November 23rd, 2010 by Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, News, Research
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Like their counterparts in other first-world countries, French people know about the health benefits of exercise. And French culture has emphasized, even worshipped, good looks (which these days translates to “fit and trim.”)
So it’s surprising that the French avoid fitness centers as vigorously as factory-produced croissants. But they do.
According to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, just 5.4 percent of French people were members of a fitness club in 2008. That’s substantially less than their counterparts in Italy (9.5 percent), the UK (11.9 percent), and Spain (16.6 percent).
“It appears that more people are sitting in cafes smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee than working out … the French don’t see fitness as a lifestyle,” American-born fitness consultant Fred Hoffman told MSNBC. Hoffman has lived in Paris for two decades. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz*
November 23rd, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, News, Opinion
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Have you heard? First San Fransisco bans toys in Happy Meals. Now CNN is reporting there’s a circumcision ban proposed in San Fransisco as well.
To recap: Anti-circumcision activist Lloyd Schofield has drawn up a proposal outlawing all circumcisions, even for religious reasons (circumcision of boys is traditional in Judaism and Islam.) The punishment would be up to a year in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.
Boy, oh boy. What a hot-bed topic circumcision is. Mandating a ban against all circumcisions is like mandating a requirement that all boys be circumcised. Nobody is right. Everyone is an expert. You’re either for it or against it. But making circumcision a crime? I don’t know. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
November 23rd, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Opinion, Research
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I think I blogged this before, but didn’t describe it much. Allow me to rectify that mistake.
The NNT.com (“Number Needed To Treat”) is an ever-expanding website which boils down high-quality reviews of medications and interventions and presents its recommendations in a much more approachable green-yellow-red “warning triangle” format rather than some ratio.
While I won’t use this as a single source to change my practice, I’m going to have to do some more research on some of the [questionables] of our age (i.e. Octreotide for variceal bleeding, PPI infusions for upper GI bleeding, etc.) — just two of the studies that fly in the face of current practice.
An aside: While inhaled corticosteroids for asthma aren’t beneficial in the review, what it doesn’t tell you is that the Feds think they are, and will grade your asthma care on how many of your asthma patients get a prescription for them, so be aware.
Graham Walker, M.D. is behind this, and good for him.
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
November 22nd, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
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There’s a country with an unusual healthcare system. In it, you often spend about as much time with your lawyer as you do your doctor. There are special courts set up to decide what kinds of treatment you are allowed to have. And doctors have to be careful that they don’t say or do the wrong thing, or else they risk being blackballed by insurance companies.
The country: The United States of America.
You may not realize it, but if you hurt your back at work you end up in a different healthcare system than if you hurt your back at home. Sure, you may end up with similar doctors or hospitals, but your experience of healthcare will be completely different. Here’s why.
If you get hurt at work, you’re covered by the “workers compensation” system. That system has its roots over a century ago, when employers didn’t do much to take care of workers. So the system is based on laws that mandate employers to take care of injured workers, often for the rest of their lives. In exchange for this very comprehensive coverage, employers and their insurers get a great deal of control over what care workers get and where they get it.
Does the workers compensation system represent a model of how a future American healthcare system might work? It might. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
November 22nd, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
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What is the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research?
The mission of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research will be to decide on best practices and most cost effective practices. The council will recommend cost effective treatments for diseases to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (NCFHIT). The NCFHIT will determine treatment at the time and place of care. It is charged with deciding the course of treatment for the diagnosis given by the doctor.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the formation and membership of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research that will be funded by President Obama’s stimulus program the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The council was allocated $1.1 billion to set up comparative effectiveness of medical practice.
Why was this $1.1 billion funded from the economic stimulus package?
Unknown. The missions are based on the premise that practicing physicians do not have the ability to recommend the most cost-effective medical treatment for their patients. (See executive summary.)
Who are the members?
The members of the committee were picked without congressional approval immediately after the economic stimulus bill was passed. They are all bureaucrats working for the government in one capacity or another. There are no practicing physicians on the panel.
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
Like their counterparts in other first-world countries, French people know about the health benefits of exercise. And French culture has emphasized, even worshipped, good looks (which these days translates to “fit and trim.”)
