27 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba

FDA Approves New Blood Test for Prostate Cancer For Men With PSA Levels Just Above Normal Range

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Perhaps this will add some additional definitive information on the PSA testing which has been in the news frequently for discussion as to imagewhether it should be used for screening or not.  This test appears to add some additional decision making information if any actions or treatments are needed/discussed.  Last year at UCLA a new PSA testing format was developed called the A+PSA test so perhaps with both tests more decision making information can be obtained with fewer false positives.  BD




A+PSA New Test For Prostate Cancer Is More Specific and Reduces False-Positives-Study at UCLA


A blood test for prostate cancer billed by its manufacturer as "an answer to the current PSA [prostate-specific antigen] testing controversy" has won FDA approval, the company said.

Beckman Coulter said Monday that the agency had okayed its premarket approval application for the so-called Prostate Health Index test, which incorporates measurement of a PSA precursor protein called [-2] pro-PSA along with total and free PSA.

According to the co-discoverer of [-2] pro-PSA, Kevin Slawin, MD, of Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, the marker is more closely associated with prostate cancer than total and free PSA. Combining the three markers makes the Prostate Health Index more specific than conventional PSA testing.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/ProstateCancer/33486


Sheldon Adelson is giving $10 million to Mitt Romney super PAC #p2 #tcot

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Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who helped prop up House speaker Newt Gingrich's primary campaign for months, is now using his millions to help former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

According to two sources familiar with the donation, Adelson is giving $10 million to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future.

Romney is already catching up with President Obama in fundraising; this donation is yet another boost.


rest at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/sheldon-adelson-giving-10-million-to-mitt-romney-super-pac/2012/06/13/gJQAb3z5ZV_blog.html?wprss=rss_the-fix

US Government Study: Humans are Security Threat to Oceans and our Planet #p2 #tcot

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A new study published in Nature Climate Change, asserts that the warming of the world's oceans have everything to do with the effects of man. This scientific research has climate change alarmists excited over a new way to direct man-made climate change into the social meme.

According to the study, "We have identified a human-induced fingerprint in observed estimates of upper-ocean warming on multidecadal timescales."

Computer model data from research from Australia, Japan, India and the US proves that the temperature of the oceans and its variable fluctuations are not a natural occurrence. Causational information fabricated by suppositional computer models from the world's major oceans compared to climate alarmist's computer models shows that there is an excess of man-made influence.

The international team of researchers used for this study attributed only archrival computer models and assumed simulations and compared them to the supposed effects of fossil fuel emissions during the last century.

The report states that "When the global mean changes are included" the "anthropogenic fingerprint" is of 1% which is an insignificant level. Yet, this statistic is being blown out of proportion to create frenzy over the earth's victimization at the hands of humans.
rest at http://www.activistpost.com/2012/06/us-government-study-humans-are-national.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ActivistPost+%28Activist+Post%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

@barackobama Earth to the President: Voters and Donors You Need Are Checking Out of the Process #p2 #tcot

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Disillusioned voters are checking out on Obama

Wake the F up, people. Do you really want Romney as President?! Obama won North Carolina by a sliver in 2008 (with a kick-@ss ground game and record turnout). And now Mittens for the first time holds a lead here.

"The presidential race in NC continues to be very close," Public Policy Polling Director Tom Jensen says. "This month we find Mitt Romney leading Obama 48-46. It's a small lead but it's still significant because it's the first we've found Romney leading Barrack Obama in our monthly polling since October.

Romney's gained seven points on Obama over the past two months alone. Jensen says Romney's small lead is probably heavily influenced by independent voters. "Romney's up to 20 percent of the democratic vote after being at 15 percent a few months ago," he says. "For a republican to win in North Carolina really requires winning over a lot of conservative democrats and that 20 percent of the democratic vote suggests Romney's doing a little bit better on that front."

Americans have such a short attention span; yeah, this President didn't give us all of the hopey-changey goodness he promised on the campaign trail, and I've been highly critical of his foot-dragging leadership on several fronts (yes, people, read my back catalog), but really — do people want Romney and his adviser Robert Bork packing the U.S. Supreme Court?

Considering the economic mess/slow recovery, the President has finally decided to cry uncle and declare the obvious — he needs more time, and the Romney alternative would be worse.

rest at http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/06/13/earth-to-the-president-voters-and-donors-you-need-are-checking-out-of-the-process/

Public Understanding Of Climate Science Rebounds, 72% of Independents Say There Is ‘Solid Evidence’ Of Global Warming #p2 #tcot

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Brookings has released a new survey that confirms other recent polls: Public understanding of climate science is rebounding, and the recent record-smashing extreme weather events are playing a key role.

As you can see, the biggest jump is from independents, demonstrating once again that global warming has become a major wedge issue. Many other recent polls have made that clear (see "Gallup poll: Public understanding of global warming gains" and "Independents, Other Republicans Split With Tea-Party Extremists on Global Warming"). Now if progressive politicians would only seize on this winning issue.

Perhaps even more remarkable than this rebound in understanding is the record rise in the public's confidence in their accurate understanding of climate science that the National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change [NSAPOCC] found:

Just under two thirds of those who believe global warming is occurring stated that they were very confident of this position. This 63 percent confidence level is 14 percentage points higher than in the fall of 2011 and marks the highest level since the NSAPOCC began in 2008.

Why would confidence be growing, especially when the media and key opinion-makers have all but stoppedtalking about climate change?

Brookings had previously found that Americans' Understanding of Climate Change Is Increasing With More Extreme Weather, Warmer Temperatures. Certainly the American public is seeing for themselves the off-the-chart heat waves and other extreme weather that climate scientists have long said would become more common as we pour more heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (see NOAA Chief: U.S. Record of a Dozen Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in One Year Is "a Harbinger of Things to Come"). That was especially true in March (see "March Came In Like A Lamb, Went Out Like A Globally Warmed Lion On Steroids Who Smashed 15,000 Heat Records").

The new survey added further evidence that "the growth in the percentage of Americans who see evidence of global warming appears to be related to individual perceptions of weather conditions and events.":

rest at http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/13/498892/public-understanding-of-climate-science-rebounds-72-of-independents-say-there-is-solid-evidence-of-global-warming/

Grieving Father Struggles to Pay Dead Son’s Student Loans #p2 #tcot

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A few months after he buried his son, Francisco Reynoso began gettingnotices in the mail. Then the debt collectors came calling."They would say, 'We don't care what happened with your son, you have to pay us,'" recalled Reynoso, a gardener from Palmdale, Calif.Reynoso's son, Freddy, had been the pride of his family and the first to go to college. In 2005, after Freddy wasaccepted to Boston's Berklee College of Music, his father co-signed on his hefty private student loans, making him fully liable should Freddy be unwilling or unable to repay them. It was no small decision for a man who made justover $21,000 in 2011, according to his tax returns."As a father, you'll do anything for your child," Reynoso, an American citizen originally from Mexico, said through a translator.Now, he's suffering a Kafkaesque ordeal in which he's hounded to repay loans that funded an education his son willnever get to use — loans that he has little hope of ever paying off. While Reynoso's wife, Sylvia, is studying to be a beautician, his gardening is currently the sole source of income for the family, which includes his 18-year-olddaughter Evelyn.And the loans are maddeningly opaque. Despite the help of a lawyer, Reynoso has not been able to determine exactly how much he owes, or even what company holds his loans. Just as happened with home mortgages in theboom years before the 2008 financial crash, his son's student loans have been sold and resold, and at least one was likely bundled into a complex Wall Street security. But the trail of those transactions ends at a wall of corporatesilence from companies that include two household names: banking giant UBS and Xerox, which owns the loan servicer handling the bulk of his loans. Left without answers is a bereaved father.The risk of cosigning on Freddy's loans seemed to have been worth it when he graduated in May 2008 and began looking for a job in the music industry. He was on the way back from a job interview on the evening of Sept. 4 whenhe lost control of his car and it rolled over. Freddy's family learned of his death the next morning.
rest at http://www.propublica.org/article/grieving-father-struggles-to-pay-dead-sons-student-loans

25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi

Greenway PrimeSUITE Medical Records Integrates With Microsoft HealthVault

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The Greenway EHR medical records system is basedimage on Microsoft .NET technologies so this makes sense to combine the technologies and Greenway is also a Microsoft Gold Partner so the relationship with their technologies has been long standing with remote access available for physicians with the EHR  and for the patients via a portal .

PrimeSUITE is the name of the medical records system that is certified and falls under the stimulus rules that allows doctors to collect imageincentives for installing and using the system.  PrimePATIENT is the portion where patients can access their medical information via the portal.  It appears the integration makes the process quite simple with both the patient and physician establishing their own HealthVault accounts.  A Continuity of Care standard is used to import records into HealthVault. 

The nice part about the integration here is that the patient maintains control over what is shared and what information they want in their PHR.  The PrimePATIENT portal already allows patients to go online to schedule appointments, pay bills and request refills on prescriptions.  As always I have a link to Microsoft HealthVault on this site to make it easy to learn more and there’s an entire section at the Medical Quack that covers a ton of information on PHRs with over 400 blog posts and you can read more here.  You can also search the Medical Quack just by using the keyword “HealthVault” and there’s ton of posts that will come up for additional information. 

HealthVault also allows a patient to store images in their account

and you can read more at the link below on how this works with an “image reader” included with the desktop software.  The value here is let’s say you recently had some imaging screening or testing completed, once stored in your HealthVault account the patient has the option to share with their doctor and it’s all stored in the Azure cloud. 

HealthVault Begins Storing Medical Images (Dicom) Using Windows Azure Cloud Services With Full Encryption

imageIt’s also worth mentioning that the HealthVault connector works on the Windows Phone as well so mobility and access are all present.  As mentioned above, this makes sense as Greenway is built on Microsoft technologies.  BD




CARROLLTON, Ga.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc., today announced pilot integration of Microsoft HealthVault data aggregation and mobility to providers utilizing the company’s electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSUITE®.

Through PrimeSUITE’s integrated and secure online portal, PrimePATIENT®, patients can create and access a HealthVault account to gather, store and manage centralized and sharable health information.

The combined data is sharable with other providers regardless of EHR systems if HealthVault integration is also present, or through permissible PrimeSUITE data exchange directly into EHRs and health information exchanges.

http://www.greenwaymedical.com/solutions/prime-suite/

Technorati Tags: PHR,Microsoft,HealthVault,medical records,Health IT,Greenway


US Captures The Top Number For the Most Powerful Computer in the World–First Time Since 2009 - IBM Sequoia At the DOE Lab In California

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This is a little break away from the normal healthcare blogs but it’s related as these supercomputers are in healthcare.  DOE even rents space imageout for other agencies and I wrote about that a while back.  Too bad our Congress has not figured out that they too could maybe ask the DOE for some super computing space to figure out their data needs when making laws:)  Looks like we booted China out of the #1 spot, at least for now. 

1.7 Billion Super Computer Hours Awarded by the DOE–Biomedical Research Projects Included for Parkinson’s and Cancer


I have mentioned it a few times around here how Congress would benefit and get smarter and bonus points as with intelligence grows, the lobbyists efforts will drop a bit as our lawmakers could tell the difference a little better between marketing information an actual data. 

Use of IBMWatson Technology in Congress Would Allow For Smarter Laws and Decision Processes With Bonus Points For Lowering Over All Impact of Lobbyists

This is kind of an important computer too as it is used the understanding of weapons science as well as vastly improved estimates of uncertainty in predictions of weapons behavior, the nuke-puter that simulates and crunches numbers as a pace surpassing all others.  It has 1.6 petabytes of memory 96 racks and 1.6 million cores…that last number kind of blows me away and this is IBM engineering at work.  BD

image

The twice-a-year list of the Top 500 supercomputers documents the most powerful systems on the planet. Many of these supercomputers are striking not just for their processing power, but for their design and appearance as well. Here’s a look at the top finishers in the latest Top 500 list, which was released Monday, June 18 was announced at the 2011 convention.

The new Top 500 champion is Sequoia, a Blue Gene/Q supercomputer built on IBM Power architecture at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The emergence of Sequoia has returned the U.S. to the top spot of the Top500 list for the first time since November 2009. Sequoia consists of 96 racks; 98,304 compute nodes, 1.6 million cores and 1.6 petabytes of memory, and hit an impressive new record of 16.32 Petaflops  on the Linpack benchmark. The National Nuclear Security Administration uses Sequoia to research the safety, security and reliability of the United States’ nuclear deterrent – replacing the need for underground testing. The Blue Gene/Q Sequoia is eight times more powerful than its predecessor BlueGene/L technology.

http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/top-10-supercomputers-illustrated-june-2012/

Technorati Tags: Supercomputers,Sequoia,BigData,DOE,IBM


Attack of the Killer Algorithms–Digest & Links for All Chapters–How Math and Crafty Formulas Today Running on Servers 24/7 Make Life Impacting Decisions About You–Updated 6-24-2012

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If you have not caught up with this yet, I started this series by accident as an awareness outreach, I know just like everyone else has out there, but having been a former software writer, hopefully some of this will explain in layman’s terms how some of this works behind the scenes it may offer some answers.  It’s not going to make you happy but it will open your eyes as to how the world of technology functions today with decision making and perhaps give you an idea of where it’s headed too.

I like technology and how it makes me smarter and more observant but as with everything today, there’s the dark side of how formulas and math are used for profit with some very intelligent and crafty programmers and developers out there and we get fooled.  Everything in here is all public knowledge so there was no digging for any exclusive interviews and so forth, just stuff you can find on the web as well and I’m just connecting some “big dots” to where you may not see this otherwise. 

This blog can be a source of discomfort at times as along with years ago in learning about math, code and formulas, it transitioned me into something very scary indeed, a female that uses logic <grin>. 

So if you have wondered why the Medical Quack is different, there you have it and I have to laugh at myself too as I never intended to become logical and think back quite bit of the days before logic entered the picture and those are some fine memories too.  So there you have it, what’s wrong with this blog…<grin> a female using logic.  I have also been pondering this question since August of 2009….this is a “one duck” think tank <grin>.

 
“Department of Algorithms – Do We Need One of These to Regulate Upcoming Laws?

So without further chat, here’

  

s

  

the Attacks as I see them as it’s all in the math and formulas…Nothing will happen until new code runs through those servers and I feel this is truly the backbone of what started the “Occupy” movement, frustration and nowhere to go for answers as we have leaders in denial that don’t have a clue of how all of this works.   Today I am adding 5 more chapters since the last update. BD


Occupying Wall Street–It’s All About the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms”–The Unfair and Marketing Exploit of Ethics Using Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie

 
“Killer Algorithms: Part 2” Disturbing News for Consumers With Credit Scoring Adding New Data Analytics–Some of the Same Methodologies Used by Insurers With Flawed/Potential Erroneous Data–One More Reason to Continue Occupying Wall Street


 
“Attack of the Killer Algorithms” Part 3–Vatican Doesn’t Like It Either–Occupy Wall Street Belongs in New York As They Don’t Do Code or Algorithms in Washington–Only Find time To Talk Abortions


 
Attack of the Killer Algorithms-Occupy Wall Street Part 4 Health Insurance Style - One More App For Folks Who Are Tired of Flawed Algorithms That Require A Ton of Work and Research Time To Create “Perfect” Data Files for Insurers And Others Analytics Processes

 
“Occupy Algorithms”–”The Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 5” - Nothing Will Improve Until Audits and Actions Takes Place To Correct Formulas Built for Profit Only by Corporations And We Battle Back With Math

 
Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 6–Discrimination With Consumer Credit-Same As Health Insurance Wanting Consumers to Reconstruct Records From Many Years Past As Middle Class Turns Into Data Chasers-Days of Taking Risks to Get Ahead Will Be Limited For Most…Occupy Algorithms


 
Flawed Data–Mined by Corporations Online Provides Background Checks Riddled With Errors–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 7


 
Consumers Lose More Privacy With New CoreLogic Credit Reporting–”Score” Marketed For Insurers and Employers To Gain Information-California Prohibits Potential Employers – From Using As Jan 1 - Killer Algorithms Part 8


 

Freddie Mac Found to be Betting Against Home Owners Being Able to Refinance - “Attack of the Killer Algorithms” On Consumers Part Nine–Home Mortgage Style


 

Komen Reverses Decision With Planned Parenthood–Hard Lesson on How Business Analytics Are Misunderstood And/Or Abused–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 10


 

Gamification–You Have Won and Now We Know All About You - It Didn’t Cost One Cent-Insurance Companies Have Games To Find Out More About You Too– “Attack of Killer Algorithms” Chapter 11


 

Colonoscopies–The Bait and Switch on Screenings–If Polyps Are Found You Get A Bill-Some Other Screenings Too–Killer Algorithms Part 12–Medical Billing Codes Style

 

Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 13–Bank of America Style - Flawed Data With Credit Scoring Agencies–Dead Man Banking And Currently A Consumer Under Attack


 
Insurers to Provide User Friendly Summaries of What’s Covered–Good Luck As Constant Revisions Will Be Required as Business Intelligence Algorithms For Profit Change–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 14

 

Story of Duke University - The Sad Case of Flawed Data Published in Medical Journals That Was Declared Inaccurate 60 Minutes –Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 15


 

Medicare Low Safety Rankings At Harvard Teaching Hospitals Disputed and Flawed–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 16


 

Start Licensing and Taxing the Data Sellers of the Internet Making Billions of Profit Dollars Mining “Free Taxpayer Data”–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 17 - “Occupy Algorithms”– Help Stop Inequality in the US 

 

Pharmacies File Suit Against Texas Human and Health Services Commission - Managed Care Contracts Begin Delegating Reimbursements Too Soon – Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 18


 

AMA Announces Doctors And Patients Can Expect To See the UnitedHealthCare/Ingenix Class Action Settlement Checks In the Mail Soon - Out of Network Short Payments–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 19


 

Healthcare Blogger Gets Spammed by Hedge Fund Using Internet “Reputation Restore” With Some Really Bad Algos–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 20


 

Senator Introduces Bill to Prohibit Companies From Using Medical Debt With Assessing Consumer Credit Scores–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 21 With Flawed Data


 

IBM Watson Going to Work At Citigroup on Wall Street–Congress Didn’t See Big Data As A Tool (Hadoop Framework) When They Had Their Chance…For Consumers The Attack of the Killer Algorithms–Chapter 22


 

Independent Pharmacies Not Able to Compete with Big Chains and Fear Going Out of Business–They Don’t Have Same High Levels of Data To Sell to Profit- Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 23


CVS/Caremark Sends Letters to Tufts Members Containing Personal Information Like Medical Conditions/Meds Info to Wrong Patients–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 24


Aetna States Letters Mailed to Thousands of California Customers Were A Mistake–Their Doctors Are Still In Network–”Rogue Algorithms and Flawed Data”–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 25



Medicare Agrees to Settle Hospital Reimbursement Dispute With 2,200 Hospitals in the US To Receive Approximately $3 Billion–Hospitals Paid Short–Killer Algorithms Chapter 26


 

UnitedHealthCare Sends Letter to Teenager Telling Her She Had Diabetes With No Parent or Doctor Involvement–Only Blood Test Was For Lyme Disease–Analytic Attack of the Killer Algorithms?–Reader Writes



 

Accretive Medical Collections and Analytics Cited by Minnesota by Attorney General For Collecting from Patients At Bedside and Worse–Employees on Pay for Performance Too? Killer Algorithms Chapter 28

 

San Diego Hospitals Having Issues With Anthem Blue Cross Refusing Claims for Psychiatric Emergency Services–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 29
 


Colbert Talks Accretive Care–Collections in the Hospital ER (Video) Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 30!



Insurers Add 4th Tier to Prescription Pricing–Higher Costs for Patients–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 31 As That is What Calculates the Cost


image

Facebook IPO – The Ultimate “Attack of the Killer Algorithms” Chapter 32 - Nobody is Immune In the World of Complicated Computer Code and Formulas Today


Predictive Modeling–Business and Consumer Algorithmic Data Screening Parameters Used With Insurance Underwriting–Same Stuff Wall Street Does - Attack of Killer Algorithms Chapter 33



BATS Stock Exchange IPO Rogue Algos–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 34–See How Other Killer Algorithms Occur in Every Day Life With Healthcare & Credit



New York Subway Worker, Dubbed as a Hero Has Pension Reduced to $5.00 a Month–Retirement System Error–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 35




I think there’s a little bit of something in here for everyone and again I do this as an awareness and how we and our government moves forward with this reality, it remains to be seen if we can scoot around the big white elephant in the living room that nobody can see, touch or talk to <grin> but it roars.  Richard Cordray has his work cut out for him and that is an understatement.   

Also because it belongs here and is on the same topic, when you have time listen in here and see how someone with greater intelligence than myself will help explain how this process works too with marketing, media and flawed data as simple math is no longer 100% credible for proving accuracy.  This is a great lecture given at Google’s offices in New York.  It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes between the good stuff and the algorithms created solely for profit as again their crafters are very good and collaborate with media to ensure we have a full diet every day.  BD 

Context is Everything–More About the Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception–Professor Siefe Lecture Given at Google’s New York Office–Big Healthcare Focus



There’s also something here for thought, de-valuate some of these profiteering algorithms so we can balance tangibles and intangibles and not have an economy so out of balance and that promotes the continuation of generating more inequality as that’s the kicker behind the scenes at the root of all of this. 



“Devaluate the Algorithm” And “Tax the Data Sellers”–A Cure for Both Healthcare and an Economy Based Heavily on Intangibles–We’ve Lost Our Balance



NYU Siefe talks at Google Technorati Tags: algoirthms,mathmatics,12 step addictions,healthcare,desired results,rogue algorithm,Charles Seife,books,numbers,analytics,journalism,Google,drugs