Clinical Psychiatry News articles from August 2007

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from August 2007

Brain changes evident in autism.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(head circumference affects autism appearance)
August 1, 2007... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Increasing evidence suggests that children with autism have a normal head circumference at birth, but that many develop macroen-cephaly in childhood, Dr. Antonio Y. Hardan said at a recent pediatric update sponsored by...

Initiating substance use linked with major depressive episodes in teenagers.(DATA WATCH)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Initiating Substance Use Linked With Major Depressive Episodes in Teenagers Major depressive episode No major depressive episode in past year in past year Alcohol use 29.2% ...

The majority of drugs dispensed in 2006 were generic.(VITAL SIGNS)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Majority of Drugs Dispensed in 2006 Were Generic Generic 58.0% Brands with no generic alternatives 17.4% More expensive brands with generic alternatives 11.1% Brands with...

Heavy alcohol use hastens death by up to 25 years: neuropsychiatric patients at great risk.(News)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- A history of heavy drinking cuts the life span by up to 25 years across all major chronic diseases, Hsiao-ye Yi, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. The effect seems particularly...

CMS projects 9.9% cut in Medicare payments.(Practice Trends)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
August 1, 2007... Physicians will face a nearly 10% cut in Medicare payments in 2008 if Congress does not act to reverse it in the next few months. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a proposed rule outlining the projected...

Cultural factors affect use of psychiatric medications in developing countries.(News)
August 1, 2007... Multiple factors influence the use of new psychiatric drugs in the developing world, Dr. Siu-Wa Tang said at an international congress sponsored by the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry in Santiago, Chile. The cost of drugs...

Rate of alcohol use problems in U.S. at 30%.(News)(Survey)(Statistical data)
August 1, 2007... Thirty percent of Americans experience an alcohol use problem at some point in their lives. But to a large extent, physicians are not intervening--perhaps because they are not optimistic about making a difference, a report from one of the...

Interventions stop high-risk college drinking.(News)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Behavioral interventions can bring problem drinking to a halt, before it becomes an established pattern of college campus life, researchers said at the annual meeting of the Research Society for Alcoholism. Freshmen are...

Rivastigmine patch approved for dementia.(News)(Exelon from Novartis AG)
August 1, 2007... Atransdermal formulation of the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating mild to moderate dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease and in people with Parkinson's disease. ...

Alzheimer's is poised for exponential increase.(News)
August 1, 2007... The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is expected to quadruple over the next 40 years, affecting almost 107 million people--1 in 85--worldwide by 2050. This projected exponential increase points up even more sharply the need for advances...

Pilot project aims to address shortage in child psychiatry.(News)(Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education)
August 1, 2007... Starting next summer, a plan aimed at increasing the child psychiatry workforce will be underway. That's when pediatricians who have completed residency programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)...

Expert warns of ominous signs in AIDS fight.(News)(Statistical data)
August 1, 2007... LOS ANGELES -- The number of Americans diagnosed with AIDS is now approaching the 1 million mark, with more than a half-million deaths since the epidemic began and 17,000 more people dying of the disease each year, Dr. Harold Jaffe said during...

Cannabis use linked to increased risk of psychosis.(News)
August 1, 2007... Ever having used marijuana was associated with a 40% increase in the risk of psychotic outcomes, and the risk for those who use the most cannabis was more than twice that of never-users, according to a group of studies analyzed in a systematic...

British Parliament expands powers to detain mentally ill for treatment.(News)
August 1, 2007... British lawmakers have passed mental health legislation that would expand government authority to detain patients to ensure they comply with treatment. In the first revision to mental health law since 1983, the Parliament authorized the...

Physicians as killers?(bombing in London and Glasgow by doctors)
August 1, 2007... The failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow have startled many. One of the biggest surprises is that the alleged would-be terrorists are physicians or medical students--people who take an oath to save lives. But throughout human history,...

Choosing to tune out Dr. House.(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... I have never watched Fox TV's "House." This is a choice I have made for myself. The show, of course, is a hit and its star, Hugh Laurie, has received praise for his acting skill. Laurie portrays a flawed doctor who is a genius and a gifted...

A case for gender-responsive drug treatment.(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... Today, females represent 51% of the general population and a substantial portion of those in substance abuse treatment. Yet they are often not considered when it comes to designing treatment services. Many programs are still providing women...

Beware of buprenorphine.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I read Dr. Peter Rostenberg's recent piece about buprenorphine with both relief and concern ("A Call for Buprenorphine Certification," Guest Editorial, June 2007, p. 12). In the 1960s, methadone maintenance programs became popular as a...

Clarifying record on detox medications.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I would like to clear up a common misunderstanding that appeared in the recent article "New Detox Medications Lessen Risk of Relapse" (April 2007, p. 26). The problematic phrase, "Suboxone can precipitate withdrawal," implies that Subutex...

Word 'shrink' is offensive.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I would like to commend Dr. H. Steven Moffic for his comments on stigma, and in particular, for his take on the unfortunate (and often self-applied) term, "shrink" ("A Psychiatrist's Eulogy for Thomas Eagleton," The Ethical Way, June 2007, p....

A new study shows that propranolol, a [beta]-adrenergic blocker, can suppress physiologic responses to traumatic memories. Might there be a role for this drug in treating PTSD?(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)(posttraumatic stress disorder )
August 1, 2007... Clinical judgment is hard to define. As a psychodynamic therapist, rarely have I felt that suppressing memories is a good idea. After all, the basic premise of psychoanalysis is to uncover repressed memories and to deal with those ideas and...

Ethnic differences seen in drug metabolism.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Although racial minorities have tended to be overlooked in psychiatry research, it is now becoming clear that members of minority groups may metabolize drugs differently, and that may explain why they tend not to do as well with...

Placebo response likely explains 'poop-out' of antidepressants.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- If a patient with depression comes into the office and says that his antidepressant has stopped working, the drug you gave him probably was never working at all, Dr. Mark Zimmerman said at the annual meeting of the American...

Early detection of schizophrenia getting results.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Evidence has shown that the longer people with schizophrenia go without treatment the worse they do over the long term, even when they do eventually get treatment. Now, data from a very large public education project being...

CATIE results show overlap of schizophrenia, metabolic disorder.(Adult Psychiatry)(Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Interventional Effectiveness)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- The most important information to come out of the CATIE trial may not be the data on which antipsychotic to prescribe for schizophrenia, speakers said at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. The results...

New data link physical activity, emotional health.(Adult Psychiatry )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- Middleaged women who had "positive emotional health" were significantly more physically active than those with depression, according to the study findings that add to the growing body of evidence supporting a link between...

Combo Tx shows advantages in panic disorder.(Adult Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- A trial that combined a benzodiazepine with a second-generation antidepressant demonstrated no overall decrease in the time that it took patients with panic disorder to obtain a full anxiolytic response. But the study did suggest...

First psychotic episode merits special approach.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)(schizophrenia)
August 1, 2007... The first episode of schizophrenia represents a therapeutic opportunity. The disorder is usually as responsive as it will ever be, and effective treatment may limit the disability that characteristically worsens with repeated episodes. What...

Link between antipsychotics, type 2 diabetes risk unclear.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... BARCELONA -- It remains unclear whether psychiatric patients taking atypical antipsychotics develop diabetes more frequently than do other people, according to results of a systematic evidence review presented at an international congress on...

Most interventions ineffective for PTSD prevention.(Adult Psychiatry)(post traumatic stress disorder)
August 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Administering individual debriefing, group debriefing, or pharmacologic interventions immediately after a traumatic event appears to offer little benefit in preventing posttraumatic stress disorder, Dr. Jonathan I. Bisson...

Treating the dependent personality.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)(Personal account)
August 1, 2007... Recently, I was running errands across town in Manhattan with Daniel, one of my adult sons. I had to use the cell phone and suggested that he drive. He jumped behind the wheel and asked, "How should I go?" After reminding him that he regularly...

Undiagnosed anxiety worsens major depression.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... ST. LOUIS -- Patients with major depressive disorders should be screened for comorbid anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and general anxiety disorder, Dr....

Psych disorders affect postbariatric results.(Adult Psychiatry)(weight loss decreases)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Patients with a lifetime history of mood and anxiety disorders lost less weight 6 months after bariatric surgery, compared with patients who did not have a history of such disorders, results from a single-center study demonstrated....

Diagnosis pattern different for bipolar adults, children.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... PITTSBURGH -- The pattern of psychiatric diagnoses preceding the diagnosis of bipolar disorder differs between adults and children, Pandurang M. Kulkarni, Ph.D., and associates reported in a poster at the Seventh International Conference on...

Drug Tx for borderline personality disorder.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)
August 1, 2007... The Problem You have a patient who meets the criteria for borderline personality disorder. Despite engaging in dialectical behavior therapy, he continues to experience some paranoia, impulsivity, and reactivity to emotional stimulation....

The art of Nancy West.(VISIONARY ART)(Biography)
August 1, 2007... For painter Nancy West, finding creative ways to nurture art in children is a passion. For example, she would like to construct what she calls "public art puzzles," or large sculptures for young people. One of the programs she has...

SSRI use in pregnancy, teratogenicity assessed.(Adult Psychiatry)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
August 1, 2007... Two large-scale studies of the possible teratogenic effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have concluded that the absolute risk of birth defects related to the drugs is small. Neither study could confirm previously reported...

Donepezil may improve some autism symptoms.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... STANFORD, CALIF. -- A preliminary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of donepezil suggests that the Alzheimer's drug may slightly improve some neuropsychologic functions in children with autism, Dr. Antonio Hardan...

Collaboration needed to help anxious children.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... ST. LOUIS -- In the 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life," a highly stressed George Bailey berates his sick daughter's teacher for sending the tyke home without her overcoat on when, in fact, the teacher was blameless. Bailey's erroneous...

Two ADHD drugs continue to show benefit in trials.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC, New River Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
August 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Lisdexamfetamine, the recently approved once-daily medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that appears to have low abuse potential, was safe and effective when given for a full year, and guanfacine, an...

Recurrent abdominal pain may indicate anxiety disorder.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... BETHESDA, MD. -- Recurrent abdominal pain appears to be part of a larger syndrome of somatization and anxiety, Lynette Dufton reported at a meeting sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium. Physiologic factors may...

Immigrants with Alzheimer's face big hurdles.(Geriatric Psychiatry)( Beth O'Grady, Darby Morhardt and Melanie Chavin start project for treatment of alzheimer patients)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Patients with Alzheimer's disease face many challenges, including proper diagnosis, ongoing care, and burdened families. But older people who have immigrated to the United States from non-English speaking countries and may have...

Studies show physical activity delays onset of dementia.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... SEATTLE -- Evidence is beginning to suggest that exercise can at least forestall Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Eric B. Larson said at the annual scientific meeting of the American Geriatrics Society. "We now see association studies of physical...

ACE inhibitors may protect against mental decline.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors)
August 1, 2007... SEATTLE -- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors that cross the blood-brain barrier slow mental decline by about 50% relative to the decline seen in patients on other antihypertensives, an observational study of 1,074 hypertensive subjects...

Alcohol appears to be neuroprotective in TBI.(Addiction Psychiatry)(traumatic brain injury)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Alcohol may actually protect the cognitive health of some patients who sustain a head injury while intoxicated, Rael Lange, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Research Society of Alcoholism. His conclusion stands in stark...

Discrepancies found in pregnant women's reports about drug use.(Addiction Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... AUSTIN, TEX. -- A significant percentage of pregnant women are not accurately reporting their use of alcohol, cigarettes, or illegal drugs to their physicians, Dr. Mary Ellen Lynch said in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society...

EMR systems can help hospitals target smokers.(Addiction Psychiatry)(electronic medical records)
August 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Adding a smoking cessation component to electronic medical record systems improves the likelihood that hospitalized individuals with a history of smoking will receive cessation counseling, according to study results presented at a...

Perspective.(community psychiatry)(Viewpoint essay)
August 1, 2007... Ours is a greedy society. Where there is a profit to be made, there is no shortage of people scheming to make it--and there is a profit to be made in promoting gambling. So, it is not surprising that society not only does little to warn...

Youth gambling: beating the odds.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
August 1, 2007... For teenagers, the warnings must seem endless. They are warned not to drink and drive, to say "no" to drugs, and to avoid unprotected sex. But they are not told to avoid using lottery scratch cards or to shun playing poker with their friends....

Team approach is used to tackle elder abuse: prosecutions for elder abuse and neglect are up from 4 per year to 70 per year since center opened in 2003.(Forensic Psychiatry)(Elder Abuse Forensic Center)
August 1, 2007... In 2004, Dr. Solomon Liao made a house call he won't forget anytime soon. As one of three physicians who volunteer at the Santa Ana, Calif.-based Elder Abuse Forensic Center, he was asked to perform a medical evaluation of an elderly woman...

Forensic experts urged to monitor own bias against mentally ill.(Forensic Psychiatry)
August 1, 2007... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Mental health experts who testify in insanity cases are not immune to a pervasive prejudice against the mentally ill in the justice system, Michael L. Perlin told forensic experts at the annual meeting of the American College...

Gene therapy helps Parkinson's in phase I trial.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
August 1, 2007... Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease was safe and well tolerated by 11 patients, who also showed significant improvement in motor function at 1-year follow-up in an open-label phase I trial. The 11 patients were treated at New...

Adding safinamide to dopamine agonists eases Parkinson's.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
August 1, 2007... BOSTON -- The addition of safinamide to ongoing dopamine agonist monotherapy lessened motor and cognitive symptoms in a group of patients with Parkinson's disease, according to the results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, multinational...

Iron accumulation in gray matter of MS patients is quantified.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(multiple sclerosis)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- With the use of a new method that provides objective and specific measurement of iron deposition in brain tissue in vivo, investigators have been able to quantify the increased iron accumulation in the deep gray matter of patients...

Parkinson's risk increases with greater pesticide exposure.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
August 1, 2007... Exposure to pesticides is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease and other degenerative parkinsonian syndromes, a large European multicenter study shows. Moreover, the risk of Parkinson's increased,...

Pregabalin is first drug approved for fibromyalgia.(Pain Medicine)(Lyrica from Pfizer Inc.)
August 1, 2007... Pregabalin has become the first drug to win approval by the Food and Drug Administration for the management of fibromyalgia. The FDA based the approval on two double-blind, controlled trials of approximately 1,800 patients. Data from the...

Migraine patients may benefit from magnesium or CoQ10.(Pain Medicine)(coenzyme Q 10)
August 1, 2007... RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- Alternative therapies are not a replacement for prescription drugs in migraine treatment, but they can reduce the severity of the attacks and help ease symptoms, reported Dr. Alexander Mauskop. In fact, "anyone...

Look for depression, PTSD in Iraq war vets with migraines.(Pain Medicine)(post traumatic stress disorder)(Statistical data)
August 1, 2007... BOSTON -- In soldiers returning from combat in Iraq, a self-reported history of migraine headaches was associated with at least twice the risk of symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety as was seen in similar soldiers...

Guidelines issued on evaluating kidney donors.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(United Network for Organ Sharing, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation)
August 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- A panel of 70 transplant professionals has published a consensus document on the psychosocial evaluation of living unrelated kidney donors, Dr. Francis L. Delmonico reported at the American Transplant Congress. The...

Does OSA raise gestational diabetes risk.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(obstructive sleep apnea)
August 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Pregnant women who have obstructive sleep apnea have a 2.3-fold increased risk of gestational diabetes and a 4.2-fold increased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension, compared with women without the sleep disorder, according...

Consider CBT in cases of secondary insomnia.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(cognitive behavioral treatments)
August 1, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Cognitive-behavioral treatments can help people overcome chronic insomnia, even when a medical or psychiatric disorder appears to be the primary cause of sleeplessness, Edward J. Stepanski, Ph.D., said at a meeting on sleep...

Psychotropics benefit moderate to severe IBS.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(irritable bowel syndrome )
August 1, 2007... BOSTON -- Judicious use of antidepressants can ameliorate the psychiatric stressors that exacerbate moderate to severe irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, Dr. Douglas A. Drossman said at a meeting on neurogastroenterology and motility. ...

Post-CABG smoking cessation adds 3 years to life.(Across Specialties)(coronary artery bypass graft surgery)
August 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- Patients who quit smoking within a year after undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery prolong their life expectancy by an average of 3 years, Dr. Don Poldermans said at the annual meeting of the American College of...

Cancer survivors have lasting adverse effects.(Across Specialties)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... HOUSTON -- Cancer survivors often have fatigue, memory problems, and other side effects for many months after treatment, Pascal Jean-Pierre, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Preventive Oncology. "We have...

Myoclonus, fever may signal serotonin syndrome.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- A patient who presents with acute changes in behavior, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, fever, and sweating may be exhibiting symptoms of the serotonin syndrome, which is one of the highest-risk adverse drug reactions emergency physicians...

Depression lowers clinical response to arthritis therapy.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND -- Rheumatologists should screen or refer patients for depression assessment before prescribing anti-tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] therapy, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the British Society for...

Hydroxychloroquine for arthritis also reduces risk of diabetes.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... Patients who take hydroxychloroquine for their rheumatoid arthritis symptoms also show a dose-dependent reduction in their risk for developing diabetes, results of a large study suggest. Diabetes risk decreased by as much as 77% in patients...

Neurologic sequelae tied to gastric bypass surgery.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... A review of 26 patients presenting with disabling neurologic symptoms weeks to years after undergoing bariatric surgery illustrates the breadth of the potential neurologic sequelae and the lifelong risk of nutritional deficiencies in these...

Nearly half of diabetes patients are not reaching Hb[A.sub.1c] target.(Across Specialties)(American Diabetes Association)(Statistical data)
August 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Despite significant gains in disease control over the last 6 years, nearly half of patients with diabetes failed to reach national treatment goals in 2006. An analysis of 22.7 million hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] tests performed on 4.8...

Motivational interviewing helps women lose weight.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... Motivational interviewing can help overweight and obese women with type 2 diabetes lose weight, though it is less effective in African American women than in white women, according to Delia Smith West, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas in...

CDC urges meningitis vaccine for all adolescents.(Across Specialties)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
August 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- The tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is now recommended for all 11- to 18-year-olds instead of select age groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices....

Imaging studies detect very early brain changes in HIV.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2007... LOS ANGELES -- A combination of noninvasive neuroimaging studies were able to detect changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood flow in the brains of patients with HIV before any changes could be identified through neuropsychological...

Most substance abusers work.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that most of the nation's 16.4 million illicit drug users and 15 million heavy alcohol users are employed full time. The report, available at SAMHSA's Web site,...

Psychologist prescribing vetoed.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Linda Lingle signs the bill)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed psychologists to prescribe medications. SB 1004 was opposed by the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and...

Army to educate on mental health.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The U.S. Army is beginning a program aimed at having every soldier--and his or her family--learn the symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder and to help them seek treatment. The goal is for all active duty and...

Alzheimer's programs recognized.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Alzheimer's Foundation of America honors Ozanam Hall and 80th Street Residence)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Alzheimer's Foundation of America recently awarded "Excellence in Care" status to two dementia care programs that met standards for high performance. The two programs, both based in New York City, are the first to receive this designation....

Overseas drug purchases unabated.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Two new reports suggest that despite multiple warnings, Americans are continuing to buy pharmaceuticals from overseas, mostly through the Internet. A new survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America shows that more than 5...

CMS releases Medicaid rule.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... CMS has unveiled a new method of setting limits on what the federal government will reimburse state Medicaid agencies for prescription drug payments. As part of the new regulation, states will be required to collect information from physicians...

Incentives yield quality gains in Medicare demo.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2007... Preliminary results of a demonstration project that allows physician groups to share in savings they earn for the Medicare program has also resulted in quality gains, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The...

Drug use by Medicare enrollees in 2006.(DATA WATCH)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Drug Use by Medicare Enrollees in 2006 Antihypertensives 31.7% Lipid-lowering agents 10.8% Diabetes drugs 6.8% Ulcer and heartburn drugs 4.6% Thyroid...

Sentor outlines vision for health care reform.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- With the introduction of the Healthy Americans Act last January, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) became the first major political player to launch a proposal for significant health care reform since the early days of the Clinton...

Taking the temperature on global warming.(THE ETHICAL WAY)(Viewpoint essay)
August 1, 2007... Even though summer in my neck of the woods can get fairly hot and humid, not too many people are thinking about global warming right now. We are just grateful to be far away from winter. In fact, this past winter was so long and cold that I was...

Awareness needed on opioid prescribing rules.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- Get educated about state and federal regulations and policies on the prescription of controlled substances, advised David Joranson, director of the Pain and Policy Studies Group at the University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone...

Marketing on hold for Medicare Advantage plans.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2007... Several Medicare Advantage fee-for-service plan sponsors have agreed to voluntarily suspend marketing of their plans until officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can verify that they are in compliance with certain...