For the Health 2.0 conference we look at lots of great technologies and put the people who make them through the wringer before and after we choose them. But apparently we’re not quite as honorous in our requirements as TechCrunch is for its conference. We also don’t have a major league Hollywood celebrity presenting at Health 2.0.
Voila! Uninsured problem solved by not counting them
John McCain’s health adviser John Goodman in the Dallas Morning News on solving the problem of the uninsured:
"So I have a
solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said.
"The
next president of the United States should sign an executive order
requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any
American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau
should categorize people according to the likely source of payment
should they need care."So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."
Read Matthew’s comments and a great discussion on Goodman’s quote here.
Checklists save money but adopted at glacial pace
For the past year or so, I’ve been listening to and participating in a conversation in New England and nationally about the rising cost of health care. It’s a sticky wicket, to be sure, with no obvious, simple solutions. But I must say, I’ve been surprised that at least one pretty good idea hasn’t generated more traction. Intensive Care Unit checklists — which I’ve written about before — have already demonstrated that they can save lives, money and time, reduce variation, and improve quality, but they remain the exception instead of the rule in ICU care.
In June, the World Health Organization shared preliminary data on a demonstration it’s running using a “Safe Surgery Checklist” that showed reductions in deaths, complications and infections, along with significant improvements across many care standards for a wide range of surgeries that were done using the tool. And yet the take-up rate on this tool — which is so simple it fits on one single sheet of paper — is very slow to occur.
Cost-containment missing piece of Mass. health reform
Niko Karvounis tracks the health care system for the Century Foundation. This post first appeared on the HealthBeat blog, one of our favorite health care reads.
The Massachusetts experiment in health care reform is all about expanding access. But it doesn’t try to control costs. This, in a nutshell, is why it’s running into trouble.
The plan didn’t reform health care delivery, just coverage. Granted, in terms of bringing more people in under the tent, it’s been a success: Since the plan went into effect in 2006, 439,000 people have signed up for insurance — a number that represents more than two-thirds of the estimated 600,000 people uninsured in the state two years ago. This surge in coverage has reduced use of emergency rooms for routine care by 37 percent, which has saved the state about $68 million. (Going to the ER for routine care drives up health care costs by creating longer wait times and tying up resources that can be used to help patients who are critically ill).
In Online Health Content We Trust?
By 
Late last week, Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet & American Life project announced
that the nonprofit had updated its statistics on the number of adult Americans using the Internet. Currently, 73 percent are Web users. Of this group, three-quarters have looked for health or medical information online. Fox notes that regardless of whether the number of online health searchers increases or decreases from year to year, “Internet users are doing something [and] the horse is out of the barn.” The growing power of the Internet has generated enthusiasm in some and dismay in others. It has also exacerbated long-standing tensions between patients and medical professionals –- especially physicians. For example, in a famous Time magazine essay, Dr. Scott Haig admonished some medical “Googlers” for possessing a wealth of information, but lacking the expertise to interpret it correctly.
On Rural Doctoring: The Generalist’s Mind
This is the second part of a series that first appeared on the blog Rural Doctoring,
where Theresa Chan writes about her experience working as a family
physician and hospitalist in a rural community in Northern California. Chan
moved from San Francisco to try out rural life.
When I think of rural doctors, I think of family practice. Part of this is training bias, because I am a family doctor, but this bias is supported by surveys which demonstrate that a significant number of rural communities would be medically underserved if it were not for the presence of family physicians.
In this post series, I will emphasize the family practice model of medical training as an approach to preparation for rural practice. I do not mean to imply that other primary care specialties–such as internal medicine, pediatrics or OB/GYN–have no place in rural communities. Quite the opposite, in fact. My job in rural California would be much more difficult if I did not have the support of the other primary care specialties. I hope this post series will be useful to medical students and residents who are training in those specialties as well, even if the content tends to veer towards family practice. I will argue that it is the generalist’s mind, rather than the specialty, which will suit a doctor for rural practice.
Chastened and More Sober, Harry and Louise Return
On Tuesday, Ron Pollack of Families USA led a call with bloggers — unfortunately, I couldn’t be on it — to discuss Harry and Louise Return — the new health reform campaign sponsored by five prominent organizations: the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ASC CAN), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Catholic Health Association (ACHA), Families USA and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Health Wonk Review
The biweekly compendium of the best of the health blogs is up over at Worker’s Comp Insider.
Health 2.0 on icyou
Check out videos from past conferences and learn all about Health 2.0 at our very own channel on icyou, an online source filled with loads of useful health videos!
Personal genetic companies back in service
Two direct-to-consumer genetic testing firms, 23andMe and Navigenics gained approval
from California regulators this week to continue providing clients access to and interpretations of their personal DNA.
The NY Times reports this morning that, "The licenses, granted to Navigenics and 23andMe, should help defuse a
controversy that began in June when the California Department of Public
Health sent “cease and desist” letters to the two companies and 11
others that offer genetic testing directly to consumers."
The news sparked a heated summer debate over whether consumers should have unbridled access to their DNA or whether a doctor should lead the process.
