November 8th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: ACP Advocate, American College Of Physicians, Bob Doherty, Council of Subspecialty Societies, CSS, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, New U.S. Healthcare System, Patient-Centered Medical Home Neighbors, PBS, PCMH-N, Primary Care
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My image of Pittsburgh has been one of a blue-collar, rough-and-tumble town: Perogies, Heinz ketchup, steelworkers, football, and Roberto Clemente. But an exhibit in Pittsburgh’s airport the other day informed me that Pittsburgh also is the home of the iconic “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” — the gentle PBS show that entertained toddlers for generations. Mr. Rogers always started the show off with the following verse:
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
It’s a neighborly day in this beautywood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So let’s make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we’re together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Won’t you please,
Won’t you please,
Please won’t you be my neighbor?
Fittingly, the same week that I was reminded of “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” the American College of Physicians (ACP) released its “medical home neighborhood” position paper. The paper was developed by a workgroup of ACP’s Council of Subspecialty Societies (CSS), which is comprised of representatives of internal medicine subspecialty societies and related organizations.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
November 7th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News
Tags: Daylight Savings Time, Health Canada, Medgadget, Medical Device Clocks, Medical Device Malfunction, Medical Device Safety, Time Change, Y2K
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Remember that cold December in 1999 when we all thought that planes would soon be dropping out of the sky, nuclear power plants were to be melting down, and the world was going to end? This weekend Health Canada is giving clinicians across the country (and really all of North America) an opportunity to feel the anxiety, fear, and excitement all over again.
In 2007, the dates for switching between Standard and Daylight Saving time were changed, and the authorities, three years into the new schedule, have issued a warning for this weekend’s one hour rollback:
Medical equipment manufactured prior to 2007 may not function optimally if the equipment has not been updated by manufacturers to compensate for the new dates.
To date, Health Canada has not received any reports of device malfunctions because of the revised time change that began in 2007. However, examples of medical devices that could be affected by the change include (but are not limited to): implanted pacemakers/defibrillators with sleep modes that can only be adjusted by physicians; Holter monitors, used to continuously record heartbeat; and glucose monitors that store data on glucose levels.
If a medical device displays the incorrect time after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 7, 2010, users should contact the manufacturer to bring the problem to their attention and consult a health care professional.
Press release: Health Canada Reminds Canadians to Check Medical Device Clocks After the Switch to Standard Time …
Image credit: Dan Woods…
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
November 7th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Dropping Healthcare Programs, Election 2010, General Medicine, Government-run Healthcare, GruntDoc, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Entitlement, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, medicaid, Republican Lawmakers, Texas Tribune
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Via the Texas Tribune:
Some Republican lawmakers — still reveling in Tuesday’s statewide election sweep — are proposing an unprecedented solution to the state’s estimated $25 billion budget shortfall: dropping out of the federal Medicaid program.
Hmmm. Welcome to entitlement reality, Texas-style. Currently 20 billion a year and going to go up with expanded eligibility, the article does say the Feds pay 60 percent, but doesn’t say: 1) It’s temporary, then the Federal contribution goes down or away, and 2) The Federal component doesn’t come from magical money fairies — it’s money taken from taxpayers then funneled back into a particular program.
Medicaid is not loved or respected in medicine. Decreasing reimbursements coupled to increasing requirements mean it’s at a minimum inefficient for both patients and providers.
I’m not against kicking Medicaid to the curb, PROVIDED the state has some kind of replacement program — which I’m not sanguine about.
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
November 7th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Aging Adults, Choosing the Best Treatment, Columbia University, Decision To Treat The Elderly, Demography, Dr. James Smith, Dr. John Mandrola, Elderly Adults in Britain, Elderly Care, Fear Mongering, Fury of American Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare reform, Healthcare Spending Worldwide, New York Times, Older Patients, Sherry Giled, U.S. Healthcare System
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I don’t consider myself a right-wing healthcare fear monger, but if I were this study would be worthy of amplification. As reported concisely in the New York Times, from the journal Demography (not previously known to me), population researchers reported that even though elderly Americans have more medical problems than their peers in Britain, older Americans live longer once they make it to 70. Why would this be?
Is it because Americans who reach 70 are “heartier” than Britons, as Columbia University PhD (but now on leave and working at HHS) Sherry Giled says. Or is better survival of the American elderly one of the benefits of the “fury of American medicine?” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
November 7th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Best Doctors, Diagnosing Yourself Online, Do-It-Yourself Medicine, Empowered Patients, Evan Falchuk, General Medicine, Health Information on the Web, Healthcare Advice Online, Online Health Information, Patient Empowerment, Patients On The Internet, Searching For Health Information On The Internet, See First Blog, Twitter
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“What’s the highest peak in North America, Mt. McKinley or Denali?” This is a great question the Web can answer for you. “What’s that lump on my neck?” This is another great question — but not one you should rely on the Web to solve.
Best Doctors recently conducted a Twitter-based poll to find out what channels of information people use to get healthcare advice. It turns out, 54 percent of respondents use the Web as their primary source of information. Is this kind of do-it-yourself medicine a good idea?
I’m a firm believer that you should do everything you can to make sure you’re getting the right care when you’re sick. But before you start your do-it-yourself journey, here are five things to keep in mind:
1. To get the right answer, you need to ask the right questions. If you decide that that lump on your neck is a sign of lymphoma, you’re going to get very worried and start researching everything you can on lymphoma. You may see your doctor and when he tells you it’s actually a benign cyst, you’re going to have a hard time believing him. Now, your skepticism is a good thing, but before you start driving yourself crazy with serious conclusions, make sure you have your facts straight. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*