June 15th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Doctor Payments, Doctor's Office, Electronic Medical Records, EMRs, General Medicine, Government Control, Health IT, Meaningful Use, Medical Chart, Medical Office, Medical Practice, Patient Information, Physician Income, Physician Reimbursement Cut
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Quiz: What does the term “meaningful use” mean?
A. Using something in a way that gives life purpose and leads to carefree days of glee.
B. It depends on your definition of the word “term.”
C. It’s not mean. It’s really nice.
D. A large number of rules created by the government to assess a practice’s use of electronic medical records (EMRs) so that they can spur adoption, give criteria for incentive rewards, and have physicians in a place where care can be measured.
E. Job security for those making money off of health IT.
The answer, of course, is D and E. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
June 15th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: Skin Cancer Prevention, Sunscreen Safety
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I “preach” sunscreen use to my family, friends, and patients. I do this because sunscreen helps prevent skin cancers, but in light of the recent President’s Cancer Panel report on Cancers from Environment ‘Grossly Underestimated’ and concerns by the group Friends of the Environment, I thought perhaps I should look at the safety of the active chemicals/nanoparticles in sunscreens.
You need both UVA and UVB protection. It is the UVA rays that are most responsible for wrinkling and aging the skin. It is the UVB rays that are the most responsible for the sunburn and skin cancer formation.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), sunscreens should ideally be water-resistant, so they cannot be easily removed by sweating or swimming, and should have an SPF of 30 or higher that provides broad-spectrum coverage against both UVA and UVB light. I think it is not worthwhile to purchase any sunscreen with an SPF higher than 55. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
June 15th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, Opinion
Tags: General Medicine, Healthcare Social Media, iMedExchange, Internet-Based Treatment, Medical Technology, Online Health Communities, Online Medical Communities, Online Use, Physician Social Network, Social Media In Medicine, Social Media Platform, Social Networking For Doctors
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If you’ve come to believe that physicians and social networks aren’t a good combination, check out this teaser from the up-and-coming physician network, iMedExchange.
While facilitated physician networks have been a difficult sell, iMedExchange appears to be delivering a fresh, expandable, next-generation platform that will offer real value for discerning doctors.
iMedExchange went into expanded beta beginning yesterday. If you were an iMed user before, watch your inbox and give it a test drive. Keep an eye on this one. I’ve had a look. It’s very nice and I understand the best is yet to come.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
June 15th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, News, Opinion
Tags: British Healthcare System, Hospital Parking, Hospital Revenue Stream, Hospital-Owned Parking Spaces, Medical Facilities, Patient Parking, U.S. Hospitals
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When it comes to hospital parking, the British healthcare system is making a go at it:
Using data from 126 Freedom Of Information requests, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust came top for clamping. Over a year, the hospital clamped 1,671 cars and made nearly £2m profit. Leeds General Infirmary issued the most parking tickets — over 10,000, generating £142,000 profit. The Royal Derby was the target of the most criticism — it received 82 complaints in 2008-09.
I wonder what U.S. hospitals are bringing in? When a hospital owns 4,734 parking spaces, I bet they’re doing pretty well.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
June 14th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: Comments On The Web, Contracts With Patients, Copyright Transfer, DMCA Takedown Notice, Doctor-Patient Responsibility, Don't Say Anything, Family Medicine, General Medicine, healthcare, Internal Medicine, Keeping Patients Quiet, Medical Justice, Medical Malpractice, Minimum Standards Of Credibility, Muzzle The Patients, Patient Sued By The Doctor, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Primary Care, Seeds Of Distrust
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Some things are just part of the problem in healthcare. The company Medical Justice is one such thing. I’ve written about them before. Medical Justice sees the medical malpractice crisis and devised a solution: Muzzle the patients. It’s as misguided as it is ridiculous.
Medical Justice says doctors need to stop their patients from saying bad things about them. They charge doctors hundreds — even thousands — of dollars a year to help do this.
Under one of their programs, they give doctors contracts to use with their patients. The doctor tells the patient that they must agree to the terms of the contract before the doctor agrees to see them. Okay, so there are lots of forms that patients need to sign when they go to the doctor. What makes these so different? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
