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Biden Is Healthy, Medical Records Show
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 01:27 PM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  Medscape Business of Medicine Headlines
Sen. Joe Biden has not experienced another aneurysm since he suffered through two 20 years ago WebMD Health News
Improved Postmarketing Surveillance Needed for Biologic Agents
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 10:59 AM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  Medscape Business of Medicine Headlines
Biologics are a rapidly growing class of drugs, but many of their associated safety problems are not identified until after receiving approval from regulatory agencies. Medscape Medical News
State Policies in Pain Medicine and Legal Standards for Patient Care
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 02:24 PM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  Medscape Business of Medicine Headlines
State policies on pain vary from state to state; therefore, the outcome of legal action could vary between states. Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery
Podcast interview with Dr. Daniel Roubein, CEO of Telerays
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 02:09 PM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Blog  -  Health Business Blog
Telerays is a teleradiology company that provides a platform for hospitals and imaging centers to connect with radiologists. Telerays credentials radiologists, who are then permitted to bid on the image interpretation needs of hospitals and imaging centers. The company handles the billing and takes a 15% commission on revenues received. I spoke today with Dr. Daniel Roubein, CEO of Telerays. He laid out the concept behind the company and walked me through the bid process. We talked about the impact of Telerays on radiologist incomes and work practices, and on hospital and imaging center operations. We discussed Telerays’ policy of performing only final (rather than preliminary) reads. I also asked him about the eventual inclusion of overseas radiologists and the applicability of the Telerays model to other specialties. For more on Telerays, see my recent post .
We Should Stop Paying for Diagnostic Failure and its Downstream Consequences
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 05:46 AM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  Medscape Business of Medicine Headlines
Brian Jackson, MD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, University of Utah, and Medical Director of Informatics at ARUP Laboratories, teaches us the best use of laboratory tests. The Medscape Journal of Medicine
We must hit the cancer target by genetics or whatever technique
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 02:07 AM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  GLG News(sm): Healthcare
Targeted therapy for cancer is the new trend Targeted therapy will allow the use of more expensive drugs to be more practical We need to focus on hitting a target more than ever
Government Run Cancer care
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 02:05 AM - 2 months, 2 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  GLG News(sm): Healthcare
There has been distubing trends in nationalized health care in regrds to cancer care Recently the UK made an absolutely shocking decision on renal cancer therapy, as it has in other cancers in the past Hopefully through advances in predicting cancer therapy outcomes via microarray etc. we can keep progressing as we have over the past decade with targeted therapy
Let the commoditization of medicine begin!
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 07:38 AM - 2 months, 3 weeks ago   -  Blog  -  Health Business Blog
Nighthawk teleradiology services, which allow offsite physicians to read x-rays at odd hours, have been a boon to hospital emergency rooms and radiology groups. Most of the business involves reading CT scans from patients who come into hospital ERs at night. Radiologists don’t have to take call, and patients benefit by having their images read by wide-awake radiologists on the other side of the world. Cost-savings hasn’t been a big emphasis. Many of the nighthawks are American trained, American board certified radiologists who are enjoying good lifestyles in places like Australia and Hawaii right out of fellowship rather than joining groups and being the low-person on the totem pole. They make good money: typically several hundred thousand dollars per year. If you’ve spent time with radiologists chances are you’ve heard them brag about how much money they make. They also like to talk about when they’re going to retire. Many also realize they’re in a lucky spot financially. In places where typical primary care internists are making $150,000 per year working 60 hours per week it’s not unusual for typical radiologists making $500,000 or more per year and working fewer hours. With the advent of teleradiology radiologists have begun to see the writing on the wall. Privately, many admit that the days of easy money may be competed away. As Medicare cuts have started to fall disproportionately on radiology, some of these fears are being realized. Now along comes Telerays , whose tagline is “Cut costs one bid at a time.” As the site says: Bid it out, Save a Bundle… get the best price for radiologic interpretations in the market with the Telerays network of qualified radiologists. Post your interpretation request and let the Telerays radiology auction go to work. A flowchart lays out the process. Here’s how AuntMinnie describes the auction: Prior to posting a project on the Web site, a hospital or imaging center registers with Telerays and has preapproved radiologists to participate in the auction. The hospital or imaging center decides the length of the auction and sets a ceiling on the price it is willing to pay. Preapproved radiologists bid on the project, and the lowest bid wins. If the lowest bid is duplicated by another radiologist, the first of the duplicate low bid gets the contract. The length of the auction period is posted on the Web site and will typically last between one and three days. “If [a hospital] places an auction for a certain amount and no one bids, then they would logically draw the conclusion that they may have offered too low a fee,” [Telerays CEO Dr. Daniel] Roubein said. The hospital or imaging center and the bidding radiologist establish the price. Telerays has no input regarding what the price will be, but receives 15% of the hospital or imaging center’s fee paid to the radiologist. Telerays is likely to be a win-win at first. Radiologists will be able to earn extra money and hospitals will save on costs. Prices won’t drop too much because radiologists are in limited supply and aren’t used to working for cheap. However, the site sets up an interesting dynamic. Unlike in some other auction communities, including eBay, the entire focus is on price, which is the very essence of a commodity. There’s really no other way for a radiologist to compete (unless I’m missing something). I’d expect that in time the site will expand to include quality ratings of the radiologists. This could lead to price differentiation as the highest rated radiologists are able to extract higher fees, and it could lead to better service, too. Over the longer Telerays could set the basis for lower priced, foreign competition to emerge. There will have to be a relaxation of regulation, payment policies and attitudes before that happens. I’m convinced it will happen over time, though, as the US gets more and more serious about cost containment. I’ve emailed Telerays, asking for the opportunity to interview their CEO. Stay tuned. 223e
Joe the Plumber is not a plumber
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 04:53 AM - 2 months, 3 weeks ago   -  Blog  -  Health Business Blog
Had to laugh at this one: Real Deal on ‘Joe the Plumber’ reveals new slant. Works as a plumber without a license or proper training. Owes back taxes. Would be likely to get a tax cut under Obama.
Oxybutinin gel will fill a niche in OAB treatment
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 11:52 PM - 2 months, 3 weeks ago   -  Newspaper & TV news  -  GLG News(sm): Healthcare
Ditropan XL and generic ditropan have significant side effects and oxytrol patches can cause skin irritation. These problems may be avoided with oxybutinin gel.

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