johns hopkins

In an interview with Health Affairs NIH head and former Johns Hopkins professor Elias Zerhouni argues that medicine needs to advance from a curative care model to a model that stresses the preclinical phase. The current care model, which relies on "seventeen, eighteen, nineteen people per patient per encounter," is simply unsustainable. Medicine, he argues, must advance to become "pre-emptive", treating diseases far earlier than they are today. Rather revealingly, Zerhouni …

Johns Hopkins will use software developed by ForHealth Technologies to automatically prepare injectable medications. The IntelliFill system uses robots to precisely measure drug ingredients and prepare syringes, improving efficiency. Some critics are not entirely sold on the worth of robots. Supporters argue that, in theory, the technology will also cut down on medication errors. Robots are becoming increasingly common in the automatic filling of drugs in pill form in hospitals and pharmacies. Article

A study of 455 elderly patients showed that hospital-type care in the home was cheaper, more effective in terms of lower length of stay and favored by over 60 percent of the patients. "The hospital-at-home care model is feasible, safe and efficacious for certain older patients with selected acute medical illnesses who require acute hospital-level care," wrote the authors, led by Johns Hopkins' Bruce Leff in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Report (pdf)

Baltimore-based eICU specialist VISICU filed registration papers for an initial public offering late yesterday. According to the filing, the company hopes to sell up to $65 million in common stock. VISICU markets a system which allows remote monitoring of ICU units using Internet-based monitoring and video feeds. The concept, which is intended to complement rather than replace bed-side care, has been praised by some as an effective strategy for upgrading care quality. VISICU was founded …

A study presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific conference compared Pfizer's cholesterol fighting statin Lipitor with Zocor. The research found little evidence to back Pfizer's contention that aggressive dosages of Lipitor could cut heart attack rates by reducing LDL cholesterol levels. Given that Zocor goes off patent next year, this could spell bad news for Lipitor sales, which are the highest of any drug.

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New Jersey will allow hospitals without cardiac surgery units to perform elective angioplasties. Over the protests of local cardiologist groups, New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Fred Jacobs said the state will join five others participating in a national pilot program that will evaluate the idea. Critics argue that allowing the procedure at clinics without cardiac surgery units on hand for backup represents a risk if anything should go seriously wrong. Backers counter that the debate is …

US News & World Report released its annual ranking of the top hospitals in the US this week. The top five hospitals making the magazine's honor roll as all-around performers were: 1) Johns Hopkins (32 pts); 2) The Mayo Clinic (28 pts); 3) Mass. General (24 pts); 4) The Cleveland Clinic (23 pts); and 5) UCLA Medical Center (22 pts). Some cynics will note that a Dartmouth study last year showed dramatically different care patterns among the esteemed "Top 100" group. Story 

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's "100,000" lives campaign appears to be paying off, according a report by the Associated Press. Many hospitals participating in the progam have dramatically reduced the number of cases of pneumonia and blood infections in their intensive care units by following simple guidelines. "Morale seems to be way up at hospitals doing this," said Johns Hopkins' Dr. Peter Pronovost. "Now we're expanding it out to the OR, to the ER, to the other floors." …