Meddesktop Is Alive!

After a short hiatus, we are back. Our roles will be a bit different as one of our partners has started to work with health care related company and our focus has shifted a little. We will be developing a Application to solve logistics and management related problem that many health care management companies face, under Meddesktop. Therefor our focus for this blog will be traveling along with our application focus. We will also reporting on active worthwhile health and medical news

Tags: health news, medical news, health care, meddesktop

Merck and Schering-Plough Gets another Blow with Zetia and Vytorin Sidelining

Chicago -On Sunday, executives at Merck and Schering-Plough were visibly shocked when an expert panel here at the American College of Cardiology meeting told thousands of doctors not to use their top-selling drugs, Zetia and Vytorin. That night, at a press conference, they strongly contested arguments that they had not proved the drugs were safe.
On Monday morning, things got worse. Rival AstraZeneca said it had stopped its 15,000-patient clinical trial of its Crestor because an independent safety committee said there was proof the drug prevents heart attacks, strokes and deaths. The result came six months ahead of schedule.
Read the complete report at Forbes.

tag: Medical News, Merck, Schering-Plough, Zetia, Vytorin, straZeneca, Crestor

The Deloitte survey : U.S. Consumers Want Major Changes in Health Care Design, Delivery

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 20, 2008 – American consumers want more from their health care system than they’re currently getting – greater online connection to health care providers and medical records, customized insurance coverage and wider access to emerging innovations such as retail clinics, a new survey from Deloitte reveals.

At the same time, they express anxiety about future health care costs – only 7 percent say they’re adequately prepared financially – and increasingly search for alternative medicines and services that can save them money and offer convenience. But many also say they are willing to pay extra for wellness programs, and to support or consider tax increases to cover the uninsured.

The 2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers, a representative poll of more than 3,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 75, was conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. It was directed by Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and William Copeland, Jr., national managing director of the Life Sciences and Health Care practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP.

“More than anything, the findings convince us that Americans no longer see themselves only as patients, but as consumers who want to take greater control of their health care,” Keckley said. “Consumers will redefine our health care market, but how they do it is the most important strategic question the health care industry must answer.”

Copeland said the survey’s scope makes it one of the most thorough and comprehensive efforts to date to measure consumer attitudes, behaviors and unmet needs. “We believe these attitudes and consumer demands could have a transformative impact on the way health care services and products are developed,” he said.

Among the survey’s key findings:

• 93 percent say they are not well prepared for future health care costs
• 79 percent of consumers believe health care will be an important issue in the 2008 election; 46 percent described it as one of the top three issues affecting their vote
• 34 percent say they would use a retail clinic; 16 percent already have
• 60 percent want physicians to provide online access to medical records and test results, and online appointment scheduling; one in four say they would pay more for the service
• 1 in 3 consumers say they want more holistic/alternative therapies in their treatment program
• 3 of 4 consumers want expanded use of in-home monitoring devices and online tools that would reduce need for visits and allow individuals to be more active in their care
• 2 in 5 consumers want a wellness program to improve health and/or save money; one in four say they would pay more for it
• 84 percent prefer generic drugs to name brands
• 29 percent support a tax increase to help cover the uninsured; another 34 percent say they would consider a tax hike
• 52 percent of consumers say they understand their insurance coverage; only 8 percent understand their policies completely
• For additional findings, visit www.deloitte.com/us/consumerism/library

The way Americans think and behave in buying, managing and using their health care varies widely by gender, age group and cultural background, according to the survey. Women and men, for instance, have very different approaches to how they select and pay for their health care.

The Deloitte survey, however, found that consumer needs overall are basic -- better service, personalization, value – and that they want specific tools to customize the health services and insurance programs they use. Consumers are embracing innovation. Respondents said they wanted health plans to provide help with clinical decisions, not simply administrative services, and many want to customize their insurance with unique coverage and pricing features.

In addition, the survey revealed the consumer health care market is not homogenous; key distinctions exist within different groups. An analysis of the data found that the more than 3,000 respondents fell into six discrete segments, ranging from “content and compliant” consumers more accepting of the status quo to “out and about” health care shoppers who tend to be more independent and willing to try unconventional treatments.

Those factors taken together carry with them the potential for dramatic near-term change in the way U.S. doctors, hospitals, health plan administrators, drug makers and biotech companies operate, Keckley noted.

For general information on the survey, please contact Scott Ladd. For information on the Health Plans, Health Providers, and Life Sciences practices of Deloitte, please contact Marykate Reese.

tag: health care, Medical News, Deloitte Center for Health, medical records, insurance coverage, health care costs, Deloitte survey,

CoGenesys Inc. Acquired By Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Generic-drug giant Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has agreed to acquire biopharmaceutical company CoGenesys Inc. for $400 million in cash, Teva announced Tuesday.

The deal, which is expected to close during the first half of 2008, is likely to stoke the debate about the role generic-drug makers should play in the emerging market for biological therapies.

CoGenesys Inc., a closely held spinoff of Human Genome Sciences Inc., would give Jerusalem-based Teva a foothold in the market for biologic therapies.

News Source,

tag: Teva Pharmaceutical, CoGenesys,

The Long Island anesthesiologist, who reused syringes, cannot be sued due to Statute of Limitations.

According to a post on NY Daily News, The Long Island pain doc who reused syringes and put hundreds of patients at risk for HIV and hepatitis likely cannot be sued because the state waited nearly three years to alert the affected patients.
Dr. Harvey Finkelstein's misuse of syringes 34 months ago resulted in two known hepatitis C cases. But instead of telling 628 patients that they were at risk, the Plainview, L.I., anesthesiologist hired lawyers to negotiate with the state health department.
The state last week mailed letters to the at-risk patients, urging them to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C.
If additional patients do turn out to be infected, the state's statute of limitations - 30 months - would prevent them from suing the pain doctor, said Jeff Korek, president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

Continue to the article on NY Daily News...

Tags: Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, Medical News, hepatitis C, anesthesiologist