The case for healthcare cooperation with Cuba
I learned quite a bit from a brief Perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine (The United States and Cuba –Turning Enemies into Partners for Health).
A June Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Cuban Ministry of Public Health lays out a wide variety of areas for cooperation, including infection diseases like Zika, plus cancer and chronic conditions.
Thanks to the embargo, products developed in Cuba aren’t available in the US because they are not allowed into the FDA approval process. As a result, certain drugs like Heberprot-P, to reduce amputa...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 20, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: International Policy and politics Source Type: blogs
Mass Health Quality Partners: 21 years young
Barbra Rabson, MHQP President and CEO
Health Business Group is a sponsor of the upcoming anniversary party for Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP). I asked MHQP’s President, Barbra Rabson to reflect on the first couple decades.
MHQP is about to celebrate its 21st anniversary. What are you celebrating?
We are celebrating the courage and vision it took 21 years ago to found MHQP, and the amazing two decades of progress we’ve made since our inception. Our 21st anniversary is symbolic of our coming of age and reaching a level of maturity. MHQP has become an important part of the Massachusetts healthcare landsc...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 11, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Patients Physicians Podcast Research Source Type: blogs
Mass Health Quality Partners: 21 years young
Barbra Rabson, MHQP President and CEO
Health Business Group is a sponsor of the upcoming anniversary party for Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP). I asked MHQP’s President, Barbra Rabson to reflect on the first couple decades.
MHQP is about to celebrate its 21st anniversary. What are you celebrating?
We are celebrating the courage and vision it took 21 years ago to found MHQP, and the amazing two decades of progress we’ve made since our inception. Our 21st anniversary is symbolic of our coming of age and reaching a level of maturity. MHQP has become an important part of the Massachusetts healthcare landsc...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 11, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Patients Physicians Podcast Research Source Type: blogs
Is radiology doomed?
Which path to take?
The radiology profession is a famously paranoid lot, often worried about encroachment on imaging from non-radiologists, competition from teleradiology, reimbursement squeezes, and more. Auntminnie.com is a good place to go to observe how these worries play out.
The latest article, Will machine learning turn radiologists into losers? is a case in point. It reports on a New England Journal of Medicine article that asserts that machine learning will replace radiologists. Images will be sent straight to algorithms, bypassing radiologists completely, they say. There are differences of opinion on how soon ...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 7, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Physicians Technology Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Managed Care Matters
Managed Care Matters hosts an alliterative edition of the Health Wonk Review (Pre-election pundit ponderings!) which you are bound to enjoy. (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - October 7, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Boston Children ’ s gets the go-ahead. I ’ m quoted
From the Boston Globe (Children’s gets green light for hospital expansion, with conditions)
Massachusetts health regulators said Friday that Boston Children’s Hospital should be allowed to go forward with a $1 billion expansion project, a recommendation that seeks to support one of the state’s premier hospitals without undermining efforts to control medical spending.
The staff at the Department of Public Health recommended approval of the plan to build an 11-story building in Longwood and an eight-story outpatient clinic in Brookline.
Here’s my quote:
“DPH seems to be trying to satisfy everyone here, inc...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 2, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Policy and politics Source Type: blogs
Justifying EpiPen pricing, once again
Back with more
I enjoyed Medical hackers create $30 DIY EpiPen in defiance of corporate greed over at inhabitat. The Four Thieves Vinegar collective cobbled together an “EpiPencil” from an auto injector for insulin, a hypodermic needle, and epinepherine. It’s a pretty cool trick but it proves nothing about EpiPen pricing nor does it help real patients.
Actually, it unwittingly reinforces the points I made in my very unpopular EpiPen may still be too cheap post, which is that the pricing of EpiPen has almost nothing to do with the cost of its parts.
Consider these caveats about the DIY EpiPencil fr...
Source: Health Business Blog - September 30, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Devices Economics Pharma Policy and politics EpiPen Source Type: blogs
Public option pops up again
Where do we go from here?
The so-called “public option” is back on the table. According to Politico there’s a “feud” between liberal and moderate Democrats about the wisdom of such an approach. That’s an overstatement, and really it doesn’t even matter if they are fighting about it or not.
Health insurers have a problem, which is that it’s hard for them to prove that they add value. Does all their utilization management, network development, formulary administration and price negotiation improve cost, quality and patient experience enough to justify the extra administrative...
Source: Health Business Blog - September 23, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Health plans Policy and politics Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Colorado Health Insurance Insider
Times flies when you’re blogging away. And believe it or not Colorado Health Insurance Insider has turned 10 years old. Blogger Louise Norris rises to the occasion with a comprehensive and compelling edition of the Health Wonk Review.
Although, if the beloved Cavalcade of Risk of blessed memory were still running, they might have a word or two to say about the safety of the candles on that cake! (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - September 22, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Policy and politics Source Type: blogs
