Hard agree, and not just because I'm a spreadsheet nerd. Why are we all here? Isn't it in the service…
Morning Headlines 4/24/15
U.S. cancer institute, software firm reach deals in Cuba
Two New York-based healthcare companies are among the first to sign commercial agreements in Cuba. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute of Buffalo, New York will work on lung cancer vaccinations with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology, and Infor has found a partner that will resell its integration engine software in Cuba.
Few People Lost Jobs With V.A. in Scandal
A New York Times investigation finds that only three VA employees lost their jobs over the VA wait-time scandal, far less than the 60 people that VA Secretary Robert McDonald reported during a NBC television interview he did in February. Additionally, only eight of the VA’s 280,000 other employees were punished in some way for their involvement in the scandal.
WebMD Deserves Fees In Failed Patent Case, Judge Says
MMRGlobal, which sued both WebMD and Allscripts over frivolous patent infringements claims, has lost both claims and will now have to pay each company’s legal fees.
Oxycodone-related deaths dropped 25 percent after Florida implemented a controlled prescriptions database. However, the project went live in tandem with state-wide efforts to shut down prescription mills posing as pain clinics, which likely also contributed to the reduced deaths.
Oxycodone deaths may have dropped but the heroin deaths probably tripled. Most addicts are moving away from narcotics, not because of some implemented check system, but because of its availability and being inexpensive. Might want to consider that before patting themselves on their backs about a program that has nothing to do with the real reason why it is less.
I wanted to clarify my above comment. As a front physician that sees the patterns of addiction. I can tell you that oxycodone is much less popular because heroin, meth, spice (synth marijuana) is much MORE popular, most due to availability and costs. Again be wary of all the self congratulatory studies that show that some monitoring program is the reason for the reduction in prescription overdosing. We monitor EVERY patient that receives narcotics and it is VERY few that actually try to abuse the system. I’m not saying its unimportant, but I don’t think its the reason for less oxycodone related OD.