Clinical Psychiatry News articles from July 2005

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from July 2005

Psychosis duration affects suicidality.(News)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Shortening the duration of untreated psychosis in patients with first-episode psychotic disorders is associated with reductions in suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts, a study has shown. Early intervention also appears to have...

Zyprexa sales led antipsychotic market in 2004.(VITAL SIGNS)
July 1, 2005... Zyprexa Sales Led Antipsychotic Market in 2004 Zyprexa 32% Risperdal 23% Seroquel 22% Abilify 11% Geodon 5% All Others 8% Note: Based on share of $9.6 billion in total wholesale purchases for...

Mental illness prevalence high, despite advances: study points to need for early interventions.(News)
July 1, 2005... The prevalence of mental illness in the United States continues to be high despite increases in mental health awareness, new medications, changes in public perceptions about mental illness, and advances in treatment financing, according to a...

Demand for psychiatrists: steady now, 'acute' later.(News)
July 1, 2005... The growing demand for psychiatry jobs points to a looming shortage in the profession, Merritt, Hawkins & Associates reported in its 2005 study on recruitment trends. The number of search assignments for psychiatry rose from 54 in...

Some suicidologists hail black box.(News)
July 1, 2005... BROOMFIELD, COLO. -- The Food and Drug Administration-mandated black box warning regarding the use of antidepressants in children and adolescents, criticized in some quarters as a bureaucratic intrusion resting upon muddled and inconclusive...

Course of depression, PTSD varies in soldiers: in some cases, mental health problems become apparent months after initial hospitalization.(News)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- There is no one-size-fits-all formula for the course of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among battle-injured soldiers. Capt. Thomas A. Grieger, MC, USN, reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the...

Many U.S. veterans returning with chronic pain syndromes.(News)
July 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Chronic pain was the most frequent complaint among U.S. soldiers returning from foreign war zones, according to findings from a new survey of patients at a Florida veterans' hospital. The high prevalence and severity of chronic...

Risperidone 'nonapprovable' for Alzheimer's psychosis and autism.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration has issued "nonapprovable" letters for two proposed new uses for risperidone: autism and Alzheimer's psychosis, according to the manufacturer of the atypical antipsychotic. In two separate announcements in...

Al-Anon referrals pay off.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... It all started with a booth at a medical meeting. It was a booth for Al-Anon, the group for family members, friends, and co-workers of alcoholics. The woman at the booth told me her story and how Al-Anon changed her life, and I was blown...

Medicaid cuts would hurt mentally ill.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2005... Medicaid is facing dramatic new threats that would undoubtedly harm millions of people with mental disorders and other chronic illnesses who rely on it for necessary services. This program currently comprises more than half of all state and...

BPD: should the patient be told?(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)(borderline personality disorder)
July 1, 2005... Despite the devastating nature of a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, Elizabeth R. Lequesne, M.D., and Richard G. Hersh, M.D., argue that the reasons for examining and discussing the diagnosis with the patient remain compelling. Their...

CBT: an important part of treatment.(cognitive-behavioral therapy)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... Psychiatrists should consider combining drug therapy with psychosocial approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, for a range of mental illnesses. Right now, most general psychiatrists and primary care providers are prescribing...

Difficult decisions in end-of-life care.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I found Dr. Paul J. Fink's comments to be some of the most direct, clear, comprehensive, and helpful that I have read on the subject of caring for dying patients ("Helping the Terminally Ill," Fink! Still at Large, February, 2005, p. 10). ...

Apathy and the DSM-V.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I was glad to see accelerated enthusiasm about apathy reflected in a recent article ("Should 'Apathy' Get More Attention in DSM-V?" May 2005, p. 7). Some patients who complain of a lack of interest, poor level of motivation, fatigue, and...

Watch for TD in children and teens.(severe mood disorder)
July 1, 2005... I am concerned about a condition I've seen over the last 18 months in two children taking antipsychotics. Both of these young patients suffered from atypical antipsychotic-induced dyskinesia. Previously, the only other case of...

Living the high life.(REEL LIFE)
July 1, 2005... The opening credits for Gus Van Sant's 1989 film, "Drugstore Cowboy," appear slowly, lettered in blue. A spare piano backs singer Abbey Lincoln quietly intoning, "... for all we know, we will never meet again..." Behind the credits, in a...

The art of Jonathan Glass.(VISIONARY ART)
July 1, 2005... Most artists consider their art works to be very personal statements about themselves. Often, they use their art to say things they can't verbalize or as a means of making sense of their feelings about the world around them. Jonathan...

Subtypes of sexual arousal disorder identified.(Adult Psychiatry )
July 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines only one type of female sexual arousal disorder, but there is now physiologic evidence that there are at least two subtypes of the...

Psychiatry and pregnancy.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
July 1, 2005... Relaxation and meditation techniques may indeed have a place in contemporary obstetrics. Those strategies offer methods of dissociation and focused concentration that not only help pregnant women with pain control, but also can provide relief...

New tool helps gauge treatment for GAD.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... SEATTLE -- The Daily Assessment of Symptoms-Anxiety is an effective and reliable tool to measure the efficacy of generalized anxiety disorder treatments, Robert Morlock, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of Anxiety Disorders Association of...

Sensorimotor groups help women in trauma recovery.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Researchers at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto have developed a group-therapy approach to help traumatized women reconnect with their bodies, Shari Kirsh, M.D., wrote in a poster presented at the...

Height and suicide risk: are serotonin levels to blame?(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... BROOMFIELD, COLO. -- Height appears to be an independent risk factor for suicide in men and women, Steven Stack, Ph.D., reported at the annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology. Indeed, men under 5 feet 6 inches tall are...

Patches and sprays are coming to psychiatry.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Oral administration is the simplest and most familiar way to get drugs into the body, but alternative drug delivery systems have distinct advantages that have aroused increasing research interest in recent years. In particular,...

History can explain incomplete antidepressant response.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- The goal of antidepressant treatment should be remission, but most clinical trials use a 50% response in 50% of patients as the criterion for effectiveness. Only about 20%-30% of patients achieve complete remission, and this...

Drug combination shows efficacy in psychotic depression.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Combined treatment with an antidepressant and an antipsychotic can be used to treat psychotic depression when ECT is not an option, Michael J. Gitlin, M.D., said at a psychopharmacology congress sponsored by the Neuroscience...

Head scans for first-break psychosis.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)
July 1, 2005... The Problem You have a 20-year-old patient with a first-break primary Axis I psychotic disorder. A physical exam reveals no focal neurologic signs, and a medical review of systems is not contributory. As part of your work-up, you order a...

Treating olanzapine-linked adiposity.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Topiramate appears to help alleviate the weight gain associated with olanzapine use in women, reported Marius K. Nickel, M.D., of Inntalk linik in Simbach/Inn, Germany, and associates. In a 10-week trial of women on olanzapine (Zyprexa) for...

Opioid abuse in colleges.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Lifetime recreational use of prescription opioid analgesics was reported by about 12% of college students, with 7% using it in the past year and 3% in the past month, said Sean Esteban McCabe of the University of Michigan Substance Abuse...

Spousal homicide-suicide in elderly.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Caregiving strain and marital conflict appear to drive men who commit spousal homicide-suicide, compared with married men who commit suicide, reported Julie E. Melphurs, Ph.D., of the University of Miami, and Donna Cohen, Ph.D., of the...

Depression after mild brain injury.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A model using depression scale scores, CT results, and age can accurately predict the development of depression after a mild traumatic brain injury, said Harvey S. Levin, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. ...

Factor ethnicity into drug treatment--Part 1: flexibility needed to temper standard criteria with an appreciation of the diverse 'idioms of distress.'.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
July 1, 2005... Respect for ethnic diversity has been a persistent theme in psychiatry in recent years, as indicated by the inclusion of an "Outline for Cultural Formulation" in DSM-IV. Pharmacotherapy, no less than psychotherapy, must be culturally...

'Rookie' users of antidepressants more likely to stop taking them.(Adult Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Patients who are taking antidepressants for the first time are at greatest risk for discontinuing the therapy, Mark Vanelli, M.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. The...

Watch parents' subconscious cues about eating.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... MONTREAL -- Parents of toddlers who refuse food or are picky eaters should not worry about this behavior affecting their child's health or weight, according to new research. They should, however, he more concerned about the subconscious...

Eating disorders are more common in diabetes patients.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... MONTREAL -- Eating disorders occur twice as often in adolescent girls and young women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, compared with their nondiabetic peers, and prepubertal diabetic girls should be screened for these disorders routinely, experts...

Percentage of adults who perceive selected disorders as 'more common' in children, teens than 10 years ago.(DATA WATCH)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... Percentage of Adults Who Perceive Selected Disorders as 'More Common' in Children, Teens Than 10 Years Ago Depression 71% Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder 63% Anxiety disorder ...

Anxiety does not interfere with phobia Treatment.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... SEATTLE -- The presence of a comorbid anxiety disorder in children with phobias does not interfere with the child's ability to respond to cognitive-behavioral treatment. The children who responded to cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT)...

Persistent asthma associated with behavior problems.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Inner-city children with persistent asthma appear to have more problems with negative social skills, anxiety, and shyness than children without asthma, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic...

Behavioral issues more common in first-time seizure patients.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Children with new-onset epileptic seizures appear to have more behavior problems than do those without the disorder, David W. Dunn, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ...

Pediatric SSRI use means intense monitoring.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Vigilantly monitor depressed children and adolescents during the first month of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy--especially during the first 10 days, David Sack, M.D., said at a psychopharmacology congress sponsored...

SSRI use tied to reports of neonatal withdrawal symptoms.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors )
July 1, 2005... International reports of withdrawal symptoms in 93 newborns whose mothers had taken selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy raise concerns about a possible causal relationship between such symptoms and drugs in this class,...

Antinarcolepsy drug may improve ADHD: modafinil could prove an alternative to stimulants for addressing symptoms, phase III studies show.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Results from new research point to a possible alternative to stimulants for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Two phase III studies presented at the annual meeting of the...

Conduct, bipolar disorder often comorbid with ADHD.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- "When I am asked whether I think [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder] is overdiagnosed, I say that kids are underfoot now more than they used to be," Saundra Gilfillan, D.O., said at the annual meeting of the American Society...

Teen girls react to parental rejection.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Aggressive behavior in adolescents may be fueled in part by the depression associated with perceived parental rejection, said William W. Hale III, Ph.D., of Utrecht (the Netherlands) University and his colleagues. In a study of 1,329...

Adderall XR effective over long term.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A once-daily dose of mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall XR) maintained improvement of ADHD symptoms in children aged 6-12 years during a 24-month period, said James J. McGough, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and his...

Substance use and school sports.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In a cross-sectional study of 891 8th grade students in northeastern Florida, there was no consistent protective effect between any specific sport and substance use, said Michele J. Moore, Ph.D., of the University of North Florida,...

Perceived weight prompts suicide.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)
July 1, 2005... Adolescents who perceived themselves to be very underweight (5th percentile or less), slightly underweight (6th-15th percentile), slightly overweight (85th-94th percentile), or very overweight (95th percentile or greater) were significantly...

Methylphenidate patch shows promise.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A methylphenidate transdermal system used for 3 months yielded improvement in ADHD symptoms similar to those achieved with standard methylphenidate, said William E. Pelham, Ph.D., of the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his...

Spouses of MCI patients face caregiver burden: interventions might prevent psychiatric morbidity in spouses whose loved ones go on to develop dementia.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Spouses of men and women who have mild cognitive impairment are assuming the role of caregiver and as a result, are experiencing the caregiver burden associated with that role, Linda Garand, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the...

Elders' reluctance to take antidepressants tied to misconceptions.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Fear and misconceptions about how antidepressant medication works contribute to older adults' reluctance to use pharmacologic treatment for depression, a qualitative study has shown. "Depression is highly prevalent but...

Admissions to substance abuse treatment facilities rise in adults aged 55 years or older.(DATA WATCH)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Rise in Adults Aged 55 Years or Older Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Methadone dose higher with chronic pain.(Addiction Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... Patients on methadone maintenance often have chronic pain, and those with more intense pain receive higher doses of methadone, said Einat Peles. Ph.D., and colleagues at Tel-Aviv Elias Sourasky Medical Center. The researchers...

Smoking cessation drug could be major advance.(Addiction Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Varenicline, a first-of-its-kind selective nicotinic receptor partial agonist, has racked up unprecedented smoking-cessation success rates in a pair of phase II clinical trials, Cheryl A. Oncken, M.D., reported at the annual...

Experimentation before age 11 predicts later smoking habits.(Addiction Psychiatry)
July 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Children who experiment with smoking even minimally before age 11 are more likely to take up smoking as teens than are their nonexposed peers. Jennifer Fidler reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. ...

Nonmedical use of stimulants is highest among whites, Native Americans.(DATA WATCH)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Nonmedical Use of Stimulants Is Highest Among Whites, Native Americans Note: In 2003, 20.8 million people aged 12 years and older had used prescription-type stimulants at least once in their lifetime. Source: Substance Abuse and Mental...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)(assertive community treatment )
July 1, 2005... Assertive community treatment makes sense for "high maintenance" mentally ill patients. In fact, it is unethical to treat such patients without providing a support system that is going to assertively case-manage housing, income, nontoxic...

Assertive community treatment.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
July 1, 2005... Is delivering psychiatric services to people who need them but might not want them effective outreach or coercion? The "in your face" mental health service-delivery model, called assertive community treatment, aims to get the most seriously...

Multicenter trials for brain trauma questioned.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
July 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- The validity of large, randomized multicenter clinical trials involving treatments for traumatic brain injury was called into question by numerous speakers during the annual meeting of the Neurocritical Care Society. ...

Rare demyelinating disorder tied to MS drug.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(multiple sclerosis)
July 1, 2005... Prospects for the eventual return of the multiple sclerosis treatment natalizumab (Tysabri) became more uncertain when a second case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy was confirmed in a patient who had been treated with the drug for...

When it comes to sedation, antiepileptics not created equal.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
July 1, 2005... MIAMI BEACH -- Some antiepileptic drugs cause more sedation than do others, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Sedation is a common side effect of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However,...

Patients seek natural alternatives to NSAIDs.(Pain Medicine)
July 1, 2005... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- The recall of Vioxx and safety warnings about Celebrex and Bextra created "a very insecure time for pain management," Robert Bonakdar, M.D., said at a meeting on natural supplements in evidence-based practice sponsored by...

Low-dose combos top high-dose monotherapy for sciatica.(Pain Medicine)
July 1, 2005... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Sciatica and low back pain respond best to low doses of medications used in combination as opposed to high-dose monotherapy, David G. Borenstein, M.D., said at a symposium sponsored by the American College of Rheumatology....

Just 45% of pain patients take OxyContin as prescribed.(Pain Medicine)
July 1, 2005... PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. -- Just 45% of prescriptions for the opiate OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled release) are taken as directed by patients being treated for nonmalignant pain, according to a study of urine samples from approximately 5% of...

CBT improves post-CABG depression in women.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Cognitive-behavioral therapy reduced depressive symptoms and enhanced immune function in a small pilot study of women with depression following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, Lynn V. Doering D.N.Sc., reported at the annual...

Culture shapes opinions on living liver donation.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Reception of a living liver graft is more acceptable in German and American culture than it is in Japanese society, according to data from a study of 330 undergraduate medical students from Germany, Japan, and the United States. Liver...

Consensus panel cautious on menopause management: effectiveness and long-term safety of alternatives to estrogen need to be studied in rigorous trials, advisory panel said.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and sleep disturbances appear to be connected to the onset of menopause, but other midlife symptoms--such as mood disorders, urinary incontinence, and somatic complaints--may not be,...

Mammography rates 'abysmal' among mentally ill women.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Women being treated for a mental health disorder may be getting short-changed when it comes to preventive medical care, said Caroline C. Carney-Doebbeling, M.D. A comparison of insurance claims data for 59,673 women with a...

Dual agent effective as monotherapy in diabetes: muraglitazar lowered hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] and triglycerides, raised HDL levels in type 2 patients.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Muraglitazar, a novel agent targeting both glucose and lipid levels, is an effective monotherapy option for patients with type 2 diabetes, Robert Frederich, M.D., and his associates reported at the annual meeting of the American...

Metabolic syndrome predicts subclinical atherosclerosis in adults.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Young and middle-aged adults who meet criteria for metabolic syndrome are at a 2.5-fold greater risk of having subclinical atherosclerosis, Kwame O. Akosah, M.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart...

Racial disparities persist in HIV care: physicians urged to develop materials that are culturally relevant to minority patients.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... OAKLAND, CALIF. -- The gap in HIV care received by black patients compared with white patients has narrowed, but disparities remain a problem, William D. King, M.D., said at a conference sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research....

Lidocaine patch may rival COX-2s for relief of osteoarthritis pain.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Preliminary findings from a prematurely halted trial suggest that osteoarthritis patients may have options beyond cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors at their disposal for easing their pain. In a poster presented at the annual meeting of...

St. John's wort does not thwart contraceptive's antiandrogenic effects.(Across Specialties)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- St. John's wort does not appear to interfere with the antiandrogenic effects of oral contraceptive pills, Robin Fogle, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. She reported that...

Prostate cancer vaccine increased overall survival.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Patients with aggressive prostate cancer who received a therapeutic vaccine survived significantly longer than patients who received a placebo, according to results from a small, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. ...

Largest study yet supports NSAIDs' effect on MI.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... VIENNA -- The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-selective NSAIDs have acted as lightning rods for recent concern regarding cardiovascular risk, but the reality is that many traditional NSAIDs carry as great or even greater associated risks of acute...

Early trastuzumab cuts breast ca recurrence.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody that was developed to fight one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, cut recurrences by 52% when used as adjuvant therapy in two large phase III trials that were unblinded early by...

Pain relievers.(Across Specialties)
July 1, 2005... "You need more free time to just be a kid? I'll see if there's a class for that."

New APA president vows to restore specialty's credibility.(American Psychiatric Association)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- American psychiatry is facing a "crisis of credibility," said Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D., the new president of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Sharfstein vowed at the APA's annual meeting to restore that credibility by...

APA wary of Florida law.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
July 1, 2005... A recently enacted Florida law that is expected to reduce the number of drugs the state's Medicaid program will pay for "puts people with mental illness at serious risk," according to the American Psychiatric Association. The APA expressed...

Drug misuse death rates.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Baltimore and Albuquerque had the highest death rates from drug misuse of 32 metropolitan areas surveyed, with more than 200 deaths per 1 million people, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report....

The OxyContin wars.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The federal Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to stop illegal use of the prescription painkiller OxyContin have "cast a chill over the doctor-patient candor necessary for successful treatment," Ronald T. Libby, Ph.D., a political...

Medicare mental health drugs.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is requiring all health plans serving Medicare patients to include all antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs on their formularies starting in 2006, when the new Medicare drug benefit takes effect....

The chosen profession.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... "Be a physician" is the most common career advice that Americans give young adults, according to a Gallup poll of 1,003 adults aged 18 years and older. Twenty percent of survey respondents recommended that young women become doctors, while 17%...

Insurers couldn't cope with Medicaid cuts: proposed reductions are not viable because 'there is no private sector alternative ... for the poor.'.(Practice Trends)
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- As Congress contemplates cuts to Medicaid, legislators are placing in peril the overarching goals of the program in covering low-income, disabled, and older Americans in favor of expeditious budget cuts, James R. Tallon Jr.,...

Physicians are hoping for a CMS revision on NPI numbers.(Practice Trends)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(National Provider Identifier)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will review national provider identifier protocols that now require separate numbers for each covered entity. The requirement could mean some physicians who are also part of group...

Keep up with your reading by joining a club.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)
July 1, 2005... Richard Nixon was in the middle of his presidency when Richard J. Castiello. M.D., helped form a small dermatology journal club that still meets every month to discuss the latest research and development in the field. One of the founding...