health wonk review: the daily double

It’s my turn once again to host the Health Wonk Review, and this gang has gone absolutely wild! Apparently it was Daily Double Week for the Review, with Joe Paduda heading the list of contributors who offered dual postings. That left us with 24 entries, so let’s get right to it (and if I’ve overlooked your entry drop me a line):

Joe Paduda says there’s a “pre-lash” against consumer directed health plans – that’s a backlash before something happens, says Joe. Then, ever helpful soul that he is, he recommends some fixes to help CDHP purveyors from feeling the sting of the lash.

David Harlow of the HealthBlawg looks at the new IRS position paper on EHRs, and follows up with a discussion of binding arbitration between nursing facilities and their residents. Nice double-down, dawg.

Roy Poses, MD summarizes the new information coming out about Avandia and possible cardiovascular risk, following up with some lessons learned and observing that some reports suggest the FDA may have known of the risk for seven years and done nothing.

Bob Laszewski offers an invaluable guide to the Democratic Presidential candidates’ health plans, with some interesting observations about the politics involved. He also notes the lack of detailed plans on the Republican side, and suggests that may be a miscalculation. (Bob didn’t submitted two posts, but I thought they were both valuable.)

I (Richard) looked at those various reform plans and offered some advice for employers in a changing environment, in a post called Health Reform: What Should Business Do?

Jon Coppelman analyzes Massachusetts’ low comp rates – a boon for employers – looking at who’s subsidizing this good news and the factors that might change the situation going forward. A valuable resource for comp mavens.

David E. Williams only offered a single submission – but it’s called Double For Nothing. He compares wait times in the US with those under other national systems. He observes that, while critics of health reform point to the waiting lists common in other systems, we’re not doing very well in this country either.

Matthew Holt takes on free-marketer Amy Ridenour with a singularity of purpose here.

Vince Kuraitis of theHealth e-CareManagement blog has an interesting post about disease management going mobile (wasn’t that a Who song?) and being distributed on a retail basis. That’s the kind of story that piques my interest from the perspectives of investment, social behavior, and technology.

Henry Stern, LUTCF, CBC presents Insurance going to the dogs (and cats)? posted at InsureBlog, saying, “When Fido (or Fluffy) need medical care, do you reach for his/her insurance card? Surprisingly, a lot of folks do.” Why did I have my cat spayed? I don’t mind paying for her coverage, but those dependent premiums were killing me.

Shaheen Lakhan presents Defining Malpractice During an Emergency Evacuation posted at GNIF Brain Blogger. Interesting issue – is failure to evacuate during an emergency a form of malpractice? Med mal insurers, take note: This could be you next time.

Jason Shafrin presents Will Medical IT increase cost? Is slow adoption better? posted at Healthcare Economist. This is an important topic for economic analysis, since the Democratic candidates’ health platforms are predicated on a decrease in cost via IT.

Charles H. Green presents How the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Increase Trust posted at Trust Matters, saying, “When patients won’t even accept free drugs they need, you know there’s a problem. Here’s how to fix that problem.” Sure, Charles, the first one’s always free. Then you gotta pay. I learned that in DARE.

H.S. Ayoub presents biotech stocks, news, commentary – BioHealth Investor posted at BioHealth Investor, asking, “Is early release of study data unfair to doctors?”

GrrlScientist presents Meet Marge: The World’s First NonFat Dairy Cow posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “Image a cow that produces skim milk — naturally!” Next up: A cow that produces Kahlua and cream.

Rita Schwab presents Professional Demeanor Builds Confidence posted at MSSPNexus Blog.

Alwitt Xu presents CSS Tools Collection posted at Prosperity Achiever.

John Wesley presents Fitness Experiment: 2 Weeks on the Slow Carb Diet and Going Strong posted at Pick the Brain.

Karen Halls presents How to Overcome Pain Pill Addiction posted at Addiction Recovery Blog.