Internal Medicine News articles from April 2007

Internal Medicine News archives from April 2007

Mammography rates have fallen.(News)
April 1, 2007... PHOENIX -- Rates of mammography and clinical breast examination have declined significantly in the United States since the year 2000, Dr. Anees B. Chagpar said at a congress sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of...

Metformin cited as option for some prediabetes cases: ADA statement offers off-label approach.(News)(American Diabetes Association )
April 1, 2007... Metformin is an option for the treatment of selected patients at high risk for the development of type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association said in a new consensus statement. The document--the first ADA statement to offer off-label...

Aliskiren is first in new class of antihypertensives.(News)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2007... For the first time in more than a decade, there's a new weapon available for the battle against hypertension. Aliskiren, the first in a new class of orally administered drugs called direct renin inhibitors, received Food and Drug...

More than 98% of internal medicine residency positions were filled in 2007.(VITAL SIGNS)
April 1, 2007... More Than 98% Of Internal Medicine Residency Positions Were Filled in 2007 Source: National Resident Matching Program ELSEVIER GLOBAL MEDICAL NEWS

Thousands of AEDs recalled worldwide.(News)(automated external defibrillators)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A U.S. company has issued a voluntary recall of about 42,000 automated external defibrillators worldwide because of flawed software that can lead to an erroneous battery reading. The Defibtech LLC Lifeline AED and ReviveR AEDTM...

Cymbalta for GAD, Humira for Crohn's.(NEW & APPROVED)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2007... Cymbalta (duloxetine, Eli Lilly) A selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant approved for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). First approved in 2004 for treating major depressive disorder in...

Stroke risk is increased with migraine/aura: women who smoked and had migraine plus aura had a significant 2.3-fold increased risk of stroke.(News)
April 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- The suggestion that women who have migraine with aura are at increased risk for significant cerebral and coronary vessel disease gained strength from three presentations given during the 32nd International Stroke Conference....

Migraine with aura linked with hemorrhagic stroke.(News)
April 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Migraine with aura is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, data from the Women's Health Study suggest. Until now epidemiologic data on migraine and hemorrhagic stroke have been lacking because of the...

OCs pose risk in women with migraine/aura.(News)(oral contraceptives)
April 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Women aged 35 and younger who experience migraine with aura and who use oral contraceptive pills have an increased risk of ischemic stroke substantial enough that discontinuation in favor of alternative methods of birth control...

Gardasil efficacy looking even better with time.(News)
April 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- The efficacy of Gardasil is becoming more apparent over time, Dr. Eliav Barr said at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Merck is continuing to follow...

FDA curbs unapproved migraine drugs.(News)
April 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has told 8 manufacturers and 12 distributors of unapproved ergotamine-containing drugs to stop marketing the products because of concerns about inadequate safety labeling. The FDA issued letters to 20 firms...

Cervical ca vaccine highly effective at 5.5 years.(News)(cancer)
April 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- The investigational cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix remained 100% effective through 5.5 years in preventing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions associated with human papillomavirus strains 16 and 18, Dr. Gary Dubin reported...

We need power to remand alcoholism patients.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
April 1, 2007... A 55-year-old man is found unconscious in the street and is brought to the emergency room. He has a blood alcohol level of 425 mg/dL and is delirious when he arrives. It is his fourth visit for detoxification this year; each time he was...

Are opioids an appropriate treatment for chronic nonmalignant pain?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)
April 1, 2007... Manage opioids closely and be realistic. Despite almost universal acceptance in acute and cancer pain treatment, opioids have been avoided for treating chronic nonmalignant pain. However, that tide began to turn in the 1990s, and with good...

Electronic communication no cure-all.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... A recent article included a statement by Dr. Lynne Kirk that physicians should have "the ability to track patients and communicate with them electronically" ("'Medical Home' Leads ACP Agenda," Feb. 1, 2007, p. 1). I don't exactly...

'Spokes in the giant wheel'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I'm not optimistic at all about the proposed "advanced medical home" for me and my patients. Medicare and other insurance payers are, I am sad to say, not going to give credit to any doctor-providers for any reason these days. They...

Bundled payment is discriminatory.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Making bundled payments available only to doctors who have electronic medical records systems of communicating and tracking is a bad idea. It just adds another divisive wedge that separates doctors. Consider that doctors already are...

Rx: take two pens and call me.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Regarding Dr. Alex V. Levin's guest editorial, "Do We Really Need the Gifts?" (Feb. 1, 2007, p. 8), it is generally accepted that all interactions with the pharmaceutical industry affect prescribing decisions whether physicians know it or not....

Problems with vaccine mandates.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I believe government should be strongly involved in health care advocacy, but I completely disagree with legislative fiat ("HPV Vaccine Mandates Raise Question of Timing," Feb. 15, 2007, p. 1). That would deprive individuals of the...

Doubts about HPV vaccine mandate.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I was happy to read your coverage on the controversy of mandating a "new-kid-on-the-block" vaccine in the state of Texas. As an internist and mother of a 10-year-old daughter, I have a unique perspective. I feel strongly against this for...

HPV vaccine should be voluntary.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... There are many things more important than fighting cancer; one of those things is the inalienable parent-child bond, established by God and nature. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine to assist in preventing cervical cancer must be voluntary,...

Puritanical ideas are perilous.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... The enormous benefits that will accrue from widespread adoption of Merck's vaccine against human papillomavirus, the major cause of cervical cancer, are indisputable. The vaccine has been attacked chiefly because it is a vaccine against a...

Novel tool predicts prostate cancer progression.(Urology)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- An innovative tool can predict the risk of tumor progression or death within 5 years for men with prostate cancer, the physician who developed the technique said at a symposium on prostate cancer sponsored by the American Society of...

Early detection of prostate cancer has plateaued.(Urology)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- For the first time since the advent of widespread prostate-specific antigen screening, the number of early-stage prostate cancers being identified has begun to level off, Dr. Eric A. Klein said at a symposium on prostate cancer...

Dutasteride may reduce prostate cancer risk.(Urology)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- The investigational 5-[alpha]-reductase inhibitor dutasteride induces genetic changes in noncancerous prostate tissue and may play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer, Dr. Elahe Mostaghel said at a symposium on prostate...

Accutane program remains a work in progress.(Dermatology)
April 1, 2007... Dermatologists and their patients taking isotretinoin are entering the second year of the iPLEDGE mandatory risk management program aimed at preventing isotretinoin-related teratogenicity, and the specialty's leaders on the issue are...

Sleep drug labels to address adverse reactions.(Psychiatry)
April 1, 2007... Warnings about the risks of complex sleep-related behaviors such as driving while asleep and about serious allergic reactions that have recently been associated with sleep drugs, are being added to their labels, at the request of the Food and...

ADHD patient drug guides to be revised.(Psychiatry)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has sent letters to all manufacturers of medications approved for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, instructing them to develop patient medication guides within 30 days to address possible...

Diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease.(THE EFFECTIVE PHYSICIAN)
April 1, 2007... Background Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States, as well as in the entire developed world. To help address this common and costly problem, the National Kidney Foundation recently released...

Atrial fib more likely in diabetic patients.(Endocrinology)(fibrillation)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Patients with poorly controlled and long-standing diabetes were about twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation as people without diabetes in a case-control study with a total of more than 2,000 people. This finding comes...

Chronic kidney disease more often comorbid with diabetes than with cardiovascular disease.(DATA WATCH)(Table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Chronic Kidney Disease More Often Comorbid With Diabetes Than With Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence of CKD Yes No Presence of diabetes 40.2%...

Groups unite to curb cardiac risks in diabetes.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2007... Diabetologists and cardiologists are joining forces to address the issue of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. In North America, new joint guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Diabetes...

Ibandronate gentler on cancer patients' kidneys.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- Ibandronate seems to be easier on the kidneys than are other bisphosphonates in cancer patients who take the drugs for bone metastases, and may even help normalize renal function in patients whose kidneys declined with zoledronic...

Vitamin D has mild effect on falls, fracture risk.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2007... ARLINGTON, VA. -- People who take sufficiently high supplement doses of vitamin D or those who already have adequate levels of vitamin D were found to have a small but significantly reduced risk of specific fractures, falls, and low bone...

Imaging reveals increasing rate of incidental thyroid cancers.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2007... PHOENIX -- The rate of thyroid cancers identified incidentally during nonthyroid imaging procedures is on the rise, Matthew T. Tallar said at a congress sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of University Surgeons....

Consider adding TSH test to thyroid work-up.(Endocrinology)(thyroid-stimulating hormone)
April 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- As the prevalence of thyroid nodules diagnosed on ultrasound increases, clinicians trying to decide whether to biopsy a particular nodule should consider adding a serum TSH test to their work-up, Dr. R. Brooke Jeffrey Jr. said at the...

Hashimoto's thyroiditis increases risk of thyroid cancer threefold.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2007... PALM BEACH, FLA. -- Patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had a threefold increased risk of also having a well-differentiated thyroid cancer as compared with other patients undergoing thyroid resection, based on a review of 802 patients treated...

Observation preferred for benign thyroid nodules.(Endocrinology)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Routine thyroxine therapy for benign thyroid nodules is no longer recommended, Dr. Hossein Gharib said at Perspectives in Women's Health sponsored by OB.GYN. NEWS. Thyroxine does not shrink most benign thyroid nodules. In...

COX-2 drugs, other NSAIDs pose cardiac risks.(Rheumatology)(cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
April 1, 2007... Physicians need a stronger message about the cardiac risks of treating chronic pain with anti-inflammatory drugs, both traditional NSAIDs and cy-clooxygenase-2 inhibitors, according to Dr. Elliott M. Antman and his colleagues. "We believe...

What do patients ask about knee replacement?(Rheumatology)
April 1, 2007... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Patients considering joint replacement are coming in to the office with some pretty specific questions these days. They want to know more about gender-specific knees, minimally invasive knee replacement, computer-assisted...

Safety labeling for ESAs gets strengthened.(Hematology)(erythropoiesis-stimulating agents)
April 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has revised the boxed warning for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in response to concern about the potential for complications associated with high doses of such agents. The development comes on the heels...

Secondary cancers occur decades after ped ALL.(Hematology)(childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The incidence of secondary neoplasms continues to rise steadily for at least 30 years after successful treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a retrospective study showed. Most of the late-developing secondary neoplasms are...

Target venous disease.(PRODUCTS)(CircAid Medical Products )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... CircAid Medical Products has a line of nonelastic devices for treating lymphedema and venous disease. They include the adjustable seven-band Ready-Fit 2000 and eight-band Ready-Fit Classic-Flex devices. The Custom Below-Knee Leggings, which...

Blood pressure pills combined.(PRODUCTS)(valsartan and amlodipine besylate in Exforge drug)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A new treatment option for patients with high blood pressure has received U.S. regulatory approval. Exforge, expected to be available in September 2007, contains valsartan and amlodipine besylate, which helped 9 out of 10 people reach their...

New indication for Invanz.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Invanz (ertapenem), a once-daily injectable antibiotic, has been approved for the prevention of surgical site infections after elective colorectal surgery in adults. Invanz is made by Merck & Co. Inc. For more information, visit www.invanz.com....

Azithromycin for injection approved.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A generic version of Zithromax (azithromycin) is now available for injection in a 500-mg vial for the treatment of patients who need intravenous therapy for infections caused by susceptible strains of designated microorganisms in...

Daily Lialda for ulcerative colitis.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has approved Lialda (mesalamine) as a once-daily, oral treatment for active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. For more information, visit www.lialda.com.

CDAD 10-minute assay available.(PRODUCTS)(Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A new immunoassay test is available for the more rapid detection of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea through fecal samples. The BioStar OIA CdTOX AB assay is able to return positive or negative test results in as little as 10 minutes....

Rapid E. coli detection.(PRODUCTS)(Escherichia coli)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has granted clearance for the marketing of ImmunoCard STAT! EHEC, a new test for the rapid detection of Escherichia coli infection. The 20-minute diagnostic test detects all Shiga-toxin--producing E. coli,...

In-home monitoring device.(PRODUCTS)(Cardiocom LLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A new Commander Cellular home monitoring device is available for in-home patient monitoring of chronic high risk diseases such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and severe asthma. The device transfers...

Dermatoses foam approved.(PRODUCTS)(Olux-E foam)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Olux-E (clobetasol propionate, 0.05%) foam, is indicated for the treatment of inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses in patients 12 years of age or older. For more information, contact Stiefel...

Generic BPH drug approved.(PRODUCTS)(benign prostatic hyperplasia medication finasteride)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A generic version of Proscar (finasteride) is now available in 5-mg tablets for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in men with an enlarged prostate to improve symptoms and to reduce the need for surgery including transurethral...

Health care anywhere.(PRODUCTS)(Cardio-phonics software Care From Anywhere)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A new mobile PC network from Cardio-phonics, Care From Anywhere, allows diagnostic information to be obtained from ambulatory patients anywhere and at anytime via a monitoring device either worn by the patient or implanted. Health care...

Novel drugs show high efficacy for resistant HIV.(Infectious Diseases)(Conference news)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2007... Los ANGELES -- Two novel HIV medications produced striking improvement in AIDS patients otherwise failing standard therapy, according to four separate studies presented at a conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections. "The...

Expert warns of ominous signs in AIDS fight: 'the need for treatment is critical, but ... we are not going to be able to treat our way out of this epidemic.'.(Infectious Diseases)(Harold Jaffe, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
April 1, 2007... Los ANGELES -- The number of Americans diagnosed with AIDS is now approaching the 1 million mark, with more than a half-million deaths since the epidemic began and 17,000 more people dying of the disease each year, Dr. Harold Jaffe said during...

Herpes treatment may help prevent HIV transmission.(Infectious Diseases)(human immunodeficiency virus)
April 1, 2007... LOS ANGELES -- Treating genital herpes simplex virus with acyclovir diminishes vaginal HIV shedding and plasma HIV levels in women coinfected with HSV and HIV, which suggests that treating herpes could have a role in reducing HIV transmission,...

Don't miss HIV patients' alternative medicine use.(Infectious Diseases)(human immunodeficiency virus)
April 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- The use of complementary and alternative medicines is common but often overlooked among patients infected with HIV, Dr. Jason Tokumoto said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San...

Guillain-Barre risk from Menactra under review.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- Data available thus far suggest that the overall risk for Guillain-Barre syndrome following receipt of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine is not significantly increased, Dr. Robert L. Davis reported at the winter meeting of the...

FDA panel backs approval of 'stopgap' vaccine for avian flu.(Infectious Diseases)(Food and Drug Administration)
April 1, 2007... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- An inactivated H5N1 influenza virus vaccine that a federal advisory panel has recommended for approval would, if approved, become the first vaccine for avian influenza licensed in the United States. At a meeting of the...

Containment should be top priority in case of flu pandemic.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2007... BOSTON -- In the event of an avian influenza pandemic, old-fashioned containment strategies will need to be the first line of defense to limit exposure, David Heyman, a terrorism expert, said at the annual meeting of the American Public Health...

FDA advisory panel selects 2007-2008 influenza vaccine strains.(Infectious Diseases)(Food and Drug Administration)
April 1, 2007... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- The 2007-2008 trivalent influenza vaccine should retain two strains from the current vaccine and change one strain, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has concluded. The Vaccines and Related Biological...

Off-pump CABG improves outcomes in women.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(coronary artery bypass graft surgery)
April 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- Performing coronary artery bypass graft surgery off pump rather than on the heart-lung machine narrows the historic gender gap in operative mortality, stroke, MI, and other critical outcomes, Dr. John D. Puskas said at the annual...

Acarbose effective for postprandial hypotension.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... SAN ANTONIO -- Acarbose is a novel effective therapy for postprandial hypotension in patients with autonomic failure, Dr. Cyndya Shibao said at a meeting of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research. The...

Poor diabetes control boosts heart failure risk: the highest incidence of heart failure occurred in patients with a baseline Hb[A.sub.1c] level of more than 8%.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(hemoglobin)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Higher levels of hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] significantly boosted the risk of heart failure in patients with diabetes in an analysis of more than 1,800 patients. This association was seen even among patients with diabetes who did not...

Depression plus diabetes predicts mortality in patients with CAD.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(coronary artery disease)
April 1, 2007... Having both type 2 diabetes and depression puts patients with coronary artery disease at greater risk of death over a 4.5-year period than does either condition alone. That finding emerged from a study presented at the American...

Depressive symptoms tied to development of CAD.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(coronary artery disease)
April 1, 2007... Depressive symptoms appear to correlate with the development of coronary artery disease, but hostility and anxiety may not, Jesse C. Stewart, Ph.D., and his associates reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Several studies have...

Pancreatic cancer vaccine improves survival rates.(Gastroenterology)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- A therapeutic, investigational vaccine given in combination with chemoradiotherapy after surgery was associated with improved survival in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to a phase II trial presented at a...

Teaching hospitals more aggressive in treating pancreatic cancer.(Gastroenterology)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Teaching hospitals offer state-of-the-art multimodal therapy for pancreatic cancer, but community hospitals not affiliated with academic centers tend to treat with pancreatic resection only, according to a poster presented at a...

Bevacizumab disappoints in pancreatic cancer.(Gastroenterology)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Hopes that the addition of bevacizumab to gemcitabine would improve survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer have been dashed by the disappointing results of CALGB 80303, a phase III randomized trial presented at a...

Fish intake tied to reduced colorectal cancer risk in men.(Gastroenterology)
April 1, 2007... BOSTON -- Diets rich in fish may substantially reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in men, according to a new analysis of data from the U.S. Physicians' Health Study. Of the 22,071 male physicians who participated in the randomized...

Asymptomatic celiac: does treatment help or hurt?(Gastroenterology)
April 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- Symptomatic celiac disease is a clear indication for treatment with a gluten-free diet, but debate about the necessity of diagnosing and treating asymptomatic disease was lively at an international symposium on celiac disease. ...

Ex-FDA chief fined.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford, D.V.M., Ph.D., has been sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation and fines of slightly less than $90,000 for charges stemming from his ownership of stock in companies...

Insurance cost sharing.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Fewer than 24% of private sector employees covered by employer-sponsored health insurance do not pay a portion of their own premium, down from 35% in 1998, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In both...

Majority want access guarantee.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(health care access)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the federal government should guarantee access to health care, and 60% are willing to pay more in taxes for that guarantee, according to a poll released last month by the New York Times and CBS News....

Hospital demonstration extended.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved a 3-year extension of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration, a value-based purchasing project involving more than 260 hospitals across the country. Recently released...

Medicaid growth sustainable.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Expected growth in government revenues is likely to be large enough to sustain Medicaid spending increases over the next 40 years while still allowing substantial real growth in spending for other public services, according to a study published...

Hospitals embrace IT.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(information technology )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Nearly half of all community hospitals reported moderate or high use of health information technology (IT) in 2006, compared with 37% in 2005, according to recent survey results from the American Hospital Association. Hospitals also reported...

Medicare pay fix won't be cheap or easy to achieve.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- It won't be cheap to fix Medicare's problematic physician pay formula, but lawmakers aren't saving any money by waiting to replace it either, experts testified at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee. "We have been...

Cancer drugs pose challenge in Medicare Part D.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Physicians treating older cancer patients must actively help them choose Medicare Part D prescription drug plans with formularies that best cover not only current medications but future needs as well, health care consultant Mary...

HHS program aims to boost quality, transparency.(Practice Trends)(Department of Health and Human Services Value-Driven Health Care Initiative)
April 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is seeking to promote health care price and quality transparency through its new Value-Driven Health Care Initiative. The initiative, which will certify and support regional collaboratives of health...

Consumer-driven health plans still rarely used.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... American consumers and their employers are treading cautiously when it comes to switching from traditional, more comprehensive health insurance to consumer-driven health plans, with few actually adopting the new plans, according to survey...

States taking initiative on health care reform: in the absence of a national plan, some states are tackling comprehensive coverage of the uninsured.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- What was a trend is looking more like a wave as an increasing number of states, no longer content to wait on the seemingly glacial pace of national politics, are seeking their own comprehensive solutions to the growing ranks of...

As costs soar, employer-based insurance coverage takes a dive.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Companies both large and small are finding it increasingly difficult to afford the health insurance coverage they have traditionally provided to their workers, experts warned at a conference sponsored by AcademyHealth. ...

Rules may be relaxed for schedule II prescriptions.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- The Drug Enforcement Administration is close to completing a final rule that would let physicians provide up to a 90-day supply of schedule II controlled substances without requiring patients to come into the office each month....