December 7th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Analyte, Antibiotic Resistances, DNA Sequencing, Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, Fast Diagnosis, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Lab Testing, Laboratory Testing Platform, Magnetic Nanoparticles, Magnetoresistive Biochip, Medgadget, MinoLab, Pathogens, Pathology, Sepsis, Survival Rates, Treatment Too Late
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Because current sepsis tests can take up to two days to provide a diagnosis, many patients fail to receive proper treatment until it is too late.
However, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology hope to improve survival rates with the MinoLab, a new testing platform which they claim will be able to provide results in under an hour. The MinoLab uses magnetic nanoparticles to carry the analyte through multiple reaction chambers before providing a final diagnosis.
More from the announcement:
Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, explains how all that works: “After taking a sample of blood, magnetic nanoparticles bind themselves to the target cells in the blood sample through specific catcher molecules. We then use a simple magnet to transfer the particles onto the plastic card along with the pathogens and move them through various miniaturized reaction chambers which is where the polymerase chain reaction takes place. This is a method for copying even the smallest DNA sequences of pathogens millions of times. After it is copied, the nanoparticles transport the pathogen DNA into the detection chamber where a new type of magnetoresistive biochip can identify pathogens and antibiotics resistances.”
Link: Fast sepsis test can save lives…
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
December 6th, 2010 by Dinah Miller, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: AMA, American Medical Association, Cost of Healthcare, Delayed Treatment, Dr. Dinah Miller, General Medicine, Health Insurance Preauthorization, Healthcare Economics, Impact On Healthcare, My Three Shrinks, Physicians' Time, Shrink Rap
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The American Medical Association (AMA) had a press release [recently] announcing findings from their survey on the impact of insurance company preauthorization policies.
Surprisingly, they discovered that these policies use physician time and delay treatment. It’s funny, because preauthorization policies were designed to save money. And I imagine they do, for the insurer, but they cost money for everyone else. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
December 6th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
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I’ve heard people say that healthcare is recession proof. Even when the economy is suffering, people still get sick and need service.
The current recession is entering the third year and it’s finally caught up to the healthcare industry. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 16 mass hospital layoffs in October, up from 10 in September. Mass layoffs involve 50 or more employees and in the first 10 months of 2010, and 128 mass layoffs occurred. The Bureau projects 12,349 initial claims for unemployment benefits, which surpasses the number in 2009.
What causes mass layoffs? The recession and unemployment has reduced demand for elective procedures and reduced reimbursement from government programs (Medicare and Medicaid). Charity care has also increased and hospitals are adjusting to a lower bottom line by eliminating their most costly item: Employees. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
December 6th, 2010 by Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Cost of Healthcare, Dr. Glenn Laffel, Federal District Judge, Healthcare Insurers, Healthcare Lawsuits, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Healthcare Reform Law, Individual Mandate, Judge Henry Hudson, Medicine and Legal Issues, New U.S. Healthcare System, New York Times, Obamacare, Pizaazz, Private Health Insurance, Refusing To Buy Health Insurance, Required To Buy Health Insurance, State Courts, Virginia
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Flush from their big win in the midterms, the Boehners are vowing to repeal and replace the Big O’s health reform law. They pose a legitimate threat, but an even larger one lies in the courts, where suits challenging the constitutionality of the law have been popping up like fireflies on a late August night.
In Virginia for example, Republican-appointed Federal District Court Judge Henry Hudson has indicated that the Individual Mandate — a key provision of the law that has been challenged in a suit filed in his court by the state’s Republican Attorney General — might not pass his sniff test.
Hudson said he’d rule on the matter this month. If he deems the provision to be unconstitutional, he might (it’s unlikely, but he might) enjoin the law altogether until higher courts rule on the matter. Holy Kazakhstan, Batman!
An official at Camp Obama, who spoke with the New York Times under the condition that his name not be WikiLeaked, acknowledged that Hudson’s thumbs appear to be pointing downward, indeed. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz*
December 5th, 2010 by DavedeBronkart in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Clinical Studies, comparative effectiveness research, Dave deBronkart, Dr. Pauline Chen, Dr. Wu, e-Patient Dave, e-Patients.net, Empowered Patients, Gangadhar Sulkunte, Healthcare Reform Bill, Healthcare Transparency, Listening To Patients, New York Times, Participating in Medical Research, Participatory Medicine, Patient Empowerment, Patient Participation, Patient Perspective, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Patient-Reported Outcomes, Transparency In Medicine
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A year ago Gangadhar Sulkunte shared his story here about how he and his wife became e-patients of necessity, and succeeded, resolving a significant issue through empowered, engaged research. As today’s guest post shows, he’s now actively engaged in thinking about healthcare at the level of national policy, as well – and he calls for all patients to speak up about this new issue. – Dave
I recently came across a Pauline Chen piece in the New York Times, “Listening to Patients Living With Illness.” It refers to a paper by Dr. Wu et al, “Adding The Patient Perspective To Comparative Effectiveness Research.” According to the paper and the NY Times article, Dr. Wu and his co-authors propose:
- Making patient-reported outcomes a more routine part of clinical studies and practice and administrative data collection.
- In some cases requiring the information for reimbursement.
Patient-Centered Outcomes is outcomes from medical care that are important to patients. The medical community/research focuses on the standard metrics related to survival and physiological outcomes (how well is the part of the body being treated?). In the patient-centered outcomes research, they will also focus on outcomes important to patients such as quality of life. In other words, the care experience will be viewed through the eyes of the patients and their support groups to ensure that their concerns are also addressed. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at e-Patients.net*
