Transparency or Collusion

I ran across this story (http://www.charlotte.com/business/story/453230.html) and a thought suddenly struck me after having read any number of other similar stories about other insurers.

Insurers can apparently post their fees which they pay for services on the Internet. Thereby allowing patients and other insurance companies to see what they are paying for any particular service or procedure. In this way the insurers can gather this data and adjust their fees to the lowest common denominator. Today this is called “Transparency” I guess.

If the providers were to share their fees amongst themselves this would be called “Collusion” in apparent violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

I hope this insanity ends while there are still a medical provider or two still in practice because at this rate there will be nobody left to treat the public. Of course then healthcare costs will plummet to zero which I guess is the ultimate objective of this medicine or in our case therapy death spiral.

Zotero - The Web Now Has A Wrangler

For those who are like me who enjoy finding pertinent journal articles and abstract and like to save information but have difficulty keeping it organized a great new tool has arrived. Zotero is essentially a high powered citation and note manager but the advantage is that it is fully integrated into the FireFox web browser. You use it with a MS Word or Open Office Plug in for developing your own papers as well. Oh and by the way it is FREE.

Here is the Online Tour if you wish.

NPA Think Tank: How representative are blogs?

Well, I've decided to take the plunge and resurrect this blog which has lain by the wayside for way too long. In response to the the challenge issued by in this post NPA Think Tank: How representative are blogs? by my colleague Eric Robertson, PT.

I'm taking up the gauntlet and will try to be diligent in the effort to combat quackery, mis/disinformation while at the same time promoting a more scientific rational approach to issues which I find relative to my practice whether directly or even sometimes slightly tangential.

Only time will tell how well I live up to the challenge as I've taken up the gauntlet. At least in the meantime, I have a place to rant and rant I can do.

Preserving a Fundamental Sense: Balance - New York Times

Preserving a Fundamental Sense: Balance - New York Times

This is a very good article for health care consumers to raise their awareness of an issue important to safety and well being. Many conditions such as hip fracture and a host of others result from poor balance. Perhaps even more importantly a balance screening exam that demonstrates problems in this area may uncover more serious conditions that require medical attention.

Your Physical Therapist is the perfect person to assess your balance and make the appropriate recommendations.

Depression unrelated to level of chronic pain - Yahoo! News

Depression unrelated to level of chronic pain - Yahoo! News

PhysioCare Physical Therapy: Pain and Your Brain

PhysioCare Physical Therapy: Pain and Your Brain

Early Quadriceps Strength Loss After Total Knee Arthroplasty. The Contributions of Muscle Atrophy and Failure of Voluntary Muscle Activation -- Mizner

Early Quadriceps Strength Loss After Total Knee Arthroplasty. The Contributions of Muscle Atrophy and Failure of Voluntary Muscle Activation -- Mizner et al. 87 (5): 1047 -- Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery