Health Wonk Review –April 14, 2011
It’s not such a wonderful time to be a doctor, patient, hospital, health plan or pharma company, but judging by the quality and quantity of entries received for this edition…
Medicare Spending by Program Service Categories, 2010
Medicare is the largest payer in the $2.5 trillion dollar health care sector. Medicare made up one-fifth of that amount. Where does this money go? In a previous post I…
Wound Management Dollars Shifting to Complex Solutions
There is arguably no market in medical technology that is more well established than wound management. The use of bandages and dressings to cover wounds and aid in their healing…
Anti-Trust Waiver for ACOs
Physicians have long been terrified of anti-trust laws. Their professional associations, attorneys, consultants, and the media all warn them that any discussion of fees or participation in insurance networks…
Allen Institute Releases Gene Map of the Human Brain
This is pretty cool and you can download the “brain explorer” for free. There’s a Windows and a Mac version here. The search page is nice complete with a “gene…
Understanding Paul Ryan’s Proposal
Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget proposal has made significant waves. Many will fear that the Ryan proposal means the end of Medicare and Medicaid. Although these programs will not end, there…
Why Is There a Problem with Health Care Quality?
A version of what follows appeared at the Health Affairs Blog and was based on a paper I wrote with Gerald Musgrave and Devon Herrick. Go to the web site…
Alzheimer’s Often Misdiagnosed
Alzheimer's disease may not be as prevalent as commonly believed. New research indicates that Alzheimer's diagnoses often may be wrong. In a research study, only about half of 211 study…
Designing a Health App that Works
As the mobile health apps market explodes, health-conscious consumers have been showered with thousands of tools purporting to help them count calories, track work-outs, control diabetes, quit smoking and so…
Join Me at WWHI’s “Discussion with the FDA” on April 28th at Second Health Care Innovation Day (HCI-DC)
On April 28, the West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI) will host its second Health Care Innovation Day (HCI-DC). I found last year’s event, which was very well attended, very helpful.…
