LASIK results: Great impact, but room for improvement
This is a guest post by life sciences entrepreneur Mikael Totterman
Lifting the flap
In my last post (When it comes to investing, the eye has it) I wrote that venture investors are flocking to ophthalmic investments due to extensive unmet needs. One such need is refractive correction. The vast majority of the 150 million Americans who require refractive correction still rely on old-fashioned glasses and contact lenses. Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis surgery (LASIK) is a solution for some, but there are only 700,000 procedures in the US per year, just a tiny fraction of the potential.
It led me to ask, wh...
Source: Health Business Blog - November 5, 2014 Category: Health Managers Authors: dewe67 Tags: Devices Entrepreneurs Technology Source Type: blogs
When it comes to investing, the eye has it
This is a guest post by life sciences entrepreneur Mikael Totterman
Eye on investing
I was surprised by a recent Wall Street Journal article, which reported that venture capitalists are now investing more in the eyes than in any other organ. In 2013, VCs injected $850 million into eye-related startups, more than they invested in traditional areas such as the heart and orthopedics.
Intrigued, I attended the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in Chicago earlier this month. to learn more. In discussions with venture capitalists, industry thought leaders, and physicians, I heard four main explanations for ...
Source: Health Business Blog - October 30, 2014 Category: Health Managers Authors: dewe67 Tags: Devices Entrepreneurs Source Type: blogs
Physician Payments Sunshine Act: Media Coverage of the Open Payments Data Release
CMS launched Open Payments on Tuesday. Instead of stories entitled “Find Out How Much Your Doctor Makes From Industry!” the media surrounding the release has for the most part focused on the deficiencies in the roll out of the system.
So Much For Transparency, Open Payments Database Toggles the Mind, Wall Street Journal
Another Government Website Rollout That Is Found Wanting, New York Times
Doctor Payments Show Little Value at Launch Time, USNews
Open Payments Site Launches to User Complaints, Media Health Leaders
Essentially, the physician-level information in the database has too many holes for news outlets ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 3, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Outbreaks of Non-tubercuous Mycobacterial Infection in the United States
The following chronology of nosocomial mycobacteriosis outbreaks in the United States is abstracted from Gideon www.GideonOnline.com and the Gideon e-book series. [1,2] Primary references available on request.
1987 – An outbreak (17 cases) of Mycobacterium chelonae otitis media was caused by contaminated water used by an ENT practice in Louisiana.
1988 – An outbreak (8 cases) of foot infections due to Mycobacterium chelonae subspecies abscessus infections were associated with a jet injector used in a podiatric office.
1989 to 1990 – An outbreak (16 cases) of sputum colonization by Mycobacterium fortuitum...
Source: GIDEON blog - July 23, 2014 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Dr. Stephen Berger Tags: Ebooks Epidemiology Microbiology Outbreaks ProMED Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria Source Type: blogs
Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2013-11-25
My Daily Twitter Digest for 2013-11-25 http://t.co/YHBvDjedpp 23:03:19, 2013-11-25
Log In – The New York Times http://t.co/XzfL8G8SRZ 14:39:22, 2013-11-25
(404) http://t.co/EJlA7ZQSdo http://t.co/N8Es7LPzXr 13:54:48, 2013-11-25
Log In – The New York Times http://t.co/dIBsX7cOjU 13:54:48, 2013-11-25
Everyone follow! RT @robertcostaNRO: FYI: my new Twitter handle is @costareports 12:02:36, 2013-11-25
No, but a sound bite ! RT @MarkSKrikorian: Obama in SF: "The War in Afghanistan will end next year." So, the Taliban agreed to that? #TCOT 12:02:01, 2013-11-25
Untitled ( http://t.co/cyJbjgOIFf ) http://t.c...
Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog - November 26, 2013 Category: Dentists Authors: Flap Tags: Twitter @Flap Tweets Source Type: blogs
KXL II from Avedro for Non-Surgical Correction of Myopia
Avedro (Boston, MA) received CE Mark clearance in Europe for its KXL II System that’s used for Accelerated Cross-linking and PiXL (Photorefractive Intrastromal Cross-linking) procedures for treatment of myopia.
“As one of the first KXL II clinical sites, we experienced the amazing capabilities of customized accelerated cross-linking to achieve specific, reproducible and interim-stable refractive changes on the cornea,” said A. John Kanellopoulos, MD, NYU Medical School and Member of Avedro’s Medical Advisory Board. “It seems to me that every surgeon who has performed cross-linking has experienced refractiv...
Source: Medgadget - November 15, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Ophthalmology Source Type: blogs
Medical Mispronunciations and Misspelled Words: The Definitive List.
Hearing medical mispronunciations and seeing misspelled words are an under appreciated joy of working in healthcare. Physicians often forget just how alien the language of medicine is to people who don't live it everyday. The best part about being a physician is not helping people recover from critical illness. The best part is not about listening and understanding with compassion and empathy. Nope, the best part about being a physician is hearing patients and other healthcare providers butcher the language of medicine and experiencing great entertainment in the process. Doctors c...
Source: The Happy Hospitalist - October 2, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Authors: Tamer Mahrous Source Type: blogs
Health care deal sites –I’m quoted and I’m skeptical
DealWell, a new company that offers online health care deals, is the subject of a story on KERA, the NPR station in Dallas. I’m quoted in the audio and text versions.
Like other sites, the health care deals on DealWell tend toward ancillary services that aren’t typically covered by health insurance: dentistry, LASIK, massage, etc. You can also find some medical imaging and weight loss surgery.
I’m all for health care shopping and transparency, but I’m not a big fan of these sites and I don’t expect them to have a major impact on mainstream health care. (On the radio I refer to DealWell as &#...
Source: Health Business Blog - July 9, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: dewe67 Tags: Entrepreneurs Patients health medicine Source Type: blogs
ISTA Settlement Includes Divestiture and Debarment
In what has been one of the less prominent drug-settlements in recent times, the federal government recently entered into an agreement with ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. to resolve criminal liability and False Claims Act (FCA) allegations. This settlement, while not as widely covered as others, nevertheless has several important considerations that are likely to demonstrate the government's continued focus on finding new ways to punish companies.
Specifically, ISTA pled guilty to conspiracy to introduce a misbranded drug into interstate commerce and conspiracy to pay illegal remuneration in violation of the Federal Anti-Ki...
Source: Policy and Medicine - July 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Ghosts in the Criminal Machine - How a Drug Company Can Plead Guilty to Federal Fraud, Yet No One is Held Responsible
We have often discussed how leaders of health care organizations have become increasingly unaccountable for their actions. A recent, slightly obscure story shows how a corporate admission of guilt to a felony can be used to prevent anyone, including anyone in corporate management, from being held responsible for that fraud.Basics of the SettlementThe case was that of ISTA Pharmaceuticals. The basics appeared in brief wire service articles, like this one from Rueters (via Fox News):Ista Pharmaceuticals pleaded guilty on Friday to charges it used kickbacks and improper marketing to boost sales of a drug meant to...
Source: Health Care Renewal - May 28, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: Bausch and Lomb conspiracy Warburg Pincus impunity crime felony legal settlements fraud Source Type: blogs
Podcast interview with Cancer Treatment Centers of America CEO Steve Bonner (transcript)
This is the transcript of my recent interview with Cancer Treatment Centers of America CEO Steve Bonner.
David Williams: This is David E. Williams from the Health Business Group. I’m speaking today with Steve Bonner, CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Steve, thanks for joining me today.
Steve Bonner: You’re very welcome, David. It’s great to speak with you again.
David Williams: What is Cancer Treatment Centers of America and how does it differ from other well-known cancer centers?
Steve Bonner: Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a growing chain of hospitals that s...
Source: Health Business Blog - May 10, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: dewe67 Tags: Hospitals Patients Podcast Source Type: blogs
Podcast interview with Cancer Treatment Centers of America CEO Steve Bonner (transcript)
This is the transcript of my recent interview with Cancer Treatment Centers of America CEO Steve Bonner.
David Williams: This is David E. Williams from the Health Business Group. I’m speaking today with Steve Bonner, CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Steve, thanks for joining me today.
Steve Bonner: You’re very welcome, David. It’s great to speak with you again.
David Williams: What is Cancer Treatment Centers of America and how does it differ from other well-known cancer centers?
Steve Bonner: Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a growing chain of hospitals that s...
Source: Health Business Blog - May 10, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Hospitals Patients Podcast Source Type: blogs
And I still can’t shoot lasers from them…
So I’ve worn glasses since I was about ten, my parents noticing me scrunching my face up in an attempt to focus on, well, almost anything. There is surely nothing more attractive than a pudgy pre-pubescent kid trying to make his face implode and pushing that imploded face RIGHT up to yours so he can see you better.
Back off, kid, you’re creeping me out.
I had a lovely collection of plastic NHS frames and, when I went to high school, graduated up to some highly alluring steel aviators. Step up, ladies, it’s all for sale.
And I broke them, a lot, adding the requisite tape and glue as I went along.
Are y...
Source: Trauma Queen - April 18, 2013 Category: Ambulance Crew Authors: Kal Tags: Journal Source Type: blogs
Who will save the independent physicians?
The Wall Street Journal is my favorite newspaper, but its Op-Ed page is not the place to turn to for sober, non-partisan analysis. So I was only a little bit surprised to read The Doctor’s Office as Union Shop, which blames the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for ushering in “a potentially radical factor in the transformation of health care –the doctor as union worker.” The author, Dr. David Leffell from Yale Medical School, asserts that the ACA’s reimbursement schemes are forcing doctors to abandon their practices, although he doesn’t get into specifics. But reading between the lines it’...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 1, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Physicians Source Type: blogs
Finding the Right Combination
Based on the picture above, what might you guess this post is about?
Hmm, I guess only brilliant/obsessive/imaginary followers of this odd little blog could have any clue.
OK, another hint: here's a similar picture I posted a while back:
Notice what's different? And so what sort of post might you be in for?
So if you guessed either:
a. A Quick Fix for Presbyopia; or
b. Some Boring-Ass Fitness or Personal Growth Analogy;
You'd be right!
Let's take 'em in order.
Miracle Presbyopia Cure:
Yep, the picture is of the reading glasses I'd been hooking through my gym lock as my one concession to exercising while mid...
Source: Cranky Fitness - January 7, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
