Friday, February 21, 2014

Dialysis device processes credit card transactions. Patient Health Info at High Risk.

Dialysis device processes credit card transactions.  The number of health information systems and devices that is vulnerable to hacking and fraudulent transactions is increasing.  Over 700 medical devices were identified in a recent report.  VPNs are most vulnerable on the info system side.  #medicaldevices  #healthit #hacking #infosecurity #himss2014 

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/news/2240214827/Study-Malicious-attacks-at-hospitals-risk-patient-data-health


Friday, January 31, 2014

Apple meets with FDA over Mobile Health Apps and Devices

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/01/31/apple-fda-mobile-medical-apps/5090349/


#apple   #medicaldevices   #fda   #mhealth   #ces2014   Apple and FDA met to discuss approval of medical device apps.  A former Medical Officer from Masimo a medical device manufacturer was at the meeting.  Some of the gadgets that were at CES may become actual FDA approved Medical Devices with potential for insurance reimbursement.   

Fenugreek once again proves itself in glucose management


#diabetes #supplement #diet #nutrition  Fenugreek has been used as part of King County, WA program for diabetes management for nearly 20 yrs.  Additional research supports use of medium to high levels in a Canadian study

Accountable Care Organizations savings are relatively small according to CMS

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/opinion/we-are-giving-ourselves-cancer.html?_r=0


http://lnkd.in/dju2XqQ #affordablecareact #physician #healthinsurance #medicare Numbers for ACO's from CMS show small savings. The average was $80 per year / per patient or $6.50 per month. The best performing ACO in the study was a Bronx, NY based Network that had been running like an ACO before the term was invented generating a savings of about $100 per year / per patient.

Thursday, January 30, 2014


http://www.hiewatch.com/perspective/future-hie-private

    80% of the 220 State and Federal Exchanges are stalled or failing as federal funding dries up.  97% of insurance companies do not believe public exchanges are are viable.  Only 10 exchanges predicted to exist past 2017.  88% of physicians view insurers as being the group that can address the sharing of patient data.  If these numbers are true than we are looking at a collapse of the entire ACA system.  Insurers will look to the government for bailouts on costs incurred due to provisions in the ACA which raise costs.  Premiums will go up across the board.  People will once again be dropped from plans and have to find new care providers. Which will mean collected data that is utilized to improve outcomes will be lost or have to move to other private exchanges.   This is a fundamental problem with the ACA, while it's ideals are good for people, it is based upon a fundamentally flawed and failing business model.  Most of the time the "smartest people are outside of the room, not in the room."    This should be a wake up call to all healthcare consumers and healthcare providers.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

One of the first Clinical Trials information system to seamlessly communicate test result information from Investigators to Reference Laboratories to Pharmaceutical Companies.  This Product along with Protocol Master was utilized in Pharmaceutical Companies such as Roche, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Division) and Otsuka America.  The Protocol Master product was used as a front end to an early Oracle database and incorporated coding for adverse events, WHO codes, ICD9, and CPT coding.  The system utilized the ASTM 1238 protocol for the clinical transactions.

The utility of the system was part of a demonstration at the DIA (Drug Information Association) meeting in 1992 by Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals.