sustained at this rate as if it has happened once, well it can and probably will happen again.  Use of private information out in the world of technology is causing a real stir for access and the information means money. </p> <p>For the consumer applying for health insurance here it means a year’s worth of free credit reporting.  I wonder how much the attorney’s actually were able to see and obviously it appears this was not done to perhaps steal identities, but rather to obtain information used for future lawsuits.  The legal profession is also a good example of an industry who invests heavily in technology too and the article states the information was returned, but after being reviewed and evaluated, it’s still out there if duplicated and I might guess there’s a real good possibility of this occurring for strategic use with future lawsuits.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>More than 200,000 Anthem Blue Cross customers this week received letters informing them that their personal information might have been accessed during a security breach of the company's website.</strong></p> <p>Only customers who had pending insurance applications in the system are being contacted because information was viewed through an on-line tool that allows users to track the status of their applications.</p> <p><strong>Anthem spokeswoman Cynthia Sanders said the confidential information was briefly accessed, primarily by attorneys seeking information for a class action lawsuit against the insurer.</strong></p> <p><strong>Newport Beach attorney Mark Robinson filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a Los Angeles County resident who discovered that her application for insurance was available for public view.</strong></p> <p>"The ability to manipulate the web address (URL) was available for a relatively short period of time following an upgrade to the system. After the upgrade was completed, a third party vendor validated that all security measures were in place, when in fact they were not. As soon as the situation was discovered, we made the necessary security changes to prevent it from happening again."</p> <p>The company is offering a free year of identity protection service. Anthem also said the attorneys have returned all improperly obtained information to a custodian of the court system.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/information-254735-security-anthem.html">Personal data accessed on insurer Web site | information, security, anthem - Life - The Orange County Register</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:e403fdb6-7b64-4c3a-a866-d369c65429ef" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Anthem+Blue+Cross" rel="tag">Anthem Blue Cross</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/secuirty+breach" rel="tag">secuirty breach</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/privacy" rel="tag">privacy</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/identify+theft" rel="tag">identify theft</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/attorneys" rel="tag">attorneys</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/legal+cases" rel="tag">legal cases</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/lawsuit" rel="tag">lawsuit</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/consumers" rel="tag">consumers</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/data+systems" rel="tag">data systems</a></div>

Anthem Blue Cross Security Breach Occurred During System Upgrade – Information Accessed by Attorneys Looking for Information Relative to Lawsuits With Carrier

As the world of health care data revolves, this is an interesting case with attorneys being the culprits looking for information, so the fol...

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Bravo Health Expanding to Hire 200 Workers – Medicare Part D Company That Made A Billion in Profits in 2009

<p>In the future Medicare Part D contributions will be dwindling from the government, so how do they anticipate keeping such high profit levels, premium increases for the insured, like everyone else out there.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/02/bravo-health-venture-capital-backed.html"><font size="2">Bravo Health – Venture Capital Backed Medicare Senior Health HMO Carrier Sees Profits of 1 Billion for 2009<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTZLrpvgjI/AAAAAAAAfI8/D2mE545Ce5s/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="176" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTZMKCuDFI/AAAAAAAAfJA/E0KE6HjaLeE/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="162" /></a></font></a></h4> <p>As we all know the Medicare Advantage plans have been a big cash cow for years and with healthcare reform the picture is slowing beginning to change.  When you look at the positions listed below, I don’t see any doctors listed here, but rather nurse practitioners are on the list.   Also heavy on the list are Health IT analysts, the folks that create the algorithms for cost control and profit to work with the financial gurus, so again we are back again to using business intelligence to find and locate markets and determine what portion of the expenses can be shifted to the participants.  BD  </p> <blockquote> <p>About a year after the health care company said it was expanding its space in the city <a href="http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/07/06/daily50.html">to hire another 200 workers</a>, Bravo is now adding between 30 and 40 new employees a month, said Jeff Folick, the company’s CEO. But not all of the jobs are in Baltimore. Some are in Pennsylvania and Texas, where the company also does business. </p> <p>Bravo is a private health insurance company that offers seniors coverage in so-called Medicare Advantage plans, which offer members benefits that basic Medicare doesn’t provide, such as eye glasses, house calls and 24-7 access to medical information hotlines. </p> <p>So the company is looking for new staffers to accommodate the growth, Folick said. For its headquarters in Baltimore, <strong>Bravo Health is usually looking for claims processors, customer service representatives, financial gurus, individuals who can help enroll new members and IT experts</strong>. The company’s headquarters is located in Brewers Hill in Southeast Baltimore.</p> <p><strong>Among the clinical positions Bravo currently has open? Mostly pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other care coordinators.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/2010/06/bravo_health_hiring_up_to_40_workers_a_month.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Bravo Health on a hiring spree - Baltimore Business Journal</a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d9d8ae62-f6d2-4a1d-b293-df277539503f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Bravo+health" rel="tag">Bravo health</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Medicare" rel="tag">Medicare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Part+D.+Medicare+Advantage" rel="tag">Part D. Medicare Advantage</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/profits" rel="tag">profits</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/senior+care" rel="tag">senior care</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/business+intelligence" rel="tag">business intelligence</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Venture+Capitalists" rel="tag">Venture Capitalists</a></div>

Bravo Health Expanding to Hire 200 Workers – Medicare Part D Company That Made A Billion in Profits in 2009

In the future Medicare Part D contributions will be dwindling from the government, so how do they anticipate keeping such high profit levels...

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Miami-Dade Mercy Hospital Bought by For Profit HCA – One More “Non Profit” Joins “For Profit” Ranks

<p>Mercy Hospital is the last Catholic hospital in the Miami area and with keeping the Catholic healthcare ethics, no abortions will be provided here.  We are seeing more and more hospitals moving from the non profit areas into profit, due to economic conditions for the most part, in other words, running out of money.  Ironically <strong>we now have this NON PROFIT association to meet and discuss and determine HOW TO MAKE A PROFIT, what’s up with this?  Give this some real thought as to where </strong><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTSXkCHENI/AAAAAAAAfIw/itbLndGTpTo/s1600-h/image%5B6%5D.png"><strong><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="177" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCTSYECyvgI/AAAAAAAAfI0/CzZjbH1fl3A/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="224" /></strong></a><strong>we are going today</strong>.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-big-are-private-equity-investments.html"><font size="2">How Big Are Private Equity Investments in Healthcare – Large Enough to Create a “Non-Profit” Trade Association To Talk About How to “Profit”</font></a></h4> <p>As posted yesterday, private equity firms are considering hospitals a “good buy” to move in and update operations and turn the facilities into money making hospitals.  The Caritas Hospital purchase even has a clause in their contract which allows a buy out of the “Catholic religion” ethics if it gets in the way of making money and we may probably have not heard the last of this issue as the purchase agreement moves forward. <strong> If you stop and look around you can see where insurance executives are going, to private equity firms.</strong>  BD </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/04/former-ceo-of-united-healthcare-joins.html"><font size="2">Former CEO of United HealthCare Joins Private Equity Firm as an Operating Partner With Focus on Healthcare</font></a></h4> <blockquote> <p>In what's likely to mean a major shift in the region's hospital competition, Mercy, Miami-Dade's only Catholic hospital, is on the verge of being sold to the for-profit HCA hospital chain.</p> <p>Mercy's board announced Thursday it had signed a letter of intent to sell. The price was not disclosed. A joint press release said the ``transaction is expected to close as soon as possible.''</p> <p>Under the agreement, Mercy Hospital will continue to operate as a Catholic hospital, said Chief Executive Manuel Anton. Among other things, that means no abortions will be performed at the facility. The abortion issue derailed a merger with Baptist Health South Florida in 1998. </p> <p>The Spiritual Care Department will be maintained and employees will be trained in ``Catholic healthcare,'' according to the agreement. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/25/1699339/hca-buying-mercy-hospital.html">HCA buying Mercy Hospital - Business - MiamiHerald.com</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:3f76cff6-6591-41ed-a295-0a231740e6fa" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Mercy+Hospital" rel="tag">Mercy Hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Miami-Dade" rel="tag">Miami-Dade</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/for+profit" rel="tag">for profit</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/non+profit" rel="tag">non profit</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/HCA" rel="tag">HCA</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/economy" rel="tag">economy</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/private+equity" rel="tag">private equity</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/hospitals" rel="tag">hospitals</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/heatlhcare+reform" rel="tag">heatlhcare reform</a></div>

Miami-Dade Mercy Hospital Bought by For Profit HCA – One More “Non Profit” Joins “For Profit” Ranks

Mercy Hospital is the last Catholic hospital in the Miami area and with keeping the Catholic healthcare ethics, no abortions will be provide...

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Doctors At Coney Island Hospital Voted 96-19 In Favor of Joining the Service Employees Union

<p>Last October doctors organized in Chicago.  Coney Island as well as the hospital in Chicago are both publicly run facilities.  BD</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2009/09/doctors-join-union-in-chicago-cook.html"><font size="2">Doctors Join the Union in Chicago – Cook County Health and Hospital System</font></a></h4> <blockquote> <p>A group of employed physicians has voted by an 83% majority to unionize under the Doctors Council SEIU at Coney Island Hospital in New York. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRa9xyX8sI/AAAAAAAAfIk/CgOhMRp25eY/s1600-h/image%5B6%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="167" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRa-pygUvI/AAAAAAAAfIo/3f0jbCAkTHc/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="136" /></a></p> <p>Full-time physicians at the 371-bed hospital on Wednesday voted 96-to-19 in favor of joining the Service Employees International Union doctors' unit (24 doctors did not vote). The decision means all 139 eligible full-time physicians at the hospital will become members of the union, SEIU said in a news release. <br />Part-time doctors at the hospital have long been members of the union, but Wednesday's vote brings the number of unionized docs there to more than 200, the union said. <br />Coney Island is a publicly run hospital that is owned by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., the nation's largest municipal hospital system.</p> <p><a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20100624/NEWS/306249974/1010&rssfeed=rss01">Docs at Coney Island Hospital vote to unionize - Modern Healthcare</a></p> </blockquote> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b0dcf154-3729-4a38-9289-748ce6e6f284" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Coney+Island+Hospital" rel="tag">Coney Island Hospital</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/New+York" rel="tag">New York</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/NYC" rel="tag">NYC</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/healthcare" rel="tag">healthcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/hosptials" rel="tag">hosptials</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/doctors" rel="tag">doctors</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/union" rel="tag">union</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/SEIU" rel="tag">SEIU</a></div>

Doctors At Coney Island Hospital Voted 96-19 In Favor of Joining the Service Employees Union

Last October doctors organized in Chicago.  Coney Island as well as the hospital in Chicago are both publicly run facilities.  BD Doctors ...

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Aetna Withdraws Request To Raise Rate in California - Complicated Internal Algorithm Errors

<p>Well first we had Blue Cross with errors and now Aetna, so perhaps their own algorithms are getting to complicated for internal use too?  This again makes another<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRWGxycJrI/AAAAAAAAfIQ/rO5aY6Yde3I/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="94" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRWHQj4jAI/AAAAAAAAfIU/2N7uv--g5yY/image_thumb%5B4%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="182" /></a> good statement for “certifying payer algorithms” just like we do with EHR systems.  </p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/rules-on-ehr-certification-should-take.html"><font size="2">Rules on EHR Certification Should Take Back Seat to Certifying Insurance Algorithms At Present – We Need This First</font></a> </h4> <p><strong>ALGORITHMS – INFLUENCE OR MAKE ABOUT 99% OF ALL THE DECISIONS HAPPENING TODAY – WE NEED ALGORITHMIC CENTRIC LAWS!  Without these, how do we create audit tables that can not only audit health insurance and throw in the Federal Reserve as well.   </strong></p> <p>Even the new government website to help consumers with selecting health insurance is getting a challenge as they can’t provide prices due to the complexity of the algorithms and in October they said at best there would be “estimates” of the costs to help consumers.</p> <h4><a href="http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2010/06/healthcaregov-portal-set-to-launch-july.html"><font size="2">HealthCare.gov Portal Set to Launch July 1, 2010 To Help Consumers Research Policies – Insurer Proprietary Algorithms Will Not Allow for Pricing Information to be Included</font></a></h4> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=aet">Aetna</a> Inc. withdrew its request to raise prices for individual policyholders in California by an average of 19% after discovering a flaw in its rate filing with state regulators, according to the California Department of Insurance.</p> <p>California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, a Republican candidate for governor, on Thursday said Aetna's withdrawal was voluntary. The errors <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRWIO0HljI/AAAAAAAAfIY/srNqQZVK3is/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="90" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TCRWIsBe5yI/AAAAAAAAfIc/PN6H7Yh2oj0/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" width="183" /></a>include incorrectly calculating the annual cost of monthly premiums and incorrectly compounding the increases year over year, a spokesman for the department said. </p> <p>The increase, filed in March and scheduled to go into effect July 1, would have hit 65,000 policyholders. A spokesman for Mr. Poizner said it was too early to say what impact the miscalculations had on the proposed percentage increase. The request followed a 17% average increase last year.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704227304575327372208943044.html?mod=rss_Health">Aetna Finds Flaw in Rate Request - WSJ.com</a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:3e1fa008-b81c-4dcd-b150-f017ca89a6a0" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.example.com/Aetna" rel="tag">Aetna</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/algorithms" rel="tag">algorithms</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/health+insurance" rel="tag">health insurance</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/heatlhcare" rel="tag">heatlhcare</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/formulas" rel="tag">formulas</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/California" rel="tag">California</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/rate+increases" rel="tag">rate increases</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/audit" rel="tag">audit</a>, <a href="http://www.example.com/Health+IT" rel="tag">Health IT</a></div>

Aetna Withdraws Request To Raise Rate in California - Complicated Internal Algorithm Errors

Well first we had Blue Cross with errors and now Aetna, so perhaps their own algorithms are getting to complicated for internal use too?  Th...

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