September 28th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion
Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC Guidelines, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Davis Liu, Family Medicine, Flu Shot, Flu Vaccine, General Medicine, H1N1 Vaccine, H1N1 Virus, immunizations, Immunology, Influenza Vaccine, Internal Medicine, Primary Care, Public Health, Public Safety, Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis, Swine Flu, Vaccination
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It’s that time of year again. Children back at school. Football season is underway and baseball playoffs to start soon. The television networks are rolling out their new shows.
And it’s also time to think about getting flu shots. I just got mine today as I have done annually since going to medical school.
Compared to last year, there isn’t as much news about the flu or the flu vaccine. This year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives clear guidelines that everyone aged 6 months and older should get the influenza vaccine.
This month the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all healthcare providers should be required to get the influenza vaccine.
And one fact that hasn’t gotten much attention is whether the 2009 H1N1 virus is included in the 2010-2011 vaccine: Is it? Yes, it is. This year’s vaccine will be as safe as vaccines in past years as the production process is unchanged. Inclusion of the 2009 H1N1 virus will not be a problem. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
September 27th, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Dr. Don Berwick, Dr. Stanley Feld, Government-run Healthcare, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Medicare Reform Act, Medicare Trustees Report, Michael Leavitt, Repairing The Healthcare System, Richard Foster, Washington Post
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An interesting debate occurred in the Washington Post between Michael Leavitt, former secretary of Health and Human Services and a member of the Medicare Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2009, and Dr. Don Berwick, the director of CMS.
Michael Leavitt wrote a scathing article criticizing President Obama’s Medicare Reform Act calling it an illusion. Don Berwick wrote a rebuttal to Michael Leavitt’s article.
Michael Leavitt starts off his article by stating: “Despite the report from Medicare’s trustees this month that the hospital insurance trust fund will not be depleted until 2029, 12 years later than was predicted just last year, Medicare is no better off than it was a year ago. “
The Medicare Trustees Report was strange. Nothing was done to change anything and all of a sudden, the hospital insurance fund was extended 12 years. I thought it was funny arithmetic.
Medicare Trustees is supposed to be an organization independent of the administration. Shortly afterward, Richard Foster, Chief Actuary for Medicare, who is independent of both the Medicare Trustees and the administration, wrote an “Alternative Report.” His report received little coverage in the traditional media. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
September 26th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: AngelMed Guardian System, Biotechnology, Cardiac Screening Devices, Cardiology, Critical Medical Alerts, Dr. Wes Fisher, Early Heart Attack Detection, Hand-held Telemetry Device, Heart Attack, Heart Attack Overdetection, Heart Attack Underdetection, Implantable Medical Devices, Pre-Heart Attack Screening, Predicting Heart Attacks, Preventive Medicine, Silent Ischemia, ST Segment Shifts, Symptom Alerts For Doctors, Wireless EMT Alert Service
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Imagine: There you are sitting outside on a warm, sunny day having a leisurely picnic with your family. You hear an ambulance in the distance getting closer. You’re not on call. Suddenly, the paramedics hop from the vehicle’s cabin and pronounce:
“Excuse me sir, your heart’s not getting enough oxygen and you might develop a heart attack. Please, come with us.”
Sound far fetched? Well, maybe not. A new device is being tested that might detect “silent” ischemia and notify a patient (or even call 911) that he or she is showing signs of heart ischemia on the wire installed in his or her chest. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
September 26th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Doctor-Patient Communication, Doctors' Pay, Doctors' Status, Dr. Rob Lamberts, Empowered Patients, General Medicine, Health Care Vs. Health Performance, Healthcare reform, Medical Knowledge, Musings of a Distractible Mind, Patient Empowerment, Patient-Centered Medicine, Patient-Centeredness, Primary Care
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The “empowered patient” movement (which I think is a good thing) strives to take the doctor out of the center of care and put the patient at its focus. The role of doctor is not to be the star of the show, the quarterback, the superhero, but the advocate and helper for the patient to accomplish their goal: Health.
Many rightly attack doctor prima donnas who want the exam/operating room to be about them instead of the patient. This is health care, not health performance. They want doctors who care more about the people they treat than they do about money, praise, or status.
I get it. I get the message that doctors have to adjust to this new age of patient empowerment and patient-centeredness. I get the fact that making patients wait is a bad thing, and that communication is as essential of a skill as is medical knowledge — remove either one of them and you don’t have care. I hear the message: Doctors should care about patients more than they care about themselves. That is what we are paid to do, and that is what we have neglected at our own peril. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
September 25th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Evidence-Based Health Reporting, Gary Schwitzer, HealthNewsReview.org, Inaccurate Health Reporting, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Preventive Medicine, Preventive Screening, Screening Tests, Sound Health Journalism
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One part of the health care law that took effect this week is widely reported as “establishing a menu of preventive procedures, such as colonoscopies, mammograms and cholesterol screening, that must be covered without co-payments.” For example, one of my local papers, the [St. Paul, Minnesota] Star Tribune, wrote: “Some people will no longer have to pay for copays, coinsurance or meet their deductibles for preventive care that’s backed up by the best scientific evidence.” (emphasis added)
That phrase should always include a huge asterisk, like the one hung on Roger Maris’ 61st home run. The best scientific evidence according to whom?
Time magazine reports, “Procedures, screenings and tests that are considered ‘preventive’ will be determined by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Centers for Disease Control (for vaccines) and the Health Resources and Services Administration.” As written, that is incorrect and inaccurate at worst and misleading at best. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
