From the front page of today’s USA Today: a report that varenicline (Chantix) is associated with mental status changes and that the Federal Aviation Administration no longer considers it safe for use by active-duty commercial pilots. But what’s interesting to the Disease Management Care Blog was that, according to USA Today, the study was posted on-line because… ‘co-author Curt Furberrg, a Wake Forest University medical epidemiologist said he and his co-authors felt ‘this was too important’ to submit first to a medical journal, which could take six months or more to publish [italics mine].’
Surprised by the changing relationship of medical science and print or web-based media? Don’t be. After all, you read the Disease Management Care Blog.
And the Congressional Budget Office continues its reputation as a parade raining, party-pooping sourpuss by releasing a report that sheds doubt on the financial assumptions of the habitués of the Health Information Technology cool-aid. The DMCB is shocked, shocked.
Last but not least, many readers of the Disease Management Care Blog have probably gotten the Ver. 2 updated ‘why did the chicken cross the road’ joke email from family or friends. It starts out:
BARACK OBAMA:
The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!
JOHN MC CAIN:
My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON:
When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......
The DMCB thought it would expand on the theme:
HEALTHWAYS:
Numerous peer review studies have conclusively demonstrated that when chickens are ready to change, they can be coached by Healthways colleagues to cross the road with maximum outcomes. At baseline, the chicken was on one side of the road. At follow-up, it was on the other side of the road. We obviously caused that to happen with an ROI of 2 to 1.
HEALTH DIALOG
Our proven predictive modeling and patient engagement strategies help chickens decide how and when to cross the road. After we commenced our personalized intervention, road-crossing behavior measurably, consistently increased. The ROI was 2 to 1.
MEDICARE
Unless more chickens cross the road at lower cost budget neutrality compared to other chickens that didn’t cross the road, you can forget about Phase 2 in Medicare Health Support.
DMAA
It’s not chickens. We announced at our last annual meeting that they are barnyard feathered fowl.
PHYSICIANS
Stay away from our chickens.
ACTUARIES
The vector observed that describes chicken road crossing is typically associated with food seeking behavior, avoiding automobiles, avoiding predators, attraction to roosters, stupidity and random behavior. We can say with 64% confidence that it was one or more of these causes.
ALERE
Because a remote monitoring device ascertained the chicken should seek out the other side of the road. The recent acquisition of Matria brings even more value to that chicken, the road and our shareholders.
Because only chickens would be dumb enough to do that for the .35 relative value units (RVUs) that the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee thinks is enough for a Medical Home.
To escape from the inane health policy recommendations of the Commonwealth Fund
DISEASE MANAGEMENT CARE BLOG
To avoid having to take the spouse to any movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker.
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