Rand Questions Surgeon Scorecard
ProPublica’s attempt to create a searchable database of physician quality for the public, the “Surgeon Scorecard,” has run into some credibility issues. The Surgeon Scorecard was launched in July 2015 and is a database that catalogues and provides the public with individual surgeon’s death and complication rates for eight different medical procedures. ProPublica created this database to help patients determine which surgeons, not necessarily which hospitals, are the best at each particular surgery. This foray into transparency in the medical field has had its fair share of issues and is not currently recommended to...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 1, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: Policy and Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
ICD-10 Transition Begins Tomorrow, October 1
The time is finally here. After delays and much deliberation between government and physicians, the ICD-9 code sets used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures will be replaced by ICD-10 code sets. This goes into effect tomorrow, October 1, 2015.
ICD-10 basics
ICD-10 stands for the International Classification of Diseases, version 10. It is a coding system that attaches a number for every disease of trauma known to the medical world. According to the World Health Organization, ICD is “the standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management, and clinical purposes. It is used to m...
Source: Policy and Medicine - September 30, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: Policy and Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Not Just A Man’s Problem: The Deadly Cost Of Underestimating Women’s Heart Disease
This report examines 12 months of unadjusted commercial medical claims incurred during 2014, including FEP, group, and individual coverage. The population for the study included 43,535,187 members, ages 18-64, defined as patients per 1,000 members. Mortality is defined as deaths per 1,000. The findings are unadjusted rates for age and geography. (Source: Health Affairs Blog)
Source: Health Affairs Blog - September 29, 2015 Category: Health Management Authors: Trent Haywood Tags: Costs and Spending Equity and Disparities Population Health Public Health Quality gender-specific research heart disease risk Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Do cardiologists prescribe too many drugs?
One of the most common reasons people require medical care is their medical care.
This is a distinctly modern problem. In times past, doctors treated disease. Patients saw their doctor when they were sick. They had a problem; doctors offered help.
The doctor of today often improves health by removing healthcare. It’s one of my favorite tricks—stopping nonsense.
Excess healthcare happens for many reasons. Three big ones are the conflating of risk factors with disease, overdiagnosis and the one-disease-one-treatment mindset.
A high cholesterol level is not a disease but it is treated with a pill. When women acquire the d...
Source: Dr John M - September 20, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs
The Wheat Belly lifestyle BEGAN with heart health
Debbie posted this comment on the Wheat Belly Facebook page:
“I posted a few weeks back about our scare from our primary care doctor. My husband had a calcium score of 1200. We panicked! Messaged Dr. Davis and went the next day to a cardio doctor and had a stress test, ultrasound, and blood test (inflammatory markers). Got him on recommended supplements per Dr Davis.
“Latest update: Cardio doctor says, being as you started ‘Wheat Belly’ back in October, 2014, your score could have been higher and already started to improve, we don’t know. What we DO know is, because of this new way of eating,...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 15, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle calcium score cholesterol fish oil gluten grains heart disease iodine Thyroid vitamin D Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
