Left to Our Own Devices
U.S. companies have led the world in the development of medical devices. According to an analysis by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 32 of the 46 medical technology companies with annual…
How Obama Would Cut Medicare and Medicaid
Yesterday, President Obama finally entered the debate about the national debt with a proposal to reduce US government borrowing by $4 trillion over the next 12 years. The proposal called…
Obama’s Deficit Plan Counters Ryan’s Doctrines
The president is proposing a mix of mechanisms in order to bring down the tremendous national deficit and balance the budget over the next decade. Pledging this, Obama has acknowledged…
HealthVault Stores Medical Images (Dicom)
This is cool and makes me think of what my mother as a senior has gone through with 2nd opinions and so on. She has literally had to enlist the…
Mediation Growing as a Field as Siblings Argue Over Parents’ Care
As aging parents live longer, there are more issues that require the involvement of other family members—and more opportunities for dissension. A new web site, www.mediate.com explains the growing field…
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…
