May 2010 - The Medical Quack .... by Barbara Duck

Sutter First in Nation to Use 3D Next-Generation Robotics System for Joint Replacement – Helps Get the “Right” Fit

The ROBODOC surgery system was approved by the FDA back in August of 2008 and Sutter Hospitals in northern California are the first to use the new 3D robotic workstation for a hip replacement. DigiMatch(TM) ROBODOC(R) Surgical System Receives U.S. FDA...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 5:37 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Pharma/FDA News, healthcare, Robotics, Hospitals, Orthopedics, Knee Surgery, Robodoc, Hip Surgery, Sofware, Sutter, hip replacement, orthopedic surgery, Curexo, Orthodoc, Digimatch

Medical Tourism In Israel Growing As US Citizens Explore Cost Comparisons

This is another area of healthcare that keeps coming up in conversation as well as US citizens and those from other countries exploring alternatives. Here in the US, cost is the driving factor. There are even methodologies being developed...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 4:44 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Insurance, Surgery, healthcare, health insurance, Medical Tourism, Heart Surgery, Israel, World Healthcare, Global Health, emergeny services, Haiti, IVF

Kaiser Permanente and Their “Giant” Genome Project Gets Underway – NIH Grant With Work in Progress

Many members of Kaiser have been asked if they want to participate in this study, and the results of which are going to be used for genomic research. The information when all culminated will contain information without any personal data included...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 4:11 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Pharma/FDA News, DNA, Genomics, San Francisco, Personal Health Records, University of California, Patients, tests, automation, Kaiser Permente, arrray, Oakland

Telemedicine Working in Prisons And With Oil Rigs to Provide Video Visits with the Doctor – Not Just for Developing Countries

Due to what is going on in the news today with oil rigs today everyone can relate to having a doctor remotely available for workers far out away from land. As the article here discusses there are many levels of technology that can be used from simple...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 3:52 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, healthcare, Telemedicine, Doctors, Patients, prisons, web camera, NuPhysicia, Polycom, oil rigs, oil companies

China Continues Push for Basic Universal Healthcare – Presidential Statement

It is interesting to hear and see what is being done in other countries from time to time and in China the President wants to ensure that all citizens have at least some basic coverage. In 2008 WellPoint opened offices in Shanghai and UnitedHealthcare...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 2:00 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Insurance, health insurance, Hospitals, universal healthcare, China, Taiwan, healthcare reform

FDA Alert Product Recall Intravenous Products From Claris Lifesciences Also Marketed Under the Names of of Sagent, Pfizer and West-Ward - Contamination

Two of the drugs are in the antibiotic area and one other is used to treat nausea relating to chemotherapy treatment and post surgery. Luckily enough most of these products are in hospital pharmacies but they could also be used in outpatient...

Published Sun, May 30 2010 2:55 AM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Pharma/FDA News, drugs, FDA, Pfizer, Antibiotics, India, Recalls, contamination, IV, nausea, Sagent, West-Ward, intravenous, Claris

We Don’t Need Any More Medical Records Systems – Code For Cures And Move Over to Life Sciences To Hack Genes

This point was made by Juan Enriquez, managing director at Boston-based Excel Venture Management, and a director at biotech Synthetic Genomics Inc. and I agree with him. I look at the “glut” of software in healthcare not only from the medical records...

Published Sat, May 29 2010 1:07 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, DNA, Genomics, healthcare, microsoft, Genes, Surface, software, Coding, Helicos, Life Sciences, Rosetta, Trento Centre, venture capitalist, CURES, synthetic cells, Juan Enriquez, hack

Dental Implants Using Body’s Own Stem Cells To Grow Them – Regenerative Dentistry In the Works

Ok put me at the head of the line for this. I have gone through and have dental implants so I know the drill here and what makes this even more fascinating is the fact that the tooth can be grown inside the empty tooth socket, this is amazing. ...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 9:05 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Pharma/FDA News, DNA, Science, heathcare, Stem Cells, Study, Regenerative Medicine, teeth, scaffolds, dentistry, dental implants

Teva To Stop Manufacturing Propofol – With No US Manufacturers Left FDA Approved Import From Europe

If this drug name sounds familiar, think back a short while to Michael Jackson, this was the drug that he had at home, used only in hospital settings and now with Teva , the generic drug manufacturer having stopped production, all US supplies will have...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 8:23 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Pharma/FDA News, Surgery, drugs, healthcare, FDA, Recalls, Teva, Michael Jackson, Diprivan, Propofol, anesthesia

More Children’s Medicine at J and J Recalled – We Need Ability to Scan Products With Our Phones - Be Sure to Vote

As consumers this would be nice to be able to scan products and not have to worry about missing a recall post somewhere on the news. There will be other drug and device recalls too so the sooner we have this capability the sooner we can get...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 7:35 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Pharma/FDA News, Windows Mobile, drugs, tags, BlackBerry, Mobility, FDA, cell phones, Recalls, information, Scanning, iPhone, Windows Tags, safely, medical devices. heatlhcare

City of Hope And Doctors Dispute with Law Suits - Board Representation Issues At Hand And Of Course the Money

As the article mentions here there’s a lot at stake with many other hospitals in California sitting by and taking notes to see what the outcome here will be as they also have similar arrangements with contracted groups. As mentioned below, there...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 5:16 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Insurance, Lawsuit, Cancer, CMA, Hospitals, Doctors, Employment, reserach and development, for profit foundation, City of Hope, California Medical Assocation, for profit. hospital

Business Intelligence Software Breakdown At Beckman Coulter – Algorithms gone Rogue and Data House Repair

This is a good article to read on how things in the data houses get mangled without appropriate planning, so sometimes those reporting systems you think are really doing the job, are not. It was so bad that the board of directors could not validate...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 3:32 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, Insurance, healthcare, Biotech, Business Intelligence, software, Code, Algorithms, data warehouse, Beckman Coulter

McKesson Is the Next Company To Raise Investor Dividends – Does Portfolio Management Mean Better Care?

The CEO says they are committed “to our portfolio” approach with capital development”. Does this mean that better healthcare and patients get the back seat? How does portfolio management affect the patient and the care we receive? We...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 3:03 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Technology, healthcare, McKesson, UnitedHealthcare, Wall Street, Investments, shareholders, board of directors, dividends, healthcare refrom, portfolio

Why Can’t Safety Rules and Laws Keep Up With Biotech – Congress And Others Can’t Keep Up with Technology

How do you create laws to protect citizens in areas where you are not familiar? That’s a very good question and today members of Congress are being presented with that exact task. There’s a ton of research to be done by staff members and what...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 2:43 PM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Pharma/FDA News, Physician, Genomics, healthcare, Lawsuit, Biotech, Pfizer, R and D, Safety, virus, stem cell research, embryonic stem cells, OSHA, chemist chemical spill, exposure, viruses, persoanlized medicine

Tri-Care Left Out On Adding Children to Health Insurance – Mistake That Needs To Be Fixed

We have by now probably all heard about the new provision whereby children are allowed to remain on their parents policy for a longer period of time; however at Tri-Care (DOD) these folks were left out and here’s another fix that Congress might want to...

Published Fri, May 28 2010 10:24 AM by The Medical Quack

Filed under: Medically Related, Insurance, health insurance, Congress, HHS, Tri-Care, DOD, military, healthcare reform