07.30.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:50 pm by Jenny
When disease-specific support groups started leaving church basements and turning to the Internet, members found a few sympathetic ears could grow into national or international communities several thousand strong. More members meant more power. And, ultimately, more power meant more action.
Over the past decade, online patient groups have evolved from large communities of people sharing a common disease to even larger communities sharing a common goal: to help spread awareness and support for the treatment and cure of their respective conditions.
The evolution of the Assn. of Cancer Online Resources has become a typical example of this trend.
ACOR was founded in 1995 by Gilles Frydman after his wife, Monica, was diagnosed with the ductal carcinoma in situ type of breast cancer, shortly after recovering from a rare heart disorder.
Not satisfied with the answers his wife's doctor was giving them, Frydman turned to Internet groups for information. The groups he found convinced him that his wife needed a second opinion and also helped him find a new doctor. But, he found that navigating the boards was difficult and cumbersome. The idea of ACOR was to provide one-stop shopping for every type of cancer support group.
Now, due to its amplitude, ACOR has evolved from a patient resource to a source for researchers looking for clinical trial subjects; a directory of specialists, complete with firsthand critiques; and a large collection of cancer information and research. The group is now moving into fundraising.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 5:50 pm by Jenny
UnitedHealthcare is going ahead with plans to release its physician rankings for the New York area, despite a threat of legal action from the state's attorney general, a United spokesman said.
However, the company is delaying implementation of the rankings system for a few months so physicians can get more familiar with it -- a move United says has nothing to do with the attorney general's threat.
United will roll out its Premium program -- a physician evaluation system based on cost and quality-of-care data -- in the New York area, including New Jersey and Connecticut, at the end of the year, said United spokesman Tyler Mason. The health plan already uses the program in 100 other markets, he said.
A July 13 letter from the attorney general's office said the ranking system would influence patients to use physicians who are cheaper but not necessarily better. The letter told United it would face legal action if it released the rankings as planned at the end of July.
Mason said United will release the rankings at the end of the year, and added that the delay is not because of the letter, but because the plan had already decided to give physicians more time for input and review.
"It's a national trend," Mason said. "All health plans are engaged in this type of activity. The need for consumers to have information as they pick up a larger share of their health care costs is here. So to the degree [the state is] contending [the rankings] could cause confusion, we obviously disagree with that."
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:32 am by Jenny
Heinz lands in the soup over sex claimsScotsman, United Kingdom - 7 hours agoFIRST it was green tea, then cranberries, oily fish, cranberries, broccoli, oats, cloves, pomegranates and even red wine....
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07.27.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:22 pm by Jenny
How What You Eat and Drink Affects Your SkinWBAY, WI - 7 hours agoHere are a few key diet recommendations: Green Tea and Red Wine: Wrinkles are caused by a loss of three vital skin structures:...
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Posted in Uncategorized at 6:22 pm by Jenny
Barnett looks for more hemp funds100 Mile House Free Press, Canada - 11 hours agoZach spends a lot of time sipping green tea in front of a laptop. She’s looking into an operations model for...
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