During a speech to the 2010 Legislative Conference for National Association of Counties, Nancy Pelosi provided what started off as the usual talking points about Obamacare: You’ve heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don’t know if you have heard that it is legislation for  Read More →

Arrowhead Health, a Glendale physicians’ office, took out a billboard advertisement blasting Mayo Clinic’s decision to discontinue Medicare at Mayo’s Glendale office. Billboard company CBS Outdoor took down the billboard. [Original News Article]  Read More →

Another day, another stock-price jump. First, the preliminaries: An advisory panel this afternoon recommended the FDA approve a lung drug developed by InterMune, with majorities of the outside experts saying the proposed treatment appeared effective and safe. The FDA is expected to decide by early May whether to go along with the panel’s recommendation on pirfenidone, which is intended to treat patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.... 

“ In Shock Me, Tube Me, Line Me ,” a Narrative Matters essay in the February 2010 issue of Health Affairs , emergency physician Boris Veysman sets forth his own version of an advance directive and challenges common perceptions about care at the end of life. An excerpted version of Veysman’s essay appears in today’s Washington Post Health and Science section, and it has provoked a vigorous conversation among commenters —just as it did... 

By Matthew Holt One of the most fun times at HIMSS last week was the MEDecision party at the Georgia aquarium. I took a few videos of the Fish and the humans—so something a little different for you all The…  Read More →

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will hold a “Basic Introduction to ICD-10-CM National Provider Conference Call” on March 23, 2010. The conference call will take place from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (EDT) and provide an overview of ICD-10-CM/PCS requirements and a basic introduction to ICD-10-CM.  According to CMS, the topics to be discussed include: Requirement to report ICD-10-CM/PCS... 

African-Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to have Alzheimer’s and related memory-robbing diseases, and Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, are 1.5 times as likely, according to a new report released this morning by the Alzheimer’s Association. The higher risk is likely linked to factors like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are risk factors for dementia and more common among those minority... 

By MICHAEL MILLENSON The Joint Commission, which accredits four-fifths of the nation’s hospitals, is being accused of misleading consumers about the quality of care at those hospitals and then ignoring suggestions on how to correct the problem. “The organization that…  Read More →

WEST POINT — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand would like Medicare extended to those 55 to 65 years old. [Original News Article]  Read More →

A fight in the emergency room waiting room could cost Wilson Medical Center its Medicare certification. [Original News Article]  Read More →

Greg Hendler created this succinct video and offers the following intro: Whether you are pro-life or pro-abortion, there’s no way you can deny that Obama and Pelosi are lying. Unfortunately, the political game guarantees that more people will hear the lies from our President and Speaker of the House than those who will see the abortion clause in  Read More →

Just the Facts   Certification Programs NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) Health IT, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services; March 2, 2010 Certification NPRM Facts-At-A-Glance FAQ   Bookmarked version of Certification NPRM (much easier to navigate) U. S. Department of Health and Human Services; March 2, 2010 Via OCCAM Practice Management blog, March 3, 2010   Commentary and Analysis   Proposed EHR Certification Rule Changes Game HDM... 

This Wednesday, March 10th at 4:30 CET / 7:30AM PST our FREE hour long webinar series will be highlighting the upcoming Health 2.0 Europe conference with our Parisian partner, Denise Silber of Basil Strategies. Joining in the discussion and presenting…  Read More →

How rich is this? Over at “The Wonk Room” Igor Volksy reports that, while speaking to a crowd in Calgary, Canada last weekend Sarah Palin revealed a tidbit about her life growing up not far from Whitehorse:: “We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada,” she said. “And I think now, isn't that ironic?”  Read More →

The sales volume of soda and other drinks shipped for sale at U.S. secondary schools has dropped 72% since late 2004, resulting in an 88% drop in beverage calories sold in schools, drink makers said today. Local and state regulations aimed at curbing sweetened beverages in schools explain part of the decline, but a report by the American Beverage Association also says its efforts played a big role, according to the WSJ . Soft-drink consumption...