October 2009 - The Health Care Blog

A Message to America's Physicians: Purchasing EHR Technology A Shaky State of Affairs

By DAVID C. KIBBE and BRIAN KLEPPER Much of the conversation and debate about physician EHR adoption has centered on the single issue of the (high) cost of purchase. However, we'd like to suggest that the situation is much more... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 9:03 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: EHR, Brian Klepper, David Kibbe, HITECH

CMS Reinstates Paying for Avastin Used Off-Label for Macular Degeneration

MERRILL GOOZNER Medicare has reinstated payment codes for eye specialists who use Genentech's Avastin to treat wet macular degeneration. A tiny amount of Avastin, which is sold for cancer treatments, successfully treats the condition at about $100...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 9:00 PM by The Health Care Blog

Last Chance to Fix the Exchanges

By BILL KRAMER We all know that well-designed health insurance exchanges are a critical element for good health reform, right? And we also hear that exchanges are part of all five reform bills in Congress, so we should be satisfied,... Read More...

Published Tue, Oct 20 2009 7:16 PM by The Health Care Blog

Hiding In Plain Sight: Using Medicare To Solve The ‘Public Option’ Conundrum

By JEFF GOLDSMITH As Senate and House Committee versions of health reform move toward unified legislation and floor votes, the most complex political challenge is how to resolve the “public option” controversy. While one would have thought weightier issues...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 9:48 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Reform, Medicare, Public Option, Jeff Goldsmith

Health 2.0 Tools: The power of Twitter

By Matthew Holt The power of Twitter is real kids, and not for what you think. Used properly Twitter is an information filter. Exhibit A is what happened to the Von Schwebers who run PHARMASurveyor. They were a huge part... Read More...

Published Fri, Oct 23 2009 5:15 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Technology, Electronic Medical Records, Health 2.0, pharmaceuticals, evidenced-based medicine, Conferences, e-patients

Is Healthcare IT Ready for its Big Coming Out Party?

By BOB WACHTER In 2001, when my colleagues and I ranked nearly 100 patient safety practices on the strength of their supporting evidence (for an AHRQ report), healthcare IT didn’t make the top 25. We took a lot of heat... Read More...

Published Sun, Oct 25 2009 11:35 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Bob Wachter

Why is this the one thing?

By JOE FLOWER When the terrorist attacks of 9/11 hit the United States, and then suddenly we were plunged into war, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, I don’t remember anyone demanding that the wars be “deficit neutral.” No... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 14 2009 7:31 AM by The Health Care Blog

Two east coast conferences worth a look

By Matthew Holt Two conferences I won’t be at (because I’ve been on enough aeroplanes this year already and have to do a bunch more traveling in November) are later this month. One is GelHealth in NYC which is the... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 15 2009 6:36 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Technology, Matthew Holt

Good Intentions Aren't Enough with Health Care Reform

By SARAH PALIN Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law. The bill... Read More...

Published Sun, Oct 18 2009 6:16 PM by The Health Care Blog

Healthcare Fighting (Kung Fu Mix)

Will We Get a Health Care Bill in 2009?

By ROBERT LASZEWSKI It’s decision time. The Congress will or won’t pass a major health care bill during the next few weeks. Will we get health care reform in 2009? Almost certainly not. As I have been saying for months,... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 08 2009 7:30 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Robert Laszewski, Congress, Reform

THCB UPDATE

If you haven't had a chance to sign up for THCB UPDATE yet, you really should. You'll get a helpful reminder email from us when important posts go up on the site. In the two and a half six months... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 07 2009 11:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB

The Big Day for Health 2.0

By Matthew Holt Yes, today is the big day for Health 2.0 or rather the first of two huge days. In less than 7 hours Indu and I will be stepping onto the stage and six months of work, rehearsals... Read More...

Published Tue, Oct 06 2009 1:36 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0

Olberman, hysterical hypocrisy expose

By Matthew Holt A really fun piece from Keith Olbermann as he shows how the entire Gang of Six and more voted for fully socialized flood insurance and yet seem to have a problem with an independent government run public... Read More...

Published Sun, Oct 04 2009 1:21 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics, Matthew Holt, Policy

Carrot or Stick? Should Patient Decision Aids Be Rewarded or Required?

By DON KEMPER Should we incent or require providers to prescribe patient decision aids? Should we incent or require consumers to use patient decision aids? Overtreatment is the most celebrated cause of runaway health care costs, but we shouldn’t blame...

Published Thu, Oct 01 2009 6:35 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Costs, Physicians, Patients