92648

Aetna To Lay Off 200-Membership Decline But Profits Continue to Rise with Stealth Algorithmic Formulas aka Business Models

11/20/2010 12:42:00 PM  , ,  

As stated in the title here, profits continue to rise on fewer members and this is nothing new as it has been happening all over with insurance carriers making record profits, helped along with their analytical algorithms to score and perhaps imagecherry pick who they want to cover.  Like other carriers too they are investing in software (more algorithms) to try to predict and change member behaviors to be healthier and perhaps at the same time get more data to analyze. 

Aetna to Acquire Horizon Behavioral Services – Provider of of Employee Assistance Programs for Employers

They also have this company they contract with called Jellyvision with once again a we are seeing, looking for new interactive game like marketing to drive participation.

“Jellyvision is best known for its best-selling interactive entertainment properties such as YOU DON’T KNOW JACK and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM, so maybe the sequels here might be “who wants to get a health care claim paid” or “You don’t Know Aetna”.    They could always opt to make the plans simpler but that would be too easy I guess to just take care of patient health issues.”

Aetna is also facing the large class action lawsuit in New Jersey related to the “balance due” billing, by using the Ingenix (the subsidiary of United Healthcare data company).  Below is a post from 2009.

Will Aetna Cut More Members in the Future – Questions Arise after Recent Contract Announcements

Aetna has their own PBM which from what I read here, part of it will be combined with sending 800 Aetna employees over to Caremark, and Aetna will keep 1000 of their own.  The overall end result appears to be cost effective with having less employees on the Aetna payroll and using more imagetechnology services from Caremark.  With Caremark incorporating 13 drugs into their recently announced “genetic benefit” service, the brings a lab connection into the picture too with selected genetic tests available.  This might be accounting for some of the lay offs and changes too with CVS.

Aetna Commits to CVS With 12 Year Contract for Pharmacy Benefit Management Services To Serve Almost 10 Million Members

CVS Caremark will manage purchasing, inventory management and prescription fulfillment for Aetna's mail-order and specialty pharmacy operations.  The company is making higher profits with bringing in less revenue and perhaps those premium updates enter into the picture here?  No doubt they are using their algorithmic formulas to generate greater profits.  Just like everyone else though, they have issues with their mathematics and formulas like the post below indicates, as when you have data flying and running through auditing processes, it’s not a perfect world as this consumer found out.  Algorithms though are a good thing too though as it helps researchers find cures too. 

Aetna Cancels Coverage – Patient Never Received Notice of Increase Until 2 Months After It Took Effect

She was finally reinstated after one huge effort here and then it gets better, she found another alternative insurance plan through an association that was cheaper at half the amount, only problem, it is offered by Aetna, same company different marketing arm as Aetna has a focus with employer and large group plans.  BD

Hartford-base Aetna (NYSE: AET) has laid off 10 employees in its Southfield office and about 200 companywide because of declining membership.

Earlier this year, Aetna began phasing out its small business group health insurance market in Michigan. It stopped writing small group policies and will not renew policies after Feb. 1. The decision affects companies with two to 50 employees.

Aetna has about 300,000 customers in Michigan and about 18.5 million members nationally.

Nationally, Aetna’s membership has dropped 500,000 this year, said Fred Laberge, an Aetna spokesman in Hartford.

“We expect a decline of 550,000 to 600,000 in the first quarter of next year due to ongoing uncertainty over the economy and overall employment levels,” Laberge said in a statement.

Despite the membership drops, Aetna announced on Nov. 3 that in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 net income rose to $507.5 million compared with $356.5 million for the same period in 2009.

However, third quarter revenue dropped to $7.8 billion from $8.0 billion in the same quarter of 2009.

Aetna lays off 10 in Southfield office, 200 nationally - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information

Read More

Keith Olbermann Updates Arizona Transplant Denials–Death Panel Algorithms Provided by Subsidiary of United HealthCare (Video)

11/20/2010 09:49:00 AM  , ,  

This is an update from MSNBC on the Arizona Budget cuts.  There are 2 cases here to where both patients need transplants but can’t get them due to the laws passed imageby the legislature and signed by the governor, the Arizona Access plan.  Lucky both men are in fair condition but can’t last that long.  We have seen the breast cancer algorithm and again companies forget that there are people attached to these numbers.  The governor will not call a special session and there are 98 others in the same situation as the people shown in this video.  Below is the post from earlier this week.  Arizona Access had 2 companies provide them with statistics to make these decision on transplants.  See how powerful these algorithms are that compile data are and they don’t contain ethics issues.

Phoenix Man Denied a Liver Transplant Due to Arizona Budget Cuts-Patient Who Had Insurance Coverage Received the Organ

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you are a regular reader here, you no doubt know what an algorithm is by now and how the mathematical formulas used have ethics issues.  I have been talking imageabout this for 2 years about how the formulas are being used against those who do not understand the calculations.  Here’s a lawsuit the AMA settled on short payments made by United due to the algorithms created to short pay out of network charges. 

AMA Announced Settlement of Class Action Suit of $350 Million with Ingenix (United Healthcare)

Keith Olbermann talks about the fact that the studies said bone marrow transplants never work and that liver transplants rarely work.  He also brings up that doctors kicked in with some statistics on this that 42% work.  October 1st was the day that all these cuts went into place.  A new roof is being funded for the Coliseum in Phoenix but these folks can’t get their transplants to save their lives.  The governor refuses to use stimulus money to fill the gap on the funding.  What is a life worth one has to ask and is this going to continue?  It’s the power of those algorithms that run on servers 24/7 and the people that allow these mathematical formulas to make those decisions.  Here’s a good book worth reading for all of those that think the formulas are all creating accurate results.  They also create desired results and as you can hear from the video, accurate and desired may not be the same.

“Proofiness–The Dark Side of Mathematical Deception”–Created by Those Algorithms–New Book Coming Out Soon

I can’t wait until technology goes forward to where organs are grown for patients who need them.  There is hope down the road but it’s not there yet for these patients who don’t have that time to wait.  Bladders have been grown and transplanted and recently a small liver was grown, but again this is not to where it can benefit humans yet.  The link below gives information and has a video from Wake Forest on where regenerative medicine is and hopefully when this is developed and available, there will be coverage here to save lives too. 

Scientists At Wake Forest Grow a Mini Liver From Human Cells–Regenerative Medicine

Government on both federal and state levels would be miles ahead to ditch their lobbyists and get some non partisan “Algo Men” so they end up with “accurate” projections and numbers and not those created by lobbyists. 

Keith Olbermann Discussing Health Insurance–Wendell Potter and Michael Moore to Unite On MSNBC Next Week

I am very close this as I have seen it way back when HMO’s would short doctors on their monthly EOBs!  They had floating patients and most did not have the ability to go through manually and find them every month where they were shorted until I came along and built them a simple program (wrote code) so they could balance and check to see what patients were missing so the mathematical algorithms have been used for years to not only cut budgets, but to create profits on Wall Street and now we are at the point to where human lives are on the chopping block and we seem to have lost all ethics for the sake of enforcing these mathematical formulas.  BD 

Countdown with Keith Olbermann Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Read More

Leveraging Gesture Power of Kinect With Windows 7–Future Interfaces/Interactions With Electronic Medical Records (Video)

11/20/2010 01:20:00 AM  ,  

Not even a month ago Microsoft bought another 3D chip company that also uses imagegestures and you can see their video at the link below, and now we have another company working with the Kinect technology, who also worked with Surface, and it really looks hot too.  I like the gesture handwriting.  You can read more at the Evoluce website and at the blog. 

Now moving images around and solving the issue of not having so many clicks seems to be solved.  All one has to do is picture their medical records system on here without needing touch, good way to keep the germs down to a minimum too.  You can see the Kinect camera device on top of the monitor.  BD 

Microsoft Buying 3D-chip Company Canesta–Natural User Interface For PC And Will Take EHRs/PHRs to a New Level Of Interactions

image

Now I have been working with a Lenovo touch screen portable desktop and I love this one by all means and to have 3D available one day would be wonderful.  I use it as a computer and put a USB TV tuner in it and it does the Media Player thing quite well.  By the way stay tuned here as at some point in time there will be a contest to give one of these away here at the Quack too.

I can write on the surface with the TIP interface too so really no keyboard required for web searching and accessing information too.  BD 

Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z All In One Desktop Discussion

Bridging the gap between the power of Kinect and the versatility of Windows 7 is a remarkable feat. In the following video you can see the project in action as the team demonstrates Windows 7 applications being controlled and interacted with for the first time through Kinect.

Now for the rub- the team is actually leveraging Windows 7 to simultaneously control multiple multi-touch and multi-gesture applications, including those using Flash and Java. For software developers this is a big news.

By tapping into the power of Kinect and Windows 7, developers will be able to program multi-user, multi-gesture applications that will forever change the way we interact with our PCs.

According to Evoluce, a software release is not far off. The planned software is based on the latest Evoluce Multitouch Input Management (MIM) driver which delivers standard interfaces for multi-gesture software development for Windows 7, Java, XML, Flash and TUIO.

Kinect Windows 7 drivers: No-touch multitouch incoming! | Electricpig

Read More

Digital Literacy California CIO Series -Michael Peevey, President Cal Public Utilities Commission-We Need to Get Up to Par

11/20/2010 12:35:00 AM  ,  

This is another of the video series leading up to a major campaign for all to have digital literacy and in this video he speaks about Twitter and the use of social imagenetworks as being part of the literacy campaign.  He mentioned mobile units, using a PC and knowing what broadband is and says we are falling behind.  He mentions those who don’t speak English but there are many who do that need help too.  BD

California Governor Initiates Digital Literacy Campaign By Executive Order

Digital Literacy

YouTube - Digital Literacy Video Series - Part 9 - Michael Peevey

Read More

VA to develop prototype for VistA - Aviva Virtual A Web Enabled System

11/19/2010 11:19:00 PM  ,  

The revamp is needed they said to support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) initiative and make it easier to exchange patient data.

The Coast Guard just invested in a system from EPIC to also make use of the VLER program, again everyone needs to be able to exchange information.  What is interesting too is that both EPIC and Vista use the MUMPS back end to store data.  I can understand wanting a web based application as it will save installing a lot of software too and make it easier to access.  The article also says there are some bugs to be fixed as well, so what’s new there and what software does not have bugs today, I can’t any.  <grin>.  BD 

$91 Million Prime Contract Awarded to Support Medical Record Sharing Veterans Affairs Beneficiaries–VLER-Lifetime Virtual Electronic Record Program– VA and DOD

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs plans in 2011 to create prototypes to help bring its more than 30-year-old VistA electronic medical record system into the Internet age.

The prototypes will include a browser-based user interface and a multi-tiered technical architecture to serve as a foundation for VistA modernization, according to VA's annual Performance and Accountability Report, published Nov. 15. The document is an annual report card of how well an agency carries out its programs and benefits.

The prototypes will be based on the Aviva system, which stands for "A Virtual Implementation of VistA," The prototype would be Web-enabled, modular in design and capable of easily exchanging health records with other EMRs and organizations using standards built for the nationwide health information network.

VA to develop prototype for VistA overhaul | Healthcare IT News

Read More

Health Insurer Humana Introduces a New Game Called FamScape–Making It Fun to Get And Maybe Mine Your Data?

11/19/2010 08:39:00 PM  , ,  

Perhaps all those folks who sit around and play Farmville on Facebook might like this but watch out for the catch.  As you can see from the quote below, insurers are imagehiring strategists from financial service companies so why create a game if there’s not some money to be gained along the line, so now we have “game algorithms” to make it “fun” and “profitable”.  Well one thing they have studied well and that is the fact that we use computers largely to entertain first and educate second, unlike some other countries do.  This article goes on to say that the game can help sell gadgets and help prevent costly hospitalizations.  Hook up your devices the video says and send data <grin>. image

ALGORITHMIC MARKETING AND DATA MINING HAS ARRIVED!

“Some insurers have tapped strategists from financial services companies and other industries more accustomed to marketing to consumers.”

Remember this from last year with astro turfing on Facebook?  The virtual rewards have a familiar ring of some sort and being I don’t know what is exactly behind the website it’s hard to tell, but everyone is wanting to feed on the weakness of US citizens and sticking that lure of entertainment out there.

Have You Been Suckered In by FaceBook to Play Games To Support Employer and Insurance Company Reform Initiatives?

This brings me around to a post I made a couple months ago:

Why Is Almost Everyone In Healthcare Marketing Their “Ass” Off

What concerns me too is that marketing is de-valuing some good causes and products out there too.  We get hounded by consumer products, retail stores and now drug stores and healthcare services.  If we keep up at the current rate I feel that it’s going to have a downward trend and drive people nuts to where some of the good ideas and products won’t be able to work.  Seniors are getting it and I will use my 87 year old mom and her examples as she’s target for all of this.

Diabetes Police Telephone Solicitation Patrol–4 Calls Today In 2 Hours Mom Asking If There Was A Diabetic in the House

On the other side of the coin we all may know that pharmacists are on Pay for Performance from United Healthcare so now we get help with an aggression we have not seen there before either.  Some are jumping over the counter to help you whether you want it or not. 

Compliance Police Out In Force for Seniors–Health Plans and Drug Stores Making Phone Calls-Business Models & Caller Behavior Sucks -A Result of Pay for Performance Efforts?

There are a few other marketing items listed here from other insurers that are a bit more professional, like monitoring Twitter to answer questions and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the game thing, hook up devices and send data?  Who gets this data for the prizes of earning rewards?  I’ll stick with World of Warcraft for those few times I desire to delve into a game or so and besides I would rather use my PHR from HealthVault to send data as at least that way I know who has it and where it goes without worrying about someone else marketing me.  BD 

FamScape, a fitness-oriented game being tested online and through a few Best Buy Co. (BBY) electronics stores, comes from an unlikely source, Humana Inc. (HUM), one of the larger U.S. health insurers.

Another major health insurer, Cigna Corp. (CI), has a group of in-house customer-service representatives who monitor Twitter and blogs for mention of the company, with the task of quickly responding to any customer complaint.

And several insurers have developed smartphone applications, including an Aetna Inc. (AET) tool for looking up claims status, a UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) program allowing users to post their fitness progress on Facebook, and a WellPoint Inc. (WLP) app that aims to help its California members shop for healthful groceries.

Health Insurers Aim To Build Consumer Trust With Games, Services - WSJ.com

Read More

Texas Medical Association and AARP Unite To Stop the Medicare Meltdown in Congress

11/19/2010 06:15:00 PM  , ,  

As of yesterday I believe we have one more 30 day extension and that will last only until the end of the year.  It is too bad that Medicare doesn’t operate as imageinexpensively and efficient as Social Security as far as the tax payer dollars are concerned.  Well I guess we are looking at everything else today in healthcare that is outsourced there are issues.  First of all did you know that most Medicare contractors are or are owned by a subsidiary of Health Insurance company?  Everybody knows about Part D, but these folks do all the IT work for regular Medicare so where’s the line where insurance starts and government leaves off?

TMA and AARP on Medicare MD Cuts

We do need a permanent fix and I have been doing this blog for over 3 years and have many posts on this topic, like every time it comes up for a fix.  You look at some of the contracts that are given and one has to scratch their head.  There’s a lot of money made off of Medicare by Health insurance companies too.  The AMA has their campaign going as well.  Six months ago the Senate almost voted the extension down, well they did but then came back to the table for the last 6 month extension. 

AMA Begins Campaign to Urge Congress to Stop Scheduled Physician Medicare Cuts

You can read more about Medicare contractors at the link below and again try to figure out where the insurance carriers leave off and where government IT structures begin, it’s confusing with things one could say were conflicts of interest so to get a real single pay system, I don’t know how it would be done other than to pull a “Roosevelt” and take it over, anyone else have any ideas? 

Medicare Contractor Gets Deal to Monitor Physician Incentive Payments–Same Folks Earlier This Week Admonished For Not Doing Enough for Fraud Prevention?

Here’s the press release from the TMA and AAPR below and don’t forget this includes Tri-Care too. I may not be at the age yet, but I have a mother and I’m sure most of us have family and friends who would be impacted. 

In the news today, the standard CMS recommendation was sent as until the law is changed, they do that every time and it’s amazing how many today on Twitter were shocked by this, it’s the procedure and the algorithms put in place which occur unless the law is changed and the program is permanently funded.  We are living with a mistake made over 10 years ago with a bad plan and it needs a permanent fix.  BD 

Press Release:

FORT WORTH – Today, the nation’s largest state medical society and one of the largest patient-advocacy groups united to stop the Medicare Meltdown. This is the first time these two immense patient-advocacy groups have joined forces to ensure Texas’ 3 million Medicare patients receive the care promised by the U.S. government.

Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians, AARP representatives, and more than 30 patients gathered at the Trinity Terrace Retirement Community in Fort Worth, Texas, and called on Congress to fix the crisis.

Texas patients picked up their phones and asked their U.S. senators and representatives to stop a 23-percent cut to their physicians’ Medicare payments scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1 [video]. The cut grows even larger after the New Year.

“I can’t believe we are here again, for the fifth time this year, asking Congress to stop another drastic cut to physician payments,” said TMA President Susan Rudd Bailey, MD.

The new health care law did not fix a 10-year problem plaguing Medicare, the government’s largest health care program. Medicare uses a flawed formula to pay physicians for taking care of seniors, people with disabilities, and military families who rely on TRICARE. TMA’s Medicare Meltdown video explains the situation.

“We need to fix the flawed physician payment system,” said AARP Texas State President Ollie Besteiro, “so seniors can have the peace of mind that comes from knowing they have a doctor they can count on. It’s time for Congress to stop pointing fingers and work across the aisle to find a common-sense solution that won’t drive doctors out of Medicare.”

“Each time Congress plays this game of chicken, the cut to physicians grows deeper, and fear among our patients and physicians increases,” added Dr. Bailey. “Patients fear losing their physicians. Doctors worry about how they can keep their doors open and continue to see Medicare patients. It’s a heart-wrenching situation all around.”

As a result of the constant uncertainty and fear of a drastic pay cut, more physicians are not accepting NEW Medicare and TRICARE patients. Many physicians have had to lay off staff, and defer investment in new medical equipment, health information technology, and other innovations that improve patient care and save lives.

Medicare patients from Fort Worth and Dallas also shared their fears about the Medicare Meltdown at today’s telephone rally.

“Cutting Medicare is not the answer. It’d be wrong. I know the country is broke, I know that’s true; but cutting Medicare is not the answer,” said Medicare patient Dolph Compere of Fort Worth. “A cut in Medicare is going to be a disaster as far as I’m concerned.”

“That’s why this ongoing problem with Medicare is so downright frustrating and fatiguing,” said Dr. Bailey. “Our patients deserve better. They deserve a health care system they can rely on when they get sick.”

TMA physicians and AARP Medicare patients are asking patients across Texas to call Congress at (202) 224-3121, urging them to act now to stop the cut [video].

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing nearly 45,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social welfare organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice, and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Two Largest Patient-Advocacy Groups Unite to Save Medicare

Read More

Google's Wi-Fe Data Accidentally Collected With Street View Cars Will be Deleted-Some Members of Congress Should Be Happy Now

11/19/2010 04:51:00 PM  ,  

We are back to one of my favorite topics again, those folks who makes laws but were up in arms about the potential of some of their private information being gathered by Google.  Well, do what the rest of use do, use a password on your home wireless networks, IT Illiteracy here again.  They couldn’t get it if you locked it up, again like the rest of us citizens do, or we ask the Geek Squad or someone similar to do it.  This has to be embarrassing and to keep on making a stink makes it worse. 

Members of Congress Not Locking Down Their Home Wireless Networks with Passwords Now Angered At Google For Snooping with Street Views?

How in the world do people keep picking on consumers when we have role models like this?  Duh! and Duh again! 

HHS National Plan to Improve Health Literacy – Not Going To Happen Until We Focus on Using Technology (The Tool for Literacy) Which Includes Role Models at HHS And Other Places in Government

We also re-elected this guy in California too who doesn’t think cell phone safety is a big deal and was doing a live radio talk show on his phone, in the car and the crowd got to hear the conversation with the police officer on the live radio show.  It’s pretty self serving to see this happen and to be on a live talk show to boot.  If you are doing a live radio show, do what the rest of us are told to do, pull over and in his case, get a driver for that day.  We have real scary bunch at times making laws.  Maybe he can explain to Senator Harris why he has to wait for his government health insurance to kick in. 

US Congressional Representative Gets Pulled Over for Using a Cell Phone While Driving And Was Live on the Air Doing Radio Interview

When our leaders become participants, they attain a higher level of credibility, in other words, a public that has some faith in what they say and do and hopefully we can see some change here in the future. 

Google has said they will be more careful and offer privacy training, which is be careful not to pick up data from those luddites who don’t take the time to safeguard their wireless networks.  Run queries and delete right away if this should happen, kind of funny but Google is doing the right thing here to appease all the luddites without some general consumer IT literacy.  UK is not prosecuting either as I think they know too it was an accident but that’s what can happy with IT illiteracy.  BD

The UK's information commissioner has said that wi-fi data accidentally collected by Google's Street View cars will be deleted "as soon as possible".

Deputy information commissioner David Smith told the BBC that there would be no further enquiries into the matter.

He said there was no indication that any information collected "had fallen into the wrong hands".

It will not appease critics who called for the search giant to be fined.

BBC News - Google's wi-fi data to be deleted

Read More

Germany launches Microsoft HealthVault Platform–Assignio A Siemens Licensee

11/19/2010 04:06:00 PM  , ,  

Back in January of this year HeatlhVault was announced and now it looks like it is here for all to partake and get started.  You can check out the link and there’s a bit imageabout my chat with a German professor who wrote an EMR too, so we talked a lot. Siemens AG is a licensee of Microsoft HealthVault Technology.

Microsoft HealthVault and Siemens Bringing PHR Platform to Germany – And a Look at a German HER

“In October of 2009 I had the opportunity to meet many different representatives from different countries at the World Medical Tourism Conference and one of the most interesting was Dr. Kunhardt from Germany, from the University of Deggenndorf.”  BD

During Medica 2010 event in Dusseldorf, our HealthVault team, represented by Jens Dommel - Head of HealthVault, Western Europe at Microsoft Health Solutions Group, announced the launch in Germany of Assignio, a health platform powered by Microsoft HealthVault. The platform, which will be operated and marketed by Siemens IT Solutions, marks a change in the way individuals can approach their health and wellness and will steer the German health sector in a new direction.

image

During Medica 2010 in Dusseldorf, we are expecting to hear various discussions around innovation and development in the healthcare ecosystem and we believe Assignio, using HealthVault technology, is one example of how innovation can change an industry. By introducing HealthVault to the German market Siemens will help bridge the information gap between citizens and the professional medical and healthcare organizations that they interact with on an on-going basis.

There are  4 categories of services  within Assignio covering:

• Prevention
• Fitness and wellness
• Patient service
• eMedication (to help with a patient’s previous medication history)

Germany launches its HealthVault platform for all - Microsoft EMEA Health Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Read More

Bayer Cuts 4500 Jobs Worldwide–Press Release Went Out Early-How Many Employees Found Out - Will Have 2500 News Jobs In China on the Roadmap

11/19/2010 12:55:00 PM  , ,  

You can read the entire press release here where it states that they need to expand in Asia and China is the good guess and there could also be other countries involved, but most of pharma and many medical device companies are already heavily invested in China.  China as a matter of fact is making up about one third of the IPOs in the US for a small tidbit of information here.  image

Germany will be losing 1700 jobs and it sounds like they are having some of the same outsource pains we have here in the US.  One item mentioned here too in the PR is the fact that they want more innovation, but again without collaboration that doesn’t do too well so maybe there’s more collaboration in China?  It is also mentioned that the company wants to get some more generic products out there too.  The press release calls this a “redirect of resources”. 

Spare a thought and perhaps an aspirin for Bayer AG employees this morning who found out first via the wires that their company is planning to cut 4,500 of their jobs worldwide by 2012. Apparently a leak forced the German health care and crop science conglomerate to issue its press release yesterday, a day earlier than planned.

Precisely where the axe is going to fall remains unclear (since German law requires Bayer to discuss first with its employees and employee representatives before divulging its plans to the public; fair enough.) But a letter to employees at pharma division Bayer Schering Pharma from chairman Andreas Fibig reveals that this division will see headcount cut by 900 globally by 2012, not just in admin and support functions at HQ and in marketing and sales, but also in R&D and product supply.

The cuts will affect 1,700 jobs in Germany across the entire group, although Bayer Schering AG's Berlin HQ "will remain important", we're told. But about 2,500 new jobs will be created, mostly in emerging markets -- 1,000 of those will be in pharma. The group plans annual cost savings of €800 million, starting in 2013.

But while FDA is J&J's problem, Bayer hopes to launch Xarelto in four new indications in Europe and has other near-term launch assets including Eylea, Alpharadin, Riociguat and Regorafenib to think about. Plus China. Resources need to be shifted to China, says Fibig in his letter; "this isn't a downsizing exercise for us, but a shift of resources, resulting in a net positive effect on our workforce."

The IN VIVO Blog: Bayer Cuts Jobs in the Name of Growth

Read More

FDA Takes Darvon and Darvocet Off the Market

11/19/2010 12:31:00 PM  ,  

In addition to Xanodyne there are some generic manufacturers and we certainly don’t have a shortage today of pain medications out there and I can remember oh a long time ago taking a couple of these tablets after having some major dental work imagedone and I felt like my head was detached and they did not work well for me.  The drug class is a narcotic and is addictive so the DEA can scratch one off their list from the legitimate side.  In Europe, the drug has already been abandoned. 

When you stop and think that this drug came into being in 1957, that was before there was an FDA too but recently studies have shown a cardiac risk with the use is strong too.  Darvocet is the combination drug with using acetaminophen combined.  No more refills and contact your doctor for another kind of pain killer.  BD

WASHINGTON — The maker of Darvon and Darvocet announced Friday that it will stop marketing the widely used painkillers in the U.S. because of a new study linking the active ingredient in the drugs to serious and sometimes fatal heart rhythm abnormalities.
Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newport, Ky., agreed to the ban at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, which also asked makers of generic versions of the drugs' core compound, known as propoxyphene, to stop selling it in the U.S.
The decision to yank propoxyphene brings the U.S. in line with regulatory agencies in Britain and the European Union, which pulled the drug from the market more than a year ago.

Darvon and Darvocet: Painkillers Darvon, Darvocet pulled from the U.S. market - latimes.com

Read More

New Melanoma Identification Device Gets FDA Panel Approval–Questions About How Human Intervention Works with Melafind Algorithm Arise From Discussion

11/19/2010 11:39:00 AM  , ,  

We have all been reading about the FDA and their increase responsibilities for approval on medical devices where software is inherent in the functioning of a imagedevice and this story with the MelaFind device is a good example of that process.  I first reported on the device back in August of 2009 with clinical trials starting.  If this is approved it stands to be one heck of a device for dermatologists for detecting skin cancer. 

MelaFind Medical Device for Detecting Melanoma Skin Cancer Awaiting FDA Decision

According to this article, the FDA panel member was concerned that the device would replace human judgment and well we have that all over healthcare today with devices and it can be a tough call for sure.

Is the algorithm used to quantify tissue biomarkers stronger than digital pathology or are there cases when both are needed?  Don’t forget that researchers and programmers write those algorithms too so there’s always room for error with software, like we have seen with radiation software, but it has not stopped that process though so perhaps we are on the same path here to a degree, but this is different with detecting skin cancer.  To me it certainly looks like it can play a role and how it is used in a clinical surrounding is perhaps still to be adequately defined. 

Well we are back to that “A” word again and more so substantiating how algorithms live with us through all decision making processes today and the luddites that can’t come to grip with this are a serious threat with illiteracy, as those algos are not going away and stand to save lives.  Many drugs are designed algorithmically now until a lab is needed at a late stage, so it’s in the software and those algos.  BD 

MelaFind, a device designed for use by dermatologists for in-vivo detection of suspicious pigmented skin lesions, has been narrowly approved by an FDA advisory panel.

Lab Soft News: New Melanoma Identification Device Narrowly Apporoved by FDA Panel

Read More

Keith Olbermann Discussing Health Insurance–Wendell Potter and Michael Moore to Unite On MSNBC Next Week

11/18/2010 03:15:00 PM  , ,  

This is good as first off they discuss the anesthesiologist who was just elected and wanted his government insurance.  This guy needs an Algo Man and an greater imageunderstanding of what is happening in the US.  I have one MD contact that keeps complaining about the anesthesiologists who leave the surgery room and go talk on their cell phones, so these folks come in all shapes and sizes.  The hospital doesn’t do anything about it. Poor folks back there didn’t know what they elected and the lack of Health IT literacy, much less Human Resources and he is obviously out of touch as many employers require a waiting period.  Duh!  Maybe he’s one of these guys that leaves during surgery to talk on his cell phone <grin>.  image

Newly Elected Congressman, Anesthesiologist Wants His Government Provided Health Insurance Now–Study Those Algorithms for Eligibility One Might Suggest

What is happening here is all done with technology as far as using those algorithms and insurance companies live and die by them, so until the source is reached who controls what they calculate, no amount of talk helps. 

Wendell Potter, Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann

Senator Harris is just another illiterate in costing and thinks IT Infrastructures grows imageon trees and doesn’t realize how it has to be budgeted too and is expensive.  Wendell Potter knows all about those algorithms and he was on the other side when Sicko came out to keep Michael Moore quiet.  This could be called due diligence, they do that on Wall Street all the time. 

Wendell Potter Tell All Book–Deadly Spin–One to Put On My List as “He Knows Algorithms and How they Create Profits”

Wendell talks about the campaign that the insurers carried on and he was part of it before he crossed over.  I am very close this as I have seen it way back when HMO’s would short doctors on their monthly EOBs!  They had floating patients and most did not have the ability to go through manually and find them every month where they were shorted until I came along and built them a simple program (wrote code) so they could balance and check to see what patients were left off and how many dollars they were shorted, so again use of technology against those years back who had none, it’s gone on a long time.  Here’s one more book to put on your list as it has gone on for years.  There are algorithms written that bring accurate results and those that bring “desired” results and they are not always the same, look at Wall Street and I have to say no more. 

“Proofiness–The Dark Side of Mathematical Deception”–Created by Those Algorithms–New Book Coming Out Soon

I will be watching next week as this will be good to see the two who were once pitted against each other doing what we should all be doing – COLLABORAITNG FOR CARE.  BD

OLBERMANN: Last night, we told you about the anti-government health care congressman-elect who demanded his government health care the very day he starts his new job. Today, the anesthesiologist from Maryland attempted to remove the foot from his mouth and botched the procedure.

Also, in our fourth story, more details on the health care industry's covert attempt to submarine the health care reform they promised to facilitate -- and explosive revelations from health insurance company whistleblower Wendell Potter who says his own company, CIGNA, was so scared of what Michael Moore's 2007 documentary "SiCKO" would do to its bottom line that they sought a, quote, "campaign to push Michael Moore off a cliff."

Michael Moore has responded, Wendell Potter is our guest next.

Wendell Potter on the Anti-SiCKO Smear Campaign on Countdown with Keith Olbermann -- 11/17/10 | MichaelMoore.com

Read More

TSA Announces Facebook Integration For Full Body Scans-Will TSA “Junk” Postings Still Carry a “G” Rating-Is This for Real or a Hoax?

11/18/2010 12:01:00 PM  , ,  

Have we  lost our minds?  Is this an effort to make the TSA more user friendly?  Who wants their “junk” on Facebook unless may want to brag about it I guess?  You know what I think Jimmy Kimmel has a good thing going with “unfriending” folks on Facebook as who want to look at this stuff.  Who knows if images are really being discarded too or are they going to “the cloud”, just a good question to pose here on the topic.  I am posting this from what is on the web today and others are tweeting so it looks to be real or is it a hoax? 

TSA Scanners Can Store and Transmit Images – Features are Just Disabled

If you travel through some pilot airports and want privacy, you might want to look into turning off your phone too. 

TSA Pilot Program Tracking Your Cell Phone at Indianapolis Airport – Could This Have Medical Use Too?

The next question is who do you trust to run the data base algorithms to ensure that images are dumped?  That’s a good question and way beyond where I could speculate there.  The technology is getting so good that some are speculating that a use for healthcare might be contained here too. BD

TSA Eyes Full-Body Scanners – Could It Evolve To Include Looking for “Unhealthy Travelers” Too?
John Pistole, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, announced yesterday that full body scanners at airports across the nation will be seamlessly integrated with Facebook next month, allowing travelers to save, tag, and share their near-naked security photos with friends, family, and co-workers through the popular social networking site. Immediately after being subjected to a scan, the traveler’s photo will be automatically uploaded to a public album on Facebook and tagged accordingly. According to Pistole, this cutting-edge integration will allow travelers to stay more connected than ever with their social networks, letting Facebook users know when their friends have made it through airport security and if they are smuggling weapons in their rectums in real time.

WONDER-TONIC - TSA Announces Facebook Integration For Full Body Scanners

Read More

The Minder Wireless Device Connects to Collect Patient Medical Data and Transmit Via Wireless Network to Medical Record Systems Via HL7 Standards

11/18/2010 11:20:00 AM  , ,  

Cambridge Consultants, the think tank and creator of mobile devices for healthcare has added one more item to their collection to work with their VenaHub wireless imagesuite called the “Minder”.  I still think they have one of the most exotic items with the blue toot inhaler and this new product works with that device.  The blue tooth inhaler is a full data reporting device and watch the video below to see how they suggest it could be marketed.  Hold your breath on the part where they state the information can be sent to and insurance company and realize the demo was made in the UK where things are a bit different.  You can read a couple prior posts at the links below. 

The VenaHub Medical Device Hub Wirelessly Reports Health Data Compliance and the Blue Tooth Inhaler Data Compliance and the Blue Tooth Inhaler

Cambridge creates devices for companies for use in many different areas of technology.  Below are a couple examples, wireless glucose monitor and an inhaler.  The technology here uses HL7 standards to send the information directly to a EHR system via wireless transmission.  Qualcomm is a partner and supports a 3G networks and provides integrated GPS, and accelerometer and Bluetooth technologies.  Time will tell as to which technologies make it and which ones don’t and they have to integrate and not be disruptive to use too, that is called “participatory sensing” and UCLA has a big study ongoing with some of the newer wireless healthcare gadgets.  BD 

The full press release is included below.

image

image

 

 

Cambridge, MA – November 17, 2010 – Cambridge Consultants, a leading technology product design and development firm, today announced a new product concept based on its low-cost Continua-compliant Vena platform. The Minder, powered by Vena, enables continuous, real-time medical data collection and transmission via cellular networks. Increasing the accuracy and frequency of patient data reporting, the Minder demonstrates a new technology solution that can lower the cost of healthcare by improving the quality of patient care. Doubling as a pocket-sized digital patient checklist, Minder is a sophisticated gateway that captures wireless medical data and transmits it to a patient’s online health record, creating higher volume and higher quality data for Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Moreover, Minder can receive real time updates to the checklist thereby enabling two way communications with healthcare professionals or caregivers, enabling more meaningful use of e-health records.

Usually, a hospital visit is required in order to record data, such as ECG or blood pressure readings, into a patient’s EMR. However, as wireless-enabled medical devices continue to grow in number, the novel Minder device showcases a viable pathway for such readings to be acquired and transmitted remotely. For physicians and hospitals, this would provide access to more accurate data to work with, while increasing efficiency and decreasing unnecessary and expensive hospital visits. For patients, the Minder takes the stress out of the often complex daily medication and monitoring regimen.

With the goal of increasing compliance via user engagement, the Minder displays an interactive timed to-do list that can be customized for individual patients. For instance, the recovering heart attack victim can now transmit their blood pressure readings from home to their EMR in real-time. If the reading is high, the Minder could instantly alert a care provider who could have the patient carry out necessary steps by sending tasks back to the Minder. If the reading is on target, it could prevent an unnecessary hospital visit.

“The rollout of ubiquitous health monitoring is gaining traction. The question is not ‘if’ but ‘which’ technologies will take hold. Between the proliferation of countless health apps for smart phones and even the first Continua Certified smart phone, we are seeing an opportunity to drive a new market and lower health care costs via connected health solutions,” said Vaishali Kamat, Group Manager, Medical Technology, Cambridge Consultants. “The other big question going forward will be: ‘How do I design a product in a smart way so that I can get it to market without regulatory hiccups?’ We believe the answer lies in standards-based technology such as Vena, which can provide reliable platforms for dedicated health devices. In the end, the companies that clear regulatory hurdles first will most likely dominate the market.”

Blue Tooth Inhaler

The Vena technology used in Minder, leverages Cambridge Consultants experience with CSR’s BlueCore and Qualcomm’s Wearable Mobile Device (WMD) hardware and implements Continua Health Alliance standards for Personal Area Network (PAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) interfaces. Devices based on Vena can receive data via Bluetooth or USB from any Continua Certified devices and transmit this data via HL7 over cellular networks, thus empowering users to manage health and wellness anytime, anywhere. The Vena wireless healthcare software stack, embeds the Bluetooth™ Health Device Profile (HDP) optimized for the secure transport of medical data and the IEEE 11073 standards for compatible exchange of information between devices. Vena has been at the heart of Cambridge Consultants’ Vena family of devices – an inhaler, the VenaHub USB gateway, and core technology for A&D Medical’s wireless blood pressure cuff and weight scale. The Qualcomm WMD supports a variety of 3G networks and provides integrated GPS, and accelerometer and Bluetooth technologies.

With the ability to customize for different target populations – whether it’s individuals with chronic diseases, seniors living independently or those trying to fight obesity -- the Vena platform can support various device sizes, types, and complexities. Nevertheless, the Minder is a classic example of how a small gateway with a simple user interface can serve as a powerful and engaging tool for health management.

Notes for editors

Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide.  For 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies.  With a team of over 300 engineers, designers, scientists and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (USA), Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, transport, energy, cleantech and wireless communications.   

Throughout 2010, Cambridge Consultants celebrates its 50th year in business.  Created by three Cambridge graduates in 1960, the company has grown into a leading technology business, renowned worldwide for its ability to solve technical problems and provide innovative, practical solutions to commercial issues.  In 2009, the company was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.  For more information visit: www.CambridgeConsultants.com

Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, the European leader in innovation and high technology consulting.  The Group’s 17,500 consultants, operating worldwide, cover the entire range of engineering specialties, including electronics, information technology, quality and organization.  Altran offers its clients ongoing support throughout the innovation cycle, from technology watch, applied basic research and management consulting to industrial systems engineering and information systems.  The Group provides services to most industries, including the automotive, aeronautics, space, life sciences and telecommunications sectors.  Founded in 1982, Altran operates in 20 priority countries.  In 2008, it generated a turnover of €1,650 million.  For more information visit: www.altran.com

Read More

IBM and Aetna Subsidiary, ActiveHealth Management Bring Cloud EHR Health IT Program To Puerto Rico–Subsidiary Watch

11/18/2010 09:43:00 AM  , ,  

Cloud computing is certainly the way of the future and stands to save money as well as energy and here’s the latest effort between IBM and a subsidiary of Aetna insurance, those are the folks with all the data.  California is busy implementing their cloud services too with Microsoft, but what did we get at the national level, a lack of Health IT literacy as you can read below, no funds out of the Senate, duh?  You can do a search and see comments all over the web on this one and it’s not just me saying this. 

Senate Cuts Cloud Services From Budget That Would Allow for Data Center and IT Infrastructure Consolidation–Back to the 8 Track Tapes Next?

Maybe the issue is similar to these folks that left in the names of the authors on the GOP mission with not being familiar enough with how to work with pdf documents?

The Properties of an Adobe pdf Document -Rachel Maddow Rips the GOP on Lack of General Consumer IT Knowledge And Exposes the Input and Authors of the Content–Lobbyists

At any rate the world just keeps developing around some of this and now physicians with the help of Aetna insurance and maybe it’s time to dump those lobbyists for a trade off of some real Algo Men with no ties to special interests.

From the website:

I”n May of 2005, ActiveHealth was acquired by Aetna, Inc. ActiveHealth operates as a branded, standalone business. We continue to expand our business across all segments including health plans and self-insured employers.”

image

The doctors will pay a fixed monthly fee for access to the HIE technology and will be able to share data via IBM cloud operations.  Whenever a physician can obtain credible data on treatments and medications already in place for the patient, they are miles ahead and don’t have to repeat items like imaging and lab tests.  BD 

ARMONK, NY – IBM and Aetna subsidiary ActiveHealth Management, alongside Medens Corp., will deliver cloud services to help physicians in Puerto Rico share and exchange health information and make more accurate decisions about patient care.

Currently, fewer than 6 percent of doctors in Puerto Rico use health information technology, and the territory lags behind the rest of the nation in access to patient information, the use of electronic medical records and the ability to share and analyze health data to improve the health of the archipelago's nearly four million citizens.

As a result of the new agreement, Medens Corp., a Dorado, P.R. health IT firm, will provide the cloud-based IBM and ActiveHealth Management solution for collaborative care with the cloud based SOAPware EMR and Practice Management System as the foundation of its own offering, called the Medens Cloud.

IBM and Aetna bring cloud-based care to Puerto Rico | Healthcare IT News

Read More