April 8th, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, News
Tags: Addiction Therapy, Annual Physical, Breast Milk Expression, Chronic Disease, Disease Prevention, Employee Health, Employees, Fictional Doctors, General Medicine, Grey's Anatomy, House MD, Infectious Disease, Johns Hopkins, medicaid, Medicare, New Mothers, New York Times, Nutritional Information, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Physicians Ethical Codes, Pregnant Women, Prenatal Care, Primary Care, Professionalism, Public Health Initiative, Restaurants, Smoking Cessation Counseling, TV Doctors
No Comments »
An article in the New York Times this week looks at a raft of new public health initiatives passed by Congress that are aimed at boosting disease prevention. Examples include requiring restaurants with at least 20 locations to include nutrition information on their menus and mandating employers with at least 50 employees to allow new mothers to express breast milk at work. In addition, Medicaid will now cover smoking cessation counseling for pregnant women and Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for an annual physical. The initiatives are expected to eventually save money by decreasing the country’s chronic disease burden. (New York Times)
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently did a study applying physicians’ ethical codes to the conduct of the fictional doctors on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House, M.D.” Perhaps to no one’s surprise, TV doctors are behaving very badly. As the abstract of the study states, both shows feature “egregious deviations from the norms of professionalism and contain exemplary depictions of professionalism to a much lesser degree.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, Journal of Medical Ethics)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
April 8th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Antenna, Capsule, Drug, Electronic Devise, Gastroenterology, Gastrointestional Tract, Ingested, Ingestion, Internal Medicine, Low-Voltage Electricity, Medication, Microchip, Nanoparticles, Pharmacology, Pill, Primary Care, Rizwan Bashirullah, Signaling Technology, Silver, Stomach Acid, Tablet, University of Florida
1 Comment »
University of Florida researchers have developed a signaling technology that can be embedded into drug tablets to notify clinicians and caretakers that a pill has been ingested.
Although a bit of electronics is going to be moving through the digestive system, the researchers believe that it will pass safely without causing side effects to the patient.
If the technology proves itself, it may soon be used to confirm compliance in clinical trials or to monitor patients under a strict drug regimen.
One part is the pill, a standard white capsule coated with a label embossed with silvery lines. The lines comprise the antenna, which is printed using ink made of non-toxic, conductive silver nanoparticles. The pill also contains a tiny microchip, one about the size of a period on paper. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
April 7th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Barriers To Free Exchange Of Ideas, Breast Cancer Gene, Gene Therapy, Genetics, Hereditary, Heredity, Human Gene Patents, Human Genome, Intellectual Property, Internal Medicine, Law, New York Times, Onocology, Ovarian Cancer Gene
No Comments »
It was just time to end the era of gene patents. About 20 percent of human genes have patents, which is unacceptable. Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times story:
A federal judge on Monday struck down patents on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. The decision, if upheld, could throw into doubt the patents covering thousands of human genes and reshape the law of intellectual property.
One of the individual plaintiffs in the suit, Genae Girard, who has breast cancer and has been tested for ovarian cancer, applauded the decision as “a big turning point for all women in the country that may have breast cancer that runs in their family.”
Chris Hansen, an A.C.L.U. staff lawyer, said: “The human genome, like the structure of blood, air or water, was discovered, not created. There is an endless amount of information on genes that begs for further discovery, and gene patents put up unacceptable barriers to the free exchange of ideas.”
I’m curious how Myriad will respond to it.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
April 7th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: BCBS, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Cardiology, Children's Health Insurance, Congenital Heart Defect, Corporate Hall of Shame, Denied Care, Healthcare Coverage, Healthcare reform, Newborn, Pediatrics, Pre-existing Condition
No Comments »
Thanks to reader “m.scott” for alerting me to the latest Corporate Hall of Shame award. Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) of Texas is the winner for it’s egregious denial of care for a 10-day-old baby who was born with a congenital heart defect. Coverage for surgery to treat transposition of the great arteries was denied for — are you ready for this — a “pre-existing condition.” The baby’s parents had previously purchased coverage for their two other children, but were denied coverage for their newborn baby.
Denial of care for children will not be allowed when the new healthcare reform laws go into effect. Until then, it’s business as usual for the likes of BCBS of Texas.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
April 7th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Primary Care Wednesdays
Tags: 32 Million New Patients, ACP, American College Of Physicians, Cardiology, Doctor Shortage, Dr. Manoj Jain, General Medicine, Hawaii, Medical Schools, Medical Students, Orthopedic Surgery, Primary Care
No Comments »
With the prospect of 32 million new patients clamoring for care comes sorting out who will see them all. New medical schools are opening and students say they relish the idea of entering a market that will demand their services. American College of Physicians member Manoj Jain, M.D., offers a more tempered view of how the fallout might affect primary care. (AP, American Medical News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Memphis Commercial Appeal)
Even Hawaii has a shortage, especially in primary care, but also cardiology and orthopedic surgery. It’s hard to believe recruiters couldn’t sell Hawaii as a destination. (Honolulu Advertiser)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
