Managed Care Plans Get Serious About Quality

Case managers who work in hospitals and other inpatient organization may want to read this article on actions that payers are planning to roll out to help ensure consumers receive safe, quality, cost-effective care. Managed Care Magazine

Editor’s Note: Once you read this, let me know what you think. Is this right approach for payers to take? Let me know what you are doing in your organization to decrease complication and medical errors. Email me at allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com.

Step It Up

Across the city of Philadelphia, signs for “Step Up to Fight Diabetes” are popping up everywhere. Step Up to Fight Diabetes is a fund-raising event benefiting the American Diabetes Association. The program is designed to have people of all ages participate. By the time those who participate cross the Step Up finish line, they will have traveled 10 miles, traversed 100 stories and climbed 1,000 stairs up and down throughout Philadelphia — all to improve the lives of millions of Americans living with diabetes. Click here to view the site and see (and maybe find a way to bring the program to your city).

25 Top Medical Events

One of the perks of business travel is getting USA Today delivered to your hotel room each morning. Recently, the newspaper has been running a series on various topics and naming the Top 25 of each category. Heathcare was recently covered. Take a minute to review the Top 25 medical developments that have occurred since 1982. USA Today

Exercise Boot Camp

I was in my local supermarket and met a man while waiting at the deli counter last week. We started to talk and he told me he was coordinating an exercise boot camp. I have not had the chance to take part yet, but it looked interesting. Let me know if you have ever participated in a “exercise book camp.” South Florida Adventure Boot Camp for Women

Electro-Convulsive Therapy

Today, nearly 100,000 Americans receive electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) every year to treat severe depression. Many patients call it life-saving, yet scientists still struggle to explain why it is effective. Listen to an interview by Kitty Dukakis, wife of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, about her experience with ECT. NPR