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Hospital in Stoughton Massachusetts Puts Hospital Admissions on Hold – 21 Days Until Corrections are Made

The Medical Quack — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:29:00 GMT

New England Sinai Hospital has closed it’s doors to new patients at the suggestion of the state inspectors. Overall patients stated the hospital offered good care and service. The one man interviewed stated that he thought the staff was stretched too thin, and he may just have a very good point as we read about more hospital layoffs quite frequently in the news and over 50% of the hospitals operate in the red today. By closing for 21 days it will allow the hospital to do the training...(read more)

Health Insurance Company Ran an “HIV” Algorithm To Cancel Consumer’s Policy –An Automatic Fraud Investigation Revealing “False Positives” Or “Unhealthy Patients”

The Medical Quack — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:06:00 GMT

Earlier this week I participated on a blog talk radio show discussing this exact matter and interesting that this case makes the news this week. As I keep saying it’s all about the algorithms. If you don’t come to admit they exist and determine coverage and treatment, you’re missing the boat and the real mechanics of how all this takes place with health insurance. If you have an hour, you can listen to the archive. This is exactly what I talked about “false positives...(read more)

Mapping ICD Codes to SNOMED A Daunting Project – Men Who Smoked While Pregnant

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:34:00 GMT

All medical offices and hospitals are familiar with the current ICD 9 Codes used for diagnosing patient conditions and illnesses and hopefully some standards for mapping the coding over to SNOMED will improve and come along, it is work in progress. 2015 is the target year for all healthcare providers to be using SNOMED codes with patient records. This means a lot of changes in many areas and outside of just the EHR too. The University of Pittsburgh is finding out how complicated...(read more)

Medicare Fraud – Criminals Do a Better Job With Filing Claims And Coding Than Providers

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:41:00 GMT

We hear a lot about Medicare fraud and how much is fraudulently billed. I talk a lot about technology being an answer but in this case where the criminals are outdoing the doctors and hospitals in coding and doing a better job with filling out forms, the Medicare slot machine is paying off pretty big. In the video below the individuals purchased a pharmacy operation that already had a Medicare license and went to work, billing, billing and more billing. If we could take the criminals...(read more)

EMR Backups

EMR and HIPAA — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:18:25 GMT

My favorite part of HIMSS is meeting all sorts of interesting people. One of those people I met was Lyndsey Coates from Nuesoft. I have a soft spot in my heart for Nuesoft since they were the company that trained me on my first EMR. I still remember the Read More......(read more)

Non-Profit Hospitals Can Be Taxed if They are Not Providing Enough Charity Care to At Least Meet the Tax Benefit Given

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:55:00 GMT

This decision was made by the Illinois Supreme Court that yes the hospital system can pay taxes if they are not giving enough charity care. Where does running a business and charity care cross the line? We need charity care, but then those complain that they don’t make any money with charity care? Charity care is supposed to be just that – charity with no profits, thus institutions get a “non profit” status. I can’t begin to count the number of articles I have read with healthcare...(read more)

Health Insurer and Hospital Disputes on the Rise – 50% of the Hospitals in the US Are in the Red – This Might Have Something To Do With The Root Of the Problem

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:23:00 GMT

The second part of this title might have a lot to do with what is happening with hospitals playing hardball at times and walking away from insurance carriers. When you stop and look at how the business has operated over the years it’s somewhat hard to say the insurers have really been what one would call a “partner”. Patients, doctors and hospitals have had to live under the auspices of the “algorithms” run to determine who and what gets paid. We need a Department of Algorithms...(read more)

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/19/10

Robert Gleeman — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:05:19 GMT

Pelosi gives health care bill’s main points before Sunday’s vote

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlights the health care reform plan at the Capitol on Thursday.

Washington (CNN) -- Democratic congressional leaders unveiled their long-awaited $940 billion compromise health care plan Thursday, setting the stage for a vote Sunday.

Here are highlights:

• New health insurance subsidies would be provided to families of four making up to $88,000 annually, or 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

• Health insurance exchanges would be created to make it easier for small businesses, the self-employed and the unemployed to pool resources and purchase less expensive coverage.

The scope of this bill is huge, it is a complete overhaul, not of our medical system, but of the way we think about health care, treating care as a human right, rather than a fortunate circumstance.

New laws go into effect to curb smoking by children

A store owner sells cigarettes to a customer in San Francisco in this file photo. New FDA rules will ban the sale of cigarettes to children under 18 and will require an ID check for sales. Also off limits will be free samples, advertising near schools, tobacco company logos on clothing, and sponsorship of sports or entertainment events.

(Getty Images)

The Obama administration is primed to begin enforcing the first nationwide tobacco restrictions, broad new rules that, in just a few weeks, will make once-common marketing practices a federal offense.

The Food and Drug Administration's regulations will, for the first time, impose a uniform nationwide ban on the sale of cigarettes to children under 18 and will require an ID check for sales. Also off limits will be free samples, advertising near schools, tobacco company logos on clothing and sponsorship of sports or entertainment events.

If we can just keep kids from smoking until they learn how bad it is for their health, we are ahead of the game, and these new measures will certainly help keep children away from this addicting drug.

China investigates reports of deadly spoiled vaccines

A nurse prepares a H1N1 flu vaccine shot at a hospital in Budapest November 20, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Karoly Arvai

(Reuters) - China's Health Ministry is probing a report in a domestic newspaper that faulty vaccines in northern Shanxi province were responsible for killing four children and making dozens of others sick.

China has been beset by a series of product safety scandals over the past few years. At least six children died in 2008 after drinking milk contaminated by the industrial chemical melamine.

In 2003 and 2005, three Chinese children suffered severe brain damage after being vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis. Their parents blamed a substandard vaccine, something the government denied.

In the latest case, the China Economic Times reported four children died and at least 74 others became sick in the poor inland province of Shanxi, after getting vaccinated against illnesses including encephalitis, hepatitis B and rabies.

At the very end of the article, we learn what happened to the Chinese version of the FDA chief: “In 2007, China executed former drug and food safety chief Zheng Xiaoyu. His misdeeds led to approval of many medicines that should have been blocked or taken off the market, including six fake drugs, a court found.”

WHO warning: drug-resistant TB is spreading

Patients rest at a TB hospital in Gauhati, India. India and China accounted for almost half of all drug-resistant TB cases in 2008. Photograph: Anupam Nath/AP

Strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to the normal drug treatments are spreading across the globe, according to the latest report from the World Health Organisation.

The report shows that one in four cases in parts of Russia are drug-resistant. The WHO estimates that 440,000 people worldwide had multi-drug-resistant forms of the disease (MDR-TB) in 2008, the last year for which there are complete figures, and that a third of them died. MDR-TB is defined as cases in which the two most commonly used and most effective drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin, do not kill the bacteria causing the disease.

Where are we on the search for a TB vaccine? This is a very old disease and getting worse, perhaps it is time to step up the work on a vaccine. Do kids still get tested for TB exposure in school?

Recall of the day: 1.2 million high chairs

This undated photo provided March 18, 2010 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows a high chair made by Graco Children's Products, Inc. The government on Thursday announced a voluntary recall of some 1.2 million Graco high chairs, saying they pose a fall hazard to children. The regulatory agency said "screws holding the front legs of the high chair can loosen and fall out" and said cracking plastic brackets can cause the high chair to "tip over unexpectedly." (AP Photo//Consumer Product Safety Commission)

WASHINGTON—The government is announcing a recall of 1.2 million high chairs it says pose a fall hazard to children.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the voluntary recall Thursday involving the product made by Graco Children's Products Inc., of Atlanta.

As usual, the manufacturer is acting good about the recall, saying they have a fix for the problem. What can we do about better testing for baby products, we need to reduce the risks to our most defenseless members of society.

The story of swine flu, the pandemic that never was

A GlaxoSmithKline laboratory in Dresden, Germany. With government contracts already signed, worldwide, with pharmaceutical firms like GSK, the WHO’s “pandemic”
declaration triggered massive sales of the H1N1 vaccine.

Swine flu kept the world in suspense for almost a year. A massive vaccination campaign was mounted to put a stop to the anticipated pandemic. Here, students receive H1N1 vaccinations at a hospital in Suining, China, near the end of 2009.

Swine flu kept the world in suspense for almost a year. A massive vaccination campaign was mounted to put a stop to the anticipated pandemic. But, as it turned out, it was a relatively harmless strain of the flu virus. How, and why, did the world overreact? A reconstruction. By SPIEGEL staff.

At first things did not look good for Edgar. The five-year-old boy had a high fever. He’d lost his appetite, his throat was burning and his entire body ached.

The people in the Mexican village of La Gloria were quick to blame the pigs. They had long been convinced that the animals were a curse. In the nearby town of Perote, half a million hogs were being fattened for slaughter. The wind carried the stench through the narrow streets of the surrounding villages. No one was very surprised when Edgar Hernandez fell ill.

But then, after only four days, the boy recovered. His illness disappeared as quickly as it had started. It turned out to be nothing more than the flu, and the people of La Gloria soon forgot about it.

A detailed look at how the pandemic that never was actually played out across the world, a somewhat skeptical look in my opinion. Isn’t it just remotely possible that the vaccine did the job and gave us herd immunity?

Esteem Implanted Hearing Aid From Envoy Gets Approval from the FDA – 1st Device of It’s Kind

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:27:00 GMT

This is very nice, no more having the “hearing aide” visible and it is implemented behind the ear. The clinical trial was conducted with 61 individuals, which by clinical trials numbers is small, but the results seem to speak for themselves. You can visit the website and listen to several videos from people who have the implant and how it works for them. There’s even Bill, a pharmaceutical sales representative who has one. Bill says it was difficult to make sure he heard...(read more)

Arizona Becomes the First State to Drop Children’s Health Insurance Program and Roll Back Medicaid Coverage for Adults – 310,000 People To Be Dropped

The Medical Quack — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:05:00 GMT

This is pretty scary and when you look at the fact that the town can still fund pro football and high salaries there. The state has already been selling State Buildings to help bring in additional revenue. In my very early years I worked for the State of Arizona for around 6 years and this is sad to see. That building in the picture is where I worked and I still the window where my office was. Arizona May Sell Government Buildings Including the State House, Senate, and a Hospital...(read more)

Guest Post: EHR Certification Does Not Equal Meaningful Use

EMR and EHR — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:14:48 GMT

EMR Stimulus Myth #2: “I have a CCHIT certified EHR so I am good to go for meaningful use” It is likely that CCHIT will be one of the accredited certification body under the EHR incentive program. HOWEVER, given that there is no formal EHR certification Read More......(read more)

New York City Small Business Owners Blasted with Hikes With Insurance Premiums – Some States Creating Laws to Make It Illegal to Require Residents to Buy Health Insurance from Companies Sold on the Market

The Medical Quack — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:36:00 GMT

Healthcare is on everyone’s mind this week to see what we end up coming up with out of the “blender”. That is just about what we have left to see what the outcome will be. In New York, it is the same story that is happening everywhere else. Pennsylvania was also in the news this week with big premium increases. It appears we do not have a large enough data base of individuals to spread the cost over, as that’s what insurance is all about, or should be about. .png?imgmax...(read more)

Quest Launches Care360 EHR

EMR and EHR — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:39:45 GMT

I meant to post this a long time ago and never got around to it. Although, I think it was one of the really interesting announcements at HIMSS. Here’s a portion of the press release from Quest about their EHR offering: “Quest Diagnostics is Read More......(read more)

Patient Relationship Management (PRM): Left Brainers, Right Brainers, and No Brainers

Healthcare IT: How good is your strategy? — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:21:10 GMT

Sometimes I feel a little like the ambassador from the planet Common Sense, and unfortunately very few of us speak the same language. Let’s see if we can segment the Patient Relationship Management (PRM) population into left brainers, and right brainers. I am wrestling with an issue that I believe is Read More......(read more)

Video Interview of Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft EMR

EMR and HIPAA — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:27:29 GMT

I must admit that one person that I was very excited to meet at HIMSS was Evan Steele, the CEO of SRSsoft. Evan and I had interacted a number of times online. Plus, I love an EMR vendor CEO that has a blog. Not just any blog, but one that broadens the Read More......(read more)

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/18/10

Robert Gleeman — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:19:02 GMT

How does the use of the emergency room figure into health care reform?

BARACK OBAMA and allied supporters of Democratic health-care plans say that one reason the system needs change is that the uninsured find care anyway—via the emergency room—driving costs up. But is it true? A recently released study by the Robert Wood Johnson foundation found that when demographic factors (including people's reports of their own health) are controlled for, the uninsured visit the ER no more than those with private insurance. Robert Samuelson says Mr Obama has been peddling a bogus argument.

I would not hesitate to use the ER, insurance or no insurance, but I think services there often go unpaid. If one can’t afford premiums, what makes you think they pay any medical bills?

Kraft will apply the brakes to salt in their food

(KeylimeSteve)

Perhaps feeling a bit bloated, Kraft Foods Inc. announced earlier today that they're cutting down on the amount of salt used in a number of its most popular products.

Kraft says it wants to reduce its overall average sodium content by about 10% over the next two years. They figure that amount equates to around 750 million teaspoons of salt.

Among the Kraft products up for major reductions in sodium is Oscar Mayer Bologna. The company wants to cut the s-o-d-i-u-m from everyone's favorite meat-like product by 17%.

Another big target of Kraft's sodium shrink ray is its Easy Mac Cups product. They say some flavors of the instant mac-and-cheese product will see sodium reductions of 20%.

"We are reducing sodium because it's good for consumers, and, if done properly, it's good for business," said Rhonda Jordan, President, Health & Wellness, Kraft Foods. "A growing number of consumers are concerned about their sodium intake and we want to help them translate their intentions into actions."

She adds that the short-term sodium cuts will impact more than 1,000 separate Kraft products and that the company's long-term goal is an even greater reduction of its total sodium usage.

I think this is good marketing, you can always add more salt with a salt-shaker if you really have to have it. Perhaps our First Lady is having an effect with her appeal to food manufacturers, eh?

Health insurer tries to drop new AIDS patients

Insurance companies usually scrutinize policyholders who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illnesses. From a strict cost perspective, that's just good business: the company needs to make sure its most expensive patients are making fair claims.

But sometimes, that's just a ruse to unfairly cut costs.

A new report from Reuters says that Assurant Health targeted patients recently diagnosed with HIV, sometimes denying them coverage based on technicalities or for no reason at all.

Reuters: Previously undisclosed records from Mitchell's case reveal that Fortis [now Assurant Health] had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy.

As was the case with Mitchell, their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators.

Stories such as this one cause me to distrust insurance companies, and it makes me wonder if medicine might get better without them. What do they add to the general picture of health care? Data processing? Isn’t that what EMR/EHR is supposed to do?

From the UK: Hundreds bid for chance to win IVF, human egg included

Raffle: Hundreds of women tried to win the chance of fertility treatment - and the choice of egg donor

An IVF clinic is accused of 'cheapening life' after holding a controversial raffle with free egg donor treatment as the top prize.

More than 240 people packed a London hotel last night to try and win the chance to select their ideal egg donor before flying to the US to have the fertility treatment.

It allows the winner to sidestep tough UK fertility regulations which currently ban payments to donors and strip them of their anonymity. The strict rules have led to a shortage of eggs.

The successful woman will have the opportunity to select their ideal US donor egg based on its mother's profession, ethnic background, hair colour, qualifications and upbringing. She can even browse childhood pictures.

This one is a strange story, and I am surprised it could even happen. Are we trading in human eggs across the sea? I think Nick might have to explain this one from the English side of things. Bad laws?

Study indicates elderly colon cancer patients should more often receive chemotherapy

While physicians have a lower tendency to treat elderly colon cancer sufferers with chemotherapy, the treatment is associated with fewer serious side-effects in this population.
Previous studies had reported that a combination of surgery and chemotherapy is more effective in cancer sufferers than surgery alone; as for the elderly, however, chemotherapy is not frequently prescribed.
"One of the main reasons people shy away from giving these drugs to older patients is that they might have more adverse events and we saw no evidence ... that there was an increase in those adverse events," said lead researcher Robert Fletcher.

I did not realize that age has so much to do with medical treatment options, here we see a situation where age may be used as a chemotherapy measure, and that appears to be wrong. No ageism.

Skin cancer epidemic in the USA despite sun exposure warnings

Despite efforts to inform the public about the risk of sun exposure, the rate of non-melanoma skin cancer in the U.S. is reaching epidemic proportions, with more than 2 million people affected in 2006, researchers said.

(Getty Images)

In that year, an estimated 3.5 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were treated, affecting 2.1 million people according to Dr. Howard Rogers of Advanced Dermatology in Norwich, Conn., and colleagues.

The finding is based on analysis of such cases among Medicare beneficiaries, where the number of procedures for non-melanoma skin cancer increased 16 percent from 2002 through 2006, Rogers and colleagues reported in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology.

The article is one of two in the journal sounding an alarm over the rising incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer -- the most common form of the disease.

Melanoma, though less common, is considered far more dangerous because it can easily spread to other parts of the body.

As the warmer weather approaches, I hope this reminder will stick in your mind, and that you will protect your skin from too much sun. I get most of my sun walking from the car to the doctor’s office to hear about why I need to exercise out in the sun more often.

Interview with Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts

EMR and EHR — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:23:21 GMT

Matthew Holt of the healthcare blog always does a nice job with his interviews. This is a pretty interesting one with Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts. Like it or not, Allscripts is going to play a big part in the EMR/EHR space. So, it’s worth listening Read More......(read more)

AMA Aims to Deter Purchasing of Failure-Prone EMRs

EMR Straight Talk — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:44:57 GMT

The American Medical Association (AMA)—along with 95 other physician societies and organizations representing a majority of physicians, including both state and specialty professional groups—submitted a letter to CMS, dated March 15, 2010. On page two, in the introduction to the detailed comments on the proposed meaningful use rule, these organizations warn physicians not to purchase [...] Related posts: Government EHR Program: Unintended Consequences (continued) Last week’s EMR Straight Talk, “Government...(read more)

Hospital EMR Stimulus ROI Calculator

EMR and HIPAA — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:55:22 GMT

Try to get a straight answer on how much an electronic health records system cost for a hospital (yes, I sometimes talk about hospital EMR on this blog too) and it’s nearly impossible. Of course, it’s the number one question on most hospital Read More......(read more)

1 Out of Every 4 Residents in California Now Lacks Health Insurance – We Need True Reform and Not Band Aids

The Medical Quack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:51:00 GMT

The numbers are growing rapidly while we still wait around and discuss and talk about healthcare reform. One thing for sure this year in Congress should certainly go down in history as one of the most out of touch years with a Representatives so bent on telling the American public what to do, and yet themselves are far from being any type of participant. Even the children are affected with less than half getting coverage from Mom or Dad. Keep in mind these numbers included stimulus...(read more)

Stem Cell Research in the US – Focus on UCI Irvine With First FDA Approved Treatment for Spinal Cord Damage

The Medical Quack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:39:00 GMT

The video speaks of where stem cell research is currently in the US and revisits the big breakthrough from a couple years ago when skin cells could be used instead of the actual embryo for research. That discovery rapidly set things on fire for research in so many areas. Mentioned in the video is the project at UCI and you can hear a patient speak about how during the trial stage she has made an almost complete recovery from her spinal cord damage. Also mentioned here is all the...(read more)

Think Tank Suggested that NHS should Tank More Than 30,000 Hospital Beds

The Medical Quack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:18:00 GMT

The number of beds has been decreasing over the years and the think tank believes this should be done quickly as the article appears. As you can see by reading through here there are objections on whether or not this is being done strictly for financial reasons and if it would impact the care received. Just what is the number needed for care it appears is the big question here as you can’t get rid of all of beds? BD Reform says the NHS's focus should move away from hospital...(read more)

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/17/10

Robert Gleeman — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:42:13 GMT

Sensitivity to Warfarin determined by genetic test

Doctors say it can take weeks of blood tests and dose adjustments to determine the right Warfarin dose for patients

The clinical study led by two leading medical researchers -- Medco Research Institute specializing in pharmacy care, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota -- found that hospital stays can be reduced by one-third by undertaking genetic testing to determine the sensitivity of patients to the widely-used drug warfarin.

Warfarin, the world's most widely-prescribed blood thinner and which has been in use for half a century, is used to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke after a patient has had a heart attack.

It also is used to prevent blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and other complications following atrial fibrillation or heart valve replacement surgery. About two million people begin warfarin therapy every year in the United States.

Another brilliant application of genetic testing, this could really save lives. I didn’t realize so many patients are faced with a tricky dose determination when taking this drug, hope this is available soon.

Pelosi on health care for children

Alex Wong/Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, with Liz Draper and her 6-month-old son, John, during a news conference with children’s advocates on Monday in Washington.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a news conference with children’s advocates at the Capitol on Monday to push for the Democrats’ sweeping health care legislation.

“For America’s families, nothing comes before the future — or the health of their children,” Ms. Pelosi said. “Our kids cannot wait another moment for us to act. American parents cannot wait another moment. Our country deserves reform to — this is — when we’re talking about health care reform, we’re talking about the health of our children; we’re talking about diet, not diabetes; we’re talking about prevention and wellness. But we’re also talking about reducing the deficit. It is our responsibility to future generations that we not heap mountains of debt onto future generations.”

I have always thought we should start with universal health care for children as their right—no matter what. Otherwise we will usher in a generation of sickly, toothless Americans who have no faith in anyone or anything.

Sebelius believes health care bill will pass

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks at the American Health Insurance Plans 2010 National Policy Forum in Washington, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CHICAGO -- U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that she's confident the House will have the votes to pass President Barack Obama's health care legislation, possibly as early as Friday.

"I think we're on track for a vote sometime this weekend. I don't think (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) has decided exactly when, but Friday or Saturday seem to be the likely timetables," Sebelius told reporters in Chicago before a speech at a conference on aging.

As the White House made a final efforts to get a health care overhaul passed this week, Sebelius looked back critically at the legislation's long path. She said supporters could have done a better job correcting misinformation on "death panels" and cuts to Medicare. She said foes of health care overhaul worked a strategy designed to scare older Americans, but supporters could have been more aggressive at telling seniors what the package included for them.

We can all understand why this legislation is so important, I hope working on health care reform is a never-ending process, just like improving EMR. And EMR Update will keep reporting no matter what.

First Lady continues fight for childhood fitness

First Lady Michelle Obama continues her campaign to improve fitness and combat obesity in children as she speaks at the Grocery Manufacturers Association Science Forum meeting in Washington, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON -- Michelle Obama is urging the nation's largest food companies to speed up efforts to make healthier foods and reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Mrs. Obama asked the companies, gathered at a meeting of the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday, to "step it up" and put less fat, salt and sugar in foods.

"We need you not to just tweak around the edges but entirely rethink the products you are offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children," she said.

The intentions are good, but there will always be unhealthy food around to eat, and I don’t trust food manufacturers to even know what is healthy for me. Teach kids how to eat in school? I used to love those school lunches.

NYC restaurants will be required to post their cleanliness grade

Cetta for News

Starting in July, eateries will be required to prominently post letter grades that are based on health inspections.

Finding a clean restaurant will be as easy as A,B,C under a Health Department rule passed Tuesday.

Starting in July, eateries will be required to prominently post letter grades that are based on health inspections, according to a policy approved by the Board of Health in 6 to 2 vote.

"New York City restaurants are among the world's best and these simple reforms will make them even better," said Health Commissioner Thomas Farley.

I hope this idea catches on all over the country. What good is a health inspection if no one ever knows the score? I think it would be great fun to see how every eatery “tests out” every year.

Using cold to freeze and destroy breast cancer cells

Breast cancer cells: These can be destroyed using super-cold gas

A method of destroying breast tumours by surrounding them with ice could offer hope of a safe non-surgical cure for the disease, research suggests.

The technique called cryotherapy is already used to treat prostate cancer.

It involves inserting several needle-like 'cryoprobes' into the tumour and passing super-cold gas through them.

The ice ball rapidly created around each site kills off the cancerous cells.

Freezing therapy has been tried before for breast cancer - but this is the first time a minimally invasive version, which requires no surgery, has been developed.

But last night cancer experts warned it may take many years for the technique to become common.

I am always interested by treatments which do not require drastic surgery, this seems like an expansion of the many uses for cryotherapy which is already used like a bladeless knife.

Health Clouds Forming in California – State HIE (Health Information Exchange) ONC Grant

The Medical Quack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:16:00 GMT

Hard hat area: The state project is aligned with the federal NHIN standards. Last month 15 organizations received grants to begin electronically sending Social Security disability claims via the National Health Information Network. As I understand the California infrastructure would connect and transport information to the national level network. Social Security Awards Contracts for Electronic Medical Records – 15 New Recipients for Disability Claim Info The NHIN network...(read more)

Microsoft and New York City Launch Virtual Senior Center - Using Windows 7 and Touch Screen Computers to Connect Homebound Seniors to the Outside World

The Medical Quack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:22:00 GMT

This is just an overall “nice” story. I know as I have a mother who is a senior and the computer is a big connection for her to the outside world. She doesn’t have Windows 7 and a touchscreen, but even without the new hardware and software it is a huge companion for her. The article mentions Microsoft HealthVault and yes my mother has hers too, and she is not close to me and lives a distance away in another state. She feels much better knowing that her health records and other documents...(read more)