1.1 Million Elderly Taken to ED for Adverse Medication Reactions
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related emergenc The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a public health surveillance system that monitors…
“Evidence Based Medicine”… and Conflicts of Interest
IN THE pursuit of safe, effective, and cost-effective medicine, evidence is king. The medical profession believes that treatments should be studied in clinical trials, then compared against other regimens,…
Peter Thiel’s Take on Education
In a recent piece for TechCrunch, Sarah Lacy highlights the views of Peter Thiel—the PayPal co-founder, hedge fund manager and venture capitalist—on higher education in America. According to Lacy, Thiel…
Teamwork Improves Surgical Safety and Reduces Mortality
Like the cockpit, the operating room (OR) is fraught with high intensity, high complexity, high velocity, and high stakes. And as a capital intense location which serves as the financial…
How to Design a Health Insurance Exchange
Section 1311 of the ACA requires a state to establish an Health Insurance Exchanges for the individual and small group market. How will states actually implement these Exchanges? A brief…
Coronary Stents Show Clinical and Economic Staying Power
The worldwide market for coronary stents is estimated to be greater than $7 billion, with annual growth estimated at more than 5%. The largest factor in the growth of this…
Berwick Critical of Obama’s Approach to Medicare Spending
CMS chief, Don Berwick, has often taken a measured approach to policy implementation. His entire premise on Medicare and Medicaid reform is based upon rational thought and not upon hurried…
Much Ado about Nothing
The government will shut down…the government won’t shut down…Compromise! Finally, the Federal government has came to a compromise to reduce our swelling national debt. Or have they? The chart below…
Self-Assessments and Quizzes
Online health self-assessments are gaining in popularity. Not because I've seen a stat, but instead I see hospitals and other health organizations tweeting links more and more often. I also…
PPACA a Victory for Conservatives?
In his latest Pulling it Together columnhttp://www.kff.org/pullingittogether/What-Conservatives-Won-In-Health-Reform.cfm, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) CEO Drew Altman argues that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was a victory for Republican goals…