Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date info

Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date in healthy blog. The KevinMD blog has reposted George Lundberg's MedPage Today post "Health IT: Garbage In, Garbage Out", retitled as "Health IT has problems, but is worth the price." I covered Dr. Lundberg's original post at my Nov. 16, 2011 essay "George Lundberg, MD: The Promise of Health IT, and a Caveat."As the KevinMD blog is exceptionally well-read, I

healthy food

Health: Energy drinks + sports could equal danger

Energy drinks + sports could equal danger in healthy blog. Robyn Norwood, USA Today, says some athletes are turning not to ‘roids or blood doping, but the legal booster Red Bull.Meaning caffeine. Lots of caffeine. I remember a big debate on coffee when I was in HS—when could kids drink it.Now, docs have to write in PEDIATRICS that caffeine is bad for kids and adolescents and should not be chugged during sports or physical activity.This stuff can whack our your heart. Or even cause seizures.

healthy food

Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date info

Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date in healthy blog. The KevinMD blog has reposted George Lundberg's MedPage Today post "Health IT: Garbage In, Garbage Out", retitled as "Health IT has problems, but is worth the price." I covered Dr. Lundberg's original post at my Nov. 16, 2011 essay "George Lundberg, MD: The Promise of Health IT, and a Caveat."As the KevinMD blog is exceptionally well-read, I

healthy food

Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date info

Health IT Pundits and Perhaps the Most Logically Fallacious (And Even Cold-Hearted) Statement I've Seen About Health IT to Date in healthy blog. The KevinMD blog has reposted George Lundberg's MedPage Today post "Health IT: Garbage In, Garbage Out", retitled as "Health IT has problems, but is worth the price." I covered Dr. Lundberg's original post at my Nov. 16, 2011 essay "George Lundberg, MD: The Promise of Health IT, and a Caveat."As the KevinMD blog is exceptionally well-read, I

healthy food

"Corruption Kills," So Why Is Health Care Corruption Ignored? info

"Corruption Kills," So Why Is Health Care Corruption Ignored? in healthy blog. An article published last month by PLoS One(1) emphasizes the stark contrast between the likely impact on health of corruption, including health care corruption, and the attention paid to it.  The Methodologic DetailsThe authors performed an ecological, country-level analysis to assess the association of perceived national corruption level (measured by Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions

healthy food

In Michigan, Intentional Alteration of Medical Records is a Felony info

In Michigan, Intentional Alteration of Medical Records is a Felony in healthy blog. I addressed the issue of alteration of electronic medical records and the dearth of truly meaningful penalties at posts such as:"Stroud v. Abington Memorial Hospital: Is This Why Chart Alteration Might Be Appealing?","On Penalties for Alteration of Electronic Health Records"and"UPMC and the Sweet death that wasn't very sweet: How EMRs can detract from a clear narrative, and facilitate spoliation and

healthy food

Health: HIV patients not getting best care

HIV patients not getting best care in healthy blog. David Brown, Wash Post, Nov 29, 2011, says only 28% of Americans with the HIV virus are getting tiptop care.The goal is to suppress the virus so it’s no longer detectable—only a little more than a quarter have achieved that. This is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The problem is people who don’t know they have HIV—for those in treatment, 77% have suppressed the virus.More than 75% of those who find they have

healthy food

"Corruption Kills," So Why Is Health Care Corruption Ignored? info

"Corruption Kills," So Why Is Health Care Corruption Ignored? in healthy blog. An article published last month by PLoS One(1) emphasizes the stark contrast between the likely impact on health of corruption, including health care corruption, and the attention paid to it.  The Methodologic DetailsThe authors performed an ecological, country-level analysis to assess the association of perceived national corruption level (measured by Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions

healthy food

Health: Single parents with cancer get help

Single parents with cancer get help in healthy blog. Even if you have no helpmate, you can get sick. Then what—what about the income, the kids, the treatments, the phone trees?Out here in Scottsdale, we have a group called Singleton Moms to help out.This was started in 2006 by two women who watched a 32-yr-old friend succumb.More than 100 single parents (some men) have been helped.They bring in maids to clean, they bring meals, they negotiate with the bureaucrats.Each year they have a

healthy food

Health: "Customized" knee replacement

"Customized" knee replacement in healthy blog. There are already “male” and “female” knee assemblages. Now, docs have invented the Signature Knee. The Signature Knee is still a metal-on-metal replacement joint, but one crafted to the patient’s individual knee structure.Before, docs did not know what they would find inside the knee, so they had to have several sizes available. Now, the doctor and an engineer look over the patient’s MRI or CT scan and calculate the best places to

healthy food

Will the Citigroup Ruling Challenge Health Care Leaders' Impunity? info

Will the Citigroup Ruling Challenge Health Care Leaders' Impunity? in healthy blog. A federal judge's refusal to approve yet another cozy settlement that was supposed to resolve allegations of wrong-doing by a giant corporation has left the financial world atwitter.  It may be that this ruling will also affect the coziness between giant health care corporations and government regulators.  Summary of the Citigroup CaseWe first discussed this case twp weeks ago here.  Here is

healthy food

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? info

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? in healthy blog. In February, 2011, we posted about problems with corruption affecting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the time, the Fund promised to better detect fraud and corruption affecting its grants programs. We later posted about how after an internal debate, the Fund promised to make more information public about any losses to fraud and corruption. Now it has made more such

healthy food

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? info

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? in healthy blog. In February, 2011, we posted about problems with corruption affecting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the time, the Fund promised to better detect fraud and corruption affecting its grants programs. We later posted about how after an internal debate, the Fund promised to make more information public about any losses to fraud and corruption. Now it has made more such

healthy food

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? info

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? in healthy blog. In February, 2011, we posted about problems with corruption affecting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the time, the Fund promised to better detect fraud and corruption affecting its grants programs. We later posted about how after an internal debate, the Fund promised to make more information public about any losses to fraud and corruption. Now it has made more such

healthy food

Health: The shampoo wars

The shampoo wars in healthy blog. Americans sent billions down the drain last yr. In the form of shampoo. Did you know of the cheap stuff is just as good as the pricey? You don’t have to buy at the salon.And buying at Walmart is even cheaper.Suave or White Rain is about a buck at W’s--$ 1.25 in the grocery store.To really save money, use less. For long hair—a nickel-size amount, less for short hair.This is especially true for salon stuff—it’s very concentrated.Generally speaking, the

healthy food

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? info

Will the Freeze of the Global Fund Finally Put Health Care Corruption on the Agenda? in healthy blog. In February, 2011, we posted about problems with corruption affecting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the time, the Fund promised to better detect fraud and corruption affecting its grants programs. We later posted about how after an internal debate, the Fund promised to make more information public about any losses to fraud and corruption. Now it has made more such

healthy food

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com info

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com in healthy blog. Annette M. Boyle, MBA has an article in the journal ModernMedicine.com that exhibits a severe form of fallacious thinking, approaching magical thinking. It's this type of thinking that gets patients injured and killed:Health information technology: Better in long term despite short-term safety risksPublish date: Nov 23, 2011By: Annette M. Boyle, MBAResponding to a new report that says health information technology (HIT)

healthy food

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com info

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com in healthy blog. Annette M. Boyle, MBA has an article in the journal ModernMedicine.com that exhibits a severe form of fallacious thinking, approaching magical thinking. It's this type of thinking that gets patients injured and killed:Health information technology: Better in long term despite short-term safety risksPublish date: Nov 23, 2011By: Annette M. Boyle, MBAResponding to a new report that says health information technology (HIT)

healthy food

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com info

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com in healthy blog. Annette M. Boyle, MBA has an article in the journal ModernMedicine.com that exhibits a severe form of fallacious thinking, approaching magical thinking. It's this type of thinking that gets patients injured and killed:Health information technology: Better in long term despite short-term safety risksPublish date: Nov 23, 2011By: Annette M. Boyle, MBAResponding to a new report that says health information technology (HIT)

healthy food

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" info

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" in healthy blog. The AMA's publication American Medical News recently quoted me following comments from IOM EHR Safety committee member Richard Cook in the Nov. 21, 2011 article "IOM calls for monitoring and probe of health IT hazards" by Kevin O'Reilly:... Not everyone on the panel agreed with delaying FDA regulation. Committee member Richard I.

healthy food

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" info

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" in healthy blog. The AMA's publication American Medical News recently quoted me following comments from IOM EHR Safety committee member Richard Cook in the Nov. 21, 2011 article "IOM calls for monitoring and probe of health IT hazards" by Kevin O'Reilly:... Not everyone on the panel agreed with delaying FDA regulation. Committee member Richard I.

healthy food

Health: Don't mess up those white choppers

Don't mess up those white choppers in healthy blog. Robert Preidt, AZ Republic, Nov 20, 2011, says if you pay for some expensive teeth whitening, you need to protect it by eating the right things.It’s like losing weight—you don’t want to backslide.Some foods keep your teeth white—firm veggies such as apples, green beans, cauliflower, carrots and celery scrape stuff off teeth.Dairy products—cheese especially—are good for teeth.Watch the tobacco, soy sauce, soft drinks, red and white

healthy food

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" info

Two Opposing Views of EHR: InformaticMD vs. NextGen's Holder of "American Medical Informatics Certification for Health Information Technology" in healthy blog. The AMA's publication American Medical News recently quoted me following comments from IOM EHR Safety committee member Richard Cook in the Nov. 21, 2011 article "IOM calls for monitoring and probe of health IT hazards" by Kevin O'Reilly:... Not everyone on the panel agreed with delaying FDA regulation. Committee member Richard I.

healthy food

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com info

Magical Thinking on Health IT from ModernMedicine.com in healthy blog. Annette M. Boyle, MBA has an article in the journal ModernMedicine.com that exhibits a severe form of fallacious thinking, approaching magical thinking. It's this type of thinking that gets patients injured and killed:Health information technology: Better in long term despite short-term safety risksPublish date: Nov 23, 2011By: Annette M. Boyle, MBAResponding to a new report that says health information technology (HIT)

healthy food

Health: Don't mess up those white choppers

Don't mess up those white choppers in healthy blog. Robert Preidt, AZ Republic, Nov 20, 2011, says if you pay for some expensive teeth whitening, you need to protect it by eating the right things.It’s like losing weight—you don’t want to backslide.Some foods keep your teeth white—firm veggies such as apples, green beans, cauliflower, carrots and celery scrape stuff off teeth.Dairy products—cheese especially—are good for teeth.Watch the tobacco, soy sauce, soft drinks, red and white

healthy food

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine info

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine in healthy blog. The title of this post has not been hacked.  All will be revealed soon.Review: the University of California - Davis Pepper Spray IncidentWe just discussed the now infamous pepper spraying of peaceful student protesters at the University of California.  We noted our previous concerns about the leadership of the university

healthy food

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine info

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine in healthy blog. The title of this post has not been hacked.  All will be revealed soon.Review: the University of California - Davis Pepper Spray IncidentWe just discussed the now infamous pepper spraying of peaceful student protesters at the University of California.  We noted our previous concerns about the leadership of the university

healthy food

Health: Give us this day our glucomannan

Give us this day our glucomannan in healthy blog. Certain noodles can help you lose the el-bees. They come from the Asian konjac plant. It’s a water-soluble fiber, also called glucomannan.Besides noodles you can get a powder to throw on your food or in a shake.This stuff may help you lower cholesterol, keep glucose under control, and exert a MILD effect on weight. Maybe.At very least, it’s not harmful. Look for shirataki or yam noodles. They may be refrigerated and packed in water.With

healthy food

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine info

John Wiley and Sons Director Apologizes for Pepper Spray - An Example of the Proximity of the One Percent to the Leaders of Academic Medicine in healthy blog. The title of this post has not been hacked.  All will be revealed soon.Review: the University of California - Davis Pepper Spray IncidentWe just discussed the now infamous pepper spraying of peaceful student protesters at the University of California.  We noted our previous concerns about the leadership of the university

healthy food

Health: Give us this day our glucomannan

Give us this day our glucomannan in healthy blog. Certain noodles can help you lose the el-bees. They come from the Asian konjac plant. It’s a water-soluble fiber, also called glucomannan.Besides noodles you can get a powder to throw on your food or in a shake.This stuff may help you lower cholesterol, keep glucose under control, and exert a MILD effect on weight. Maybe.At very least, it’s not harmful. Look for shirataki or yam noodles. They may be refrigerated and packed in water.With

healthy food

Health: Honey is money

Honey is money in healthy blog. Yes, it comes from a bee’s bee-hind, so to speak, but it’s delish and has many good properties and uses. First, it has antiseptic properties—you can make a bandage with honey inside for infections. They even recommended it when my kid had MRSA. Try to get Manuka UMF honey for this.It’s pure energy—yes, a carb, but one spoonful can help you run faster and endure. It’s absorbed fast!Put it on toast or in tea for a morning jumpstart.It’s full of

healthy food

The UC-Davis Pepper-Spray Case as Illustrative of Problems with the Leadership of Health Care info

The UC-Davis Pepper-Spray Case as Illustrative of Problems with the Leadership of Health Care in healthy blog. The aggressive actions by University of California-Davis police against unarmed, peaceful student protesters turn out to be the latest illustration of the problems with leadership and governance we discuss on Health Care Renewal.  The University of California - Davis Pepper Spray IncidentTo summarize the current episode, I start with quotes about its background from

healthy food

Health: Honey is money

Honey is money in healthy blog. Yes, it comes from a bee’s bee-hind, so to speak, but it’s delish and has many good properties and uses. First, it has antiseptic properties—you can make a bandage with honey inside for infections. They even recommended it when my kid had MRSA. Try to get Manuka UMF honey for this.It’s pure energy—yes, a carb, but one spoonful can help you run faster and endure. It’s absorbed fast!Put it on toast or in tea for a morning jumpstart.It’s full of

healthy food

The UC-Davis Pepper-Spray Case as Illustrative of Problems with the Leadership of Health Care info

The UC-Davis Pepper-Spray Case as Illustrative of Problems with the Leadership of Health Care in healthy blog. The aggressive actions by University of California-Davis police against unarmed, peaceful student protesters turn out to be the latest illustration of the problems with leadership and governance we discuss on Health Care Renewal.  The University of California - Davis Pepper Spray IncidentTo summarize the current episode, I start with quotes about its background from

healthy food

Health: Honey is money

Honey is money in healthy blog. Yes, it comes from a bee’s bee-hind, so to speak, but it’s delish and has many good properties and uses. First, it has antiseptic properties—you can make a bandage with honey inside for infections. They even recommended it when my kid had MRSA. Try to get Manuka UMF honey for this.It’s pure energy—yes, a carb, but one spoonful can help you run faster and endure. It’s absorbed fast!Put it on toast or in tea for a morning jumpstart.It’s full of

healthy food

If gov't officials can't deal with bendy bananas, curvy cucumbers and water for hydration, how can they possibly consider issues with computers? info

If gov't officials can't deal with bendy bananas, curvy cucumbers and water for hydration, how can they possibly consider issues with computers? in healthy blog. I present this story with almost no commentary except this post's title, the simple observation that keeping government out of many aspects of out lives is not a bad idea, and a few minor points:The TelegraphEU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink

healthy food

Websites dedicated by patients to a physician in Illinois under fire essentially because he's "too slow" with an EMR info

Websites dedicated by patients to a physician in Illinois under fire essentially because he's "too slow" with an EMR in healthy blog. Stunning.Two websites dedicated by patients to a physician in Illinois under fire essentially because he's "too slow" with an EMR:In Support of Dr. Steven KottemannTestimonials submitted by the patients of Dr. Steven Kottemann, Lincoln, Illinoishttp://kottemann.wordpress.com/And a corresponding Facebook page:Support Dr.

healthy food

To Sir Andrew? With a Settlement - GlaxoSmithKline to Settle for $3 Billion, CEO Said to Pursue Knighthood info

To Sir Andrew? With a Settlement - GlaxoSmithKline to Settle for Billion, CEO Said to Pursue Knighthood in healthy blog. Two weeks ago, reports of the largest legal settlement involving a pharmaceutical company to date in the US appeared.  The $ 3 Billion SettlementIn summary, per the Philadelphia Inquirer,In perhaps the largest penalty ever paid by a pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday it had reached a tentative deal with the U.S. Justice Department to pay $ 3

healthy food

Health: Does a patient know best?

Does a patient know best? in healthy blog. Laura Landro, WSJ, Nov 7, 2011, says come next fall, hospitals can lose 1% of their Medicare payment if they miss quality care goals or patients give them a bad rap.Thus—hospitals are putting personnel through customer-service training.Patients like cleanliness, quiet and someone who listens.The hospitals are therefore adding massage, reflexology and concerts.Some hospitals are also instituting a program I heard about decades ago—HEART. This stands

healthy food

Health: Shaking hands with food

Shaking hands with food in healthy blog. People are always wringing their hands over what to eat or not eat, what is “bad” and what isn’t. Food is body fuel. But it is also a social ritual—and one of life’s great pleasures.If you second guess it every second, feel guilty, hang your head, confess to people, you are leaving a lot of pleasure on the table, so to speak.I am a big woman, always have been…I eat what I like now, don’t do the scale deal, and am trying to enjoy life. I

healthy food

Health: Shaking hands with food

Shaking hands with food in healthy blog. People are always wringing their hands over what to eat or not eat, what is “bad” and what isn’t. Food is body fuel. But it is also a social ritual—and one of life’s great pleasures.If you second guess it every second, feel guilty, hang your head, confess to people, you are leaving a lot of pleasure on the table, so to speak.I am a big woman, always have been…I eat what I like now, don’t do the scale deal, and am trying to enjoy life. I

healthy food

Novel Idea on Healthcare IT: Worth a Billion Dollars! info

Novel Idea on Healthcare IT: Worth a Billion Dollars! in healthy blog. From an AMIA announcement:CMS Innovation Center Announces $ 1 Billion Funding Opportunity:CMS announced a new initiative, the Health Care Innovation Challenge, which will provide grants for new ideas to improve care and lower costs for those in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. CMS will award up to $ 1 billion in grants for a 3 year period and is encouraging providers, payers, local government, public-private partnerships and

healthy food

A New Low - A Hospital CEO Got a "Golden Parachute" for A Merger that Never Occurred info

A New Low - A Hospital CEO Got a "Golden Parachute" for A Merger that Never Occurred in healthy blog. We recently posted about how top hospital managers are often the first to benefit from mergers and acquisitions, which once again have become fashionable in management circles.  Now it appears that top executives can benefit even from failed mergers, as reported by the Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal,Five months after Bert Fish Medical Center's failed merger, one board member

healthy food

A New Low - A Hospital CEO Got a "Golden Parachute" for A Merger that Never Occurred info

A New Low - A Hospital CEO Got a "Golden Parachute" for A Merger that Never Occurred in healthy blog. We recently posted about how top hospital managers are often the first to benefit from mergers and acquisitions, which once again have become fashionable in management circles.  Now it appears that top executives can benefit even from failed mergers, as reported by the Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal,Five months after Bert Fish Medical Center's failed merger, one board member

healthy food

Health: Presents for poor old folks

Presents for poor old folks in healthy blog. We are on a, ahem, limited budget, and I needed kitchen sponges for months before springing for them—kept putting them in the dishwasher to no visible effect.My daughter was ribbing me—“I heard you in your room saying sponges, sponges.”Banner Hospitals in this area has some ideas for us broke oldies for the hols.First, if you know someone older who may not get to the store much or is snacking on crackers and so on for meals, look into what

healthy food

George Lundberg, MD: The Promise of Health IT, and a Caveat info

George Lundberg, MD: The Promise of Health IT, and a Caveat in healthy blog. I was cited yesterday in a Medpage TODAY video by medical internet pioneer George Lundberg, MD, also former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A link was made to Healthcare Renewal as well. Health IT: Garbage In, Garbage OutBy George Lundberg, MD, Editor-at-Large, MedPage TodayNovember 15, 2011http://www.medpagetoday.com/Columns/29688 (video and transcript)Click on picture to

healthy food

Health: Be realistic--the blues may sneak up

Be realistic--the blues may sneak up in healthy blog. First, get this straight. If your family is more Jerry Springer than Rebecca at Sunnybrook Farm, you are not alone.The holidays are tough, because family members are thrown in a room together sometimes. The big wad-up, as one woman I know calls it. Alcohol may be served. Uh-oh.Also, you are supposed to be cheery and thrilled. You must be! What is wrong with you?Uh, no money to buy presents, age-old gripes, perversity, who knows.Too much

healthy food

Health: Be realistic--the blues may sneak up

Be realistic--the blues may sneak up in healthy blog. First, get this straight. If your family is more Jerry Springer than Rebecca at Sunnybrook Farm, you are not alone.The holidays are tough, because family members are thrown in a room together sometimes. The big wad-up, as one woman I know calls it. Alcohol may be served. Uh-oh.Also, you are supposed to be cheery and thrilled. You must be! What is wrong with you?Uh, no money to buy presents, age-old gripes, perversity, who knows.Too much

healthy food

Health: Be realistic--the blues may sneak up

Be realistic--the blues may sneak up in healthy blog. First, get this straight. If your family is more Jerry Springer than Rebecca at Sunnybrook Farm, you are not alone.The holidays are tough, because family members are thrown in a room together sometimes. The big wad-up, as one woman I know calls it. Alcohol may be served. Uh-oh.Also, you are supposed to be cheery and thrilled. You must be! What is wrong with you?Uh, no money to buy presents, age-old gripes, perversity, who knows.Too much

healthy food

EMR Defects That Injure and Kill, and Litigation: A Hospital Is Paying a Huge Hourly Rate for This? info

EMR Defects That Injure and Kill, and Litigation: A Hospital Is Paying a Huge Hourly Rate for This? in healthy blog. At my Oct. 2011 post "A Diary of EHR-Initiated Tragedy" I wrote that:... I've realized that these past posts, when integrated for an upcoming investigation, tell a story that is probably not uncommon in hospitals today. They form a sort of Diary of EHR-Initiated Tragedy.Sadly, this Diary was my account of my own mother's EHR-related injuries.There is a new chapter brewing.In

healthy food

EMR Defects That Injure and Kill, and Litigation: A Hospital Is Paying a Huge Hourly Rate for This? info

EMR Defects That Injure and Kill, and Litigation: A Hospital Is Paying a Huge Hourly Rate for This? in healthy blog. At my Oct. 2011 post "A Diary of EHR-Initiated Tragedy" I wrote that:... I've realized that these past posts, when integrated for an upcoming investigation, tell a story that is probably not uncommon in hospitals today. They form a sort of Diary of EHR-Initiated Tragedy.Sadly, this Diary was my account of my own mother's EHR-related injuries.There is a new chapter brewing.In

healthy food

Health: Exercising for two

Exercising for two in healthy blog. We get a supplement from a local hospital in our paper, and today it quoted Tiffany Weathers, MD, an OB-GYN with Banner Ironwood Physicians on exercising while preggers.Generally, she says, if you are healthy, you can continue to exercise. It strengthens muscles for pushing and is especially helpful if you develop diabetes during gestation.I walked a lot—I COULD walk a lot then, well, waddle… The hip ligaments open up and soften, so you sort of roll

healthy food

Health: Fat banking

Fat banking in healthy blog. Finally, some good use for fat.Hope you didn’t just eat, but Wendy Schmid, Harper’s Bazaar, says the new hot happening, darlings, is banking your fat. Or more accurately, freezing it and paying someone to hang onto it.Not fat—think of it as “cosmetic filler.” You can get someone to spackle into into your wrinks at a distant time. A place called BioLife Cell Bank in Dallas will do the honors.While they don’t exactly recommend “banking” the gunk in

healthy food

Health: Fat banking

Fat banking in healthy blog. Finally, some good use for fat.Hope you didn’t just eat, but Wendy Schmid, Harper’s Bazaar, says the new hot happening, darlings, is banking your fat. Or more accurately, freezing it and paying someone to hang onto it.Not fat—think of it as “cosmetic filler.” You can get someone to spackle into into your wrinks at a distant time. A place called BioLife Cell Bank in Dallas will do the honors.While they don’t exactly recommend “banking” the gunk in

healthy food

Health: Fat banking

Fat banking in healthy blog. Finally, some good use for fat.Hope you didn’t just eat, but Wendy Schmid, Harper’s Bazaar, says the new hot happening, darlings, is banking your fat. Or more accurately, freezing it and paying someone to hang onto it.Not fat—think of it as “cosmetic filler.” You can get someone to spackle into into your wrinks at a distant time. A place called BioLife Cell Bank in Dallas will do the honors.While they don’t exactly recommend “banking” the gunk in

healthy food

Health: Fat banking

Fat banking in healthy blog. Finally, some good use for fat.Hope you didn’t just eat, but Wendy Schmid, Harper’s Bazaar, says the new hot happening, darlings, is banking your fat. Or more accurately, freezing it and paying someone to hang onto it.Not fat—think of it as “cosmetic filler.” You can get someone to spackle into into your wrinks at a distant time. A place called BioLife Cell Bank in Dallas will do the honors.While they don’t exactly recommend “banking” the gunk in

healthy food

Health: Fat banking

Fat banking in healthy blog. Finally, some good use for fat.Hope you didn’t just eat, but Wendy Schmid, Harper’s Bazaar, says the new hot happening, darlings, is banking your fat. Or more accurately, freezing it and paying someone to hang onto it.Not fat—think of it as “cosmetic filler.” You can get someone to spackle into into your wrinks at a distant time. A place called BioLife Cell Bank in Dallas will do the honors.While they don’t exactly recommend “banking” the gunk in

healthy food

Health: The wasted bucks REALLY stinks

The wasted bucks REALLY stinks in healthy blog. According to Loyola, the US is winning against the evil smoking habit. Fewer people are starting, and 3 million quit a year. Still, a fifth of adults smoke. My kid is among them. She apparently started when she was 12—love those parochial schools chockful of naughty peers .Anyhow, now that we are struggling economically (she is still at home), I took note of the fact that a pack a day runs $ 3,300 a year!And it’s bad for ya, you might have

healthy food

Health: The wasted bucks REALLY stinks

The wasted bucks REALLY stinks in healthy blog. According to Loyola, the US is winning against the evil smoking habit. Fewer people are starting, and 3 million quit a year. Still, a fifth of adults smoke. My kid is among them. She apparently started when she was 12—love those parochial schools chockful of naughty peers .Anyhow, now that we are struggling economically (she is still at home), I took note of the fact that a pack a day runs $ 3,300 a year!And it’s bad for ya, you might have

healthy food

The Parallels Between Health Care and Financial Dysfunction: Leadership's Impunity as Demonstrated by the Citigroup Case info

The Parallels Between Health Care and Financial Dysfunction: Leadership's Impunity as Demonstrated by the Citigroup Case in healthy blog. For years, we have noted the parade of legal settlements made by large health care organizations.  The parade is notable on one hand because it illustrates how often some of our best known health care corporations and institutions behave badly.  Impunity for Health Care LeadersIt is notable on the other hand because it illustrates how the leaders of

healthy food

Health: The wasted bucks REALLY stinks

The wasted bucks REALLY stinks in healthy blog. According to Loyola, the US is winning against the evil smoking habit. Fewer people are starting, and 3 million quit a year. Still, a fifth of adults smoke. My kid is among them. She apparently started when she was 12—love those parochial schools chockful of naughty peers .Anyhow, now that we are struggling economically (she is still at home), I took note of the fact that a pack a day runs $ 3,300 a year!And it’s bad for ya, you might have

healthy food

EHRevent.org Leadership: "Heck, getting out of bed in the morning is dangerous- it just beats the alternative" info

EHRevent.org Leadership: "Heck, getting out of bed in the morning is dangerous- it just beats the alternative" in healthy blog. I have posted about the organization EHRevent.org on numerous occasion. I expressed concerns that this organization's representation as an alternative aggregator of health IT difficulty cases, compared to established organizations and resources such as FDA's Medwatch and MAUDE database, was probably not a good idea:November 15, 2010:

healthy food

Health: Can be many causes of knee pain

Can be many causes of knee pain in healthy blog. Ralph Wilson, an orthopedic surgeon in Gilbert, AZ, wrote in the Chandler Republic, Nov 9, 2011, that even a finding of “bone on bone” meaning cartilage is all worn away in the knee may not be the cause of knee pain. People with bone on bone can have no pain.Other causes of pain could be psoriasis, sciatica, or an arthritic hip. Gout can also cause it.A Novocaine shot in the hip can help the knee in some cases.This may mean back x-rays in

healthy food

CEOs First to Benefit from For-Profit Takeovers of Non-Profit Hospitals info

CEOs First to Benefit from For-Profit Takeovers of Non-Profit Hospitals in healthy blog. Last year, we noted concerns about the againy fashionable practice of for-profit corporations taking over previously not-for-profit hospitals and hospital systems. Two examples we cited were the planned acquisitions of Detroit Medical Center (DMC) by Vanguard Health, which was owned by the Blackstone Group, and of Caritas Christi Health Care by Cerberus Capital Management. At the time, we noted,

healthy food

Health: Mother's little helpers

Mother's little helpers in healthy blog. ABC News had a story on how moms are too freaked out these days to sleep without a pill.How to make the mortgage, will the kids have a better life than the parents, why aren’t the schools teaching them anything…you can get in a hamster wheel of thoughts at night.Especially in this disgusting economic calamity or whatever it is.A 2007 study by the National Sleep Foundation found that three in 10 women use some sleep aid a few nights a week. This is

healthy food

IOM Report - "Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care" - Nix the FDA; Create a New Toothless Agency info

IOM Report - "Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care" - Nix the FDA; Create a New Toothless Agency in healthy blog. The Center for Public Integrity has published a story ahead of the Thursday release of the Institute of Medicine's report on health IT safety (a panel, by the way, which rejected my testifying, live, about my own mother's injury and death related to health IT despite my credentials and explicit requests).Excerpts: Panel recommends new agency to

healthy food

Sudden Outbreak of Kwashiorkor (Severe Malnutrition) in Maryland, or Computer-Facilitated Upcoding? info

Sudden Outbreak of Kwashiorkor (Severe Malnutrition) in Maryland, or Computer-Facilitated Upcoding? in healthy blog. At a Feb. 2011 post "Does EHR-Incited Upcoding Need Investigation by CMS, And Could it Explain HIT Irrational Exuberance?" I wrote about how EMR's can facilitate medically unjustified upcoding, a form of fraud.Here's a peculiar upcoding story out of Baltimore. I am cited:Malnutrition diagnoses at Kernan were fraud, feds sayBaltimore SunJay Hancock7:44 p.m. EST, November 7,

healthy food

Health: I used to think this was dumb

I used to think this was dumb in healthy blog. I used to hear older people say all their friends were dead. I thought, wow, bummer. Now, some of mine are. And others have drifted off.It didn’t help that I moved away from my home of 35 yrs to help take care of my own aging mother. It’s hard to keep up. Oddly, some friends from college are more in touch than people I knew in Washington more recently.Of course, they have done studies—if you have friends, you are more connected to life and

healthy food

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm info

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm in healthy blog. There's been yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patients to be harmed (see other "glitches" here, here, here and at other posts which can be found by searching this blog on the insipid and ever-present term 'glitch').When health IT causes errors that can injure or kill, it's commonly referred to as just a "glitch", the now-standard euphemism.Presenting the

healthy food

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm info

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm in healthy blog. There's been yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patients to be harmed (see other "glitches" here, here, here and at other posts which can be found by searching this blog on the insipid and ever-present term 'glitch').When health IT causes errors that can injure or kill, it's commonly referred to as just a "glitch", the now-standard euphemism.Presenting the

healthy food

How Much Fiber Do You Need For Good Health info

How Much Fiber Do You Need For Good Health in healthy blog. When people see the science of nutrition, they often want to jump on the latest nutrition for the year. They want to know what kind of protein powder is the best, if they should whey or casein. You want to know if the creatine powder is a good supplement, or eat if, before or after exercise? Few people want to take the time to sit and learn the basics of nutrition, such as the amount should be in protein, carbohydrates, eating fat, and

healthy food

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm info

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm in healthy blog. There's been yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patients to be harmed (see other "glitches" here, here, here and at other posts which can be found by searching this blog on the insipid and ever-present term 'glitch').When health IT causes errors that can injure or kill, it's commonly referred to as just a "glitch", the now-standard euphemism.Presenting the

healthy food

Health: Doctors--lie down till the thought passes

Doctors--lie down till the thought passes in healthy blog. I can’t see well (thanks to medical care I opted to succumb to), and never could drive, so even a routine doctor visit means getting a ride from my sister, who is willing, but I don’t want to wear out the option.Then comes the paperwork—I don’t want to put my Social…that is discussed. Then the scale—yes, all ills, every one, stem from excessive size—so this is a big issue. I will not get weighed. Blah blah…that is not

healthy food

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm info

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm in healthy blog. There's been yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patients to be harmed (see other "glitches" here, here, here and at other posts which can be found by searching this blog on the insipid and ever-present term 'glitch').When health IT causes errors that can injure or kill, it's commonly referred to as just a "glitch", the now-standard euphemism.Presenting the

healthy food

Health: Doctors--lie down till the thought passes

Doctors--lie down till the thought passes in healthy blog. I can’t see well (thanks to medical care I opted to succumb to), and never could drive, so even a routine doctor visit means getting a ride from my sister, who is willing, but I don’t want to wear out the option.Then comes the paperwork—I don’t want to put my Social…that is discussed. Then the scale—yes, all ills, every one, stem from excessive size—so this is a big issue. I will not get weighed. Blah blah…that is not

healthy food

Health: Doctors--lie down till the thought passes

Doctors--lie down till the thought passes in healthy blog. I can’t see well (thanks to medical care I opted to succumb to), and never could drive, so even a routine doctor visit means getting a ride from my sister, who is willing, but I don’t want to wear out the option.Then comes the paperwork—I don’t want to put my Social…that is discussed. Then the scale—yes, all ills, every one, stem from excessive size—so this is a big issue. I will not get weighed. Blah blah…that is not

healthy food

How Much Fiber Do You Need For Good Health info

How Much Fiber Do You Need For Good Health in healthy blog. When people see the science of nutrition, they often want to jump on the latest nutrition for the year. They want to know what kind of protein powder is the best, if they should whey or casein. You want to know if the creatine powder is a good supplement, or eat if, before or after exercise? Few people want to take the time to sit and learn the basics of nutrition, such as the amount should be in protein, carbohydrates, eating fat, and

healthy food

Health: Doctors--lie down till the thought passes

Doctors--lie down till the thought passes in healthy blog. I can’t see well (thanks to medical care I opted to succumb to), and never could drive, so even a routine doctor visit means getting a ride from my sister, who is willing, but I don’t want to wear out the option.Then comes the paperwork—I don’t want to put my Social…that is discussed. Then the scale—yes, all ills, every one, stem from excessive size—so this is a big issue. I will not get weighed. Blah blah…that is not

healthy food

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm info

Lifespan (Rhode Island): Yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patient harm in healthy blog. There's been yet another health IT "glitch" that, of course, caused no patients to be harmed (other "glitches" here, here, here and at other posts which can be found by searching this blog on the insipid and ever-present term 'glitch').When health IT causes medication errors that can injure or kill, it's just a "glitch."Presenting the latest "glitch":Computer glitch led patients to

healthy food

Health Care Also Needs to Challenge "Crony Capitalism," the "New Gilded Age, and "the Idolatry of the Market" info

Health Care Also Needs to Challenge "Crony Capitalism," the "New Gilded Age, and "the Idolatry of the Market" in healthy blog. The increasing size and scope of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, and continuing instability in the finance system, most recently due to the threatened default of Greece, and resulting problems with the Euro, and now the bankruptcy of yet another prominent financial firm, MF Global, has lead to renewed discussion of what has gone wrong with the greater political

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new

healthy food

Health: Growing pains are real

Growing pains are real in healthy blog. Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell, AZ Republic, Nov 2, 2011, writes that 25-40% of kids experience “growing pains.”Usually these aches and cramps come in the night and are below the knee.Often these arise after a very physical day. About all that can be done to prevent them is good quality, supportive shoes.If these pains continue or extend into the morning or pop up during exercise—you might want to tell the doctor.In the meantime, some attention, massaging

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new

healthy food

Health: Growing pains are real

Growing pains are real in healthy blog. Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell, AZ Republic, Nov 2, 2011, writes that 25-40% of kids experience “growing pains.”Usually these aches and cramps come in the night and are below the knee.Often these arise after a very physical day. About all that can be done to prevent them is good quality, supportive shoes.If these pains continue or extend into the morning or pop up during exercise—you might want to tell the doctor.In the meantime, some attention, massaging

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new

healthy food

Health: Growing pains are real

Growing pains are real in healthy blog. Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell, AZ Republic, Nov 2, 2011, writes that 25-40% of kids experience “growing pains.”Usually these aches and cramps come in the night and are below the knee.Often these arise after a very physical day. About all that can be done to prevent them is good quality, supportive shoes.If these pains continue or extend into the morning or pop up during exercise—you might want to tell the doctor.In the meantime, some attention, massaging

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new

healthy food

If a Medical School is Just Part of the "Biomedical Industry," Who Will Do Medical Education? info

If a Medical School is Just Part of the "Biomedical Industry," Who Will Do Medical Education? in healthy blog. A little while ago, we discussed questions raised by the pre-existing financial relationships of Dr Laurie Glimcher, the new incoming Dean of Weill Cornell Medical School. Dr Glimcher is also the longest serving director of Bristol-Myers-Squibb, and has a number of other financial relationships with drug and device companies. A new interview with Dr Glimcher suggested that what is most

healthy food

If a Medical School is Just Part of the "Biomedical Industry," Who Will Do Medical Education? info

If a Medical School is Just Part of the "Biomedical Industry," Who Will Do Medical Education? in healthy blog. A little while ago, we discussed questions raised by the pre-existing financial relationships of Dr Laurie Glimcher, the new incoming Dean of Weill Cornell Medical School. Dr Glimcher is also the longest serving director of Bristol-Myers-Squibb, and has a number of other financial relationships with drug and device companies. A new interview with Dr Glimcher suggested that what is most

healthy food

Health: Smelly house

Smelly house in healthy blog. Remember those house-a-tosis ads? I always think of that when I walk in—is it EW or EAU?There is such a thing as occupancy odor—I wrote about this once for WebMD. It’s BO, PO (pet odor), fresheners, cooking, products, etc.Febreze did a study—people don’t clean 75% of their porous surfaces—couches, rugs, pillows—regularly. These soak up stinks and hold them.Smell is directly linked to emotion. Smell a perfume—WHAM, you think of the guy you were with

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder "Drug" on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new

healthy food

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder Drug on the Market info

Dr. Scott Monteith: On a New Wonder Drug on the Market in healthy blog. I've posted several guest posts by Dr. Scott Monteith, a psychiatrist/informaticist, at Healthcare Renewal.These include the Mar. 2011 post "On 'The Best Compromise' on Physicians and Use of Troublesome Health IT", the Jan. 2011 post "Interesting HIT Testimony to HHS Standards Committee, Jan. 11, 2011, by Dr. Monteith" and the Dec. 2010 post "Meaningful Use and the Devil in the Details: A Reader's View".Here's a new guest

healthy food

Health: Toxic bosses can make us sick

Toxic bosses can make us sick in healthy blog. A mean person with no boundaries and power over us. Ah—what a dream. Madeline Vann, MPH, Everyday Health, says bosses who throw things, screamers, people who crave chaos in order to excel, all can hurt those under them.Bullies—a lot of them—bullies with no playground. They can “correct” you in front of others, steal your ideas, talk behind your back, the possibilities are endless.Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant, is

healthy food

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? info

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? in healthy blog. What medical devices are shielded from liability?Here we have a proposal from a member of the U.S. Congress to shield health IT software, a medical device (per FDA's Director of CDRH - the Center for Device and Radiological Health and others), and its users from liability through an apparently unique special accommodation.This from iHealthBeat:Thursday, October 27, 2011Bill Would Establish New Legal Protections

healthy food

Health: You are officially off the hook for...

You are officially off the hook for... in healthy blog. Do you like that Suze Orman person—who screeches "DENIED" at people when they want to spend a buck? I am not a fan. But I do think we need someone to say yes or no on things. Just not her, with her orange canvas outfits.I saw a story in Working Mother (Nov 2011) about things you can take off your To Do List. What a great idea to cut stress!The magazine says you can remove:Zumba ClassScrapbookingLearning to knitHosting a dinner partyThese

healthy food

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? info

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? in healthy blog. What medical devices are shielded from liability?Here we have a proposal from a member of the U.S. Congress to shield health IT software, a medical device (per FDA's Director of CDRH - the Center for Device and Radiological Health and others), and its users from liability through an apparently unique special accommodation.This from iHealthBeat:Thursday, October 27, 2011Bill Would Establish New Legal Protections

healthy food

Health: You are officially off the hook for...

You are officially off the hook for... in healthy blog. Do you like that Suze Orman person—who screeches "DENIED" at people when they want to spend a buck? I am not a fan. But I do think we need someone to say yes or no on things. Just not her, with her orange canvas outfits.I saw a story in Working Mother (Nov 2011) about things you can take off your To Do List. What a great idea to cut stress!The magazine says you can remove:Zumba ClassScrapbookingLearning to knitHosting a dinner partyThese

healthy food

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? info

Cybernetik Über Alles: Computers Have More Rights Than Patients? in healthy blog. This from iHealthBeat:Thursday, October 27, 2011Bill Would Establish New Legal Protections for EHR AdoptersOn Wednesday, Rep. Tom Marino (R-Penn.) introduced legislation (HR 3239) that would create certain legal protections for Medicare and Medicaid providers who have implemented electronic health record systems, the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports.The bill -- called the Safeguarding Access for Every Medicare

healthy food

Health: Breathe, people

Breathe, people in healthy blog. In the 1970s, I had a job, but also went to a yoga ashram for class every evening—we learned yogic breathing, in which your stomach comes out instead of being sucked in. The way babies breathe, their tummies going up and down.Since women don’t like to stick their stomachs out, and since people get more stiff and armored, we gradually forget how to breathe.Sometimes I find myself barely taking in any air—just now, for example.We need oxygen and that

healthy food

Health: Breathe, people

Breathe, people in healthy blog. In the 1970s, I had a job, but also went to a yoga ashram for class every evening—we learned yogic breathing, in which your stomach comes out instead of being sucked in. The way babies breathe, their tummies going up and down.Since women don’t like to stick their stomachs out, and since people get more stiff and armored, we gradually forget how to breathe.Sometimes I find myself barely taking in any air—just now, for example.We need oxygen and that

healthy food

Health: Breathe, people

Breathe, people in healthy blog. In the 1970s, I had a job, but also went to a yoga ashram for class every evening—we learned yogic breathing, in which your stomach comes out instead of being sucked in. The way babies breathe, their tummies going up and down.Since women don’t like to stick their stomachs out, and since people get more stiff and armored, we gradually forget how to breathe.Sometimes I find myself barely taking in any air—just now, for example.We need oxygen and that

healthy food

Canada Online Drugs Store

In the middle of the coldest winter and you get cold at that time then you must need the drug to cure your cold. Remembering the winter out there must be very cold, you have to be lazy to purchase the drugs you need and you wish the drug will come to your house. Today this wish is not an impossible thing anymore. You can get the pharmacy delivery service through online drugs store. Shopping for the drugs today is not something difficult anymore. The land based drugs stores are not the only

Canada Online Drugs Store

Health: Do not reuse needles--got that?

Do not reuse needles--got that? in healthy blog. Every time I read about infections, someone says a hospital or clinic has reused needles. Can we just agree that is really, really dumb and stupid?Laura Landro, WSJ, Oct 25, 2011, says the Centers for Disease Control is launching a new website for cancer patients and caregivers. Prevent infections! Cancer patients are vulnerable. For one thing, chemo can lower the number of protective white cells.And, I might add— cancer patients ENOUGH

healthy food

Health: Do not reuse needles--got that?

Do not reuse needles--got that? in healthy blog. Every time I read about infections, someone says a hospital or clinic has reused needles. Can we just agree that is really, really dumb and stupid?Laura Landro, WSJ, Oct 25, 2011, says the Centers for Disease Control is launching a new website for cancer patients and caregivers. Prevent infections! Cancer patients are vulnerable. For one thing, chemo can lower the number of protective white cells.And, I might add— cancer patients ENOUGH

healthy food

Health: Do not reuse needles--got that?

Do not reuse needles--got that? in healthy blog. Every time I read about infections, someone says a hospital or clinic has reused needles. Can we just agree that is really, really dumb and stupid?Laura Landro, WSJ, Oct 25, 2011, says the Centers for Disease Control is launching a new website for cancer patients and caregivers. Prevent infections! Cancer patients are vulnerable. For one thing, chemo can lower the number of protective white cells.And, I might add— cancer patients ENOUGH

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

What the Pfizer (V)? - Few Consequences of a Long History of Bad Behavior info

What the Pfizer (V)? - Few Consequences of a Long History of Bad Behavior in healthy blog. The recent in-depth investigation by Fortune reporters of 10 years of dysfunctional leadership at Pfizer, the "world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company," raised many issues about leadership and governance in health care (see our post here).  In a series of posts, we then discussed lack of transparency in Pfizer's communication about management performance here, how bad

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

What the Pfizer (V)? - Few Consequences of a Long History of Bad Behavior info

What the Pfizer (V)? - Few Consequences of a Long History of Bad Behavior in healthy blog. The recent in-depth investigation by Fortune reporters of 10 years of dysfunctional leadership at Pfizer, the "world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company," raised many issues about leadership and governance in health care (see our post here).  In a series of posts, we then discussed lack of transparency in Pfizer's communication about management performance here, how bad

healthy food

Health: Old-age commune--with pool guy

Old-age commune--with pool guy in healthy blog. My sister and I oversee our mother’s care in assisted care—and have for 17 yrs. She cannot manage on her own. She can pay $ 3000 a mo—we will never be able to when it comes our turn. And our turn is sort of here, we are both quakier that she is.So….My friends and I jokingly talk about banding together and taking care of each other—maybe with a cute employee to fetch our prescriptions, cook, clean the pool (a must), and mix the Cosmos at

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

Health: Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor?

Breast cancer followup--ask your doctor? in healthy blog. Anahad O’Connor, NYT, Oct 24, 2011, reports on a decent-sounding study that suggests that letrozole (Femara) improves the odds of survival to a greater degree that the gold-standard followup medicine tamoxifen.I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, but this may be worth talking to your doctor about.Sixty percent of breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen or estrogen-receptor positive. This study in The Lancet Oncology, financed

healthy food

NIST on the EHR Mission Hostile User Experience: Blame the User? Nyet... info

NIST on the EHR Mission Hostile User Experience: Blame the User? Nyet... in healthy blog. I have often had to respond to those who claim that EHR's don't cause medical errors, users do. That subset of the health IT irrationally exuberant seem common in the health IT industry and pundit channels.NIST (The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology) has recently issued a draft report "NISTIR 7804: Technical Evaluation, Testing and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health

healthy food

NIST on the EHR Mission Hostile User Experience: Blame the User? Nyet... info

NIST on the EHR Mission Hostile User Experience: Blame the User? Nyet... in healthy blog. I have often had to respond to those who claim that EHR's don't cause medical errors, users do. That subset of the health IT irrationally exuberant seem common in the health IT industry and pundit channels.NIST (The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology) has recently issued a draft report "NISTIR 7804: Technical Evaluation, Testing and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health

healthy food

Why 99 Percent of the Irrationally Exuberant About Health IT Need To Be Removed From Healthcare info

Why 99 Percent of the Irrationally Exuberant About Health IT Need To Be Removed From Healthcare in healthy blog. At Roy Poses' cross post "Why 99 percent of health care should be angry" over at the KevinMD blog, I introduced a comment into the "eruption of controversy" (his term here) caused by his post.My comment was on the topic of government and health IT: scotsilv 3 days ago

healthy food

Why 99 Percent of the Irrationally Exuberant About Health IT Need To Be Removed From Healthcare info

Why 99 Percent of the Irrationally Exuberant About Health IT Need To Be Removed From Healthcare in healthy blog. At Roy Poses' cross post "Why 99 percent of health care should be angry" over at the KevinMD blog, I introduced a comment into the "eruption of controversy" (his term here) caused by his post.My comment was on the topic of government and health IT: scotsilv 3 days ago

healthy food

Steve Jobs: Computer Geniuses and Medical Mysticism, a Very Bad Combination info

Steve Jobs: Computer Geniuses and Medical Mysticism, a Very Bad Combination in healthy blog. Brilliant computer innovators may not be so brilliant in all domains. It is well known, and well documented for many decades, that pancreatic cancer is often extremely aggressive and detected relatively late due to lack of early symptoms. Its detection should lead to aggressive treatment ASAP, such as radiation/chemotherapy or the Whipple procedure, if the person is to survive.I consider this

healthy food

"Peer Benchmarking," the "Lake Wobegone Effect," and Outsize Executive Compensation: the Amgen Example info

"Peer Benchmarking," the "Lake Wobegone Effect," and Outsize Executive Compensation: the Amgen Example in healthy blog. We recently discussed why health care's 99 percent may have reason to be upset with the one percent, the elite that run health care organizations. Once cross-posted on the KevinMD blog, it caused an eruption of controversy. This included some anonymous commentators who insisted that top leaders' made contributions to health care that were so heroic that their compensation

healthy food

Health: Secret plan to kill us

Secret plan to kill us in healthy blog. I am trying to decide on a new Medicare plan—or maybe I will keep the old one. I am increasingly convinced, however, that this process is a nefarious plan to frustrate seniors and raise their BP to fatal levels.First, I made the decision to get an HMO—a so-called Advantage plan—when my supplemental went up and up in price. I loved that supplemental—I wanted to marry it. But it was too expensive.So…I decided to ride the Advantage plans down—the

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Health: Candy you hate? Seriously?

Candy you hate? Seriously? in healthy blog. Yup—the Loyola Center for Fitness is so worried you will bolt down the Halloween candy, it advises only buy the kind you hate.Also, delay buying it—less time for it to call to you from the garage or wherever.Don’t get chocolate—people eat that. That means YOU!Eat a healthy meal so you won’t be hungry, Loyola says.Chew sugarless gum.Oh—and I love this one—keep the wrappers so you can see how much you ate.Also, confiscate the candy. Dole

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Health: Disabled can get slighted on tests, treatments

Disabled can get slighted on tests, treatments in healthy blog. David Song, writing in the Harvard Crimson, tells of a paraplegic woman who could not weigh herself to get the proper amount of chemo.Another woman with cerebral palsy was duct taped to keep her still—they did not have Velcro straps.OK, you already have a problem—but what if you get another one that requires treatment. Will you get it?What if you can’t get in a scanner or MRI, or even onto a table?Women with disabilities may

healthy food

Health: Disabled can get slighted on tests, treatments

Disabled can get slighted on tests, treatments in healthy blog. David Song, writing in the Harvard Crimson, tells of a paraplegic woman who could not weigh herself to get the proper amount of chemo.Another woman with cerebral palsy was duct taped to keep her still—they did not have Velcro straps.OK, you already have a problem—but what if you get another one that requires treatment. Will you get it?What if you can’t get in a scanner or MRI, or even onto a table?Women with disabilities may

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Health: You probably need a new pillow

You probably need a new pillow in healthy blog. Karen Haywood Queen writes about pillows in the Costco Connection for October. Signs you need a new pillow are: You wake up with a sore back or neck. Your pillow is so flat, you have to bend it to get any loft. Or maybe it was from a bargain bin. Or maybe you heard someplace that pillows can get infested with microscopic ickies.A good pillow can last 20 years, a cheapie only 3.The biggest pillow is not always the best. Seventy percent of people

healthy food

Health: You probably need a new pillow

You probably need a new pillow in healthy blog. Karen Haywood Queen writes about pillows in the Costco Connection for October. Signs you need a new pillow are: You wake up with a sore back or neck. Your pillow is so flat, you have to bend it to get any loft. Or maybe it was from a bargain bin. Or maybe you heard someplace that pillows can get infested with microscopic ickies.A good pillow can last 20 years, a cheapie only 3.The biggest pillow is not always the best. Seventy percent of people

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Health: You probably need a new pillow

You probably need a new pillow in healthy blog. Karen Haywood Queen writes about pillows in the Costco Connection for October. Signs you need a new pillow are: You wake up with a sore back or neck. Your pillow is so flat, you have to bend it to get any loft. Or maybe it was from a bargain bin. Or maybe you heard someplace that pillows can get infested with microscopic ickies.A good pillow can last 20 years, a cheapie only 3.The biggest pillow is not always the best. Seventy percent of people

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Health: Wise Traditions Conference

Wise Traditions Conference in healthy blog. Hey buckaroos.  Just a reminder that I will be one of the featured speakers at this year's Wise Traditions Conference - the annual conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation.  I have been asked to speak about metabolism, and I will also have a booth set up where you can do everything from quiz me on 80's movie lines (last night I was told to "watch out for potholes" and knew that one right away) to test your whiz.  Anyway, several of

healthy food

Health: Good time--or eye infection

Good time--or eye infection in healthy blog. Please do not stick weird crap into your eye. Listen to Auntie Star now. She is missing two-eyed vision and believe me, she liked having it.I am talking about “funny” contacts for Halloween—to make you look like a bloodshot zombie, steel-eyed robot or a cat or something.All contacts require fitting and proper care. Including ones to make you cuter or uglier.Huge risk—huffs one doctor. You could ulcerate your cornea.Ew—I did that because a

healthy food

"24", This Computer Project Was Not info

"24", This Computer Project Was Not in healthy blog. A fascinating case study of IT failure in another life-critical domain has come to my attention.I think if the words "FBI" were replaced with "hospitals" and "healthcare IT", this could be a study of IT failure in the latter organizations. Many of the familiar issues are there:The Failure of Virtual Case File and the FBIBackgroundThe FBI first sought to embrace technology in the 1980s during the onset of computer availability and hoped to

healthy food

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business info

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business in healthy blog. Two uncritically positive biographical features on UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann MD appeared within the last two weeks, one in the New York Times, suggesting the game is afoot.  That game appears to be the Chancellor's new strategic direction for the university.  A New Strategy for "Increasing Collaborations" with IndustryPer the NY

healthy food

Bird Flu Infection info

Bird Flu Infection in healthy blog. Avian influenza (Bird flu)Bird flu is an infection caused by bird influenza (flu) virus. It is occur naturally in birds. Wild birds carry the viruses in their intestines, but generally do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very infectious among birds and can make some domestic birds, including hens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.Humans and Bird flu:There are several subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes vary because of

healthy food

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business info

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business in healthy blog. Two uncritically positive biographical features on UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann MD appeared within the last two weeks, one in the New York Times, suggesting the game is afoot.  That game appears to be the Chancellor's new strategic direction for the university.  A New Strategy for "Increasing Collaborations" with IndustryPer the NY

healthy food

Bird Flu Infection info

Bird Flu Infection in healthy blog. Avian influenza (Bird flu)Bird flu is an infection caused by bird influenza (flu) virus. It is occur naturally in birds. Wild birds carry the viruses in their intestines, but generally do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very infectious among birds and can make some domestic birds, including hens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.Humans and Bird flu:There are several subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes vary because of

healthy food

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business info

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business in healthy blog. Two uncritically positive biographical features on UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann MD appeared within the last two weeks, one in the New York Times, suggesting the game is afoot.  That game appears to be the Chancellor's new strategic direction for the university.  A New Strategy for "Increasing Collaborations" with IndustryPer the NY

healthy food

Diabetes Affects Kidney info

Diabetes Affects Kidney in healthy blog. Tips to control Diabetes and retain a healthy kidney:Did you know...Diabetes affects the kidney? Diabetic nephropathy is one of the significant specific complications of diabetes. Around 30 to 50 percent of people with kidney failure are diabetics.Uncontrolled high blood sugar for long span of time produces functional and later structural changes in the kidneys. But what is unfortunate is that the changes occurring in kidneys are not clinically

healthy food

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business info

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business in healthy blog. Two uncritically positive biographical features on UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann MD appeared within the last two weeks, one in the New York Times, suggesting the game is afoot.  That game appears to be the Chancellor's new strategic direction for the university.  A New Strategy for "Increasing Collaborations" with IndustryPer the NY

healthy food

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business info

Logical Fallacies to Support Putting a Major Academic Medical Center into the Contract Research Organization Business in healthy blog. Two uncritically positive biographical features on UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann MD appeared within the last two weeks, one in the New York Times, suggesting the game is afoot.  That game appears to be the Chancellor's new strategic direction for the university.  A New Strategy for "Increasing Collaborations" with IndustryPer the NY

healthy food

Diabetes Affects Kidney info

Diabetes Affects Kidney in healthy blog. Tips to control Diabetes and retain a healthy kidney:Did you know...Diabetes affects the kidney? Diabetic nephropathy is one of the significant specific complications of diabetes. Around 30 to 50 percent of people with kidney failure are diabetics.Uncontrolled high blood sugar for long span of time produces functional and later structural changes in the kidneys. But what is unfortunate is that the changes occurring in kidneys are not clinically

healthy food

President of the American College of Physicians on Electronic Medical Records info

President of the American College of Physicians on Electronic Medical Records in healthy blog. I've taken so much flak over the years for being an anti-EHR "zealot" or similar canards that I am simply posting a link to this essay by Virginia L. Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, President of the American College Of Physicians (ACP) with only one comment:Electronic Medical Records have Yet to Fill Their Potentialhttp://www.acpinternist.org/archives/2011/10/presidents.htmFrom the October ACP Internist,

healthy food

President of the American College of Physicians on Electronic Medical Records info

President of the American College of Physicians on Electronic Medical Records in healthy blog. I've taken so much flak over the years for being an anti-EHR "zealot" or similar canards that I am simply posting a link to this essay by Virginia L. Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, President of the American College Of Physicians (ACP) with only one comment:Electronic Medical Records have Yet to Fill Their Potentialhttp://www.acpinternist.org/archives/2011/10/presidents.htmFrom the October ACP Internist,

healthy food

Health: Wait--those pills may have expired

Wait--those pills may have expired in healthy blog. I once got a cough in the night—tried water, tea, and finally a slug of some old goo in the cabinet—which resulted in a banging case of the trots.Don’t take expired drugs. Misty Vo wrote about this in the AZ Republic, Oct 14, 2011. First—says Ms Vo—they determine expiration in a variety of ways. Some companies study the stability of the drug and its potency over time.Others use mathematical formulas.When the drug reaches the date, it

healthy food

An Open Letter to the Joint Commission on Their Fiduciary Responsibilities Concerning Health IT info

An Open Letter to the Joint Commission on Their Fiduciary Responsibilities Concerning Health IT in healthy blog. An open letter to the Joint Commission. Emphasis in the original:From: S SilversteinSent: Friday, October 14, 2011 9:21 AMTo: MGiuntoli, Anita; Chassin, Mark; Legaspi, Shirley; McKee, Ana; Schyve, Paul Cc: Subject: "Diary of EHR-Initiated Tragedy"Dear Joint Commission,Now that Medicare's QIO has found my mother to have been a victim of care that "did not meet applicable

healthy food

Diabetes Affects Kidney info

Diabetes Affects Kidney in healthy blog. Tips to control Diabetes and retain a healthy kidney:Did you know...Diabetes affects the kidney? Diabetic nephropathy is one of the significant specific complications of diabetes. Around 30 to 50 percent of people with kidney failure are diabetics.Uncontrolled high blood sugar for long span of time produces functional and later structural changes in the kidneys. But what is unfortunate is that the changes occurring in kidneys are not clinically

healthy food

Health: Life's a bowl of...

Life's a bowl of... in healthy blog. CHERRIES! I love them. I will admit upfront the Cherry Marketing Institute is behind this!Oh, so what—cherries are the bomb. Yet—you people are slacking…the top fruits people eat are oranges, bananas, apples, and watermelon.Still, only one in five of you are getting the 1-2 cups of fruit a day the national nannies recommend.People have…wait for it…”Fruit Fatigue,” says Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself and

healthy food

Diabetes Affects Kidney info

Diabetes Affects Kidney in healthy blog. Tips to control Diabetes and retain a healthy kidney:Did you know...Diabetes affects the kidney? Diabetic nephropathy is one of the significant specific complications of diabetes. Around 30 to 50 percent of people with kidney failure are diabetics.Uncontrolled high blood sugar for long span of time produces functional and later structural changes in the kidneys. But what is unfortunate is that the changes occurring in kidneys are not clinically

healthy food

Health: Life's a bowl of...

Life's a bowl of... in healthy blog. CHERRIES! I love them. I will admit upfront the Cherry Marketing Institute is behind this!Oh, so what—cherries are the bomb. Yet—you people are slacking…the top fruits people eat are oranges, bananas, apples, and watermelon.Still, only one in five of you are getting the 1-2 cups of fruit a day the national nannies recommend.People have…wait for it…”Fruit Fatigue,” says Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself and

healthy food

Another Month, Another Set of Legal Settlements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and Jury Findings Adverse to Large Health Care Corporations info

Another Month, Another Set of Legal Settlements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and Jury Findings Adverse to Large Health Care Corporations in healthy blog. Another month, another series of adverse legal rulings suggesting misbehavior by large health care organizations.  In alphabetical order,...Baxter, McKesson, Teva Pay Punitive DamagesAs reported by Bloomberg,A jury said Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. unit and two other drugmakers must pay $ 162.5 million in punitive damages for

healthy food

Another Month, Another Set of Legal Settlements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and Jury Findings Adverse to Large Health Care Corporations info

Another Month, Another Set of Legal Settlements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and Jury Findings Adverse to Large Health Care Corporations in healthy blog. Another month, another series of adverse legal rulings suggesting misbehavior by large health care organizations.  In alphabetical order,...Baxter, McKesson, Teva Pay Punitive DamagesAs reported by Bloomberg,A jury said Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. unit and two other drugmakers must pay $ 162.5 million in punitive damages for

healthy food

Health: Knife in the heart

Knife in the heart in healthy blog. Peanut butter is going to become scarce and spendy.Oh, whatever! Why don’t our masters just mark up ramen to $ 5?I shouldn’t give them ideas.Seems…oh woe…there was a failure in last year’s peanut crop—too hot or something.Peter Pan, Jif, Smuckers—the lot—are raising prices by as much as 40%!A ton of raw peanuts has gone from $ 450 to $ 1,150!Ninety percent of households eat the stuff—good protein source.Oh—and this is nifty—chocolate

healthy food

Health: Visiting health service? I don't THINK so

Visiting health service? I don't THINK so in healthy blog. Are we too cynical? Can one be TOO cynical? Now, when I get a letter from the bank or my health plan—much less the G—I know it is not to help me and will possibly work against me.I got a letter from my Medicare so-called “Advantage” plan saying they would call me to make an appointment for a doctor to come to my house to assess my “wellness.” Then that doctor would report back to “my” doctor about my health. Of course, I

healthy food

Health: Visiting health service? I don't THINK so

Visiting health service? I don't THINK so in healthy blog. Are we too cynical? Can one be TOO cynical? Now, when I get a letter from the bank or my health plan—much less the G—I know it is not to help me and will possibly work against me.I got a letter from my Medicare so-called “Advantage” plan saying they would call me to make an appointment for a doctor to come to my house to assess my “wellness.” Then that doctor would report back to “my” doctor about my health. Of course, I

healthy food

Health: Visiting health service? I don't THINK so

Visiting health service? I don't THINK so in healthy blog. Are we too cynical? Can one be TOO cynical? Now, when I get a letter from the bank or my health plan—much less the G—I know it is not to help me and will possibly work against me.I got a letter from my Medicare so-called “Advantage” plan saying they would call me to make an appointment for a doctor to come to my house to assess my “wellness.” Then that doctor would report back to “my” doctor about my health. Of course, I

healthy food