AAP committee recommends eye exams to spot child abuse An AAP committee is suggesting eye exams be used for some small children who die suddenly, to check for signs of child abuse. CDC says H1N1 flu strain hit children hardest The ‘swine’ flu outbreak of 2009 was hardest on young children, unlike most flu strains that attack the elderly the hardest. Survey finds sleep drugs are commonly recommended for children Almost one fourth of child psychiatry patients with insomnia are prescribed Read More...

It is one of the enjoyable mysteries of legislative politics that last-minute bills often accomplish things that people have been talking about for months and even years. The MA Legislature goes out of session later today, and it is prepared to take an up-or-down vote on a comprehensive bill regarding health care costs, insurance premiums, and the like. I have just read the conference report. I can’t say that I fully understand all the provisions, but there are some that are in the Read More...

Apropos of nothing at all usually seen on this blog, I offer this very funny — and oddly moving — video as the weekend approaches: (If you cannot see the video, click here.) Read More...

By JOHN MORROW Earlier this month USNews and World Report released their annual list of America’s Best Hospitals. This list is terribly misleading and is a disservice to the readers of that magazine, in my opinion. The fine print is… Read More...

By LYGEIA RICCIARDI Last week I heard uber marketer Seth Godin speak about the power of fear. Fear is one of the strongest human emotions, based in the core of our brain–the “lizard brain” that evolved prior to our higher… Read More...

There’s still time this summer to hit the road or take to the skies for a family trip. Whether it’s a short visit to grandma’s house or a trip across the country, traveling with children can be challenging. When embarking on a family trip, consider selecting a destination that’s geared toward children. Whether you are traveling by car, plane, train or bus, the key to an enjoyable trip with your child is to plan ahead. Advanced planning will ensure a successful, fun vacation and reduce Read More...

The new regulations for public schools prohibit fryolators in the preparation of competitive foods. This line, from Massachusetts’ new school nutrition bill, is enough to make nutrition activists jump with joy. Fried foods will be just one of the unhealthy items stricken from Mass. schools after Governor Deval Patrick signs the bill today (full text of the bill here). “This bill is certainly not a panacea for the childhood obesity epidemic, but it is an important step in creating Read More...

Amy, one week prior to visiting Children's Hospital Boston As a high school sophomore, Amy Rucki was admitted to Children’s Hospital Boston with a brain tumor. She was followed by ABC camera crews, who were taping for the medical documentary, Boston Med (tune in tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC). Though she wasn’t included in the final cut of the show, you can watch exclusive mini-episodes about her experience online (part one here, part two here). Below, Amy reflects on Read More...

Little if anything. H/T to Med Rants. Read More...

Nice update from the Renal Fellow Network. Read More...

This is a request for modest financial help, directed to my hospital colleagues. In recent years, we have seen a burgeoning of small patient-run organizations. They are working hard to improve the quality, safety, and responsiveness of the health care system. Many of these organizations arose out of personal tragedy or injury, like Linda Kenney’s MITSS. A common characteristic is that the founder has been able to get past the trauma and anger of his or her medical experience and has Read More...

A friend decided to help settle the dilemma-dilemna question below by sending a note to the etymologist at the Oxford English Dictionary. Here is her note: To: Anatoly LibermanOxford EtymologistOxford University Press Dear Mr. Liberman,Reading your delightful blog makes me wonder this: many Americans — highly educated ones — between the ages of 50 and 65 were taught to spell dilemma with an n, “dilemna.” It appears to be most common in the Northeast. Do you have Read More...

By Ida Strom Seljeseth In this brief interview at the Health 2.0 Goes to Washington conference June 10, 2010 Executive Chairman of Araxis Health, Patrick Soon-Shiong, talks about the Health Transformation Institute. Read More...

By ROGER COLLIER One thing about a democracy, everyone is entitled to publish their predictions about the future, and on the costs (or savings) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act over the 2010-2019 decade, there are enough to… Read More...

By Anthony Cirillo When Lowe’s Home Improvement recently announced that all employees who needed cardiac surgery would go to Cleveland Clinic, it made me pause. Living just miles from Lowe’s headquarters (near Charlotte, N.C.) and surrounded by very good major medical centers, I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when local hospital officials heard the news. The announcement must have sent shock waves through them. [More:] Lowe’s realizes that while the initial cost Read More...

By Nancy Cawley Jean In any given webinar or lecture on social media, you’ll hear that if used correctly, it can be an incredible tool for hospitals that want to build a conversation with our patients and the community, hearing what people want and how we can improve our services, offering health information for the general public, communicating timely information in a crisis, building loyalty for our brand and even supporting fundraising efforts. For the past year, the hospitals of Read More...

As part of her Let’s Move! campaign, Michelle Obama is reaching out to software developers and technology innovators to create engaging games and mobile phone applications that encourage children to take a more proactive role in healthy nutrition and exercise. Ben Reis, PhD, of Children’s Hospital Informatics Program, is leading a team from Children’s determined to answer the first lady’s call, with a new app called Food Hero. Players choose a character and decide Read More...

In this meta-analysis, patients who experienced delirium were almost twice as likely to die or be institutionalized within about 2 years, even after adjusting for confounders. Although delirium is temporary, it is important to discuss (with the patient or family) the implications of prognosis in those that experience it (abstract) Read More...

In this large survey of 1891 physicians, only 2/3 completely agreed that they should report colleagues who are impaired or incompetent, and 17% had direct personal knowledge of an incompetent or impaired colleague. We need to ensure that seamless processes are in place to report and act upon incompetent or impaired physicians (abstract). Read More...

Public Policy Contributor Brad Flansbaum writes… I follow the literature on Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) because of its topical nature and its promise, as well as how it may fast track needed change in our healthcare delivery system.  I have written on this subject once before, and wish to return to it. A Google search of ‘Accountable [...] Read More...

Apparently they’re not as romantic about their own health care system as Berwick is according to this government white paper (H/T to Dr. Wes). Arguments that the NHS is a model health care system are falling apart at the seams as is, apparently, the NHS itself. Read More...

In several earlier posts I said that Berwick’s detractors as well as his supporters take a simplistic approach about his positions. A nuanced view of Berwick would be that his statements on health care are,at least on the surface, incoherent. How, for example, does he reconcile his contradictory positions, favoring rationing and central control on the one hand while at the same time espousing Read More...

By Matthew Holt In final panel at Health 2.0 Goes to Washington the reactor panel, Will Yu (ONC), Esther Dyson (EDventure) and Chris Schroeder(Healthcentral) discussed health issues, and innovation in the healthcare system with Matthew Holt. Read More...

By Matthew Holt SUBTEXT:After being a panelist at the Health 2.0 Goes to Washington Conference, Esther Dyson, Chairman of EDventure Holdings, gave a backstage interview. She talked about the three markets that influence Health 2.0; the market for healthcare, bad… Read More...

During my tenure here, I have always been able to count on Helen Fuller, RN, to send me emails when she saw things that were awry or could be done better — either for patients or members of the staff. For example, she pointed out a need for an automatic door between two of our buildings because the ramp connecting them was making it difficult for patients in wheelchairs to open the connecting door. (We installed the door.) She also noticed that we were having fewer town meetings than Read More...