February 2010 - The Health Care Blog

Who does PhRMA need next? Robin Strongin thinks she knows

By Matthew Holt I met Billy Tauzin last summer in Aspen and you couldn’t help but love the guy. He had that amazing Louisiana charm, and was helping PhRMA walk a tightrope between being the bad guys, and giving away... Read More...

Published Sat, Feb 13 2010 8:45 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Pharma

A Look Inside: The Massachusetts Health Reform Law

By DAVID HARLOW The Massachusetts health reform law Part II, enacted in 2008 - laid the groundwork for cost control and quality improvement, as a follow-on to the initial legislation's emphasis on achieving near-universal coverage. The legislation...

Published Wed, Feb 17 2010 6:21 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Massachusetts

Should the Feds Certify EHR Usability?

By ROBERT ROWLEY, MD In an interesting turn, the Commerce Department’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) says it is looking to develop standards for evaluating ease-of-use of health IT systems. This raises some questions about the...

Published Fri, Feb 19 2010 3:20 AM by The Health Care Blog

The Look

By ROB LAMBERTS “He gave me the look,” the patient said to my nurse as he walked out of the exam room. My nurse laughed and said, “I had a feeling you’d get it today.” What were they talking about?... Read More...

Published Mon, Feb 22 2010 4:36 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Physicians

American Healthcare: Caught in a Bad Romance

By Ian Morrison “I want your Ugly. I want your Disease I want your Everything, as long as it’s Free.” —America’s leading contemporary philosopher, Stefani Germanotta (aka Lady Gaga) Insight comes from unlikely sources. Lady Gaga nailed the health reform...

Published Mon, Feb 01 2010 12:23 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics

10 Insights on the iPad

By Doug Goldstein The iPad got it right and will set the standard for a new and improved way to enjoy our connected lifestyle. The iPhone blazed the way as it shifted mobile phones from something to talk on…to powerful... Read More...

Published Wed, Feb 03 2010 6:40 AM by The Health Care Blog

Plan B

By ROBERT LASZEWSKI With word that the House is likely to take up the repeal of the health insurance industry anti-trust exemption it is now clear the Democratic leadership has begun Plan B. It is also clear that this is... Read More...

Published Fri, Feb 05 2010 6:19 AM by The Health Care Blog

Wellpoint's wasted opportunity

By Matthew Holt Sometimes with something so egregious gets written that, even if it’s in the Wall Street Journal, you have to notice it. Angela Braly, the CEO of Wellpoint—compensation a hair under $10m in 2009—ought to be happy, even... Read More...

Published Sun, Feb 07 2010 1:49 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics, Matthew Holt, Policy, Health Plans

The President’s Proposal

By MAGGIE MAHAR You might be wondering why I haven’t written about the President’s Health care bill. The reason is that I have very little to say. This, I realize, is unusual. But the truth is that the president’s proposal... Read More...

Published Tue, Feb 23 2010 6:28 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Obama, Maggie Mahar

Bentley & Stanton: Two UK docs talk about Health 2.0

By Matthew Holt Last week in London I met with two of the brightest lights in the UK's community of physicians looking at Health 2.0. Annabel Bentley is the medical director and head of informatics at Bupa, the UK-based non-profit... Read More...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 8:22 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0, Matthew Holt, Health Plans, e-patients, International

More of the Same, Only More Expensive

By SARAH PALIN The President has wrestled control of the health care debate away from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid by finally introducing his own plan. Unfortunately, the White House’s proposal includes everything we found untenable about the old Senate...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 10:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Sarah Palin

Paris, Here We <s>Come</s> Are

By Matthew Holt For those of you just getting up on Friday, here's a little taste of the atmosphere we're drinking in for the upcoming Health 2.0 Europe conference. And yes, we have been working hard here too! Health 2.0... Read More...

Published Fri, Feb 26 2010 6:36 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0

PatientsLikeMe buys ReliefInSite

By Matthew Holt Some news in the world of Health 2.0 today where the worlds of patient communities and tracking tools come ever closer. (Those of you following my Health 2.0 “bubbles” chart know that “social networks” and “tools” are... Read More...

Published Tue, Feb 16 2010 10:09 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0, Matthew Holt, Consumers

Why Is the Boston Globe Picking On Charlie Baker Again?

By By DAVID E. WILLIAMS When Charlie Baker began his run for Governor of Massachusetts, the Boston Globe critiqued his record and found it wanting (State aided Baker’s business triumph), a piece that struck me as weakly argued and unfair... Read More...

Published Tue, Feb 09 2010 5:09 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Massachusetts

Apparently the public perceives a problem

By Matthew Holt I think health care reform is dead. And the proposed reform was relatively inconsequential anyway, as it would have left in place Medicare as is, Medicaid as is but bigger, employment-based health insurance, and fee-for-service medicine...

Published Wed, Feb 10 2010 12:01 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Policy/Politics, Matthew Holt