Listen Up

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Alzheimer’s: The Coming Tsunami

 

Join us in a Demonstration of Alzheimer’s Disease

The statistics are frightening. And while this video does not truly represent Alzheimer’s disease it does show the effects of poor vision, hearing, sensory deprivation, neuropathies and auditory hallucinations.

Great Challenges attempts to examine the challenge and possible solutions

By 2020 there will be 43 million Americans over 65 and 15 million over 85 (double the figures of 1980). Almost certainly, we are facing an unprecedented number of mentally impaired citizens.

Not only will this impact the elderly, but their children who must care for them in the face of their very own challenges, in some cases still raising there own children Long term care facilities will be overwhelmed with the need, and the economics require creative thinking.

Perhaps society as a whole must care for it’s aging population by a rotating care giver community. Smaller community homes with 6-10 residents cared for by local families, and friends in addition to professional care-givers.

We have little choice but to prepare as best we can, not live in denial and think out of the box for solutions.

At today’s rate healthcare is 17% of the GDP, and even with cost constraints, the Affordable Care Act and Accountable Care Organizations, it could skyrocket.

People are uncomfortable speaking about death or imminent death…yet we must.

Did the eskimos know something we don’t?  The popular legend that the Eskimos put their old people on ice floes and set them adrift is wrong in detail, but it's not terribly far off in the broad strokes.

In good times, a healthy old person (or child or disabled person) was almost never killed or abandoned merely for being a burden. In the few recorded cases where younger family members did kill their elders without cause, they suffered social stigma, the severest punishment available in traditional Eskimo culture, which was essentially anarchic.

In hard times, older Eskimos often felt they were a burden, and asked their younger relatives to kill them.

None of this is especially comforting when your kids start making noise about putting you in the Shady Rest and how much better it would be than an ice floe. I can only suggest pointing out the economic realities: Even the Eskimos didn't do away with elders who were still providing free room and board.

Hmmmm, maybe I shouldn’t ask my sons to move out…….just yet.

 

Introduction to the Panton Principles

 

Openness and transparency along with patient-centric healthcare go hand in hand.  The copyright rules have changed, with new categories for electronic publishing and a stratification has taken place in copyright notices.  One size no longer fits all.  I call this the Reverse-Spandex theory. Copy right law has been restrictive however it was tailored for previous generations and forbid any reproduction without the author/publisher permission.  Today a Creative Commons License is ubiquitous in electronic publications, to encourage dissemination of information.

The Panton Principle should be familiar to physicians and scientists.  For physicians who are not engaged in clinical or scientific publishing, it may not be well known, but it has great significance for patient-centric medicine and in blogging about health care, and social media

Creative Commons Attribution (the short version) (the legal version).

Please watch the video: (courtesy of The Open Knowledge Foundation)

http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/presskit/buttons/88x31/png/by-nc-sa.eu.png  FAQs

In its simplest form, if the document has the Creative Commons Attribution icon you may use it without fear as long as  you give attribution to its original author.

Openness not only applies to government, but to health care, data bases, and other archived data from many scientific journals as well.

The CCA has and will accelerate the transfer of information, just as social media is accomplishing #hcsm #healthreform #glevin1

 

Will-Virtual-Assistants-Propel-the-Future-of-Medicine-Infographic.jpg (700×3047)

Will-Virtual-Assistants-Propel-the-Future-of-Medicine-Infographic.jpg 

'via Blog this'

AAFP Suggests Delaying, Reining in Meaningful Use Stage Three Requirements -- AAFP News Now -- AAFP

AAFP Suggests Delaying, Reining in Meaningful Use Stage Three Requirements -- AAFP News Now -- AAFP:

Push back from the medical community......MU stage III will increase cost to providers to upgrade their EMRs

'via Blog this'

7 Nutrients That Cancer-proof Your Body

7 Nutrients That Cancer-proof Your Body:

Yes Virginia, there are steps you can use to reduce your risk of Cancer.  In addition to these listed in the article:

1. Use UV blocker on your skin
2..Reduce your fat intake
3. Control your weight
4. Avoid toxic compounds, and regions that have an increase rate of cancers
5. Live in the far east
6. Do not smoke

In a time when we are hearing how much technology will help your health, the simple things still matter the most.

Men....Despite what CDC said about routine PSA testing for Prostate Cancer, doctors have refuted this advice..Listen to your doctor.

Women:  If you have a family history of Cervical Cancer, or Breast Cancer get a Pap smear once a year, and have a breast examination, as well as a BRCA test.




'via Blog this'

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

HIPAA Security Rule

HIPAA Security Rule:  This Special Publication discusses security considerations and resources that may provide value when implementing the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule.

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-66-Rev1/SP-800-66-Revision1.pdf

'via Blog this'

HIPAA Compliant Products Must Secure Protected Health Information

HIPAA Compliant Products Must Secure Protected Health Information:

'via Blog this'

HIPAA ?  Not so on many consumer laptops.... It is overkill !

Monday, February 25, 2013

EHR users unhappy, many switching | Healthcare IT News

EHR users unhappy, many switching | Healthcare IT News: "EHR users unhappy, many switching"

Meaningful use is challenging many providers with the requirement of reporting and adding new information in their current EMR.  M.U. Stage I has been implemented, Stage II deadline is near or passed, and Stage III which is the most intrusive will be due next year (2014)

In addition to those requirements Clinical Decision Making will be the mantra for the remainder of this decade. The development of affordable Natural Language Processing will empower medical practices to integrate this aid.

For most MDs this will assist and accelerate the process by conifrming evidence based medicine and suitable references.  This may reduce medico-legal incidents.  It will also empower the addition of physician extenders.

HTE recommends that potential EMR users, and/or those considering making a switch to postopone a change at this time.  Most of the new requirements are not yet available in current systems. Potential upgrades should be verified from current vendors. Our experience has been that many vendors who promise upgrades do not deliver.  Clinical Decision Making may be available as a separate program or as a new module for your present EMR.  The most functional CDM is integrated and capable of extracting information from you current system. This reduces error and time as well as affording transparency and seamless behind the scene functionality.


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Once is Enough

 

My apologies for yesterday’s redundant content.  I am not sure what happened..must have been when I copied and pasted from my word editor into the blog… Face is red, blog is read three times….They say you have to read something three times to learn it. So that is my excuse.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Future Med from Singularity Hub

 

The Future Med from Singularity Hub has arrived on the Health Train Express. As usual the brightest minds presented new ideas already in existence and some likely developments in the near.

Singularity University was the site for FutureMed 2013 in Silicon Valley at the NASA Ames Facility It wasn't cheap but the $ 8500 USD fee provided a turnkey experience..room..board...and the chance to hang with the 1%. I suppose most people can find a way to write it off as a deduction and have Uncle Sam subsidize your educational bent.

One can chose to hear it first, smell the crowd and wallow lavishly in the sound of bling on your neighbor's wrist or neck. Or if you are like me, the lowly physician who has seen his overhead skyrocket from 35-55% to over 80%, and has had to cease and desist from charity care in favor of supporting ObamaCare, you will attend online via a number of sources ranging from streaming video to informed bloggers and national media sources.

Most of this stuff is so advanced that a delay of one day, one week, one month, or one year is not going to amount to a significant disadvantage of not attending the 'hatching'.

FutureMed is geared around six exponentially growing areas, each taught by world class experts from the worlds of medicine, biotech and innovation. These include lectures, workshops, discussions and site visits.

1. INFORMATION – DATA DRIVEN HEALTH: Digitization of healthcare, Electronic health records, Imaging Technology, Wearable devices, Wireless monitoring to ubiquitous Apps. The ‘Big Data’ explosion… from Imaging & Diagnostics to Mobile & Internet Enabled Health… Knowledge liquidity and leveraging information to enhance diagnostics, prevention and therapy…

2. PERSONALIZED MEDICINE & ‘Omics: Low cost, point of care Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Environmental monitoring… from Systems Medicine to the rapidly emerging world of Synthetic Biology and DIY-Genomics.

3. REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Stem cells & beyond for the repair, replacement and regeneration of tissues and organs damaged by aging, trauma or disease, from cell therapy to limb regeneration. Cellular alchemy (reprogramming skin cell to cardiomyocytes) to tissue engineering and 3-D printing of organs and tissues.

4. FUTURE INTERVENTION: From Robotic Surgery, Bionic limbs and Exoskeletons, Smart pills, and Implantable Devices, to Targeted gene therapy, and ever shrinking and more capable devices, Nanomedicine.

5. NEUROMEDICINE: Real time brain imaging, Brain computer interface (BCI), Cognitive Enhancement, Targeted neurointervention, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

6. MEDTECH/BIOTECH & ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Includes the future of Pharma and Drug Discovery, Synthetic Biology, Medical Device Development and the funding, opportunities and barriers (regulatory and otherwise) of biomedical innovation. The Drive to lower costs and more effective therapies. Impact of the FDA to Healthcare Models (Accountable Care Organizations).

The program focuses on three specific Application Areas, specifically the Future of…

MEDICAL PRACTICE & PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: How will convergent technologies impact the practice of medicine, diagnostics and clinical decision support, to new models of care from concierge practices to telemedicine… from feedback loops with patients utilizing wearable physiologic monitors, the networked ‘Medical home’ and beyond. Can care get better and at lower costs?  How will better informed, engaged and socially connected patients interact with the healthcare system?

HEALTH & WELLNESS:How will personalization, nutrigenomics and regenerative medicine impact wellness, prevention and longevity?

GLOBAL HEALTH: Leveraging technology for the developing world, and learning lessons from the underdeveloped to apply in ours, from rapid viral detection & forcasting and vaccine development to strategies to prevent and treat disease in underserved and remote communities.

Here are some specifics:

FutureMed Schedule: FutureMed Singularity University: FutureMed2013: Highlights of 2013

Perhaps one of the week’s most inspiring moments came when Jack Andraka’s 15-minute talk, “The Future of Oncology,” brought the room to its feet on Tuesday. Though Andraka is but a sophomore in high school, he’s invented a new diagnostic technique for pancreatic cancer using carbon nanotubes.

Catherine Mohr, Director of Medical Research at Intuitive Surgical, delivered a fascinating lecture on the future of robotic surgery. Robotic surgery isn’t itself the disruptive technology, she said. Rather, as cutting edge diagnostic tools on the molecular level allow oncologists to diagnose earlier and earlier, surgeons will need to remove smaller and smaller tumors. Put simply, robotic surgical systems won’t drive this change—they’ll need to adapt to it.

Big data was another prime theme this year. Information that was once limited to a few select individuals in a lab or exclusive scientific community is now available to the public at large. Never mind credentials—great ideas can come from outsiders, peeking in with fresh eyes and a beginner’s mind. Indeed, Andraka used Google, Wikipedia, and free online journal articles to do the initial research behind his diagnostic invention.

Stanford’s Atul Butte told participants, “We’re drowning in data.” Butte’s Stanford lab outsources experiments, finding it more efficient to simply buy data for analysis. Just as kids in garages once built computers, incoming generations will create “garage pharma” and “dormroom biotech.”

Kohn’s session was paired with famed investor Vinod Khosla who spoke of decreasing the need for physicians and leveraging big data and data analytics to improve diagnostics and outcomes. And later in the week, FutureMed welcomed Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health and Information Technology. Mostashari said that by leveraging more connected medical records we can dramatically improve outcomes.

Andrew Hessel on synthetic biology—the use of DNA as a programming language to build living systems from the ground up.

Alan Russel on regenerative medicine and how to speed the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The Computer History Museum capped the program with a day of demos, talks, and a pitch contest by 17 biotech and health startups from around the world. Singularity University alum, Erez Livneh, won the pitch contest with his company Vecoy Nanomedicines. Vecoy makes nanoparticle “virus traps” that mimic human cells and lure viruses (eg., HIV, influenza, hepatitis, herpes) to attack them—once lured into the trap, the nanoparticles inactivate the virus.

And now for the Star Trek 'Tricorder', once science fiction and now almost a reality.

The Future Med from Singularity Hub has arrived on the Health Train Express. As usual the brightest minds presented new ideas already in existence and some likely developments in the near.

Singularity University was the site for FutureMed 2013 in Silicon Valley at the NASA Ames Facility It wasn't cheap but the $ 8500 USD fee provided a turnkey experience..room..board...and the chance to hang with the 1%. I suppose most people can find a way to write it off as a deduction and have Uncle Sam subsidize your educational bent.

One can chose to hear it first, smell the crowd and wallow lavishly in the sound of bling on your neighbor's wrist or neck. Or if you are like me, the lowly physician who has seen his overhead skyrocket from 35-55% to over 80%, and has had to cease and desist from charity care in favor of supporting ObamaCare, you will attend online via a number of sources ranging from streaming video to informed bloggers and national media sources.

Most of this stuff is so advanced that a delay of one day, one week, one month, or one year is not going to amount to a significant disadvantage of not attending the 'hatching'.

FutureMed is geared around six exponentially growing areas, each taught by world class experts from the worlds of medicine, biotech and innovation. These include lectures, workshops, discussions and site visits.

1. INFORMATION – DATA DRIVEN HEALTH: Digitization of healthcare, Electronic health records, Imaging Technology, Wearable devices, Wireless monitoring to ubiquitous Apps. The ‘Big Data’ explosion… from Imaging & Diagnostics to Mobile & Internet Enabled Health… Knowledge liquidity and leveraging information to enhance diagnostics, prevention and therapy…

2. PERSONALIZED MEDICINE & ‘Omics: Low cost, point of care Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Environmental monitoring… from Systems Medicine to the rapidly emerging world of Synthetic Biology and DIY-Genomics.

3. REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Stem cells & beyond for the repair, replacement and regeneration of tissues and organs damaged by aging, trauma or disease, from cell therapy to limb regeneration. Cellular alchemy (reprogramming skin cell to cardiomyocytes) to tissue engineering and 3-D printing of organs and tissues.

4. FUTURE INTERVENTION: From Robotic Surgery, Bionic limbs and Exoskeletons, Smart pills, and Implantable Devices, to Targeted gene therapy, and ever shrinking and more capable devices, Nanomedicine.

5. NEUROMEDICINE: Real time brain imaging, Brain computer interface (BCI), Cognitive Enhancement, Targeted neurointervention, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

6. MEDTECH/BIOTECH & ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Includes the future of Pharma and Drug Discovery, Synthetic Biology, Medical Device Development and the funding, opportunities and barriers (regulatory and otherwise) of biomedical innovation. The Drive to lower costs and more effective therapies. Impact of the FDA to Healthcare Models (Accountable Care Organizations).

The program focuses on three specific Application Areas, specifically the Future of…

MEDICAL PRACTICE & PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: How will convergent technologies impact the practice of medicine, diagnostics and clinical decision support, to new models of care from concierge practices to telemedicine… from feedback loops with patients utilizing wearable physiologic monitors, the networked ‘Medical home’ and beyond. Can care get better and at lower costs?  How will better informed, engaged and socially connected patients interact with the healthcare system?

HEALTH & WELLNESS:How will personalization, nutrigenomics and regenerative medicine impact wellness, prevention and longevity?

GLOBAL HEALTH: Leveraging technology for the developing world, and learning lessons from the underdeveloped to apply in ours, from rapid viral detection & forcasting and vaccine development to strategies to prevent and treat disease in underserved and remote communities.

Here are some specifics:

FutureMed Schedule: FutureMed Singularity University: FutureMed2013: Highlights of 2013

Perhaps one of the week’s most inspiring moments came when Jack Andraka’s 15-minute talk, “The Future of Oncology,” brought the room to its feet on Tuesday. Though Andraka is but a sophomore in high school, he’s invented a new diagnostic technique for pancreatic cancer using carbon nanotubes.

Catherine Mohr, Director of Medical Research at Intuitive Surgical, delivered a fascinating lecture on the future of robotic surgery. Robotic surgery isn’t itself the disruptive technology, she said. Rather, as cutting edge diagnostic tools on the molecular level allow oncologists to diagnose earlier and earlier, surgeons will need to remove smaller and smaller tumors. Put simply, robotic surgical systems won’t drive this change—they’ll need to adapt to it.

Big data was another prime theme this year. Information that was once limited to a few select individuals in a lab or exclusive scientific community is now available to the public at large. Never mind credentials—great ideas can come from outsiders, peeking in with fresh eyes and a beginner’s mind. Indeed, Andraka used Google, Wikipedia, and free online journal articles to do the initial research behind his diagnostic invention.

Stanford’s Atul Butte told participants, “We’re drowning in data.” Butte’s Stanford lab outsources experiments, finding it more efficient to simply buy data for analysis. Just as kids in garages once built computers, incoming generations will create “garage pharma” and “dormroom biotech.”

Kohn’s session was paired with famed investor Vinod Khosla who spoke of decreasing the need for physicians and leveraging big data and data analytics to improve diagnostics and outcomes. And later in the week, FutureMed welcomed Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health and Information Technology. Mostashari said that by leveraging more connected medical records we can dramatically improve outcomes.

Andrew Hessel on synthetic biology—the use of DNA as a programming language to build living systems from the ground up.

Alan Russel on regenerative medicine and how to speed the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The Computer History Museum capped the program with a day of demos, talks, and a pitch contest by 17 biotech and health startups from around the world. Singularity University alum, Erez Livneh, won the pitch contest with his company Vecoy Nanomedicines. Vecoy makes nanoparticle “virus traps” that mimic human cells and lure viruses (eg., HIV, influenza, hepatitis, herpes) to attack them—once lured into the trap, the nanoparticles inactivate the virus.

And now for the Star Trek 'Tricorder', once science fiction and now almost a reality.

The Future Med from Singularity Hub has arrived on the Health Train Express. As usual the brightest minds presented new ideas already in existence and some likely developments in the near.

Singularity University was the site for FutureMed 2013 in Silicon Valley at the NASA Ames Facility It wasn't cheap but the $ 8500 USD fee provided a turnkey experience..room..board...and the chance to hang with the 1%. I suppose most people can find a way to write it off as a deduction and have Uncle Sam subsidize your educational bent.

One can chose to hear it first, smell the crowd and wallow lavishly in the sound of bling on your neighbor's wrist or neck. Or if you are like me, the lowly physician who has seen his overhead skyrocket from 35-55% to over 80%, and has had to cease and desist from charity care in favor of supporting ObamaCare, you will attend online via a number of sources ranging from streaming video to informed bloggers and national media sources.

Most of this stuff is so advanced that a delay of one day, one week, one month, or one year is not going to amount to a significant disadvantage of not attending the 'hatching'.

FutureMed is geared around six exponentially growing areas, each taught by world class experts from the worlds of medicine, biotech and innovation. These include lectures, workshops, discussions and site visits.

1. INFORMATION – DATA DRIVEN HEALTH: Digitization of healthcare, Electronic health records, Imaging Technology, Wearable devices, Wireless monitoring to ubiquitous Apps. The ‘Big Data’ explosion… from Imaging & Diagnostics to Mobile & Internet Enabled Health… Knowledge liquidity and leveraging information to enhance diagnostics, prevention and therapy…

2. PERSONALIZED MEDICINE & ‘Omics: Low cost, point of care Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Environmental monitoring… from Systems Medicine to the rapidly emerging world of Synthetic Biology and DIY-Genomics.

3. REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Stem cells & beyond for the repair, replacement and regeneration of tissues and organs damaged by aging, trauma or disease, from cell therapy to limb regeneration. Cellular alchemy (reprogramming skin cell to cardiomyocytes) to tissue engineering and 3-D printing of organs and tissues.

4. FUTURE INTERVENTION: From Robotic Surgery, Bionic limbs and Exoskeletons, Smart pills, and Implantable Devices, to Targeted gene therapy, and ever shrinking and more capable devices, Nanomedicine.

5. NEUROMEDICINE: Real time brain imaging, Brain computer interface (BCI), Cognitive Enhancement, Targeted neurointervention, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

6. MEDTECH/BIOTECH & ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Includes the future of Pharma and Drug Discovery, Synthetic Biology, Medical Device Development and the funding, opportunities and barriers (regulatory and otherwise) of biomedical innovation. The Drive to lower costs and more effective therapies. Impact of the FDA to Healthcare Models (Accountable Care Organizations).

The program focuses on three specific Application Areas, specifically the Future of…

MEDICAL PRACTICE & PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: How will convergent technologies impact the practice of medicine, diagnostics and clinical decision support, to new models of care from concierge practices to telemedicine… from feedback loops with patients utilizing wearable physiologic monitors, the networked ‘Medical home’ and beyond. Can care get better and at lower costs?  How will better informed, engaged and socially connected patients interact with the healthcare system?

HEALTH & WELLNESS:How will personalization, nutrigenomics and regenerative medicine impact wellness, prevention and longevity?

GLOBAL HEALTH: Leveraging technology for the developing world, and learning lessons from the underdeveloped to apply in ours, from rapid viral detection & forcasting and vaccine development to strategies to prevent and treat disease in underserved and remote communities.

Here are some specifics:

FutureMed Schedule: FutureMed Singularity University: FutureMed2013: Highlights of 2013

Perhaps one of the week’s most inspiring moments came when Jack Andraka’s 15-minute talk, “The Future of Oncology,” brought the room to its feet on Tuesday. Though Andraka is but a sophomore in high school, he’s invented a new diagnostic technique for pancreatic cancer using carbon nanotubes.

Catherine Mohr, Director of Medical Research at Intuitive Surgical, delivered a fascinating lecture on the future of robotic surgery. Robotic surgery isn’t itself the disruptive technology, she said. Rather, as cutting edge diagnostic tools on the molecular level allow oncologists to diagnose earlier and earlier, surgeons will need to remove smaller and smaller tumors. Put simply, robotic surgical systems won’t drive this change—they’ll need to adapt to it.

Big data was another prime theme this year. Information that was once limited to a few select individuals in a lab or exclusive scientific community is now available to the public at large. Never mind credentials—great ideas can come from outsiders, peeking in with fresh eyes and a beginner’s mind. Indeed, Andraka used Google, Wikipedia, and free online journal articles to do the initial research behind his diagnostic invention.

Stanford’s Atul Butte told participants, “We’re drowning in data.” Butte’s Stanford lab outsources experiments, finding it more efficient to simply buy data for analysis. Just as kids in garages once built computers, incoming generations will create “garage pharma” and “dormroom biotech.”

Kohn’s session was paired with famed investor Vinod Khosla who spoke of decreasing the need for physicians and leveraging big data and data analytics to improve diagnostics and outcomes. And later in the week, FutureMed welcomed Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health and Information Technology. Mostashari said that by leveraging more connected medical records we can dramatically improve outcomes.

Andrew Hessel on synthetic biology—the use of DNA as a programming language to build living systems from the ground up.

Alan Russel on regenerative medicine and how to speed the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The Computer History Museum capped the program with a day of demos, talks, and a pitch contest by 17 biotech and health startups from around the world. Singularity University alum, Erez Livneh, won the pitch contest with his company Vecoy Nanomedicines. Vecoy makes nanoparticle “virus traps” that mimic human cells and lure viruses (eg., HIV, influenza, hepatitis, herpes) to attack them—once lured into the trap, the nanoparticles inactivate the virus.

The Future Med from Singularity Hub has arrived on the Health Train Express. As usual the brightest minds presented new ideas already in existence and some likely developments in the near.

Singularity University was the site for FutureMed 2013 in Silicon Valley at the NASA Ames Facility It wasn't cheap but the $ 8500 USD fee provided a turnkey experience..room..board...and the chance to hang with the 1%. I suppose most people can find a way to write it off as a deduction and have Uncle Sam subsidize your educational bent.

One can chose to hear it first, smell the crowd and wallow lavishly in the sound of bling on your neighbor's wrist or neck. Or if you are like me, the lowly physician who has seen his overhead skyrocket from 35-55% to over 80%, and has had to cease and desist from charity care in favor of supporting ObamaCare, you will attend online via a number of sources ranging from streaming video to informed bloggers and national media sources.

Most of this stuff is so advanced that a delay of one day, one week, one month, or one year is not going to amount to a significant disadvantage of not attending the 'hatching'.

FutureMed is geared around six exponentially growing areas, each taught by world class experts from the worlds of medicine, biotech and innovation. These include lectures, workshops, discussions and site visits.

1. INFORMATION – DATA DRIVEN HEALTH: Digitization of healthcare, Electronic health records, Imaging Technology, Wearable devices, Wireless monitoring to ubiquitous Apps. The ‘Big Data’ explosion… from Imaging & Diagnostics to Mobile & Internet Enabled Health… Knowledge liquidity and leveraging information to enhance diagnostics, prevention and therapy…

2. PERSONALIZED MEDICINE & ‘Omics: Low cost, point of care Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Environmental monitoring… from Systems Medicine to the rapidly emerging world of Synthetic Biology and DIY-Genomics.

3. REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Stem cells & beyond for the repair, replacement and regeneration of tissues and organs damaged by aging, trauma or disease, from cell therapy to limb regeneration. Cellular alchemy (reprogramming skin cell to cardiomyocytes) to tissue engineering and 3-D printing of organs and tissues.

4. FUTURE INTERVENTION: From Robotic Surgery, Bionic limbs and Exoskeletons, Smart pills, and Implantable Devices, to Targeted gene therapy, and ever shrinking and more capable devices, Nanomedicine.

5. NEUROMEDICINE: Real time brain imaging, Brain computer interface (BCI), Cognitive Enhancement, Targeted neurointervention, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

6. MEDTECH/BIOTECH & ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Includes the future of Pharma and Drug Discovery, Synthetic Biology, Medical Device Development and the funding, opportunities and barriers (regulatory and otherwise) of biomedical innovation. The Drive to lower costs and more effective therapies. Impact of the FDA to Healthcare Models (Accountable Care Organizations).

The program focuses on three specific Application Areas, specifically the Future of…

MEDICAL PRACTICE & PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: How will convergent technologies impact the practice of medicine, diagnostics and clinical decision support, to new models of care from concierge practices to telemedicine… from feedback loops with patients utilizing wearable physiologic monitors, the networked ‘Medical home’ and beyond. Can care get better and at lower costs?  How will better informed, engaged and socially connected patients interact with the healthcare system?

HEALTH & WELLNESS:How will personalization, nutrigenomics and regenerative medicine impact wellness, prevention and longevity?

GLOBAL HEALTH: Leveraging technology for the developing world, and learning lessons from the underdeveloped to apply in ours, from rapid viral detection & forcasting and vaccine development to strategies to prevent and treat disease in underserved and remote communities.

Here are some specifics:

FutureMed Schedule: FutureMed Singularity University: FutureMed2013: Highlights of 2013

Perhaps one of the week’s most inspiring moments came when Jack Andraka’s 15-minute talk, “The Future of Oncology,” brought the room to its feet on Tuesday. Though Andraka is but a sophomore in high school, he’s invented a new diagnostic technique for pancreatic cancer using carbon nanotubes.

Catherine Mohr, Director of Medical Research at Intuitive Surgical, delivered a fascinating lecture on the future of robotic surgery. Robotic surgery isn’t itself the disruptive technology, she said. Rather, as cutting edge diagnostic tools on the molecular level allow oncologists to diagnose earlier and earlier, surgeons will need to remove smaller and smaller tumors. Put simply, robotic surgical systems won’t drive this change—they’ll need to adapt to it.

Big data was another prime theme this year. Information that was once limited to a few select individuals in a lab or exclusive scientific community is now available to the public at large. Never mind credentials—great ideas can come from outsiders, peeking in with fresh eyes and a beginner’s mind. Indeed, Andraka used Google, Wikipedia, and free online journal articles to do the initial research behind his diagnostic invention.

Stanford’s Atul Butte told participants, “We’re drowning in data.” Butte’s Stanford lab outsources experiments, finding it more efficient to simply buy data for analysis. Just as kids in garages once built computers, incoming generations will create “garage pharma” and “dormroom biotech.”

Kohn’s session was paired with famed investor Vinod Khosla who spoke of decreasing the need for physicians and leveraging big data and data analytics to improve diagnostics and outcomes. And later in the week, FutureMed welcomed Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health and Information Technology. Mostashari said that by leveraging more connected medical records we can dramatically improve outcomes.

Andrew Hessel on synthetic biology—the use of DNA as a programming language to build living systems from the ground up.

Alan Russel on regenerative medicine and how to speed the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The Computer History Museum capped the program with a day of demos, talks, and a pitch contest by 17 biotech and health startups from around the world. Singularity University alum, Erez Livneh, won the pitch contest with his company Vecoy Nanomedicines. Vecoy makes nanoparticle “virus traps” that mimic human cells and lure viruses (eg., HIV, influenza, hepatitis, herpes) to attack them—once lured into the trap, the nanoparticles inactivate the virus.

And now for the Star Trek 'Tricorder', once science fiction and now almost a reality.

 

 

Friday, February 22, 2013

Obama Care Shock (and) Awe

ObamaCare Shockers

I have always stated that Obamacare would have unintended consequences and negative effects that require some level of interest in how insurance really works when coupled with an eligibility system derived from the welfare system.

In what Paul Craig Roberts calls the most comprehensive analysis available on ObamaCare, a person who wishes to remain anonymous explains how Obama Care “works for the insurance companies but not for you”

Obamacare, a Deception
Lower-income Americans who receive a subsidy to buy mandated insurance may have to pay it back if their income increases. In other words, instead of an expected tax refund they will get a bill. Note that the subsidy (“advance tax credit”) was paid to the insurance company, but the payback comes from the individual.
Persons eligible for Medicaid cannot receive a tax credit. If an Exchange finds a person to be eligible for Medicaid, he will be enrolled. Some states will auto-enroll people in Medicaid who appear to be eligible when they apply for another program such as SNAP (food stamps). If their income changes, people may be bounced back and forth from Medicaid to a tax-subsidized plan.
If a person is put into Medicaid, he has just gotten a mandated collateral loan if he uses Medicaid benefits at age 55 or older. Depending on state law, anything in the estate (the multi-generational family home and everything in it, annuities, bank accounts, etc.) may be subject to state recovery of funds expended by Medicaid for certain benefits, or possibly of all expenditures. This happens because the asset test was dropped as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA 1993). While this provision does not come from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion means it can be applied much more widely. “Recovery provides revenue for cash-strapped states and it’s a big business,” the article states. It is not clear how disclosure of this provision will be made if people are bumped into Medicaid or auto-enrolled.
For some reason, getting people to enroll in ObamaCare is expected to require a high-pressure sales pitch. Enter “Enroll America,” a tax-exempt organization backed by Big Insurance. Spin experts are working on what to say and what not to say.

So, let's say you are currently unemployed, or underemployed and you do qualify for one of these Health Benefit Exchange subsidized plans and you sign up for the year. Six months into the year you are hired ! Surprise you now have to pay back whatever the subsidy amounted to. As Paul Craig Roberts writes in the Institute for Political Economy, It's very complicated”.

Come April 15th of each year you will now need a CPA, a tax specialist, a health insurance expert, and another volume of the IRS Tax Code.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Social Media Events

It’s a great day for social ! Outdoors, indoors, or on the internet. Here’s why I jog in the morning.  The view is of Mount Wilson in the distance…

Monday, February 18, 2013

Zeitgeist and Health Train Express

 

How many of my fellow Google Plussers know what Zeitgeist is all about? I admit I did not know until a few hours ago when I was preparing a story about the future of healthcare and medicine. What I realized immediately is that the future of healthcare and medical advances has nothing to do with medicine or healthcare, by themselves.

I spent the greater part of today, a Saturday to think about Ben Carson MD and his presentation at the National Prayer Breakfast. I spoke about the presentation in an  earlier blog post.

It set off a chain of topics connected by my stumbling upon a series of TEDMED events and Singularity University. It connects great minds and great expectations via Futuremed 2013.

Finally for today and the rest of February 18-22nd 2013 Social Media Week #smw13  is taking place around the globe, with events in New York, Washington, D.C. Milan, Paris, Laga,Singapore, Copenhagen,Bogota, Chicago,Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Shangai, Torina, and Vancouver.

It seems appropriate discussing Google   Zeitgeist since plus has become another thread in the fabric of social media. 2012 was an awesome year, and 2013 promises to be even better

Health Train Express will focus on health related topics in social media around the globe.

The week will bring together the world of social media…different views from different cultures. Social media will bring it together….social media is a form of information exchange.

Recharge, renew, innovate, greet change with enthusiasm, lead, or be lead.