Why Don’t Patients Hit the Panic Button in Hospitals? Lessons from Condition H
Today’s Hospitalist (Ready to let patients hit the panic button?) describes the experience of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange, CA, which has implemented a “Condition H” (as in “Help”) system…
Two Approaches to Controlling Drug Costs
The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program has been around for 20 years. It requires drug manufacturers to rebate to the states about 15 percent of the amount the state pays for…
Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
Drugs for the clinical treatment of obesity have taken hits over the past year. Denied regulatory approvals, market withdrawals and the resulting industry moves, if projected going forward, leave an…
The Effectiveness of Online Health Intervention Programs
In recent posts on Web-based and mobile behavioral intervention programs, we reviewed evidence suggesting that social support, in one form or another, can improve participants’ adherence and engagement with the…
Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Shows an $8 Million Dollar Profit
This is not bad for a state that is looking for revenue everywhere they can find it. The program is exceeding expectations and it takes around 4 months to process…
Report from NIST EHR Usability Forum: 5 Things EHR Vendors Should Do Right Now to Prepare for Meaningful Use Usability Criteria
Last week I was invited to attend the second annual NIST forum for EHR Usability called “A Community-Building Workshop: Measuring, Evaluating and Improving the Usability of Electronic Health Records.”…
Privatizing Social Security and Medicare: Who Can Defuse Political Dynamite?
In response to my prior post where I averred that cigarette companies were treated as scapego In response to my prior post where I averred that cigarette companies were treated…
Is Technology a Cost Driver or a Cost Saver in Health Care?
Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device and equipment companies have been extremely effective at producing innovations that have created major benefits for medical care. But the cost of new patented drugs and…
Text Messaging Works Well For Patient Communications
With the mobile and tablet frenzy at a fevered pitch, most of us technical folks end up thinking that the best way to reach patients is through the…
HHS Issues Critical Medicaid Policy Guidance for LGBT Beneficiaries
President Obama has issued policy guidance on the extension of healthcare benefits under Medicaid for gay couples. Under the new guidance, dated June 10, states have the option to allow healthy partners…
