October 21st, 2010 by Iltifat Husain, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: ALS, Apple, Apraxia, Cerebral Palsy, Children With Special Needs, Developmental Disabilities, Down Syndrome, Health Apps, Health Insurance Coverage, iMedicalApps, Insurance Reimbursement, Intracerebral Hemorrhage, iPad, iTouch, Medicare, Proloquo2Go, Special Needs Kids, Speech Therapy Apps, Steve Jobs, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Wall Street Journal
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In a Wall Street Journal profile on how iPad apps are being used by special needs children, such as those who have speech impediments and as a communication tool — Steve Jobs commented on how even he did not have the foresight to see that the iPad could be used in such a fashion.
“We take no credit for this, and that’s not our intention,” Mr. Jobs said, adding that the emails he gets from parents resonate with him. “Our intention is to say something is going on here,” and researchers should “take a look at this.”
Last year we reported on how how much cheaper Apple’s portabile devices were compared to the traditional speech software/hardware products, and how insurance companies were hesitant to reimburse for a significantly cheaper Apple products verse industry products. At the time of our report, insurance companies were willing to reimburse up to $8,000 for a product that could be replaced by an iPod Touch with speech therapy apps would cost approximately $600. Since our report on the topic last year, not much has changed. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
October 21st, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Blog Action Day 2010, CharityWater.org, Clean Water, Contaminated Drinking Water, Disease Prevention, Dr. Ramona Bates, Improper Drug Disposal, International Water Treaty to Provide Clean Water Everywhere, Pharmaceutical Disposal, Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs, Restrictions on Water Use, Safe Drinking Water, Suture For A Living, Wasting Water, Water Conservation, Water Pollution, Water-Related Deaths
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This year’s topic for Blog Action Day [was] water. Many of us take clean water for granted, but even in the United States we are finding more and more that our drinking water is contaminated with prescription drugs. Dry years put our water reservoirs at risk and often result in mandatory restrictions on water use.
I am guilty of taking water for granted. I do try to use a full load when washing my clothes. I do turn off the water while brushing my teeth. I don’t water my lawn regularly. But I am still guilt of taking it for granted. I expect clean water to be there for me to drink and use for bathing.
Clean water is not the norm for many in the world. Nearly one billion people lack basic access to safe drinking water. That’s nearly 1 out of every 8 of us. Organizations like CharityWater.org are trying to bring clean wells to areas in Africa that lack clean water.
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*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
October 21st, 2010 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Dr. Harriet Hall, Dr. Mark Crislip, Dr. Steve Novella, Elderly Care, Fluzone, High-Dose Flu Vaccine, Immunization, Immunology, Influenza, Medicare, Older Adults, Patient Options for Preventive Care, Preventive Health, Preventive Medicine, SBM, Science Based Medicine, The Medical Letter, Vaccination, Vaccines
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Dr. Novella has recently written about this year’s seasonal flu vaccine and Dr. Crislip has reviewed the evidence for flu vaccine efficacy. There’s one little wrinkle that they didn’t address — one that I’m more attuned to because I’m older than they are.
I got my Medicare card last summer, so I am now officially one of the “elderly.” A recent review by Goodwin et al. showed that the antibody response to flu vaccines is significantly lower in the elderly. They called for a more immunogenic vaccine formulation for that age group. My age group. One manufacturer has responded. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
October 20th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Best Doctors, Board-Certified Doctor, Comparative Quality of Physicians, Dr. Danielle Ofri, Evan Falchuk, General Medicine, Healthcare Quality, Healthcare reform, NEJM, New England Journal of Medicine, Non-Certified Foreign-Trained Doctor, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Phony Quality Measures, Quality Medical Care, Quality of Patient Care
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Who do you think is likely to be a better doctor: A board certified graduate of one of the top medical schools in America, or a non-certified doctor trained in a foreign country?
If your answer is “I have absolutely no idea,” then you’re probably spending a lot of time looking at the “report cards” that pass for measures of health care quality. And you’re probably confused.
Researchers in Pittsburgh studied 124 process-based quality measures in 30 clinical areas. These process measures are the state-of-the-art ways in which government and private insurers are checking up on the quality of medical care. They include things like making sure patients with heart problems are prescribed aspirin, and that women get Pap smears. The researchers compared these measures against other, simpler measures, like medical education, board certification, malpractice claim payments, and disciplinary actions.
The result? You couldn’t tell the differences among doctors. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
October 20th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: 25 Skills Doctors Should Know, American Medical Students, Best Doctors, Best-Of-The-Best, Choosing Primary Care, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Dr. Davis Liu, Encouraging Medical Students, Family Medicine, Fixing Primary Care, General Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Medical Art, Medical Residency, Medical Residents, Primary Care Doctors, Primary Care Incentives, Primary Care Training Programs, Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis, The Art of Medicine, The Practice of Medicine, Top Gun of American Medicine, U.S. Healthcare System
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The first-year medical students I precept were too young to see Tom Cruise’s alter ego Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell grace the big screen in the 1986 blockbuster film “Top Gun.” Yet, the story has a relevant analogy to medicine.
According to the film, during the Vietnam war American pilots were relying too much on technology to bring enemy fighters down. They weren’t as skilled in taking out the opposition. They fired their technologically advanced missiles to try and get the job done. They didn’t think. It didn’t work. They forgot the art of dogfighting.
The military discovered that technology alone wasn’t going to get the job done. The best fighter pilots needed the skills, insight, and wisdom on when to use technology and when not to. As a result, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known simply as Top Gun, was created to retrain the military pilots on this vital lost skill. The goal of the program was specifically to make the best of the best even better.
Like the military, the country is discovering that the healthcare system enabled with dazzling technology isn’t getting the job done either. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
In a Wall Street Journal profile on how iPad apps are being used by special needs children, such as those who have speech impediments and as a communication tool — Steve Jobs commented on how even he did not have the foresight to see that the iPad could be used in such a fashion.
