Family Practice News articles from January 2009

Family Practice News archives from January 2009

Breast density, cycles no barrier for PEM.(NEWS)(positron emission mammography)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHICAGO -- Positron emission mammography appears not to be adversely affected by either breast density or a woman's hormonal status--two common limitations in mammography and breast MRI. In a prospective,...

Some see health reform gathering momentum early: Daschle pick, tech incentives signal shift.(NEWS)
January 1, 2009... Early signals from the incoming Obama administration have many physicians feeling optimistic about the chances for comprehensive health reform. "We believe that now is the time to act," said Dr. Ted Epperly, president of the American...

FDA panels weigh risks, benefits of asthma drugs.(NEWS)
January 1, 2009... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- The benefits of the single-ingredient, long-acting [beta]-agonist products salmeterol (Serevent) and formoterol (Foradil) do not outweigh their risks when used for treating asthma in adults, adolescents, and children,...

Panel backs new fluoroquinolone for conjunctivitis.(NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 9-0 that an ophthalmic formulation of besifloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone antibiotic, should be approved for treating bacterial conjunctivitis in people aged 1 year and...

IOM panel outlines strategies to improve adolescent care.(NEWS)(Institute of Medicine)
January 1, 2009... Health care services in the United States for adolescents are fragmented, leaving gaps in care that "safety-net" resources cannot fill, especially for those who are uninsured or vulnerable to risky behavior or poor health, according to a report...

Reform requires a transformation.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
January 1, 2009... As the 17th Surgeon General of the United States (20022006) and chairperson of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (www.fightchronicdisease.org), I have been working for nearly 2 years with the presidential candidates' policy teams to help...

E-prescription for trouble.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I have been trying to use an e-prescription program, but there are several problems ("E-Prescribing Tied to Medicare Bonus," Nov. 15, 2008, p. 1): * Controlled medications can't be issued through an electronic prescription. * It does...

Hibiscus tea is found to lower blood pressure.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Quaffing three cups of hibiscus tea daily for 6 weeks resulted in a mean 7.2-mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure in mildly hypertensive or prehypertensive adults in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. ...

Genotyping reveals CHD risk in type 2 group.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(coronary heart disease)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- The cardiovascular mortality rate was more than fivefold higher in type 2 diabetic patients who possessed the haptoglobin 2-2 genotype than in those who did not in a large, prospective, Israeli study. Another analysis based...

Risky business.(GENOMIC MEDICINE)
January 1, 2009... Age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, family history, and cholesterol levels are the heavy hitters of risk assessment for coronary heart disease, especially in patients of a certain age. Combined, these risk factors...

Virtual colonoscopy can screen for bone loss.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... CHICAGO -- CT colonography can screen as reliably for osteoporosis as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and can be used to screen simultaneously for bone loss and colorectal cancer, a study of 35 patients suggests. Of the currently accepted...

Aliskiren achieved better control than irbesartan.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Monotherapy with the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren was more effective at lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome than the angiotensin-receptor blocker irbesartan in a randomized study with 138...

Early diastolic dysfunction seen in diabetics.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Preclinical diastolic dysfunction was highly prevalent among patients with diabetes, occurring in 24% of more than 1,700 largely unselected patients in a retrospective study. Diastolic dysfunction without any initial clinical...

Aspirin no aid for metabolic syndrome.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Apparently healthy people with a family history of coronary artery disease who also had metabolic syndrome showed elevated platelet aggregation and reduced platelet responsiveness to aspirin in a study of more than 2,000 people....

Measles deaths slide by 74% as immunizations reach 82%.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Worldwide deaths from measles across all age groups dropped by 74% between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000 deaths annually. The most striking reduction during this time period occurred in the...

Flu pandemic planning must continue, Levitt Says.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Mike Leavitt)
January 1, 2009... Getting six cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing plants up and running in the United States should be the first of four priorities for the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, advised Secretary Mike Leavitt. "The highest...

Broader vaccination window may boost visits.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Expanding the traditional window for influenza vaccination would expand the number of vaccination opportunities by increasing the number of pediatric office visits, based on data for 77.6 million children from a national survey...

Silvery hair points to deadly genetic syndromes.(SKIN DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... LAS VEGAS -- Genetic disorders associated with silvery hair are almost uniformly fatal in children, most often as a result of accompanying immunologic or neurologic abnormalities. Natural light reveals hair the color of lead and with a...

FDA mulls revision of warning labels for indoor tanning beds.(SKIN DISORDERS)(Food and Drug Administration)
January 1, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration is considering changing the warning labels on indoor tanning beds to be shorter and more forceful, according to a report that the agency submitted to Congress and posted on its Web site in early December. ...

Reassurance, basic advice best for some dermatoses.(SKIN DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... LAS VEGAS -- As a pediatric dermatologist, Dr. Fred Ghali is often faced with worrisome hemangiomas, grim genetic dermatoses, or serious drug eruptions, so he relishes being able to say to a family: "No worries." Such is the case with...

Teen drug use high despite decline in smoking.(MENTAL HEALTH)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Drug abuse among U.S. adolescents remained steady in 2008, compared with recent years, but cigarette smoking is at a historic low, according to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey, released by the National Institute on Drug...

Guidelines clarify use of newer antidepressants.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2009... Second-generation antidepressants are similarly effective in the treatment of major depression in adults, thus drug selection should be driven by adverse event profile, cost, and patient preference, according to a clinical practice guideline...

Internet-based substance abuse screening useful.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Internet-based brief screening and self-help interventions for addictions provide an option for people who otherwise might not make it in to see a clinician in person, according to an addiction specialist who has been piloting...

Transdermal hormones yield CV benefits in menopause.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Compounded transdermal hormone therapy relieves menopausal symptoms while improving cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory and thrombotic biomarkers, according to a preliminary study. "By replacing the hormone that's...

Drug exposure and the media.(DRUGS, PREGNANCY, AND LACTATION)
January 1, 2009... Over the past several decades, media coverage of medical journal studies has played a powerful role in perpetuating the bias against the use of certain medications during pregnancy. As physicians, we read medical journals and other...

Small joint swelling, labs may point to early RA.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(rheumatoid arthritis)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- An observational study of 395 patients with suspected early arthritis identified two factors that predicted a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis within a year's time. Patients with swelling in a small joint of the hands...

Low-dose colchicine relieves gout with fewer side effects.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Low-dose colchicine appeared to be as effective as a more conventional dose in treating acute gout flares, but produced far fewer side effects in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 185 patients. The...

Scoring system predicts ability of orthotics to ease knee pain.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... The success of orthotic devices for patellofemoral pain can be predicted by a patient's age, height, mid-foot morphometry, and pain severity, according to a small, single-center Australian study. The use of these predictor variables can...

Bowel preps tied to phosphate nephropathy risk.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
January 1, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has added a boxed warning to the prescription oral sodium phosphate bowel preparation products Visicol and OsmoPrep concerning the risk of acute phosphate nephropathy. The agency is also recommending...

GERD Tx aids lung function in asthmatic kids.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
January 1, 2009... SEATTLE -- Treating gastroesophageal reflux disease in children with persistent asthma improves lung function in the long term, new data show. Moreover, medical and surgical treatments appear to work equally well. About two-thirds of...

FDA panel: amyloid imaging may rule out Alzheimer's.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SILVER SPRING, MD. -- Radionuclide imaging products that reliably detect cerebral amyloid deposits would be clinically useful in ruling out a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients with cognitive impairment,...

Nation scores low marks for emergency care.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- The United States gets a C--in support of emergency care, according to a report released last month by the American College of Emergency Physicians. In a state-by-state comparison, Massachusetts received the highest mark, B,...

2007's lessons will spur improvements in PQRI.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Physician Quality Reporting Initiative)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Data from the first 6 months of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) are spurring improvements for the upcoming year, a Medicare official testified at a meeting of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council. In...

Medical emissions curbed.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tougher air pollution standards for medical waste incinerators, which environmental groups said have been among the country's worst emitters of mercury and dioxins. The new rule, which is subject...

Clinic discloses industry ties.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Cleveland Clinic)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Cleveland Clinic has begun public disclosure of the business relationships its staff physicians and scientists have with drug and medical device makers. The organization said its Web site will list the names of companies with which each...

HHS issues final PSO rules.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Department of Health and Human Services, Patient Safety Organization)
January 1, 2009... The Department of Health and Human Services has issued the final requirements for Patient Safety Organizations, new entities through which health care providers can collect and analyze data to identify and reduce patient care risks. PSOs allow...

Lawmaker asks for heparin review.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Joe Barton)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), ranking minority member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has asked the Government Accountability Office for a thorough review of the Food and Drug Administration's handling of the recent problems with...

Defensive medicine widespread.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Defensive medicine--physicians ordering tests, procedures, referrals, hospitalizations, or prescriptions because of fear of being sued--is widespread and adds a minimum of $1.4 billion per year to the cost of health care in Massachusetts,...

Workers have uninsured children.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... About 8.6 million children in the United States are uninsured, and most of these are in working families, according to a report from the advocacy group Families USA. In fact, almost 90% of uninsured children are in families where one parent...

Concierge concerns.(LAW & MEDICINE)
January 1, 2009... As the debate about health care reform continues, one concept springing up from the private sector is concierge medicine. It is an innovative "product" created, as author Sandra Carnahan wrote 2 years ago, "to reclaim the heart and soul of...

Third highest occupational fraud rate afflicts health care.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
January 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- Think your medical practice is immune from employees who commit occupational fraud? Think again. Of 450 medium- and large-size organizations that participated in KPMG LLP's 2003 United States Fraud Survey, 75% had experienced...

IOM seeks tighter rules on residents' hours.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Institute of Medicine)
January 1, 2009... Changes in the maximum shift length for residents, increases in mandatory time off, and inclusion of all moonlighting in total work hours are among the recommendations made in a report issued by the Institute of Medicine last month. The...

A caries cure that kinda sucks.(INDICATIONS)(licorice lollipops)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Those lollipops once handed out by many pediatric offices have fallen out of favor, but they may soon make a healthy comeback. At least, if the treats are sugarless lollipops containing licorice extract. It seems the kids can be joined by their...

Bush's brain, part deux.(INDICATIONS)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A couple of Dutch researchers have figured out that the brain, some of President Bush's speeches notwithstanding, is set up to prevent mistakes in speaking. Study volunteers, tasked with identifying whether words contained certain letters or...

HT use cut tied to cancer decline.(NEWS)(hormone therapy)(Women's Health Initiative)
January 15, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SAN ANTONIO -- Two new statistical analyses of Women's Health Initiative data persuasively indicate that the recent abrupt decline in breast cancer incidence in the United States is attributable to a dramatic drop in...

Antiepileptics to add suicidality warning to label: physicians urged to discuss possible signs.(MENTAL HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Ad ministration directed physicians to inform patients taking anticonvulsant medications that the drugs have the potential to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior. Families and caregivers should also be notified of this...

Cardiovascular risk data clarify glycemic targets.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... The target hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] of less than 7% should remain the general goal for nonpregnant adults with diabetes, despite recent results from three large randomized trials showing that intensive glucose lowering did not reduce the risks of...

Barely half of mentally distressed in U.S. get care.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... Just 45% of the 24 million U.S. citizens who experienced serious psychological distress in the past year received any kind of mental health services for their symptoms, a national report has found. Young adults bore much of the burden of...

Blood syndrome incidence appears higher than assumed.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Myelodysplastic syndrome is far more common than previous estimates suggested, and patients with this blood disorder tend to be older and sicker than the general Medicare population, based on an analysis of claims by more than...

Review backs Ezetimibe and Simvastatin combo.(NEWS)(Effect of Combination Ezetimibe and High-Dose Simvastatin vs. Simvastatin Alone on the Atherosclerotic Process in Patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia)
January 15, 2009... After a year-long review of data from the ENHANCE trial that showed no statistically significant difference in the changes in carotid artery thickness between patients treated with ezetimibe and simvastatin and simvastatin alone, the Food and...

Trilipix okayed as cotherapy with a statin.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration approved Trilipix (fenofibric acid) delayed-release capsules for use along with diet either alone or in combination with a statin to help improve lipid levels. It is the first fibrate to be approved for use in...

FDA seeks data on type II drugs' heart risks.(NEWS)(Food and Drug Administration)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance to manufacturers of type II diabetes therapies seeking more information on how the products may increase or decrease the risk of cardiovascular comorbidities. The agency mailed letters...

Is universal vaccination of boys the next step in fighting HPV? Boys and girls should be vaccinated.(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)
January 15, 2009... Widespread immunization of girls and boys against the human papillomavirus could fully eradicate types 16 and 18 of the virus. If we miss half the equation by leaving the boys out of our vaccination strategy, that type of public health success...

Is universal vaccination of boys the next step in fighting HPV? The evidence needs time to mature.(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)(human papillomavirus)
January 15, 2009... The issue of immunizing males against HPV often comes down to whether they should receive the vaccine to protect females. Doing so is honorable and even reasonable, but at this point there is little evidence suggesting that this is cost...

Seeking Rx for e-prescribing.(Letter to the editor)
January 15, 2009... My practice has implemented SureScripts in preparation for the 2009 Medicare bonus for e-prescribing ("E-Prescribing Tied To Medicare Bonus," Nov. 15, 2008, p. 1). However, I have not been able to find out how to communicate with Medicare...

Pain relievers.(OPINION)(Cartoon)
January 15, 2009... "There's someone here from the president's council on physical fitness, Herb, and he has a warrant." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Heart failure patients see up to 23 physicians a year.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
January 15, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure see an average of 16-23 different physicians annually, depending on the severity of their condition. This fending, based on extrapolation from fiscal year 2005 data on a representative...

Fruits and veggies boost endothelial function.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Every portion of fruits and vegetables eaten per day improves vascular endothelial function by an additional 6.2% in dose-dependent fashion. This finding from a randomized controlled study provides a mechanistic explanation...

Scoring system aims to predict atrial fib risk.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
January 15, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Eight easily obtained clinical variables together formed a risk score that could predict a person's risk for developing atrial fibrillation with reasonable reliability, on the basis of an analysis using data from the Framingham...

Vaccination schedules tweaked for 2009.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 15, 2009... This year's Adult Immunization Schedule includes the 2008 recommendation to use the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in cigarette smokers and patients with asthma. No new vaccines have been added to the schedule, but there are several...

Therapeutic monitoring of vancomycin.(CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS)
January 15, 2009... Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is used primarily for treating an infection that may involve methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. However, given the increase in resistance to antibiotics, family physicians now also recommend it in the...

Osteoporosis Rx approval opens options to men.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of yearly zoledronic acid infusions for treating low bone mass in men with osteoporosis will give providers a treatment option for men other than oral weekly therapy, according to Dr. Nelson...

Optimal TSH levels in thyroid cancer patients requires a tailored approach.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Clinical report)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- An individually tailored approach to providing thyroid hormone replacement in thyroid cancer patients should be guided by the findings of several key studies, according to endocrinologist Giuseppe Barbesino. The evidence at hand...

Consider diabetes drug withdrawal in the elderly.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... Weaning or reducing diabetes medications in elderly nursing home residents is possible and may reduce the risk of hypoglycemic events that can cause cognitive impairment, cardiac arrhythmias, and even death, a small Swedish study has concluded....

Atomoxetine found safe for ADHD long term.(MENTAL HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Atomoxetine for the treatment of attentiondeficit / hyperactivity disorder is generally safe and well tolerated in children and adolescents for up to more than 4 years of treatment, results of two open-label extension studies show....

Asians on phenytoin at high skin reaction risk.(SKIN DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration is investigating preliminary data indicating that people who have the human leukocyte antigen allele HLA-B*1052 may be at a greater risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis...

Breast cancer risk test trumps gail model.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- The investigational OncoVue breast cancer risk test provided a 2.4-fold improvement over the Gail model in accurately identifying women at elevated risk of breast cancer in a blinded validation study. This is the third...

Test tags HER2 patients who are at low risk.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)(MammaPrint)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- The 70-gene MammaPrint prognosis signature independently identifies a genomic low-risk subgroup of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients likely to have a good long-term clinical outcome, even without adjuvant trastuzumab and...

Hormonal drug approved for prostate cancer.(MEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has approved an injectable gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. It is the first new agent cleared to treat the disease since 2004. Degarelix,...

COPD common in smokers with chronic bronchitis.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
January 15, 2009... PHILADELPHIA -- Patients with a history of smoking and symptoms of chronic bronchitis had a 26% prevalence of airflow obstruction consistent with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in a cross-sectional study of more than 1,200 people seen...

New therapies step up to the plate for gout.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(febuxostat)
January 15, 2009... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The likely approval of febuxostat for treating gout means there soon will be an alternative for the underserved group of patients with severe disease who cannot tolerate allopurinol. No new urate-lowering...

Fibromyalgia diagnosis, therapy vary by provider.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Rheumatologists and primary care physicians tend to use different diagnostic tests and prescribe different treatments for fibromyalgia syndrome, survey results indicated. A large fraction of physicians in both groups did...

Dual-energy CT imaging may play role in gout diagnosis.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Dual-energy computed tomography scans showed red-colored uric acid deposits in 20 consecutive patients with clinically obvious tophaceous gout but not in 10 control subjects with other nongout joint conditions. The 100%...

Study backs role of PCPs in colonoscopy screening.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)(primary care physicians)
January 15, 2009... RIO GRANDE, P.R. -- Primary care physicians can successfully perform screening colonoscopies and identify patients at increased risk for developing colorectal cancer, according to a review of 559 colonoscopies. Colonoscopy is the preferred...

Probiotic is deemed safe, effective for children with IBS.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
January 15, 2009... ORLANDO -- Children and adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome reported significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life with the use of a proprietary probiotic mixture, compared with placebo, in a randomized, double-blind, crossover...

Amyloid theory for Alzheimer's limps along.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
January 15, 2009... The amyloid hypothesis isn't dead, but it seems to be limping a bit in the race for an Alzheimer's cure. Some researchers who predicted 5 years ago that an antiamyloid disease-modifying therapy was imminent are now reevaluating that...

Coverage gaps in hospitalizations.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... Interruptions in Medicaid coverage are associated with a higher rate of hospitalizations for conditions that often can be treated in an ambulatory care setting, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers in California...

E-Rx systems boost savings.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... Electronic prescribing systems that allow doctors to select lower cost or generic medications can save $845,000 per 100,000 patients per year and possibly more, according to a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The...

PhRMa revises ad guidelines.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America recently advised drug makers to state when actors portray medical professionals in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements and to acknowledge any compensation given to real medical...

Medical home issues identified.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... Key issues that face medical home initiatives include how to qualify physician practices as medical homes, how to match patients to such practices, how to get physicians and other providers to coordinate their care of patients in medical homes,...

CPR for EHRs.(THE OFFICE)(electronic health record)
January 15, 2009... The truth about EHR systems is that their implementation is never easy. It's a lot of work. It takes time and money, and despite the best laid plans there will be trauma and frustration. So expecting problems to arise is key to keeping...

CMS clarifies bariatric surgery coverage criteria.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
January 15, 2009... Medicare will not cover bariatric surgery for beneficiaries who have type 2 diabetes but do not have a body mass index greater than 35 kg/[m.sup.2], according to a proposed decision memo. Recent medical reports have claimed that bariatric...

Medicare advisers back CT colonography, with caveats.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(computed tomography)
January 15, 2009... BALTIMORE -- After a daylong discussion, a panel of Medicare advisers tentatively said they support use of computed tomographic colonography to screen for colorectal cancer in average-risk Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Evidence...

Family physician gazes upward.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)(Steven Reeder's love for astronomy)
January 15, 2009... During summers as grade school students in Woodland Hills, Calif., Dr. Steven Reeder and his brothers would set up cots in their backyard and sleep beneath the stars, gazing at the cosmos. "We'd fall asleep gazing upward, using binoculars...