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Pharmaceutical Companies Use Rx Data Mining to Boost Sales Tactics, Patient Advocates Argue

David Mittleman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:06:36 GMT

When your doctor prescribes you a medication you probably expect that the information stays between you, the doctor, and your insurance company. However, prescription data miners are changing that dynamic in scary ways: by spying on your prescription data they are able to provide pharmaceutical companies with information to entice doctors to prescribe their medications more frequently. In fact, pharmaceutical companies are able to learn how to “fine-tune” their messages so that when a sales-rep calls a doctor, they are able to give a good pitch. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies can entice doctors to prescribe their medications with free samples of drugs. While the individual identities of patients is not disclosed in data mining, government officials are concerned about doctors’ decision-making becoming distorted because of the new sales tactics of pharmaceutical companies with access to prescription information.

The process of prescription data mining begins with medical data firms. Medical data firms have access to billions of prescription records, which they purchase from pharmacies and health insurers who have physician data from the American Medical Association, as well as other sources. They then are able to sell this information to pharmaceutical companies. According to critics, the end result is that drug companies are able to sell their newest and costliest medications, not necessarily the most effective medications.

Patient advocates and government officials are also concerned about the interference in the patient-doctor relationship, as well as increased spending on expensive drugs. However, data miners argue that they are actually helping contain the cost of prescription medications by improving quality and by quickly providing doctors with information on which drugs work best.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Nine-Year-Old Florida Girl Nearly Dies from Misdiagnosed H1N1 Virus

David Mittleman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:05:33 GMT

Rapid flu tests are used to determine if a patient has the illness so that doctors can immediately being treatment. However, in Hayli Murphy’s case, she almost died as a result of an incorrect diagnosis from a rapid flu test. In fact, some doctors are concerned that their peers are becoming too reliant on the rapid flu tests and are ultimately misled into not treating sick patients.

Hayli is 9-years-old and came with her mother to the emergency room on September 21, complaining of a high fever. She was given the rapid flu test, which showed a negative result. Nevertheless, Hayli’s mother brought her back to the ER the next day when her fever reached 104 degrees. Again, doctors gave Hayli a rapid flu test that came out negative. Instead, the doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia and sent her home with antibiotics. By the next day Hayli was so sick that her mother had to carry her into the ER. Finally, doctors administered Tamiflu, the antiviral used to kill the H1N1 virus, but Hayli still couldn’t get better. Instead, she spent the next 43 days in the intensive care unit, struggling for her life.

During her stay at the hospital, doctors gave Hayli a DNA-based test that proved that she was infected with H1N1. The DNA test is highly accurate, but takes more time to process. But now more doctors are urging their peers to use this type of test instead of the rapid flu test. In fact, according to some studies the rapid flu tests is only accurate 50% of the time. Furthermore, doctors urge patients to watch for the following signs in their children to determine if they might have the H1N1 virus:

· Fast or troubled breathing
· Numb or blue finger or toes
· Can’t touch chin to chest
· Symptoms improve and then return
· A fever with a rash

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that out of the 8 million people under the age of 18 who contracted H1N1 between April and October, 36,000 were hospitalized and 540 died. Please remember the tips above if you are concerned that your child has the H1N1 virus.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Connecticut AG Announces Suit Against CVS for Selling Expired Products

David Mittleman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, recently sued and successfully settled with CVS for $875,000 after discovering that the pharmaceutical company was selling expired products at 60% of its New York stores. Now Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal is following in a similar vein.

According to a statement from AG Blumenthal, his office is suing a unit of CVS Caremark Corp. for selling expired over-the-counter drugs and products in its stores in Connecticut. Specifically, according to his statement, investigators from his office found expired food, beverages, as well as the expired over-the-counter medications. In total, the expired merchandise was on sale in 20 or more CVS stores between 2008 and 2009.

A CVS spokeswoman claims that the company only became aware of a problem after it received notice of the suit from AG Blumenthal’s announcement on Monday. Nevertheless, the company maintains that the health and safety of its customers is its top priority and is committed to maintaining proper inventory management to ensure that expired products don’t sit on store shelves. However, the Connecticut branches may still face a similar fate to that of their New York counterparts.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Proposed Legislation Would Protect Consumers, Hold Insurance Companies Accountable

David Mittleman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:42:55 GMT

Earlier this week, Democrats in the Michigan House of Representatives introduced a package of bills that would strengthen consumer protection and prevent auto insurance companies from engaging in unfair trade practices. The proposed law, which is made up of ten separate bills, represents a significant step toward safeguarding consumers' interests.

Under the current law, insurance companies can consider someone's credit history, education, and occupation when setting insurance rates. The new law would prohibit this practice, as well as prevent auto insurance companies from raising an individual's rate following an accident if he or she was not at fault. In addition, the state insurance commissioner would have to sign off on any potential rate increases.

The new bill package essentially adopts the recommendations put forth by consumer advocates in February of this year. Despite its brutal economic climate, Michigan ranks in the top quarter of all states in terms of total auto insurance premiums.

Until now, auto insurance companies have been able to fix rates based on irrelevant and discriminatory information. Hopefully, that is about to change and consumers will be able to enjoy a fair and reasonable method of determining auto premiums.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Let's Get Real About Lawsuits and Corporate America and Organized Medicine

David Mittleman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:11:39 GMT

While browsing the blogging world I discovered a post by Joanne Doroshow on the The Huffington Post with which I completely agreed. Ms. Doroshow was taking on the hypocrisy of Corporate America and Organized Medicine when it came to their positions on access to the courts.

It boils down to this. When it's injured people who want access to the courts to protect what little rights they have left after "tort reform", corporate America and organized medicine blast the anti-litigation propoganda for all to hear. We hear about frivolous lawsuits, costs of litigation, and the threats to commerce.

But... when it's corporate America and organized medicine that want access to the courts to rack up money on even the most absurd claims, the anti-court propoganda disappears. Most likely, these corporate entities are suing smaller, weaker entities to squeeze them out of money over things most of us would probably shake our head over.

So here's the truth. When you hear television ads and see online postings talking to you about frivolous lawsuits and greedy plaintiffs, remember who is sending you the message. It's probably a corporate entity that's been suing over the craziest claims, but doesn't want injured persons without million dollar bank accounts to have access to the courts.

Is that hypocrisy? If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck....

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

La Salle University Settles With Family of Former Football Player for $7.5 Million

David Mittleman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

In the past week the media has covered Ben Roethlisberger’s head injury and subsequent decision to first play in last Sunday’s game and then opt-out at the last minute when the doctors wouldn’t clear him. This was probably a good decision, since this is Roethlisberger’s fourth concussion. Unfortunately, Roethlisberger received flack from an unlikely source: his teammate, Hines Ward, suggested that Ben could’ve lied to team doctors for the good of the team. His reasoning was that he had lied to team doctors before when he wasn’t feeling perfectly healthy, so why couldn’t Ben? This is scary news in light of the mounting scientific evidence that repeated concussions can lead to severe brain damage and long-term neurological disorders.

Now the NFL might want to think twice about allowing this type of criticism of players who don’t play because they are seriously injured. In a lawsuit against La Salle University, the family of Preston Plevretes settled for $7.5 million with the school after Preston suffered a severe brain injury in 2005 after an earlier concussion went untreated. Preston will require care for the rest of his life.

Preston was a 19-year-old sophomore at the time of the incident. He was apparently injured during a 2005 game when he was hit while covering a punt against Duquesene University in Pittsburgh. He was immediately knocked unconscious and took three to five minutes to awaken. He then became extremely combative and lapsed into a coma. He later had surgery to relieve brain swelling, but returned to practice on October 4, where he sustained more helmet-to-helmet impact. Furthermore, he played in the next game but opted-out in the fourth quarter after complaining of a headache. Despite the settlement amount, La Salle University claims no responsibility in the accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Doctor Wins Suit Against Cancer Hospital for Sex Discrimination

David Mittleman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:23:16 GMT

A former radiation oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute won a potential $3 million verdict against the hospital in federal court on charges that her employer retaliated against her when she raised concerns over gender discrimination in the hiring process. Overall, the jury voted to award Dr. Kristina Gerszten $1.5 million in back pay and an additional $827,292 in front pay. However, the decision will ultimately be up to the U.S. District Judge, Arthur J. Schwab, to decide what the hospital will pay for its actions.

Dr. Gerszten originally filed charges in 2008 alleging that hospital officials at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute purposefully passed over her and her female colleagues for promotions and prestigious positions in favor of less experienced male doctors. However, the jury failed to find any evidence of sex discrimination, but nevertheless awarded punitive damages for the hospital’s retaliation against her for originally filing the complaint.

After Dr. Gerszten filed the complaint, the news traveled to her superior, Dr. Dwight Heron, who was ultimately responsible for deciding on Dr. Gerszten’s promotions and contract renewals. The jury found that Dr. Heron retaliated against Dr. Gerszten by refusing to hire her as medical director at a sister hospital, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or the Cancer Center in Natrona Heights, as well as refusing to renew her contract as an oncologist for the hospital when it expired in 2007.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Public Interest Group Discovers Toys with Lead, Dangerous Chemicals Still on Store Shelves

David Mittleman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:45:19 GMT

As the holiday season approaches many parents will travel to the stores, eager to swoop up the latest toys for their children. Luckily, a new law that bans six dangerous chemicals from children’s toys, as well as lowering the lead limit, will help to keep children safer this year. However, what many parents don’t realize is that a number of toys at major retailers still contain dangerous chemicals and high levels of lead.

According to a recently released report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG), many manufacturers are complying with the new regulations—but some still aren’t, and it is difficult for consumers to know the difference between safe and unsafe toys. U.S. PIRG sent 15 toys to independent laboratories for testing and found that four of the toys had excessive amounts of lead. Furthermore, two of the toys contained another dangerous chemical known as phthalates, which is widely found in plastic toys and has been linked to reproductive and other health problems. Congress overwhelmingly voted in 2008 to ban phthalates and to significantly reduce the amount of lead in children’s toys in response to the dangerously high levels of lead in toys imported from China during the last several years.

Despite the news that some toy manufacturers are still failing to comply with the new law, the U.S. PIRG stated that they “have seen substantial progress over the last year because of the new law and new leadership at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.” To help protect consumers and help them make wise choices in regards to the toys they purchase for their children, the U.S. PIRG has launched a tool with toy safety tips that parents can access via their cell phones.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Pair of Holiday-Weekend Accidents Result in Death, Injury

David Mittleman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:16:28 GMT

Two young Lansing, Michigan residents fell victim to car crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday - a sobering reminder of the hazards of one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.

Christy Luckett, 30, died Thursday morning, one day after a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Waverly Road and Phoenix Drive in Lansing. The driver and one passenger in the other vehicle were also treated for injuries. The collision is still under investigation.

Some 50 miles away in Oceola Township, Zachery Warren was injured when he swerved to avoid a pickup truck driven by Clem Plowman on M-59 in Livingston County. Warren, a 23-year-old Lansing man, is still receiving treatment at University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

Remember to use extreme caution when driving. Careful driving behaviors should be a year-long habit, but they become especially important during periods of heavy travel.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

FDA Trying to Reduce Preventable Medical Error from Prescription and Over the Counter Drug Use

David Mittleman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:39:08 GMT

Over 3 billion prescriptions are written annually in the United States, and tens of millions of people rely on prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to sustain their health. With such high numbers of drugs being used, the risk of preventable medical error from improper drug combination or the misuse of medication has led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start the Safe Use Initiative.

As my Virginia-based colleague Greg Webb noted, the initiative calls upon doctors, health care professionals, and even patients to help the FDA identify specific, preventable medication risks and develop interventions to such risks. The initiative has a goal to implement some interventions within the first 12 months of the Initiative's existence.

Among the target groups the Initiative seeks to protect is children. One study cited by the FDA found that over 9,000 children were exposed to prescription opioid drugs from 2003 to 2006. Just as startling was the fact that 60,000 emergency room visits occur annually as a result of unsupervised ingestion of medication by children under the age of 12.

Some of the changes consumers can expect will be better information of the prescription and OTC drugs they take, including the proper dosage to take along with calibrated spoons or cups that are easier to read and correspond with the product's packaging.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman