Family Practice News articles from September 2003

Family Practice News archives from September 2003

Depression may be different in blacks: explains low diagnosis rate?
September 15, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Depression may present differently in African Americans than in whites, especially in African American men. This may explain the relatively low rate of diagnosed depression in African Americans, L. DiAnne Bradford, Ph.D.,...

Group tries to reignite debate on single-payer plan: nearly 8,000 physicians sign on: critics say the U.S. 'would be trading one problem for a whole set of others.'.
September 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The more things change, the more they stay the same. When a group of 430 physicians introduced a proposal for a single-payer national health insurance system at the American Medical Association House of Delegates meeting in...

Plenty of influenza vaccine is available this season: CDC announcement: no need to prioritize vaccination plans.(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... This flu season, there's no need to skimp on shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a sufficient supply of vaccines for the 2003-2004 flu season. This means that anyone--healthy or at high risk--who wants a flu...

Few patients willing to pay higher premiums for higher quality care.(Vital Signs)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Few Patients Willing to Pay Higher Premiums For Higher Quality Care Would not pay 60% Not sure 23% Would pay significantly more 16% Note: Based on a nationwide online survey of 2,357...

Lifetime diabetes risk is one in three for child born in 2000: male child has 33% risk; female, 39%.(News)
September 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- The lifetime risk of developing diabetes exceeds one in three for Americans who were born in 2000, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This dire prediction is based on an...

Medicare to cover some lung volume reduction surgery: based on NETT protocol.(News)
September 15, 2003... Some emphysema patients can breathe a sigh of relief with the recent announcement that Medicare will offer limited coverage for surgery to resect diseased portions of their lungs--a procedure that has been widely debated in recent years. ...

More than 4% of teens have metabolic syndrome: as many as 1 million cases.(News)
September 15, 2003... As many as 1 million U.S. adolescents have metabolic syndrome, potentially setting them up for type 2 diabetes and premature coronary artery disease, reported Dr. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester, New York, and his colleagues. ...

Primary elective cesarean rate up 20% from 1999 to 2001: VBAC rate declines.(News)
September 15, 2003... The rate of primary elective cesarean sections is on the rise. Among women with no prior history of cesarean section, the rate rose almost 20% from 1999 to 2001, from 1.56% to 1.87%. Primary elective or "patient choice" C-sections now...

Rapid onset of action seen with Vardenafil: new erectile dysfunction TX.(News)
September 15, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Vardenafil, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month for treating erectile dysfunction, was preferred over sildenafil by a majority of men who had used both drugs and were enrolled in one of the...

Duloxetine promising for depression, pain: investigational antidepressant.(News)
September 15, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- The investigational balanced serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor duloxetine has the potential to become a triple-threat drug, investigators said at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Eli...

Mass smallpox vaccination not recommended: IOM panel.(News)
September 15, 2003... The potential risks outweigh the benefits of vaccinating the general public against smallpox, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Any vaccination of that group should be done cautiously and in clinical trial settings, the...

Smallpox vaccine may provide lifelong immunity: degrades only slightly over time.(News)
September 15, 2003... Contrary to popular belief, the smallpox vaccine appears to provide lifelong immunity, according to Erika Hammarlund of the Oregon Health & Science University Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Beaverton, and her associates. The...

Bioterrorism drug information.(News)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Information on bioterrorism-related drugs is available at the "Drug Preparedness and Response to Bioterrorism" Web site, maintained by the Food and Drug Administration. The site provides links to current information on drug therapy and...

Lessons of malpractice litigation.(Guest Editorial)
September 15, 2003... Malpractice can happen to any of us, even if we practice great medicine. Consider what happened to me. Early in my medical career, I had a patient who, although only in her mid-60s, was very frail owing to multiple illnesses. "Anna" had...

Hardship a part of life.(Letters)
September 15, 2003... Appropriately enough, an academic from Harvard Medical School speaking in Canada indicts health care financing in the United States because people have bankruptcies related to medical costs ("Medical Bills Behind Many Bankruptcies," Aug. 1,...

Parasitic errors.(Letters)
September 15, 2003... There were several important errors in the article "Children Are Most Victims of New Raccoon-Spread Pathogen" (April 1, 2003, p. 42). Eggs of ascarid nematodes do not hatch in the soil. Larvae mature in the eggs for several weeks before...

Talk back online.(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Do you now charge for services you used to provide for free? (August 15, 2003, p. 5) YES 72% NO 28% To Talk Back, visit www.efamilypracticenews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

Trans fat labeling.(Guest Editorial)
September 15, 2003... Trans fat is one of the most dangerous players in the human diet for Cardiovascular disease risk. The move by the Food and Drug Administration in July to require labeling for trans fat on packaged foods by 2006 was a very important step...

Is intracapsular tonsillectomy an appropriate replacement for total tonsillectomy?(Pro & Con)
September 15, 2003... YES As a practicing pediatric otolaryngologist, I developed the concept of intracapsular tonsillectomy in 1996 in response to a specific case of an 11-month old boy who had documented sleep apnea secondary to enormous tonsils and a large...

Comorbid depression poses challenge in Tx of diabetes: two questions aid diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Two simple questions can help primary care physicians identify depression in patients with diabetes, Richard R. Rubin, Ph.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. * Do you have...

Nomogram predicts disability in adults with diabetes: clinical assessment tool.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Primary care physicians can use a new one-page nomogram to easily predict the risk of physical disability for adults with diabetes mellitus, David Radosevich, Ph.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American...

Lifestyle interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes save money: generic metformin also saves.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Routine implementation of moderate weight loss and physical activity in patients with impaired glucose tolerance wouldn't be merely cost-effective, it would actually save money in the long term while improving health outcomes,...

Prevention task force updates BP guidelines: revises 1996 document.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... A cautious endorsement of ambulatory monitoring and an emphasis on isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly are among the new items* in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's updated guidelines on screening for high blood pressure....

Structured effort helps control hypertension: set explicit goals.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Physicians can greatly improve their patients' control of hypertension "when they work in a structured environment, which sets explicit BP goals, provides a simple algorithm to achieve these goals, and educates the patient and the personnel...

Metabolic syndrome raises MI, stroke risk: NHANES data.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... NEW YORK -- The metabolic syndrome doubles one's risk for myocardial infarction and stroke, irrespective of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, based on an analysis of data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey....

Simvastatin beneficial for metabolic syndrome patients: similar to dyslipidemic patients.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... NEW YORK -- Simvastatin appears to benefit patients with the metabolic syndrome at least as much as--and possibly more than--it does other dyslipidemic individuals, Darbie Maccubbin, Ph.D., reported at a symposium sponsored by the Giovanni...

STAT Cardiac Clearance.(Digital Assistance)
September 15, 2003... Overview: STAT Cardiac Clearance is a Palm OS handheld computer application that helps health care providers assess perioperative cardiac risk for patients undergoing noncardiac surgery Those responsible for preoperative assessment and...

New data challenge set point theory of obesity: weight returns due to inactivity.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... DENVER -- It's high, time to toss out the long-popular set point theory of obesity, according to speakers at an international conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders. The set point theory holds that obesity entails a metabolic...

MRI rules out bile duct obstructions, stones: noninvasive alternative to ERCP.(Clinical Rounds endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography )
September 15, 2003... TORONTO -- Magnetic resonance imaging is as effective for ruling out bile duct obstructions and stones as the conventional endoscopic method, based on results from a randomized study of 257 patients. And because the magnetic resonance...

Dose of morphine improves bile duct visualization with MRCP: distends ducts.(Clinical Rounds magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... TORONTO -- A dose of morphine improves the ability of magnetic resonance to show biliary and pancreatic duct obstructions. Morphine distends these ducts, thereby enhancing visualization of the structures in images produced by magnetic...

Tomato sauce lessens anemia caused by ribavirin therapy: recipe for hepatitis C.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Daily consumption of a highly concentrated tomato sauce rich in antioxidants reduced the severity of anemia caused by ribavirin in people with chronic hepatitis C infection, researchers in Italy found. Anemia caused by...

Higher rates of mental illness in gays, bisexuals: better studies counter older data.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Thirty years ago, the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality is not a mental disorder, largely because of a series of studies starting in 1957 that found rates of mental illness were no higher in...

Capsaicin for pruritus ani.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... A small amount of capsaicin ointment applied daffy significantly decreased itching in chronic pruritus ani, reported Dr. J. Lysy of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover Study, 31 of 44 patients had...

HCV and type 2 diabetes.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Hepatitis C virus infection appears to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults at high risk for the disease, according to the results of a community-based cohort study. Of 1,084 adults free of diabetes at baseline, 548...

Sertraline OK in Parkinson's.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Case reports have suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be associated with worsening of Parkinson's disease, but a prospective, open-label trial of sertraline has come to the opposite conclusion, Dr. Jaime Kulisevsky...

Protease inhibitors and Viagra.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Protease inhibitors can cause more than a 10-fold increase in sildenafil levels, which can lead to unpleasant side effects in patients taking both drugs, fan R. McNicholl, Pharm.D., said at a meeting on H1V management sponsored by the...

Stand-Up MRI best to catch spinal pathology: permits weight-bearing images.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- MRI images taken when the patient is standing can make a world of difference when evaluating a patient's spinal pathology before and after surgery, Dr. J. Randy Jinkins said at the annum meeting of the American Society for...

Hyaluronic acid joint injections soothe some painful conditions: differential diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Cortico-steroid injections are still the mainstay of intraarticular therapy for treating a small number of inflamed joints, but injections of hyaluronic acid are showing promise for therapeutic purposes in rheumatoid arthritis...

Worried about Norwalk on this year's cruise? Check with CDC: sanitation scores available.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Planning that tropical cruise during the winter months but nervous about last year's maritime outbreaks of Norwalk virus? It might be worth checking out the ship's latest sanitation scores available through the Centers for...

'D-zone' clue key to clindamycin-resistant MRSA: lab test for inducible resistance.(Clinical Rounds methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Physicians should make sure their microbiology lab is testing for both inducible and constitutive resistance to clindamycin when they send samples for susceptibility testing, Dr. Carol J. Baker said at a conference on...

Vector-borne diseases reaffirm need for repellent: DEET, permethrin.(Clinical Rounds)
September 15, 2003... SEATTLE -- With cases of Lyme disease and West Nile virus on the rise, there is a renewed need to know how to prevent vector-borne diseases, Dr. Adelaide Hebert said in a talk on insect repellents at the annual meeting of the Society for...

Melasma, hyperpigmentation respond to combination cream: data from preliminary, open trials.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... CHICAGO -- Two versions of a cream that combines 4% hydroquinone with 10% buffered glycolic acid, vitamins C and E, and sunscreen appeared to be safe and effective in treating melasma or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in small, open...

Hydroquinone (4%) cream effective against melasma: two studies.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... CHICAGO -- Creams containing 4% hydroquinone are effective against melasma with minimal side effects, according to two studies presented at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy 2003 meeting. In one study, a mixture of 4%...

Family history of breast cancer triggers risk assessment: Gail model.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... BIG SKY, MONT. -- Women who are age 35 years or older and have any reason to believe they have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer should be assessed using the Gail model to systematically gauge their risk of developing breast...

Reassure patients with chronic genital dermatoses: don't say 'cure'.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... HOUSTON -- Dr. Elizabeth Edwards has this message for new patients: "Cure is a four-letter word. We don't use it in my office." Many dermatologic conditions can't be cured, but they can be controlled, and dermatoses of the genitalia are...

Female HIV: assess intraepithelial neoplasia: CIN often present.(Women's Health cervical intraepithelial neoplasia)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- HIV-positive women should be assessed for vulvar and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, not just cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, according to Dr. Berthe Hollwitz. Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) and vaginal...

Offer pregnancy risk advice before conception: nine goals.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Preconception counseling promotes healthier pregnancies and better outcomes, and can also provide legal protection for physicians, Dr. Martin E. Olsen said at the annual Southern Obstetric and Gynecologic Seminar. ...

Women tend to neglect their health after baby: focus shifts to infant.(Women's Health)
September 15, 2003... SALT LAKE CITY -- Women tend to neglect health-promoting behaviors in the 12 months following delivery, reported Lorraine Walker, R.N., at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Results from surveys given to 259...

New & approved: Levitra, Enbrel.(Rx)
September 15, 2003... Levitra (vardenafil, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline) A phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor for erectile dysfunction (ED), the second oral impotence therapy approved. The first was Viagra (sildenafil), also a PDE-5 inhibitor, approved in...

Warning on asthma-linked death added to salmeterol: add inhaled corticosteroids.(Rx)
September 15, 2003... The labels of three GlaxoSmithKline asthma products containing salmeterol now have boxed warnings citing a "small but significant increase in asthma-related deaths," based on recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration. The...

OTC products are most common safety concern for pregnant women: acetaminophen, pseudoephedrine.(Rx)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine were the two medications that pregnant women and other concerned callers inquired about most frequently with regard to safety of use in pregnancy, in a study of more than 9,000 inquiries made...

Lamotrigine for bipolar disorder.(Drugs, Pregnancy, and Lactation)
September 15, 2003... As the use of anticonvulsants to treat bipolar illness has been growing over the past decade, so has the number of women successfully treated with these medications who present with questions about whether they should discontinue these drugs...

Probiotics' place in pediatric practice proliferating: prophylaxis and diarrhea TX.(Children's Health)
September 15, 2003... KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- Evidence of the value of pediatric probiotics in treating gastrointestinal disorders is mounting, Dr. Vita Goei said at a pediatric update sponsored by the Medical College of Georgia. However, the most commonly...

Study suggests higher IBD rate than thought: children in Wisconsin.(Children's Health inflammatory bowel disease)
September 15, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Inflammatory bowel disease rates among children in Wisconsin were surprisingly high in preliminary findings from what may be the first prospective population-based observational study of inflammatory bowel disease rates among...

Macrolides still preferred for pertussis therapy: immunoglobulin, steroids also useful.(Children's Health)
September 15, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Macrolide antibiotics remain the mainstays of pertussis treatment and prophylaxis, although good evidence for their rise remains surprisingly scanty, Dr. Sarah K. Parker said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases...

Oregon officials still battling pertussis outbreak that began last spring: vaccination acceleration.(Children's Health)
September 15, 2003... Physicians in three Oregon counties--Jackson, Klamath, and Lane--continue to battle a pertussis outbreak that surfaced this spring. As of Aug. 4, 2003, the state of Oregon had seen 272 confirmed cases this year, as defined by the Centers...

Pertussis deaths in infants increased since 1980: younger than 4 months.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Incidence of pertussis among infants younger than 4 months of age has increased since 1980, said Dr. Charles R. Vitek and his colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Based on analysis of pertussis cases...

Resistant bacteria in otitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Significantly more antimicrobial-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were present in children with recurrent otitis media than in children with acute otitis media, Dr. Itzhak Brook and Dr. Alan Gober reported in a...

Support diabetic teens.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Motivational interviewing strategies helped diabetic teens improve both their attitudes about diabetes and their glycemic control, said Dr. S. Channon of the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, and associates. A group of 22 diabetics...

Fungus among us causes LRIs.(Clinical Capsules lower respiratory illnesses)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Infants exposed to high levels of fungus at home are at increased risk for lower respiratory illnesses such as croup, pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis during their first year of life, said Paul C. Stark, Sc.D. of Tufts-New England...

Spores may trigger asthma.(Children's Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Emergency department visits for asthma occur more often on days with thunderstorms, due to what appears to be a dose-dependent response to an increase in airborne fungal spores, reported Dr. Robert E. Dales of the University of Ottawa and his...

Pneumococcal vaccine may prevent otitis media: S. pneumoniae infection.(Children's Health)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... BAL HARBOUR, FLA. -- Pneumococcus vaccination appears to be an effective means of preventing Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, one of the most problematic causes of otitis media, Dr. Larry Pickering said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics...

Schip money restored.(Policy & Practice State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... President Bush signed legislation that restores $2.7 billion in expired funds under the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The new law would allow states to continue to use $1.2 billion in funds through fiscal 2004 that were...

Vaccine purchasing plan.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... The current system of purchasing and distributing vaccines is in need of an overhaul, says the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Committee on Evaluation of Vaccine Purchase Financing in the United States. The report calls for a government...

Residents advocate ECs.(Policy & Practice emergency contraception)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Family practice residents recently called on the American Academy of Family Physicians to support over-the-counter dispensing of emergency contraception. The residents passed this resolution at a conference of family practice residents and...

Pricey prescriptions.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Spending for outpatient prescription medications rose from $72 billion in 1997 to $103 billion in 2000, according to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These medications accounted for a greater proportion of total...

Drug disparity.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Elderly African American Medicare beneficiaries are more than twice as likely as whites to report that they can't afford prescription drugs, the Center for Studying Health System Change reports in a national study. Almost 1 in 6 black...

Health on the web.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Almost 45% of adults in a recent survey say they are using the Internet to research health information. The results of the 25,000-person survey were released in July by the Illinois-based health care information firm Solucient. In contrast,...

Directory upgrade.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... More information on thousands of physicians is now available at www.medicare.gov, Medicare's National Participating Physician Directory. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that the directory now contains several new features...

Use of children as medical interpreters draws criticism: laws under consideration.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... A bill now being considered in California could end up causing doctors who see Medi-Cal patients to spend significant amounts of money for interpreters. The bill is the brainchild of Leland Yee, Ph.D., a California psychologist and state...

Physicians switching to Medicaid preferred drugs: some hassles remain.(Practice Trends)
September 15, 2003... PORTLAND, ORE. -- It isn't always easy to prescribe drugs from a preferred list for Medicaid patients, but more physicians are making the effort, several speakers said at the annual conference of the National Academy for State Health Policy....

Older-driver safety subject of new AMA guide: office-based assessment.(Practice Trends)
September 15, 2003... New guidelines from the American Medical Association may ease the tough task of counseling older patients about when to give up the car keys. The AMA's "Physician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers" offers an office-based...

Fees for free Rx? Patient-assistance firms draw fire: under investigation in several states.(Practice Trends)
September 15, 2003... A for-profit industry is springing up to help patents apply for free medications from pharmaceutical manufacturers' patient assistance programs, a development that has engendered controversy. Proponents of the industry claim that they...

Blues' for-profit conversions haven't hurt access: uninsured rates have not risen.(Practice Trends Blue Cross )
September 15, 2003... WILMINGTON, DEL. -- The conversion of Blue Cross plans from nonprofit to for profit does not appear to significantly hurt access to health insurance or health care, Mark Hall said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Law,...

Studly study.(Indications men's health)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... There are men out there campaigning for their own HRT study. We may soon hear an Institute of Medicine committee's decision on the proposed Men's Health Initiative, a study of the effects of long-term testosterone therapy. "We really need to...

Cravat emptor.(Indications neckties and health)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Men, loosen the noose. Tight neckties may predispose you to glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Researchers in New York found that wearing a tight necktie can increase intraocular pressure by up to 20%, possibly due to constriction of the jugular...

Dicey therapy.(Indications)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Patients undergoing dopamine agonist therapy for Parkinson's disease may want to avoid casinos. In a retrospective database review, researchers at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center, Phoenix, Ariz., studied 1,884 Parkinson's patients...

Soothing sentence.(Indications)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Could tai chi classes and traditional Japanese tea ceremonies be balm for aggressive offenders? Noticing that anger management courses weren't reducing recidivism, Santa Fe, N.M., municipal court judge Frances Gallegos took the advice of...

Playing it straight.(Indications)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... A then-4-year-old New Zealand boy presented with an extreme curvature of the spine, which continued to deteriorate while he waited 3 weeks to see an orthopedic surgeon. Knowing that scoliosis had been treated with traction in the late 1940s,...

Adolescent CAQ serves FPs well: second exam coming.(News)(certificate of added qualification; family practitioners)
September 1, 2003... In November 2001, Dr. Christopher Reif joined 126 other family physicians in sitting for their first-ever opportunity to earn a certificate of added qualification in adolescent medicine. Pediatricians and internists had been eligible for such...

Vital signs.(News)(How Closely Do Americans Follow Health-Related News? )
September 1, 2003... How Closely Do Americans Follow Health-Related News? Very Closely Fairly Closely SARS outbreak 42% 35% Mad cow disease outbreak 21% 33% ...

Most doctors not ready for Oct. 16 HIPAA deadline: electronic health transactions rule: there is leeway for those who are working on compliance, HHS says.(News)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
September 1, 2003... Harry Reynolds is worried. Mr. Reynolds is responsible for making sure that his health plan, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, is ready on Oct. 16, the deadline for complying with the part of the Health Insurance Portability and...

Three studies further confirm ill effects of HRT: heart disease risk rises first year of use: continuing analysis of WHI data.(News)(hormone replacement therapy)
September 1, 2003... For anyone who held out some hope that the Women's Health Initiative would show that combination hormone replacement therapy isn't so bad in certain subgroups of women, that hope is fading fast. Results from two recent studies in the New...

West Nile prognosis linked to clinical symptoms: neurologic manifestations.(News)
September 1, 2003... The poliomyelitis-like syndrome that is sometimes associated with West Nile virus is linked with a poor long-term outcome and may be irreversible; researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in two articles that...