JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants articles from September 2007

JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants archives from September 2007

Defending PA ownership interest in a corporation.(FROM THE AAPA)(Report)
September 1, 2007... AAPA has enlisted the services of prominent law firm Foley & Lardner, LLP, to defend the ability of PAs to hold ownership rights in corporations that bill for Medicare services. According to the Academy's director of reimbursement, Michael...

NPI data available on web.(FROM THE AAPA)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Most of the information that PAs and other health care professionals included on their applications for National Provider Identifiers (NPI) is now available on the Web site of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2007... "How PAS improve access to care for the underserved" (June 2007, page 32) stated incorrectly that "the number of PAs and NPs increased from 228,000 in 1995 to 384,000 in 2005." The sentence should have said that "the number of nonphysician...

DOT soon to launch program to certify medical examiners.(FROM THE AAPA)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The US Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will soon launch its new program to certify medical examiners--including PAs--to be listed on a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners...

PAs at the crossroads: where will the profession go next?(EDITORIAL )(Industry overview)(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... The PA profession has experienced unparalleled success over its roughly 40 years of existence, as measured by growth in PA numbers, expansion in PA utilization, and acceptance of PAs by physicians and patients alike. Some of this success stems...

Product: Neupro.(New Drug Information)(Drug overview)
September 1, 2007... COMPANIES: UCB and Schwarz Pharma PHARMACOLOGIC CLASS: Dopamine agonist (non-ergot) ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Rotigotine 2mg/24 hours, 4mg/24 hours, 6mg/24 hours; transdermal patch; contains sulfites. INDICATION: Treatment of patients...

Product: Lybrel.(New Drug Information)(Drug overview)
September 1, 2007... COMPANY: Wyeth PHARMACOLOGIC CLASS: Oral contraceptive (progestin + estrogen) ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Levonorgestrel 0.09mg, ethinyl estradiol 20 micrograms (28 tabs). INDICATION: Oral contraception. PHARMACOLOGY: Lybrel is a...

A rash more than just skin deep.(Dermatology Digest)
September 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] > CASE A seemingly healthy 55-year-old woman experienced muscle weakness that grew progressively worse over a 6-month period. She also developed an asymptomatic rash on her face and the dorsa of her hands and arms....

Guideline update: pediatric advanced life support.(Clinical Watch)
September 1, 2007... Who should read this? Any physician assistant who provides medical care to pediatric patients. What's new? In 2005 and 2006, the American Heart Association revised the 2001 Pediatric Advanced Life Support guidelines. (1-4) The...

Managing alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients: therapy includes benzodiazepines to reduce withdrawal symptoms and prevent delirium. Symptom-driven protocols may be more beneficial than scheduled-dosing plans.(CME)
September 1, 2007... Alcohol is currently the second most abused drug in the United States and is abused by up to 9% of the population. (1,2) Approximately 11 to 15 million people report heavy alcohol intake, and the costs of medical complications related to...

Anaphylaxis during sentinel lymph node mapping.(The Surgical Patient)
September 1, 2007... CASE Mammography was performed in a healthy 54-year-old female and uncovered a 7-mm solid lesion in the right breast. A biopsy of the lesion revealed invasive carcinoma surrounded by ductal carcinoma in situ. The patient had no family...

Disseminated GC infection without urogenital symptoms: disseminated gonococcal infection is rare--and significantly more rare in men than in women. The patient described in this case proves that exceptions do exist.(CASE REPORT)(gonococcal infection)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2007... CASE The patient is a 34-year-old white male with severe pain in the left ankle. The pain progressed over several days until he was unable to walk, and he was admitted to the hospital. The patient denied any acute injury or trauma to the...

Capsule endoscopy: what role for this new technology? During this noninvasive procedure, the patient swallows a pill-sized camera and clinicians can visualize the fine mucosal detail of the small intestine.
September 1, 2007... In 1981, Dr. Gavriel Idan began to develop a capsule-sized camera that could be swallowed by patients to examine the small bowel. This device was initially released as the M2A capsule, (1,2) and subsequent modifications led to the current...

Inflammatory breast cancer: a race against time: early recognition of this rapidly spreading disease is essential for the timely initiation of therapy. Unfortunately, patients with IBC continue have a poor prognosis overall.(CME)(Disease/Disorder overview)
September 1, 2007... Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that has recently received considerable media interest. News programs have aired segments educating the public about IBC. Emails circulating on the Internet provide...

CME post test: expiration date: September 2008.
September 1, 2007... AAPA members: Please take this CME posttest online at www.aapa.org. ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME 1. A manifestation of the early stage of alcohol withdrawal is a. Somnolence b. Tremulousness c. Hallucinations d....

Apologizing for adverse outcomes.(Special Article)
September 1, 2007... The Institute of Medicine and other prominent organizations have focused public attention on a serious problem in this country--the prevalence of medical errors as a leading cause of death. Systems of reporting and disclosing medical errors...

Q: Is a vegetarian diet healthy?(When the Patient Asks)
September 1, 2007... Vegetarian diets can be just as variable as omnivore diets. When speaking with patients who want to follow a vegetarian diet, take time to discuss the foods to eat to help ensure nutritional adequacy. This discussion can start with a fist...

Q: Is a vegetarian diet healthy?(Patient Information)
September 1, 2007... Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat. There are several types of vegetarians. A semivegetarian is someone who eats meat sometimes. A lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who eats eggs and dairy products but does not eat any other animal-based...

Presenting risks in different ways affects perceptions.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)
September 1, 2007... Clinical question Do patients make decisions differently depending on how benefits of treatment are presented? Bottom line Using hypothetical scenarios of taking drugs to prevent either heart attack or hip fracture, patients were more...

Observation is an option for prolonged sciatica.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2007... Clinical question Is it safe to delay surgery in patients with prolonged sciatica? Bottom line Patients with sciatica for 6 weeks or more and who do not have progressive or serious neurologic deficits should be offered the option of...

Folic acid does not reduce risk of colorectal adenomas.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Clinical question Does folic acid supplementation reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in adults? Bottom line Folic acid supplementation (1 mg/d) does not reduce the risk of colorectal adenoma. Interestingly, daily folic acid actually...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy is effective for HF.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(heart failure)
September 1, 2007... Clinical question In addition to optimal pharmacotherapy, is cardiac resynchronization therapy incrementally safe and effective for adults with advanced heart failure (HF) due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction? Bottom line Cardiac...

JAAPA 20th anniversary "CME" quiz.
September 1, 2007... As most readers know, JAAPA is celebrating its 20th anniversary year in 2007. Some of our anniversary offerings this year have included the Then and Now cases (in the June and August issues), the timeline of events in medicine and the PA...

Compression fractures in a man with osteoporosis.(Diagnostic Imaging Review)(Case study)
September 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] > CASE An 83-year-old male with an osteoporotic compression fracture of the second lumbar vertebra (L2), sustained in a fall, complained of continuing pain despite conservative treatment for the past 3 weeks. He had...

Case of the month.(Cover story)
September 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] > CASE A 47-year-old woman presented with increased exertional heart rate of a few months' duration. She was a coffee drinker and initially attributed the tachycardia to her caffeine intake. However, avoiding...