angry birds

Grand Rounds Gets Angry (Birds)!

Welcome to the Angry Birds edition of that weekly compendium of medical blogosphere goodness, Grand Rounds! I’ve chosen my addiction du jour, Angry Birds, as the theme for my 7th turn as host.

For those who are not familiar, Angry Birds is a game in which Green Pigs steal Bird eggs, causing the Birds to become angry, start screeching and begin catapulting themselves from sling shots in an attempt to destroy the Pigs, who house themselves in various structures and giggle at the Birds.

Got it?

Okay then! Let’s get started!

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This picture of the Angry Birds characters, is actually a cake! I like it so much, I’m using it to illustrate this week’s “Editor’s Picks”. These are like my “Final Four”!

I was introduced to the John A. Hartford Foundation during my BSN program and as I’ll be working in gerontology during my MSN program, it was a no-brainer that their submission, Now Hear (and See and Use) This: New Geropsychiatric Nursing Video would be one of my Editor’s Picks!

Steve Wilkins gets the Editor’s Pick position this week for his post on One More Reason Patients Ask Doctors So Few Questions. It got me thinking about the differences between physician and nurse communication. See what you think over at Mind the Gap!

Chris Bayne’s teaching experience opened his eyes to what is lacking in medical education. He presents Three Ways To Improve Medical Education: Part 1 over at HokieMD. Tradition has its place, but it’s the 21st century. Great post!!!

At Healthline: Medicine for the Outdoors, Paul writes on Single Lens Distance Vision Glasses and Outdoor Falls. It makes sense. I had problems navigating my uneven backyard in bifocals, let alone hiking in them!

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Poor Helmet Pig seems to have gotten the brunt of the Birds’ attack! He could use some meds, and he’s in the right place – drugs were on the mind of many Rounders this week!

I’m not an OB/GYN, but I’m with Nicholas Fogelson at Academic OB/GYN when he says Boycott Makena! Be sure to read the comments and see what is happening in Oklahoma. Also, read the companion post, Boycott Makena: March of Dimes Responds to K-V Pharmaceuticals.

But….there is more to the story! At InsureBlog, Henry Stern notes the FDA seems to be Picking and Choosing: The Makena Saga Continues. So pharmacies can still compound the drug? Or is the FDA just turning a blind eye if they do? Am I the only one confused?

Tony Chen at FDAzilla has great background information on what goes into drug pricing decisions, and yeah, Makena is the example! Check out K-V Pharmaceuticals and Drug Pricing 101.

Reporting rare, but frightening side effects can overshadow benefits of treatment. Rheumatologist Irwin Lim discusses this issue as it applies to osteoporosis in Finally, Some Good Press! Bisphosphonates & Death posted at BJC Health.

Not all drug news is controversial! Promising news in chemotherapy is noted by Elaine Schattner at Medical Lessons, where she posts When Less Chemo is Just As Good, In Treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

I don’t get why someone would request a brand-name medication, being a generic-requesting person myself, but the ACP Internist has a post showing QD: News Every Day–Brand Name Drug Requests Lead to Less Compliance, More Costs. Maybe they don’t realize it costs more until after they hit Walgreens…

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The Birds may be angry, but they come in plushies and you can’t be angry with a plushy! Plushies are powerful, just like these posts:

The power of rhythms. The Algorhythms of My Mind. From Beth at the Happy Internist.

The power of the love/hate relationship. Friends? From Bongi at Other Things Amanzi.

The power of polite. Always Time Enough For Courtesy From Rita at Supporting Safer Healthcare. Indeed.

The power of love. Mend. From The Examining Room of Doctor Charles.

The power of connecting. The Disney T-Shirt Opportunity. From Bryan at 33 Charts.

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The Birds seem confused by the empty nest. Maybe they need to gather a bit more information (or look behind them). Healthcare politics and legislation confuses me, I admit it. These posts help make it a bit clearer:

Dan Diamond at California Healthline shows us How March Madness Can Help Explain Health Reform. Worked for me! He even includes a “Final Four”!

David Harlow of Healthblawg is all over Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Regulations: First Look. Nice overview!? A member of the Society of Participatory Medicine, David notes: “Participatory Medicine is a cooperative model of health care that encourages and expects active involvement by all connected parties (patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, etc.) as integral to the full continuum of care.” He encourages Grand Rounds readers to take note and become members if not already involved! In a related post at e-patients.net, he looks at Accountable Care Organizations and Patient-Centeredness.

But…there is more to the story! Doug Perednia wonders Are ACOS A Financial Suicide Pact? He notes, “…there is considerable reason to believe that, as designed, ACOs are likely to be money-losing propositions for the great majority of participating healthcare providers.” Posted at The Road to Health…

At Nuts for Healthcare, Jeffrey Seguritan comments on “Guidelines” for Salvaging Medical Malpractice Reform noting, “Ideally, these guidelines should be developed within a system of accountability that draws on consensus in the medical community and weeds out conflicts of interest.”