Archive
The merging of MDs and DOs: A unification of training standards
From the KevinMd.com blog:
More than a century of American medical history was turned on its ear recently by the announcement that the groups that accredit medical residencies will unify their standards. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you failed to understand the significance (or notice at all). But this should be viewed as good news across the land. As someone who trains doctors from both traditions, I certainly welcome a more level playing field.
It’s about time that there are common standards for MDs and DOs. After all, don’t all states treat allopathic and osteopathic physicians the same and expect them to provide comparable healthcare to their patients? Don’t PI lawyers sue them on the same grounds when there is a bad patient outcome?
Medibank Private to push benefits of preventive healthcare
MEDIBANK Private has been given the go-ahead to launch a co-ordinated attack on the costly chronic disease burden by promoting the benefits of user-pays and preventive health schemes that could result in lower premium increases.
Healthcare and controlling healthcare costs have become global concerns for the West. What is going on in the East — is health and healthcare better, or is concern over healthcare an unaffordable luxury for countries whose economies are woefully behind and desperately trying to catch up?
See on www.theaustralian.com.au
New Hopes for Apple’s HealthBook | HL7 Standards
Leonard Kish offers his thoughts on the promise of Apple entering the mHealth arena, which will put a spotlight on squarely on user experience.
There are a zillion health and exercise monitoring apps. All are relatively young, because the smart phone platform is relatively young.
So my question is — are people actually getting healthier? If they are, is the better health the result of the apps or the result of our near obsessive interest (with or without real results) in getting healthier?
See on www.hl7standards.com
Internet access is a basic human right: A Q&A with Keren Elazari
With the increasing importance of patient safety and need to have universal access to health records, the internet’s importance grows as a foundation for improved healthcare.
Health care providers embrace the challenge to do better
Iowa is a leader in providing high-quality, low-cost health care.
— This is what is supposed to happen under Obamacare.
Let’s all admit one thing — the serious talk of improving quality of healthcare, increasing access to care, and reducing the cost of care began in earnest as a result of Obamacare.
See on www.press-citizen.com
The Next Big Health App Needs to Do More Than Just Track Our Numbers | Gadget Lab | Wired.com
This week we got a deep look at the rumored new health and fitness tracking application for Apple’s next iPhone, called Healthbook. Supposedly, Healthbook will not only track things like how much exercise and sleep you’re getting, but also your blood pressure, your blood sugar levels, and much more. All that collection will be great, but without a way to not just collate them, but make them meaningful, it runs the risk of becoming data clutter.
Parochial restrictions on telemedicine will become irrelevant when smartphone apps effectively aggregate healthcare data to help individuals become and stay healthier. It is only a matter of time when face to face interaction between healthcare providers and their patients become the exception rather than the rule. Physicians will be able to devote their time to sicker patients while still monitoring their healthier patients to keep them healthy.
See on www.wired.com
Doctors on Twitter: 2006 – 2014 Worldwide growth mapped #hcsm
[Video maps growth in doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals using Twitter since its launch in 2006 to 2014.]
While Facebook lends itself better as a professional social media portal, it would be interesting to know the growth in patients’ following their physicians on Twitter (and other social media). If we can get past the hurdles of HIPAA restrictions and other legal silliness, social media could become the mechanism through which patients and their physicians effectively interact and improve their healthcare.
See on www.youtube.com
Phoning It In – Florida’s Brand New Telemedicine Law
By:
Jackie Bain
Until recently, the State of Florida has successfully avoided regulating telemedicine to account for advancements in technology. In 2003, the State issued standards for telemedicine prescribing practice for medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy, but has not formally revisited its position in light of increasingly common telemedicine practice in several states – until now.
Florida’s forestalling has officially come to an end. The State recently enacted new physician standards for telemedicine practice, and the State legislature is presently considering further regulation. These new standards do not impinge upon the prior standards for telemedicine prescribing practice, but are issued in conjunction to it.
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Back to Posting on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Healthcare and Healthcare Reform
It’s been several months. Where has the time gone?
I have been watching the unraveling of the foundations of the Affordable Care Act. I have been depressed that the unraveling is coming from the President.
Then I saw the Republican “Plan” and I had hope. Oh, yes, they can’t stop talking about repeal, but that’s not really what their Plan is about. It is about improving.
It has always been my belief that our Republican elected representatives, patriotic men and women of good will, would adopt many of the same positive aspects of Obamacare, if they thought about it and shook themselves free of the closed and narrow minded of their constituents. Access to health insurance, no preexisting conditions … I mean, who does not support these items in Obamacare?
Implementing is where the Republicans always fall short, because they refuse to take any step that would look like our government is actually governing. A Republican omelet must look like a pan with eggs rolling around in it, since they have no stomach for breaking any.
I have hope that moderates of both parties follow the mandate they have had but have refused to acknowledge as they listened to the ranting of the flatworlder/Tea Party members.
By the way, in case you wondered …
Ohio Decides to Expand Medicaid
As reported in “Action of Ohio Controlling Board on Medicaid Expansion” posted on Bill of Health, a blog sponsored by the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School:
On Monday, October 22, at the urging of Governor Kasich, the Controlling Board of the Ohio Legislature voted 5-2 to accept $2.5 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid in the State of Ohio. Under the laws of Ohio this action was valid.
Joseph Rugg's Health Law Blog 