A Fairy Tale

Bricks, Straw, or ?    This is an interesting metaphor, and it may apply well to the  current health debate. Too big to fail? Health care reform, or Dubai? Obama's 'glow" is diminishing, even amongst the 'faithful, and gullible. Matt Holt and THCB quote" There’s a big to-do about whether there are really any cost-saving measures in the House and Senate bill. Most people say that the answers are “no” and “sort of”. But let’s not dwell on that. Instead let’s have some fun. Regular THCB readers will know that AHIP’s Karen Ignagni has told half-truth after half-truth after outright lie to protect the position of her members. All the while somehow holding together a coalition that really should have broken apart long...

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More Docs4Patient Care

Another rally....get involved, patients and providers alike. Forward the link-  Go Viral:...

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Meaningful Use and Incentive Payments

In one of my previous posts I alluded to this.   Read it here first !!   RECENT COMMENTS FROM IHEALTHBEAT. MGMA Letter Details Concerns About Health IT Stimulus Funds On Sunday, the Medical Group Management Association sent a letter to National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal detailing its concerns about the implementation of the federal economic stimulus package's health IT incentive program, Modern Healthcare reports. Under the stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate "meaningful use" of electronic health records will qualify for increased federal incentive payments (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 11/23). In the letter, MGMA argues that health care providers could miss out on the stimulus funds if...

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Docs4Patient Care

I've been gone for a week or so on a trip to the ancestral homeland in California. (ancestral in California means longer than five years ago.) The Docs4Patient Care movment will be very active on November 21, 2009 with chapters now in many states, including Georgia, California, Texas, as well as many other videos. Here is a 'shout out' for recent activities. Here is a brief video: ...

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Failed California, Failed State,Failed Health Care Reform

Undoubtedly we will see some form of compromise and legislating 'Health Care Reform".  Whether it will truly be a health care reform will be open to debate. Let's face, it seeking perfection is anathema to seeking improvement. Never let perfection obstruct improvement in the status quo. Charlie Rose interviews Friedman.     NRO, National Review Online report from Grace-Marie-Turner reflects the following. Further, endorsements by the AARP and the American Medical Association have been largely discredited as reflecting more the narrow interest of those organizations than the will of their members. Readers should do their part by contacting the following representatives who are most likely to influence health reform...

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Sunday Morning Bonus

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Corruption in American Health Care

Saving Health Care, Saving America as written  By BRIAN KLEPPER, DAVID C. KIBBE, ROBERT LASZEWSKI and ALAIN ENTHOVEN in The Health Care Blog "So far, Congress' response to the health care crisis has been alarmingly disappointing in three ways. First, by willingly accepting enormous sums from health care special interests, our representatives have obligated themselves to their benefactors' interests rather than to those of the American people. More than 3,330 health care lobbyists - six for every member of Congress - contributed more than one-quarter of a billion dollars in the first and second quarters of 2009. A nearly equal amount has been contributed on this issue from non-health care organizations. This exchange of money prompted...

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