SOAP (sōp) n.
A cleansing agent, manufactured in bars, granules, flakes, or liquid form, made from a mixture of the sodium salts of various fatty acids of natural oils and fats.
A process of medical evaluation and management which involves subjective, objective, assessment, and plan components.
Slang. Money, especially that which is used for bribery.
I [...]
Generation (jĕn‘ə-rā‘shən) n.
A group of individuals born and living about the same time.
A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes.
A stage or period of sequential technological development and innovation.
* This is a reposting of the article I wrote for the May 2008 issue of MDNG and is [...]
Personalized Medicine (pûr’sə-nə-līz d mĕd’ĭ-sĭn)
The type of sing molecular analysis to achieve optimum medical outcomes in the
management of a patient’s disease or disease predisposition,
Right treatment for the right patient at the right time.
As I have mentioned in several of my posts, I have been working on a couple of health care finance reform initiatives over [...]
Quarterback (kwôr‘tər-băk‘ 
n.
1. The backfield player whose position is behind the line of scrimmage and who usually calls the signals for the plays.
2. To lead or direct the operations of an enterprise.
I have been reading with interest all the recent articles (here, here, here, and here) regarding the decline of primary [...]
Transformation (trăns‘fər-mā’shən) n.
1. The act, instance, or state of being transformed
2. A marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.
I have long been a fan of the Transformers and their catchy tagline, “Transformers, more than meets the eye“. In re-watching the summer blockbuster recently, I was once again amazed at the stunning [...]
Dogfooding (dôg fūd·ĭng) n.
1. Refers to using the software that one creates in the beta test stages and especially thereafter.2. The expression comes from early TV commercials when the dog refused to eat the food3. Conscientious effort to use the product you are promotingThe viral spread of the ideas and concepts of Health 2.0 [...]
FICO Score (fĭk‘o skôr) n.
1. Financial instrument used to assess the risk of credit applicants2. A risk-based score system used to determine the probability of a borrowers risk of default
I have been talking quite a bit about the convergence of health and wealth in recent months. I am continually reminded of how much [...]
(snāk oil) n.
1. A worthless preparation fraudulently peddled as a cure for everything that ails a person.2. A product that has been proven to not live up to the vendor’s marketing hype.3. Speech or writing intended to deceive; humbug.
I am a big fan of Direct to Consumer (DTC) testing*, believing that allowing consumers the [...]
Gaga (gä’gä’ adj.
1. Afflicted with or exhibiting irrationality and mental unsoundness 2. Completely absorbed, infatuated, or excited
OK, it was bound to happen. After more than a year of dithering, whispering, false (advertising) missteps, and hinting, it looks like we are going to get our first glimpse of “Google Health” (will the real Google Health [...]
Jumpstart (jŭmp stärt) v.
Starting an automobile engine that has a weak battery by means of jumper cables to another car
Start or re-start in a vigorous manner
Start something by tapping into another source of power
A recent report by the Wall Street Journal casts some concern over the vitality and validity of the entire consumer driven health [...]
Crossover Healthcare