Medical Blogger Forum Before National Press Club

Yesterday I learned from Kevin Pho, MD, of KevinMD. Com blogging fame that on July 17a gaggle of bloggers will appear before the National Press Club in July 17 to discuss health reform. I know now that medical blogging had come into its own as an effective means of communication. Val Jones, MD, author of the popular blog. “Val Jones and the Voice of Reason,” www.getbetterhealth.com, organized the forum.

Here is Dr. Jones’ announcement of the event.

Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First

Elected Officials Join America’s Top Medical Bloggers to Discuss the Real,
Clinical Impact of Health Care Reform

WHAT: As the health care debate heats up on the Hill, join Representative Paul Ryan as he sits down with top medical bloggers from across the country to discuss health care reform and its impact on practicing clinicians. This keynote discussion will be followed by two panels of physician and nurse bloggers who will highlight the importance of putting patients first. Topics covered will include key barriers to health care quality, affordability, and access as well as the potential pitfalls of a new public plan and ways to fix the current system without investing billions in a new one.

WHEN: Friday, July 17, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: The National Press Club, Broadcast Operations Center 4th Floor, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC

WHO: Keynote: Representative Paul Ryan, (R-WI), House Budget Committee Ranking Membe Moderator: Rea Blakey, Emmy award-winning health reporter and news anchor, previously with ABC, CNN, and now with Discovery Health

Host: Val Jones, M.D., CEO and Founder of Better Health

Policy Expert: Robert Goldberg, Ph.D., co-founder and vice president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI)

Primary Care Panelists:

Kevin Pho, M.D., Internist and author of KevinMD

Rob Lamberts, M.D., Med/Peds specialist and author of Musings of a Distractible Mind

Alan Dappen, M.D., Family Physician and Better Health contributor

Valerie Tinley, N.P., Nurse Practitioner and Better Health contributor

Specialty Care Panelists:

Kim McAllister, R.N., Emergency Medicine nurse and author of Emergiblog

Westby Fisher, M.D., Cardiac Electrophysiologist and author of Dr.Wes

Rich Fogoros, M.D., Cardiologist and author of CovertRationingBlog
And Fixing American Healthcare

Jim Herndon, M.D., past president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Better Health contributor

My Particular Interests

I have a particular interest in this event for three reasons.

One, I have followed Val Jones’ evolution as a power in the blogging word since her brief career as a mover and shaker at the Revolution Health portal and her winning of the Best Medical Blogger of 2007 award. Her shtick has been providing consumers with the best information to attain better health.

Two, I devote a chapter in my book, Obama, Doctors, and Health Reform, called “View of the Nation’s Number One Physician Blogger,” to Kevin Pho. Kevin has been a physician blogger since 2004 and a general; internist in a five person group in Nashua, New Hampshire. He has developed physician blogging into a fine art.
and a commercial success.

Three, I am in the process of making my own blog, www.medinnovationblog,blogspot. com more widely known and influential. After entering my 885th blog since November 2006, the other day I learned more than 7100 other blogs are directed towards me and linked t me. . I’m not sure what this means, but I’m anxious to expand my sphere of influence and to learn what contribution I can make to the worlds of health reform and medical innovation.