Twoctor, Twoctor . . I've Got A Bad Case of Tweeting You

Nedra Weinreich over at Spare Change explores uses for Twitter to improve health care in her post Twitter for Health. Great ideas on how Twitter might be used by those of us in the health care industry.

Thanks to Jen McCabe Gorman for tweeting the recent post.

John Stossel's Perspective on WV Certificate of Need Law

Yesterday's Daily Mail article reports that John Stossel, co-anchor of ABC's 20/20 speaking at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's Business Summit spoke out against West Virginia's Certificate of Need laws. Stossel argues that free market is better than regulation of health care.

Regulation vs. free market makes for great conversation. The debate as it relates to health care is made more complex when we have a largely single payor (government funded) health care reimbursement system in West Virginia. I don't know the actual statistics but well over half and probably near 75% of health care costs are paid in West Virginia by Medicare, Medicaid, PEIA and other government payors. As for private payors we only have a few that have any influence in West Virgina. This makes West Virginia close to a microcosm for a wwhat a single payor government run health care system might look like. What impact does this stagnation of competition on charges/costs have on the regulation vs. free market question. Is a single payor system better for West Virginia and the U.S.? Interesting questions as we approach the election in November.

Also, in my inbox this morning was an email from friend and health colleague, Mike Ryan, letting me know about the HealthDecisions '08: Obama and McCain on Health Care. Although I haven't had a chance to explore the site in detail I like the side by side comparison on the main page.

The press release indicates:

HealthDecision '08 by HealthCare.com is an initiative to inform, educate and deploy the power of the web to gather public opinion on the health care proposals put forth by Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. HealthDecision '08 provides a side-by-side comparison of Obama's and McCain's healthcare positions and proposals, along with interactive voting tools that enable users to vote for their preferred health care plan and offer their own comments after weighing through the issues.

What do others think? Post your comments.

Why WV is Wonderful . . .

Another great example of why West Virginia is Wild and Wonderful. Rainy day in Charleston today - but this brightened my morning.

Thanks to Rick Lee who has a knack for capturing the beauty of our state.

eHealthWV: West Virginia EHR Public Service Announcement

As a part of West Virginia's participation in the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaborative (HISPC), West Virginia Medical Institute and its partners launch the eHealthWV website focused on educating consumers about electronic health records and health information exchange.

West Virginia was one of a number of states awarded a grant by RTI International to participate in the HISPC, a national collaborative effort to study health information security and privacy. To learn more about EHRs and HIEs check out the website. They also have a toolkit of brochures for physician practices to use.

Project Director, Patty Ruddick, notified me last week that they had filmed a new EHR/HIT public service announcement that will start airing across West Virginia over the next few months. I thought I would upload the PSA to YouTube and share a copy (click below to watch).

Governor Manchin Approves Cardiac Catheterization Standards

The West Virginia Health Care Authority website indicates today that Governor Manchin approved the final revised certificate of need Cardiac Catheterization Standards.

Is blogging good for your health?

Is blogging good for your health?

This Boston Globe article, Cancer blogs become part of treatment, indicates that blogging about your condition has a positive impact.

The article states:

Boyd is one of a growing number of cancer patients turning to the Internet to discuss their disease, keeping friends and family updated, and connecting with other patients, according to oncology social workers and psychologists. Personal blogs, listservs, and sites like CarePages, CaringBridge, and Breast Cancer Stories give patients an outlet to express the emotional turmoil associated with the disease, enabling a virtual catharsis for some. . .

. . . While there hasn't been much research done on the relatively recent phenomenon, patients attest to its many benefits. And two Ohio State University researchers, conducting one of the first studies on cancer patient blogs, said their preliminary findings suggest that online journals indeed help.

Thanks to Alan Goldberg for pointing out the article on the AHLA HIT listserve.

ADVANCE Magazine - Article on EHRs and PHRs

Recently I was interviewed for an article looking at the legal issues involved in the developing world of EHRs and PHRs written by Beth Walsh for ADVANCE Magazine. The article, Looking at Legality: Medical Records - New questions and concerns are popping up around the legalities of EHRs and PHRs, appears in the August 11, 2008 edition of the magazine.

Those interested in reading the article can register for the free online digital edition of ADVANCE Magazine (left side bar). The article appears on page 24.