October 2009 - 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

Nursing a Health 2.0 Hangover

By J.D. KLEINKE So it’s the morning after the big Health 2.0 bash and the hangover is awful. My head is awash with flashing screens of medical alerts, rainbow-colored demos of virtual patients flitting from one personal health app to... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 08 2009 2:07 PM by The Health Care Blog

Medicare and Health Reform: Part II

By THOMAS L. GREANEY In his closing remarks to the Senate Finance Committee last week, Senator Baucus pointed with special pride to the effect the Committee’s reform bill will have on shaping the health care system in the longer run:... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 07 2009 12:41 PM by The Health Care Blog

Op-Ed: Robot-assisted Surgery – The Leading Treatment for Prostate Cancer

By DR. JAMES PORTER Prostate cancer surgeons around the world are using surgical robots to assist in the most delicate operative procedures. Across the country, nearly 1,000 of these robots have entered hospital operating rooms, including our institution...

Published Wed, Oct 07 2009 7:15 AM by The Health Care Blog

Pop the Cost Bubble: Unallot Medicare

By Victor M. Sandler, MD Here’s a dirty little secret: Cutting health care costs is not that difficult, nor will it harm patients. That’s because it only involves giving up unnecessary medical care—tests and treatments patients may want but really......

Published Mon, Oct 05 2009 5:59 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Medicare, Costs

Sometimes It’s Better Not to be Ranked #1

By KATHLEEN M. BOOZANG The Chronicle of Philanthropy lead off its annual executive compensation story with the headline that “Nearly three in 10 of the leaders of the nation’s biggest charities and foundations have taken pay cuts in the past... Read More...

Published Fri, Oct 02 2009 1:27 PM by The Health Care Blog

I was largely in favor of Swiss-style health care...

By Matthew Holt until I found out that the people who the NY Times says are really in favor of it are Bill O'Reilly and Regina Herzlinger… Actually I’m kidding. I knew Regi says she likes it, and Maggie Mahar... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 01 2009 1:07 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics, Policy, Health Plans

Can Social Media Save Healthcare Reform?

By Daniel Palestrant Daniel Palestrant is the Founder & CEO of Sermo, the largest online physician community, and a friend of THCB’s from the Health 2.0 world. Lately Dan has been seen on cable TV representing the 110K+ Sermo members... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 01 2009 5:50 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Technology, Reform, Policy/Politics, Physicians, Sermo