The Health Care Blog

Health 2.0 Tools: The power of Twitter

By Matthew Holt The power of Twitter is real kids, and not for what you think. Used properly Twitter is an information filter. Exhibit A is what happened to the Von Schwebers who run PHARMASurveyor. They were a huge part...
October 23, 2009 in Conferences, e-patients, Electronic Medical Records, evidenced-based medicine, Health 2.0, pharmaceuticals, Technology | Permalink | Comments (5)

Reminding Washington of What the Health Care Debate is About

By ROB DAY This summer, we witnessed countless demonstrations on the health care debate across the country. The media has broadcast and written about impassioned pleas from conservatives and liberals alike, each swearing, with an alarming level of certainty, that...
September 12, 2009 in Patients, pharmaceuticals, Reform | Permalink | Comments (6)

Eliminating Medication Waste in Long-Term Care Can Help the White House Pay for its Health Plan

By CARLA CORKERN The news of an $80 billion White House deal with drug companies to lower Medicare drug costs targets $30 billion in savings for consumers covered by Medicare Part D, but the sources of the remaining $50 billion...
July 14, 2009 in Costs, Long Term Care, Medicare, pharmaceuticals | Permalink | Comments (26)

The other Michael Jackson mega-mix

By Matthew Holt Never ones to be shy with an interesting view into celebrity pharmacology (and truth be told responding to a little tickle from me) the inventive folks at PharmaSurveyor have added Michael Jackson to their celebrity drug cocktail...
July 6, 2009 in Health 2.0, Pharma, pharmaceuticals, Technology, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (1)

Drug Suspected in Michael Jackson Death Subject of Recall

By SHERI FINK Results of Michael Jackson’s toxicology tests have not yet been released, but suspicions have centered on the powerful anesthetic and sedative drug propofol, also known by the brand name Diprivan. It was reportedly found in Jackson’s house,...
July 3, 2009 in CDC, FDA, pharmaceuticals | Permalink | Comments (4)

Should the FDA relax in the search for new cures?

By Matthew Holt Over at DiabetesMine #1 health blogger Amy Tenderich has very important post. She and several fellow travelers are appealing to the FDA to strike a balance between safety and progress in allowing new diabetes treatments. The FDA...
January 9, 2009 in e-patients, FDA, Health 2.0, Patient Safety, Pharma, pharmaceuticals | Permalink | Comments (1)

Global 2.0: A lesson from Indian pharmacies

By Sarah Arnquist MedPlus Pharmacies is arguably one of India's fastest growing health companies. Since its launch in 2006, the retail pharmacy chain has opened 500 stores in several Indian cities and serves roughly 25,000 customers daily. In a space...
September 6, 2008 in International, pharmaceuticals, Sarah Arnquist | Permalink | Comments (4)

Personalities drive prescribing

By Merrill Goozner PharmaLive, the website that bills itself as the "Pulse of the Pharmaceutical Industry," recently ran this press release from PeopleMetrics, a marketing research firm. The group surveyed physicians to measure the effectiveness of sales representatives pushing atypical...
August 14, 2008 in pharmaceuticals, The Industry | Permalink | Comments (4)

Viagra prescribed more safely online than in regular practice?

By Matthew Holt Really? Can this be true? Well so says a bunch of academics writing in the Mayo Clinic’s journal. They looked at records of questionnaires taken and prescribing decisions made by a licensed, regulated online pharmacy called KwikMed...
August 8, 2008 in Consumers, e-patients, Health 2.0, Pharma, pharmaceuticals, Technology | Permalink | Comments (8)

CollabRX aims to make drug development faster and cheaper with power of Internet

By Sarah Arnquist Harnessing the collective power of patients needing new treatments and therapies to speed up and lessen the cost of the development process drives a new venture called CollabRX. Jay M. Tenenbaum, Collab RX founder, learned he had...
August 1, 2008 in e-patients, Health 2.0, pharmaceuticals, Technology | Permalink | Comments (3)

Stealth marketing: doctors and public radio

By Sarah Arnquist Over at Slate, veteran health care journalists Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer raise tough questions about the lack of disclosure regarging four doctors' ties to the makers of antidepressants, while they told audiences of public radio stations...
May 11, 2008 in pharmaceuticals, Physicians, Sarah Arnquist | Permalink | Comments (3)