Islet Cell Implantation Research

Type I diabetes destroys the islet cells that deliver insulin to the body. It's not fair. No matter how well I take care of my diabetes, in diet and exercise, the disease is relentless. If I could simply add islet cells back into my pancreas I wouldn't be diabetic any longer. Easier said than done. […]

Getting 20 Somethings to Sign Up for Health Insurance

Okay, so the NFL is not going to help. In a just published Kaiser Family Foundation poll, over two-thirds of the uninsured feel that having health insurance is very important to them personally. So why aren't they covered right now? Two reasons: fear of the cost and lack of information on what exactly it is offered […]

Want vs. Need

Ad Age pubished an interesting article on the changing consumer perceptions about what they want vs. what they need. They want a spa treatment but they need internet connectivity. They want designer clothes but they need a mobile phone. A health club membership would be nice but routine healthcare is essential. They want a pet […]

ASA Presentation on Practice Management Tools and Technology

John Luna and I presented the results of our Practice management survey report at the national meeting of the American Society on Aging on Friday, April 29th. The study has generated a lot of discussion in the audiology profession. We plan to do some follow up specifically around the use of social media and the CRM […]

Hearing Industry Practice Management Survey Now Available

In June of this year, 2010, we fielded a national survey with the goal of taking the pulse of both audiologists and hearing instrument specialists on the subject of practice management. Over the past 5 years, the issue of how to manage the business side of hearing aid dispensing has become increasingly important, especially to […]

FDA: Keeping Up with the Flood of Pharma Ads

Much has been written about truth in advertising in pharmaceutical advertising. The FDA has admitted they can't keep up with all of the ads coming out of traditional media like TV and magazines. And they can't even begin to monitor new media where much of the current action is. So what can be done? Well, […]

Mississippi Looks to Iran for Healthcare Ideas

In the latest edition of the AARP Bulletin, there is a fascinating article on how Mississippi is taking a close look at Iranian village health houses as a solution to bringing much needed healthcare resources to the rural areas of the Mississippi delta. This unlikely scenario came about due to a collaboration between pediatrician Dr. […]

Implantable Glucose Monitor: Have They Finally Gotten It Right?

A San Diego-based device company has just finished successful trials for a continuous blood glucose monitor that is implanted in the lower abdomen. The device emits a blood glucose measurement every two minutes. In these initial animal trials, the monitoring device proved to be highly effective over a period of at least 7 and up to […]

Hearing Healthcare Professionals Weigh In On Consumer Reports: Are Their Findings About Hearing Aids Accurate?

The Hearing Journal, in conjunction with Audiology Today, has just published the results of their bi-annual survey of readers. This survey provides a great overview of what is on the minds of the hearing aid dispensing community. The overriding theme from Hearing Journal readers, most of whom are hearing professionals who dispense hearing aids, was […]

Electronic Health Records: “Copy and Paste” Errors

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have been touted as one of the cornerstones for the modernization of medical practice. So who is complaining about them? A hospital Director of Internal Medicine has recently submitted a letter to the editor to the American Journal of Medicine complaining that the "copy and paste" function within a medical record […]