Weekender 9/21/18

Weekly News Recap

• Pathologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center complain that its executives and board members received equity in pathology decision support company Paige.AI after MSKCC gave the company exclusive access to its archive of patient tissue slides
• Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital collectively pay $999,000 to settle patient privacy complaints related to the in-hospital taping of the TV show “Boston Med”
• Athenahealth shares drop sharply on the news that activist investor Elliott Management will pass on acquiring the company at its previously offered price of $160 per share, citing problems it found during due diligence
• Waystar announces its acquisition of Connance
• Aramark sells its Healthcare Technologies business to clinical engineering and asset management company TriMedx for $300 million
• The impending arrival of Hurricane Florence in the Southeast motivates HIEs to connect their systems, hospitals to offer free virtual visits, and HHS to temporarily waive several HIPAA Privacy Rule requirements

Best Reader Comments

It’s not the one with the best algorithm that wins – it’s the one with the best data. (MLtrainedMD)

I expect we’ll see more unfortunate deals like the Paige one over the next few years as clinical organizations with good reputations cut deals with AI/ML companies. The AI/ML companies need someone clinical to provide them their training cases and the executives mistakenly think the data isn’t worth anything since it’s just “sitting there.” Lots of AI/ML companies are getting away with a treasure trove of valuable data very inexpensively. (DrM)

I think a lot of women exclude themselves from some pursuits early on in life (computers, science, leadership roles, etc.). Therefore they don’t develop those aptitudes, and therefore there just aren’t a lot of qualified women out there to be hired into those roles. (And therefore, when there is a qualified woman, they can be subjected to more skepticism and scrutiny than others.) Some say the solution is to hire by quota. But if there is an insufficient number of qualified female applicants, then that just results in hiring unqualified ones into roles that others may be better qualified for. Which is (a) not fair, and (b) also creates a credibility problem for the hapless woman. And it renders awards / promotions to women in these roles essentially meaningless, even if they were given based on merit (because people will assume they were quota-driven). Not an easy problem. (Clustered)

I’ve taught research methods and sampling methods for 45 years. I’ve written books and articles about research methods etc. KLAS is the example I use of the worst possible false “research” presentations. Only a fool would pay attention to a KLAS rating. It is a means of selling KLAS reports and of favoring vendors who pay for KLAS reports. I’m not saying they intend to deceive, but their design does that. Period. Thus, even if they wanted to be truthful, they can’t be with their research approach. It has no statistical validity. It’s an advertising tool. (Ross Koppel)

Watercooler Talk Tidbits

Readers funded the DonorsChoose teacher grant request of Ms. E in Michigan, who asked for a handheld carbon dioxide meter and map printing supplies for the Girls Club air quality mapping project. She reports, “The members of my Girls Club love to do science activities, and taking them home with them to report back was even more exciting. The girls went through and took data for their own homes, businesses, and even the school. It was interesting to see the areas of high and low concentration of carbon dioxide at different places. Some were surprised at the results, especially the levels coming form our school! Thank you for bringing a science project to life that allowed my girls to become real scientists.”

A new California law requires hospitals to make plant-based meals – as recommended by the AMA and the American College of Cardiology – available to patients.

Italy’s anti-establishment movement gets a law passed that allows parents to attest that their kids have been given 10 mandatory vaccines without providing proof, promoting personal choice in claiming scientific arrogance, drug company influence, and supposed connections to cancer and autism. One group of doctors publicly claims that eating nuts is more effective that vaccines for preventing illness (insert your own nut-related pun here).

California’s private surgery center accreditation agencies, which are paid directly by their surgery center customers, often approve facilities that have been decertified by Medicare; that are being run by medical professionals who have lost their licenses or who were caught practicing outside the scope of their training; or that have high complication or death rates. One of those private accreditors is Joint Commission. In a fun overlap of events, an endoscopy center earned its “widely recognized symbol of quality” the same day state health inspectors declared “immediate jeopardy” when they saw a newly hired receptionist disinfecting endoscopes.

FDA’s warning letter to a Addison, IL pharmaceutical testing laboratory cites problems with quality control, staff training, unsuitable equipment, and the owner’s operation of a microbrewery in the same space where yeast counts were measured, with FDA dryly noting that “A brewery employee was also preparing beer kegs in this area. In addition, laboratory test media, open beer bottles, and brewing materials were co-mingled within the same refrigerator.” The website of Seery Athlone Brewing touts that its owner – who also owns the lab – has a degree in microbiology and “more than 30 years of experience in fermentation – perfect for brewing!”

Life insurance company John Hancock will require policyholders to wear activity tracking wearables to earn its discounted premium rate, extending the practice of its Vitality program that offers discounted trackers such as the Apple Watch.  That company found that its policyholders lived 13-21 years longer than average, which instead of implying that using fitness trackers improves health, might instead suggest that those customers were healthier to begin with and agreed to prove it by having Big Brother monitor their exercise levels in return for life insurance discounts.

A  man is admitted to the hospital in critical condition after he and his partner, high on a date rape drug, decide (after what I’m sure was thoughtful deliberation) to boil 15 eggs and insert them into the southern rather than the northern opening of his alimentary tract.

In Case You Missed It

• News 9/21/18
• EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 9/20/18
• News 9/19/18
• Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 9/17/18
• Monday Morning Update 9/17/18

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