Archive for the ‘Left to right’ Category
Some healthcare headliners to finish out the week…
Docs want to find ways to better communicate with customers. Sounds harmless, right? Well, just in case, the Ohio State Medical Association has put together a tool kit for docs in dealing with employment and patient matters when it comes to social media. That’s right, physician playbook for the likes of Twitter and Facebook.
Physicians and office staff posting to social media, Wikipedia and online physician-rating and discussion sites could run afoul of federal civil rights, disability, advertising and patient privacy laws and therefore should exercise caution, the medical association’s guide says.
The guide advises doctors to take care when accepting friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter, especially if such contacts could lead to giving casual medical advice. In doing so, the guide advises, “The physician most likely has created an electronic record of an exchange that could be construed as a physician-patient relationship,” with all the medical liability and patient privacy risks that entails.
Money where his mouth is … if we knew who “he” is
Harvard’s initiative to improve primary care got a huge boost – to the tune of $30 million. As an anonymous gift, reports the Boston Globe.
Ultimately, Harvard — which some physicians believe has neglected primary care — wants to help fix the nation’s shortage of primary care doctors by raising their status among their peers and improving working conditions, said the dean, Dr. Jeffrey Flier.
He said the center will pay part of the salaries for 20 to 30 faculty, oversee expansion of the curriculum in primary care, and fund research and experiments to test new models of providing primary care. The school hopes to recruit a renowned national leader in the field to head the center, which Harvard planned to announce today. It will open over the next few months.
Here’s one of the reasons why primary care is getting so much attention. A new study found primary care docs to be on the low end of the physician pay scale.
Overall, clinicians worked an average of 53.1 hours per week and earned an average annual income of $187,857. Compared to primary care specialists, wages were 48 percent higher for surgeons, 36 percent higher for internal medicine and pediatric subspecialties, and 45 percent higher for clinicians in other specialties.
Grab a plate and dig in…
Healthcare costs will rise almost 9 percent, say big employers
Medical apps are here
One doctor writes on how to mend a patient relationship after a medical mistake
The AMGA has 7 principles of Accountable Care Organizations
What a healthcare for all system will look like
The Wall Street Journal had a Q&A with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin
Accountable Care Organizations are gaining traction
Canadian docs think their healthcare system needs a major overhaul
There’s debate in Britain over changes to their system as well
Meanwhile, in the U.S., provisions of the healthcare legislation are coming into effect
Why a Mayberry ad is upsetting some in Washington
Lots of news for you this morning
What employers should expect, avoid in a wellness program
Here’s something they should include in a wellness program – a social clause
Despite the late hour, Congress is still debating certain measures of health policy
One doctor laments what won’t be included in switching to EMR
Independent providers and old rivals are putting aside differences to form teams
How some hospitals are trying to speed up the ER
The AMA weighs in on “Meaningful Use”
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/07/21/ama-weighs-in-on-meaningful-use-requirements-for-e-records/
The Pasadena News wonders if e-mail could bring docs and patients close together
Health Affairs looks at who stands to gain the most from reform
Jennifer Haberkorn writes for Politico that the states have some of the most difficult decisions to make with healthcare reform