Health Care - Blogs
- Extra! Extra! Health Wonk Review hits the newsstands!
Newsie Jason Shafrin hosts the latest edition of Health Wonk Review at his Healthcare Economist blog. -- David Harlow
(May 14, 2008) - PHR by cellphone
iPHR?: AccessMyRecords.com, an online personal medical record vendor, has added functionality that will allow smartphone users to access their medical records via their cell phones. Very interesting idea, from the "patient empowerment" standpoint. But I'm sure the privacy nazis think it's a terrible development. . . .
(May 14, 2008) - House Committee Hears Testimony on Recovery Audit Contractor Program
On May 14, 2008, the House Small Business Committee's Subcommittee on Regulations, Health Care and Trade held a hearing on "The Impact of CMS Regulations and Programs on Small Health Care Providers." During the hearing, the Subcommittee entertained testimony on the Medicare recovery audit contractor (RAC) program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Family Physicians, and The Alliance of Specialty Medicine. In...
(May 14, 2008) - Education Level and Death Rates
Newsweek post a blog about a recent PLoS study on death rates and the relationship of education level. Sharon Begley reports, Last month I blogged about a study that underlined how we truly are Two Americas (though the idea never...
(May 14, 2008) - Study says Massachusetts medical malpractice insurance premiums aren't as bad as we think
Marc Rodwin, in his Health Affairs piece on Massachusetts malpractice premiums out this week, says the supposed malpractice crisis just isn't there. Inflation-adjusted premiums are about where they were 30 years ago; they've gone up -- and down, in cycles -- over the past three decades. Furthermore, Massachusetts compares well to other states on premiums, even though we're near the top of the range for recoveries. See the Boston Globe article on this piece, too. However, not all is rosy....
(May 14, 2008) - Resolution Eliminates Medicaid and Medicare Reductions
In the on-going battle to eliminate Medicaid and Medicare program reductions, Democrats in Congress have come to an agreement on a fiscal year 2009 budget resolution. (Kaiser Network) The $3.3 trillion budget resolution rejects President Bush's proposed spending cuts for Medicaid and Medicare. Bush seeks to reduce spending on these programs by $195 billion. While both houses may pass the resolution, it may not survive a presidential veto. From the report: Senate Budget Committee ranking member...
(May 14, 2008) - Recent Development
California's supreme court ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. The seven-member panel voted 4-3 in favor of plaintiffs who argued that restricting marriage to men and women was discriminatory. The court said "... limiting the designation of marriage to a union 'between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute." Before Thursday only one other state , Massachusetts , allowed gay marriage. California, New Jersey and Vermont, however, have...
(May 14, 2008) - OIG Presents Ways to Improve Quality of Nursing Home Care
On May 15, 2008, Lewis Morris, Chief Counsel to the Inspector General, presented testimony entitled "In the Hands of Strangers: Are Nursing Home Safeguards Working?" before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. In his testimony, the Chief Counsel describes the studies, enforcement actions, initiatives and government-industry collaboration that the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) has undertaken to...
(May 14, 2008) - The Health of Google and Google Health
Very interesting post over at ZDNet by Tom Foremski on an upcoming meeting of Google hacks at the Googleplex set for May 19. Fascinating description of Google's use of machines and software to produce results rather than humans and how this might exist in the health care environment. I have not heard of this description of what Google does and why it does it better and cheaper. Also, he offers compelling thoughts on the pharma advertising market target that Google may be looking for as it goes...
(May 13, 2008) - Provider and Information Letters: DADS-Approved Provider of HCSSA Training, Etc.
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has released four information letters and one provider letter: Initial HCSSA Administrator Training Approval In a seven-page letter to Home and Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSAs), DADS described the initial process for becoming a DADS-approved provider of HCSSA training for administrators and alternative administrators, and to get listed as a provider. For details about administrator requirements, download the letter....
(May 13, 2008) - Privacy Needed for E-Prescribing Efforts: The Coalition for Patient Privacy has asked Congress to implement 11 specific measures to make sure that the drive toward electronic prescribing of medications does not lead to the disclosure of patient medical information. Some of the measures will simply slow down the progress toward e-prescribing (which is already hampered by the fact that narcotics
(May 13, 2008) - Oklahoma criminal HIPAA violation
Now from Oklahoma: from today's Modern Healthcare Daily Dose news email: Okla. woman faces prison, fine for HIPAA violation A 30-year-old Oklahoma City woman pleaded guilty to one count of a criminal violation of the privacy protection provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, according to a news release by U.S. Attorney John Richter in Oklahoma City. Leslie
(May 13, 2008) - CMS to Host Conference Call on 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will host a national provider conference call on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The conference call will take place from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 28, 2008. During the conference call, CMS will provide an overview of the alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures for the 2008 PQRI as authorized by the Medicare, Medicaid and...
(May 13, 2008) - Robert Rauschenberg: 1925-2008
An homage to the passing of Robert Rauschenberg, American Artist and visionary, who taught us that the doors of perception are not just at museum entrances but anywhere we train our eyes to see. Rauschenberg was active in trying to move the United States to adopt "droit de suite," literally "right of follow," which would give painters and sculptors continuing royalty payments when their works are resold, a system in place in most of Europe and much like the way musicians and songwriters in this...
(May 13, 2008) - Much to learn from Raphael Lemkin
This man, born some 50 miles or so from my maternal grandfather's village in Poland, revolutionized international law by coining the word "genocide."...
(May 13, 2008) - New Florida Law Requires Physician Medical Directors for Health Care Clinics Employing Chiropractors
Effective July 1, 2008, pursuant to Florida Statutes ยง 460.4167, no chiropractor may be employed by a health care clinic unless the clinic has a medical director that is an MD or DO. Specifically, the provision is intended to prevent D.C.s from acting as medical directors for such clinics. The Board of Chiropractic recently addressed the issue of whether any such clinics already existing can be grandfathered. The answer by the Board is no. Therefore, effective July 1, 2008 any clinic that has...
(May 13, 2008) - Anti-kickback and fee-splitting issues for integrative medicine clinics and medical spas
Anti-kickback and fee-splitting issues can pose challenges to integrative medicine clinics and medical spas....
(May 13, 2008) - Holistic Health Perspective on Macbeth by Attorney
Verdi's Macbeth offers little insight into the worlds of spirit and the nature of fate, although psychologically and musically its greatness shines....
(May 13, 2008) - College Education: Hold the Mayo
This first appeared at Sports law Blog. Here is an interesting article from the New York Times about O.J. Mayo, the "freshman" basketball talent at the University of Southern California. The article argues against the absurd age eligibility rule of the NBA enacted with an eye and ear toward what David Stern admits was the mutual back scratching interests of the NBA and the NCAA. The beauty of the Rule, as revealed in the case of Mayo, is that it makes transparent the hypocrisy of big time...
(May 13, 2008) - May 2008 Update: Sprint Fidelis Lead Wire Failures Due To Design Flaw, Not Doctors
Medtronic Had Initially Suggested That It Was Implant Technique That Caused The Sprint Fidelis Malfunctions For today's post we have to thank Westby G. Fisher, MD, FACC, who is a board-certified internist, cardiologist, and cardiac electrophysiologist, as well as an associate professor of medicine, in Evanston, Illinois. Dr. Fisher is better known to some of us as "Dr. Wes", the name of a blog that he began publishing in November 2005. In his May 13, 2005 article, "Medtronic's Sprint Fidelis...
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