Missing Guests at Hong Kong Swine Flu Hotel

I love the city of Hong Kong. There are not that many cities in the world that has the digital infrastructre that's seen in Hong Kong. Kowloon Bay at nigth is amazing. Well, enough about Hong Kong.

If this story (Missing Guests at Hong Kong Swine Flu Hotel) is true, then this is truly embarrassing. A hotel in Hong Kong is being quarantined because a guest was positive for H1N1. However, people have somehow escaped this quarantine and now officials are looking for these 50 people who never returned to their hotel. Meanwhile, 10 passengers who sat near the young Mexican passenger on China Eastern Airlines flight MU 505 from Shanghai and the two cab drivers who drove him around town have been located and their cases are being investigated, according to Thomas Tsang, controller of the Centre for Health Protection.

Why is a swine flu pandemic eminent? Because it's so difficult to enforce quarantine.

Is Swine Flu in Your State?

Have you seen the CDC chart that's tracking swine flu? People may think that the highest number of confirmed cases are in Texas. Wrong! New York already has 50 confirmed cases (as of May 2 at 11 am ET). Texas has 28 and California has 24. H1N1 is spreading rapidly. Every state that has a major metropolitan area will be on this chart within the next several days.

To view this scary chart, go here: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Image source: CDC

AAN in Seattle is Over

The AAN (American Academy of Neurology) meeting ended in Seattle today. These types of meetings generally draw physicians and other healthcare professionals from all over the world. Now that the news about swine flu has spread globally, I wonder what these physicians will encounter when they return to their native countries. I hope they don't get quarantined at the first sign of a sneeze! Modern technology has made it so easy to travel these days. In turn, it's now so easy to spread germs across the globe.

Should We Really Be Worried About Swine Flu?

According to CNN, ERs are getting flooded with patients who think they may have swine flu. Overcrowding problems have forced some hospitals to set up tents outside for patients. We see people wearing masks everywhere. Are people overreacting? Are we in a panic mode?

Some may argue that swine flu really isn't a big deal. After all, 5% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 persons are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year. About 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of the regular flu, so what's the big deal about swine flu, right? Let's take things into proper perspective here.

H1N1 - Mexico has reported 397 confirmed human cases of infection, including 16 deaths. We know that these numbers only reflect confirmed cases, so there are many more who are simply "unconfirmed" at this point.

Mexico's death rate is 4.0%. At this rate, if 15 million people get infected, 600,000 people could die and if 60 million people get infected, 2.4 million people could die. Compare that to the 36,000 deaths from the regular flu. Should we be worried about swine flu? I'm afraid that we have to be very concerned. Image source: CNN

First Case of Swine Flu in South Korea

If you live around many Asians, you probably know that Kim is a very common last name for Koreans. In fact, it's the most common last name in Korea. Speaking of Korea, CNN reports that the first reported case of swine flu in South Korea has occurred. We don't have a name, but the person is a 51-year-old nun who recently traveled to Mexico for volunteer work.

Swine flu has also hit China. A hotel in Hong Kong has been quarantined because a guest was found to be infected with swine flu.

So should we be worried? We should definitely be concerned and I think we also have to seriously consider the strong possibility that a pandemic will occur. Image source: CNN

Face Masks at Home Depot

I went to my local Home Depot today because I had to do some home improvement. Out of curiosity, I walked by the isle that had face masks. Plenty in stock! I'm glad that people here aren't in panic about the swine flu. However, I wonder what stores in Texas must be going through.

CNN reports that the number of confirmed swine flu cases is now up to 658. The leaders at the WHO feel that a pandemic is eminent and I wouldn't be surprised if we reach Phase 6 soon. We're already at Phase 5, so it's only a matter of time as this virus spreads globally.

Swine Flu iPhone Tracker

When SARS hit in 2002-2003, the iPhone (or iPod Touch) didn't exist. Today in 2009, we have millions of iPhone users around the globe. As we prepare for a potential swine flu pandemic, technologists are developing an iPhone Swine Flu Tracker to help you avoid catching swine flu. It's amazing where mobile technology is taking us. This application hasn't been approved as of yet, but if it does, I'm sure you'll be hearing about it through the Apple store. The software developer is IntuApps. Image Source: TechCrunch

A Swine Flu Guide for Parents?

If you're a parent, do you feel that you need a swine flu guide? Aren't we just talking about common sense? CNN has a story about the parent guide and here's the bottom line:

• No. 1 on the list: washing hands more frequently.

I think we all knew that already. However, it's always good to be reminded. Make sure you wash your hands and use antibacterial gel to cleanse your hands wherever you go. Maybe now, people will actually wash their hands after they use the bathroom. Image source: CNN.

CDC and the H1N1

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has released something titled, "Interim Guidance on Antiviral Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Close Contacts."

If you're a healthcare professional who may be involved in the treatment of someone who has swine flu (or suspected swine flu), then you should read this and stay abreast on any updates the CDC releases. The misuse of antiviral therapies may lead to all sorts of problems ranging from drug shortages, drug resistance, and unnecessary adverse effects.

The AMA Created a Page on Swine Flu

The AMA (American Medical Association) has created an information page on swine flu. Get to it here: http://bit.ly/nf52P

Another FDA Alert: Fraudulent Swine Flu Products

The FDA has released another alert: FDA, FTC Warn Public of Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products

Isn't that such a shame that people would try to take advantage of this situation? As more misinformation appears on the Internet, these types of scams and fraudulent activity may rise. People will provide their "testimonials" about how well these things work and these types of stories will appear on blogs, Twitter, and other social networking sites. Don't fall for these scams! Always check with your healthcare provider before you go out and invest in anything you see on the Internet.

Dangers of Online Social Networking

I remember when AOL came out with their "Instant Messaging" application. It was a huge hit and people didn't realize that instant messaging had been available through other services. ICQ came out in 1996 and AOL's IM came out in 1997. Wow, was that over 10 years ago? Did people even have computers back then?

There are some serious public health implications associated with online social networking. I've been reflecting on this topic as I've immersed myself in the Twitter community. It's so easy to meet complete strangers and to fall prey into fraudulent schemes. If you're not careful, you could lose money or have your identity stolen. People may also experience physical harm if they disclose too much information to social predators and other dangerous people. There's absolutely no way to know who's typing on the other end of that message you receive.

Recently, a fraudulent website was trying to lure Facebook users into providing personal information, including passwords. This type of schemes are becoming so common and there are still many people who don't know how to differentiate a valid website from a phishing site. We must educate the public about safe practices when it comes to online social networking.

2 FDA Alerts: Hydroxycut and Botox

The FDA has recently released two different (unrelated) alerts:

1. Botox - now has safety label changes, a boxed warning, and a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).
2. Hydroxycut - stop using any hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences because of serious health problems.

Image source: CNN

Follow Friday on Twitter is Today

It's Follow Friday on Twitter. Make recommendations and see who others recommend. I've now been using Twitter for a few months and I've met some very interesting people. It's been great to share ideas, learn new things, and explore the world of online social networking. Hope to see you on Twitter.

People Not Taking Swine Flu Seriously

It's incredible. People are still out in public in areas that have widespread infection of swine flu. CNN now reports that we're up to 331 confirmed cases. I suspect these numbers will grow exponentially as swine flu spreads like the common cold. I think many people aren't taking this very seriously and they don't realize the public health implications behind this spreading infection. It's scary to think what the numbers will look like next week.

Tunstall Gets FDA Clearance for Wireless Telehealth Monitor With Built-in GSM/GPRS

Mobile technology has taken home monitoring to an entirely new level. The company Tunstall has received FDA 510(k) clearance to market wireless telehealth monitor with built-in GSM/GPRS technology. The device is called the RTX3371. It collects data from various home monitoring devices (like blood pressure cuffs, weight scales, etc.) and then transmits that data wirelessly to your healthcare provider. It can even talk to you! So, if you want to keep an eye on your patient's weight at home, this may be the device to get. Hopefully, as we see more of these types of medical devices emerge, the self-management of chronic conditions will improve. These are some exciting developments in the world of medicine and technology!

Doctors Need Education About Swine Flu

Medical students don't usually learn about swine flu in medical school. How are doctors learning about the appropriate management of infected individuals? Are they delivering the best type of care if they don't know where to do their research? I don't know of any continuing medical education (CME) activity that covers the topic of swine flu. Will they simply rely on common sense and their own personal experience? My hope is that healthcare professionals will leverage the use of mobile technology to learn and to educate patients about swine flu. Otherwise, we'll be reading things on CNN and learning from our mistakes.

MacBooks On Sale

Apple is trying to get rid of older MacBook models. Sales must be suffering because of the economy. If you're looking for a relatively good deal on an older generation of the MacBook Air, take a look at this: MacBook Air Closeout

EHR Partners Program

At the American College of Physicians (ACP) meeting in Philly, the ACP announced a program to help clinicians find the right Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. It's called the "Electronic Health Record Partners Program or EHR Partners Program." You must be an ACP member to access the site.

It may not be the most original title, but it was a good purpose behind it. 22 vendors are on this list. These include CCHIT certified vendors. After all, what's the purpose of getting an EHR if it isn't going to be certified? You wont' reap the benefits from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 if you're not using a certified system. I think the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) will be very busy testing and certifying current EHR systems that lack that certification. There's a very bright future for people who decide to pursue a career in health information technology (health IT or HITECH).

Future of CDHP

I was having a discussion the other day about the future of consumer-directed (or driven) health plans (CDHP). We live in a world where managed care dominates the healthcare industry. Under this new administration, many things in the healthcare system will change. Some are talking about universal health coverage. Will that be like the VA (Veterans Affairs) system? Will be turn into Canada? No one seems to know the answers to these questions, but one thing is clear: we need to reduce healthcare costs and also improve disease management.

I personally believe that technology will help patients with disease self-management. If we look at some of the conditions that burden the healthcare system, they would include things such as: diabetes, heart disease, heart failure, COPD, asthma, and many others. Patients who have any of these conditions must be very active in caring for their conditions. They must adhere to their medication regimen. They must follow-up appropriately with their healthcare providers. The use of modern technology is improving the care of some of these conditions. Glucose monitors and insulin pumps are becoming more sophisticated. Cardiac devices are saving lives at home. Home monitoring devices are improving care for millions of patients. Patients are receiving education through the Internet (although they're also getting misinformation).

Well, I've obviously gone on a tangent, but I will return to this topic of CDHP in a later post.

IOM Report

I'm still in the process of reading the lengthy IOM (Institute of Medicine) report that recently came out. The interpretation of the IOM report may have a significant impact on the CME (continuing medical education) industry. Stay tuned...

Caring for Your Skin

How do you care for your skin? My skin is always dry, so I'm constantly looking for lotions and other moisturizers. People love to have healthy skin. They will invest thousands of dollars on laser surgery, Botox, and other therapies to make their skin look better. People often forget that the skin is an organ that requires care and attention. We take care of our heart by exercising. We avoid smoking to keep our lungs health. What do you do for your skin? I see commercials all the time for different skin products ranging from acne treatment to anti-aging products.

Perhaps you've seen some for a product called Resurgence. This is a product created by Dr. Howard Murad, an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at UCLA. He's also a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. So what's the best way to care for your skin? To answer that questions, do some research and look at some Resurgence Reviews. Don't believe everything you see on television or on the Internet. It's important to critically assess the validity of products such as Resurgence Products. Even if you see a celebrity like Joan Lunden endorsing a product, spend some time doing some research. Most importantly, talk with your doctor about skin care. If you have special skin conditions, speak with your dermatologist.

Test Drive the Palm Pre for Free

If you're interested in a free 6-month test drive with the new Palm Pre, then take a look at this: Get a Free Palm Pre as a Reviewer

Swine Flu on the Rise

Everyone's talking about swine flu. However, it's a very serious topic, especially since it's on the rise. According to CNN, there have been 236 confirmed cases worldwide. This means that there are probably many more (since you can't confirm all the cases that are out there), but if you think about how easy it is to spread the cold or the flu, then you can imagine how quickly this things is spreading. This is very alarming. How do you communicate a public health message without causing global panic? Image source: CNN

Even Harvard Offers a Part-Time Masters Program

Yes, even Harvard offers a part-time masters program for physician executives. It's a master's program in Health Care Management. If you live in Boston and you want to get a master's degree while you continue to work, then you may want to take a look at this program.

Ordered Some N95 Masks Today

Yes, I ordered some N95 face masks from Amazon.com for my relatives who live in Houston, Texas. They're all worried about swine flu and I can understand their concern. They should probably also stock up on hand soap and antibacterial wipes and gels.

Swine flu is getting very serious and even Obama is urging schools to close their doors if they suspect any illness (what type of school never has a sick child in attendance?). What will happen to summer travel? The US economy is struggling as it is and if travel is restricted or limited, then some business will not be able to survive.

WHO Raises Pandemic Alert to Phase 5

Swine flu is becoming a very serious public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) is raising the pandemic alert to phase 5 (and phase 6 is the highest level).

"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short."

Let's hope we don't reach phase 6:

"Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way."

Business Schools for Physician Executives

If you're interested in business school to pursue an MBA (business administration), MMM (medical management), or MHA (health administration), then take a look at this: Top Business Graduate Schools for Physician Executives

The data is from Modern Healthcare's 2009 survey.

First US Swine Flu Death in Texas

My heart goes out to this family. According to CNN, the first confirmed US death from swine flu has occurred. A 23-month old child in Texas died from the H1N1 virus. In the meanwhile, stores are running out of N95 face masks and the number of infected individuals continues to rise throughout the country. In Mexico, public health investigators think they may have found "patient zero" in a small village. Image source: CNN

Feds Raiding Siemens Medical

So it appears that the feds raided Siemens because of a DoD (Department of Defense) contract to sell medical imaging IT to the US military. You may have heard that Siemens has been accused of fraud and bribery scandals in recent years. Last year, Siemens agreed to pay $1.3 billion to settle bribery charges. Yikes!

Install Service Pack 2 for Office 2007

Make sure to install Service Pack 2 for Office 2007. You should notice some significant performance improvements!

IOM

The IOM has recently come out with some recommendations regarding the relationships between healthcare professionals and industry. I'm still reading and digesting, so I'm not going to provide any comments right now, but stay tuned...

Do Masks Really Protect You from Swine Flu?

We're going to run out of masks. You better go to Home Depot and stock up now. Do masks really protect us from swine flu or are people just being paranoid? CNN has a story about this and it captured my attention. What would your workplace look like if everyone was wearing a mask? What if you entered a bank wearing a hat and a mask? You might be on the ground pretty quickly. So what's the role of a mask during a viral epidemic? According to the WHO, it's primarily to prevent infected people from spreading their germs. So if you're wearing a mask, people may think you're infected!

Should we be carrying antibacterial wipes and gel instead? After all, handwashing is the most effective way to prevent any type of viral infection since our hands can get contaminated very easily. Before we know it, we're rubbing our eyes or eating something with our dirty hands. Image source: CNN

Infrared Heat Sensors to Detect Fever

If you're traveling, you may get scanned by infrared thermal imaging systems that are looking for signs of fever. Swine flu continues to be the hot topic all over the news. Will it turn into an epidemic? A pandemic? The fears are mounting and airports are taking precaution. Remember how travelers were screened at the airport for fevers during SARS? As technology advances and improves our ability to detect signs and symptoms of illness, let's hope that we'll be able to contain this outbreak quickly. Many people don't understand the public health implications associated with a massive epidemic and let's hope that the public won't have to experience something like this first-hand.

Kathleen Sebelius

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has been appointed the nation’s ninth HHS secretary. She won by a 65-31 Senate vote.

AAN is in Seattle

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is having its 61st annual meeting in Seattle this year. The theme this year is: "Better Practices, Better Outcomes." The meeting began over the weekend (April 25) and will run until May 2. Doctors still love to attend major national meetings to get thier continuing medical education (CME). I love Seattle. In fact, Seattle is probably one of my favorite cities because of all the outdoor activities that are available in that area. Mount Rainier is such a great park and I think I could spend weeks backpacking throughout the Cascades Range.

Swine Flu on Twitter

CNN is reporting that Twitter is causing controversy about swine flu. I've already seen hundreds of tweets on swine flu over the last few days. The use of Web 2.0 resources can help control this public health problem, but it can also cause confusion and chaos if the wrong people start posting what appears to be legitimate health information. What we need is a way for healthcare professionals to send messages that are not interpreted as "medical advice" but that are tagged as accurate and reliable health information.

Did You Get Your HCNN Alert?

Everyone already knows what's happening with swine flu, but did you get your HCNN alert about this topic? The HCNN or Health Care Notification Network is a free service that promises to deliver important patient safety information to healthcare professionals. What a great public health service that leverages current technology capabilities.

Heard of Priligy (Dapoxetine)?

I saw a sign today that caught my attention (I won't tell you where I saw it, but you can probably take a guess). It was for a new drug called Priligy (Dapoxetine). This agent has been approved in several countries in Europe ,but not in the USA. Approved for what? For premature ejaculation. The drug is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), similar to those used to treat depression and anxiety. However, it is a short-acting formulation and is meant to be taken "as needed." It is currently approved in Sweden and Finland and is marketed by Janssen-Cilag, a part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

Sexual health is one of those topics that many healthcare professionals don't really like to talk about. When new drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra emerged on the scene, this allowed clinicians to be a bit more comfortable having open conversations with their patients about sexual topics. So which topic is more uncomfortable to discuss: erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation?

Defining "Meaningful Use"

The new HITECH bill is calling hospitals and physicians to demonstrate "meaningful use" with electronic health records (EHRs) so they can receive higher Medicare reimbursements. How do you define this phrase? I'm sure that Dr. Blumenthal and his team will come up with some measurable definitions of the phrase "meaningful use."

Health IT and Political Generosity

There's an interesting article in BusinessWeek about Health IT (or HITECH if you prefer). There's a diagram that show the political generosity associated with some of the major companies that develop EHRs (electronic health records) and e-prescribing solutions. Specifically:

• Allscripts: 100% support to democrats
• Cerner: 35% support to democrats
• Epic: 98% support to democrats
• GE: 61% support to democrats
• McKesson: 44% support to democrats
• Siemens: 60% support to democrats

I don't like to get into politics in my blog, so I won't. However, I find this data to be fascinating. I was reading about how Glen Tullman, the CEO fo Allscripts, used to exercise and play basketball with Obama at the same gym.

The economic stimulus plan includes $19.6 billion towards health IT. How do you think hospitals and physicians will leverage this opportunity?

FDA Alert: Avoid Raw Alfalfa

I'm not a huge fan of raw alfalfa, so I'm probably OK, but the FDA has alerted consumers to avoid raw alfalfa because there is a risk for salmonella. If you don't follow the FDA on Twitter, you're missing out!

Using Web 2.0 to Combat Swine Flu

Swine flu is hitting a country that has tremendous technology resources. As healthcare professionals, how can we leverage existing Web 2.0 resources such as wikis, RSS feeds, blogs, forums, and other social networks to battle this threatening epidemic? On Twitter, you can find many discussions related to swine flu. The same is going on at Sermo. Since more doctors are equipped with mobile communication devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys, Treos, and other smartphones, there may be an opportunity to send mass messages to healthcare professionals who are constantly connected. The old days of simple alphanumeric pagers are starting to fade.

8 New York Students Infected with Swine Flu

Swine flu is spreading rapidly and has hit the east coast. Now, the CDC reports that 8 students in New York have swine flu. According to the story on CNN, some of these students spent spring break in Mexico. It's only a matter of time before we hear about other cases throughout the country...

Swine Flu: Public Health Emergency

Swine flu is getting really serious. If you live in Texas, you need to on alert. According to CNN, he federal government has declared a public health emergency because of the increasing number of cases in the USA. More people are wearing masks to protect themselves and people in Mexico are being told not to kiss because of the possibility of infection. Over 80 people have died in Mexico from swine flu. The H1N1 strain is usually only found in pigs, but it's somehow managed to infect humans. We heard quite a bit about bird flu and the H5N1 virus a few years ago, and now in 2009 the big fear will be swine flu. We may still hear about bird flu this year.

There are now 20 confirmed cases of swine flu in this country. Swine flu essentially mimics other viral infections that cause the flu, so it's difficult to differentiate this infection from a common cold or flu. Let's hope and pray this gets controlled quickly.

Very Small Computers

I've always been a fan of small computers. Read about my reflections on two of the smallest fully-operational PCs made: the Sony Vaio UX and the OQO model 02.

Announcing MobileHealthComputing.com

I've decided to rebrand UltraMobileHealth.com as MobileHealthComputing.com

This new URL more accurately describes the purpose of the website. Instead of focusing entirely on ultra-mobile PCs, I will be evaluating laptops/notebooks, tablet PCs, netbooks, MIDs, and other mobile computing platforms.

Growing Concern Over Swine Flu

There's growing concern about swine flu. CNN reports that this may become a "health emergency" and we may have a serious public health problem on our hands. People already fear that it's becoming a terrible epidemic. The deadly strain is circulating in the United States and it's already devastated Mexico. Because international travel is so common these days, this flu virus could spread globally and cause a pandemic. I really hope that doesn't happen, but I'm reminded of all the fear, turmoil, and chaos that was caused by SARS.