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Physician Practice Advisor

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Physician Practice Advisor

Issue 52, December 29, 2004

• AHRQ shares seatbelt-use stats

  AHRQ shares seatbelt-use stats

• HHS to offer tobacco cessation to Medicare patients

  HHS to offer tobacco cessation to Medicare patients

Issue 51, December 21, 2004

• Study: Ending racial disparities could save more lives than technology

  Study: Ending racial disparities could save more lives than technology

• AMA finds "alcopops" attract underage girls to drinking

  AMA finds "alcopops" attract underage girls to drinking

Issue 50, December 14, 2004

• AHRQ helps smokers kick the habit

  AHRQ helps smokers kick the habit

• Survey: Physicians feel pressured by business matters

  Survey: Physicians feel pressured by business matters

Issue 49, December 13, 2004

• Survey screens for asthma among preschoolers

  Survey screens for asthma among preschoolers

• Annual report: Half of Americans take at least one prescription

  Annual report: Half of Americans take at least one prescription

Issue 48, December 13, 2004

• High BMI may be a risk factor for dementia in women

  High BMI may be a risk factor for dementia in women

• Work-related factors impact RA disability

  Work-related factors impact RA disability

Issue 47, December 13, 2004

• Most seniors switch doctors involuntarily

  Most seniors switch doctors involuntarily

• New Web-based tools available for KP members

  New Web-based tools available for KP members

Issue 46, December 13, 2004

• Teen birth rates at lowest level in nearly 60 years

  Teen birth rates at lowest level in nearly 60 years

• 2005 physician fee schedule released

  2005 physician fee schedule released

Issue 45, November 12, 2004

• Prehypertension is a considerable health risk

  Prehypertension is a considerable health risk

• Prehypertension is a considerable health risk

  Prehypertension is a considerable health risk

• Doctors’ interpersonal skills valued highly

  Doctors’ interpersonal skills valued highly

• Doctors’ interpersonal skills valued highly

  Doctors’ interpersonal skills valued highly

Issue 44, November 12, 2004

• Survey explores public attitude toward health insurance

  Survey explores public attitude toward health insurance

• Survey explores public attitude toward health insurance

  Survey explores public attitude toward health insurance

• WHO announces theme of World Health Day 2005

  WHO announces theme of World Health Day 2005

• WHO announces theme of World Health Day 2005

  WHO announces theme of World Health Day 2005

Issue 43, November 12, 2004

• Patients in four states to vote on medical liability reform

  Patients in four states to vote on medical liability reform

• Women misinterpret benefits and hazards of HRT

  Women misinterpret benefits and hazards of HRT

• Women misinterpret benefits and hazards of HRT

  Women misinterpret benefits and hazards of HRT

Issue 42, October 22, 2004

• HHS awards $139 million to drive adoption of HIT

  HHS awards $139 million to drive adoption of HIT

• HHS awards $139 million to drive adoption of HIT

  HHS awards $139 million to drive adoption of HIT

• American Cancer Society wins Nobel Prize

  American Cancer Society wins Nobel Prize

• American Cancer Society wins Nobel Prize

  American Cancer Society wins Nobel Prize

Issue 41, October 12, 2004

• Group practices work to mitigate increases in operating costs

  Group practices work to mitigate increases in operating costs

• CSPI, doctors question cholesterol recommendations

  CSPI, doctors question cholesterol recommendations

Issue 38, September 21, 2004

• Study reveals key factors determining African-Americans' use of healthcare

  Study reveals key factors determining African-Americans' use of healthcare

• Respiratory, mental health problems found in WTC rescue/recovery workers

  Respiratory, mental health problems found in WTC rescue/recovery workers

Issue 37, September 3, 2004

• Study: Mammogram false-positive risk low

  Study: Mammogram false-positive risk low

• Tonsil surgery may be ineffective in children

  Tonsil surgery may be ineffective in children

• CDC study reveals magnitude of injuries in the United States

  CDC study reveals magnitude of injuries in the United States

• AMOD program curbs consequences of college drinking

  College students at universities participating in an American Medical Association (AMA) program, "A...

Issue 36, September 3, 2004

• Study: primary care most often the source of preventive care

  Study: primary care most often the source of preventive care

• 45 million people in the United States lacked health insurance in 2003

  45 million people in the United States lacked health insurance in 2003

Issue 35, September 3, 2004

• Vermont sues FDA for denial of drug import proposal

  Vermont sues FDA for denial of drug import proposal

• Possible link between maternal diet and childhood leukemia risk

  Possible link between maternal diet and childhood leukemia risk

Issue 33, August 17, 2004

• Measles incidence swoops to record low

  The number of measles cases reported in the United States is at an all-time low since the...

• Survey shows slow-moving salary increase for physicians

  Workloads and cost of practicing are up and pay is down for family practice physicians, says a...

Issue 32, August 10, 2004

• New emergency care guidelines for hospitals treating immigrants

  Hospitals that want to keep federal funding for emergency care for uninsured patients will be...

• Rx for medical school reform

  In order to best prepare doctors for the rapidly changing healthcare needs in the United States...

Issue 30, July 27, 2004

• 195,000 patients die yearly due to medical error, study finds

  An average of 195,000 patients die every year from preventable hospital errors-twice as many as...

• Senate approves medical error reporting system

  The Senate approved legislation to set up a confidential, voluntary reporting system for doctors...

Issue 29, July 21, 2004

• CMS removes language that said obesity is not an illness

  The United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) removed language in the Medicare...

• FDA warns Johnson & Johnson about clinical trial procedures

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a letter yesterday warning Johnson & Johnson's Cordis...

Issue 28, July 14, 2004

• Uninsured Pfizer customers receive prescription cost break

  Pfzier announced plans to increase its current drug-assistance program to offer discounts ranging...

• Uninsured Pfizer customers receive prescription cost break

  Pfzier announced plans to increase its current drug-assistance program to offer discounts ranging...

• 15,000 mentally ill children in detention centers because treatment is unavailab

  Roughly 15,000 children with mental illness in 33 states who faced no criminal charges were kept in...

Issue 27, July 6, 2004

• Human activities leading to increased infectious disease

  We’ve known for decades that the way humans interact with the natural world endangers...

Issue 26, June 29, 2004

• AMA balks at proposal to refuse treatment to malpractice attorneys

  Dr. Chris Hawk’s proposed policy was a simple one: No non-emergency medical care for...

• Doctors more comfortable e-mailing colleagues than patients

  Eighty-five percent of physicians use e-mail to communicate with other physicians, drug companies...

Issue 25, June 22, 2004

• Supreme court to patients: No suits against HMOs in state courts

  Patients cannot sue HMOs in state court to recoup damages caused by administrative decisions...

• USDA ranks foods according to their antioxidant content

  The USDA has recently completed a comprehensive study of the antioxidant levels in commonly...

Issue 23, June 8, 2004

• Seniors confused by Medicare drug discount cards

  Seniors did not welcome the June 1 release of the Medicare drug discount cards, according to a...

• Scientists develop method to introduce DNA into cells

  For 15 years scientist have puzzled over a fundamental question in gene therapy: How do you replace...

Issue 22, June 1, 2004

• Judge detains pregnant Mexican deportee because fetus is U.S. citizen

  Last week, Missouri U.S. District Judge Scott Wright prohibited the deportation of Myrna Dick-a...

Issue 21, May 25, 2004

• $49 million in grants for HIV-positive prevention education

  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced May 21that it has awarded grants totaling $49...

• 70-year-old sentenced for impersonating a physician . . . again

  Gerald Barnbaum, a 70-year-old California man without a medical degree who has made a career of...

Issue 18, May 4, 2004

• Help your patients become more health savvy

  Ninety million Americans-almost half of American adults-find health information difficult to...

• Study shows another reason breastfeeding may be best

  Adiponectin, a protein secreted by fat cells that controls the way the body process lipids and...

Issue 17, April 27, 2004

• CIGNA settlement moves forward

  The CIGNA HealthCare settlement received a green light on April 21 when the 11th Circuit U.S. Court...

• Spring is good for your heart

  Spring brings warmer temperatures, new leaves, and lower cholesterol levels according to the April...

Issue 16, April 20, 2004

• A giant step in AIDS research

  After finding a way to build T cells in mice, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN have...

• New primer helps docs tackle evaluation of food poisoning

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a primer on the diagnosis and...

Issue 15, April 13, 2004

• National medical board disciplinary actions up 7.28% in 2003 v. 2002

  In 2003, state medical boards took 5,230 disciplinary actions, according to The Federation of State...

• FDA partners with IOM to help physicians evaluate supplements

  Since the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health Education Act classified over-the-counter dietary...

Issue 14, April 6, 2004

• Penicillin may no longer be the no-brainer choice to treat Strep throat

  A meta-analysis of studies in which cephalosporins and penicillin were used to treat Strep throat...

Issue 13, March 30, 2004

• Capitation rates for Medicare Advantage may rise 6.6% in 2005

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Friday that the Medicare...

• A trend to keep an eye on: Doctor's scorecards

  A group of 28 employers are developing physician scorecards-think of a guide that reviews...

Issue 12, March 23, 2004

• Anonymous prankster sends out false contact tracing letters

  Ten people received letters on forged Mount Sinai Hospital letterhead, informing them that one of...

• New FDA warning forces physicians to rethink prescriptions for antidepressants

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory on Monday warning physicians...

Issue 11, March 16, 2004

• HHS calls for truth in nutrition labels

  Calories count. In theory it's a simple answer to the obesity epidemic in the United States, but...

• Senate confirms McClellan as CMS administrator

  The US Senate confirmed the appointment of Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Mark McClellan...

Issue 10, March 9, 2004

• Sentence is in for fugitive Texas doctor guilty of Medicaid fraud

  On March 1, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott won a more than 10 year prison sentence and an $8.4...

• Grant to determine if laughter's the best medicine for pediatric cancer patients

  St. Jude's Children Research Hospital has been awarded a five-year, $2 million grant from the...

Issue 9, March 2, 2004

• CMS to states: Adopt disease management programs and we'll match your costs

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it will match state...

• Elderly couple sues for the right to mail-order Canadian drugs

  An elderly Illinois couple filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week...

Issue 8, February 25, 2004

• Few hospitals meet Leapfrog patient safety standards

  The Leapfrog Group has done much to bring patient safety to national attention, but few hospitals...

• State-run malpractice insurer gets okay from state Senate in Ohio

  The Ohio state Senate unanimously passed legislation last week that would allow the state’s...

Issue 7, February 18, 2004

• Increased use of antibiotics doubles the risk of breast cancer

  Women who exceed an average of 25 prescriptions for antibiotics in their lifetimes double their...

• Message of 230,000 docs is clear: Protect patients now!

  Doctors for Medical Liability Reform (DMLR), a new coalition of 230,000 physicians, launched a...

Issue 6, February 11, 2004

• Optimism doesn’t affect oncology patient outcomes

  Positive thinking may have little to no effect on cancer survival rates, according to an Australian...

Issue 5, February 4, 2004

• Malpractice claims costs will increase (yet again) in 2004

  In the last three years, malpractice claim costs have grown about 10% a year, and they’re...

• Mosquitoes: Pests or cancer-fighting machines?

  Sindbis, a virus carried by mosquitoes, kills tumor cells in mice while leaving healthy cells...

Issue 4, January 28, 2004

• CMS adopts ID numbers for health care providers

  In a move that will mean a little less paperwork and hassle for doctors, the Centers for Medicare...

• One step closer to universal health care?

  Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy announced Thursday that he plans to introduce legislation...

Issue 3, January 21, 2004

• IOM calls for universal health care by 2010

  Citing the strain that 43 million uninsured Americans place on the health care system and the...

• AARP announces campaign to reduce the cost of prescription drugs

  In a blitz that will reach from consumers to Congress, the AARP Chief Executive Officer Bill...

Issue 2, January 14, 2004

• Nominate your physician leader for the Physician Executive Awards of Excellence

  Is your physician leader a role model, not just for your office but for health care workers...

• Healthcare costs on the steep incline

  As a nation we spent $5,440 on health care for each person in the United States in 2002, Robert...

Issue 1, January 7, 2004

• Hepatitis B on the decline

  Between 1999 and 2002, the number of cases of acute hepatitis B declined 67%, according to the...

• Most hospitals not putting their money where their mouths are

  Forty percent of hospitals don't invest enough capital to stay ahead of asset depreciation...

Issue 20, July 30, 2004

• Medicare proposes payment rule for preventive benefits, raises physician payment

  CMS announced July 27 new benefits to help Medicare beneficiaries stay healthier and receive better...