Of to God's Own Country for a week

Am of the Manjeri near Kozhikode for the Kerala State Annual IDA conference. I am doing a one day precon on the Uniti System on the 26th and a talk on "Treatment Planning The Edentulous Implant Patient" on the 27th morning and then on for a break in the backwaters before returning to work on the 1st.
Time to board. Bye!

Reasons to work

From Seth Godin again



Reasons to work: "

1. For the money


2. To be challenged


3. For the pleasure/calling of doing the work


4. For the impact it makes on the world


5. For the reputation you build in the community


6. To solve interesting problems


7. To be part of a group and to experience the mission


8. To be appreciated

Why do we always focus on the first? Why do we advertise jobs or promotions as being generic on items 2 through 8 and differentiated only by #1?

In fact, unless you're a drug kingpin or a Wall Street trader, my guess is that the other factors are at work every time you think about your work. (PS Happy Birthday Corey.)

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Where do ideas come from?

From on of my favourite bloggers Seth Godin

Where do ideas come from?: "

1. Ideas don't come from watching television


2. Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture


3. Ideas often come while reading a book


4. Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them


5. Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom


6. Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide


7. Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, they do


8. Ideas fear experts, but they adore beginner's mind. A little awareness is a good thing


9. Ideas come in spurts, until you get frightened. Willie Nelson wrote three of his biggest hits in one week


10. Ideas come from trouble


11. Ideas come from our ego, and they do their best when they're generous and selfless


12. Ideas come from nature


13. Sometimes ideas come from fear (usually in movies) but often they come from confidence


14. Useful ideas come from being awake, alert enough to actually notice


15. Though sometimes ideas sneak in when we're asleep and too numb to be afraid


16. Ideas come out of the corner of the eye, or in the shower, when we're not trying


17. Mediocre ideas enjoy copying what happens to be working right this minute


18. Bigger ideas leapfrog the mediocre ones


19. Ideas don't need a passport, and often cross borders (of all kinds) with impunity


20. An idea must come from somewhere, because if it merely stays where it is and doesn't join us here, it's hidden. And hidden ideas don't ship, have no influence, no intersection with the market. They die, alone.

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Technology Can Differentiate

From Larry Emmott's blog
Technology Can Differentiate: "

The American Express article linked below advises professionals and other small business owners to use technology to differentiate yourself from your colleagues. This advice certainly holds true for dentists. It is no longer good enough to be friendly, on time and take insurance. Everybody does that

It would be nice if patients judged us by the quality of the dentistry we deliver. But of course patients have no way to judge the marginal integrity of a restoration or the cleanliness of a root surface. So they judge us on easily observed and possibly superficial factors

Let’s try a thought experiment. You are a well educated middle class adult American. You are looking for a dentist. You know nothing about dentistry except what you see on television or have experienced in the past. You have two dental offices to choose from A and B. Both are convenient and have been recommended by a friend.

Office A sends you an e-mail welcome and allows you to fill out forms online before your appointment.

Office B calls and leaves a reminder message and hands you a clip board when you arrive for your appointment.

Office A takes digital photos and x-rays which the dentist shows you that instant on a large monitor to help you understand your dental condition.

Office B does not take photos and takes film x-rays which the doctor looks at when they show up at the end of the appointment.

Office A prepares a crown and delivers it that same day as you wait.

Office B prepares a crown, takes an impression, places a temporary and has you return in a few weeks to have the crown delivered.

Based on these experiences which office would you believe to be “the best”.

It is possible that Dr. B is a better dentist than Dr. A. It is possible but the patient will never figure it out.

Here is the kicker. Most likely Dr. A is in fact a better dentist. Dentists who take the time to keep up with the latest technology and up to date procedures are almost by definition better dentists.

A final thought. Technology will help differentiate you from the crowd. However it will have no effect if the patients do not see it. So do not be hesitant to tell people about your high tech systems. Of course, don’t do it in a bragging or pushy salesman like manner. No one likes that. However you can tell patients in an enthusiastic and professional manner about how the digital x-rays use less radiation or how the photos help you diagnose more effectively.

If you are looking for ways to differentiate yourself from the competition, consider how you can use technology to stand out. Keep in mind that lawyers, accountants, designers, programmers, marketing gurus and many other professions (like dentists ed.) are NOT unique. They are all relatively basic and it’s hard to tell one company from the next. Your prospective and current customers probably don’t know how YOU are different than your competition.

via 4 Ways Technology Can Create Differentiation in Your Business : Technology :: American Express OPEN Forum.

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Wacom Interactive Pen Displays Demonstrate Increased EMR Efficiency

From John flucke's Blog

Wacom Interactive Pen Displays Demonstrate Increased EMR Efficiency: "

For graphic artists & die hard computer geeks, Wacom has been a company we've know & loved for a long time. The ability to draw on the screen has been a huge plus for many applications. Imagine my joy in finding out that the company is now working on devices to use for 3D and other types of medical imaging. With my Gendex GXCB-500 dental cone beam unit, I can see structures & situations better than ever before. Add to that the concept of virtual treatment planning, and you can easily see why I'm excited about Wacom being in the imaging part of my profession.

Here is the press release with all the details:

ntuitive Pen-on-screen Workflow Improves Patient-staff Interaction and Enhances Digital Information Sharing, Organization and Accuracy; Demonstrations Available at Booth 7704

An increasing number of medical facilities are looking to adopt paperless workflows to create more efficient information management processes, and many are turning to Wacom to further their ability to interact with data more effectively. Offering a direct and fully digital pen-on-screen workflow, Wacom interactive pen displays help make the capture of electronic medical records (EMR) simple and fast for both healthcare professionals and patients. At RSNA 2010, being held Nov. 28 - Dec. 3 at Chicago's McCormick Place, Wacom will showcase interactive pen capabilities in booth #7704 (North Building-Hall B).

'Designed to accommodate healthcare professionals requiring advanced digital documentation capabilities, Wacom offers a highly intuitive, quick and natural way for patients to review and sign forms,' says Alan Orth, business development manager, Healthcare for Wacom Technology. 'In turn, medical facilities greatly improve staff-patient relations with the pen displays' ease of use and create a streamlined paperless, cost-effective workflow.'

Delivering a completely digital solution to administrative tasks from reviewing patient admission documents to signing legally binding insurance and consent forms, a Wacom interactive pen display is an innovative multi-tasking device. It opens the door to improved efficiency within the medical community.

'The Wacom pen display is a critical tool in helping to reduce processing time, paper usage and costs, as well as greatly improving patient recordkeeping and accessibility,' confirms Cathy Fuhrman, manager of Sharp HealthCare's Document Imaging Group. 'In addition, staff and patients enjoy the ease-of-use, freedom and control the pen delivers to the overall experience.'

For additional information about Wacom interactive pen display technology, Wacom's industry partners and events at RSNA, please visit http://www.wacom.com/industries/medical.php.

About Wacom Founded in 1983, Wacom's vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world's leading manufacturer of digital human interface solutions. Wacom revolutionized the nature of digital input when it introduced its family of interactive pen displays, allowing users to work with a pressure-sensitive pen directly on screen. Today, thousands of medical professionals count on Wacom interactive pen displays to deliver superior control and productivity to their workflow. For more information, visit www.wacom.com.

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Dental Council - CDE Norms

CIRCULAR - Powered by Google Docs

The latest CDE norms from the Dental Council. FYI.

Propoxyphene: Withdrawal-Risk of Cardiac Toxicity

Propoxyphene: Withdrawal-Risk of Cardiac Toxicity: "

Here is an announcement that came from the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness. The group does a great job of monitoring and notifying of device problems/recalls as well as medicine recalls like this one. For more info about them, visit their website.

Propoxyphene: Withdrawal - Risk of Cardiac Toxicity
Sold as Darvon, Darvocet, and generics

ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals has agreed to withdraw propoxyphene, an opioid pain reliever used to treat mild to moderate pain, from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to new data showing that the drug can cause serious toxicity to the heart, even when used at therapeutic doses. FDA concluded that the safety risks of propoxyphene outweigh its benefits for pain relief at recommended doses. FDA requested that the generic manufacturers of propoxyphene-containing products remove their products as well.

BACKGROUND: FDA’s recommendation is based on all available data including data from a new study that evaluated the effects that increasing doses of propoxyphene have on the heart (see Data Summary in Drug Safety Communication). The results of the new study showed that when propoxyphene was taken at therapeutic doses, there were significant changes to the electrical activity of the heart: prolonged PR interval, widened QRS complex and prolonged QT interval. These changes can increase the risk for serious abnormal heart rhythms.

RECOMMENDATION: FDA recommends that healthcare professionals stop prescribing and dispensing propoxyphene-containing products to patients, contact patients currently taking propoxyphene-containing products and ask them to discontinue the drug, inform patients of the risks associated with propoxyphene, and discuss alternative pain management strategies. Patients were advised to dispose of unused propoxyphene in household trash by following the recommendations outlined in the Federal Drug Disposal Guidelines.

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