HealthESites
December 13, 2000
Vol. 1, No. 28
ISSN 1530-3608
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Bruce Maxwell, Editor - bmax@silverhammerpub.com
Silver Hammer Publishing - http://silverhammerpub.com
Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing are provided at
the end of this newsletter.
Editor's Note
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HealthESites is taking a break for the holidays. The next issue
will be published Jan. 10, 2001.
The News
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MEDICAL DEVICE MAKERS SCRUTINIZED FOR
MISLEADING CLAIMS ON WEB SITES
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is focusing increased
attention on checking Web sites of medical device manufacturers
for misleading information. This year alone, the FDA has issued
15 formal reprimands to medical device manufacturers regarding
their Web sites, along with dozens of informal warnings.
Source: Los Angeles Times - Dec. 13, 2000
http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20001213/t000118988.html
HEALTH SITES SEEK APPROVAL SEAL
In early 2001, Hi-Ethics Inc. and Truste plan to launch a formal
seal of approval program for health sites. To earn the seal,
sites will have to conform to guidelines covering privacy,
content, and advertising and commercial practices.
Source: Wired News - Dec. 12, 2000
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,40612,00.html
ONLINE INFORMATION FOR HEALTH CARE
PROFESSIONALS
This article by the webmaster for the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration explains the major features at the FDA site aimed
at health care professionals. Individual sections of the site
cover topics such as as oncology, pediatric medicine, drugs,
biologic products, medical devices, food safety, and cosmetics.
Source: American Family Physician - Dec. 1, 2000
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001201/fda.html
FUTURE CARE TO BE PROVIDED BY CYBER DOCTORS
Within 20 years, the front-line contact for British citizens
seeking health care will be "cyber physicians" who are accessed
through television sets. That's the prediction in a report
prepared by Foresight, a research body sponsored by the British
government.
Source: Guardian (Britain) - Dec. 7, 2000
http://www.societyguardian.co.uk/health/story/
0,7890,408225,00.html
BIG BROTHER WATCHES YOUR WEIGHT
Swiss researchers are testing a technology involving Global
Positioning System satellites to track every movement an
overweight person makes during a day. Based on the tracking, the
researchers hope to be able to tell patients precisely how many
calories they're burning through such simple measures as walking
up stairs instead of taking an elevator.
Source: Wired News - Dec. 8, 2000
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,40538,00.html
NET PHARMACY RACE REMAINS TIGHT
Drugstore.com is the top online pharmacy, according to a study by
Forrester Research that examined factors such as cost, customer
service, transaction efficiency, and ease of use. PlanetRX.com is
the number two site, according to Forrester, and the remainder of
the field lags far behind the two leaders.
Source: E-Commerce Times - Dec. 8, 2000
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/printer/5944
E-HEALTH: ACT 2
The Internet health industry has finished its first phase,
according to experts consulted for this article. The next phase
is likely to be dominated by bricks-and-mortar companies ranging
from pharmaceutical companies to health insurers - large,
established firms that can afford the high cost of maintaining a
major health Web site.
Source: Los Angeles Times - Dec. 11, 2000
http://www.latimes.com/health/20001211/t000118352.html
HACKER ACCESSES PATIENT RECORDS
The University of Washington Medical Center has confirmed that a
hacker downloaded patient records that included confidential
information such as names, Social Security numbers, and medical
conditions. The hacker reportedly aimed to demonstrate the
computer system's security flaws, not to misuse or sell the
records.
Source: Washington Post - Dec. 9, 2000
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46320-2000Dec8.html
GAO REPORT FINDS NATIONAL PRACTITIONER DATA
BANK PHYSICIAN RECORDS INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE
In recent years, members of Congress and others have sought to
have the National Practitioner Data Bank placed on the Internet.
The data bank lists thousands of actions against doctors and
dentists nationwide, many of them malpractice suits. The American
Medical Association has strongly opposed making the data bank
public, arguing that the information it contains presents only a
partial picture of a particular physician. The AMA has received
ammunition in a new report from the General Accounting Office,
the investigative arm of Congress. The GAO found that records in
the data bank are inaccurate and incomplete.
Source: American Medical News - Dec. 18, 2000
http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/amnews/pick_00/gvl11218.htm
GAO report: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d01130.pdf
Will You Do Me a Favor?
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If you find this newsletter useful, will you please forward it to
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the best way for me to gain subscribers so I can continue
publishing this free resource. Thanks very much for your support.
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Bruce Maxwell
Silver Hammer Publishing
6937 Custis Parkway
Falls Church, VA 22042
703-532-6327
bmax@silverhammerpub.com
