July 14th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: 1980s News Coverage, Artificial Heart, Cardiology, Gary Schwitzer, HealthNewsReview.org, Heart Disease, Jarvik-7, Organ Transplantation, Sound Health Journalism, The New York Times, Too Much Journalistic Enthusiasm
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Here we go again. And believe me, as one who’s covered the artificial heart experiments of the 1980s, I feel like I’ve been through this countless times before — but so have health news readers.
Another entrepeneurial team announces hopes for its artificial heart device and some news coverage trumpets the company’s announcement:
But this was in The New York Times! Now, granted — it’s in a “Global Business” section. But we don’t see why that removes the need for more scrutiny, for independent perspective, and for a better discussion of evidence. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
July 13th, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: EHR, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, EMR, Family Medicine, Full Access, General Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Not All Patients Want All That, Not Everyone Wants Everything, Online Medical Records, Open Notes Study, Patient Differences, Patient Records, Primary Care, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RWJ, What Patients Want
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Anytime you come across a healthcare article that implies that every patient wants access to this or that — i.e. their medical record, patient-centered care, etc. — you can safely assume that the claim is wrong. Why? Patients are not a monolithic group –- they don’t all share the same motivations, preferences, beliefs or experiences when it comes to their health.
But let’s face. If you are trying to push an agenda, just saying some people want this or that is not the same as implying that everyone wants it.
Take the issue of patient access to physician notes in their medical record. Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) recently announced their OpenNotes study. The OpenNotes project will evaluate the impact on both patients and physicians of sharing, through online medical record portals, the comments and observations made by physicians after each patient encounter. Okay…so far, so good.
Things begin to fall apart, however, when RWJ cites “a recent study“ in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, as part of the basis for the OpenNotes research. According to RWJ, the study found that “most consumers want full access to their medical records.” Since when did six focus groups (64 people) constitute a representative sample, e.g. most people? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
July 13th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Bad Information, Below-Average Hospital, Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Compare Care Quality, Confused Healthcare Consumers, eHealthInsurance.com, Empowered Patients, ePatients, General Medicine, Government-run Healthcare, Hallmark Health System, Harvard Teaching School, Healthcare Decision Making, Healthcare Decisions, Healthcare Marketplace, Healthcare.gov, HealthConnector, HHS, Internet-Based Healthcare, Kathleen Sebelius, Massachusetts, Misinformed Patients, Misleading Patients, National Average, Obama Administration, Online Healthcare Information, Online Insurance Shopping Website, Outcome Of Care, Patients On The Internet, Patients' Anxiety, Primary Care, Public Health, Public Health Initiative, Quality Measures, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Unprecedented Transparency
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If a website touted misleading healthcare information, you’d hope the government would do something about it. But what do you do when the government is the one feeding the public bad information?
Last week the Obama administration launched the new Healthcare.gov. It’s mostly an online insurance shopping website. It’s very much a federal government version of sites like eHealthInsurance.com or Massachsetts’ HealthConnector site, which have been around for years.
So when HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in announcing the new site, claims it gives consumers “unprecedented transparency” into the healthcare marketplace, you should wonder what she means. But that’s not the big problem with this site. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
July 13th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: 3D Camera, Antonia Haaf, Black Skin Cancer, Dermatology, Diagnostic Tool, Medical Technology, Melanocytic Lesions, melanoma, Nodular Melanome, Oncology, Skin Cancer-Detecting, Yanko
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Yanko, the design blog we highlight occasionally, shows us a device design by Antonia Haaf meant to automatically detect melanoma, called Black Skin Cancer.
Details are vague, as they usually are with concept designs, but the device is meant to be placed over a suspected legion and “[analyze] 2D and 3D characteristics from melanocytic lesions with just one shot. Using a secret algorithm, the device recognizes critical lesions such as the nodular melanome.”
While pretty, commenter Widepers on the site points out: “Frankly, a magnifying glass and the skin doctor’s email might do the trick just as well.”
Yanko Designs: Detector VS Black Skin Cancer
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
July 13th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Cancer, Cellphone Usage, Cellphones And Driving, Cellphones And Walking, Dangerous Driving, Disclosure To Consumers, Driver Safety, General Medicine, Hands-Free Devices, Hands-Free Listening, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Multitasking, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Preventive Medicine, Primary Care, Public Awareness, Public Health, Public Safety, Radiation, San Francisco, Silent Epidemic, Text And Drive, Texting While Driving, Traffic Accidents
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San Francisco recently passed a law requiring disclosure to consumers of the amount of radiation emitted by cellphones at the point of sale. Research has been inconclusive on whether there is a link between cellphone usage and cancer. More definitive findings could be years away.
Understandably the law addresses a universal concern that we all have. We are more fearful of threats we can’t see, smell, hear, taste, or touch. Radon, carbon monoxide, and radiation fit these criteria.
Yet, cellphones kill in other ways which are far more immediate, equally as subtle, and just as concerning. This silent epidemic is increasing at an alarming rate. Everyone sees it, but does nothing about it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
