Category Archives: Emergency Medicine

Tele-ICU comes of age

Posted on by

icuATA session examines the benefits of telemedicine in intensive care

After 25 years, virtual critical care is getting a closer look.

The time is right for tele-ICU. The need for more intensive-care beds is acute. The cost of caring for critically ill patients has never been higher. Continue reading →

When Money Isn’t Enough to Lure Rural Docs

Posted on by

lure(Second in a three-part series on recruiting and retaining physicians for underserved communities.)

The struggle to attract and keep rural physicians has grown so intense that many communities are now starting as early as early as their second year of residency to recruit new physicians. Continue reading →

Blood Lead Levels High in 535,000 Kids in the USA

Posted on by

leadStory at-a-glance

  • 535,000 US kids aged 1 to 5 years have blood lead levels higher than 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), the ”level of concern” at which health problems may occur
  • Lead may cause permanent damage to your brain and nervous system; children under 6 are most at risk for lead exposure and related health problems
  • Common sources of lead exposure include lead-based paint, Continue reading →

Topol: Hospitals, Office Visits of Little Use in the Future

Posted on by

topolHello. I’m Dr. Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and Editor-in-Chief of Medscape Genomic Medicine and theheart.org. In this series, The Creative Destruction of Medicine, named for the book I wrote, I am trying to zoom in on critical aspects of how the digital world can create better healthcare.

Why do we need hospitals in the future? Why do we need to have office visits with physicians in the future? That’s really what this segment is about because we know that hospitals are a dangerous place. We know that Continue reading →

The Smartphone Physical: Checkup of the Future?

Posted on by

doctorcanseeImagine a comprehensive, clinically relevant well-patient checkup using only smartphone-based devices. The data is immediately readable and fully uploadable to an electronic health record. The patient understands — and even participates — in the interaction Continue reading →

Business Graph

Cancer Care Rationing Begins in America as Cancer Clinics Turn Away Thousands of Medicare Patients

Posted on by

seqFederal sequestration measures that came into effect on April 1 are making it impossible for many cancer clinics across the country to administer conventional care to patients, and particularly to those on Medicare. Consequently, thousands of cancer patients with taxpayer-funded insurance coverage are being turned away, according to reports, Continue reading →

­Flu Vaccine Linked to High Risk of Narcolepsy in Those under 30: Study

Posted on by

flushotChildren are not the only ones at high risk of developing the chronic neurological disorder narcolepsy in conjunction with the pandemic swine flu vaccine Pandemrix, according to a new study. The latest among several in recent years to link the two, the new paper found that people age 20 and younger have a roughly tripled risk of developing narcolepsy if they get the H1N1 jab, Continue reading →

Deadly Levels of Radiation Found in Food 225 Miles from Fukushima: Media Blackout on Nuclear Fallout Continues

Posted on by

fukishima windsNew data released by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) shows once again that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is far from over. Despite a complete media blackout on the current situation, levels of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) and Cesium-134 (Cs-134) found in produce and rice crackers located roughly 225 miles away from Fukushima are high enough Continue reading →

Report: Obamacare Family ‘Glitch’ Could Price Millions Out of Healthcare Coverage

Posted on by

Millions of Americans will be priced out of health insurance under President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul because of a glitch in the law that adversely affects people with modest incomes who cannot afford family coverage offered by their employers, a leading healthcare advocacy group said on Tuesday. Continue reading →

Survey: More Docs Plan to Retire Early

Posted on by

Most physicians have a pessimistic outlook on the future of medicine, citing eroding autonomy and falling income, a survey of more than 600 doctors found.

Six in 10 physicians (62%) said it is likely many of their colleagues will retire earlier than planned in the next 1 to 3 years, a survey from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found. That perception is uniform Continue reading →

A Robot Helped Save Him: Telemedicine Robot Played Role in Stroke Survival

Posted on by

Friday, Feb. 15, started out as an ordinary day for Carol and Clarence Renno until something a bit extraordinary helped save Clarence’s life.

He is alive and able to talk about the experience today because of a combination of his wife’s quick action and a robotic medical device that allowed specialists to examine him from 80 miles away.

A retired railroad worker and homemaker, the Rennos were watching television at home in Wishram after dinner that evening at about 6:20. Clarence got up to go into the kitchen.

 “He came back and I thought he said something,” Carol said. “I said, ‘What did you say?’ He just looked at me.”

Carol started getting angry and spoke louder Continue reading →

Most Docs Expect Sequester Cuts to Impact Healthcare: Poll

Posted on by

Most physician leaders say that sequestration budget cuts will affect their healthcare organizations, according to the American College of Physician Executives’ online poll, which was distributed via e-mail to about 11,000 physician leaders.

Of the 590 responses, 57.5% said that sequestration budget cuts Continue reading →

Proposed Texas Law Calls for Allowing Vaccination of Children without Parental Consent

Posted on by

If you thought the so-called “great state” of Texas was a bastion of freedom, liberty, and minimal government intrusion, think again. Efforts are currently in the works in the form of two new Senate bills to seize parental sovereignty rights and allow minors living in the Lone Star State to consent to vaccinations.

Senate Bill 63, Continue reading →

Connecticut Drops Insurers From Medicaid

Posted on by

In the past decade, most states have turned Medicaid over to private plans with hopes they could control costs and improve care. Nearly half of the 60 million people in the government program for the poor are now in the managed care plans run by insurance giants such as UnitedHealthcare and Aetna.

But Connecticut, the “insurance capital of the world,” is bucking the trend. Continue reading →

Will ACOs Fail?

Posted on by

The cHealth Blog is coming up on its 3rd anniversary and during that time I’ve taken my share of pot shots at organized medicine. Most implementations of connected health are in some way disruptive to the status quo, so I can’t help but point out those opportunities and barriers.

So I was surprised at Continue reading →