Medical News Website

MedPageToday.com is a website that contains medical related news. News that your patients read are now available for medical practitioners on-line. These news are also available for PDA owners (Palm OS or PPC) through ePocrates DocAlert feature. Articles are specialty separated or there is more for general medicine.

Palminfocenter - DELAYED!

Recently, Palminfocenter has been late in delivering news. In a week's time, they've just churned out around 2-3 articles average. Is their something wrong with the editors? The writers? 'Coz definitely there are lots of news out there worth posting.

palmSource is Dumping Hotsync for SyncML

For all time now, ever since there was a Palm, when we hear Hotsync, we associate it with Palm. Now, after the 3GSM World congress, palmSource has announced that they are "dumping" the Hotsync technology for SyncML. Just in case you still don't know what SyncML is, well, if you own a mobile phone that can synchronize with your PC, chances are it uses SyncML technology to sync your phone's data to the computer. With this change, it will allow for much broader support of many backend and corporate deployed mobile server systems. It also allows for users to access over the air (OTA) synchronization servers already in place.



SyncML aims is to deliver an open, industry-wide specification for the universal synchronization of remote data and personal information across multiple networks, platforms, and devices. PalmSource was a founding member of the SyncML Initiative, an open standards group that drives data mobility.

"Read All About It"

What to read news from all over the world but doesn't know where to start. Goodnews for you, go to Google News, a new feature from Google Labs. It searches the web of news content and delivers it to you wherever you want it. One nice thing about it is, it tells you how long that news article has been posted. So you know if you're getting the fresh ones. Have a Nice Day!

FREE Cancer Diagnosis Program for the Palm OS & Windows Mobile

I'm BACK! As promised before, I'm going to mix medicine with technology and here's another shot at it. From the American Cancer Society is a FREE software application that makes it easy for health practitioners to diagnose cancers/malignancies at the tip of their stylus. The ACS C-Tolls 2.0 is "a timesaving PDA tool that will provide you with instant access to the most recent cancer information, and it’s available free of charge to anyone in the health care field". Click here to download the app. ENJOY!

IMPORTANT: Malpractice Issue: A Tough Fight Ahead

This is the Article By Dr. Willie T. Ong

Get ready for war.

On the red corner, insurance groups and legislators have made a head start in pushing for several malpractice bills in the Senate. A reliable source has confirmed the hiring of a top lobby group to have these bills approved as soon as possible.

On the blue corner, the Philippine Medical Association, led by its president Dr. Bu Castro, has initiated the “Total Recall” project, which asks for the withdrawal of all these bills. The PMA has met with its component associations in charting the battle plan.

If you expect an even fight, think again. The multi-million funding of the insurance groups crushes the cash-strapped medical profession in the first round. Estimates show that the insurance groups stand to gain three billion pesos every year. This is from the 60,000 practicing doctors who will have to pay Php 50,000 yearly for malpractice insurance. Thus, it will not come as a surprise if they invest millions in lobby money to pass these bills.

For those unaware, not one but five malpractice-related bills are pending in the Senate. Any one of which could spell doom for doctors and healthcare alike. Senator Serge Osmena’s Senate Bill (SB)1720 is self-explanatory: “An Act to protect against medical malpractice, punishing the malpractice of any medical practitioner and requiring them to secure malpractice insurance.” Other controversial bills are Senator Osmena’s SB-337, Senator Manuel Villar’s SB-588 and SB-743, and Senator Juan Flavier’s SB-03.

The odds are stacked up against the doctors as prominent media personalities continue with their anti-doctor campaign. And for the defense, can the Philippine Medical Association put up a decent fight?

Dr. Bu Castro: The Right Person At The Right Time
Dr. Bu Castro, incumbent president of the PMA, has accepted this difficult and uphill battle. As head the “Total Recall” project, he is the medical profession’s last line of defense against the malpractice bill and other related bills.

When his presidency ends in May 2005, Dr. Castro has chosen not to go for a re-election, but instead focus all his energies to saving the medical profession. “I am gearing for a long and difficult battle. I do hope other doctors and health workers will rally to our cause.”

As both doctor and lawyer, he is uniquely capable of handling the case. The young and idealistic president may still find the answer to the crisis in the profession.

With the able support of Dr. Jose Sabili, the amiable and energetic vice-president of the PMA, Dr. Castro has mapped out several plans. “For one, we have our version of the Patients Rights’ Bill.” Other strategies are still in the works.

Still, the doctors’ problems are the lack of funds and the heterogenous groups of doctors, sometimes with differing opinions and outlooks. “We need to gain the support of all doctors, nurses and health workers, for us to stand a chance against these big companies.”

Implications of Malpractice Bills To The Patient
According to the PMA president, the ill effects of malpractice bills are already well documented. “First, the cost of healthcare will rise dramatically as doctors practice ‘defensive medicine.’ More and more expensive laboratory test will be requested not for patient’s benefit but to protect the doctor from lawsuits.

“Second, surgeons will refuse to operate on high-risk cases. No one will operate on serious but potentially curable cases for fear of lawsuits.

“Third, all doctors will be forced to obtain malpractice insurance. This will force many doctors to find another profession or leave for abroad. Eighty-nine percent of doctors cannot afford malpractice insurance.

“Fourth, there will be less and less medical missions, because doctors can be sued for treating charity cases.

“In short, these Malpractice Bills are anti-poor and anti-patient. The poor can no longer get free health care from medical and surgical missions all over the country. As more and more doctors leave the country or retire early, our health care system will collapse. Thousands of poor people will die.”

Dr. Bu Castro has many plans, all of which sound good but without adequate money and other doctor’s support, it may be impossible to accomplish. If for nothing else, the malpractice issue should awaken slumbering doctors from their apathy and rally around their cause.

Sony Ericsson K600i

Oh what a pretty site. Another blockbuster from Sony Ericsson, the K600i. Just take a look and stare at it for a minute. Isn't it lovely?! It's a 3G phone, with two (2) cameras. One is for Video Conferencing, but then again, looks like Sony Ericsson is at it again and chose not to include a Memory Card slot but instead heaped up the internal Memory.  

GSPDA Xplore M28

At last the Group Sense Xplore M28 is out, and looks more of a phone than a PDA. Heck, it resembles more a Sony Ericsson design than any other. Now, this is a true Treo 650 competitor, the feature-set is at par with palmOne's smartphone. Now, if only Group Sense has the sense to price this onle a tad lower than the Treo 650. Their previous hadsets flopped, primarily because the features were a bit old and pricier than the newer competitors with better features. 

Samsung D720

After Panasonic, Samsung jumped into the bandwagon and released this Series 60 smartphone. Looks familiar again? Well, it's most basically a Nokia 7610 but with a more lean and futuristic design. Beat you heart out Nokia! Now check out the keypads...The Motorola RAZR! 

Familiar?

This is the new LG phone presented at the 3GSM Congress, looks familiar? Hehehe just remove that keypad and replace it with a touch screen and you've got yourself a Nintendo Gameboy DS. 

The Motorola SLVR V8

I wonder why they called it the SLVR V8, it's not silver! Perhaps, just like the RAZR, they'll be coming out with a Silver version. Pretty impressive feature set, just like the RAZR only it's not a flip-phone. Still, the only thing that's preventing me from getting it is the UI. It's still not as friendly as Nokias & as geeky as the Sony Ericssons. 

The BLACK Edition RAZR

You know I think I like the silver better. Though I might change my mind if I get to see this thing in person. The thing that I'm worried is the black paint/finish. What if this is just like the palmOne's Zire72's paintjob. Just a few bumps and the real thing will show. let's wait and see. 

Push-To-Talk

So, what's up with all these handset makers (e.g. Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola) bragging about Push-To-Talk technology in their handsets when consumers CANNOT use these features anyway. It's just like the Wireless Village initiative. Not everyone knows about it, yeah I know about this thing and so as a handful of my techie friends, but the important thing is, the mass market knows about these features. Yeah, it's exciting to know that these features exist, and they exist in todays market, but without the networks supporting them, these features are of no use to anyone. Good thing for Wireless Village, a company called Yamigo opened servers for Wireless Village capable phone owners to use. The funny thing is, not everyone knows about it. Ideally, it will be a lot advantageous for the subscribers to use these services since it'll be cheaper than the usual airtime charges. But then again, maybe this is the same reason the networks are not pushing for it hehehe. To cap this, let me tell you, check your phone's manual, if it says it's capable of the said features, then USE IT!

Firefox is Blazing Hot

I've been using Firefox for sometime now, and has ignored how big it has begun 'til now. While browsing thru Yahoo!, I saw that they are now offering for download a beta version of Yahoo! Toolbar for Firefox. I guess Microsoft is starting to get the signal huh?!

No Outlook Express Hotmail

A strange thing happened today. After installing Windows SP2 on my sister's VAIO, I configured her Outlook Express to download her Hotmail messages so she could read and reply off-line. Then all of a sudden, a note appeared telling me that Hotmail is NOT anymore "accessible" thru Outlook or Outlook Express, and to continue with the "old" feature, a subscription is needed already. The other funny thing about it is that, the error message brought me to a Windows website which was dated November 2004. And the site did not offer any solution to my problem except for the subscription thing. This confused me very much because I have configured the Outlook Express in my Desktop and a few hours ago, it still was checking for mails from my Hotmail account.

The Sony Ericsson "Clara" K750i

Pictures and sketchy details of the next Sony Ericsson Phone has come out. It's going to be the next in line from the K700i. It will have a 2.0 Megapixel camera and to couple with this feature is a place to store the pictures you've taken, thus a Memory Stick Duo slot.

New Bloogerphotos

I've made a link to my Photoblog (Bloogerphotos) using Blogger since my other photoblog sites are inadequate (that's to my standards) in meeting my requirements. Just click on the LINK at the left side of the monitor. Enjoy!

The PRICE (of the palmOne Treo 650)

P39,900.00 according the the palmOne website for the unlocked version while the local telcos has not officially announced their price yet. Although according to a very reliable source, the Treo 650 has been in our midst for some time now, it's been with the telcos for testing with their network.

Well, I'm not here to talk about the Treo 650, since we all already know how great a smartphone it is. It's about the price. Not to gripe or anything, it's just that, when I compared the price to the SE P9x0, the Treo 650 is almost P10T cheaper. Well, IMHO, the Treo 650 is waaaay ahead of the Symbian UIQ P9x0 in terms of features and capabilities, yet the P9x0 is much more expensive.

So, I'm thinking, if a buyer would really weigh his/her options, for a better buck for the money, I'd go for the Treo 650. The camera, the colors, the screen, the connectivity, etc. I can go on and on and still go down to my original conclusion.