In the course of reading blogs (largely devoted to HIT, IT, and hospital/healthcare), I've come across some great resources.
With the exception of Grand Rounds, who knows when I might have happened upon these publications, so a big gracias to fellow bloggers for sharing sources.
I save time by reading respective e-newsletters - for some reason I don't feel guilty skimming these and filing articles when appropriate, but if I receive an actual hard copy magazine I'm tempted to read the whole thing in one sitting.
Here are some top picks:
1. CIO Magazine. Drop any apprehension you may feel about the title. Their CIO Insider e-newsletter is packed chock-full of approachable, useful, entertaining, and controversial copy. Plus, some of the best integration of tech news into overall strategy around.
2. Grand Rounds. A rotating summary of blog entries centered around a topic chosen by the blog 'host.' Should be on every healthcare bloggers list (to read AND contribute). Last edition here at Diabetes Mine. Submissions for next edition due to David Harlowe's HealthBlawg - click here for guidelines.
3. Wired Magazine. The coolest. That is all.
4. Associations Now Magazine. Published by The Center for Association Leadership. Great features, crisp editing - features are useful, easy to read, and represent a wide variety of disciplines.
I've also linked to FierceHealthcare numerous times. I've been a reader since the pub started a few years back and the quality is top-notch. A daily must-read. But parent publisher FierceMarkets also has good Sarbox, Pharma, and Biotech pubs.
For more outside the box news, try VentureBeat and NRFSmartbrief, covering venture capital (heavy on Silicon Valley tech) and retail, respectively.
5.2.08
Would You Like Extra Cancer Protection with That Custom Embryo?
Yikes.
And yikes again.
All it takes is 3 sets of DNA...read this Yahoo! News coverage.
Brit researchers, funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, are using intentional genetic engineering processes to selectively breed out defective mitochondria, in other words, potential handicaps/diseases such as epilepsy, strokes, MR, and muscular dystrophy.
But it's all ok, because they're not touching the nucleus, where "most of the genes that make you who you are" are located.
I feel better already. A retake on the tired old tabula rosa debate for the next generation.
And yikes again.
All it takes is 3 sets of DNA...read this Yahoo! News coverage.
Brit researchers, funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, are using intentional genetic engineering processes to selectively breed out defective mitochondria, in other words, potential handicaps/diseases such as epilepsy, strokes, MR, and muscular dystrophy.
But it's all ok, because they're not touching the nucleus, where "most of the genes that make you who you are" are located.
I feel better already. A retake on the tired old tabula rosa debate for the next generation.
Someone's Listening to Nurses...
Finally. What a state - the birthplace of Starbucks and nursing staffing consensus. Washington is looking great!
With a mom who's an RN and a MIL who's an LPN, I know this Washington State initiative (coverage by Fierce Healthcare) is just a damn good idea in theory.
Of course, many ideas are great in theory - it's that pesky practice part that's tricky.
Washington, however, has the benefit of a dispute resolution group on their side. I'd love to find out the name of that group - anyone got an inside track?
Let's see if Washington Governor Chris Gregoire manages to make her commitment to support nurses stick. Read great seattlepi.com coverage of the Washington State Hospital Association and nursing groups' agreement here.
The move to establish a state repository for best practice safety and quality information is particularly interesting - putting the significant wisdom of nursing crowds to work makes a whole lot of sense.
With a mom who's an RN and a MIL who's an LPN, I know this Washington State initiative (coverage by Fierce Healthcare) is just a damn good idea in theory.
Of course, many ideas are great in theory - it's that pesky practice part that's tricky.
Washington, however, has the benefit of a dispute resolution group on their side. I'd love to find out the name of that group - anyone got an inside track?
Let's see if Washington Governor Chris Gregoire manages to make her commitment to support nurses stick. Read great seattlepi.com coverage of the Washington State Hospital Association and nursing groups' agreement here.
The move to establish a state repository for best practice safety and quality information is particularly interesting - putting the significant wisdom of nursing crowds to work makes a whole lot of sense.
4.2.08
New Twist on the Hospitality-Hospital Industry Relationship
I'm a little late to the party on this one.
Marriott has taken one of the boldest, large-scale steps to implement integration of an outsourced PHR network. (Who's next? Best Buy? Starbucks? An AMC/hospital group?)
Financially, it makes all kinds of sense: an employer that operates in a 24-7, customer-oriented industry has a lot to gain by simultaneously enhancing employee wellness and reducing costly absenteeism.
Click here to read the Information Week piece.
Marriott's program, designed by ActiveHealth (an Aetna subsidiary), is quite a bit more than a passive central repository for individual health and wellness data.
ActiveHealth's CareEngine system, staffed by 20 full-time docs, proactively monitors the exchange of data between providers and patients.
Employees take an online 'health risk assessment' and the system begins compiling PHD.
The system scrubs clinical info, and compares it to other PHD (claims from physicians, Rx pickup/refill).
If the program notices an error, such as medication contraindication, or can discern a 'better' plan of care, it may send a notice to an employee's physician (via phone, fax, or certified letter -urgent issues necessitate a phone call). Then it copies the staffer on the contents.
Click here to watch a video from ActiveHealth showing how the system works (very basic).
From the Information Week article:
"But unlike some of the personal health records offerings being rolled out by other employers, the system deployed at Marriott also taps into a sophisticated clinical rules engine that looks to avert potential medical mistakes or gaps in care that could lead to serious complications and costs.
"The access we have to medical information is broader than most doctors have," says Reisman. ActiveHealth has "codifed" thousands of clinical standards and evidence-based best practices."
And what will Marriott, Aetna, ActiveHealth, and the Marriott employee do if (and inevitably when) a physician determines a change in patient care is not appropriate? Fine the doc? Impose some other sort of penalty?
What sort of liability does Marriott engender when a physician who has not seen their employees mistakenly receives personal health data via CareEngine and ActiveHealth?
What happens if Marriott employees refuse to join the CareEngine program?
Will signing your personal health data over to Marriott and CareEngine's physicians be a condition of employment, like consenting to a background check, for future employees?
It's not just Marriott - ActiveHealth has 100 other corporate clients.
Apparently Marriott's hoping the carrot approach will work:
"Marriott also is developing an incentive plan to encourage employees to complete arisk
assessment online and input information into their personal health record, says Berger. "Our goal," Berger says, "is to get our associates to take a more active role in their health."
My HMO already dictates, to some extent, which physician I visit based on partnerships they've arranged. I'm not so sure I want my employer integrally involved in determining the quality of care.
What do you think? Does the CareEngine program seem like a step away from consumer-directed care, or is this a victory for H2.0?
Marriott is giving workers a way to store personal health data but placing an additional layer between consumer and care provider - does this layer hinder or help grow that relationship?
Marriott has taken one of the boldest, large-scale steps to implement integration of an outsourced PHR network. (Who's next? Best Buy? Starbucks? An AMC/hospital group?)
Financially, it makes all kinds of sense: an employer that operates in a 24-7, customer-oriented industry has a lot to gain by simultaneously enhancing employee wellness and reducing costly absenteeism.
Click here to read the Information Week piece.
Marriott's program, designed by ActiveHealth (an Aetna subsidiary), is quite a bit more than a passive central repository for individual health and wellness data.
ActiveHealth's CareEngine system, staffed by 20 full-time docs, proactively monitors the exchange of data between providers and patients.
Employees take an online 'health risk assessment' and the system begins compiling PHD.
The system scrubs clinical info, and compares it to other PHD (claims from physicians, Rx pickup/refill).
If the program notices an error, such as medication contraindication, or can discern a 'better' plan of care, it may send a notice to an employee's physician (via phone, fax, or certified letter -urgent issues necessitate a phone call). Then it copies the staffer on the contents.
Click here to watch a video from ActiveHealth showing how the system works (very basic).
From the Information Week article:
"But unlike some of the personal health records offerings being rolled out by other employers, the system deployed at Marriott also taps into a sophisticated clinical rules engine that looks to avert potential medical mistakes or gaps in care that could lead to serious complications and costs.
When those gaps or potential mistakes are identified by the system, doctors are alerted by phone, fax, or letter with a "care consideration" notification that might recommend the doctor prescribe a different treatment, order additional tests, or make another change to the patient's care. The member employee -- or patient -- is also alerted.
According to ActiveHealth, the employer doesn't get copies of care notices - they receive aggregate info showing, for example, 70% of workers have high blood pressure.
"The access we have to medical information is broader than most doctors have," says Reisman. ActiveHealth has "codifed" thousands of clinical standards and evidence-based best practices."
And what will Marriott, Aetna, ActiveHealth, and the Marriott employee do if (and inevitably when) a physician determines a change in patient care is not appropriate? Fine the doc? Impose some other sort of penalty?
What sort of liability does Marriott engender when a physician who has not seen their employees mistakenly receives personal health data via CareEngine and ActiveHealth?
What happens if Marriott employees refuse to join the CareEngine program?
Will signing your personal health data over to Marriott and CareEngine's physicians be a condition of employment, like consenting to a background check, for future employees?
It's not just Marriott - ActiveHealth has 100 other corporate clients.
Apparently Marriott's hoping the carrot approach will work:
"Marriott also is developing an incentive plan to encourage employees to complete a
My HMO already dictates, to some extent, which physician I visit based on partnerships they've arranged. I'm not so sure I want my employer integrally involved in determining the quality of care.
What do you think? Does the CareEngine program seem like a step away from consumer-directed care, or is this a victory for H2.0?
Marriott is giving workers a way to store personal health data but placing an additional layer between consumer and care provider - does this layer hinder or help grow that relationship?
2.2.08
Superbowl XLII Fitness Challenge - Join Me?
Ahh, time for that annual paragon of gluttony, violence, sportsmanship (and the lack thereof), laser-focused, fan-based commerce, teamwork, and triumph that is the uniquely all-American Superbowl. Somebody's going to Disneyland.
Tomorrow, we'll watch the Superbowl with four other friends in Delft (starts around midnight here).
I admit it. Like 36.3% of the viewer population (Retail Marketing and Advertising Assoc. stats), I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials. And, of course, the excuse to eat my annual quota of nachos.
This year I'm going to try something a little different.
During each commercial, I will EITHER do 2 push-ups (not girl-style) OR 5 crunches.
Every other day I do 3 sets of 10 regular push-ups, and 3 sets of 100 flutter-kicks with 50 "hello dollies," so I'm not starting completely from scratch.
If I can move by the end of the game, it will be a miracle, but my lassitude won't be a result of overeating.
Anyone else not working during the game care to join me?
And for those of you working in ERs, may the force be with you and many prospective patients use designated drivers.
Tomorrow, we'll watch the Superbowl with four other friends in Delft (starts around midnight here).
I admit it. Like 36.3% of the viewer population (Retail Marketing and Advertising Assoc. stats), I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials. And, of course, the excuse to eat my annual quota of nachos.
This year I'm going to try something a little different.
During each commercial, I will EITHER do 2 push-ups (not girl-style) OR 5 crunches.
Every other day I do 3 sets of 10 regular push-ups, and 3 sets of 100 flutter-kicks with 50 "hello dollies," so I'm not starting completely from scratch.
If I can move by the end of the game, it will be a miracle, but my lassitude won't be a result of overeating.
Anyone else not working during the game care to join me?
And for those of you working in ERs, may the force be with you and many prospective patients use designated drivers.
1.2.08
Better Than a Golden Ticket...
The chocolate in Holland is pretty damn good, but winning a stay in this Godiva room (cocoa covered walls?!) is better than winning a golden ticket...
I wonder what they'll do if the winner is diabetic?
I wonder what they'll do if the winner is diabetic?
DC Council At It Again: Latest to Tackle Implementing Universal Healthcare?
You heard it here first, folks.
Councilmember David Catania, who gained notoriety with his sponsorship of the SafeRx program, is gunning for universal healthcare in the nation's capital.
The program, titled Healthy D.C., would be partially funded by govt. subsidies and aims to reduce the district's uninsured population by 12,000.
The fee schedule would to some extent be based on income, and targets DC residents at 200-300 percent of the federal poverty level. Click here for the HHS 2008 poverty guidelines.
Even more interesting is a preliminary list of what services would be covered:
He'll need to have the plan evaluated by the health care community and firm up a deal with an insurance firm to provide benefits.
Mayor Fenty submits this year's budget to the Council in March - financial support for Healthy D.C. may be included.
With all the activity this year, is DC outpacing California in planning/implementing progressive healthcare reforms like SafeRx and Healthy D.C.?
With CA's Senate voting down the Governator's statewide proposal, the nation's political epicenter may very well be taking center stage in healthcare coverage. San Francisco's municipal universal coverage plan should be of particular interest to the DC Council as they move forward. Click here and here for 2 articles of note, and here for a relevant, recent blog entry.
Does anyone else find it slightly ironic that while our federal legislators spout nebulous aims for improving the nation's healthcare as a whole, the District, which doesn't have a vote, is moving quickly from talking to doing for the uninsured and underinsured?
Councilmember David Catania, who gained notoriety with his sponsorship of the SafeRx program, is gunning for universal healthcare in the nation's capital.
The program, titled Healthy D.C., would be partially funded by govt. subsidies and aims to reduce the district's uninsured population by 12,000.
The fee schedule would to some extent be based on income, and targets DC residents at 200-300 percent of the federal poverty level. Click here for the HHS 2008 poverty guidelines.
Even more interesting is a preliminary list of what services would be covered:
- Hospital stays
- Primary care
- Chiropractic care
- Home health
He'll need to have the plan evaluated by the health care community and firm up a deal with an insurance firm to provide benefits.
Mayor Fenty submits this year's budget to the Council in March - financial support for Healthy D.C. may be included.
With all the activity this year, is DC outpacing California in planning/implementing progressive healthcare reforms like SafeRx and Healthy D.C.?
With CA's Senate voting down the Governator's statewide proposal, the nation's political epicenter may very well be taking center stage in healthcare coverage. San Francisco's municipal universal coverage plan should be of particular interest to the DC Council as they move forward. Click here and here for 2 articles of note, and here for a relevant, recent blog entry.
Does anyone else find it slightly ironic that while our federal legislators spout nebulous aims for improving the nation's healthcare as a whole, the District, which doesn't have a vote, is moving quickly from talking to doing for the uninsured and underinsured?
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