Sutter Health and Aetna announced plans June 13, 2017 to launch a jointly owned health plan. This new collaboration will be the first hospital-insurance company joint venture in Northern California This joint venture will supposed deliver “differentiated, personalized experience for members and is designed to help lower the cost of care, resulting in competitively priced… Read More
L’Ardoise is a French restaurant in San Francisco, that claims it serves “traditional and authentic fare in a cozy atmosphere.” It was ranked by In Magazine as the most romantic restaurant in California. Amanda Gold in a review from Sfgate in October 2008 ranks the 28 seat restaurant at 2 1/2 stars. Her recommendations… Read More
This February 21, 2017 JAMA Internal Medicine article concludes that testosterone improves bone density and bone strength in men with low testosterone. Although they couldnt determine if there was lower fracture risk, the investigators found that the treatment of older men with low testosterone increased volumetric trabecular bone mineral density of the lumbar spine. They… Read More
This January 1, 2014 JAMA article studies Mechanical Chest Compressions and Simultaneous Defibrillation vs Conventional Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest There are clearly many factors that affect the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest, including early recognition of arrest, effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), timely defibrillation, and postresuscitation care. One important link is thought… Read More
A study in the the February 2017 issue of Epidemiology discusses one of the untoward side effects of gluten free diet. The downside is increased blood levels of heavy metal toxicity primarily arsenic and mercury. An initial thought was increased intake of fish but the the hypothesized cause is thought to be increased rice which tends… Read More
This is a AMA website that looks at why US prescriptions have dramatically increased in price. Spending on prescriptions in the US increased nearly 20% between 2013 and 2015.* It’s clear – the cost of medications is rising. What’s unclear is just how prescription drugs are priced and whether we need laws to stem the… Read More
“Superbug” Klebsiella Pneumoniae, a carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) claimed the life of a Reno Nevada woman in 2016. This was in the heals of two highly publicized deaths at UCLA Medical Center in 2015. That strain was resistant to all available (26) antimicrobial drugs. Although the patient was hospitalized in Nevada, the pathogen was reportedly contracted in… Read More
I believe there is an issue in states where state legislatures have passed “balance billing” or “surprise medical bill” regulations. I believe that we need to consider aggressively challenging the legality of those laws and regulations. Constitutional Arguments of the Violation of 5th and 14th Amendments I believe that there is significant case law that… Read More
A January 2017 Health Affairs article concludes that the bigger the health insurer, the lower the prices it can negotiate from physician groups. The findings are evidence that consolidation among health insurers affects payments to physicians Large insurers with market shares of 15% paid 21% less than small insurers with shares of less than 5%… Read More
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