December 2014 - The Health Care Blog

Will the Real Professor Katherine Baicker Please Stand Up?

By AL LEWIS and VIK KHANNA Harvard Professor Katherine Baicker is arguably most acclaimed health policy researcher at arguably the most acclaimed (and not even arguably, the best-endowed) school of public health in the country. Her seminal account of...

Published Wed, Dec 31 2014 5:55 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Wellness, Kathleen Baicker, Health Affairs

Matthew’s end of 2014 charity & issues letter

I’ve been posting my personal end of year email on THCB for a few years now–here’s 2014′s edition–Matthew Holt Dec 31 2014: Last year I claimed laziness and failed to write or send out my End of Year Issues email for the...

Published Wed, Dec 31 2014 3:18 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Matthew Holt

Rethinking The Gruber Controversy: Americans Aren’t Stupid, But They’re Often Ignorant — And Why

By UWE REINHARDT M.I.T. economist Jonathan Gruber, whom his colleagues in the profession hold in very high esteem for his prowess in economic analysis, recently appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Gruber was called...

Published Tue, Dec 30 2014 2:39 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Economics, Gruber, American Voters

2014 A Healthcare Odyssey

By SAURABH JHA, MD It might have been the best of times. It could have been the worst of times. But 2014 turned out to be the most mediocre of times. Here’s a recap. Why did Sebelius resign? Never make a promise to your kids that you can’t keep. And never...

Published Tue, Dec 30 2014 11:25 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Medicaid, Jonathan Bush, Sebelius, Halbig et al v. Sebelius, Ebola, Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, Speak-o

Sit. Stand. Stay. Good worker.

By VIK KHANNA Example A: The Fitbro Businesswoman Nilofer Merchant wrote an essay for the Harvard Business Review Blog, which has gone on to become one of the most read posts on the HBR site this year, in which she parrots the convention that sitting...

Published Tue, Dec 30 2014 8:58 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, fitness, Sitting is the New Smoking, Varidesk, HBR, Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Has Med School Changed For the Better?

By KARAN CHHABRA Every third-year has heard it. “…When I was in your position, I was taking 24-hour calls every other night. If my resident was there, I was there….” We’re regaled about the glory days, without shelf exams, without phlebotomists, and—by...

Published Tue, Dec 30 2014 8:26 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Residency, Project Millenial, med school

HIT Newser: Massachusetts Modifies Meaningful Use Mandate

By MICHELLE NOTEBOOM New Life for ACOs CMS announces that 89 new organizations were selected to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings program, bringing the total number of participating ACOs to 424. The announcement comes on the heels of a recently...

Published Tue, Dec 30 2014 4:35 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Meaningful Use, Massachusetts, ACOs, Total Child Health

Do We Need Patient Relationship Management (PRM) Systems?

By JORDAN SHLAIN, MD As a primary care doctor in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, I have been searching for the holy grail of patient engagement for over 15 years. My journey began with alpha-numeric pager and a medical degree. I shared my pager number...

Published Mon, Dec 29 2014 5:51 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Apple Store, patient engagement, Chronic EMR Fatigue Syndrome, consumer engagement, Consumer vs. Patient, Dr. Google

Stories You Won’t Read In 2015

By PAUL KECKLEY The headlines and their storylines that you’re not likely to read in 2015: Physicians optimistic about their future. They’re wildly enthusiastic about the mandate to use electronic medical records to coordinate patient care more...

Published Mon, Dec 29 2014 10:46 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Affordable Care Act, Regulation, Crystal Ball, Prognistifications, Paul Keckley, 2015

Zen and the Art of Antibiotics

By HANS DUVEFELT, MD Jacques Johndreau did not look like his usual self when I saw him in the office a few weeks ago. He looked part retired bank manager and part Disney cartoon chipmunk. He spoke with hardly any facial movements: “Holy Boys, my wife...

Published Mon, Dec 29 2014 8:50 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Ceftriaxone, Clindamycin, antibiotics

Why I’m Starting a Radically Different Kind of Medical Practice

By ROBIN BERZIN, MD We hear a lot about how US medicine is broken, from how much we spend annually ($4 trillion) for unimpressive outcomes, to the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes, to problematic financial models, to the growing malaise amongst...

Published Mon, Dec 29 2014 4:05 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Physicians, Robin Berzin, The Business of Health Care, New York City, Concierge medicine, functional medicine

The Trouble with Home Health Care & Care Coordination

By LESLIE KERNISAN, MD Home health care is in many ways a fantastic service, especially for those Medicare beneficiaries who are essentially home bound due to frailty or illness. But it’s often feels surprisingly hard to synergize with home health...

Published Sun, Dec 28 2014 10:03 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB

Rediscovering Medical Professionalism

By MARTIN SAMUELS, MD I am a doctor today because of Dr. J.W. Epstein, my pediatrician in Cleveland in the 1950s. An immigrant from the Nazi terror in Europe, he had trained in Vienna and spoke English with a Germanic accent. His house calls are etched...

Published Fri, Dec 26 2014 9:50 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Martin Samuels

EHR Interoperability Following in E-Prescribing’s Footsteps?

By TOM BIZZARO Frequently, when conversations turn to the interoperability of healthcare IT systems, a negative vibe permeates the air. Indeed, some people view the Office of the National Coordinator’s 10 year interoperability plan with a feeling of exasperation...

Published Wed, Dec 24 2014 9:09 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, Interoperability, e-Prescribing

Fact vs Fiction – Navigating the Health Care Marketplace with Consumer Reports

At Health 2.0 WinterTech: The New Consumer Health Landscape speakers and sponsors are exploring the platforms that empower the informed consumer movement by providing objective reviews of consumer products. Senior Director, of Health Impact and Consumer...

Published Tue, Dec 23 2014 4:41 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: THCB, WinterTech, Consumer Reports