Medical Education Firm Launches Online Tool to Help Docs Guide Personalized Rx Decisions in NSCLC
Posted: September 12, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Clinical Care Options, a developer of continuing education and medical decision support resources, has launched a web-based tool to help oncologists figure out which lung cancer patients may benefit from molecularly guided personalized treatments.
The online decision-support tool provides oncologists with expert recommendations on first-line and maintenance treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer patients based on their patients' medical information and tumor features, including oncogenic markers.
Clinical Care Options developed the online tool based on the treatment choices made by five US experts who were presented 96 cases with specific variables regarding patients' medical history, such as tumor histology, genomic mutations, age, and smoking history.
In order to use the tool, oncologists select their patients' medical information and desires and select their treatment of choice. The tool then displays how the five experts would treat this patient. The program then surveys users about how the expert recommendations impacted their treatment decisions.
The firm presented the results of this survey in a poster at the Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology this week. The tool has been used by approximately 1,000 physicians around the world, according to Jim Mortimer, senior director of oncology programs and partnership development at Clinical Care Options. Overall, approximately 23 percent of clinicians who used the tool have said it helped change their decisions, while 50 percent indicated the tool helped confirm their initial treatment strategy.
Specifically, with regard to genomically guided personalized NSCLC treatments, all five of the experts selected Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) whenever a patient case involved the ALK fusion gene. However, out of 80 cases entered by oncologists involving this marker, only around 40 percent selected Xalkori. And although in NSCLC cases with mutated EGFR the experts selected Genentech's Tarceva (erlotinib), only 60 percent of the 100 such cases entered by clinicians into the tool chose the drug.
The data collected by Clinical Care Options suggest that its decision-support tool may be a useful resource when oncologists want to assess how their peers would prescribe a genomically targeted personalized treatment. These drugs, compared to standard treatments, are relatively new to the market and expensive. Pfizer's Xalkori was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last year while Genentech is in the process of getting approval for Tarceva in the US as a first-line treatment for NSCLC patients who have EGFR mutations. Last year, the European Commission approved the use of Tarceva as a first-line treatment for NSCLC in patients with EGFR mutations (PGx Reporter 9/7/2011).
Clinical Care Options said launched the online tool because it noticed that physicians often look for advice beyond broad treatment guidelines when it comes to making decisions for specific patients.
"The tool recommendations align very well with the treatment guidelines but the advantage of the tool is the granularity of the case specifics. Users of the tool can quickly enter in details of a case and see the results for what five experts would recommend," Mortimer told PGx Reporter. "This contrasts with guidelines that apply to broad groups and provide lists of suitable treatments."
Mortimer noted that some of the experts' recommendations included in the tool are outside of the exact indication of a particular drug. However, because the experts' treatment decisions were evidence based, they "did not indicate any issues with reimbursement."
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Medical Education Firm Launches Online Tool to Help Docs Guide Personalized Rx Decisions in NSCLC
Google Unveils Open Source Online Education Software
Posted: at 8:15 pm
Online education startups such as the Khan Academy, as well as new efforts by MIT, Stanford, and Harvard have helped spur interest and add legitimacy to the notion of remote learning. Now Google is lending its brainpower to the rapidly growing space by releasing a tool called Course Builder, open source software that is designed to let anyone create online education courses.
The Course Builder project came by way of another program Google ran earlier this year called Power Searching With Google. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which attracted about 155,000 students from 196 countries, allowed Google to marry some of the practices now common to online instruction with the company's robust array of collaboration and communication tools. A new Power Searching session begins in two weeks.
According to the introductory video (below) presented by Peter Norvig, director of Google Research, usage of the software won't require high-level programming skill, and should be accessible to anyone with the ability to build and maintain their own website.
"The Course Builder open source project is an experimental early step for us in the world of online education," Norvig said. "It is a snapshot of an approach we found useful and an indication of our future direction. We hope to continue development along these lines, but we wanted to make this limited code base available now, to see what early adopters will do with it, and to explore the future of learning technology."
In addition to offering a new platform for empowering educators, the effort is also a unique opportunity to connect with Google's research team. Over the course of the next two weeks Google plans to directly interact with Course Builder users via Google Hangouts. The Course Builder support site is already live and the free software download has already received its first update. For those unsure about their level of skill as it relates to the possible use of the software, Google's Course Builder Checklist offers a reassuring primer on exactly what to expect and how to get started.
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Google Unveils Open Source Online Education Software
Get a life: What is holding you back?
Posted: at 1:13 pm
So apart from wanting to avoid the routine involved, and the indecision of wondering whether the rewards are worth the trouble, many tell me that fear is the other thing that stops them from doing what they need, to achieve what they want.
We could say that inertia (indecision/procrastination) and fear is directly proportional to our greatness. And dont we devote more time to our fears and excuses than to our greatness? You dont need to be a rocket scientist to know that these must be dealt with if you intend to raise your game.
What are our greatest fears? Fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of being found out for who we truly are some fears are really quite irrational, like fear of tight spaces, or crowds. Some fears are deeply haunting, like our fear of not being good enough.
Whatever our excuses are, they are personal; were attached to them because they hold meaning for us. To gain perspective and to overcome it is necessary to detach from them, and to make the effort to observe our situations objectively. In order to step outside of an event and observe it, we need to increase our self-awareness so that we can catch ourselves before we get swept up and obsessed by the drama of whats going on.
For example, if fear of rejection is your thing, what youre really afraid of is being alone. If people want to push your buttons they could leave you out on purpose or threaten you by making you feel different. See how vulnerable youd be? See how easily gettable youd be, your wellbeing in the hands of other people?
When we realise that people are not doing things to us but rather its our own insecurities holding us back, then we can get over ourselves and get a move on.
Our fears prevent us from living our essence. Let me explain. In my natural state, I am relaxed, playful, passionate, elegant, present and engaged. When I feel fear, when I am nervous, anxious, worried, frustrated or angry, suddenly I dont come across as masterful anymore. If at all, my competence could appear contrived, arrogant or forced.
Think of what you want. Whats holding you back from having all that? Is someone tying you down? Dont have the right skills? Not good enough? Cant get along with the right people? Something happened in your past thats keeping you small?
You know you can do anything you want, dont you? As soon as you change your interpretations! As soon as you change the way you think, the way you speak, the way you draw conclusions, and the way you see yourself. As soon as you remove whatever is blocking you from your greatness.
Want to feel reconnected to your strengths to know that all your resources are within reach? Want to feel what its like to know that you cant fail? Well, technically you can ... fail if you give up.
Weekly Health and Fitness Tips! Eat Clean Train Dirty! – Video
Posted: at 1:13 pm
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Weekly Health and Fitness Tips! Eat Clean Train Dirty! - Video
Health and Fitness File, Sept. 12
Posted: at 1:12 pm
Kenosha Visiting Nurse Association
For more information, call (262) 656-8400.
FLU SHOTS: The fee is $32 and payable by cash, check or charge. Medicare Part B, WEA and Select Humana Plans accepted. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Kenosha Visiting Nurse Association third floor, 600 52nd St., Kenosha.
IN-HOME FOOT CARE: Provided by a trained CNA, care includes a foot soak, nail trim and lotion application for adults who have difficulty properly caring for their feet. $35 per visit. For an appointment, call (262) 656-8400.
Fountain Hills Apartments
SENIOR EMPOWERMENT INFORMATION FAIR: Featuring more than 30 exhibitors, food, live music and complimentary coffee and kringle. Lunch will be sold. The door prize is a 32-inch flat-screen television. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 19, Fountain Hills Apartments, 1100 Fountain Hills Drive, Mount Pleasant. Free.
Aurora Health Care
GROWING UP IN THE 2000S: This breakfast program is designed for mothers and their daughters who are in grades four to six. A registered nurse will talk about puberty and menstruation. 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 22, Aurora Wellness Center, 300 McCanna Parkway, Burlington. $20.
To register, call (800)499-5736 or go towww.AuroraHealthCare.org.
BloodCenter of Wisconsin
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Health and Fitness File, Sept. 12
Campus Apartments Launches Beachbody® Campus Challenge Nationwide; Makes Healthy Lifestyle Accessible for Employees …
Posted: at 1:12 pm
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Campus Apartments, one of the nations largest privately held providers of student housing, launches Phase II of its inaugural Health and Wellness Challenge and announces a partnership with Beachbody, a market leader in fitness and nutrition with brands including P90X, INSANITY, Brazil Butt Lift, LES MILLS PUMP and Shakeology. The partnership will expand Campus Apartments Health and Wellness Challenge beyond the companys 1,000 employees to include its 32,000 college student residents nationwide.
Phase I started last February, uniting Campus Apartments employees in their weight-loss goals with more than 150 participants shedding a collective total of 511 pounds in 12 weeks. Campus Apartments focus on the health and well-being of its employees was rewarded this year when it achieved a zero percent increase in medical insurance for its 2012-2013 renewal a significant achievement for the company, which had experienced renewal rates of 63 percent two years ago.
Following significant health improvements among its employees in Phase I, Campus Apartments recognized the opportunity to make healthy lifestyles accessible for its residents nationwide. Phase II, launched on September 1, brings the Beachbody Campus Challenge to employees and all Campus Apartments residents nationwide. As a first-time student housing partner, Beachbody provides fitness and nutritional products that work for all types of people; both employees and residents can find fitness regimens that work for their schedule and skill level.
Many of our residents are living away from home for the first time and, as the provider of their home-away-from-home, we felt a responsibility to help them establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, said David Adelman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Campus Apartments. Practicing healthy eating habits and participating in effective exercise programs is not always accessible and convenient when youre a college student, but by extending Phase II of the wellness challenge to include our residents, Im confident we can help form healthy habits today and set them on a path for wellness beyond their college years.
According to a recent survey cited by USA Today, college students who gained weight say they gained an average of 7.5 to 9 pounds their freshman year and an average 10 to 14 pounds total during their college careers. Furthermore, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that approximately 33 percent of Americans aged 20 to 39 are 30 pounds heavier than their recommended weight.
My freshman 15 was more like the freshman 20, said Carl Daikeler, Chief Executive Officer of Beachbody, LLC. I might have avoided that weight gain if I had these kinds of resources available to me and a peer support structure like Campus Apartments is putting together. This campus challenge format is very effective.
The Beachbody Campus Challenge, running until November 17, aims to encourage college student residents to form groups and achieve results through Beachbodys various fitness programs and nutritional supplements. Based on the national Beachbody Challenge platform, students will have access to critical peer support within their group and 94,000 Beachbody Coaches nationwide. The program provides consumers with an all-inclusive, effective, fitness and nutrition solution that rewards and recognizes goal achievement through cash and prizes.
Campus Apartments will host wellness initiatives at its properties in College Station, Texas; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Tucson, Ariz., throughout September and October to highlight Beachbody fitness events and facilitate seasonal vaccinations for employees, residents and members of the local community.
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Campus Apartments Launches Beachbody® Campus Challenge Nationwide; Makes Healthy Lifestyle Accessible for Employees ...
Fidelity issues new retirement savings guidelines
Posted: at 1:12 pm
Fidelity Investments has issued new savings guidelines suggesting that workers save at least eight times their final salary in order to meet basic income needs in retirement.
In the set of age-based targets released Wednesday, Fidelity says employees should have the equivalent of their annual salary in savings by age 35 in order to reach the first benchmark en route to that goal.
To stay on pace, individuals should then plan to have saved twice their salary by 40, four times' salary by 50, five times by 55 and six times by 60.
Under that scenario, then, someone with a $60,000 salary would need to have $240,000 in savings at age 50 to be on track.
Although many will need more, especially at higher pay levels, saving eight times' income by age 67 should provide most workers with roughly 85 percent of their pre-retirement income in retirement, according to Fidelity.
The nation's largest 401(k) administrator is distributing the guidelines as what it calls a rule of thumb to help employees become more active in their retirement planning. Its 12 million accountholders had an average balance of about $73,000 at the end of June.
"We constantly are asked by participants, 'How do I know if I'm on track and what do I set as a target to ensure I will have sufficient income in retirement?'" said Beth McHugh, vice president of thought leadership at Boston-based Fidelity. "The ultimate goal is to get them more engaged and get them to seek guidance -- either directly from one of our representatives or through one of our online tools."
Setting a savings target that's a multiple of income is an increasingly popular concept in financial planning. Its advocates believe it is a simpler and more manageable way of monitoring progress toward retirement security than trying to achieve a certain level of assets.
Most advisers say you'll need to make anywhere from 70 percent to 85 percent of your pre-retirement income to maintain a similar standard of living in retirement, although it can vary widely depending on lifestyle.
Fidelity's 8X savings guideline, which is a lower target than some published scenarios, is based on a worker saving in a 401(k) or other workplace retirement plan from age 25 to 67, then living until 92. The worker would begin by contributing 6 percent of annual salary, then raise the amount 1 percent every year until reaching 12 percent, all the while receiving a 3 percent match from the employer.
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Fidelity issues new retirement savings guidelines
Andrea Coombes' Ways and Means: Retirement savings: How much is enough?
Posted: at 1:12 pm
By Andrea Coombes
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)Are you saving enough for retirement? A new tool from Fidelity Investments aims to give savers a rough guide to let them know whether theyre on trackbut, as with all retirement tools aimed at a broad audience, take the information with a grain of salt.
Fidelitys new guide estimates that workers should save at least eight times their salary by the time they retire at age 67, in order to replace 85% of their pre-retirement income. (To reach that 85% replacement rate, Fidelity adds in expected Social Security benefits.) The guide offers specific age-based savings goals to meet along the way.
For example, Fidelity says that a 35-year-old should be on track to cover her basic retirement expenses if shes saved one years worth of her current salary and she continues to save at a specified rate until she retires at age 67. For a 40-year-old, its two times salary; for a 55-year-old its five times salary.
For people who are unsure about whether theyre saving enoughand plenty of us fit that descriptionthis type of guidepost may be a useful check-in. Fidelity Investments, which unveiled the new tool on Wednesday, manages 401(k) plans for about 12 million participants and said workers are asking for this type of information.
Among workers who call for retirement guidance, The No. 1 question we get from participants when they call is, Am I on track? said Beth McHugh, vice president of thought leadership at Fidelity Investments.
Heres the rub: Any tool or guide that promises to tell you how much you need to save is using assumptions that may or may not fit your situation. You may end up saving too littleor too much. As Fidelity notes in its news release: Every individuals situation will differ greatly. The best advice is to proceed with caution with this tool and with any of the myriad retirement-savings calculators and guides out there.
For example, while Fidelity says that having saved eight times your salary by the time you retire is a good rule of thumb to reach an 85% replacement rate, consulting firm Aon Hewitt says youll need 11 times your salary saved to pay for retirement costs.
According to Aons report, which studied savings behavior of 2.2 million workers at 78 large firms, a 25-year-old worker with solely a 401(k) plan needs to save 15% a year (including the company match) to retire at 65 with adequate resources.
The Aon report adds that people who wait until age 30 to start saving need to set aside 19% of pay (including the match). Aon assumes a company match of 6% and an employee contribution of 9% every year for 40 years, and that men will live to 87 and women to 88.
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Andrea Coombes' Ways and Means: Retirement savings: How much is enough?
How to Cut Costs in Retirement
Posted: at 1:12 pm
Finding success in retirement is a matter of trade-offs. Some pre-retirees will say that they'd like to have every bit as much, if not more, money in retirement as they had while they were working, even if it means they have to work longer or economize more in advance. Ticking off items on their bucket lists is a key goal, and hiking in the Himalayas and playing golf at Pebble Peach don't come cheaply.
Other pre-retirees are comfortable with a different type of trade-off. They, too, would like a good quality of life in retirement, but don't mind economizing a bit in their later years, especially if it means they can be retired longer. They consider time to be the true luxury that accompanies retirement. To get there, they're willing to downsize their homes, hang on to their cars long enough to earn plaudits on the national radio talk show, "Car Talk," and entertain at home rather than enjoying lavish meals out.
Many others will balance the above two styles, economizing on some items but considering other splurges sacrosanct. I've known plenty of retirees who weren't wealthy but still managed to travel to fascinating places and contribute to charitable organizations that mirrored their values. They made room in their budgets for these priorities by saving on other line items.
If you're nearing retirement and you don't have as much saved as you had hoped, working longer, taking Social Security later, and continuing to sock money away are key ways to help bridge the shortfall. But you might also take heart in knowing that your successful retirement will depend on identifying your own trade-offs--areas where you're able to trim costs in exchange for what you really want, which might be the ability to retire sooner.
Here are some of the key ways in which retirees might be able to cut their costs.
Make Changes on the Home FrontMoving is a pain in the neck, but one of the easiest ways to make retirement more affordable is to consider moving to a less-expensive residence, usually someplace smaller. If you own your home, you might be able to reduce your mortgage amount or unlock equity by downsizing to a smaller place; you're also likely to cut your property taxes, maintenance costs, and utility bills. Of course, downsizing carries its own trade-offs; Morningstar.com users discussed them in this Discuss forum thread (http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/forums/p/310170/3289160.aspx#3289160), and I summarized their comments in this article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=565050). Several cited the ability to shed unnecessary objects as one of the key side benefits of downsizing, though many also noted that they didn't plan to downsize because they had never "upsized" in the first place.
In a related vein, some retirees and pre-retirees in the same Discuss forum thread noted that relocating to cheaper geographic locales had helped them dramatically reduce their in-retirement cost loads (and escape brutal Northern winters). Not only do housing costs vary significantly by geography, but so do tax burdens. This handy map (http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-by-state) provides an overview of the tax rates in each state, including the skinny on property, income, and sales taxes. For adventurous pre-retirees who would like to economize, moving to a foreign country with low costs may be an option; this article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=564465) provides an overview of some of the trade-offs that accompany retirement overseas.
Trim Day-to-Day ExpensesMaking changes to your housing situation is one of the biggest-ticket ways to cut your in-retirement costs, but it's also the one that will require the most dramatic lifestyle adjustment. For those who aren't prepared to take that plunge, there are a host of simple ways to reduce expenses on everything from food to utilities to personal care--small changes that will add up over time. This article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=376020) details some of the easiest tweaks you can make to reduce your day-to-day outlay, and users also offered terrific tips of their own in the Comments field below the article.
Slice Travel and Leisure CostsRetirees have something working folks don't have, and they have it in abundance: time. But many retirees will also tell you that having more time gives them more opportunities to bust their budgets by overspending. Online alerts and daily deal sites make it particularly easy to save on everything from meals to vacations to skydiving, but there are old-fangled ways to economize on travel and leisure costs, too. This article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=377819) amalgamates money-saving tips on everything from cultural and sporting events to travel, entertaining, and dining out.
Watch Your Investment and Other Financial Costs Like a HawkThe aforementioned tips all relate to lifestyle changes. But if you want to cut your in-retirement expenses without having to change your living habits one little bit, the easiest way to do so is to reduce how much you're paying your financial institutions. Consumers don't typically write checks for most of these services; instead, their share of expenses is automatically deducted from their balances. That might be convenient, but the end result is that they're usually not particularly sensitive to what they're spending, even though financial-services costs can easily be one of the biggest line items in many retiree households. To boot, higher investment costs are inversely related to investment performance, making mutual funds and exchange-traded funds some of the rare consumer products where paying up doesn't typically buy you a better product. This article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=376989) provides 50 tips for cutting your investment, insurance, and banking costs.
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How to Cut Costs in Retirement
Stats: Kohli records personal best score in T20s
Posted: at 1:12 pm
Statistical highlights of the Twenty20 [ Images ] International between India [ Images ] and New Zealand [ Images ] played in Chennai on Tuesday.
# Virat Kohli's [ Images ] 70 off 41 balls is the highest individual innings by an Indian player against New Zealand in T20s.
# During the course of his innings, he has recorded a strike rate of 170.73 -- the highest in India-New Zealand T20s.
# Kohli's innings is his highest score in T20s, bettering the 68 against Sri Lanka [ Images ] at Pallekele on August 7, 2012.
# Brendon McCullum's [ Images ] excellent 91 off 55 balls is his second highest score in Twenty20 Internationals -- the best ever and the highest is 116 not out off 56 balls against Australia [ Images ] at Christchurch on February 28, 2010.
# McCullum's score is the second highest against India in T20s. Chris Gayle [ Images ] had made 98 at Bridgetown on May 9, 2010.
# McCullum's innings is the highest individual knock in Twenty20 Internationals in India.
# For the first time in T20s, McCullum has received the Player of the series award. He has received his fifth Man of the Match award in T20s.
# McCullum's tally of three Man of the Match awards against India is a record in T20s.
# McCullum is the first batsman to register 10 innings of 50-plus in Twenty20 Internationals -- a hundred and nine fifties. He is also the first player to post three fifties against India in T20s.