measles

I recognize an informed individual’s right to refuse treatment. An adult with appendicitis has a right to refuse appendectomy, against the advice of the surgeon. But does a parent have a right to deny the measles vaccine for their kids? I don’t think so. Here’s why.[read more]

ghost town / shutterstock

Nothing spells the demise of a community more clearly than unanswered posts and lack of activity. If you want to build a thriving community, focus on the people, help them connect and get them talking. To be successful, a community needs activity.[read more]

pre-existing condition / shutterstock

“Under our plan, no one can be denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition.” Under the ACA, the phrase “no one” literally means “no one,” while in the Burr-Hatch-Upton proposal it means “no one who is continuously enrolled in a health plan offering at least catastrophic coverage following a one-time open enrollment period."[read more]

social media for clinical trials

With enrollment rates continuing to drop even as more clinical trials are being conducted, the imperative is clear: clinical trial coordinators must seek new approaches in order to reverse this trend and meet their enrollment goals. Here’s a closer look at social media's potential to change the landscape of clinical trial recruitment.[read more]

GOP's plan / shutterstock

The Burr-Hatch-Upton proposal to repeal and replace the ACA leads off with a set of “common-sense consumer protections.” The narrative here is something like this: Consumers are the innocent victims of villainous insurance companies that have been emboldened by Obamacare, and it is up to us–the GOP lawmakers–to play the hero.[read more]

The author, with Dick and Carole Crew

Just two weeks ago, I wrote of losing an old television colleague to liver cancer. From diagnosis to death was less than two months. Today I am writing about the death this past weekend of another old friend and mentor, Dick Crew, who fought diffuse large B-cell lymphoma for about a year.[read more]

accountable care / shutterstock

Creating an ACO in a health system or network requires new organizational structures, new IT capabilities and, most importantly, new leadership skills. Learn five mistakes that experienced, successful leaders avoid when developing an ACO.[read more]

It is estimated that up to 32 million people will receive insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act. While a veritable flood of new patients may seem like a medical marketer’s dream come true, practices that are already stretched thin may not be able to adequately handle more patients.[read more]

Photo: StuartMiles/freedigitalphotos.net

Most medical providers are aware that October 1, 2015, is the date they must quit using the outdated ICD-9 billing codes and begin using ICD-10 codes. The implementation date has been postponed more than once and it is not expected to be postponed again (however, rumors are beginning to swirl around Congress).[read more]

It wasn’t until the President of Hendrick Motorsports Marshall Carlson needed the help of surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital for his daughter that an orthopedic surgeon realized a model his team, his hospital and care teams around the country needed was right in front of him: NASCAR.[read more]

The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. The mission statement says the GVA was formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States.” The number of children and teens killed or injured by firearms is startling.[read more]

GOP's plan / shutterstock

This is the first post in a series that looks in detail at the GOP’s newly proposed plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today, I want to take a look at the paragraph in the executive summary of the plan proposal that motivates the GOP’s desire to repeal and replace the ACA.[read more]