October 2010 - The Health Care Blog

Confessions of a Health Literacy Expert

By HILARY SELIGMAN, MD I have a patient who I will call Antonia. Antonia is in her early 70’s. She came to the United States from Guatemala many years ago, but never learned to speak much English. This doesn’t cause... Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 28 2010 9:06 AM by The Health Care Blog

Losing Patients With Insurers

By ROB LAMBERTS, MD We are losing patients. Certain insurance companies are trying to “play hardball” with doctors, unwilling to negotiate with us over their outlandishly low rates. We have lost patience. So the signs went up in the exam... Read More...

Published Fri, Oct 29 2010 8:48 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Rob Lamberts, Insurers

A more palatable path to rationing

By DAVID WILLIAMS Rationing is a very dirty word in America, evoking grim images of wartime Great Britain and –in the health care context– withholding of needed care from patients based on cost. But cut back on costs we must,... Read More...

Published Mon, Oct 04 2010 5:02 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: David E. Williams, Rationing

Patients 2.0, HealthCamp and Health 2.0

By Matthew Holt Health Innovation Week is charging ahead. Eight events have already happened, but today begins the really heavy part for the Health 2.0 team* We start at Healthcamp. Todd Park from HHS and Jack Cochran from Permanente kick... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 06 2010 8:06 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0, Matthew Holt

West Wireless Health Institute Awards $10K Developer Challenge at Health 2.0

By DON CASEY The winner of the West Wireless Health Institute’s $10,000 Health 2.0 developer challenge integrates consumer devices with wireless capabilities – like Nintendo’s popular Wii balance board – and open source platforms to help people share...

Published Thu, Oct 07 2010 12:00 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0, Don Casey

The Health 2.0 Connection

Regina Holliday paints at Health 2.0 while Aneesh Chopra talks. (Photo from Gilles Frydman) Read More...

Published Sun, Oct 10 2010 8:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Northwestern Memorial Hospital Faces a Brave New World

By DAVID DRANOVE If you have read my earlier blogs, you know that I am writing a book about the organization of healthcare delivery. A recent story in the Chicago Tribune reminds me that I need to keep my nose... Read More...

Published Mon, Oct 11 2010 11:56 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: David Dranove, ACOs

How Reform Law Funds Itself, Strengthens Medicare, and Cuts the Deficit: Part 1

By MAGGIE MAHAR The Mainstream Media Rarely Tries to Explain the Congressional Budget Office’s nearly unbelievable claims that the Patient Protect and Affordable Care Act can: 1) Pay for itself 2) Provide coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans 3...

Published Fri, Oct 22 2010 9:15 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Medicare, Policy/Politics, Maggie Mahar, health care reform

Fred Goes to Washington

By ROB LAMBERTS, MD Everyone must have sore butts from sitting on the edge of their seats while reading my previous episodes of “The Doctor is (Not Totally) In.” I am sorry if you are one of the sore butted... Read More...

Published Mon, Oct 25 2010 11:36 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Meaningful Use, Rob Lamberts

The Shame of Malpractice Lawsuits

By PAUL LEVY This posting is not about tort reform. It is not about defensive medicine (e.g., MDs taking too many tests to avoid the chance of lawsuit.) It is not about controlling costs or improving the quality of care.... Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 27 2010 4:10 PM by The Health Care Blog

ACOs and the Looming Antitrust Crisis

By DAVID DRANOVE The Federal Trade Commission recently held a day-long workshop focusing on Accountable Care Organizations. ACOs will vertically integrate hospitals and doctors and, in the process, achieve what previous incarnations of vertical integration...

Published Thu, Oct 14 2010 9:20 AM by The Health Care Blog

Hospitalists as Extensivists

By PAUL LEVY I had heard something about this, but couldn't find it. A colleague here finally tracked it down. The story is about Caremore, a California based organization. Hospitalists generally are internal medicine doctors based in the hospital;...

Published Fri, Oct 15 2010 4:30 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Paul Levy, Hospitalists

San Francisco 2010: iWantGreatCare Demonstration

By Bianca Grogan Neil Bacon, Managing Director of iWantGreatCare, gave a brief demonstration at the Health 2.0 Fall Conference in San Francisco, CA on October 7-8, 2010. iWantGreatCare is an independent organization that allows patients to rate their...

Published Sun, Oct 17 2010 10:11 AM by The Health Care Blog

Doctors, Hospitals and the Yankees

By ROB LAMBERTS Joe Boyd hated the Yankees. “Those damn Yankees. Why can’t we beat ‘em?” Then he got the opportunity to save his beloved Washington Senators by making a deal with the devil – giving up his soul in... Read More...

Published Tue, Oct 19 2010 7:45 AM by The Health Care Blog

Health Innovation Week Press Conference, TODAY 11.15

By Matthew Holt Tomorrow we’re doing an early kick-off for Health Innovation Week, San Francisco. We’re having a public kick-off and press conference at the same place as this picture was taken. My guess is that we won’t get quite... Read More...

Published Fri, Oct 01 2010 12:56 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Health 2.0