tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post3902507519498859514..comments2023-11-03T04:19:17.635-07:00Comments on Disaster Porn: Burned Again By a Handmaiden of the FIRE Economy.Edwardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613197383283896190noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-16643844946652565522010-02-21T15:31:31.260-08:002010-02-21T15:31:31.260-08:00Hey,
I hate to burst your balloon on this but I ju...Hey,<br />I hate to burst your balloon on this but I just received (Feb 19, 2010) exactly the same email response from Senator Kerry. It is obvious your email, my email and many others like it expressing total disatisfaction with his performance in pursuit of "the people's business" is falling on deaf ears and is being tossed in a large bucket scheduled for a generic response sent out by an overpaid office staff. Do a Google phrase search on his email to you and you will find a number of hits identifying other people who received the exactly same "Dear John Doe" email. He, like many others in Congress don't read the bills they vote on so why would you expect he has read your email? After all, what do you expect from someone who only makes $174K plus a long, long list of fringe benefits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress)? It time to vote clowns like him out of office. Scott Brown's election obviously didn't make him think twice about what he is doing to our country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-33509366215996286172010-01-13T23:23:43.556-08:002010-01-13T23:23:43.556-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-33528969140231558962010-01-13T19:13:02.365-08:002010-01-13T19:13:02.365-08:00I inclination not concur on it. I regard as nice p...I inclination not concur on it. I regard as nice post. Expressly the appellation attracted me to review the unscathed story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-85550375771560257792010-01-11T19:12:06.795-08:002010-01-11T19:12:06.795-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-6611087578650104352010-01-10T18:11:29.290-08:002010-01-10T18:11:29.290-08:00ThanksThanksThaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-535285061987234572010-01-09T20:51:52.180-08:002010-01-09T20:51:52.180-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Thaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-2773123851193955852010-01-09T20:41:59.417-08:002010-01-09T20:41:59.417-08:00You win the prize, Thai. The IT economy, the Insti...You win the prize, Thai. The IT economy, the Institute of Medicine, and the entire ethos that underlies the very existence of such an entity, seem to represent a problem unto themselves. <br /><br />I suspect the "institute" exists, to some degree, just so clueless political hacks like John Kerry can have access to "findings" that they will deploy to fool hoi polloi into thinking that the political class know something about that which they speak. <br /><br />The more I think about this particular problem, "the health care problem" that is, the more I am put in mind of Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia, where the main idea centers on people's immense and overpowering need to provide answers to things they have no way of ascertaining.<br /><br />Neil Postman's book, Technopoly, also comes to mind, since, ultimately, outfits like the Institute of Medicine appear to be nothing so much as glorified tools that, where public policy is concerned, have (been allowed to) run amok. <br /><br />It's a funny thing- well, not really- but in my experience, when the term institute is used to describe some group's formal endeavor, whether it's a drama school or a medical research outfit, it's wise to treat it as something of a red flag.<br /><br />Thanks very much for your professional opnion and for all the links. <br /><br />Now, since you brought it up, what do you do for a living, Thai? I thought you were a practicing physician.Edwardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03613197383283896190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-62214258028351916432010-01-09T10:15:17.939-08:002010-01-09T10:15:17.939-08:00Re-reading my statement on the Institute of Medici...Re-reading my statement on the Institute of Medicine, I may sound a little stronger than I intend.<br /><br />To be fair, IM does a lot of good work. But the way some of their studies get reported, such as <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/12/the_150000_life_health-care_pl.html" rel="nofollow">this</a> requires that you often look at their methodologies to see what they are saying and whether the report is being published correctly.<br /><br />For press bias never seems to report that how the IM itself has published other papers like <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15842084" rel="nofollow">this</a> which show that disparity studies have major limitations by their very nature as it is impossible to account for other variables.<br /><br />... And please note I AM NOT commenting on race, I just use this particular NLM link as one example of where IM reports can contradict other IM reports and the press misses this.<br /><br />This is why I say "take them with a grain of salt".<br /><br />But I do have an enormous amount of respect for the people of the National Academy of Sciences.<br /><br />AND as per our discussion on global warming, <a href="http://people-press.org/report/528/" rel="nofollow">scientists do have their own personal biases</a>.<br /><br />AND, I think there are some revolving doors. ;-)Thaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-82910998217130884642010-01-09T09:42:08.080-08:002010-01-09T09:42:08.080-08:00Just one example of the revolving door. ;-)Just one example of <a href="http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2010/01/prominent_voice_in_health_care.php" rel="nofollow">the revolving door</a>. ;-)Thaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-25078487469912055082010-01-09T08:58:43.900-08:002010-01-09T08:58:43.900-08:00... This letter actually tells you quite a bit ;-)...... This letter actually tells you quite a bit ;-)<br /><br />1. If Mass is a model, god help us all. Mass does have less uninsured-kudos- yet you also spend more per person than almost anyone else on this planet (there are a few places like NY and Miami that are beating you- barely)<br /><br />2. If women don't pay more, then does that mean that men make up the difference?<br /><br />3. If we spend $700 billion unnecessarily, then who will we not spend this money on tomorrow once you have figured out where it is and how to get rid of it? Doctors haven't been able to decide how to stop this problem to date but you apparently feel you know who can decide/do it well? <br /><br />Care to share with us who that person will be? <br /><br />...And since Mass is apparently worse at it than anyone else, how does this bode for the idea the Mass be a leader in this effort? Or that a Mass model will show us how to accomplish this?<br /><br />4. If we are to keep the parts of our system which work, but jettison those that don't, would you care to tell us which parts would these are?<br /><br />Get rid of the Mass model of high costs? <br />Spend EVEN MORE on an IT infrastructure which has never been show to translate into better care or lower costs? <br /><br />Or is it just charging men more? <br /><br />Please share Mr. Kerry<br /><br />... Somehow I suspect it is just the latter ;-)Thaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902921887068783713.post-29087067032376739642010-01-09T08:30:54.522-08:002010-01-09T08:30:54.522-08:00Now if there is something I do know a great deal a...Now if there is something I do know a great deal about, it is IT in medicine (let's say it is very intimately related to what I do for a living) and all I have to say is the institute of medicine's conclusions are a joke. <br /><br />Perhaps we should add IT economy to the FIRE and change the term to FIIRE economy.<br /><br />IT in medicine is a VERY complex issue.<br /><br />Taken from your letter: <br /><br /><i><b>"A modernized health system must take full advantage of electronic prescribing and health information technology."</b></i><br /><br />Does Kerry even know what he is talking about???????<br /><br />So I ask you to explain to me why the major Health Care IT initiative of the UK, <a href="http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39666196,00.htm" rel="nofollow">the Care Records Service</a>, failed?<br /><br />Perhaps it is only "crazy" profit driven American doctors and incompetent Brits who can't get this thing right. <br /><br />Federal policy wonks don't suffer from our incompetence.<br /><br />How many times have we been told by the proponents of the Obamacare system that the biggest hindrance to high quality/low cost medical care is the fact that we are not a "centralized"/single payor systems?<br /><br />How much more centralized/single payor can you get than the NHS? Yet they can't get it to work either?<br /><br />Kerry's misunderstanding of this issue is bordering on the neglegent in my opinion and he is going to kill people if he is not careful.<br /><br />In fact, as a general rule, <b>you can take anything the Institute of Medicine says with a BIG grain of salt!</b> For if you ever look at a great many assumptions they use in their "studies" or "recommendations", you would be stunned.<br /><br />Institute of medicine (IM) policy statements are no better than a magic eight ball (and possibly worse) and I can back this strong statement with a great MANY links if you want.<br /><br />I have never bothered to tease out the political connections between the IM and whoever they works closely with to figure out where the so called "revolving door" is strongest (you see it frequently in Washington) but I suspect it would not be pretty.<br /><br />... Note I am not anti-IT in health care in any way, but to claim it is a low hanging fruit issue is bizarre.<br /><br />The Feds forcing the issue will not make it better one bit.Thaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700253024420397221noreply@blogger.com