Everywhere you turn today you are slammed with analytics and not all of it is correct or related properly. If you read here often enough, this old data base person might offer a few words of wisdom in this area since I
used to write the stuff and work with doctors on software creation. The crap you hear is the news is just that when it comes to expectations sometimes. Also keep in mind this is only one element of the re-admissions puzzle, so we don’t know what happened in the other areas. It is also important to note that patient demographics play a role here as well with taking into consideration not only the level of education of the patients but also poverty levels as that makes a difference. I read this article and it’s a nice focus for a change as it was focused on the positive moves they made.
The hospital also had some nice grant money from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation who are constant philanthropists since Betty Moore a few years ago almost died due to a medical error with getting insulin shots she didn’t need as she’s not a diabetic. Sure they used some analytics but used them wisely but after that portion was initiated the human side came in to play with educating patients better on their conditions. Communication with email and phone calls, etc. was a big thing here and with the 2 nurse coordinators all could see at any time where the progress was.
People get sucked in to Algo Duping and former HHS secretary Leavitt appears to have had that happen as well as you have this $3 million dollar carrot going on looking for that magical “flipping algorithm” as 
a solve all problems. Don’t worry, he’s not alone as our current HHS Secretary gets drug in there too with that silly Facebook contest earlier this year and it happens when you have people in executive positions today that don’t know any different and have no IT or computer science background, they are like everyone else getting Algo Duped and then you have the media that builds all of this up like the next best thing to sliced bread and it’s hard.
So What’s Going on Over at the Heritage Health Prize Competition to Predict Who Ends Up Being Re-Admitted to the Hospital–A Lot of Mathematical Algorithms For One…
Here’s a screenshot of the $3 million dollar race for the algorithm…hmmmm..we have players over here…not developers per se as it looks you think? 
So how in the world do you expect people who hate math and fear it to make these types of decisions? You can’t and that's part of what’s going on. I said in a couple other posts this is why Wall Street wins all the time as they have no fear and I think anyone can attest to that. So, on this subject we actually have a PLOS One study that defines this. Yes you might want to
take it a little tongue and cheek but damn the MRI images and the extensive research they wrote seems to have a lot going for it as I do when I mention a little math watch all run away in groves. It is what it is. You know what though a little admittance here, I feel a lot of pain too when faced with some very complex coding but I don’t fear it:) This study stated the the neural regions of the brain got active when a math problem was introduced.
“Algo Duping” – PLOS One Journal Publication Explains Why The Fear of Math Plays a Big Role As One Underlying Reason We All Get Duped And Those Who Don’t Fear Math Take All the Money, Gradually, Using “Mathematical Formulas & Algorithms”
“This journal report was just an absolute “gift” of an explanation for me to include and look at the GOP these days with their interpretations…the 50 shades of rape and I guess when thinking math and experiencing pain for some reason or another and this is especially dangerous when creating laws or when campaigning, they go to something they can think about controlling and from what you have seen on the news and ridiculous statements made, I’m guessing “math” and this substantiated fear really had them running for the hills.”
Do you think I’m tired of the abuse and misuse of math by design or by accident? You’re right and nobody else has enough common
sense to ask questions sometimes…hmmmm…let’s see that formula has square root in it and few other important looking items…well gee it must be right”…wrong:) This is a good place again for the “Charlie” video, “it’s all about context” so keep that in mind because some of the stuff out there is nowhere near the proper context and some code is written just to make and move money. He tells you too in the first few minutes that Algo Duping (my word there) is so successful too as people don’t like math.
By the way he just sued and won a case to get “public” information from the NIH too, so a nice thumbs up there. Listen to him address the algorithm for the perfect butt:) How much nonsense have you soaked in with being Algo Duped. For those of you into anatomy, the perfect butt algo becoming national news will have you rolling on your side.
Now back on track, this worked for the UCSF hospital so why don’t we give some grants to other hospitals to see if we can make this work elsewhere to deal with that crazy readmission penalty algorithm that sucked in the government as a magical formula. Instead we are taking the money from the hospitals when they need it, does this make sense? Again there is not magical algorithm fairy out there. We get smarter with information but we also need to know how to use and apply the data.
Quantitative analytics are not always the complete answer. If you want to know more on that topic and how you get duped in other places, just watch the other videos in the left hand column of this blog or use this link to see all of them at Algo Duping 101. I have more articles relating to this topic and you can search and find them by keywords and please don’t be afraid of asking questions…and let that math give you physical pain if you can help it:) Here’s one more study to where a scientist wrote about how to figure out if in clinical and other medical studies if the authors “fiddled” with the P Values and if you watch the video above, Charlie explains enough of this in layman’s terms so you know what it is. We won’t be fooled again!
PLOS One Abstract–Methodology for Detecting Manipulation of “P Values” To Show Significant Statistical Value, “Inappropriate Fiddling” Which Can Lead to “Algo Duping” Situations And Numbers
So let’s be smarter about all of this and use the data we get in context and not look for that magical one stop shop algorithm because it’s not there and we certainly don’t want to grow to the extent that was demonstrated in Italy with the citizens convicting their scientists of manslaughter for not properly warning and predicting an earthquake as as that is Algo Duping deluxe if you will. I live in southern California and we have a lot of smart people here and believe me if that were the case someone long ago would have convicted Cal Tech scientists of manslaughter and wanted a lot of money for goodness sakes.
Digital Illiteracy and Algo Duping Alive and Well in Italy With Scientists Convicted of Manslaughter for Failure to Predict and Warn of An Earthquake…
I cite this incident in Italy as it is the absolute proof that people 
are being Algo Duped and sucked in to analytics and formulas that don’t fit the occasion or those that are designed to take your money. You don’t see it as they run on servers 24/7 and it’s the silent battle, but as mentioned above government gets sucked in as well and the construction of this re-admission set of algorithms and parameters doesn’t fit very well and it written to penalize instead of helping. Furthermore with people in executive or secretary positions without one stick of IT or computer science knowledge roaming around the US this further puts us as risk as they get duped, that is my risk assessment for the US right now and I think it’s a good one, it certainly is true. BD
According to McCarthy, the program consists of two heart failure program nurse coordinators, supported by a multidisciplinary team comprising a cardiovascular service line director, hospitalists, cardiologists, clinical nurse specialists, case managers, social workers, pharmacists, dieticians, chaplains, educators, primary care physicians, skilled nursing facility staff, home care nurses and outpatient nurse practitioners.
“Not every hospital can hire coordinators but are there lower cost ways to create this approach? Communicating with post acute care providers is important. It’s something that everyone needs to work together on to focus on the entire care episode,” he said. “It improves quality of life for patients and saves money.”
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/ucsf-medical-center-program-slashes-heart-failure-readmissions
noted that California who is always in the news on this topic will see just under $60 million in revenue. With those who use medical marijuana there’s usually not even so much as a concern about the tax and are happy to pay. We have heard that many times over in California. New Jersey can certainly use the revenue after Sandy. BD 
certain diseases and chronic conditions. Seaside will support managed care Medi-Cal members. It will be maintained as a subsidiary of MemorialCare. Universal Care will continue with it’s line of business that was not purchased by MemorialCare. This is one way to keep some of the HMO business from insurance company ownership, which has been big in the OC. Last year United bought the doctors group, Memorial IPA and most of the physician members there work at Memorial hospitals. 
and Nephew received FDA approval which is a small device used either at home or at the hospital for therapy to help wounds heal. Just a couple weeks ago the company said they were looking for new acquisitions in the wound care business. Their knee and hip business is down a little and they have and distribute what has been called the 30 year knee. 
many of the initiatives we wanted to pursue and will provide development and promotional opportunities to our employees that would not have been available to them had we stayed an independent company.”
economy was better. Any business in the US making tangibles is having a hard time as Wall Street way over inflated the value of software algorithms, social algorithms you name it and the tangible side can’t keep up. You can blame Wall Street for their greed once more, but back on track this tax should be reversed and we don’t have enough folks in executive positions with enough computer science or even a tiny bit of IT experience. Big thumbs up though for Illinois who elected a physicist and I have great hope for him in helping bring some of the digital illiterates we elect up to speed as that’s about our only hope. 
need to get on board and granted the media continues their somewhat strange reporting at times but those journalists have goals to reach as far as readers and they know sex, drama queen antics, and OMG get readers so that’s what we get and frankly if I were in their position with a boss wanting numbers, what do you do, you play the game or don’t have a job, so no personal attacks there at all. Actually it’s kind of good that they do that as they get the basic news out and then folks like me and others can dissect it and give you another view which is what I try to do with honesty. 
science at the NIH, help the FDA and what ever else you might want to toss in there as the profits are huge when you bring in banks, companies you name it. You can read more about how it would help the NIH and FDA here. When you think of Walgreens in 2010 making short of $800 million, how big is that pot…HUGE! All business relies on it today and I think about this every time as a consumer when I have to pay an excise tax on a tire I need for my car to keep the highway infrastructure up. What pays for the government IT infrastructure? Nobody…and business benefits more than anyone else from it. 
selling data. In addition state governments who do license some of these mining bots are now having a new expense with it, software to limit the bots so you and I as consumers can still get access. A while back North Carolina tossed out Core Logic due to this and the fact that they were not updating and paying timely for updated information. Have you as a “consumer data chaser” had the experience of getting corrected information fixed and then wait and wait and wait until it gets updated? This is part of the reason. Here’s another back link of mine on the topic. 
and I hope we get a replacement in there soon with a tiny bit of computer science or IT in their background. Back when Sebelius was nominate I about got chastised when I suggested someone else and this is not personal but when you have written data you can visualize how this is going to play out and at that time I said Health IT was going to run her over and it’s about there with the way technology has evolved. Three years ago I said this below, meaning check the math, the formulas and lets clean things up. 
produce and that’s another bunch who makes billions selling our data, tax them. Sure some device companies may sell data but they would be in there with everyone else and it would not be such a big chunk to absorb as the banks and the social networks I would guess would have most taxes to pay. License them so fines can be given out for selling without a license. Require all to update a federal website where they disclose what kind of data they sell and to who. We all talk about transparency so this would be part of the deal, a win for consumers too. 
and do it over seas and why not if you can hire a few technologist to mine and sell data and move your job over seas. I’m not saying all have done this but some have and the US gets no no jobs. If they had to pay a tax on some of this that is stiff enough it could be just enough to where buildings plants and hiring employees looks good again. They didn’t create this issue but our government just sat back and let it grow as so many are digital illiterate to the changing world of technology. I hear the same thing from folks in the markets too that they are appalled at what the government allows to occur but they do things they think are morally wrong because the government allows it. 
facilities over the next five years. This was also one of my Attack of the Killer Algorithm stories, which is a year long grouping of how algorithms and formulas attack you in real life and the reality of all the flawed data arising out there as companies and banks combine credible data with non credible data to make a buck. Now I like data and what it does but I can also see when it gets stupid and formulas created only for money…more on that later.. 
alternatives and folks just won’t open their eyes. Now one more video and this video under several other posts I have done has been going like gangbusters. It’s on this page too on the left hand side so watch and learn. This is where the trouble begins with greed and fiction with math, codes and formulas. It doesn’t get any better than this when the folks aka quants tell you about their work and the fiction they are paid to write and they too tell you that if we let this continue it’s our own fault. We need to use some logic and drop the OMG and drama queen crap and take a look at the reality here. I just checked the views on this and the maker should be happy here as a couple months ago it only it had 3000 views and now its up over 400,000. I don’t see anyone else pitching it so a good thing as folks are getting educated.
“Algo Duping”. Place the tax elsewhere on those who are benefiting from data so we can regain some balance and not lose more jobs. Again after watching the video you may have a lot better idea as to how are arrived at where we are and that the need for key executives with some computer science and IT experience is mandatory or we go further down this road to recession and the dirty code and models for profit win and get more our money, leave the device people alone and look at other choices. 
