Medical savings accounts: opportunities for cost savings?

Interest in medical savings accounts (MSAs) as a potential tool to reduce healthcare costs has been widespread. A small number of countries have either implemented or run pilot programs of MSAs, and vigorous policy debates have taken place in several other countries about the potential merits of introducing MSAs as a method of paying for health care. In this paper we develop a model to assess the cost saving potential of MSAs in a publicly funded healthcare system. We assume that the public healthcare payer may choose between reimbursing healthcare expenditures through an MSA or through a form of third‐party payer insurance. We use the model to identify the conditions under which MSAs may reduce costs. We illustrate using data on healthcare expenditures from Canada.     

Hemodialysis in the United Kingdom

Hemodialysis was a neglected aspect of nephrology in the UK. At the request of the Renal Association, the first UK Haemodialysis Masterclass was organized in 2007. The articles in this supplement arose from that meeting. Here, an overview of UK hemodialysis services and nephrology training is presented as background. Government‐funded dialysis should be provided to all UK citizens who require it. In 2005, there were 17,645 patients receiving hemodialysis, 5057 on peritoneal dialysis and 19,074 with kidney transplants, looked after by 359 nephrologists working in 73 National Health Service renal units. Renal replacement therapy incidence and prevalence remain comparatively low, at 108 and 694 per million population, respectively. Whether this represents inadequate provision or genuinely lower need remains unclear. The Renal Association sets clinical practice guidelines for dialysis, and audits performance via the UK Renal Registry. Postgraduate medical education is undergoing radical change in the UK. This is driven by the reduction in trainee doctors' working hours to 48 hr/week (mandated by the European Working Time Directive), and the governments' wish to reduce the duration of training, but also by a desire to formalize training, Our challenge is to continue to produce talented clinical nephrologists educated in breadth and depth, despite the reduced emphasis on clinical experience and omission of period of scientific research. The future for hemodialysis services in the UK is, however, promising with an expansion in the number of specialists and dialysis centers, and a growing interest in dialysis practice and research.     

The Subjective and Reinforcing Effects of Visual and Olfactory Stimuli in Alcohol Drinking.

Nonpharmacological cues associated with drug intake may influence subjective and reinforcing effects of those drugs. Social drinkers (N = 80) participated in 2 sessions in which they rated and then consumed ad lib their preferred beer (with participants blind to brand). Visual and olfactory stimuli were obscured during 1 session (blocked) and not obscured during the other (unblocked). Dependent measures included ratings of "liking", "want another", and "desire to drink"; subjective mood; and ad lib beer consumption (reinforcement). Most ratings and ad lib consumption were lower during the blocked versus the unblocked condition. There were no interactions of blockade condition with sex and no effect of blockade on mood. These findings show that nonpharmacological stimuli associated with alcohol consumption influence alcohol's subjective and reinforcing effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formal verification of collaboration patterns in healthcare

We propose a computer-based framework for the formal verification of collaboration patterns in healthcare teams. In this, the patterns are constructed diagrammatically as compositions of keystones that are viewed as abstract processes. The approach provides mechanisms for ensuring that safety properties are enforced and exceptional events are handled systematically. Additionally, a fully verified, executable model is obtained as an end product, enabling a simulation of its associated collaboration scenarios.     

塑料啤酒瓶开发现状

介绍了塑料啤酒瓶的优点,详细介绍了各种以PET为基础的改性啤酒瓶材料,并列举了大量的开发实例。     

啤酒发酵过程理化指标变化规律研究

研究啤酒发酵过程中酵母数、双乙酰、pH、还原糖、α-氨基氮、酒精度和发酵度的变化规律.结果发现：酵母数量与双乙酰含量在发酵的前三天快速上升,进而急剧下降,后期下降趋缓;还原糖和α-氨基氮在发酵前期被快速消耗,中后期消耗缓慢;pH值发酵初期会有明显下降,随后趋于稳定;酒精度前期上升幅度较大,随后平稳.试验结果表明啤酒发酵过程中主要理化指标的变化是有一定规律的,对啤酒实际生产有指导意义.     

采用T-541涂料防止啤酒罐内壁腐蚀的工艺

本文介绍了采用T-541特种涂料对啤酒罐进行防腐蚀处理的工艺,并介绍了防腐蚀效果。     

一种基于无线传感器网络安全的社区卫生保健监护系统设计

设计并实现了一种基于无线传感器网络带安全机制的社区卫生保健监护系统.为了避免无线网络通信中信息泄漏和受到攻击,在现有传感器网络节点资源受限情况下,采用椭圆曲线密码体制及相关算法,有效地实现了加密系统中复杂的密钥管理功能,通过椭圆曲线加密和数字签名技术有效防止人体生理参数等敏感数据的泄漏,同时提出了一个切实可行的系统架构并加以实现.实验结果表明,系统能抵御网络潜在的无线信号窃听和内部攻击.     

Discrete GWO Optimized Data Aggregation for Reducing Transmission Rate in IoT

The conventional hospital environment is transformed into digital transformation that focuses on patient centric remote approach through advanced technologies. Early diagnosis of many diseases will improve the patient life. The cost of health care systems is reduced due to the use of advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Embedded systems, Deep learning approaches and Optimization and aggregation methods. The data generated through these technologies will demand the bandwidth, data rate, latency of the network. In this proposed work, efficient discrete grey wolf optimization (DGWO) based data aggregation scheme using Elliptic curve Elgamal with Message Authentication code (ECEMAC) has been used to aggregate the parameters generated from the wearable sensor devices of the patient. The nodes that are far away from edge node will forward the data to its neighbor cluster head using DGWO. Aggregation scheme will reduce the number of transmissions over the network. The aggregated data are preprocessed at edge node to remove the noise for better diagnosis. Edge node will reduce the overhead of cloud server. The aggregated data are forward to cloud server for central storage and diagnosis. This proposed smart diagnosis will reduce the transmission cost through aggregation scheme which will reduce the energy of the system. Energy cost for proposed system for 300 nodes is 0.34μJ. Various energy cost of existing approaches such as secure privacy preserving data aggregation scheme (SPPDA), concealed data aggregation scheme for multiple application (CDAMA) and secure aggregation scheme (ASAS) are 1.3 μJ, 0.81 μJ and 0.51 μJ respectively. The optimization approaches and encryption method will ensure the data privacy.     

中国健康服务业发展战略研究

为落实健康中国发展战略,推进中国健康服务业的发展,中国工程院于2015年启动"中国健康服务业发展战略研究"重大咨询项目。课题自启动以来,组织了28位院士和150余位专家,对京上广深等一至三线共12个城市进行了广泛的社会调查。本文在大量社会调查的基础上,从健康服务业的概念、内涵、发展特点入手,深入分析了国内健康服务业的发展现状;以全方位、全覆盖、全过程建立健康服务保障体系为目标,对健康服务业的定位、发展思路,城乡理想模式等进行了深入探讨;并针对健康管理体系建设、养生养老、医养结合、健康保险、社会办医、金融保障等重点问题,提出了为顺应中国健康服务业发展战略顺畅实施的保障措施和相关建议。