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Google Wave – For Scientists

September 3rd, 2009 by Berci in Announcements, Better Health Network, Video

Tags: Google Wave, Science, Scientists

*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*

Employer Programs Are Reducing Healthcare Costs

September 3rd, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy

Tags: Bending the Curve, Costs, Employer, Finance, Health Insurance, Healthcare reform, PPO

Bad news in the paper today: health care costs are expected to rise another 10.5% next year. It’s a serious problem that affects businesses and families across the country.

But the headlines miss something important: the rate of increase has been steadily slowing.

Are we already bending the health care cost curve?

Here is a chart of the rate of increase in health premiums for a PPO plan beneficiary from 2002-2009 (all data are from today’s Aon press release):

The data for other plan types are similar.  What’s happening?

Aon’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Berger says it’s because of the variety of measures employers have taken over the last several years to implement programs to improve their employees’ health.  He emphasizes there is still much more to be done.

He has a point. It’s something we have seen in our survey of major employers, and in the work that leading employers like EMC and Genzyme are doing.  It’s what my company does, too.  Employers are getting increasingly sophisticated at understanding what drives their health care expenses and are developing increasingly effective ways at addressing them.

So, yes, of course, we need reform of our health care system, and of course rising health care costs are a serious concern.  But American employers are doing something about these problems all on their own.

*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*

Medicare & Private Health Insurance: Monkey See, Monkey Do

September 3rd, 2009 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, Health Policy, True Stories, Uncategorized

Tags: Aetna, CMS, Health Insurance, Medicare, Never Events

File this under utterly predictable:

Aetna tightens payment policies on hospital errors – Modern Healthcare (sub req)

Aetna has established new, tighter policies dictating when it will and will not reimburse for medical care related to errors made by providers.

Under the policies, Aetna has broken errors into two categories: “never events”—three events involving surgery: wrong patient, wrong site and wrong procedure—and 25 serious reportable events as defined by the National Quality Forum. Providers will not be reimbursed for a case involving one of the three never events, under the new payment policy. Of the 25 events, eight will be reviewed by Aetna to determine whether reimbursement should be withheld. The rest of the events will also be reviewed under Aetna’s new policy, but they will not be considered eligible for adjustments to reimbursement, the spokeswoman said.

This of course follows on the heels of Medicare’s decision not to pay for such events. The good news is that, as far as I can tell, Aetna has not extended the policy as far as Medicare has. Medicare, you may recall, also decided not to pay for certain (arguably) preventable conditions, such as foley-catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections. Aetna, at least for the moment, is limiting its policy to the more black-and-white “never events” as defined by the National Quality Forum: items such as wrong-patient surgery or death due to contaminated medications.

I mention this not to rail against these standards or against the notion of incentivizing hospitals financially to avoid errors, but to highlight how rapidly and directly Medicare policies are aped by private insurers to the point that they become industry standards.

*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*

What You Can Do in 15 to 20 Seconds That Will Keep You Healthy

September 2nd, 2009 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips

Tags: H1N1, Hand Washing, Infectious Disease, Nursing, Preventive Health

Have you ever been in a public bathroom and noticed the number of people that don’t wash their hands?

It doesn’t matter where you are.

You can be in a mall, an airport, a hospital, a restaurant, a school, a concert, work, a sporting event and the list can go on and on.

People are not washing their hands.

Hand Washing Isn’t Sexy

Okay so this topic isn’t so sexy.  Not like FOX NEWS Health’s Featured Story:  “Catwalk Confidence” that highlights a fitness class to teach women to “strut their stuff” in stilettos or FOX NEWS “FOXsexpert” who lets you know that size does matter.

It’s Not Sexy but It Does Matter

It matters because simple hand washing can stop the spread of germs, and can prevent infections including the Swine Flu.

In a recent story on CBS news, it’s reported that in a new survey it found that “87 percent of respondents wash their hands after using public bathrooms, but one percent of those only rinsed with water.”

It also reports that “people haven’t changed their hand washing habits in light of the swine flu outbreak.”

Whether the study is accurate or not who knows, the fact is that there are some people who are not washing their hands, and some people only rinse with water?  What’s up with that?

Are You Doing It Right?

If people are washing their hands, are they doing it right?  Are they lathering up long enough?  Do they sing “Happy Birthday” twice?  Turn off the faucet with a paper towel?

Take Notice Next Time You Use A Public Bathroom

You’ll be shocked by the number of people who do it wrong or worse, don’t do it at all.

Why Are People Not Doing It?

Why do people not wash their hands?  Why aren’t they changing their hand washing habits in light of the swine flu?  Hand washing is so simple.  If it can keep nasty germs away and prevent the swine flu and other viruses, why aren’t people doing it?  Why?

CDC Offers Great Info

It’s no secret that hand washing is the single most effective way to stop the spread of infection.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers helpful information.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

1. Wet your hands with warm running water
2. Apply soap.
3. Rub hands together vigorously to make a soapy lather.
4. Rub all surfaces including your wrists, between your fingers, back of your hands and under your fingernails and cuticles, and around any rings.
5. Rub your hands for 15-20 seconds.
6. No timer is needed; just imagine singing “Happy Birthday” x 2.
7. Rinse your hands well.
8. Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer.
9. Use your paper towel to turn off the faucet if possible.
10. Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.

Love the Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers

If soap and water are not available use alcohol based hand sanitizers.  They work great, and they are easy to carry with you.

With the start of school fast approaching, moms and dads encourage your kids to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating.

What’s Your Experience?

Do you wash your hands?  Do you notice people washing their hands in public bathrooms or not?  We would like to hear from you.  Any suggestions to help spread the word?

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Patient Perspective: The Pros And Cons Of Insulin Pumps

September 2nd, 2009 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Health Tips

Tags: Animas, Dexcom, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Insulin Pumps, Minimed, Omnipod, Sam Solomon, Solo, Type 1 Diabetes

I wrote a quick status update on Facebook, after receiving the Solo demo in the mail and then meeting with the local Animas rep for lunch to discuss pump options. My brain was buzzing with questions.

And the flood gates were opened.  Lots of comments, lots of perspectives, and lots of people who had great information to share.  Turns out I’m not the only one who has been thinking about this.  🙂

I’ve been a Minimed pumper for almost six years now, and have never had an issue with Minimed customer service or the pump itself.  When my pump broke two years ago, their customer service department took my call at a few minutes before midnight and a new pump was overnighted to me.  I have no problems with the color, the size, or the functionality of my Minimed 522.

But two things happened that made me think about switching.  One was the CGM upgrade, which I tried for ten weeks and still didn’t have any semblance of success and/or comfort with.  (Thankfully, the Minimed CGM works fine for some diabetics, so it’s not just me.  Appears to be personal preference.) And the second was that I haven’t seen many changes at all in the six years I’ve been pumping with Minimed (starting with a 512 and now a 522).  The CGM component was a big one, but for people who aren’t using that feature, there isn’t much going on as far as upgrades that mattered to me.

So even though Minimed has been good to me, I’m on the prowl.

With Cozmo off the market, my options are limited.  I’ve given a lot of thought to Omnipod, and while I love the idea of no tubing, I don’t like the idea of a larger device stuck to me for the duration.  I also don’t like the idea that if I lose the PDM, I’m screwed as far as dosing my insulin.  It’s important to note that I’ve never worn an Omnipod, so I’m purely speculating.  And Omnipod works great for lots of diabetics that I know, and even some cute kiddo ones.  But it’s not about the product – more about my personal preferences.

The Solo pump demo arrived in the mail yesterday and that thing appears to have both the tubeless delivery that I’d prefer and also the ability to disconnect the bulk of the pump, but it’s not a working model and with pregnancy goals on the horizon, I’d like to make a change sooner rather than later, if possible.  Still, Solo has a lot of promise and coulda been a contenda.   Could still be one, depending on their timeframe.

I’ve looked at Animas, too.  The Ping seems to be my top contender for several reasons, but the main one is the meter doubling as a remote control for the pump.  I’ve written countless times about my desires to have the pump reasonably concealed, and when my 522 is stashed in my bra at a dressy event, reaching for it to access the buttons turns me into a female, diabetic version of Mr. Bean.  I like that the Calorie King info is stored in there.  (The Dexcom/Animas integration, whenever that happens, is also a nice future-state.)  I also like the option to take a hundredth of a unit.  Precision is a nice option.  I’m not sure how I feel about the infusion sets they use (sampling some this week) or what it might be like to use their user interface, but I want to see for myself.  Thankfully, pump reps are all about hooking us up with samples so we can see if we want to make a full transition.

But then there’s the whole money thing.  And the insurance thing.  And the “closet full of supplies” thing that will be rendered sort of useless if I switch.   And the “do I want to wrangle with a new device” thing.  There’s also the “you can always go back” thing.  And the “pumping isn’t permanent” thing.  And the “if you continue to put weird phrases in quotes, people will get annoyed” thing.

There’s a lot to consider.  And I’m excited to see what options are available to me.  But there’s only so much information I can get from “official company representatives” and websites.  If you’re a pumper, what are you using and why?  If you’re thinking about going on a pump, what factors are playing into your decision?  And if you’re like me – currently pumping but thinking about changing pump providers – what would you do?

Your feedback is, without fail, among the top resources I’ll be using to make my decision.  So thanks in advance, and power to the pumpers!!

*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*