Gleeman's Daily News-11/26

25% of patients say NO to pharmacists having their EMR

A survey by the Patients Association found that more than 50% of patients are willing for their electronic records to be seen by pharmacists, but that just over 25% are strongly opposed to the idea.

Too much privacy can kill a patient, and I wonder if that is not more often the case.

Truman Syndrome is a real psychiatric problem, but not a real reality show

Researchers have begun documenting what they dub the "Truman syndrome," a delusion afflicting people who are convinced that their lives are secretly playing out on a reality TV show. Scientists say the disorder underscores the influence pop culture can have on mental conditions.

I have heard of this before, watching too much TV has its dangers, eh?

Unapproved drugs used in government health programs

Medicaid officials acknowledge the problem, but say they need help from Congress to fix it. The FDA and Medicaid are part of the Health and Human Services Department, but the FDA has yet to compile a master list of unapproved drugs, and Medicaid - which may be the biggest purchaser - keeps paying.

The red tape is long indeed and some of these drugs have fallen through the cracks. This is a rather big story today, opinions?

Tobacco takes on a new deadly face

They're discreet, flavorful and come in cute tin boxes with names like "frost" and "spice." And the folks who created Joe Camel are hoping Camel Snus will become a hit with tobacco lovers tired of being forced outside for a smoke.

They will never stop trying to push their addicting garbage, this is similar to chewing tobacco, comes in a little bag for one's mouth.

New drug approved for moderate to severe pain

Tapentadol acts in two ways, opioid (narcotic) and non-opioid. It affects the brain and body primarily by activating opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, Tapentadol inhibits the reuptake of the brain chemical norepinephrine which possibly has an analgesic effect.

May none of us ever have the need to test this drug on ourselves. It is an opioid.

iPhone Speech Recognition

The AnyModalT CDS Mobile application captures and transcribes dictation and then delivers the finished document to the physician's iPhone, all in real time, according to the Pittsburgh-based company. Doctors can then sign off on the clinical document using the phone.

The iPhone is just too handy to ignore, I am also interested in new apps for it, even though I do not have the device.

HHS expects this month to publish HIPAA regulations

The Department of Health and Human Services expects this month to publish a final rule to adopt Version 5010 of the HIPAA transaction standards for electronic claims and related transactions.

We need to understand that Obama can nix these plans if he wants to.

Oil of Himalayan Oregano may kill MRSA in the lab

A team comprising researchers from a UK university and members of local businesses and an NGO in India has discovered that the essential oil of Himalayan oregano has strong antibacterial properties and even kills the hospital superbug MRSA. They hope these findings will lead to the development of handsoaps and surface disinfectants in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

This is a worldwide problem, I would love to see you start a thread on it in the Medical Forum located here: http://www.emrupdate.com/forums/10.aspx

Florida, Maine, and Texas are facing doctor shortages

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Here, you can see some specifics, at least in three states, to add to the current debate regarding where all the new doctors are coming from.

Nevada, New York, and Washington budgets check in from Kaiser

Summaries of recent news about state budgets in Nevada, New York, Virginia and Washington state appear below.

I am starting to see Kaiser as a huge reporting system from which much can and will be learned about EMR. After all, they spent 10 Billion Dollars on HIT in recent years, so we can at least afford to listen to them.

½ of nurses in the U.K. have been needle-stuck

A recent report by the United Kingdom's Royal College of Nursing found that 48% of the 5,000 nurses polled had been injured by a needle previously used on a patient during their careers, with about one-third fearing risk of exposure to bloodborne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, BBC News reports (BBC News, 11/19).

Perhaps enough is not said regarding the brave nurses and doctors who face the unknown dangers of those needles and whatever they carry.

In the Lab: Pure Insulin-Producing Cells

Singapore researchers have developed an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Yes, it is just mice, at least for now, but I swear there's a new story every day about the amazing stem cells, definitely in the future of medicine from now on.