HIT & BROADBAND NEEDS

 

Why decisions from the top are often incorrect.  About ten years ago (a century in terms of Internet technology the Federal government committed to spreading broadband across the rural landscape to include and engage more people.

Congress and it’s largesse, along with considerable pork-barrel funded this effort without looking into the finer details…Heads should roll in whatever branch of the U.S. Government signed the checks.  Hopefully an Inspector General can sort this out.

Let’s move over to West Virginia:

High end Cisco Router…$ 20,000 USD installed in rural one room library  Here is a story that every citizen should cry about.  It also points out how vendors game the grant system. (Feds should not announce how much money is to be granted, until after the bidding takes place.)

Attribution given to arsTechnica , an internet publication devoted to technology.

Marmet, West Virginia is a town of 1,500 people living in a thin ribbon along the banks of the Kanawha River just below Charleston. The town's public library is only open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It's housed in a small building the size of a trailer, which the state of West Virginia describes as an "extremely small facility with only one Internet connection." Which is why it's such a surprise to learn the Marmet Public Library runs this connection through a $15,000 to $20,000 Cisco 3945 router intended for "mid-size to large deployments," according to Cisco.

SPECIAL REPORT   (click)

West Virginia officials are accused of overspending at least $5 million of federal money on such routers, installed indiscriminately in both large institutions and one-room libraries across the state. The routers were purchased without ever asking the state's libraries, cops, and schools what they needed. And when distributed, the expensive routers were passed out without much apparent care. The small town of Clay received seven of them to serve a total population of 491 people... and all seven routers were installed within only .44 miles of each other at a total cost of more than $100,000. (yes, that was .44 miles, ie less than 1/2 mile apart.

In other words, the project has been a stellar example of what not to do and how not to do it

In total, $24 million was spent on the routers through a not-very-open bidding process under which non-Cisco router manufacturers such as Juniper and Alcatel-Lucent were not "given notice or any opportunity to bid." As for Cisco, which helped put the massive package together, the legislative auditor concluded that the company "had a moral responsibility to propose a plan which reasonably complied with Cisco's own engineering standards" but that instead "Cisco representatives showed a wanton indifference to the interests of the public in recommending using $24 million of public funds to purchase 1,164 Cisco model 3945 branch routers."

A million here, a million there

The routers in question were purchased as part of a much larger grant from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), which passed out several billion dollars to help upgrade broadband networks across America as part of President Obama's initial stimulus package in 2009. West Virginia's cash was meant to wire up the many "community anchor institutions" such as libraries, schools, police, and hospitals across the state with Internet access delivered over fiber-optic lines.  Instead of "right-sizing" the routers for their intended destinations, the state group of officials charged with implementing the grant decided they would make things easy by purchasing the exact same router and installing it everywhere, even in the most rural locations they planned to reach.

(This was a widespread problem; the report notes no capacity or user needs surveys were ever done before the money was spent). Instead, the team simply ordered 77 Cisco 3945 routers at a cost of $20,661 apiece—that's one $20,000 router for every 13.7 state police employees—and sent them off to the police. (Each router can handle several hundred concurrent users.)

What was the grant team thinking?

The legislative auditor was also apparently quite peeved by this entire investigation. The auditor's office sent off a fairly testy e-mail to Cisco noting that the 3945 routers were not appropriate for most West Virginia deployments—even according to Cisco's own literature.

The auditor asked one of the legislature's network specialists if he would even want a 3945 router; the man said no because "it greatly exceeds the Legislature's needs." And yet somehow more than 1,000 of them had been sent to the very furthest, most rural corners of the state.

Debarment

The State Purchasing division should determine whether Cisco's actions in this matter fall afoul of section 5A-3-33d of the West Virginia Code, and whether the company should be barred from bidding on future projects.

The report finds plenty of blame to go around. The ultimate cause of the fiasco, it says, was the fact the grant implementers did not conduct a capacity or use study before spending $24 million. They also used a "legally unauthorized purchasing process" to buy the routers, which resulted in only modest competition for the bid. Finally, Cisco is accused of knowingly selling the state larger routers than it needed and of showing a "wanton indifference to the interests of the public."

As for that $5+ million the state could have saved, it would have paid for 104 additional miles of fiber.

A word to the wise….All those planning and implementing HIT, HIX and/or EMR deployments need a watchdog to prevent abuse of the HITECH ACT.

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.

 

Technorati Tags: senilicide,invalidicide,suicide,inuit,eskimo,gdp,affordable care act,alzheimers,senility,great challenges

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)

  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

 

Technorati Tags: copyright,creative commons,open source,transparency,blogs,twitter,facebook,google plus,data driven health,data base,panton principle,open knowledge

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'

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 !

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.

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.

Technorati Tags: apology,mistake,health train express,healthworkcollective,networked blogs

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.

 

 

Technorati Tags: X prize,futuremed,singularity,nanovirus,hiv,influenza,hepatitis,herpes,neuromedicine,data driven health,regenerative,obamacare,medicine,medtech,robotics,nasa ames

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

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…

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