Family Practice News articles from April 2006

Family Practice News archives from April 2006

Colonoscopy turf war draws in FPs.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Family physicians looking to add colonoscopy to their practice take note: The American College of Gastroenterology isn't going to make it an easy endeavor. In July, that specialty organization sent a legal opinion to hospital...

In-office spirometry alters asthma, COPD care in FP practices: drug changes were spurred in 36% of cases.(News)(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Family physicians who mastered in-office spirometry report that the readily available technology changed the course of management in more than a third of asthmatic and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, according to...

TROPHY: prehypertension therapy may be warranted.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
April 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- A first baby step toward drug therapy for prehypertension was taken with the presentation of the Trial of Preventing Hypertension results at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. TROPHY, a 4-year, 772-patient...

Despite barriers, FPs are likely to advise Herpes Zoster vaccine for older patients.(News)
April 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Most family physicians and internists would recommend the herpes zoster vaccine to their older patients despite concerns about the vaccine's cost and reimbursement for its administration, Dr. Allison Kempe reported at a meeting of...

Smoking cessation counseling gets short shrift.(News)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Cigarette sales may be at an all-time 55-year low, but such favorable news is probably not due to efforts among physicians to counsel patients to stop smoking. In fact, physicians broach the topic with smokers during only 1 in 5...

Pediatric asthma leads to lung function declines, despite treatment.(News)
April 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- One-quarter of children with mild to moderate asthma experience progressive loss of lung function over time--and existing asthma medications don't put a dent in the process, Dr. Joseph D. Spain said at a meeting sponsored by...

Past, present maternal asthma a risk factor for prematurity.(News)
April 1, 2006... Miami -- Maternal asthma was a significant risk factor for premature birth and low birth weight, even if the mother's asthma was diagnosed years before delivery, Dr. Joel Liem reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy,...

Set the record straight on low-fat diets.(Guest Editorial)
April 1, 2006... Counseling and motivating our patients to change their diet and lifestyle is tough enough, but the results from the Women's Health Initiative's examination of low-fat diets are likely to make that job even harder. The study results, which...

Isotretinoin vs. birth control pills.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I disagree with Dr. Hilary Baldwin's contention that you cannot trust a 16-year-old who claims that she is sexually abstinent ("iPLEDGE Registry Back on Track Despite Delays," Feb. 1, 2006, p. 33). The physician-patient relationship should...

CME and Pharma.(Guest Editorial)(pharmaceutical industry and ethics of continuing medical education )
April 1, 2006... In the beginning, continuing medical education was the province of schools, supported in part by federal funds. In the 1980s, industry developed a series of blockbuster drugs and devices that had the potential to benefit large numbers of...

Is consumer-driven health care a good idea?(Point/Counterpoint)
April 1, 2006... Point In a consumer-driven market, price goes down and quality goes up, even if the average consumer is not expert about that product. How does that happen? Markets are shaped not by the average buyers, but the marginal ones, who are...

Dronedarone reduces atrial fib hospitalizations.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
April 1, 2006... DALLAS -- The novel investigational antiarrhythmic agent dronedarone reduced by 27% the 1-year combined incidence of hospitalization or death compared with placebo in a large group of patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation,...

AFib outcomes from catheter ablation surpass drug management.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(preventing recurrent atrial fibrillation)
April 1, 2006... BOSTON -- Catheter ablation plus amiodarone therapy was substantially better than amiodarone treatment alone for preventing recurrent atrial fibrillation during 1 year of follow-up in a randomized, controlled study with 146 patients. "This...

Many tests shore up PAD diagnosis, gauge severity.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(peripheral artery disease)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Several diagnostic tests complement the ankle-brachial index for diagnosing peripheral artery disease in patients with intermittent claudication. For patients with suspected arterial disease but a normal ankle-brachial index...

Sildenafil, iloprost expand PAH treatment options.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(pulmonary arterial hypertension)
April 1, 2006... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Treatment options in pulmonary arterial hypertension have significantly improved in recent months with the marketing of two useful new agents: oral sildenafil and inhaled iloprost, Dr. Carole A. Warnes said at a conference...

Thyroid-related cardiovascular concerns limited to AFib.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(atrial fibrillation)
April 1, 2006... Subclinical hyperthyroidism was linked to atrial fibrillation but not to other clinical cardiovascular conditions or deaths in a new study. "We report an independent association of subclinical hyperthyroidism with incident atrial...

Postop neurocognitive decline tied to elevated inflammatory markers.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Increased levels of C-reactive protein and other markers of perioperative inflammatory response are associated with neurocognitive decline following cardiac surgery, Dr. Basel Ramlawi said at a congress sponsored by the Association...

Pheochromocytoma differs in patients under 20.(Metabolic Disorders)
April 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- Sustained, severe hypertension was among the clinical features of pheochromocytoma seen more frequently in patients under age 20, compared with adults, Dr. Marta Barontini said at an international symposium on pheochromocytoma...

PET tracks monostatic forms of Paget's disease: scans taken during follow-up might be helpful in determining course of bisphosphonate therapy.(Metabolic Disorders)
April 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The use of [sup.18]F-fluoride positron emission tomography may be useful in the follow-up of patients with monostotic forms of Paget's disease, Dr. Jean-Pierre Devogelaer said at a meeting sponsored by the Paget...

Level of Cathepsin K predicts response in Paget's disease.(Metabolic Disorders)
April 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Serum cathepsin K levels could serve as a useful measure in the management of patients with Paget's disease of bone, Dr. Daniela Merlotti said at a meeting sponsored by the Paget Foundation for Paget's Disease of Bone...

PTH appropriate for a select few patients with bone loss.(Metabolic Disorders)(parathyroid hormone)
April 1, 2006... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- The current evidence suggests it is a very small group of individuals with low bone density who should be treated with parathyroid hormone, Dr. Lenore Buckley said at a symposium sponsored by the American College of...

Oral treatment of chronic peripheral diabetic neuropathy.(Drug Update)
April 1, 2006... Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is believed to affect Vat least 20% of all adults with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. Optimal glucose control is the key to preventing or delaying its onset. Once neuropathy occurs, establishing good metabolic...

ICU insulin infusion protocol gains ground: there is still a 'culture of hyperglycemia,' with a fear of hypoglycemia, or even of low normal.(Metabolic Disorders)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- More hospitals are implementing standardized insulin infusion protocols, many of which emulate the Yale protocol, Dr. Philip A. Goldberg said at a consensus conference sponsored by the American Association of Clinical...

Metabolic syndrome linked to carotid thickening in women.(Metabolic Disorders)
April 1, 2006... Metabolic syndrome predicts a worsening of intima-media thickness in the carotid artery of elderly women, according to findings from a 12-year population-based study. Maija Hassinen and her colleagues at the Kuopio Research Institute of...

Depression in diabetic patients intensifies with rise in CHD risk.(Metabolic Disorders)(coronary heart disease)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... DENVER -- Increased risk of coronary heart disease is significantly associated with stronger symptoms of depression in diabetic adults, Susan M. Barry-Bianchi, Ph.D., reported in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Carefully time antiretrovirals during pregnancy.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The optimal time to initiate antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy depends on a balance of factors, Dr. Deborah Cohan said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. The...

Community-acquired MRSA strikes baseball: turf burns, abrasions, shared equipment, and frequent antibiotic use put professional athletes at risk.(Infectious Diseases)(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
April 1, 2006... KAPALUA, HAWAII -- Bars of soap and the sharing of personal items such as razors and towels have been banned from the New York Yankees clubhouse as a prophylaxis against the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. ...

Risky behaviors linked to HIV seroconversion in men.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Using nitrite inhalants, being uncircumcised, and engaging in certain sexual practices all increase the risk of HIV seroconversion among HIV-negative men who have sex with men, Dr. Susan R Buchbinder reported at a meeting on...

Varicella postexposure prophylaxis available: the unlicensed product, VariZIG, should help counteract the dwindling supply of VZIG.(Infectious Diseases)(varicella-zoster immune globulin)
April 1, 2006... The dwindling U.S. supply of varicella-zoster immune globulin has been replenished with a new unlicensed product made available under a Food and Drug Administration investigational new drug application, according to the Centers for Disease...

Injectable cefazolin recalled due to possible microbial contamination.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Hanford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling four lots of cefazolin for injection due to the possibility of microbial contamination, which may pose a serious or life-threatening risk for some patients. The recall affects 379,975 vials (1 g/10...

Avian flu spreads to second sub-Saharan country's birds.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2006... The spread of avian influenza to poultry in Niger confirms officials' fears that conditions in West Africa favor further spread of the infection, the World Health Organization has reported. There are currently no human cases of H5N1 viral...

Adult Tdap safe for children 18 months after previous vaccine.(Infectious Diseases)(tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The adult formula of the tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) can be given to children and adolescents starting at 18 months after a children's formula tetanus and diphtheria vaccine, said Dr. Scott A. Halperin...

All SCCs may not require emergent biopsy.(Skin Disorders)(squamous cell carcinomas)
April 1, 2006... STOWE, VT. -- All squamous cell carcinomas require attention, but not all of them require emergency attention, said Dr. Glenn D. Goldman at a dermatology conference sponsored by the University of Vermont. Thanks to effective public health...

Small fiber neuropathy underlies erythromelalgia.(Skin Disorders)
April 1, 2006... PARK CITY, UTAH -- Small fiber neuropathy plays an important role in erythromelalgia, a rare and mysterious skin condition characterized by red, hot, and painful extremities, Dr. Mark D.P. Davis said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored...

Changes proposed for hydroxyurea labels.(Skin Disorders)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing proposed label changes for Hydrea and Droxia (hydroxyurea capsules) that warn of cutaneous vasculitic toxicities. Bristol-Myers Squibb has notified health care professionals about revisions to...

Derm Dx.(Skin Disorders)(B-cell lymphoma)
April 1, 2006... An 88-year-old white man with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer presented for a skin cancer surveillance visit with complaints of a 3-year history of a pruritic scalp. Triamcinolone cream had failed to resolve the problem. An...

Mental health services needed for Iraq war vets.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... Veterans who have seen combat in Iraq use mental health services at a high rate in their first year after returning home, compared with veterans returning from other deployments, reported Dr. Charles W. Hoge of the Walter Reed Army Institute of...

Novel incentive programs wean teens off cigarettes.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Adolescent smokers are a difficult population to reach, but researchers are trying some novel approaches to combat smoking in that group including reduction, instead of cessation, and financial incentives. "To date the field has...

Cotinine testing of children sends a powerful smoke signal.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- The availability of urine cotinine results may prompt physicians to counsel families about the risks of secondhand smoke. Physicians were more likely to offer smoking cessation counseling to parents and to give other advice about...

Chronic care approach improves counseling of pregnant smokers.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Family and ob.gyn. practices in Maine improved their identification of pregnant smokers and improved their assessment of cessation after remodeling their office systems based on a chronic care team approach. The goal of the...

Study of vets suggests basis of stress hardiness.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... NEW YORK -- Severe stress can have lasting effects, most dramatically in posttraumatic stress disorder. But many people undergo equally traumatic experiences--combat, natural disasters, imprisonment, torture--and emerge relatively intact. ...

Depression's annual toll estimated at $83 billion.(Mental Health)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The direct and indirect costs of depression total $83 billion a year in the United States and a lack of access to care will cause that figure to keep rising, a new report by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance contends....

Check for strep in sudden-onset childhood OCD.(Mental Health)(childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder)
April 1, 2006... TORONTO -- A sudden, severe onset of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder with tics should prompt a throat culture for group A streptococcus, Dr. Tanya Murphy said at the joint annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent...

ADHD screening warranted in pediatric OCD.(Mental Health)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... More than 25% of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder had comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in a consecutive study of 94 patients, reported Dr. Gabriele Masi and her associates at the Scientific Institute...

Hot flashes fuel menopausal depression's onset.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- When a female patient presents with hot flashes, consider screening her for depression, Dr. Marlene Freeman advised at a psychopharmacology conference sponsored by the University of Arizona. The risk of depression is known...

Endometrial lesion excision improves deep dyspareunia.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Laparoscopic excision of endometriotic lesions of the uterosacral ligament improves not only deep dyspareunia but also the quality of patients' sex life, Dr. Simone Ferrero said at the annual meeting of the AAGL (formerly the...

Medical Tx rivals surgery for chronic pelvic pain.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Women with chronic pelvic pain responded as well to medical treatment as they did to surgery, according to a prospective, observational cohort study of 370 patients that was carried out 1 year after treatment, Dr. Georgine Lamvu said...

Seek 24-hour urine in suspected preeclampsia.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Don't rely on dipsticks to detect proteinuria in pregnant patients with suspected preeclampsia, Dr. Michael A. Belfort said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the law. ...

AFP testing deemed expensive, obsolete.(Women's Health)(alpha fetoprotein)
April 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Maternal serum [alpha]-fetoprotein is no longer an effective or cost-effective second-trimester screen for neural tube defects in an era when women routinely undergo first-trimester Down syndrome screening and subsequent...

Consider hydroxychloroquine continuation in lupus pregnancy.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Lupus treatment should not be discontinued in anticipation of a pregnancy, Dr. W. Joseph McCune said at a symposium sponsored by the American College of Rheumatology. Terminating drug treatment results in flares, and it...

Valproic acid.(Drugs, Pregnancy, And Lactation)
April 1, 2006... For more than 20 years, the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) associated with first-trimester exposure to valproic acid has been well known: The estimated risk is 2%, about 10- to 20-fold higher than the baseline risk. With more widespread use...

Fibrous dysplasia lesions appear early, hurt later.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)
April 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Although the majority of fibrous dysplasia lesions are established early in childhood, many patients don't experience pain until later in life, Dr. Michael 72 Collins reported at a meeting sponsored by the Paget's...

Early RA medical therapy may prevent need for surgery.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)(rheumatoid arthritis)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Patients in the Utrecht Rheumatoid Arthritis Cohort who began treatment early in the course of disease were less likely to need joint surgery later on, Dr. Suzan M.M. Verstappen said at the annual meeting of the American College of...

Keep seniors standing tall.(Exercise Rx)
April 1, 2006... Maintaining good posture is important for everyone, but especially for older patients. In general, flexor muscles are always stronger than extensor muscles. In the upper body, the muscles high in the chest become tight over time, which...

Registry: catastrophic syndrome picture emerges.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)(catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome)
April 1, 2006... ABANO TERME, ITALY -- Much has been learned about triggering factors and the range of clinical manifestations in catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome to describe a constellation of events including multiple organ failure, thrombotic...

'Scratch test' detects carpal tunnel syndrome.(Musculoskeletal Disorders)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- A novel test for diagnosing carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes was at least as accurate as conventional tests, according to the findings of a prospective, case-control study. During the so-called scratch-collapse test,...

Aerospan, Clarinex-D 12-hour tablets.(New & Approved)
April 1, 2006... Aerospan (flunisolide HFA, 80-mcg inhalation aerosol, Forest Laboratories Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Aerospan (flunisolide HFA, 80 mcg) inhalation aerosol for the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy...

Returning vets offer a window on neuroscience: military centers are leading the way on cerebral vasospasm, ALS, and rhabdomyolysis research.(Clinical Rounds)(Comprehensive Neuroscience Program)
April 1, 2006... The Comprehensive Neuroscience Program stands on the verge of discoveries in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, peripheral nerve injury, and traumatic cerebral vasospasm, thanks to its unique research population: healthy young adults who habitually...

HRSA brain-injury program may be cut.(Clinical Rounds)(Health Resources and Services Administration)
April 1, 2006... The acute neurology program at the Naval Medical Center is not the only federal neurology-related program facing budget cuts. President George W. Bush also has proposed zeroing out funding in fiscal year 2007 for the Traumatic Brain Injury...

Drug-induced parkinsonism often overlooked.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Even neurologists are missing the diagnosis of drug-induced parkinsonism, according to an informal study of patients at one movement-disorder clinic, presented at the World Parkinson Congress. Overall, 8% (23 of 304 patients)...

Weigh gastric bypass risks differently in youths.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Dallas -- With obesity in children and adolescents growing at an alarming rate, patients seeking bariatric surgery are younger than ever, Dr. Scott A. Shikora said at a conference sponsored by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral...

Nutrition a concern long after bariatric surgery.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2006... Dallas -- More patients are presenting with complications resulting from poor eating patterns and failure to take required nutritional supplements after bariatric surgery, Margaret Malone, Ph.D., said at a conference sponsored by the American...

Coffee doesn't cause hypertension.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Coffee drinking doesn't appear to raise the risk of hypertension in women, a research finding that refutes the conventional wisdom, reported Dr. Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer and his associates at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical...

Mixed method fixes plantar fasciitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Treatment of plantar fasciitis with a 2-week course of acetic acid iontophoresis in combination with taping support significantly alleviates foot stiffness and pain, results of a randomized trial indicate. Dr. Hamish R. Osborne and Garry...

Seizures in kids: CT scans overused.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The number of children with recurrent seizures who receive emergent CT scans is rising, despite a national call for more restraint in the use of CT imaging in pediatric emergency department patients, according to Dr. Leslie Allen. In its...

Lab test provides shortcut to ID food allergy: the assay will cut in half the number of required double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Keystone, Colo. -- Quantitative measurements of food-specific IgE anti-bodies are a useful shortcut in predicting symptomatic food allergy provided they're interpreted cautiously, Dr. F. Dan Atkins said at a meeting sponsored by the National...

Don't mix peanut butter and passion; enough allergens linger in saliva.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Miami Beach -- To avoid the transmission of potentially deadly allergens in saliva, patients should be advised not to follow peanut butter with romance, Dr. Jennifer Maloney said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma,...

Estimates of rTPA use might be artificially low.(Clinical Capsules)(recombinant tissue plasminogen activator)
April 1, 2006... Kissimmee, Fla. -- The use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for treatment of ischemic stroke in the United States appears to be underestimated, Dr. Dawn Kleindorfer said at the 31st International Stroke Conference. Previous...

Oral appliances touted as first-line apnea fix: continuous positive airway pressure is not as effective for patients with primary snoring, mild apnea.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Oral appliances should be considered as first-line therapy in certain patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea, according to new practice parameters from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The academy first published practice...

Surge in pediatric outpatient surgery requires primary care.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, Fla. -- "Increasingly, most surgery on children is done on an outpatient basis, and if there is a problem the family is going to call the doctor that they know best: the pediatrician or family physician," Dr. Myron Yaster said at...

Pharmacy software reveals patients' Rx histories.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Want to see all the medications your patient is on before you write that next prescription? A pharmacy trade group is ready to help you... if you have electronic health record or e-prescribing software. New software from SureScripts, a...

Pay-for-performance agreement ruffles feathers.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... Specialty organizations are concerned that the American Medical Association is unilaterally setting performance goals that doctors won't be able to meet. A recent agreement between the AMA and leaders in Congress outlines an ambitious...

Family medicine fill rate turned upward this match: less than half of the slots (41.4%) were filled by U.S. seniors, a trend AAFP hopes to amend.(Practice Trends)(American Academy of Family Physicians)
April 1, 2006... The fill rate for family medicine residency slots was up slightly from last year, but leaders in the field continue to be concerned about overall interest in the specialty as well as interest among U.S. medical school graduates. This year,...

Wisconsin doctors want cap back.(Policy & Practice)(Wisconsin medical damages cap overturned)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Wisconsin doctors hailed the state assembly's passage of a bill from Rep. Curt Gielow (R) that would reinstate a cap on noneconomic damages at $750,000. The 10-year-old cap was overturned by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2005, "throwing...

Hospital ethnicity data.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Most hospitals collect data about the race, ethnicity, and language preference of their patients, but few are using the data to improve health care quality, according to a study that was conducted by the National Public Health and Hospital...

Assessing pay for performance.(Policy & Practice)(pay for performance in health care sector)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... More than 100 pay-for-performance programs were operating around the country as of last September, according to a new report from the Alliance for Health Reform. Members of Congress and the Bush administration also are exploring methods for...

Fighting off bad bugs.(Policy & Practice)(action urged on drug-resistant infections)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Congress should be taking more aggressive steps to incentivize pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to fight antibiotic resistance, physicians and other policy makers said during a press conference sponsored by the Infectious Diseases...

Health savings accounts scrutinized, praised.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2006... As President Bush puts health savings accounts higher on his agenda, experts continue to debate whether they are a good idea for solving the problems of the uninsured. "The more I think about these proposals, the more troubling I find them...

'Consumer-driven' care takes all stakeholders.(Practice Trends)(consumer-driven health care)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Although consumer-driven health care puts much more decision making in the hands of consumers, employers, and insurers still have a role to play, several speakers said at a meeting on health care competition sponsored by Health...

Why aborigines don't snore.(Indications)(didgeridoos and snoring)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A certain second grader of our acquaintance made a didgeridoo out of PVC pipe, painted it with aboriginal designs, and kept the neighbors awake half the night while he wailed away on the blasted thing. Has, he failed to achieve the haunting...

Raves explained.(Indications)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... If you should spy a group of lab rats wailing away on their didges, the explanation might be that they were participants in a study that found exposure to loud music prolonged for as long as 5 days the effects of taking...

Moon over Baltimore.(Indications)(connection between full moon and trauma explored)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... There is a saying bandied about among the residents of small towns: "You may not see a lot here, but what you do see, you see a lot of." In a big city like Baltimore, residents probably feel like they have seen it all and lots of it. Physicians...

Message from the surgeon general.(Indications)(dog ownership and exercise connection)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Get a dog. It does a body good. City dwellers that have a pet dog get more exercise than do their dogless counterparts. Nothing gets one up out of the Barcalounger (or should it be "bark-at-lounger"?) and out to circle the block more reliably...

Help patients plan for surgery.(FYI)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a publication to help patients make informed decisions when planning for surgery. "Having Surgery? What You Need to Know" is available for download at...