Family Practice News articles from May 2009

Family Practice News archives from May 2009

Home is where the real BP readings are.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] COLORADO SPRINGS -- Home blood pressure monitoring is emerging as a powerful tool for improving the nation's embarrassingly poor state of hypertension control. "I would venture to say that, conservatively, at...

Hospital readmissions go under the microscope.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
May 1, 2009... If a Federal initiative aimed at lowering hospital readmission rates is going to succeed, it will need to find ways of bolstering communication between hospitals and primary care physicians to improve continuity of care. The Centers for...

Physician practices must craft ID theft program.(NEWS)(Identity Theft Red Flags Rule)
May 1, 2009... Physicians and health care organizations must now implement a formal identity theft prevention program to protect their patients under a little-known set of regulations called the "Identity Theft Red Flags Rule." The rule, which was issued...

Tips for Red Flags rule compliance.(NEWS)(compliance officer for the identity-theft prevention program)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Physician practices that are seeking to comply with the "Red Flags Rule" can begin by appointing someone who will be the compliance officer for the identity-theft prevention program, said Sai Huda, an expert in financial services regulation....

Vital signs.(NEWS)(health funding)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Medicaid Gets Majority of Health Funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (billions of dollars) Medicaid matching rate increase, $86.6 (57%) Other Medicaid, $3.2 (2%) COBRA, ...

UnitedHealthcare rolls out diabetes pilot plan.(NEWS)
May 1, 2009... UnitedHealthcare is making diabetes patients an offer: Get your required checkups and tests, and your diabetes drugs and supplies are free. Getting diabetes patients to take better care of themselves is the idea behind the Diabetes Health...

Low, slow pay for vaccines hurts.(LETTERS)(largest component of annual expenses is vaccine cost)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... I am a solo pediatric practitioner in Canton, Mich., taking the plunge after many years in hospital practice. About the numerous articles discussing universal immunization: None of us in the trenches needs any convincing about the advisability...

Show primary care the money.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Dr. N.S. Damle has asked for real change in the U.S. health care system from President Obama's administration, including strengthening the primary care workforce ("Primary Care Needs Real Change," April 15, 2009, p. 8). The explanation for...

Bone Tx heart effects investigated.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(bisphosphonate use)(Report)
May 1, 2009... ORLANDO -- Bisphosphonate use was linked with an unexpected, increased risk for aortic valve calcification in women aged 55-64 years in an analysis of about 3,700 women. The analysis also showed the more expected finding that among older...

Even after hip fracture, many patients not told the 'O' word.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Report)
May 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Three-fourths of patients hospitalized for a hip fracture do not receive an osteoporosis diagnosis before discharge, and the majority are not taking a bisphosphonate at discharge or 6 months after the injury, a study has shown....

Zostavax and psoriasis do not mix.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
May 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Immunization with the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) probably isn't worth the potential risks in patients with psoriasis or other chronic inflammatory skin diseases, Dr. Alice Gottlieb asserted at the annual...

Flu vaccine may be safe in those with egg allergy.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Among 349 pediatric patients with egg allergy who received the influenza vaccine under a graded-dose protocol, 96% had no reaction, according to a retrospective study. These patients "can safely receive the influenza vaccine...

New Web site seeks to improve adult immunization rates.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(www.adultvaccination.com)(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)(Website overview)
May 1, 2009... The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has unveiled a Web site that takes a multipronged approach to increasing the rate of adult vaccination in the United States. Revealed during a Webcast for reporters, www.adultvaccination.com...

Mental illnesses start earlier than thought, expert says.(MENTAL HEALTH)
May 1, 2009... BALTIMORE -- There's a growing appreciation among pediatric psychiatrists that mental illnesses occur among preschoolers and that identification and treatment are critical to getting these kids back on track for healthy development, according...

A third of IBD patients skip cervical screening.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(inflammatory bowel disease)
May 1, 2009... One-third of women with inflammatory bowel disease don't undergo screening for cervical dysplasia or cancer as recommended, according to Dr. Millie D. Long and her colleagues. This is particularly alarming because many of these women appear...

Propranolol tried for severe hemangiomas.(SKIN DISORDERS)(Report)
May 1, 2009... BALTIMORE -- Propranolol for the treatment of severe infantile hemangiomas is getting some buzz in pediatric dermatology circles, and results from a new patient series support the interest. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University treated...

Pesticide-free topical for fighting head lice approved.(SKIN DISORDERS)(Report)
May 1, 2009... The first head lice treatment with benzyl alcohol as the active ingredient has received Food and Drug Administration approval for use in adults and children aged 6 months and older. The newly approved agent (not yet named) is the first...

PML risk drives efalizumab off the market for psoriasis.(SKIN DISORDERS)(progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy)(Report)
May 1, 2009... The psoriasis drug efalizumab is being rapidly phased off the U.S. market, and as of June 8 will no longer be available to patients, according to a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration. Providers should not initiate...

JIA patients thrive, if they can find a specialist.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(juvenile idiopathic arthritis)
May 1, 2009... Hesitation on the part of nonpediatric rheumatologists to put children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis on biologics is harming these young patients who have the most to gain from such agents, according to physicians interviewed for this...

Active counseling key to keeping the weight off.(OBESITY)(Report)
May 1, 2009... NEW YORK -- Daily self-weighing helps people who have recently lost weight maintain their lower weight. People who are trying to maintain weight loss need to "learn to use scale information [the same way] a patient with diabetes uses...

Celiac disease predisposes patients to bone loss.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)(Report)
May 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- If you're not already taking a serious look at the bone health of patients with celiac disease, you should be, according to Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, New York. The...

Adult asthmatics do not understand their disease.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)(Survey)
May 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Nearly half (42%) of adult asthma patients incorrectly believed they could stop taking their controller medications when their symptoms subside, according to a recent survey. Furthermore, even though 94% of patients indicated...

Sexual health info online can lead kids astray.(CHILDREN'S HEALTH)
May 1, 2009... LOS ANGELES -- Teenagers cruising mainstream Web sites can hardly be faulted for thinking that emergency contraception is difficult to obtain, birth control pills will make them fat, and IUDs are meant for older women, not adolescents. ...

Lower IQs seen in toddlers exposed to valproate in utero.(CHILDREN'S HEALTH)(Report)
May 1, 2009... children exposed to valproate in utero have significantly lower IQs at age 3 than do children exposed to other antiepileptics during gestation, according to findings from the interim analysis of a large international study. The drug...

Presymptomatic testing of minors.(GENOMIC MEDICINE)
May 1, 2009... Your first patient of the day, June, is a bright and mature 16-year-old who prematurely lost her favorite maternal aunt to metastatic breast cancer. Before her death, June's aunt informed June that her cancer was related to a mutation in the...

Medicaid trumps Medicare in paying for health it.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)
May 1, 2009... While Medicare is almost always a better payer than Medicaid, one notable exception is the health information technology funding contained in the Recovery Act. For physicians applying for incentive money to purchase electronic health...

Bristol-Myers Squibb fined.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. will pay $2.1 million--the largest fine allowed by law--for failing to report an agreement it reached with Apotex Inc. on genetic competition for its blockbuster cardiovascular drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the Federal...

EMR applications rise.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
May 1, 2009... As of the March 31 deadline, 64 companies had applied for certification of their electronic medical record (EMR) products, one-third more than had applied by the same time last year, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information...

FDA warns on internet ads.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(online advertising)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has warned 14 drug makers against using brief Internet ads to promote drugs, saying the ads are misleading because they fail to provide full information about risks and indications. The ads typically appear on...

Massachusetts clinics are busy.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Community health centers in Massachusetts saw a significant increase in their patient load from 2005 to 2007, as the state implemented its health reform law, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The 34 federally qualified...

Issues of drug class pending.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Logistical and cost issues must be addressed before a behind-the-counter class of nonpresctiption drugs can be established officially in the United States, the Government Accountability Office said in a report on so-called BTC drugs. The GAO...

Dr. Calman appointed to panel.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(family physician Neil Caiman appointed as president and CEO of New York's Institute for Family Health)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Obama administration has appointed family physician Neil Caiman, president and CEO of New York's Institute for Family Health, to the new Health Information Technology Policy Panel. Dr. Caiman will represent the interests of vulnerable...

Spotlight hits hospital readmissions for heart failure.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
May 1, 2009... ORLANDO -- "Hospital readmissions" has become the latest bad-practice buzzword out of Washington, and the American College of Cardiology is scrambling to put a lid on unnecessary readmissions. The ACC is alarmed because the worst...

Causation.(LAW & MEDICINE)(cases on medication errors)
May 1, 2009... Question: An internist prescribed increasing doses of cholestyramine for a patient with hypercholesterolemia with resulting constipation. The constipation worsened after codeine was used to relieve abdominal pain. A month later, the patient...

Move over, Elgin marbles.(INDICATIONS)
May 1, 2009... As much as we at the Bureau of Indications like to think that we answer to no one, it's not true. We are just the innermost doll in a corporate matryoshka, with the big mama doll being Elsevier. You may have seen that name on the spine of your...

We've heard of Barflys, but ED-flys?(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... They do everything big in Texas, and it looks like emergency department use is no exception. A report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration showed that just nine people made 2,678 visits to Austin-area hospital emergency departments...

Palliative care team makes house calls.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
May 15, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AUSTIN, TEX. -- Americans can get almost anything delivered to their homes, but it might not be so easy to get the doorbell to ring when you're most in need. "There are more than 1,000 hospital-based palliative...

Health reform to be financed with Medicare savings: budget includes $635 B 'reserve fund.'.(NEWS)
May 15, 2009... The Obama administration plans to finance a portion of its ambitious health care reform plan through changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including the bundling of payments for inpatient and postacute care. The new details were...

U.S. officials gear up for 2009-H1N1's fall return.(2009-H1N1 INFLUENZA)
May 15, 2009... Even as the rate of new 2009-H1N1 infections dwindles in the Northern Hemisphere, infection officials are bracing for the influenza's potential re-emergence this fall. At press time, the House Appropriations Committee had approved $2.05...

Sebelius: Obama's health reform to include a public plan option.(NEWS)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- President Obama will not dictate the specifics of a health reform plan, but will not back away from the belief that a government-funded health plan must be part of the plan, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius...

Top 10 U.S. pharmaceutical products by sales in 2008.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief article)(List)
May 15, 2009... Top 10 U.S. Pharmaceutical Products by Sales in 2008 (in billions) Lipitor (atorvastatin) $7.8 Nexium (esomeprazole) $5.9 Plavix (clopidogrel) $4.9 Advair Diskus $4.4 (fluticasone/salmeterol) $4.4...

Outbreak drives home need for flu shots: about 72% of people 65 and older get the flu shot; fewer than 50% of health care workers get it.(NEWS)
May 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Even if history records the 2009-H1N1 influenza epidemic as mild, its appearance highlights the need to improve seasonal-flu vaccination rates among the elderly and the health care workers who take care of them, said speakers during...

Acetaminophen, NSAIDs warnings strengthened.(NEWS)
May 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration is requiring manufacturers to place more prominent warning labels on certain over-the-counter drug products to alert consumers to the potential risks of liver injury from acetaminophen and stomach bleeding from...

Botulinum toxin labels to include paralysis risk.(NEWS)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration announced that it will require all botulinum toxin manufacturers to add boxed warnings to the label that address the potential for paralysis-like symptoms resulting from the toxin's distant spread. The drug...

The case for mandatory flu vaccination.(COMMENTARY)
May 15, 2009... In August of 2004, I joined my colleagues at Virginia Mason Medical Center in a workshop to examine ways to improve delivery of influenza vaccine to patients and staff. This experience, and the knowledge of what it takes to overcome...

Let's face reality.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2009... As a practicing family physician and soon-to-be former member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, I cannot disagree more with Dr. Ted Epperly ("Let's Take Stock," Commentary, April 1, 2009, p. 10). Dr. Epperly tries to find a...

Family medicine is losing ground.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2009... While I would like to share Dr. Ted Epperly's optimism that the patient-centered medical home is gaining traction, the hard reality is that U.S. medical graduates are not convinced. While this model has gained momentum among employer...

Insurers need a lesson on ABI.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2009... Thank you for the interesting article on the ankle-brachial index ("Ankle-Brachial Index Could Become CVD Screen," April 1, 2009, p. 14). Dr. Timothy P. Murphy suggests that "We need to get the word out about this to the primary care...

Device may control refractory hypertension.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(Report)
May 15, 2009... ORLANDO -- An innovative implantable device therapy that stimulates baroreceptors safely achieved dramatic long-term blood pressure reduction in patients with refractory hypertension in a phase II study. On the basis of the highly favorable...

LVH risk is higher among African American children.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
May 15, 2009... BALTIMORE -- In 139 children who had primary hypertension, the risk for left ventricular hypertrophy was even greater for African Americans than for non-African Americans in a cross-sectional review. The children, aged 3-21 years, after...

Study: lipid, BP control cut stroke risk by 65%.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(Clinical report)
May 15, 2009... SEATTLE -- Optimally controlling lipid and blood pressure levels can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 65% in patients at high risk, Dr. Pierre Amarenco reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. The findings are...

Insulin, education key to type 2 in teens.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Report)
May 15, 2009... LOS ANGELES -- Adolescents newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes rapidly achieved an improvement in their glycemic control, but they tended to backslide within about a year in a longitudinal study conducted at Indiana University. Key...

Depression associated with mortality in diabetic patients.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... LONG BEACH, CALIF. -- People with diabetes have far higher scores on a depression scale than do those without diabetes, according to a large epidemiologic study. Furthermore, depression also is associated with increased 10-year mortality...

Early use of statins in type 1 may slim carotid thickening.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... LOS ANGELES -- Treating adolescents with type 1 diabetes with statins early in the course of their disease may lead to measurable improvement in their carotid intima-media thickness, an important risk factor for stroke and heart disease,...

Too little and too much sleep tied to type 2 diabetes risk.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Clinical report)
May 15, 2009... Sleeping more or less than 7-8 hours a night was associated with a significantly greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, in a 6-year study of 276 adults. The results "concur with a growing body of...

Prediction tool for Lyme meningitis validated.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Clinical report)
May 15, 2009... clinical features that separate Lyme meningitis from other causes of aseptic meningitis in children include longer duration of headache, the presence of cranial nerve palsies, and cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cell predominance, results from...

Knowledge gaps wide on MMRV vaccine.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine)
May 15, 2009... BALTIMORE -- In a survey, just 26% of family physicians, compared with 71% of pediatricians, were aware of the known link between febrile seizure and the combination measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine in children aged 12-15 months....

Internet-based free chlamydia tests net high rate of positive results.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
May 15, 2009... Los ANGELES -- Free home swab test kits requested via the Internet have detected hundreds of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and Trichomonas using a simple online recruitment strategy that was so effective that it is now being extended to...

Urinary tract infection.(CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 15, 2009... Urinary tract infections burden the heath care system considerably. More than half of women will experience at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetimes. And in 2000 alone, the cost to the health care system for evaluating and...

Digoxin appears to prevent prostate cancer.(MEN'S HEALTH)(Clinical report)
May 15, 2009... DENVER -- Men on digoxin were roughly one-quarter less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than were digoxin nonusers, according to findings from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The longer the duration of digoxin use, the...

Tool estimates absolute risk of prostate cancer.(MEN'S HEALTH)
May 15, 2009... DENVER -- A man's absolute risk of developing prostate cancer over a 20-year period can be estimated by determining the number of risk alleles present on a simple genetic test and then taking into account the presence or absence of a family...

Teens report parents' drinking and driving.(MENTAL HEALTH)
May 15, 2009... BALTIMORE -- For as many as a third of adolescents who report riding in a car with a drinking driver, that driver is actually a parent rather than a peer. That startling finding, from an observational study based on a cross-sectional...

Statins may aid arthritis patients with high CRP.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... NEW YORK -- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and elevated C-reactive protein levels would be likely to benefit from treatment with a statin to lower their CRP levels and consequently their risk for a cardiovascular event, regardless of their...

Corticosteroid-induced bone loss occurs within 3 months.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(Report)
May 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Fracture risk increases in arthritis patients within about 3 months of starting corticosteroids and remains high, according to Dr. Nelson Watts. "How much of this is steroids and how much of this is the underlying disease is...

Golimumab approved for RA, PsA, ankylosing spondylitis.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... Golimumab, the first once-monthly, injectable tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonist, was recently approved for treating adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis, and active ankylosing...

Face of severe pediatric asthma getting younger.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
May 15, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WASHINGTON -- Pediatric patients with severe asthma are younger, use fewer oral steroids, and take lower doses of inhaled steroids today than they did 10 years ago, based on data from a single-center study of more...

New oral and topical agents fill acne toolbox.(SKIN DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... SINT MAARTEN, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES -- New formulations of established oral agents and new combination products are available to treat acne, according to Dr. Hilary Baldwin. The new oral formulations include extended-release minocycline...

Duac shows efficacy for noninflammatory acne.(SKIN DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Fixed-dose clindamycin 1%/benzoyl peroxide 5% gel outperformed adapalene 0.1% gel, markedly reducing both noninflammatory and inflammatory facial acne lesions in an investigator-blinded 12-week randomized trial. In a post...

Among indoor tanners, men more clueless.(SKIN DISORDERS)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... DENVER -- Less than 12% of women and less than 7% of men who tan indoors are regular users of sunscreen, according to a national survey of white adults. Overall, women who use tanning parlors have a better understanding of the associated...

Topiramate approval reignites generic debate.(NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... Although generic versions of Topaax will soon be available, some neurologists are concerned the new formulations may endanger patients at high risk of seizure complications. The Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of generic...

Oral cladribine efficacious for MS treatment.(NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS)
May 15, 2009... SEATTLE -- Oral cladribine reduced the annualized rate of relapse in patients with the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis by over half in a phase III trial presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. ...

Listen up.(THE OFFICE)(medical malpractice insurance)
May 15, 2009... A recent claim against a physician in New Jersey attracted considerable attention, not because it resulted in a substantial jury award, but because the award was not covered by the doctor's malpractice insurance. It is a good reminder for...

IOM guidelines aim to curb conflicts of interest.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Institute of Medicine)
May 15, 2009... Physicians should stop accepting gifts or meals from industry representatives, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine that offers 16 recommendations aimed at limiting financial conflicts of interest in medicine. While...

Psych care often inaccessible.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Survey)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... Two-thirds of primary care physicians said they couldn't get outpatient mental health services for their patients, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The 2004-2005 data are from the center's Community Tracking...

CMS considers hospice rule.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(United States. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... Physicians certifying patients for Medicare-covered hospice stays would be required to write a brief explanation of why a patient has 6 months or less to live, under a new rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services....

Medical discipline declined.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
May 15, 2009... State medical boards seriously disciplined far fewer doctors in 2007 and 2008 than they did in 2004, the peak year for such actions against doctors, according to an analysis by the consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen. In 2008, there were...

Proposed dialysis policy risky.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(change in Medicare reimbursement policy makes access to dialysis services difficult)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... A proposed change in Medicare reimbursement policy could make it more difficult for African Americans with kidney disease to access dialysis services, a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology suggested. Under the possible...

PhRMA revises trial standards.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
May 15, 2009... The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has revised its voluntary standards for how drug manufacturers run clinical trials and communicate trial results. The new PhRMA standards call on drug makers to register on a public Web...

Routine HIV testing urged.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Infectious Disease Society of America )(American College of Physicians)(Brief article)
May 15, 2009... The American College of Physicians and the Infectious Disease Society of America have jointly called for routine HIV testing for sexually active adults, pregnant women, and newborns. Federally supported health care programs should provide...

Patient-centered medical home experiment shows promise.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
May 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Results from trials of a patient-centered medical home suggest that such arrangements result in cost savings and reduced hospital readmissions, according to Dr. Barbara Wakers, senior medical director of southern New Hampshire...

Practicing, painting, and keeping sane at 92.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)(Biography)
May 15, 2009... Practicing medicine since 1942, Dr. Robert R. Canas credits his painting and sculpture hobbies with "keeping him sane." "I was a general surgeon for many years, and after the pressure in the operating room I would come home and be very...

AMA claim process toolkit.(FYI)(American Medical Association)
May 15, 2009... The American Medical Association offers educational materials to help clinicians process claims more efficiently. The "'Heal the Claims Process" toolkit includes resources to help doctors Prepare That Claim, Follow That Claim, and Appeal That...

Tools to assess alcohol abuse.(FYI)
May 15, 2009... The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is offering a booklet and a Web site to help adults assess and change risky drinking habits. The "Rethinking Drinking" booklet and Web site offer information on risky drinking patterns,...

Older adults and alcohol abuse.(FYI)
May 15, 2009... The National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are offering a booklet that addresses drinking in older adults. "Older Adults and Alcohol: You Can Get Help" includes information about alcohol...