Vaccines

Google searches for the flu

Anne Zieger — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:15:11 -0500

Last year, a test showed that Google could pinpoint flu outbreaks up to two weeks faster than the CDC's tracking by using search terms. Now Google.org (Google's philanthropic branch) is actively working with the CDC to try to catch them in near real time.

The project works by keeping track of where flu-related searches like "thermometer" and "cold remedies" are peaking. When they start increasing rapidly, it may mean that there is a flu outbreak getting started, and people are trying to find out more about their illness.

The best way to control a flu outbreak, and especially to avoid unnecessary deaths, is to get vaccines to people at risk near the outbreak. The faster an outbreak can be discovered and pinpointed, the better; so if Google's "FluTrends" continues to work, it could help control any outbreaks much more quickly.

To learn more about FluTrends:
- read this San Francisco Chronicle piece

ALSO NOTED: Plavix copycat on the rise in Europe; Hospital bills for services to dead patient; and much more...

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Pharma giants Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb are preparing to battle a copycat generic to its Plavix brand. FiercePharma

> Talk about a nasty billing conflict: A deceased patient's husband and the hospital that cared for her went through a months-long wrangle over services delivered after his wife died. FierceHealthFinance

> Experts are wondering whether vaccines can provide immunity in the absence of natural exposure to those diseases. FierceVaccines

> California hospital upstart Prime Healthcare has joined the Premier healthcare alliance to begin reporting quality data. Article

And Finally... Wow. People will do just about anything for pizza. Article

ALSO NOTED: FDA admits it can't afford to boost foreign inspections; Researchers test anti-smoking vaccine; and much more...

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> The FDA has conceded that maybe, just maybe, it will need more money if it's going to do a good job of inspecting foreign drug manufacture sites. FiercePharma

> Swedish researchers are launching a study of a new vaccine which could help people stop smoking. FierceVaccines

> A group of Jacksonville, FL-area hospitals have begun to let their patients pay bills online. FierceHealthFinance

> Is it a violation of EMTALA to tell an uninsured ED patient what his treatment will cost? Apparently, it could be. Blog

And Finally... This hospital CEO says she's run a hospital previously... but won't say where. Yes, you read that right. Article

ALSO NOTED: CO delays raising malpractice award limits; Feds say vaccines might contribute to autism; and much more...

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Colorado has delayed plans to raise limits for judgments in malpractice suits. Report

> Big news: It looks like federal authorities have conceded that there might be a link between some vaccines and the development of childhood autism. FierceVaccines

> A tight Louisiana state budget might delay authorities from building a badly-needed hospital to replace New Orleans' Charity Hospital, which was destroyed years ago now by Hurricane Katrina. Article

> This North Carolina hospital saved $2 million by taking a close look at its supply spending. FierceHealthFinance

And Finally... If this couple really wants to sell their property, perhaps they'll need an alien realtor to get the job done. Article

ALSO NOTED: U.S. adults ignoring valuable vaccines; FL hospitals face CMS hand-slap; and much more...

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> It appears that U.S. adults are largely avoiding several new vaccines that can prevent serious illness, according to a new survey. FierceVaccines

> CMS has targeted several hospitals as targets for quality improvement, including five hospitals in south Florida. Article

> Here's a case study on how Tenet works with its clinical staff to develop more-useful technology approaches. FierceHealthIT

> In Alamedia County, CA, politics scuttled a new tax which would have generated $750 million to build a new Children's Hospital facility. Article

And Finally... I know lawyers are the butt of a lot of abuse, but this was a bit much. Article

ALSO NOTED: Medicare tests PHRs in SC; WellCare in more trouble; and much more...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Medicare will soon begin testing personal health records with 100,000 beneficiaries in South Carolina. FierceHealthIT

> WellCare, which provides managed care services for government-sponsored health programs, is facing more financial and managerial problems. Article

> A judge has removed the executive responsible for overseeing California's prison health system, which has been in turmoil since investigators found subpar conditions there. Article

> State and local governments spending on health IT should spike in coming years, according to a new study. FierceHealthIT

> According to a news study, weight-loss surgery worked markedly better than conventional treatments for treating diabetes in obese patients. Report

> American adults are largely ignoring a slate of important new vaccines that can prevent serious illness, according to a new survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Report

And Finally... Go ahead, tell him what you really think about the way he leaves the toothpaste cap off. It'll do you good. Article

Should practices "get tough" with insurers?

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:59:59 -0400

This week, as part of my coverage of the Medical Group Management Association's annual meeting, I wrote about how hard it's getting to make a profit as a medical group. In an editorial, I noted that for many types of groups (including some lucrative specialties), expenses are rising faster than revenues, something which obviously can't go on forever.

In response, a practice manager from California wrote in with this take:

"I believe that doctors have to get tough with these heartless insurance companies. I read in Physician's Practice a while back that the pediatricians told the parents that the insurance companies were not reimbursing appropriately and that they were not going to dispense vaccines until the insurance companies coughed up the money. This is the kind of hardball that physicians need to play. If we pay $10 for a vaccine I expect that we will be reimbursed properly. If we are not, the parents are sent a bill. When they return for a visit and have not paid, then we tell them that they can (a) pay what they owe or (b) re-schedule for a time that they can pay. (Our office) is not a free clinic and I do not believe that physicians should be in the business of losing money. I will NOT stand for it."

With all due respect to my correspondent, my feeling is that while groups should hold the line with insurance companies, they're not going to get much more juice out of them at this point. On the other hand, they can certainly tighten up patient collection measures--after all, you have more leverage with patients, who at least stand there and look you in the face.

Readers, do you think that groups can regain their footing financially by drawing a line in the sand with insurance companies? (I'd love to hear stories of how you won the day in battles like the one outlined above.) And OK, maybe one group doesn't have sufficient clout on its own, but if most groups pushed harder, would it work? Or are we on the verge of some major shifts toward business activities that don't involve collecting from a health plan? - Anne

Vaccine development surges

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:01:36 -0500

After years of underfunding, this is now a great time for the vaccine business. Three new vaccines hit the market during 2006 alone, the most known for a single year, and costly new vaccines are likely to find acceptance this year. Vaccines released during 2006 include HPV, which has been linked to the development of cervical cancer, and rotavirus, which kills 600,000 children around the world. And the trend is likely to continue, experts say. Technology breakthroughs, boosted by higher funding, are generating higher profits, enticing pharma companies like Pfizer to return to the market in record numbers. Observers say that within five years, researchers may have actually developed a vaccine for malaria, which has proven virtually impossible to develop in the past. Within 10 years, vaccines fighting herpes simplex and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as a better seasonal flu shot, are in the works as well. "It's clear there is a renaissance going on around vaccines," said Dr. Antony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Some think the current boom may even surpass the Golden Age of vaccine development, between the late 1940s and early 1960s, when vaccines for polio, flu, mumps and measles were discovered.

Find out more about the vaccine development boom:
- read this piece from the Los Angeles Times

Related Articles:
Vaccine list grows more expensive. Report
Teen vaccine market poised for growth. Report
Pfizer cuts 10,000 jobs. Report

Vaccine list grows more expensive

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Twenty years ago, there were four vaccines for kids. The cost was $100 or less for all of them, and the schedule was straightforward. Now there are 12--soon to be 13 with the newly recommended HPV vaccine for girls--and the costs have skyrocketed to $1,250. While insurance generally covers vaccines, the poor and uninsured are worrying disease-control experts, who fear that government coverage can't keep up. And diseases like mumps and whooping cough have been breaking out even among the vaccinated, suggesting that more boosters are needed.

For more on vaccines:
- check out this story from the Associated Press

Vaccine makers predict no shortage next year

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:01:38 -0400

It looks as though there will be no repeat of the flu vaccine shortages of the past few years. Vaccine makers say they are on track to produce at least 100 million doses of flu vaccine in time for next year's flu season. That's far better than the 86 million doses that producers managed for the 2005-2006 season. The estimates came as vaccine manufacturers, public health officials and influenza experts met in Chicago for the National Influenza Vaccine Summit. Officials say they want to improve vaccination rates, both to protect the public health and as an incentive for makers to continue producing the vaccines. The CDC is expected to announce changes to its current vaccination guidelines intended to encourage more people to get flu shots. Under the new policy, the agency is expected to recommend that children between the ages of 2 and 5 get shots.

- read this article from USA Today