January 2011 - The Health Care Blog

Rip Van Doctor

By BOB WACHTER, MD Cindy Fenton is one of the best doctors I know, a superb clinician-educator who was directing the UCSF Department of Medicine's educational programs when, in 2001, she stepped off the academic treadmill to raise her three... Read...

Published Wed, Jan 26 2011 6:57 AM by The Health Care Blog

Wicked Good

By ED PULLEN, MD I grew up in Maine and wicked is an adverb or adjective meaning “very” or “especially” that can be attached to almost any verb or adjective. Wicked good is by far the most prevalent use though,... Read More...

Published Sat, Jan 08 2011 5:39 AM by The Health Care Blog

SAN FRANCISCO EARLY BIRD PRICE ENDS THIS WEEK

The year may have just begun, but before you know it the Health 2.0 conferences will be just around the corner and if you blink you may just miss a great deal. The Health 2.0 Spring Fling conference in San... Read More...

Published Tue, Jan 11 2011 12:51 PM by The Health Care Blog

The Moral Component to Transparency

By PAUL LEVY Many of you have asked if I intend to continue this blog, now that I am stepping down as CEO of BIDMC. Yes. (I'll have to change the name. How about "The blog formerly known as .... Read More...

Published Sun, Jan 09 2011 9:48 AM by The Health Care Blog

Minimum Essential Benefits

By MICHAEL TURPIN The Affordable Care Act is officially under construction. The framework for the minimum mandatory levels of benefits offered through state exchanges is now being researched and will soon be ready for prime time debate. The Institute...

Published Tue, Jan 18 2011 1:47 PM by The Health Care Blog

Health Care Georgians Deserve

By GAYATHRI SURESH KUMAR, MD As a physician who works at Grady Memorial Hospital, I am regularly reminded of the implications of poor access to health care. One of my regular patients had been suffering from diabetes and hypertension for... Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 19 2011 12:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

EMR and the Falling Patient

By STEVE SANDERS, DO Is Mom at risk of falling? Electronic medical records (EMR) efficiently capture physician’s keystrokes—yes or no—to this question and tuck it along side other data about our so–called medical lives.The physician’s judgment has to...

Published Thu, Jan 20 2011 1:20 PM by The Health Care Blog

A Bipartisan Agreement on Health Care Was possible in 2009

By ROBERT LASZEWSKI Readers of this blog have often heard me say that a bipartisan agreement on a health care bill was possible in 2009--driven from the Senate Finance Committee. I have continually made the point that the two sides... Read More...

Published Mon, Jan 10 2011 2:52 PM by The Health Care Blog

Clueless in Utah?

By ROGER COLLIER The trials and tribulations of Utah’s much-touted Health Exchange continued in December, with the announcement that yet another chief executive had quit, along with the admission that very few eligible employer groups had signed up for...

Published Sun, Jan 09 2011 7:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Not Colon Cancer

By DAVIS LIU, MD My mother's oncologist ordered the blood test, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), to check for the recurrence of colon cancer. The good news was that there was no evidence of recurrence. The bad news was that she didn’t... Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 19 2011 6:33 AM by The Health Care Blog

A Brief Guide To Being Shot in the Head

By NEUROSKEPTIC You know what this is about. I don't have anything especially useful to say about the recent tragedy, or the question of crazy vs. political: at this stage, it's all speculation. Let's wait for the trial. But anyway,... Read...

Published Wed, Jan 19 2011 4:30 AM by The Health Care Blog

How the Republican Assault on Health Care Could Backfire On Them

By ROBERT REICH When it comes to health care, Republicans should be careful what they wish for. Their upcoming vote to repeal the health-care law will be largely symbolic — they don’t have the votes to override President Obama’s certain... Read More....

Published Fri, Jan 07 2011 8:54 AM by The Health Care Blog

The Proposed Stage 2 and 3 Meaningful Use Recommendations

By JOHN HALAMKA, MD On January 12, the Health Information Technology Policy Committee published its proposed Stage 2 and 3 Meaningful Use recommendations for public comment. Robin Raiford from Allscripts created a Quick Guide to the recommendations, making...

Published Thu, Jan 20 2011 8:50 AM by The Health Care Blog