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July 23rd, 2009UncategorizedA group of well-known healthcare IT vendors on Thursday launched a joint effort to educate physicians across the country on the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The EHR Stimulus Alliance is designed to convince the nation’s 500,000 physicians that embracing healthcare IT will help meet President Barack Obama’s goals of improving healthcare quality, safety and efficiency.
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July 22nd, 2009Uncategorized
For a couple of years now, regulatory agencies and legislators have been wrangling over e-prescribing. On the whole, legislators and health officials seem pretty convinced that e-prescribing is a very good thing, while regulatory types seem to view it with caution.
The biggest sticking point all along has been how to manage the issue of prescribing controlled substances electronically. The feds, especially the DEA, have been reluctant to let that happen, arguing that e-prescribing such substances wouldn't offer enough control and could lead to higher levels of illegal use. Unfortunately, though, as long as e-prescribing controlled substances isn't possible, adoption will remain low, as doctors don't like doing most of their prescribing online then switching to paper for the small percentage of scripts they write for OxyContin and the like.
In summer of 2008, the DEA was pushed and prodded into finally issuing rules that would govern e-prescribing. Then, argue some critics, DEA officials basically sat on them.
Now, after waiting almost a year, a group of 11 Senators has said "enough already," writing a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder urging them to go ahead and approve some kind of e-prescribing for controlled substances regs. The authors, which include Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) argue that e-prescribing is an "important piece of the puzzle" in effecting ongoing health reforms, and that it's a "logical gateway" to a larger, interconnected health network.
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July 21st, 2009Uncategorized
When you picture a nurse you like to think of someone that is compassionate and caring and listens to you without complaint - these are qualities that are essential for a nurse but there are many more if you want to be well perceived by your patients. A nurse is someone that takes care of you when you are ill and usually at your worst and in spite of that offers you services that are badly needed.
A nurse should be strong emotionally to handle the onslaught of feelings that will be thrown their way as patients generally are at low points in their lives and therefore not at their best. They need someone who is understanding and will not judge them and someone who will listen and be an effective mentor for the family members. At times they will be a person to go to for information and will be expected to have the answers or if not - to point them in the direction to get the information they need.
Nurses should be well organized and be able to responsibly handle multiple medications and machinery so their good math skills will come in handy as they are constantly needing to know metric as well as standard measurements to ensure that proper dosage of medications are used so as not dispense the wrong amount that in some cases could be fatal. A nurse needs to be a good communicator - with the patient, with the doctor and her coworkers and respond effectively to a doctor’s orders.
Nurses also need to be observant and be able to recognize when something is wrong. They need to ask the right questions of a patient to determine if there is a problem - sometimes that is easy and sometimes that is hard. They also need to be able to physically keep up with the duties of the job as there is a lot of lifting, walking and assistance rendered to patients.
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July 20th, 2009UncategorizedThe NY Times reports on a significant health initiative that is part of the $787 billion dollar stimulus bill. It is specifically referred to as Comparative Effectiveness Research. A council will be formed that will study the effectiveness of current treatments including medications, procedures, medical devices and surgeries by examining the research. I imagine these will consist of systematic reviews of the research and will examine the validity of the studies conducted (including Confidence Intervals, p-values, etc.)
This is a major step towards integrating evidenced based practice (EBP) and cultural competence into our practice. There is often a significant lag time before research actually impacts daily practice. I recall a wise professor of mine stating that it would take a clinician reading 3 primary research articles every day of the year to stay current. I am hopeful that we will ultimately see treatments and outcomes tailored to gender and ethnicity (it is a fact that certain medications/treatments can act differently among groups).
Naysayers criticize this program and scare the public into thinking that this will negatively impact practice and government will now dictate how we are treated. I think that is shameful. We are dealing with a terribly inefficient and wasteful health care system and such moves will bring evidence to practice in an expeditious manner that will not only lead to better patient specific outcomes but will probably save significant dollars along the way. I am also hopeful that the council will consist of a multi-disciplinary team that will examine all types of treatments in health care today. Health reform is still a major initiative for the Obama administration and here is some proof towards reaching that goal. -
July 19th, 2009UncategorizedThe New York Times has run an article regarding physician shortages and physician compensation that is well worth a read. The Times reports that Obama administration officials said they were particularly concerned about shortages of primary care providers who are the main source of health care for most Americans.
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July 18th, 2009UncategorizedThe New York Times reports that New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced a settlement agreement with medical device maker, Synthes, for failing to disclose the financial conflicts of interest of doctors researching its products. Synthes is the maker of the ProDisc, an artificial spinal disk.
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July 17th, 2009Uncategorized
As ugly as medical mistakes get, this may be even worse. A Tennessee couple is suing a local hospital for $5 million after being blocked from "saying goodbye" and viewing the remains of their 18-month-old son.
According to the lawsuit the child, who had been in the care of a babysitter, was taken to Southern Hills Medical Center after being found to be unconscious and unresponsive. Upon arrival, the child was pronounced dead.
Despite the fact that the attending physician noted a lack of visible trauma to the boy's body, the staff, medical examiner's office and police department insisted on questioning the parents, telling them they'd get to see the child after answering their questions.
However, the parents say that after the questioning was ended, they still weren't allowed to see their son's body, which they were told had been taken to the offices of the medical examiner. The medical examiner's office wouldn't allow them to see the boy's body either, the couple alleges. Besides, the body had been at the hospital for the entire time they were there, the complaint says.
Ultimately, the parents didn't get to see their son for about six days, when his remains had been embalmed and he arrived at the funeral home, the complaint says.
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July 16th, 2009UncategorizedIf you're interested in the Nursing profession, you might be aware that there is more than one type of nurse and designation. One is the Licensed Practical Nurse, or LPN. Training to become an LPN is a one year program in most instances, involving classroom education and supervised clinical practice. Training must be acquired at a state-approved school, and graduates must pass a licensing examination, the NCLEX-PIN, to become qualified to practice. LPNs are qualified to perform a range of services in hospitals, doctor's offices, skilled nursing home facilities, and in a number of other healthcare settings.
The duties of a Licensed Practical Nurse are performed under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN), and encompass a variety of patient bedside care tasks, such as checking vital signs, preparing and administering injections and enemas, applying bandages and dressings, monitoring catheters, and treating pressure sores. In some states, Licensed Practical Nurses are allowed to administer medications prescribed by a physician and to start intravenous fluids. Collecting samples and performing routine laboratory tests are also among the duties of an LPN, as are monitoring and recording patient food and fluid intake. In a nursing home setting, experienced Licensed Practical Nurses can be responsible for supervising care given by Nursing Assistants, and aid in developing resident care plans.
There is a demand for Licensed Practical Nurses in a variety of settings throughout the healthcare industry. Demand for LPNs in hospital settings has declined in recent years, but has increased in many other segments of the health care industry. Among the fastest growing areas is the home health care field, due to an increase in older patients with disabling conditions that choose to be treated at home, and advanced technology that makes home care more feasible, even for more complex medical conditions. Nursing homes are next in line as far as job growth for Licensed Practical Nurses, due to a growing number of elderly and disabled persons requiring long-term care. Nursing home facilities are also seeing a significant increase in rehabilitation patients, released from the hospital before they are able to function sufficiently for self-care - another area in which LPNs are used.
Licensed Practical Nursing can be a very rewarding choice for many, as well as the fast track to job security in a profession that is increasingly in demand. Nursing care is required worldwide, ensuring that the nursing professional can practice in nearly any location of their choice. With the broad range of settings and specializations to choose from, Licensed Practical Nurses can easily find their perfect health care niche, ensuring long-term career growth and satisfaction. -
July 15th, 2009Uncategorized
Vermont legislators have passed a bill that would require medical products companies to share information on payments they make to providers and other groups.
The bill would expand an existing ban forbidding drugmakers, medical device manufacturers and biotech firms from giving free food and gifts to providers. It would also close up some loopholes in the state's current rules demanding that medical-products companies disclose payments made to providers and researchers.
Pharmas and medical device firms would have to make detailed annual public disclosures detailing what kind of payments they're making to doctors, healthcare organizations, non-profits and academic medical institutions. They'll also have to annually publish the names of their compliance officers, as well as listing any previous-year disclosure violations or enforcement actions they faced.
The law would require companies to pay a $500 annual disclosure fee, plus a fine of up to $10,000 per incident for any violations of the rules.
Experts say that if Gov. Jim Douglas signs the bill as expected, the state will have the toughest public-disclose requirements in place anywhere in the U.S., though Massachusetts and Minnesota do have laws requiring disclosure of physician gifts.
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July 14th, 2009Uncategorized
The American Hospital Association--and the AMA, for that matter--isn't too happy with the rate of health plan mergers taking place in the country in recent years. Fighting such mergers hasn't been easy, however, as they have a lot of momentum behind them; after all, insurance is inherently a game that works better the more capital you can pull together.
However, Lord knows the AHA hasn't given up. Its most recent salvo came this week, when it sent the Department of Justice a 37-page argument demanding much tougher antitrust scrutiny of such merger.
The group wants the DoJ's Antitrust Division to look backward and review past merger, hold public hearings designed to scrutinize the lack of competition among health plans, and perhaps most importantly, update the analytical approach used for reviewing mergers and merger complaints.
As of yet, it's hard to tell just how much impact the letter will have, but it does seem that the department was headed for tougher standards, anyway. Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, the DoJ's top antitrust official, has already suggested that she intends to be more aggressive in enforcing antitrust laws across all industries.
