Podcasts about IMS Health

Recorded on 07/26/23 Over the last decade, data and analytics have become increasingly engrained in the healthcare system. Given the evolving landscape, we wanted to provide a deeper look into the different types of healthcare data currently available, as well as the users and use cases. This podcast is intended to be the first in a series on healthcare data, and in this episode we provide a general overview of how healthcare data is currently being used, with subsequent podcasts exploring subsets of healthcare data in more depth. To discuss this topic, we are joined by Paul Reuscher. After spending the early part of his career in academia researching health economic outcomes, Mr. Reuscher eventually joined IMS Health, now a part of IQVIA, first as a product manager then eventually helping develop what is now IQVIA's anonymized patient data solution. He subsequently led a similar development program for DRG, which is now a part of Clarivate. Paul currently is Vice President of Clinical Data Products at Forian, a healthcare data intelligence company. For Disclosures, click here bit.ly/3cPHkNW

Imagine this. You have a garden, and you've spent years growing apple trees. You harvest the beautiful juicy red fruits every season. And then, you leave them. You don't eat them. You have so many of them. You don't know what to do with them. You're not even sure if you like apples, and no one else wants them either. They rot away in your basket every time, but, for some reason, you keep harvesting and keep growing. Sounds like a waste of time right? You would never do something like that! Then, why would you do the same with your data? Meet Carol Hargreaves Carol Hargreaves is the Director of the Data Analytics Consulting Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at the National University of Singapore. Here, Carol and her team help clients to generate economic, social, and scientific value from data using cutting-edge techniques and advanced data analytics strategies. They also provide hands-on workshops - both public and customized - to help clients keep up to date with new data analytics techniques. Carol's Previous Experiences in Data Analytics An Analytics and Business Intelligence Professional, Carol has over 30 years of experience in lead roles in multiple industries, including Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, and Education. Carol has also presented at multiple conferences and workshops on data analytics topics. NUS Data Analytics Consulting Centre (DACC) 2021 Singapore - HR Attrition Workshop NUS Data Analytics Consulting Centre (DACC) 2020 Singapore - Data Analytics for Customer Insights Enigma Analytics Leaders Summit 2017 Malaysia - Data Cleaning & Preparation Workshop Enigma Analytics Leaders Summit 2016 Indonesia - Credit Risk Modelling Workshop Prior to her current role at the National University of Singapore, Carol founded her own company with a focus on helping clients understand their business challenges and problems in order to identify the relevant data that will help solve their business problems. Over the years, she has also been the Chief of Business Analytics at the National University of Singapore, the Quantitative Methods Manager at IMS Health, a Statistical Modelling Analyst at FOXTEL, and more. Research and development In this exclusive analytics podcast episode, Carol shares: Carol's 6 steps to building a power customer analytics system Research topics from the financial and healthcare industries that have stuck with her Her role as the Director of the Data Analytics Consulting Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at the National University of Singapore Topics that she often speaks on in workshops If you are a senior executive in private sectors outside of the USA and interested in learning more on how to incorporate data science into your company, this is the episode you do not want to miss out on. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/analyticsshow/message

So much of what happens in the startup world comes from serendipitous moments, random interactions that lead to fresh insights and new collaborations. And so much of that has traditionally happened at events, meetups, coffee meetings, and other in-person gatherings. Two years into the pandemic and remote work, what are the implications? That's our first topic on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, with entrepreneur, software engineer and investor Aviel Ginzburg, general partner at Seattle-based seed-stage venture fund Founders Co-op. The former Techstars Managing Director for Amazon's Alexa Accelerator, Ginzburg was co-founder of social analytics platform Simply Measured, acquired by Sprout Social in 2017. Before that, he was one of the first software engineers at Appature, which was later acquired by IMS Health. We also dive into NFTs, crypto, Web3, and the Metaverse, getting his take on each as an investor and entrepreneur (and longtime World of Warcraft gamer). We discuss how he and Chris DeVore, the Founders Co-op managing partner, are looking to differentiate themselves from other VCs and investors at a time when so much funding is sloshing around. And we take a look at our newly published list of unicorn companies in the Seattle area, which include some of Founders Co-op's portfolio companies, as well as one big one that got away.  With GeekWire's Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host: Ben Banerjee & Svetlana Banerjee Topic: “How do we make ageing better" Special Guests: Dr. Amer Fasihi, CEO and Founder at Kraydel   The weekly show on how Impactful investments and businesses are helping to implement the 17 UN SDG's worldwide to preserve the world for future generation. Banerjis have enlightening and in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, project owners, investors, politicians and business leaders and encourage them to act now. Amer is CEO and co-founder at Kraydel. He has worked in life sciences for over 20 years; at GlaxoSmithKline, IQVia (formerly IMS Health), and IBM, after which he founded Caros Connect (which merged with Kraydel). He studied Physics, and Biotechnology at Imperial College, has a PhD from Cranfield University in remote sensing, and is a Fellow at the Centre for Digital Innovation, Cambridge University.   Company outline Founded in 2016, Kraydel aims to address social isolation and support independence for our Users. Our system is unique in that it combines social connectivity through easy TV-video calling with remote monitoring, through a broad IoT platform for health and environmental sensors and devices, that together support User independence and wellbeing. Kraydel is headquartered in Belfast, with offices in London.    

16 de octubre | Nueva YorkHola, maricoper. Excepcionales pagadores.El podcast de La Wikly también está disponible en iTunes, Spotify y iVoox.Añade el podcast a tu plataforma favorita haciendo click en el botón “Listen in podcast app” que aparece justo debajo del reproductor.Apoya el proyecto periodístico independiente de La Wikly con una suscripción premium que incluye tres newsletters extra a la semana, acceso a nuestra comunidad privada de Discord y eventos exclusivos para los maricopers premium:Leer esta newsletter te llevará 9 minutos y 56 segundos.Solo me sale decir: hijos de puta. Bienvenido a La Wikly.Lo importante: una mayoría de demócratas quiere darle al gobierno estadounidense poder negociador con las farmacéuticas para abaratar los costes de los medicamentos, pero varios moderados se oponen a ello.Esa oposición amenaza con bloquear una iniciativa legislativa que cuenta con un abrumador apoyo por parte de los estadounidenses.Contexto: los precios de los medicamentos en Estados Unidos son elevadísimos con respecto a los de otros países occidentales, lo que encarece los costes de los seguros médicos privados y de los copagos de los programas sanitarios públicos.En esta edición de La Wikly queremos ahondar en la problemática del precio de los medicamentos en EE. UU., qué solución proponen los demócratas y por qué algunos de ellos la quieren bloquear.💵 Precios desorbitadosExcepcional. No hay mejor lugar que EE. UU. para la industria farmacéutica. El país representa entre el 64 y el 78 por ciento de las ganancias de la industria farmacéutica en todo el mundo.Las compañías farmacéuticas estadounidenses, y en última instancia los consumidores y las aseguradoras del país, subvencionan la investigación y el desarrollo de medicamentos en gran parte del resto del mundo.Ventajas. Los pacientes estadounidenses también son los que obtienen el acceso más temprano a los nuevos medicamentos. EE. UU. representa el 65 por ciento de las ventas globales de medicamentos recién lanzados, según datos de IMS Health.Desventajas. Los estadounidenses pagan alrededor de 3.5 veces más dinero en promedio por dosis de medicamento que los europeos, tanto de los de marca como de los genéricos.Parte de esos costes son asumidos directamente por los pacientes, a través de los llamados gastos de bolsillo, y otra parte la pagan las aseguradoras, que luego transfieren esos costes en forma de primas más altas.La prima es lo que pagas de forma mensual o anual por tener un seguro médico. Los gastos de bolsillo son los deducibles, los coseguros y los copagos.Ejemplo de deducible: cada año, el seguro me cubre todo a partir de 1,000 dólares de deducible. El seguro solo se hará cargo de mis gastos una vez gaste esos 1,000 dólares de mi bolsillo.Ejemplo de coseguro: una vez acabado el deducible, comparto los gastos médicos con mi seguro según un porcentaje acordado (i.e. 80 por ciento el seguro, 20 por ciento yo).Ejemplo de copago: cuando me receten un medicamento, pago una parte del mismo en farmacia.¿Soluciones? EE. UU. parece haberse quedado atascado en un dilema: los medicamentos se han vuelto inasequibles para muchos, pero las ideas propuestas para abordar el problema son criticadas porque podrían frenar la innovación futura —y conducir así a peores resultados en la salud de sus ciudadanos.En ese debate sobre qué soluciones entra el poder de Medicare.🩺 Medicare, ¿al rescate?¿De qué hablas? Medicare es el programa nacional de seguro médico en EE. UU. dirigido principalmente a estadounidenses mayores de 65 años —y también para algunas personas más jóvenes con algún estado de discapacidad.Eso incluye personas con enfermedad renal en etapa terminal y esclerosis lateral amiotrófica, según lo determinado por la Administración del Seguro Social (SSA).Medicare cubre a sus asegurados a la hora de ir a cualquier médico u hospital que acepte el programa, que son la gran mayoría. ¿El problema? Medicare puede incluir gastos de bolsillo sustanciales, especialmente de copagos. Medicare se organiza en cuatro partes:Parte A, o seguro de hospital. Generalmente, urgencias médicas e ingresos en hospitales.Parte B, o seguro médico. Generalmente, diagnósticos, tratamientos y prevención.Parte C, o Medicare Advantage. Generalmente, es una alternativa privada que incluye las partes A y B que puede incluir coberturas oftalmológica, dental y auditiva.⚠️ Y LO IMPORTANTE:Parte D, o beneficio por medicamentos recetados. Es un programa federal opcional para ayudar a los beneficiarios de Medicare de los planes A y B a pagar los medicamentos recetados que sean autoadministrados.Es decir, medicamentos que te ha recetado tu médico, has comprado en una farmacia y luego te tomas o administras en casa por tu cuenta.El Plan D es bastante locura porque sus beneficiarios NUNCA dejan de pagar parte de clase de medicamentos recetados autoadministrados. A grandes rasgos, quienes tienen Medicare Plan D tienen que ir cumpliendo una serie de gastos para ir desbloqueando mejores condiciones en sus gastos de bolsillo.Kaiser Family Foundation, un grupo no partidista de defensa de la atención médica, estimó que en 2019 había 154 medicamentos en los que los beneficiarios de la Parte D de Medicare incurrieron en gastos de bolsillo promedio anuales de más de 2000 dólares… ¡por un solo medicamento!Aquí lo explican mejor si eres tan friqui como nosotros, pero el resumen es que hay que estudiar una puta carrera para entenderlo (o haber trabajado como un condenado para asumir todos los costes sin arruinarte por el camino).🤝 Poder de negociaciónLa iniciativa azul: los demócratas tienen un plan para que, a través de Medicare, el gobierno federal negocie precios con las compañías farmacéuticas. De esa manera, podrían fijar un límite a lo que Medicare paga por ciertos medicamentos.La propuesta: no más del 120 por ciento de lo que pagan otros países ricos.Las sanciones. Las empresas farmacéuticas que se nieguen a participar en las negociaciones estarían sujetas a un impuesto especial severo.¿Por qué Medicare? Porque es un programa público que cubre a más de 62 millones de personas. Tener acceso a ese mercado es vital para las farmacéuticas, con lo que verse obligadas a negociar le da un poder tremendo al gobierno federal.La iniciativa se traduciría en una reducción de entre un 10 y un 15 por ciento de las primas de la Parte D para los usuarios de Medicare, según una estimación de la Kaiser Family Foundation.Y también en una reducción de las primas de planes ofrecidos por las aseguradoras privadas, ya que los nuevos precios estarían disponibles para ellas por igual.⚔️ El combate políticoLa clave: El partido demócrata está inmerso de lleno en las negociaciones de un ambicioso paquete legislativo que incluye la iniciativa que daría poder negociador con las farmacéuticas al gobierno federal a través de Medicare.Ese paquete legislativo solo necesita del apoyo de los demócratas en el Senado y en el Congreso para ser aprobado, pero incluye un monto de gasto social y una subida de impuestos a los ricos que no convence a los moderados del partido.En su momento, lo bautizamos como Paqueterico. Te hablamos de él en esta otra edición de La Wikly.Bloqueo específico. Cabe recordar que tres congresistas demócratas se opusieron a la medida concreta de dar poder negociador al gobierno federal en materia de medicamentos. Lo comentamos en esta edición de La Wikly Premium.¿Por qué se oponen? Por un lado, las críticas sobre la reducción de beneficios de las farmacéuticas, atentando contra su inversión en investigación y desarrollo. Por otro, la presión que reciben de los lobistas. Jejeje.¿Por qué deberían apoyarla? La oposición es sorprendente viniendo del campo demócrata porque la medida no solo abarataría costes de los medicamentos, sino que ayudaría a que el gobierno federal se ahorrase un estimado de 450.000 millones de dólares en 10 años.Lo que a su vez ayudaría a pagar otras medidas en materia de salud que los demócratas quieren incluir en su Paqueterico.¿Y ahora? Los moderados ya han dejado claro que quieren recortar el planteamiento inicial del Paqueterico, valorado en 3.5 billones de dólares, mientras que el presidente Joe Biden ya ha dicho que el compromiso deberá estar entre los 1.5 y los 2 billones de dólares.La presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes ya ha dejado caer que la medida de negociación de precios de medicamentos podría ser una de las primeras en caer.Por algún lado hay que recortar…¿Desea saber más? En Vox tienen un buen reportaje acerca de la medida y del contexto de los precios de los medicamentos en EE. UU. Y en Kaiser Family Foundation cuentan con explainers y análisis de opinión pública muy buenos para entender toda esta batalla legislativa.🎬 Una recomendaciónCon la colaboración de FilminThe Farewell es una película estadounidense de 2019 dirigida por Lulu Wang. Sigue la historia de una joven neoyorquina llamada Billi (Awkwafina) que tiene que viajar a China a visitar a su abuela Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao), a quien le acaban de detectar un cáncer terminal.Por motivos culturales, la familia le oculta a Nai Nai su enfermedad y la familia se reúne en China desde todas partes con la excusa de una boda de uno de los nietos de Nai Nai.Awakafina lidera un reparto en el que también destaca Zhao por su interpretación de Nai Nai. Inexplicablemente, ninguna de las dos logró colarse en las nominaciones interpretativas al Oscar de su año.A cambio, el filme sí se alzó con dos galardones de los premios más prestigiosos del cine independiente estadounidense, los Spirit Independent Awards. Se llevó Mejor Película y Mejor Actriz Secundaria para Zhao.El mayor logro de The Farewell consiste en convertir una anécdota muy local —y sin duda sorprendente para audiencias occidentales— en un drama universal que se siente sincero y profundamente sensible con la historia de sus protagonistas.Awkwafina aporta el enfoque empático para ese público occidental: una mujer joven cosmopolita a la que le cuesta asumir que las tradiciones culturales de su familia a veces deben anteponerse a la forma que tiene de querer a su abuela.Y verla lidiar con ello es tan interesante como conmovedor, amén de dos actuaciones protagonistas inolvidables.The Farewell está disponible en Filmin.🤣 Quitándole la graciaDude Perfect es uno de los canales de YouTube más populares de todos los tiempos. Uno puede imaginárselos como una versión superdescafeinada de Jackass: varios amigos se inventan premisas tan enrevesadas como espectaculares.Defínemelos. En Dude Perfect tienen un archivo de contenido muy amplio en cuanto a géneros, pero sus vídeos más exitosos suelen responder a ese formato que imita las grandes competiciones televisivas estadounidenses como American Ninja Warrior o Wipeout.Los definiría como un parque de atracciones youtuber porque su forma de entretenimiento tiene una envergadura enorme y una producción muy cuidada.Este es su vídeo más visto de siempre:Vale, ¿y qué? Los saco a colación esta semana porque no dejé de pensar en ellos durante la primera edición de la World Balloon Cup que se inventaron Ibai y Piqué este pasado jueves.Por si no te enteraste, el streamer y el futbolista organizaron una competición que enfrentó a 32 jugadores de 32 países diferentes. ¿El objetivo? En partidas de uno contra uno, ganar el mayor número de puntos logrando que el otro jugador tuviera imposible tocar un globo antes de tocar el suelo.La competición fue en general un poco aburrida porque los partidos nunca estuvieron a la altura del TikTok original que lo inició todo, pero la final sí fue a todas luces memorable.Claro que mi mayor problema con el Mundial de Globos no tenía tanto que ver con la falta de espectáculo en las partidas, sino en la limitada producción. ¿Por qué no tenían 10 cámaras diferentes cogiendo todos los ángulos? ¿Por qué no había un equipo de realización top?Quiero decir, Volkswagen, Yoigo y otras marcas patrocinaban el evento. No creo que fuera por falta de dinero. Y aunque lo fuera, ¡es una primera edición! ¡¡Déjatelo todo en el campo de juego!!Sé que Ibai a estas alturas puede permitirse cualquier cosa porque es Ibai. Y me flipa que se esté atreviendo con tantas iniciativas diferentes en Twitch, pero tomar ideas de Dude Perfect sería ideal para llevar sus formatos al siguiente nivel.Nos lo pasaríamos todos teta.⚡️ Un meme:En otro orden de cosas, este jueves estuve charlando con María Sahuquillo, corresponsal de El País en Moscú, sobre la situación política en Rusia, la diversidad de sus gentes, la crisis de gas en Europa o el deshielo del permafrost.Puedes ver la entrevista completa aquí.Hasta la semana que viene, This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.lawikly.com/subscribe

Overview: Today, we're going to talk about 54gene - the genomics HealthTech company. We'll explore the 54gene story across 6 areas: African Health care status & context 54gene early history Fundraising & Growth Product & monetization strategy Competitive positioning & potential exit options Overall outlook. This episode was recorded on Sep 19, 2021 Companies discussed: 54gene, llumina, African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Y Combinator (YC), 50 Years, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gilead, IMS Health, Broad Institute, Novartis, Cathay AfricInvest, Helium Health & mPharma Business concepts discussed: Genomics, Capacity development / Local knowledge development, Healthcare technology, Health insurance coverage, commercial biobanks & public policy Conversation highlights: (00:54) - Why we're talking about 54Gene today (06:25) - Context on Healthcare and Genomics in Africa (27:02) - 54Gene founding and early history (34:13) - Fundraising and early growth - Seed, Series A, Series B (54:15) - Product and monetization strategy (1:11:00) - 54Gene capacity building (1:17:00) - Competition in this space, exit opportunities (1:30:39) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:42:38) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (1:56:03) - Recommendations and small wins Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Afridigest newsletter (by Emeka Ajene) Awesome and well done. Combines threads from multiple angles. Fabulous. Recommendation: Frontier FinTech Newsletter (by Samora Kariouki) So thorough and detailed. Love it. Recommendation: Kate Nash - Foundations. So good Small win: Galaxy Buds 2 - Small, ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), great battery life, good software controls Other content: Boom - Supersonic Passenger Airplanes Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Slow Down - King Promise, Code Breakers by Walter Isaacson & Sarah Tavel on 20 minute VC Small win: Chelsea FC 3-0 W vs Tottenham Other content: 54Gene partnership with Illumina & Colonialists are coming for blood - Literally Listeners: We'd love to hear from you. Email info@afrobility.com with feedback! Founders: We'd love to hear about what you're working on, email us at info@afrobility.com Investors: We'd also love to link up with you to drive the ecosystem forward. Contact us at info@afrobility.com Join our insider mailing list where we get feedback on new episodes & find all episodes at Afrobility.com

Was haben Standespolitik, starre Strukturen und Startup-Silos gemeinsam? Richtig: Alle drei prägen das aktuelle österreichische Gesundheitswesen – und das mehr als manchen lieb ist. Denn zumindest die ersten beiden Faktoren legen nicht unbedingt Innovationsgeist und Veränderungswille nahe. Als Generalsekretärin der Österreichischen Gesellschaft vom Goldenen Kreuze und ehemalige Geschäftsführerin der IMS Health (nunmehr IQVIA) kennt Mag. Erika Sander das heimische Gesundheitssystem wie kaum eine zweite. Mit aller Klarheit kann sie sagen: Es gibt in Österreich viel Aufholbedarf, wenn es um innovationstreibende Maßnahmen wie etwa die Nutzung von Big Data und die Vernetzung von wichtigen Healthcare-Stakeholdern geht – bewährte Praktiken, die in anderen Ländern schon längst etabliert sind.Doch woran liegt es, dass diese Prozesse in Österreich derart schleppend voranschreiten? Ein wesentlicher Grund hierfür sind laut Erika Sander die konservativen und unflexiblen Strukturen der etablierten Organisationen, die keine schnellen Entscheidungen zulassen und stark von persönlichen Befindlichkeiten geprägt sind. Hinzu kommt, dass es unter den StakeholderInnen zu viele EinzelkämpferInnen gibt, die letztendlich auch zu wenig unternehmerisches Denken an den Tag legen. Ändern könnte man dies, indem man beispielsweise Praxen oder Apotheken als Businessmodelle betrachtet und durch Digitalisierungsmaßnahmen nachhaltig in den eigenen Standort investiert.Ein exemplarisches Beispiel hierfür ist die telemedizinische App der ÖGGK. Diese ermöglicht es PatientInnen, fusionierte Gesundheitsdienstleistungen von ÄrztInnen und ApothekerInnen niederschwellig in Anspruch zu nehmen und dabei das Optimum für sich herauszuholen. Ein weiteres Beispiel solch einer fruchtbaren Kooperation sind die sogenannten Qualitätszirkel, in denen ÄrztInnen, ApothekerInnen und PatientInnen effektiv zusammenarbeiten. Dadurch entsteht eine Triple-Win-Situation, von der alle Beteiligten nachhaltig profitieren können. Allerdings existieren diese produktiven Einzelprojekte bisher lediglich im Kleinen und müssten als Innovationstreiber vielmehr in den Vordergrund geholt werden, um wirklich langfristig innovativen Fortschritt herbeizuführen.Mag. Erika Sander und die ÖGGK gehen jedenfalls schon mal mit gutem Beispiel voran und möchten dabei Door Opener für weitere innovative Ansätze im österreichischen Healthcare-Bereich sein. Was die ÖGGK sonst noch zu bieten hat (Spoiler Alert: einen brandneuen eigenen Podcast!), warum sie auf Ganzheitlichkeit setzt und welche Vision sie für die Zukunft bereithält, erfahren Sie in unserer neuen Folge.Visit us on: LinkedIn | Facebook | InstagramRené Neubach: LinkedIn | Facebook | InstagramDominik Flener: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Exasol is passionate about helping companies to run their businesses smarter and drive profit by analyzing data and information at unprecedented speeds. The company develops the world’s fastest in-memory database for analytics and data warehousing, and offers first-class know-how and expertise in data insight and analytics. The in-memory analytic database is the first to combine in-memory, columnar compression and massively parallel processing, and is proven to be the world’s fastest topping the list in the TPC-H Benchmark tests for performance. Exasol is committed to helping organizations with their data challenges by offering them an analytic database that performs, has an open framework and is easy to use. The solution is designed to scale from commodity hardware to Hadoop and co-exists with any infrastructure, whether on-premise or in the cloud. The company also offers an easy migration path, an easy installation process and a solution that is future-proof. Companies that depend on Exasol to analyze their data in real-time include Adidas Group, GfK, IMS Health, King, Olympus, myThings, Sony Music and Xing. As Technology Evangelist at Exasol, Eva Murray is focused on building awareness through specific industry and technology campaigns, which involve content creation, events (virtual), and enablement sessions for partners and customers. She uses a variety of formats, including blogs, podcasts, press and analyst interviews, webinars, and workshops. Using her expertise in data visualization and specifically Tableau for businesses of all sizes, Eva works with prospects and customers to ensure they can maximize the value they get from their investment in analytics. I wanted to learn more about how Eva’s involvement in the Visualize Gender Equality” project is designed to harness the power of data visualization to raise awareness of extreme gender inequality. Eva shares her experiences working in a male-dominated industry and overcoming the struggles brought about by gender bias in the world of data. We also discuss the growing prominence of the Chief Data Officer (CDO), the buzz around ‘data literacy,’ and how organizations need to introduce not just a digital transformation but a data transformation too. Finally, we discuss how intelligent use and the understanding of data are integral to the success of charities and other non-profits.

Robert Chu is the Co-founder & CEO of Embleema. He is the former SVP of Global Technology for IQVIA & has created & managed data networks in over 20 countries in the U.S., Asia & Europe. Robert and I talk about the tremendous value of provable, secure real world data that can be directly shared by patients to improve bio-statistical models. We also discuss his recent business partnership with Alira Health and the origins of the HIVE data analytics platform. Embleema Website: https://embleema.com/ Disclaimer: The Health Unchained podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and we are not providing any sort of legal, financial, or medical advice. Please do your own research and due diligence before making any important decisions related to these matters. Topics Overview •Introduction to Robert's background •What drove you to the healthcare industry? •Experience at IBM, IMS Health, and IQVIA •How did you first hear about blockchain technology? •What is the vision for Embleema? Why did you start it? •Impact of COVID-19 on on Embleema •Epilepsy Foundation partnership and Epilepsy Digital Engagement Navigator (EDEN) •Long-term studies are difficult to track •Why should people care about real world evidence/data? •Can you describe Embleema's services/products/platforms and their technology stacks? •Hyperledger •HIVE – High Performance Integrated Virtual Environment – data repository and analytics platform built by Dr. Vahan Simonyan who transferred HIVE property to Embleema https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-performance_Integrated_Virtual_Environment •Tracking patient consent •What tactics are you employing to address data privacy and personal ownership of one's data? •Any feedback from beta-testers of your platform? •What are the biggest barriers to blockchain adoption in healthcare? •Synthetic control arms in clinical studies – simulation of placebo group •Embleema's business model? •Company partners and major investors? •Alira Health Partnership goals •How would you describe the company culture at Embleema? •Outlook for 2021 and beyond •Favorite DLT projects doing important work •Most influential book you've read – The Lorax by Dr. Seuss •Thoughts about the singularity that is supposed to happen in 2045 •If you had to have micro chip implanted in your body, where would you want it to be implanted? •Final Takeaways News Corner https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-first-covid-19-test-self-testing-home On November 17, 2020, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 diagnostic at-home self-test which provides rapid results. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is a molecular (real-time loop mediated amplification reaction) single use test that is intended to detect the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit test has been authorized for home use with self-collected nasal swab samples in individuals age 14 and older who are suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider. Health Unchained Links Website: https://healthunchained.org Telegram: t.me/healthunchained Twitter: twitter.com/Healthunchaind

Alex Shirazi sits down with Dr. Miotto and Leo Groenewegen to chat about the exciting new developments from CellulaREvolution, based in the UK. Dr. Martina Miotto and is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at CellulaREvolution Ltd. She began her studies at the University of Ferrara (Italy), where she completed a BSc in Biotechnology and a MSc in Biomolecular and Cellular Sciences. Subsequently, she moved to Newcastle University (UK) where she completed her PhD in corneal tissue engineering and a significant part of this involved the development of the technology underpinning CellulaREvolution. Following her successful PhD, Dr Miotto has focussed firmly on a commercial career pathway. She initially received a Newcastle University Enterprise Scholarship, followed by an ICURe Fellowship to explore further the market and value proposition. Afterwards, she was awarded an Enterprise Fellowship by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to receive mentoring and training in the business sector. Since the spin-out of CellulaREvolution from the University in July 2019, Martina has led the scientific development of the company. Leo Groenewegen is co-founder Chief Executive Officer at CellulaREvolution Ltd. Leo has extensive experience in the fields of Biotech and Pharmaceuticals. During his career he has enabled a wide array of firms to out-perform by achieving scientific, financial and commercial excellence. As Chief Executive Officer, Leo ensures that the overall goals of the company are achieved. Leo Groenewegen has previously held a position as CFO at a Swedish based biotech company, where besides financing he was also responsible for Investor relations, PR/Communications and Business Development. Some of his other experiences included positions at reputable consulting firms such as IMS Health and Deloitte. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/futurefoodshow/support

From Deloitte to IMS Health to LEK to Oliver Wyman - phew! Dan Corless has had a long and winding path through consulting. Most recently a Principal at Oliver Wyman, Dan joins us to share his perspective on how to succeed in the consulting recruiting process, what it takes to make a lateral transition, what he LOVED about consulting, and the importance of the right kind of case interview prep.Free Case Prep course: tinyurl.com/freecaseprep Free Math Drills: tinyurl.com/freemathdrills

Kabir Shahani was raised in Kansas City, KS before moving to Seattle in 8th grade with his family. Kabir was an only child and he witnessed just how diligently his parents worked, which would prove to have a lasting effect on him. A few decades ago, Kansas City wasn't very diverse and there were certainly times that Kabir talks about feeling different, which would also prove to be something that stuck with him.After graduating at the University of Washington, Kabir would go on to work for Avanade, then Blue Dot, Inc., a startup where he would meet Derek Slager, his business partner for the next 15 years. After a little over 6 years of his first startup being alive, it was acquired by IMS Health, and Kabir went on to work for IMS Health as their VP of technology. After some time had passed, Kabir decided he would take some time off and explore what his true passions are.In January of 2016, Amperity was born; an AI-driven technology company that helps people use data to better understand and serve their customers. At the time of this podcast Amperity has raised almost $90M and is expanding very rapidly with offices in Seattle, Denver, and New York.

Craig DeLarge, one of the founders of The Digital Mental Health Project, joins Kristin for a unique discussion about how the use of digital media has impacted our mental health. Craig has been working on this topic since 2014 and shares why this topic is his passion and mission. Kristin and the team at Digital Tech Initiative are excited to have come across The Digital Mental Health Project as we've looked for organizations that discuss the positives and not so positive effects of digital technology on our mental health.Craig and his wife, Cheryl L. DeLarge, are the principals at Digital Mental Health Project. They are both mental health advocates and caregivers as well as healthcare executives. Craig is a digital health strategist and Cheryl is a learning & development leader. This Project brings together their occupational expertise and their vocational calling to positively impact mental health outcomes.Over 3 decades of his earlier career, Craig held healthcare marketing and digital health roles with Takeda Pharma, Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Communications Media, Inc, IMS Health (now IQVIA) and the (U.S.) National Alliance on Mental Illness. He has additionally been a marketing, strategy, change leadership & communications professor at Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University, St. Joseph’s University, Chestnut Hill College, Drexel University, Penn State – Great Valley. He has degrees in Marketing from Philadelphia University (BSc), and Design Management (MBA) from the University of Westminster (UK). He is a candidate Public Health Masters student at Kings College, London. He is further a certified professional coach and published author of The WiseWorking Handbook (2014).During this same time, Cheryl held IT and HR learning & development roles with Merck, Sharpe & Dohme implementing innovative learning approaches and technologies for leaders and managers. She has degrees in Computer Information Systems from Messiah College (BSc) and Human Resources Development (MS) from Drexel University.Their team have put together some notes to help you reference the information shared on this episode.Please visit www.digitalmentalhealthproject.com and enjoy a tutorial video: https://youtu.be/p1cCYBNpXTwThe NAMI Family-to-Family Program which was a life saver for Craig and Cheryl when they first encountered severe mental illness in their family. https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-Programs/NAMI-Family-to-FamilyThe blog post on “embedded digital mental health”: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/embedded-digital-mental-health-gateway-to next-wave-of-adoption/The MentalTech Wearables presentation that was alluded to during this episode: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/anxietytech-conference-mentaltech-wearables-talk/Their StressTech Literacy Series that was alluded to during this episode: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/stresstech-literacy-series-using-digitaltech-to-achieve-healthier-stress-levels-is-launched/Blog about The Digital Stress Management Survey, one of their research offerings, which they welcome your participating in: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/digital-stress-management-survey-dsms-findings-barriers-to-dmh-adoption/Blog about the Breath Tracker Wearable alluded to which has taught Craig how to breath better: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/mentaltech-i-use-spire-stone-breath-tracker-trainer/Blog about mental health chatbots Craig has used to get real time access to very helpful cognitive behavioral health scripts: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/the-mentaltech-i-use-mental-health-chatbots/For a download of all of the notes: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s33/client/snv?noteGuid=ac743d7a-e200-4fb8-8cd9-0e80c7a39999¬eKey=18e8bcb96da95526&sn=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evernote.com%2Fshard%2Fs33%2Fsh%2Fac743d7a-e200-4fb8-8cd9-0e80c7a39999%2F18e8bcb96da95526&title=Mental%2BHealth%2BRadio%2BNetwork%2BDigital%2BDistraction%2BShow%2BNotes%2Baddendum

Craig DeLarge joins Kristin for a unique discussion about digital mental health. Craig has been working on this topic since 2014 and shares why this topic is his passion and mission. Kristin and the team at Digital Tech Initiative are excited to have come across The Digital Mental Health Project as we've looked for organizations that discuss the positives and not so positive effects of digital technology on our mental health.Craig and his wife, Cheryl L. DeLarge, are the principals at Digital Mental Health Project. They are both mental health advocates and caregivers as well as healthcare executives. Craig is a digital health strategist and Cheryl is a learning & development leader. This Project brings together their occupational expertise and their vocational calling to positively impact mental health outcomes.Over 3 decades of his earlier career, Craig held healthcare marketing and digital health roles with Takeda Pharma, Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Communications Media, Inc, IMS Health (now IQVIA) and the (U.S.) National Alliance on Mental Illness. He has additionally been a marketing, strategy, change leadership & communications professor at Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University, St. Joseph’s University, Chestnut Hill College, Drexel University, Penn State – Great Valley. He has degrees in Marketing from Philadelphia University (BSc), and Design Management (MBA) from the University of Westminster (UK). He is a candidate Public Health Masters student at Kings College, London. He is further a certified professional coach and published author of The WiseWorking Handbook (2014).During this same time, Cheryl held IT and HR learning & development roles with Merck, Sharpe & Dohme implementing innovative learning approaches and technologies for leaders and managers. She has degrees in Computer Information Systems from Messiah College (BSc) and Human Resources Development (MS) from Drexel University.Their team have put together some notes to help you reference the information shared on this episode.Please visit www.digitalmentalhealthproject.com and enjoy a tutorial video: https://youtu.be/p1cCYBNpXTwThe NAMI Family-to-Family Program which was a life saver for Craig and Cheryl when they first encountered severe mental illness in their family. https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-Programs/NAMI-Family-to-FamilyThe blog post on “embedded digital mental health”: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/embedded-digital-mental-health-gateway-to next-wave-of-adoption/The MentalTech Wearables presentation that was alluded to during this episode: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/anxietytech-conference-mentaltech-wearables-talk/Their StressTech Literacy Series that was alluded to during this episode: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/stresstech-literacy-series-using-digitaltech-to-achieve-healthier-stress-levels-is-launched/Blog about The Digital Stress Management Survey, one of their research offerings, which they welcome your participating in: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/digital-stress-management-survey-dsms-findings-barriers-to-dmh-adoption/Blog about the Breath Tracker Wearable alluded to which has taught Craig how to breath better: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/mentaltech-i-use-spire-stone-breath-tracker-trainer/Blog about mental health chatbots Craig has used to get real time access to very helpful cognitive behavioral health scripts: https://digitalmentalhealthproject.com/the-mentaltech-i-use-mental-health-chatbots/For a download of all of the notes: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s33/client/snv?noteGuid=ac743d7a-e200-4fb8-8cd9-0e80c7a39999¬eKey=18e8bcb96da95526&sn=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evernote.com%2Fshard%2Fs33%2Fsh%2Fac743d7a-e200-4fb8-8cd9-0e80c7a39999%2F18e8bcb96da95526&title=Mental%2BHealth%2BRadio%2BNetwork%2BDigital%2BDistraction%2BShow%2BNotes%2Baddendum

Robert Paris is a management trainer, coach and consultant who focuses on helping organizations attract, retain and increase the productivity of their human resources. Robert’s specific areas of expertise include assisting managers and non-supervisory employees to develop essential leadership and coaching skills; helping organizations achieve their business objectives by developing a culture that supports and encourages bottom line-oriented innovation initiatives; and coaching mangers at all levels to improve their abilities to perform at higher levels. Robert’s 15 year managerial career was characterized by significant business accomplishments at blue chip companies such as Johnson & Johnson. This valuable experience serves as the foundation of his consulting practice that has helped developed management teams on 5 continents for organizations such as the Cirque du Soleil, IMS Health, FTI, Xstrata Nickel, ICAO, Hypertec, Phi Group, Hitek Logistic, Fednav, Jam Industries, etc. Robert is recognized as a pioneer in applying fundamental principles of neuroscience to management and leadership. He has a Certificate in the Foundations of Neuroleadership which applies emerging knowledge of the brain to business. He has recently developed ground-breaking programs in leadership, coaching, team-building and innovation that incorporate emerging knowledge of the brain to awaken more of the brain’s resources to enable people to expand perspectives, talk more authentically and create rare moments of insight – with remarkable results. He has extensive experience and success in designing and implementing: - Pioneering workshops that teach people how their brains work and how to unlock self-limiting subconscious thoughts - Personalized coaching and mentoring services for mid-level and senior executives and first time supervisors - Cutting edge leadership and management development practices - Results-oriented coaching skills practices and seminars. - Innovation practices and cultures that result in competitive advantages Robert has written manuals on leadership, neuroleadership, coaching and thinking skills. Robert’s training and consulting practice has resulting in helping management teams accomplish their strategic objectives in the entertainment, high technology, information services, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, retail, non-profit, and mining industries. Robert designed and facilitated the original global leadership training program for the renowned Cirque du Soleil. Robert graduated with honors with an M.B.A. at the University of Toronto and with great distinction with a B. Comm. At McGill University. He is a distinguished lecturer at the renowned Niagara Institute. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vozwin/support

Have a quick question about benzo withdrawal? About the symptoms? About the duration of recovery? About anxiety, insomnia, or anything else which is keeping you awake at night? Listen in on our conversation and you just might learn something. In today's episode, we provide a rapid-fire style format where we explore some common questions about benzos, withdrawal, and other related issues. We also have a story from the United Kingdom, explore our barriers to emotion, and touch on one of the more sensitive topics in withdrawal, suicide. https://www.easinganxiety.com/post/quick-questions-about-anxiety-insomnia-benzos-and-withdrawal-bfp034Video ID: BFP034 Chapters 00:57 Introduction12:02 Benzo Story15:51 Feature43:42 Moment of Peace  Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Easing Anxiety of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. INTRODUCTIONEasing Anxiety Suicide Prevention Resources — https://easinganxiety.com/resources Itzkoff, David. Robin. New York: Macmillan Audio, 2018.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB62KSZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_jqWBDb9P1DN1W.FEATURE: Quick Questions About Anxiety, Insomnia, Benzos, and WithdrawalAshton, C. Heather. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (aka The Ashton Manual). 2002. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual..Foster, D E. Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. Erie, Colorado: Denim Mountain Press, 2018. https://easinganxiety.com/book. IMS Health. Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database (2013). Extracted April 2014. Quoted in CCHR International. “Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States.” Accessed April 3, 2018. https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/.National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “Definition of Tolerance.” The Neurobiology of Drug Addiction. Updated January 2007. Accessed August 6, 2017. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/teaching-packets/neurobiology-drug-addiction/section-iii-action-heroin-morphine/6-definition-tolerance.Sommers, Jack, “Masculinity Audit into Causes of Suicide Reveals Men Suffer Depression in a Way Even Doctors Could Miss,” Huffington Post UK, November 17, 2016, accessed April 26, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/mens-mental-health-building-modern-men_uk_58206805e4b0c2e24ab022fb. The PodcastThe Benzo Free Podcast provides information, support, and community to those who struggle with the long-term effects of anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium) and Z-drugs (Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). WEBSITE: https://www.easinganxiety.comMAILING LIST: https://www.easinganxiety.com/subscribe YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@easinganx DISCLAIMERAll content provided by Easing Anxiety is for general informational purposes only and should never be considered medical advice. Any health-related information provided is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems, or to prescribe any medical devices or other remedies. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it. Please visit our website for our complete disclaimer at https://www.easinganxiety.com/disclaimer. CREDITSMusic provided / licensed by Storyblocks Audio — https://www.storyblocks.com Benzo Free Theme — Title: “Walk in the Park” — Artist: Neil Cross PRODUCTIONEasing Anxiety is produced by…Denim Mountain Presshttps://www.denimmountainpress.com ©2022 Denim Mountain Press – All Rights Reserved

Have a quick question about benzo withdrawal? About the symptoms? About the duration of recovery? About anxiety, insomnia, or anything else which is keeping you awake at night? Listen in on our conversation and you just might learn something.In today's episode, we provide a rapid-fire style format where we explore some common questions about benzos, withdrawal, and other related issues. We also have a story from the United Kingdom, explore our barriers to emotion, and touch on one of the more sensitive topics in withdrawal, suicide. Welcome to Episode #34 Today, we take a different tack on our format. We're doing a rapid-fire type of format and answer some questions about benzos, withdrawal, anxiety, insomnia, and other related topics. We also tackle the topic of suicide through the lens of a personal experience last weekend from your host and hear a benzo story from the U.K. But first, let's list the resources used in this episode, and then we'll dive deeper into the content of episode 34. Episode Index Each time listed below is in minutes and seconds. Introduction: 0:57Benzo Story: 12:02Feature: 15:51Moment of Peace: 43:42 Episode Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Benzo Free of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. INTRODUCTIONBENZO FREE: Suicide Prevention Resources. Itzkoff, David. Robin. New York: Macmillan Audio, 2018. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB62KSZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_jqWBDb9P1DN1W. FEATURE: Quick Questions About Anxiety, Insomnia, Benzos, and WithdrawalAshton, C. Heather. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (aka The Ashton Manual). 2002. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual.. Foster, D E. Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. Erie, Colorado: Denim Mountain Press, 2018. http://www.benzofree.org/book.IMS Health. Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database (2013). Extracted April 2014. Quoted in CCHR International. "Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States." Accessed April 3, 2018. https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). "Definition of Tolerance." The Neurobiology of Drug Addiction. Updated January 2007. Accessed August 6, 2017. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/teaching-packets/neurobiology-drug-addiction/section-iii-action-heroin-morphine/6-definition-tolerance. Sommers, Jack, "Masculinity Audit into Causes of Suicide Reveals Men Suffer Depression in a Way Even Doctors Could Miss," Huffington Post UK, November 17, 2016, accessed April 26, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/mens-mental-health-building-modern-men_uk_58206805e4b0c2e24ab022fb. BENZO FREE LINKSWebsitePodcast Home PageFeedback FormDisclaimer Podcast Summary This podcast is dedicated to those who struggle with side effects, dependence, and withdrawal from benzos, a group of drugs from the benzodiazepine and nonbenzodiazepine classes, better known as anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills, sedatives, and minor tranquilizers. Their common brand names include Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, Valium, and Xanax. Introduction In today's intro, we tackle the subject of suicide. I share a story about a book I've been listening to, Robin by David Itzkoff, and about how hearing about his tragic death triggered my emotions this past weekend. I then compared his story with mine and others and reminded people that benzo withdrawal is not a terminal diagnosis, not by a long shot. This illness is temporary, and if you are having suicidal thoughts, to seek help and get support. Benzo Stories Today's benzo story was from Lynn in the United Kingdom. Featured Topic Today's featured topic: Quick Questions About Anxiety, Insomnia, Benzos, and Withdrawal

From nearly a decade at both IBM and IMS Health, Robert Chu has learned the skills of what it takes to execute at an executive level and deliver on time. This is the reason he is now working on healthcare and using blockchain to bring together people, data and results in a timely fashion. Your healthcare data is worth a lot of money, for example, a recent sale of $1.9 billion puts each data entry at $10,000 each. Yes, this is worth you listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do benzodiazepines work? What do they do in the body? Why do they initially calm us, but then stop working? And why are they so incredibly hard to stop? When we take a look at the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate, we find a few answers.In today's episode, we examine two key chemicals in the brain and discover a few insights into why withdrawal is so difficult for so many. We also answer a couple questions about support groups, spotlight two regional organizations, and hear a story from Nova Scotia, Canada. Welcome to Episode #18 Today we focus on the science behind benzos. In particular, the role GABA and glutamate play in the body in response to the drugs. While there are other chemicals and mechanisms affected by these drugs, for this episode we are going to focus on these two keys. We also answer questions about starting support groups and finding one for caregivers, tell a story from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and spotlight two support organizations in the U.K. But first, let's list the resources used in this episode, and then we'll dive deeper into the content of episode 18. Episode Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Benzo Free of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. MAILBAGBENZO FREE: Resources / Regional OrganizationsBenzo BuddiesBenzodiazepine Recovery Facebook Page BENZO NEWSINVERSE.COM: "Who's Avoiding Sex? Psychiatrist Cites 3 Reasons" by Shervin AssariBIC: Thank You, Patrick!MENAFN: "Bisnar Chase Secures $11-Million Jury Verdict for Wife and Children of Man Who Died by Suicide While in Rehab"BENZO FREE PODCAST: Episode #17 — Benzo Brain: Cognitive Dysfunction and Memory Loss in WithdrawalMPR: "Fluoroquinolone Use Linked to Increased Peripheral Neuropathy Risk" by Cassandra Pardini, PharmDBIG ISSUE NORTH: "Why don't we just… stop pretending that pills are the answer to young people's problems?" by Mike Shooter SPOTLIGHTBristol & District Tranquilliser Project (BTP)Bristol and District Tranquilliser Project AGM — Prof. Ashton's LectureBattle Against Tranquillisers (BAT) FEATURE: The Science of Benzos: GABA and GlutamateAshton, C. Heather. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (aka The Ashton Manual). 2002. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual.Bachhuber, Marcus A., Sean Hennessy, Chinazo O. Cunningham, and Joanna L. Starrels. "Increasing Benzodiazepine Prescriptions and Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1996-2013." American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) (April 2016). Accessed April 7, 2018. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303061.Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prescribing Guidelines for Pennsylvania: Safe Prescribing Benzodiazepines for Acute Treatment of Anxiety & Insomnia. Updated May 15, 2017. Accessed April 7, 2018. https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Opioids/PA%20Guidelines%20on%20Benzo%20Prescribing.pdf.Edwards, Elaine, "Bad Side-Effects of Drugs Such as Valium A 'Medical Disaster'," Irish Times, October 10, 2016, Accessed October 10, 2016, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/bad-side-effects-of-drugs-such-as-valium-a-medical-disaster-1.2824495.Foster, D E. Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. Erie, Colorado: Denim Mountain Press, 2018. http://www.benzofree.org/book.Goddard AW. “Cortical and subcortical gamma amino acid butyric acid deficits in anxiety and stress disorders: clinical implications.” World J Psychiatry 6(1)(2016):43-53. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v6.i1.43.IMS Health. Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database (2013). Extracted April 2014. Quoted in CCHR International. "Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States." Accessed April 3, 2018. https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/.Leigh, Jennifer, "Five (5) Facts About Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (You Need to Know)," Additionblog.org,

How do benzodiazepines work? What do they do in the body? Why do they initially calm us, but then stop working? And why are they so incredibly hard to stop? When we take a look at the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate, we find a few answers. In today's episode, we examine two key chemicals in the brain and discover a few insights into why withdrawal is so difficult for so many. We also answer a couple questions about support groups, spotlight two regional organizations, and hear a story from Nova Scotia, Canada. https://www.easinganxiety.com/post/the-science-of-benzos-gaba-and-glutamate-bfp018Video ID: BFP018 Chapters 00:00 Introduction07:50 Mailbag12:35 Benzo News15:24 Benzo Spotlight19:32 Benzo Story25:52 The Science of Benzos42:22 Moment of Peace  Resources The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Easing Anxiety of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein. MAILBAG BENZO FREE: Resources / Regional OrganizationsBenzo BuddiesBenzodiazepine Recovery Facebook Page BENZO NEWS INVERSE.COM: “Who's Avoiding Sex? Psychiatrist Cites 3 Reasons” by Shervin AssariBIC: Thank You, Patrick!MENAFN: “Bisnar Chase Secures $11-Million Jury Verdict for Wife and Children of Man Who Died by Suicide While in Rehab”BENZO FREE PODCAST: Episode #17 — Benzo Brain: Cognitive Dysfunction and Memory Loss in WithdrawalMPR: “Fluoroquinolone Use Linked to Increased Peripheral Neuropathy Risk” by Cassandra Pardini, PharmDBIG ISSUE NORTH: “Why don't we just… stop pretending that pills are the answer to young people's problems?” by Mike Shooter SPOTLIGHT Bristol & District Tranquilliser Project (BTP)Bristol and District Tranquilliser Project AGM — Prof. Ashton's LectureBattle Against Tranquillisers (BAT) FEATURE: The Science of Benzos – GABA and Glutamate Ashton, C. Heather. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (aka The Ashton Manual). 2002. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual.Bachhuber, Marcus A., Sean Hennessy, Chinazo O. Cunningham, and Joanna L. Starrels. “Increasing Benzodiazepine Prescriptions and Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1996-2013.” American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) (April 2016). Accessed April 7, 2018. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303061.Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prescribing Guidelines for Pennsylvania: Safe Prescribing Benzodiazepines for Acute Treatment of Anxiety & Insomnia. Updated May 15, 2017. Accessed April 7, 2018.https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Opioids/PA%20Guidelines%20on%20Benzo%20Prescribing.pdf.Edwards, Elaine, “Bad Side-Effects of Drugs Such as Valium A ‘Medical Disaster',” Irish Times, October 10, 2016, Accessed October 10, 2016, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/bad-side-effects-of-drugs-such-as-valium-a-medical-disaster-1.2824495.Foster, D E. Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. Erie, Colorado: Denim Mountain Press, 2018. https://easinganxiety.com/book. Goddard AW. “Cortical and subcortical gamma amino acid butyric acid deficits in anxiety and stress disorders: clinical implications.” World J Psychiatry 6(1)(2016):43-53. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v6.i1.43.IMS Health. Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database (2013). Extracted April 2014. Quoted in CCHR International. “Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States.” Accessed April 3, 2018. https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/.Leigh, Jennifer, “Five (5) Facts About Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (You Need to Know),” Additionblog.org, August 16, 2015, accessed March 6, 2017, http://prescription-drug.addictionblog.org/five-5-facts-about-benzodiazepine-withdrawal-you-need-to-know/.National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “Well-Known Mechanism Underlies Benzodiazepines' Addictive Properties.” NIDA Notes, April 19, 2012. Accessed August 10, 2017. https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2012/04/well-known-mechanism-underlies-benzodiazepines-addictive-properties.Vertosick Jr., Frank. When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1996. https://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain/dp/0393330494.Wikipedia, “Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome,” last modified February 21, 2018, accessed April 7, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome.  Introduction In today's intro, I decided it was time to focus on the positive. I even added some ukulele music to lighten the mood. The message was simple, why wait until your back to normal to feel happy. Grab every happy moment you can when you can. You need it those joyful moments now more than ever.  Mailbag This is where we share questions and comments which were discussed: QUESTION: Are there any emotional support groups or organizations specifically for families and other caregivers of those recovering from benzo use?This comment was from an anonymous listener. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good answer and didn't know of any off-hand. I did ask for input from our listeners to see if anyone could provide one that I could share with this listener or anyone else.QUESTION: Starting a withdrawal support group in NYC, can I help spread the word?This comment was from Naomi, in NYC. She first asked if I knew of any support groups in NYC, which I didn't. But then said that she was going to start up a Meet-Up and could I help spread the word. I said I would and would add a new category to our resources just for regional support groups.  Benzo Spotlight Today's spotlight shined on two regional support groups in the U.K. They are Bristol and District Tranquilliser Project (BTP) and Battle Against Tranquillisers (BAT). Both groups provide one-on-one and group services to people living in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas. Even though these services are not available outside of this area, their websites are still useful resources.  Benzo Story Today's story was from Jane in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Feature Today's featured topic: The Science of Benzos: GABA and Glutamate In the feature, we examined the science of how benzodiazepines work inside of the body. In particular, we explored the neurotransmitter mechanisms of GABA and glutamate. Glutamate excites, and GABA inhibits, kind of like the gas pedal and the brakes on a car. Benzodiazepines enhance the actions of GABA and increase their inhibitory effect. Listen to the podcast for more detail.  The PodcastThe Benzo Free Podcast provides information, support, and community to those who struggle with the long-term effects of anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium) and Z-drugs (Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). WEBSITE: https://www.easinganxiety.comMAILING LIST: https://www.easinganxiety.com/subscribe YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@easinganx DISCLAIMERAll content provided by Easing Anxiety is for general informational purposes only and should never be considered medical advice. Any health-related information provided is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems, or to prescribe any medical devices or other remedies. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it. Please visit our website for our complete disclaimer at https://www.easinganxiety.com/disclaimer. CREDITSMusic provided / licensed by Storyblocks Audio — https://www.storyblocks.com Benzo Free Theme — Title: “Walk in the Park” — Artist: Neil Cross PRODUCTIONEasing Anxiety is produced by…Denim Mountain Presshttps://www.denimmountainpress.com ©2022 Denim Mountain Press – All Rights Reserved

I talked to Aldrich Tan, the Design Director and Co-founder of Vessel Innovation Design Group. He previously held Design Roles at Remitly, Getty Images, Artefact, and IMS Health. His design journey has taken him to the US and Canada, before he decided to go back to the Philippines to build impactful startups, design cultures, and mindsets, while mentoring younger designers.

I talked to Aldrich Tan, the Design Director and Co-founder of Vessel Innovation Design Group. He previously held Design Roles at Remitly, Getty Images, Artefact, and IMS Health. His design journey has taken him to the US and Canada, before he decided to go back to the Philippines to build impactful startups, design cultures, and mindsets, while mentoring younger designers.

Part one of our Dopesick podcast, we discussed the effects that the opioid epidemic had on Appalachia and why the region was so vulnerable. In part two, we will discuss Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin marketing efforts and the enormous impact it had on the region. In 1996, Purdue Pharma more than doubled the size of their salesforce and handpicked physicians who would be extremely susceptible to their marketing. Using data that they bought from IMS Health, they targeted which doctors prescribed the most competing painkillers. 4 years later, these representatives had influenced 94,000 physicians to push OxyContin and sales had increased almost tenfold. Continuing the conversation with Beth Macey, she shares how OxyContin affected her hometown and how surrounding communities were ravaged with crime after the epidemic took off. Greg also talks with Dr. Art Van Zee about the deceptive marketing practices of Purdue Pharma and how these physicians were influenced. Hear more of the story on today’s podcast.

From nearly a decade at both IBM and IMS Health, Robert Chu has learned the skills of what it takes to execute at an executive level and deliver on time. This is the reason he is now working on healthcare and using blockchain to bring together people, data and results in a timely fashion. Your healthcare data is worth a lot of money, for example, a recent sale of $1.9 billion puts each data entry at $10,000 each. Yes, this is worth you listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I recently joined a start-up called Spruce Up so topics related to startups have been top-of-mind for me. In this episode of UX Cake, I am joined by Phillip Hunter of Pulse Labs and Cassie Wallender of Invio, Inc. We really enjoyed recording live in Seattle and had a candid conversation about the challenges and benefits of being in UX at a start-up and shared the techniques we have found effective while working in this type of start-up environment. Phillip Hunter is VP of Products at Pulse Labs in Seattle, WA, and has designed and created strategy for voice-based products and services for hundreds of customer service systems, and has led, managed, inspired, trained, and mentored hundreds of UX and product management professionals. Cassie Wallender is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Invio, Inc in Seattle. Cassie is an effective senior contributor and team manager in both product and design for several successful startups (iLike, acquired by Myspace for over $20m in 2009, and Appature, acquired by IMS Health for over $100m in 2013). Show Highlights:Challenges of working at a UX start-up including often being the only designer, you often don’t have customers or users yet, and if you do have customers, you may have a very limited budget/resources.No one hands you a charter stating the problems, objectives, and how to solve them. Everything is ambiguous, and you have to be a part of the discovery/inquiry/problem-solving processes.Everything is on the line while working at a UX and pressure can build. The investors, founders, and employees are all counting on you. Despite all the challenges, we do it because of the special rewards and potential, and opportunities to be part of something new, and important.Techniques we use to address the challenges of startups.Leigh, Phillip, and Cassie tell their very different stories of how they got into startups.Check out Angel Lists or Techstars to find start-up job opportunities.Resources:Spruce UpPulse LabsInvio, Inc.@Cassie on TwitterYou can now support the future of the UX Cake podcast and be a part of the UX Cake community at Patreon.com/uxcake Connect with UX Cake!Twitter FaceBook Instagram www.uxcake.co See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This interview is part of our HIMSS18 coverage. We'll be talking with thought leaders and vendors all week at the annual Health Information Management Society conference in Las Vegas. On this episode, we chat with Miki Kapoor, President of Tea Leaves Health. We discuss: How consumer engagement is driving health system strategy The challenge of balancing fee for service and value-based revenue streams as the system continues to transform The importance of establishing a direct and continuous feedback loop with your patients.  Checkout the rest of our HIMSS18 Interviews here. About Miki Kapoor With two decades of experience exclusively in healthcare – operations, finance, strategy and policy – Miki Kapoor has a notably broad perspective on the U.S. healthcare system. Most recently, Mr. Kapoor was the President of Everyday Health, a publicly-traded company that was acquired in a $465 million transaction in 2016. As part of aggressively scaling Everyday Health while moving the company toward utilizing vast amounts of consumer and medical data for effective patient and physician communication, Mr. Kapoor acquired Tea Leaves Health for Everyday Health in 2015. Today, Mr. Kapoor serves as Chief Executive Officer of Tea Leaves Health. Mr. Kapoor's experience also includes serving as Head of the Global Payer & Provider Division as well as Global Head of Strategy for IMS Health, having joined as part of the $5 billion take-private of IMS Health. That transaction later resulted in the IPO of the company in 2014, in what is considered one of the most successful and largest turnarounds in healthcare private equity history. He has served as Senior Expert for McKinsey & Company and Executive Vice President, Health Systems and Health Finance for the Clinton Foundation while living in Africa and India. He started his career with almost a decade on Wall Street as an investment banker focused on payers and providers, healthcare information technology, and healthcare services. Miki Kapoor attended graduate school at Yale University, where he received both an MBA in Finance and an MPH in Health Policy. He is a graduate of Washington University in Saint Louis, where he received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences. He is a Fulbright Fellow, formerly a visiting professor at two universities, and sits on the boards of several healthcare organizations. He is passionate about public and private healthcare and believes there are substantial and achievable improvements that can be made to change the quality, access, and cost equations for patients. About Tea Leaves Health Tea Leaves Health, a Welltok company, transforms the way healthcare executives manage their business through a platform that provides the total information awareness and business intelligence needed to achieve strategic growth, effective physician engagement strategies and increased revenue. Tea Leaves Health combines a deep understanding of healthcare business development with the technical savvy to deliver strategic success for healthcare organizations of any size. The proprietary Patientology™, Physicianology™ and Decisionology™ software tools easily transform internal and external data into immediately actionable information for multiple leadership levels. While working with clients to develop measurable and successful growth initiatives, Tea Leaves Health strives to provide the best software, strategic consultation and support in the industry. Tea Leaves Health joined the Welltok family in 2017. Welltok is the leading consumer health enterprise Software as a Service company that enables population health managers to target and connect consumers to personalized health improvement resources, helping individuals achieve and sustain their optimal health. Today, Tea Leaves Health is one of the largest strategic growth vendors and works with over 500 hospitals including 8 of the top 20 hospitals in the country.     Subscribe to Weekly Updates If you like what we're doing here, then please consider signing up for our weekly newsletter. You'll get one email from me each week detailing: New podcast episodes and blog posts. Content or ideas that I've found valuable in the past week. Insider info about the show like stats, upcoming episodes and show plans that I won't put anywhere else. Plain text and straight from the heart :) No SPAM or fancy graphics and you can unsubscribe with a single click anytime.   The #HCBiz Show! is produced by Glide Health IT, LLC in partnership with Netspective Media. Music by StudioEtar  

Adam Tanner is the author of "Our Bodies, Our Data", which tells the story of a hidden dark market in drug prescription and other medical data. In recent years hackers have been able to steal health data on a massive scale -- remember Anthem? In this second part of our interview, we explore the implications of hacked medical data. If hackers get into a data brokers' drug databases and combine with previously stolen medical insurance records, will they rule the world? Transcript Inside Out Security: Today, I'd like to welcome Adam Tanner. Adam is a writer-in-residence at Harvard University's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He's written extensively on data privacy. He's the author of What Stays In Vegas: The World of Personal Data and the End of Privacy As We Know It. His articles on data privacy have appeared in Scientific American, Forbes, Fortune, and Slate. And he has a new book out, titled "Our Bodies, Our Data," which focuses on the hidden market in medical data. Welcome, Adam. Adam Tanner: Well, I'm glad to be with you. IOS: We've also been writing about medical data privacy for our Inside Out Security blog. And we're familiar with how, for example, hospital discharge records can be legally sold to the private sector. But in your new book, and this is a bit of a shock to me, you describe how pharmacies and others sell prescription drug records to data brokers. Can you tell us more about the story you've uncovered? AT: Basically, throughout your journey as a patient into the healthcare system, information about you is sold. It has nothing to do with your direct treatment. It has to do with commercial businesses wanting to gain insight about you and your doctor, largely, for sales and marketing. So, take the first step. You go to your doctor's office. The door is shut. You tell your doctor your intimate medical problems. The information that is entered into the doctor's electronic health system may be sold, commercially, as may the prescription that you pick up at the pharmacy or the blood tests that you take or the urine tests at the testing lab. The insurance company that pays for all of this or subsidizes part of this, may also sell the information. That information about you is anonymized.  That means that your information contains your medical condition, your date of birth, your doctor's name, your gender, all or part of your postal zip code, but it doesn't have your name on it. All of that trade is allowed, under U.S. rules. IOS: You mean under HIPAA? AT: That's right. Now this may be surprising to many people who would ask this question, "How can this be legal under current rules?" Well, HIPAA says that if you take out the name and anonymize according to certain standards, it's no longer your data. You will no longer have any say over what happens to it. You don't have to consent to the trade of it. Outsiders can do whatever they want with that. I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that. Very few patients know about it. Even doctors and pharmacists and others who are in the system don't know that there's this multi-billion-dollar trade. IOS:Right … we've written about the de-identification process, which it seems like it's the right thing to do, in a way, because you're removing all the identifiers, and that includes zip code information, other geo information. It seems that for research purposes that would be okay. Do you agree with that, or not? AT: So, these commercial companies, and some of the names may be well-known to us, companies such as IBM Watson Health, GE, LexisNexis, and the largest of them all may not be well-known to the general public, which is Quintiles and IMS. These companies have dossiers on hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. That means that they have medical information about you that extends over time, different procedures you've had done, different visits, different tests and so on, put together in a file that goes back for years. Now, when you have that much information, even if it only has your date of birth, your doctor's name, your zip code, but not your name, not your Social Security number, not things like that, it's increasingly possible to identify people from that. Let me give you an example. I'm talking to you now from Fairbanks, Alaska, where I'm teaching for a year at the university here. I lived, before that, in Boston, Massachusetts, and before that, in Belgrade, Serbia. I may be the only man of my age who meets that specific profile! So, if you knew those three pieces of information about me and had medical information from those years, I might be identifiable, even in a haystack of millions of different other people. IOS: Yeah …We have written about that as well in the blog. We call these quasi-identifiers. They're not the traditional kind of identifiers, but they're other bits of information, as you pointed out, that can be used to sort of re-identify. Usually it's a small subset, but not always. And that this information would seem also should be protected as well in some way. So, do you think that the laws are keeping up with this? AT: HIPAA was written 20 years ago, and the HIPAA rules say that you can freely trade our patient information if it is anonymized to a certain standard. Now, the technology has gone forward, dramatically, since then. So, the ability to store things very cheaply and the ability to scroll through them is much more sophisticated today than it was when those rules came into effect. For that reason, I think it's a worthwhile time to have a discussion now. Is this the best system? Is this what we want to do? Interestingly, the system of the free trade in our patient information has evolved because commercial companies have decided this is what they'd want to do. There has not been an open public discussion of what is best for society, what is best for patients, what is best for science, and so on. This is just a system that evolved. I'm saying, in writing this book, "Our Bodies, Our Data," that it is maybe worthwhile that we re-examine where we're at right now and say, "Do we want to have better privacy protection? Do we want to have a different system of contributing to science than we do now?" IOS: I guess what also surprised me was that you say that pharmacies, for example, can sell the drug records, as long as it's anonymized. You would think that the drug companies would be against that. It's sort of leaking out their information to their competitors, in some way. In other words, information goes to the data brokers and then gets resold to the drug companies. AT: Well, but you have to understand that everybody in what I call this big-data health bazaar is making money off of it. So, a large pharmacy chain, such as CVS or Walgreen's, they may make tens of millions of dollars in selling copies of these prescriptions to data miners. Drug companies are particularly interested in buying this information because this information is doctor-identified. It says that Dr. Jones in Pittsburgh prescribes drug A almost all the time, rather than drug B. So, the company that makes drug B may send a sales rep to the doctor and say, "Doctor, here's some free samples. Let's go out to lunch. Let me tell you about how great drug B is." So, this is because there exists these doctor profiles on individual doctors across the country, that are used for sales and marketing, for very sophisticated kind of targeting. IOS: So, in an indirect way, the drug companies can learn about the other drug companies' sales patterns, and then say, "Oh, let me go in there and see if I can take that business away." Is that sort of the way it's working? AT: In essence, yes. The origins of this trade date back to the 1950s. In its first form, these data companies, such as IMS Health, what they did was just telling companies what drugs sold in what market. Company A has 87% of the market. Their rival has 13% of the market. When medical information began to become digitized in the 1960s and '70s and evermore since then, there was a new opportunity to trade this data. So, all of a sudden, insurance companies and middle-men connecting up these companies, and electronic health records providers and others, had a product that they could sell easily, without a lot of work, and data miners were eager to buy this and produce new products for mostly the pharmaceutical companies, but there are other buyers as well. IOS:  I wanted to get back to another point you mentioned, in that even with anonymized data records of medical records, with all the other information that's out there, you can re-identify or at least limit, perhaps, the pool of people who that data would apply to. What's even more frightening now is that hackers have been stealing health records like crazy over the last couple of years. So, there's a whole dark market of hacked medical data that, I guess, if they got into this IMS database, they would have the keys to the kingdom, in a way. Am I being too paranoid here? AT: Well, no, you correctly point out that there has been a sharp upswing in hacking into medical records. That can happen into a small, individual practice, or it could happen into a large insurance company. And in fact, the largest hacking attack of medical records in the last couple of years has been into Anthem Health, which is the Blue Cross Blue Shield company. Almost 80 million records were hacked in that. So even people that did... I was hacked in that, even though I was not, at the time, a customer of them or had never been a customer of them, but they... One company that I dealt with outsourced to someone else, who outsourced to them. So, all of a sudden, this information can be in circulation. There’s a government website people can look at, and you'll see, every day or two, there are new hackings. Sometimes it involves a few thousand names and an obscure local clinic. Sometimes it'll be a major company, such as a lab test company, and millions of names could be impacted. So, this is something definitely to be concerned about. Yes, you could take these hacked records and match them with anonymized records to try to figure out who people are, but I should point out that there is no recorded instance of hackers getting into these anonymized dossiers by the big data miners. IOS: Right. We hope so! AT: I say recorded or acknowledged instance. IOS: Right. Right. But there's now been sort of an awareness of cyber gangs and cyber terrorism and then the use of, let's say, records for blackmail purposes. I don't want to get too paranoid here, but it seems like there's just a potential for just a lot of bad possibilities. Almost frightening possibilities with all this potential data out there. AT: Well, we have heard recently about rumors of an alleged dossier involving Donald Trump and Russia. IOS: Exactly. AT: And information that... If you think about what kind of information could be most damaging or harmful to someone, it could be financial information. It could be sexual information, or it could be health information. IOS: Yeah, or someone using... or has a prescription to a certain drug of some sort. I'm not suggesting anything, but that... All that information together could have sort of lots of implications, just, you know, political implications, let's say. AT: I mean if you know that someone takes a drug that's commonly used for a mental health problem, that could be information used against someone. It could be used to deny them life insurance. It could be used to deny them a promotion or a job offer. It could be used by rivals in different ways to humiliate people. So, this medical information is quite powerful. One person who has experienced this and spoken publicly about it is the actor, Charlie Sheen. He tested positive for HIV. Others somehow learned of it and blackmailed him. He said he paid millions of dollars to keep that information from going public, before he decided finally that he would stop paying it, and he'd have to tell the world about his medical condition. IOS: Actually I was not aware of the payments he was making. That's just astonishing. So, is there any hope here? Do you see some remedies, through maybe regulations or enforcement of existing laws? Or perhaps we need new laws? AT: As I mentioned, the current rules, HIPAA, allows for the free trade of your data if it's anonymized. Now, I think, given the growth of sophistication in computing, that we should change what the rule is and to define our medical data as any medical information about us, whether or not it's anonymized. So, if a doctor is writing in the electronic health record, you should have a say as to whether or not that information is going to be used elsewhere. A little side point I should mention. There are a lot of good scientists and researchers who want data to see if they can gain insights into disease and new medications. I think people should have the choice whether or not they want to contribute to those efforts. So, you know, there's a lot of good efforts. There's a government effort under way now to gather a million DNA samples from people to make available to science. So, if people want to participate in that, and they think that's good work, they should definitely be encouraged to do so, but I think they should have the say and decide for themselves. And so far, we don't really have that system. So, by redefining what patient data is, to say, "Medical information about a patient, whether or not it's anonymized," I think that would give us the power to do that. IOS: So effectively, you're saying the patient owns the data, is the owner, and then would have to give consent for the data to be used. Is that, about right? AT: I think so. But on the other hand, as I mentioned, I've written this book to encourage this discussion. The problem we have right now is that the trade is so opaque. Companies are extremely reluctant to talk about this commercial trade. So, they do occasionally say that, "Oh, this is great for science and for medicine, and all of these great things will happen." Well, if that is so fantastic, let's have this discussion where everyone will say, "All right. Here's how we use the data. Here's how we share it. Here's how we sell it." Then let people in on it and decide whether they really want that system or not. But it's hard to have that intelligent policy discussion, what's best for the whole country, if industry has decided for itself how to proceed without involving others. IOS: Well, I'm so glad you've written this book. This will, I'm hoping, will promote the discussion that you're talking about. Well, this has been great. I want to thank you for the interview. So, by the way, where can our listeners reach out to you on social media? Do you have a handle on Twitter? Or Facebook? AT: Well, I'm @datacurtain  and I have a webpage, which is http://adamtanner.news/ IOS: Wonderful. Thank you very much, Adam.

Adam Tanner is the author of "Our Bodies, Our Data", which tells the story of a hidden dark market in drug prescription and other medical data. Adam explains how the sale of "anonymized" data is a multi-billion dollar business not covered by HIPPA rules. In this first part of our interview, we learn from Adam how the medical data brokers got started and why it's legal. Transcript Inside Out Security: Today, I'd like to welcome Adam Tanner. Adam is a writer-in-residence at Harvard University's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He's written extensively on data privacy. He's the author of What Stays In Vegas: The World of Personal Data and the End of Privacy As We Know It. His articles on data privacy have appeared in Scientific American, Forbes, Fortune, and Slate. And he has a new book out, titled "Our Bodies, Our Data," which focuses on the hidden market in medical data. Welcome, Adam. Adam Tanner: Well, I'm glad to be with you. IOS: We've also been writing about medical data privacy for our Inside Out Security blog. And we're familiar with how, for example, hospital discharge records can be legally sold to the private sector. But in your new book, and this is a bit of a shock to me, you describe how pharmacies and others sell prescription drug records to data brokers. Can you tell us more about the story you've uncovered? AT: Basically, throughout your journey as a patient into the healthcare system, information about you is sold. It has nothing to do with your direct treatment. It has to do with commercial businesses wanting to gain insight about you and your doctor, largely, for sales and marketing. So, take the first step. You go to your doctor's office. The door is shut. You tell your doctor your intimate medical problems. The information that is entered into the doctor's electronic health system may be sold, commercially, as may the prescription that you pick up at the pharmacy or the blood tests that you take or the urine tests at the testing lab. The insurance company that pays for all of this or subsidizes part of this, may also sell the information. That information about you is anonymized.  That means that your information contains your medical condition, your date of birth, your doctor's name, your gender, all or part of your postal zip code, but it doesn't have your name on it. All of that trade is allowed, under U.S. rules. IOS: You mean under HIPAA? AT: That's right. Now this may be surprising to many people who would ask this question, "How can this be legal under current rules?" Well, HIPAA says that if you take out the name and anonymize according to certain standards, it's no longer your data. You will no longer have any say over what happens to it. You don't have to consent to the trade of it. Outsiders can do whatever they want with that. I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that. Very few patients know about it. Even doctors and pharmacists and others who are in the system don't know that there's this multi-billion-dollar trade. IOS:Right … we've written about the de-identification process, which it seems like it's the right thing to do, in a way, because you're removing all the identifiers, and that includes zip code information, other geo information. It seems that for research purposes that would be okay. Do you agree with that, or not? AT: So, these commercial companies, and some of the names may be well-known to us, companies such as IBM Watson Health, GE, LexisNexis, and the largest of them all may not be well-known to the general public, which is Quintiles and IMS. These companies have dossiers on hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. That means that they have medical information about you that extends over time, different procedures you've had done, different visits, different tests and so on, put together in a file that goes back for years. Now, when you have that much information, even if it only has your date of birth, your doctor's name, your zip code, but not your name, not your Social Security number, not things like that, it's increasingly possible to identify people from that. Let me give you an example. I'm talking to you now from Fairbanks, Alaska, where I'm teaching for a year at the university here. I lived, before that, in Boston, Massachusetts, and before that, in Belgrade, Serbia. I may be the only man of my age who meets that specific profile! So, if you knew those three pieces of information about me and had medical information from those years, I might be identifiable, even in a haystack of millions of different other people. IOS: Yeah …We have written about that as well in the blog. We call these quasi-identifiers. They're not the traditional kind of identifiers, but they're other bits of information, as you pointed out, that can be used to sort of re-identify. Usually it's a small subset, but not always. And that this information would seem also should be protected as well in some way. So, do you think that the laws are keeping up with this? AT: HIPAA was written 20 years ago, and the HIPAA rules say that you can freely trade our patient information if it is anonymized to a certain standard. Now, the technology has gone forward, dramatically, since then. So, the ability to store things very cheaply and the ability to scroll through them is much more sophisticated today than it was when those rules came into effect. For that reason, I think it's a worthwhile time to have a discussion now. Is this the best system? Is this what we want to do? Interestingly, the system of the free trade in our patient information has evolved because commercial companies have decided this is what they'd want to do. There has not been an open public discussion of what is best for society, what is best for patients, what is best for science, and so on. This is just a system that evolved. I'm saying, in writing this book, "Our Bodies, Our Data," that it is maybe worthwhile that we re-examine where we're at right now and say, "Do we want to have better privacy protection? Do we want to have a different system of contributing to science than we do now?" IOS: I guess what also surprised me was that you say that pharmacies, for example, can sell the drug records, as long as it's anonymized. You would think that the drug companies would be against that. It's sort of leaking out their information to their competitors, in some way. In other words, information goes to the data brokers and then gets resold to the drug companies. AT: Well, but you have to understand that everybody in what I call this big-data health bazaar is making money off of it. So, a large pharmacy chain, such as CVS or Walgreen's, they may make tens of millions of dollars in selling copies of these prescriptions to data miners. Drug companies are particularly interested in buying this information because this information is doctor-identified. It says that Dr. Jones in Pittsburgh prescribes drug A almost all the time, rather than drug B. So, the company that makes drug B may send a sales rep to the doctor and say, "Doctor, here's some free samples. Let's go out to lunch. Let me tell you about how great drug B is." So, this is because there exists these doctor profiles on individual doctors across the country, that are used for sales and marketing, for very sophisticated kind of targeting. IOS: So, in an indirect way, the drug companies can learn about the other drug companies' sales patterns, and then say, "Oh, let me go in there and see if I can take that business away." Is that sort of the way it's working? AT: In essence, yes. The origins of this trade date back to the 1950s. In its first form, these data companies, such as IMS Health, what they did was just telling companies what drugs sold in what market. Company A has 87% of the market. Their rival has 13% of the market. When medical information began to become digitized in the 1960s and '70s and evermore since then, there was a new opportunity to trade this data. So, all of a sudden, insurance companies and middle-men connecting up these companies, and electronic health records providers and others, had a product that they could sell easily, without a lot of work, and data miners were eager to buy this and produce new products for mostly the pharmaceutical companies, but there are other buyers as well. IOS:  I wanted to get back to another point you mentioned, in that even with anonymized data records of medical records, with all the other information that's out there, you can re-identify or at least limit, perhaps, the pool of people who that data would apply to. What's even more frightening now is that hackers have been stealing health records like crazy over the last couple of years. So, there's a whole dark market of hacked medical data that, I guess, if they got into this IMS database, they would have the keys to the kingdom, in a way. Am I being too paranoid here? AT: Well, no, you correctly point out that there has been a sharp upswing in hacking into medical records. That can happen into a small, individual practice, or it could happen into a large insurance company. And in fact, the largest hacking attack of medical records in the last couple of years has been into Anthem Health, which is the Blue Cross Blue Shield company. Almost 80 million records were hacked in that. So even people that did... I was hacked in that, even though I was not, at the time, a customer of them or had never been a customer of them, but they... One company that I dealt with outsourced to someone else, who outsourced to them. So, all of a sudden, this information can be in circulation. There’s a government website people can look at, and you'll see, every day or two, there are new hackings. Sometimes it involves a few thousand names and an obscure local clinic. Sometimes it'll be a major company, such as a lab test company, and millions of names could be impacted. So, this is something definitely to be concerned about. Yes, you could take these hacked records and match them with anonymized records to try to figure out who people are, but I should point out that there is no recorded instance of hackers getting into these anonymized dossiers by the big data miners. IOS: Right. We hope so! AT: I say recorded or acknowledged instance. IOS: Right. Right. But there's now been sort of an awareness of cyber gangs and cyber terrorism and then the use of, let's say, records for blackmail purposes. I don't want to get too paranoid here, but it seems like there's just a potential for just a lot of bad possibilities. Almost frightening possibilities with all this potential data out there. AT: Well, we have heard recently about rumors of an alleged dossier involving Donald Trump and Russia. IOS: Exactly. AT: And information that... If you think about what kind of information could be most damaging or harmful to someone, it could be financial information. It could be sexual information, or it could be health information. IOS: Yeah, or someone using... or has a prescription to a certain drug of some sort. I'm not suggesting anything, but that... All that information together could have sort of lots of implications, just, you know, political implications, let's say. AT: I mean if you know that someone takes a drug that's commonly used for a mental health problem, that could be information used against someone. It could be used to deny them life insurance. It could be used to deny them a promotion or a job offer. It could be used by rivals in different ways to humiliate people. So, this medical information is quite powerful. One person who has experienced this and spoken publicly about it is the actor, Charlie Sheen. He tested positive for HIV. Others somehow learned of it and blackmailed him. He said he paid millions of dollars to keep that information from going public, before he decided finally that he would stop paying it, and he'd have to tell the world about his medical condition. IOS: Actually I was not aware of the payments he was making. That's just astonishing. So, is there any hope here? Do you see some remedies, through maybe regulations or enforcement of existing laws? Or perhaps we need new laws? AT: As I mentioned, the current rules, HIPAA, allows for the free trade of your data if it's anonymized. Now, I think, given the growth of sophistication in computing, that we should change what the rule is and to define our medical data as any medical information about us, whether or not it's anonymized. So, if a doctor is writing in the electronic health record, you should have a say as to whether or not that information is going to be used elsewhere. A little side point I should mention. There are a lot of good scientists and researchers who want data to see if they can gain insights into disease and new medications. I think people should have the choice whether or not they want to contribute to those efforts. So, you know, there's a lot of good efforts. There's a government effort under way now to gather a million DNA samples from people to make available to science. So, if people want to participate in that, and they think that's good work, they should definitely be encouraged to do so, but I think they should have the say and decide for themselves. And so far, we don't really have that system. So, by redefining what patient data is, to say, "Medical information about a patient, whether or not it's anonymized," I think that would give us the power to do that. IOS: So effectively, you're saying the patient owns the data, is the owner, and then would have to give consent for the data to be used. Is that, about right? AT: I think so. But on the other hand, as I mentioned, I've written this book to encourage this discussion. The problem we have right now is that the trade is so opaque. Companies are extremely reluctant to talk about this commercial trade. So, they do occasionally say that, "Oh, this is great for science and for medicine, and all of these great things will happen." Well, if that is so fantastic, let's have this discussion where everyone will say, "All right. Here's how we use the data. Here's how we share it. Here's how we sell it." Then let people in on it and decide whether they really want that system or not. But it's hard to have that intelligent policy discussion, what's best for the whole country, if industry has decided for itself how to proceed without involving others. IOS: Well, I'm so glad you've written this book. This will, I'm hoping, will promote the discussion that you're talking about. Well, this has been great. I want to thank you for the interview. So, by the way, where can our listeners reach out to you on social media? Do you have a handle on Twitter? Or Facebook? AT: Well, I'm @datacurtain  and I have a webpage, which is http://adamtanner.news/ IOS: Wonderful. Thank you very much, Adam.

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"https://" : "http://"); var lhnScriptSrc = lhnJsHost + 'www.livehelpnow.net/lhn/scripts/livehelpnow.aspx?lhnid=' + lhnAccountN + '&iv=' + lhnInviteEnabled + '&d=' + lhnDepartmentN + '&ver=' + lhnVersion + '&rnd=' + Math.random(); var lhnScript = document.createElement("script"); lhnScript.type = "text/javascript";lhnScript.src = lhnScriptSrc; if (window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function () { document.getElementById('lhnContainer').appendChild(lhnScript); }, false); } else if (window.attachEvent) { window.attachEvent('onload', function () { document.getElementById('lhnContainer').appendChild(lhnScript); }); } What Do You Get When Legal Drug Dealers Peddle "Heroin-in-a-Pill" to it's "Clientele"? Interactive GraphicsJaclyn Kinkade, a 23-year-old doctor's-office receptionist and occasional model, was a casualty of America's No. 1 drug menace when she overdosed and died, alone, in a tumbledown clapboard house in Dunnellon, Fla. The drugs that killed her didn't come from the Colombian jungles or an Afghan poppy field. Two of the three drugs found in her system were sold to Ms. Kinkade, legally, at Walgreen Co. and CVS Caremark shops, the two biggest U.S. pharmacies. Both prescription drugs found in her body were made in the U.S.—the oxycodone in Elizabeth, N.J., by a company being acquired by generic-drug giant Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., and the methadone in Hobart, N.Y., by Covidien Ltd., another major manufacturer. Every stage of their distribution was government-regulated. In addition, Ms. Kinkade had small amounts of methamphetamine in her system when she died.The U.S. spends about $15 billion a year fighting illegal drugs, often on foreign soil. But America's deadliest drug epidemic begins and ends at home. More than 15,000 Americans now die annually after overdosing on prescription painkillers called opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—more than from heroin, cocaine and all other illegal drugs combined. Rising opioid abuse means that drug overdoses are now the single largest cause of accidental death in America. They surpassed traffic accidents in 2009, the most recent CDC data available. Paradoxically, the legality of prescription painkillers makes their abuse harder to tackle. There is no Pablo Escobar to capture or kill. Authorities must contend with an influential lobby of industry representatives and doctors who argue against more restrictions, saying they would harm legitimate patients. And lawmakers have been reluctant to have the federal government track Americans' prescriptions, leaving states to piece together a patchy, fragmented response.Ms. Kinkade's final days, and the path of the drugs that killed her, were reconstructed from medical and prescription records, police files and interviews. Many records were assembled by Ms. Kinkade's father and stepmother.Shuffling through the documents at their living-room table, Bruce Kinkade, a garage-door salesman, and his wife, Ann, said they don't wish to absolve their daughter of responsibility. "We're not naive and want to say she was a perfect angel," said Ann Kinkade, Jaclyn's stepmother. Tracing the Path of Prescription PainkillersJaclyn Kinkade A family photo of Jaclyn Kinkade as a child with a composite of the prescription records.But the Kinkades say the companies and licensed professionals that supplied her with the drugs must also bear some responsibility. "Jackie didn't wake up one day and say, 'Hey, I'm going to be a drug addict today,'" Ann Kinkade said. "Jackie pretty much got sent there by a doctor, got hooked and continued to go back."There are few easy villains in prescription drug abuse. Companies, physicians and addicts alike are all pieces in a complex puzzle. For some time, regulators have been cracking down on doctors who prescribe to addicts for profit. Now, federal and state officials are starting to move up the supply chain to pursue pharmacies and distributors. On Sept. 12, the Drug Enforcement Administration revoked the licenses of two Florida CVS stores, which it claims sold excessive amounts of oxycodone without ensuring the pills weren't diverted to the black market. CVS is fighting the DEA's order in administrative and federal courts.Two days later, the agency served Walgreen with a suspension order halting sales of controlled substances from its Jupiter, Fla., distribution center, calling it an "imminent threat to public safety." The DEA's regulatory action alleges that the facility—the state's largest oxycodone distributor—"failed to maintain effective controls'' of its narcotic painkillers. Walgreen said it is working with regulators and has tightened its procedures. CVS said it was committed to working with regulators "to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion while ensuring access to appropriate, effective pain medication for our patients who need them."Participants in the drug-supply chain acknowledge the problems but point to others as the weak link. Doctors involved say pharmacies should be able to tell if patients are secretly using several physicians to obtain more drugs. Druggists say they can't second-guess a valid prescription. Manufacturers and distributors say they are simply delivering products ordered by health-care professionals.What makes this drug scourge different from previous ones, such as heroin in the 1970s and cocaine in the 1980s, is that everyone in the distribution chain is identifiable. The DEA itself controls the supply spigot by setting drug companies' production quotas for opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. For years, opioids were reserved mainly for cancer or terminally ill patients because of fears over their safety and addictiveness. But over the past 15 years, many doctors have come to view them as an essential tool to manage chronic pain. Around the same time, drug makers began marketing patented, time-release formulations of the drugs, making it a lucrative category.Today, a growing number of doctors say the pendulum has swung too far, with powerful narcotics being dispensed for even relatively minor complaints. Last year, pharmacies dispensed more than $9 billion in prescription opioid painkillers, more than twice the amount a decade earlier, according to IMS Health, a research firm. The number of prescriptions has risen fourfold. The generic version of Vicodin, a blend of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, is now the most prescribed drug in the country.Opioids come from the same narcotics family as heroin and can produce similar addictions, researchers say. "We're basically talking about heroin pills," said Andrew Kolodny, chairman of the psychiatry department at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.Studies show that opioid addicts come from a surprisingly broad swath of the population: the middle-age, the elderly and, increasingly, young adults. Many U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical and mental injuries are also becoming dependent on prescription painkillers, researchers say. In recent decades, researchers have come to view addiction as a disease, rather than just a personal failing. Some people are more predisposed to becoming addicted because of heredity, experience and other factors that have yet to be fully understood. But some drugs are simply more addictive than others.Jaclyn Kinkade Before She Began Taking Drugs.New research suggests that drugs like opioids cause long-lasting changes to the brain, rewiring some areas to crave more drugs while simultaneously damaging the parts that can control those cravings. The drugs can damage the brain's ability to feel pleasure, so regular users eventually need to take them not to get high or help with pain, but just to feel normal. Avoiding unpleasant withdrawal symptoms end up conditioning many drug users' daily lives. One of the most confounding aspects of this latest epidemic is that it blurs the lines between legal and illegal drug use. Some people first take drugs from their family medicine cabinets to get high, then go to doctors to get more. Others are originally prescribed the pills for legitimate reasons, then buy them on the street once they're hooked.Many, such as Ms. Kinkade, end up mixing legal and illegal drugs in ways that can prove lethal.Ms. Kinkade was a lively, talkative woman with blond hair, a fear of caterpillars and a pit-bull terrier, Bentley, that traveled everywhere with her. She was first prescribed an opioid on Oct. 27, 2006, by the doctor who employed her as a receptionist, prescription records show. According to medical records and an entry from her diary, she had been suffering back and neck pain. Thomas Suits, her employer, prescribed 20 pills of Endocet, a drug containing oxycodone. "I'd never taken opioids before," Ms. Kinkade wrote in a diary entry. "But I started the med routine and OMG I felt no pain."Jaclyn Kinkade on vacation when she was 21 years old. She died of an accidental drug overdose about two years later, at age 23.Dr. Suits didn't recall prescribing the medication, said his wife, Irene Machel, a doctor who also works at the clinic. She declined to discuss the matter further. Endo Health Solutions, which made the pills, declined to comment on Ms. Kinkade. "These types of stories are tragic and we obviously take them seriously," said Endo spokesman Blaine Davis. "Our responsibility, as a company that is very dedicated to the field of pain management, is to educate both physicians and patients about appropriate use."Soon Ms. Kinkade was seeking more drugs. On Jan. 5, 2007, she saw Bruce Kammerman, a family practitioner at a clinic in Stuart, Fla., and came away with a generic blend of oxycodone and acetaminophen. A scan taken a month later showed no problems with her spine, according to the medical report. Through his lawyer, Dr. Kammerman declined to say why he wrote the prescription. "That's a sad case," said his attorney, Lance Richard. "Maybe she didn't have justifiable pain but she certainly came in and made complaints about it. At some point the doctor just has to go on the patient's word."Dr. Kammerman was arrested in July at a pain clinic in Vero Beach, Fla., charged with drug trafficking, racketeering and illegally selling controlled substances. The DEA said in a news conference he was prescribing an average of 1,700 oxycodone tablets a day. Dr. Kammerman's lawyer said his client has done nothing wrong and pleaded not guilty.Jaclyn Kinkade In a Mug Shot on May 10, 2010, Two Months Before Her Death.Ms. Kinkade broke up with her boyfriend. She began missing work. One day she was found curled up under her desk, crying. "She always used to be clean-cut, nice makeup," said Susan Cochran, a former colleague. Then "she would come in in sweatpants and it was like: 'Who is this person?'"Ms. Kinkade changed jobs to work at a radiologist's office. There, she had two other scans, in April and July 2008. Neither showed significant spine problems, according to the medical reports. Ms. Kinkade started seeking clinics that asked fewer questions. "Family practitioners hate writing narcotics," she wrote in her diary. "Nowadays—I'll just go str8 to pain docs."During that period, she was prescribed large amounts of oxycodone, her records show, combined with antianxiety drugs and powerful muscle relaxants. Her parents grew increasingly alarmed. "Sometimes you'd be having a conversation with her and her head would just drop," Mr. Kinkade said. "And she'd say: 'Oh, I'm just tired; I was out late.'"After reviewing her records, he said, "We estimated that at one point she was taking 13.4 pills per day, for nothing wrong with her."In May 2009, Mr. Kinkade and his wife asked a judge to have their daughter forcibly admitted to drug treatment under a Florida law. Their request was initially denied because she wasn't a minor. Angered by their efforts, Ms. Kinkade moved out of their home and drove across the state to her biological mother's house. She crashed her car and was found wandering along the highway in a drug-induced daze, her parents said, searching for her pills. Legal records show she was arrested several times for minor crimes such as possessing controlled drugs without a prescription and shoplifting small items, including makeup and cake topping. In each case, she was released and the charges dropped. She started visiting a pain clinic in Tampa called Doctors Rx Us, where she was prescribed oxycodone, methadone, alprazolam and gabapentin, an antiseizure medication, according to records her parents collected. Housed in a rundown strip mall, the clinic today is called Palm Medical Group after a name change in 2011, according to its state records. Ms. Kinkade was prescribed the drugs by two physicians at Doctors Rx Us: Richard Smith and William Crumbley. Dr. Crumbley was arrested in December and charged with operating a nonregistered pain clinic at another location. He has pleaded not guilty.Dr. Smith and the clinic declined repeated interview requests. A lawyer for Dr. Crumbley said he was innocent of any wrongdoing. On May 3, 2010, Ms. Kinkade stopped at a CVS in Crystal River, Fla., and picked up a prescription written by Dr. Smith for 90 tablets of 10mg methadone, along with 90 tablets of alprazolam, an antianxiety drug. "Jaclyn Kinkade's death is a terrible tragedy that highlights the need for a comprehensive national effort to prevent prescription drug abuse," CVS said in a statement.Information provided by the manufacturer suggests that the methadone dispensed to Ms. Kinkade was likely supplied to CVS by Cardinal Health Inc. Cardinal was the only distributor to have sold that particular drug to that CVS branch during that period, according to the manufacturer's records. CVS and Cardinal declined to comment. Last year, the DEA launched a probe of the Florida-based operations of Cardinal Health and CVS Caremark. The agency alleged they dispensed "extremely large amounts" of oxycodone with signs that the drugs were "diverted from legitimate channels." CVS said it has "responded to the DEA's concerns, including implementing enhancements to our policies and procedures for filling controlled substance prescriptions." Cardinal settled with the DEA in May, agreeing to suspend sales for two years at one of its key distribution facilities in Lakeland, Fla. The methadone Ms. Kinkade picked up at the end of her life was made in Hobart, N.Y., by Mallinckrodt, a unit of health-care giant Covidien. "Any death from abuse or misuse of prescription drugs is tragic," Covidien said. "That's why we believe that, as a nation, ending the abuse, diversion and misuse of powerful pain medications is necessary to ensure adequate treatment of pain and access to that treatment for legitimate pain patients."On May 10, 2010, Ms. Kinkade was stopped by police in Levy County, Fla., for having an expired registration. A drug-sniffing dog reacted to her car and she was arrested for possessing a generic form of Xanax without the correct prescription. This time, her parents let her sit in jail for a couple of weeks while they organized a place for her in a rehabilitation program. They bailed her out May 25 and enrolled her in drug treatment.Over the next month, Ms. Kinkade went to the treatment program during the day and seemed to improve, her parents said. Then, the evening of June 24, she climbed out the window at her parents' house. A few days later, on the other side of Florida, she met up with a boyfriend, according to a statement he later gave police. She returned to Doctors Rx Us, where Dr. Smith wrote a prescription for 90 tablets of 30mg oxycodone, according to prescription records. It would be her last. The next day, Ms. Kinkade filled the prescription at a Walgreens in Beverly Hills, Fla. The oxycodone would have come from Walgreen's Jupiter, Fla., distribution center, a company spokesman said. On Sept. 14, the DEA barred that facility from selling controlled substances, alleging that it failed to maintain effective controls to stop large amounts of oxycodone from reaching the black market. "When [companies] choose to look the other way, patients suffer and drug dealers prosper," Mark Trouville, the DEA special agent in charge, said at the time. Walgreen said in a statement it is cooperating with the DEA. The oxycodone came from the New Jersey plant of Actavis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company. In April, Actavis was bought by Watson Pharmaceutical in a $5.8 billion deal awaiting regulatory approval. An Actavis spokesman described Ms. Kinkade's situation as a "tragic occurrence" and called for discussion on "how to prevent such cases in the future." A Watson spokesman cautioned against action that would make it harder to treat legitimate patients. He said the company supported educating patients about the drugs' proper use.The morning of July 4, Ms. Kinkade's boyfriend found her sitting cross-legged and slumped in his room at a white, low-slung house tucked behind a trailer park. The medical examiner said she died from a drug cocktail including oxycodone, methadone and methamphetamine.Ms. Kinkade's physical decline made such an impression on the detective who investigated the case that, two years later, he still recalls the scene. In the living room, he noticed a poster of Ms. Kinkade modeling for a biker magazine."Wow, she's a beautiful young lady," Detective Matthew Taylor remembered thinking. "When I actually saw her, it was as different as night and day." 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Today in FirstWord:

Joshua Benner, PharmD, ScD, is the Founder of RxAnte, a provider of science-based information technology solutions for improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare. In August 2014, Dr. Benner was named the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development for RxAnte's parent company, Millennium Health. A leading voice on medication adherence, Dr. Benner's award-winning research and numerous publications have shed new light on the problem of nonadherence and identified promising approaches to improving it. Prior to RxAnte, Dr. Benner was Fellow and Managing Director at the Brookings Institution's Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, where he focused on medical technology policy. Prior to Brookings, Dr. Benner was principal at ValueMedics Research, an analytic and consulting services firm. Following the successful sale of ValueMedics to IMS Health in 2007, he served as senior principal in health economics and outcomes research and global lead for medication adherence at IMS. Dr. Benner received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Drake University and his Doctor of Science in health policy and management from the Harvard University School of Public Health. He remains a Visiting Scholar in Economic Studies at Brookings, and is an adjunct scholar in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Social Handles: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rxante-inc- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rxante Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RxAnte 00:00 Josh explains what RxAnte is, and why he founded it.02:00 How Underuse, Overuse, and Misuse of prescription drugs is costing Americans $300 Billion a year.03:15 RxAnte's approach to fixing the adherence problem and preventing underuse of prescription medication06:00 RxAnte's approach to identify patients at risk of underusing their prescription medications.06:45 How Real-Time prescription data allows providers to open up a conversation about adherence with their patients.08:40 How Value-Based reimbursement is benefiting medication use as well.09:00 How RxAnte predicts which patients will stop using their prescription medications too soon.11:35 How RxAnte screens for patients who might stop using prescription medication due to its side effects.14:15 RxAnte factors in types of prescription medication prescribed, and known side effects for those drugs.17:00 RxAnte uses data to not only identify at-risk patients, but also help providers prescribe more accurately to proactively prevent adherence issues.18:30 The steps by which RxAnte establishes their services, once hired.19:20 Who hires RxAnte, and why.22:15 What is RxEffect and how it works.24:40 Population Health Nurses and the growing popularity of this occupation.26:00 Why providers are choosing RxAnte.28:00 The problem with the typical “P for P” system.34:00 Where RxAnte's services begin for patients at risk of overdosing on medication, particularly unsafe use of pain medications.37:50 You can find out more information at www.RxAnte.com.

Big Data and Analytics in Healthcare: Interview with Murray Aitken, Executive Director, IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics and SVP, IMS HealthMurray Aitken, one of the world’s top experts on health informatics, discusses the impact of big data on healthcare and the strategic implications for health insurers, hospitals, physicians, consumers, life sciences firms, and government health programs.  In this fascinating interview with Kip Piper, Mr. Aitken explains how and why health information and analytics are driving rapid change in the organization, reimbursement, and delivery of healthcare and in medical innovation.Murray Aitken, MBA, is senior vice president of IMS Health and executive director of the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.  Using IMS Health’s extraordinary wealth of data and analytical tools, the Institute provides insights and information to help decision makers improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare.  Their fascinating, information rich reports are available at www.imshealth.com/institute.MediStrategy is hosted by Kip Piper, a national expert on Medicare, Medicaid, and health reform.  A prominent consultant, speaker, and author, Kip Piper is on the web at www.KipPiper.com. 

Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. | 04/26/11 | Docket #: 10-779

A case in which the Court held that a Vermont statute banning the sale, transmission or use of prescription drug user data violated protected speech of the pharmaceutical research companies, manufacturers and others who use that data.

While many laws protect patient information, there are fewer protections for physicians, particularly when it comes to pharmacy records. More states are now passing laws in an attempt to regulate the sale of this "prescriber-identifiable data" and data aggregators are challenging the laws in court. Andrew Mirsky is joined by John Verdi, Senior Counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), to break down the recent court cases connected to this issue.

While many laws protect patient information, there are fewer protections for physicians, particularly when it comes to pharmacy records. More states are now passing laws in an attempt to regulate the sale of this "prescriber-identifiable data" and data aggregators are challenging the laws in court. Andrew Mirsky is joined by John Verdi, Senior Counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), to break down the recent court cases connected to this issue.