December 2009
77 posts
See! The FDA does serve a valuable purpose. →
In addition to all of these reasons not to do cocaine, about 69 percent of the cocaine recently seized in the United States has been diluted with a de-worming drug (levamisole) for livestock that when consumed by people can cause agranulocytosis and neutropenia (fever, swollen glands, painful sores in the mouth and anus, a severely suppressed immune system).
There have been a few cases, first in...
“I never tire of listening to obsessive perfectionists, no matter the topic.”
– John Gruber (via marco)
A Less Than Honest Policy →
I fully support this policy. The concept of “free” healthcare has been one of the major reasons why the business model of healthcare is what it is— sick care that profits off volume. When people spend $5 on a doctor visit or a medication or a test, they have no skin in the game. People don’t value “free.” And when it’s free, they simply don’t care...
“I think, and I hope, the best thing to come out of health reform is a very...”
– Me.
“Fixing the problem doesn’t mean voting out the feckless Democrats or the...”
– Lawrence Lessig (via squashed)
Larry is one of my heroes.
“Only two things have made flying safer: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and...”
– Bruce Schneier, “The Things He Carried” - The Atlantic
This article highlights the fact that as our culture gets more and more complex, the further our government strays from reality. It’s happening with the TSA and it’s happening with our congress failing to pass health...
“I’m not too eloquent talking about these things…I was making payments, but...”
– Vic Chesnutt
Vic committed suicide and died on Christmas day in Athens, GA. Many close friends say it was a result of financial pressure from mounting medical bills (amongst other things of course).
I saw Vic perform once when he opened for Wilco. At the time, I unfortunately didn’t really...
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The Road to Wellville: Design Observer by Jay... →
Here are my thoughts on designing healthcare around our country’s health needs, rather than history and profitability published today in Design Observer (and that’s no coincidence). I think Design Observer is one of the most relevant sites on the internet.
I grew up outside St. Louis, Missouri. When I was a child, my grandparents lived in northern Arkansas. I made that road trip...
How many people will actually purchase health... →
As part of the stimulus bill passed in February, the feds started subsidizing 65% of health-insurance premiums for certain workers eligible for Cobra insurance, the program that allows people to keep their health insurance for a while after they lose their jobs. Between March and November, 39% of people who were eligible for the subsidies signed up for Cobra, according to an estimate out today...
Incentivized Altruism →
Only one in ten Israeli adults is an organ donor and the country is addressing the situation with an innovative new policy. Organ donors and their close relatives will now receive priority if they require a transplant. Jacob Lavee of the Sheba Medical Center said the new policy “provides an incentive for individuals to agree to help each other.” The policy will be widely publicized and will take...
“Reforming a system that’s badly broken”:... →
A good friend of mine, e-Patient Dave, set this interview up. And just as much as I’m dedicated to letting the world know who e-Patient Dave is, he’s also dedicated to letting the world know about me.
Here’s Dave’s story:
“This is the first time in my life I’ve felt I have a calling,” says Dave, “something I can’t get away from: it’s what I need to do. I’ve had plenty of...
10 ways patients can save on health care costs →
A friend of mine, Dr. Richard Reece, just wrote a very helpful post with nuggets like this:
investigate a company called Simplecare. The SimpleCare story has appeared is on the cover of US News & World Report, in Forbes, and on NBC News. SimpleCare, a fee-for-service organization, accepts money for medical treatment without insurance forms, co-payments, and other third-party payment related...
Surprise: NY State Wasted $100 Million In Medicaid →
When 17% of the US economy (about $2.5 trillion per year) runs on handwritten notes, it’s no surprise this happens:
NY1 reports that State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found “New York State has lost nearly $100 million in billing errors and waste in Medicaid. Among the mistakes auditors discovered was nearly $3 million in overpayments, including payments for services such as tooth...
“Well, the whole point of the public option originally was that if you’re going...”
– Glenn Greenwald (via azspot)
Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
Why do you think their stocks increased so much upon news that the mandate looks as if it’s going to happen?
“I’ve learned that you can do some powerful things if you get a bunch of...”
– Tito Jankowski, founder of the San Francisco DIYbio group
“The problem that folks like Paul Krugman don’t acknowledge is that this spare...”
– Joe Weisenthal (via soupsoup)
Dental Care vs. Medical Care
Hi Jay,
I am wondering why there is (to my untrained eyes) a huge disparity between hospital/doctor’s office type medical care and dental care, in terms of insurance, billing, and office technology.
My dental office is extremely high tech, appointments are always on time, and every single dentist, hygenist, and receptionist seems to wield computer technology expertly.
All of my records...
1 tag
“What is Flower?
Right now Flower is in flux, it’s early days and people...”
– submitted by Dr. Howard Luks, one of the most forward thinking doctors I’ve met.
2 tags
“Meaningful healthcare reform can never happen as long as it is run by the DC...”
– submitted by Gilles Frydman (of Participatory Medicine and ACOR)
“So what’s going on? Well, we were browsing through some old newspaper stories...”
– Was Solar Energy Cheaper In The 1980s? » INFRASTRUCTURIST
How depressing.
Rick posted this a while ago and it’s been bothering me ever since. Is this a lack of resources? Is the clean, renewable energy resource talk just that— only talk. Is this a problem of lack of capital...
“The Senate — and, therefore, the U.S. government as a whole — has become...”
– Paul Krugman
via Conscientious Redux
I wonder what politics and passing legislation will be like when millenials are running things? I have a feeling it’ll be different than this. And I’m excited to accept the challenge of re-inventing something that has been destroyed by powerful...
Brittany Murphy Dies →
Very, very sad. A 32 year old dying of cardiac arrest. The comments on TMZ are of course normal TMZ-quality comments, but many are immediately jumping to the conclusion that this is cocaine or bulimia related.
We won’t know the cause of death right now. But the comments in TMZ highlight the public’s misunderstanding of cocaine. One comment said “too much coke.”
Just to...
“If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you...”
– Scott Boras (via hotfoot) (via evangotlib) (via mikehudack)
B Corporation →
I met Andrew Kassoy, a co-founder of B Corporation for breakfast in Soho this morning. They’re doing really good things:
What are B Corporations?
B Corporations are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corporations are unlike traditional responsible businesses because they:
Meet comprehensive and transparent social and...
“Sarah Palin is like the Paris Hilton of politics. She’ll go away. Give it...”
– Me
(reacting to this)
“If the climate was a bank they would already have saved it.”
– The best line delivered so far in Copenhagen, concerning the U.S.’s commitment to meaningful action, delivered by Hugo Chavez. (via chrislindsay) (via poortaste) (Politico) (via adamiss) (via mikehudack)
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Business Week: Inside the Design Thinking Process →
Here’s an article from Business Week about the Aspen Design Summit I attended a few weeks back:
The Aspen Design Summit brought together 60 top executives to apply design thinking to large social problems.
Dr. Jay Parkinson is the co-founder of Hello Health, an online network that connects doctors and patients. He was keen to use Web 2.0 principles and techniques to create a virtual...
1 tag
Dad Delivers Baby With Help From Google →
(via evangotlib)
Dr. Google is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For free.
1 tag
Seth's Blog: What Matters Now: get the free ebook →
Seth Godin contacted me a while back to write something for his new ebook. It is now published. And it’s awesome:
Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up.
Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around. I hope a new ebook I’ve organized will get you started on that path. It took months, but I think...
