WHCB: “Collecting the Many Futures of Global Health Care”

In my last post, I ran through a number of predictions about the future of U.S. health care distilled from the increasing panoply of reports crossing my desk (or my computer screen!). In looking through similar reports on the future of global health care it occurred to me put out an invitation to World Health Care Blog readers to share your thoughts — or those of others you respect — on the future of global health care. What condition will the world’s health be in by the end of the next decade and what changes to health care delivery will there be ? Let’s see if our little exercise in the web’s power to aggregate collective intelligence can flush out some interesting thinking. To help things along, here’s a few observations on the future of global health gleaned from various sources.

See my complete post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB: “Do Presidential Candidates Really Represent America’s Views on Health Care?”

Well, I know I keep harping on this point, but let’s review: In answer to the following question asked in an ongoing Kaiser Health Tracking Poll,

“Thinking about all the candidates for president in 2008, regardless of political party or who you intend to vote for, which candidate BEST represents your views on health care?”

Americans responded with “Don’t know/Can’t name/None”

  • 60 percent — March 2007
  • 59 percent — June 2007
  • 59 percent — August 2007
  • 50 percent –October 2007
  • 53 percent – December 2007

See my entire post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB: “China Announces New Health Care Reform Effort”

China’s Health Ministry has announced the “China 2020″ program that promises to “provide a universal national health service and promote equal access to public services,” according to a BBC News report. The program is intended “to reform the health system and provide a national service for all citizens, including the rural population.” According to the BBC, commentators see in this announcement a move towards a British NHS model of health care.

See my entire post over at the World Health Care blog

WHCB: “Newt Gingrich To Detail His Health Care Reform Plan in March”

In an “E-Alert” put out by his Center for Health Transformation today, Newt promises a detailed plan for health care reform by March 2008. He supports mandating individuals to purchase health insurance but with the caveat that it “is an acceptable option only when the larger health-care system has been fundamentally changed. It is unjust to require an individual to buy into a broken and dysfunctional system.” Well, this sounds like never, but a good point.

See my complete post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB: “Health Care Privacy and the Surveillance State: The Struggle for Balance”

Health care privacy is part of the bigger picture of a society’s respect for human rights and individual persons. Balancing privacy, security as well as transparency and openness is a cultural and political challenge for any nation. Surveillance is the modern compromise for living in a dangerous world. But how much, who, where and when are choices and decision-points by authorities that affect us all. And consequently, the way we manage the tensions between privacy and legitimate surveillance generally, will impact the way we think about the privacy of medical information.

See my entire post over at the World Health Care Blog.

Fortin’s Top Posts of 2007

WHCB: “China Sees Dramatic Increase in Blogs in 2007 — Important Development for Health Care”

The China Internet Network Information Center(CNNIC) reports that by the end of November 2007, China had almost 73 million blog “spaces” and 47 million bloggers. “By the end of 2006, the number of blog writers was 17.5 million, and within one year the increase reached nearly 30 million, indicating the large-scale growth in number of the blog writer group,” according to the CNNIC report.

See my complete post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB: “China to Rank Physician Ethical Behavior”

From a China Digital Times post translated from the China News Service:

China’s Ministry of Health and Chinese Medicine Administration have jointly issued a regulation that aims to set up a evaluation system to tally the medical ethics of doctors in various hospitals and other health care providers in the country. There are three components in the evaluation regime: self-assessment, departmental assessment and institutional assessment. A filing system will also be set up to store the records, in an effort to link the ethics scores with the doctor’s compensations and promotions. But there is one thing missing, as some commentaries point out: opinions from the patients and their families.

See my entire post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB:”WHIT 3.0 Conference: Comments on Day Three”

Today, was the third and last day of the WHIT. 3.0 Conference in Washington, D.C.. It was the day that some of the heavy hitters of the technology industry — Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Case, and Adam Bosworth, came to give their take on health care and innovation.

See my complete post over at the World Health Care Blog.

WHCB:”WHIT 3.0 Conference: Comments on Day Two”

The WHIT 3.0 conference in Washington, D.C. continues to steam along with some great presentations. But the presentation that I’ve been trying to get my head around was trotted out by Roy Schoenberg (Chief Executive Officer, American Well Systems) and what they are doing in his shop. Roy boasts, — and I tend to think he’s really on to something — that he is developing the “killer app” in health care.

See my entire post over at the World Health Care Blog.

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