Internal Medicine News articles from August 2004

Internal Medicine News archives from August 2004

Medicare eyes PET scans for dementia.(Positron emission tomography)
August 1, 2004... Limited Medicare coverage of PET scans for patients with hard to diagnose cognitive impairment may be authorized soon, but federal health officials say wider coverage of the technology will require more evidence of its value for patients. ...

Frequency of BP, cholesterol testing.(blood pressure)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... Frequency of BP, Cholesterol Testing Blood Pressure Cholesterol Within past year 83% 58% Within past 6 months 70% 42% 7 Months to 1 year ago 14% ...

NCEP lowers lipid targets for patients with higher risk: guideline update calls for more intensive drug treatment for higher-risk patients.(News)(National Cholesterol Education Program)
August 1, 2004... An update to the National Cholesterol Education Program's clinical practice guidelines advises physicians to treat higher-risk patients more aggressively, but it may not go far enough for some. In high-risk patients, the overall goal...

ACIP nudges health care workers to get flu vaccine: refusal of consent should be documented.(News)(Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)
August 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- Seeking to put teeth behind existing recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices drafted a separate statement urging health care workers and their employers to...

Change in medicare obesity policy is not expected to affect treatment for a while.(News)
August 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent loosening of its rules for covering obesity-related treatments is not expected to influence obesity treatments--at least not right away, according to several experts. ...

Physicians push for caps in liability reform efforts.(News)
August 1, 2004... For many physicians, the arguments on medical liability reform boil down to caps. "We think that a cap [on noneconomic damages] is critical to any kind of liability reform," said Dr. Angela F. Gardner, an emergency physician in Dallas and...

Cholesterol 'report card' may increase statin compliance.(News)
August 1, 2004... Wondering how you are going to motivate your very-high-risk patients to strive for the ambitious LDL-cholesterol goal of 70 mg/dL of the updated report of the National Cholesterol Education Program? The statistical odds against reaching...

Influenza vaccine run to exceed 2003 supply.(News)
August 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- More influenza vaccine will be produced this year than in 2003, with demand projected to be strong during the upcoming flu season. "We can expect production to be over 100 million doses," Dr. Gregory Wallace said at a meeting of...

New stem cell lines carry genetic disorders: the 62 embryonic stem cell lines may aid research into diseases that have been studied mainly in mice.(News)
August 1, 2004... BOSTON -- A private fertility clinic in Chicago has created the first embryonic stem cell lines with genes for muscular dystrophy and other inherited disorders, according to posters presented at a meeting of the International Society for Stem...

NIH, FDA officials invite applications for stem cell work.(National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration)
August 1, 2004... BOSTON -- The head of the National Institutes of Health's stem cell task force has told scientists not to let Bush administration restrictions discourage them from applying for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Money is not...

Battle over stem cells heats up on Capitol Hill: legislation would allow federal funding of stem cell lines that meet ethical guidelines set by the NIH.(National Institutes of Health)
August 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Sensing an opening made larger by President Reagan's death, stem cell research advocates have stepped up their campaign to overturn or loosen the Bush administration strictures on the field. By early summer, the effort seemed...

Bioethicists consider ways to end stalemate in stem cell research.(News)
August 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Can President Bush allow funding of research into embryonic cell lines derived after Aug. 9, 2001, and remain faithful to his position on the inherent moral status of embryos? John A. Robertson, J.D., sees a way out: Simply...

Device may hasten stem cell harvesting.(MarrowMiner)
August 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Two physicians and a mechanical engineer are developing an experimental device that could transform the harvesting of stem cells from bone marrow into a 20-minute outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. Dr. Daniel...

A plan for better access.(pharmaceutical industry)
August 1, 2004... With the passage of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, this country gained momentum toward getting all Americans better access to health benefits. In that spirit, I would like to make three concrete proposals to help more Americans gain...

Should intraoperative cholangiography be performed routinely during cholecystectomy?(Pro & Con)
August 1, 2004... YES I'm a routine intraoperative cholangiographer. It's a cheap and accurate test. There are no well-established, reliable criteria for performing it selectively. As far as I'm concerned, the indication for intraoperative cholangiography...

HIV drugs and dementia.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I read with great interest the report on the link between use of antiviral agents and development of cognitive impairment ("Neurocognitive Impairment Risk No Longer Age Related in HAART Era," June 1, 2004, p. 61). The difficulty is that...

Physicians want single-payer plan.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Two articles in a recent issue appear to contradict each other: "Shalala Says Single-Payer System Not on the Horizon" clearly disagrees with "Physicians in Massachusetts Tend to Favor Single-Payer Financing System" (April 15, 2004, p. 96). ...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2004... A sentence in "Islet Cells, Organs Vie for Transplant Priority" (July 1, p. 30) included an incorrect reference to neuropathy; it should have read: "Often the pancreas is transplanted simultaneously with a kidney in patients with type 1...

Melanoma testing: warn patients of limited value; Genetic testing for susceptibility won't alter medical management but may provide a false sense of security.(Dermatology)
August 1, 2004... AUSTIN, TEX. -- Expect increasing numbers of patients worried about their melanoma risk to show up in doctors' offices seeking germline genetic susceptibility testing that recently became commercially available, Dr. Jean Bolognia said at the...

Training, body image shape usage of thorough skin self-examinations.(Dermatology)
August 1, 2004... PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The frequency of performing thorough skin self-examinations is associated with the tools one is given to perform the examinations and the way one views one's body, according to several studies presented at the annual meeting...

Skin self-exams tied to more surgeries, lower costs.(Dermatology)
August 1, 2004... PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Conducting thorough skin self-examinations increases the amount of health service resources that patients use, but it also saves a small amount of money, Dr. Martin A. Weinstock reported at the annual meeting of the Society...

Onycholysis dx requires medical detective work.(diagnosis)
August 1, 2004... WHISTLER, B.C. -- The pathogenesis of chronic onycholysis is unclear, and often a careful history and an astute clinician are needed to ferret out the etiology, Dr. C. Ralph Daniel said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored by Medicis....

Avoid irritants, protect nails to heal paronychia.(Dermatology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WHISTLER, B.C. -- Strict avoidance of irritants and scrupulous protection of the nails are the most important aspects of managing chronic paronychia, Dr. C. Ralph Daniel said at a clinical dermatology seminar sponsored by Medicis. ...

Clues to thrombosis may lurk in skin disease.(Dermatology)
August 1, 2004... PHOENIX, ARIZ. -- Thrombotic events are more pervasive than most physicians realize, and we can play a critical, lifesaving role in making a diagnosis, Dr. S. Wright Caughman said at a clinical dermatology conference sponsored by Medicis. ...

Novel PET tracer reveals Alzheimer's plaques, tangles.(Geriatrics)(positron emission tomography)
August 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Positron emission tomography can reveal the extent of Alzheimer's disease in patients, thanks to an experimental tracer that binds to the neurofibrillary tangles and the amyloid plaques that characterize the disease. ...

SPECT may predict likelihood of Alzheimer's development.(Geriatrics)(Single-photon emission computed tomography)
August 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Single-photon emission computed tomography may provide clues that help predict which patients with mild cognitive impairment will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease and which patients will remain relatively stable, according...

No decline in dementia risk with estrogen use: unopposed therapy tied to nonsignificant increases in probable dementia, mild cognitive impairment.(Geriatrics)
August 1, 2004... Unopposed estrogen therapy was not associated with a reduction in the incidence of probable dementia or mild cognitive impairment in women aged 65-79 years, according to newly released data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. ...

For elderly, car crashes go up with lithium use.(Geriatrics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Older adults who are currently using lithium are involved in injurious car crashes more than twice as often as similarly aged patients, reported Mahyar Etminan, Pharm.D., and his associates at McGill University, Montreal. By looking for...

For healthy seniors, yoga offers no improvements in cognitive function.(Geriatrics)
August 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- The practice of yoga produced no significant effects on cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial involving healthy seniors, Dr. Barry Oken reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. On...

Rivastigmine may slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease.(Geriatrics)
August 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- The cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine appeared to slow the cognitive decline of Alzheimer's disease for up to 5 years, in a study reported in a poster presentation by Mary Sano, Ph.D., at the annual meeting of the American...

Memantine improved cognition in Alzheimer's.(Geriatrics)
August 1, 2004... PHOENIX, ARIZ. -- Memantine improved cognitive performance in a 24-week, placebo-controlled trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Nunzio Pomara said at a meeting of the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit. His...

Assessment of older drivers.(The Effective Physician)
August 1, 2004... Background Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of injury-related mortality in adults aged 65 years and older. In an effort to reduce the incidence of such catastrophes, the American Medical Association, with support from the...

It's hard to tell elderly, stop driving your car.(Geriatrics)
August 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Telling elderly patients they can no longer drive is one of the hardest things a physician can do. "Some doctors have told me they'd rather tell their patients they have cancer than tell them they have to stop driving," Dr....

Stem cell grafts stalled MS in several patients.(multiple sclerosis)
August 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Canadian researchers halted progression of multiple sclerosis in six patients treated with an aggressive regimen of intense immune ablation followed by grafts of purified autologous hematopoietic stem cells. "There's no...

Cannabinoids for multiple sclerosis.(An Evidence-Based Approach)
August 1, 2004... History and Rationale for Use Many patients with multiple sclerosis experiment with alternative therapies for relief of the distressing symptoms of their condition, in part because of the toxicities and limited clinical efficacy of the...

Statins may cut brain inflammation in MS.(Neurology)
August 1, 2004... Statin drugs may inhibit the inflammatory components of multiple sclerosis that lead to neurologic disability, according to the results of a multicenter, open-label study. Studies in mouse models have suggested that statins may influence...

Buprenorphine can be safely used in primary care.(Psychiatry)
August 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Buprenorphine treatment of opioid dependence in a primary care setting could help fill the current treatment gap faced by patients trying to get help with substance abuse, Dr. Daniel P. Alford reported. He and his colleagues at...

Worries hamper addiction tx.(Psychiatry)
August 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- The fear that opioid-addicted patients will co-use other substances while on buprenorphine therapy may be keeping some physicians who are authorized to prescribe the drug for opioid addiction from setting up office-based treatment...

Telephone outreach aids depression screening: interventions can be incorporated into primary care to connect at-risk patients with mental health care.(Psychiatry)
August 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Telephone-based outreach is an effective screening tool for identifying comorbid depression in medically ill patients, said Dr. Michael Ong of Stanford (Calif.) University. Such an intervention can be incorporated into primary...

Depression descriptors different in minorities.(Psychiatry)
August 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Ever hear a patient say that he or she is "feeling evil" and let the remark go by without comment? If so, an opportunity might have been missed to diagnose depression, Dr. Annelle Primm said at a meeting sponsored by the Alliance...

Psychotherapy frees some women from depression without drugs.(Psychiatry)
August 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Women of childbearing age who can achieve remission from depression with interpersonal psychotherapy alone can remain depression-free with monthly maintenance psychotherapy, Ellen Frank, Ph.D., said at a meeting sponsored by the...

Folate may not offset alcohol's breast CA effect.(breast cancer)
August 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Increasing folate intake among postmenopausal women may not offset the elevated breast cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption, Dr. Christine Duffy said at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. ...

Launchers and printers.(Digital Assistance)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Featured App: Launchers From the Apple Newton era to the latest Pocket PC, handheld computing technology has advanced tremendously. The hardware has certainly evolved and, from the software standpoint, there are now literally thousands of...

Trauma history tied to lower cancer survival.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- A history of accidental trauma is associated with decreased survival in cancer patients, Douglas L. Delahanty, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. In a retrospective study of 311...

Web-based, alternative cancer information can be dangerous.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Many Web sites offering information about complementary and alternative medicine treatments for cancer offer some worthwhile information, but others are downright dangerous. That's what two British researchers concluded after evaluating 32...

ALLHAT continues to stir clinical controversy.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial)
August 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- ALLHAT, the trial that was supposed to end the bickering about drug choice in hypertension, has fallen far short of that goal, according to reports presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. For...

BP: improve accuracy of measurement to improve control.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(blood pressure )
August 1, 2004... DETROIT -- Accurate measurement is the first link in the chain of blood pressure control--and all too often it's the missing link, Dr. Clarence Grim said at a meeting sponsored by the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks. Among...

Low Hb is a bad omen in diastolic dysfunction.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(hemoglobin)
August 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Low hemoglobin is every bit as strong a predictor of poor outcome in congestive heart failure patients with preserved systolic function as in those with a low ejection fraction, Dr. John J. McMurray reported at the annual meeting...

Medicare's cost burden high for postoperative AF.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Atrial fibrillation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Atrial fibrillation arising after cardiac surgery is a major problem costing the Medicare program an estimated $143 million annually, John Hernandez, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society. In...

Chest pain hospitalizations soar.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The rates of hospitalization for angina and other chest pain soared between 1990 and 2000 in at least one Western nation, even as the hospitalization rate for MI fell by one-third, reported Dr. N.F. Murphy of the Western Infirmary, Glasgow,...

Primary PCI averts VSD.(percutaneous coronary intervention, ventricular septal defects)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Primary percutaneous coronary intervention after MI dramatically decreases the incidence of ventricular septal defects, compared with waiting for a few days to a few weeks before doing the PCI procedure, according to Dr. Hon-Kan Yip and...

Noncompliance in HF patients.(heart failure)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Discharge planning is not enough to get patients to continue taking ACE inhibitors after a hospitalization for heart failure. Since many will discontinue the recommended drugs over the first 3-6 months postdischarge, additional outpatient...

Anti-inflammatory with CABG.(Pexelizumab, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Pexelizumab, a novel anti-inflammatory drug that blocks generation of the C5 complement component, reduced the incidence of death or MI in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting in a large clinical trial, reported Dr. Edward D....

Carotid stenting durable for 2 years in SAPPHIRE: long-term results support the inteventional procedure as being a safe, effective alternative to surgery.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Stenting and Angioplasty With Protection in Patients at High Risk for Endarterectomy)
August 1, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Carotid stenting is a durable treatment that is at least as good as carotid endarterectomy for treatment of high-risk patients, according to results presented at the Fifth World Stroke Congress sponsored by the International...

Many hospitalized stroke patients are aspirin nonresponders.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
August 1, 2004... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Results of a small prospective study suggest that almost half of patients hospitalized for treatment of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack are "aspirin resistant." But some stroke experts are not convinced,...

Migraine with aura appears to increase stroke risk in women.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Women with a history of migraine with aura are at subsequent increased risk of stroke, according to new data from the Women's Health Study. Increased stroke risk was not associated with migraine without aura, or with...

Training for caregivers of stroke survivors reduces costs.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Basic, hands-on nursing training for individuals who need to care for stroke survivors reduces caregivers' stress, improves patient quality of life, and reduces costs of stroke care, according to a randomized controlled trial in the United...

ACIP adjusts adult immunization schedule.(Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)
August 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has tweaked the adult immunization schedule, with an eye toward further changes in the future. The changes include adding a row to the schedule for health care workers, changing...

Expand meningococcal vaccination coverage, ACIP panel says.(Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)
August 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- All adolescents and college freshmen living in dormitories should be routinely vaccinated with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, according to a meningococcal work group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's...

Legionellosis treatment.(Levofloxacin)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Levofloxacin is safe and effective at both 500-mg and 750-mg doses for the treatment of legionellosis, reported Dr. Victor L. Yu, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues. Of a total of 1,551 clinically...

Transplanted rabies.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The first reported cases of rabies transmission via solid organ transplantation have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three transplant recipients died from rabies after receiving a kidney or the liver of...

Meningococcal disease.(influence of chemoprophylaxis)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Chemoprophylaxis reduces the risk of meningococcal disease in household contacts of a patient by 89%, a metaanalysis suggests. Data from four observational studies and one small trial involving a total of 1,249 cases and 4,271 contacts...

HIV prevention.(Think HIV program a success)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A CDC strategy for preventing HIV that involves expanding routine, voluntary testing is proving successful. A state-funded program in Massachusetts that offers HIV counseling, testing, and referral to patients seeking care at urgent care...

West Nile virus buzzes into sunny Southwest: worst stung has been Arizona, reporting 66 human cases and two fatalities, after just 13 cases last year.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2004... The nation's first case of West Nile virus this year emerged on May 8, almost a month later than last year, but case trends suggest that the virus may have staying power in the long hot summer and fall that characterize the American Southwest,...

Two-step TB test may detect latent disease.(tuberculosis)
August 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- A two-step tuberculin skin test, requiring three visits, is necessary to rule out the presence of an anamnestic response in people who were infected with tuberculosis long ago, Dr. Robert M. Jasmer said at a meeting on clinical...

TB outbreak shows need for vigilance.(tuberculosis)
August 1, 2004... An outbreak of tuberculosis in a District of Columbia community hospital illustrates the need for vigilance by medical staff, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients with symptoms suggesting TB...

More colonoscopies could and should be done.(Gastroenterology)
August 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- U.S. physicians have the capacity to perform several million more colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies per year than are currently done, an excess capacity that will be needed to deal with the millions of Americans who require...

Statins used for CVD prevention may also reduce risk of colorectal cancer.(Gastroenterology)(cardiovascular disease)
August 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Data from a large epidemiologic study suggest that colorectal cancer may soon join the list of conditions that can be ameliorated by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Regular use of statins for prevention of cardiovascular...

Bowel screening urged for HT users.(Hormone therapy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Hormone therapy with estrogen and progestin does not appear to play a significant role in reducing the risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to a recent analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative. Hormone therapy (HT)...

Getting livers to sick patients.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A new policy revision will help ensure that the most medically urgent candidates for liver transplant are offered the procedure regardless of where they live, according to a statement from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and...

Acute pancreatitis cases rising.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The case rate of acute pancreatitis in hospitals rose steadily in southern England from 1963 to 1998, but a corresponding decline in mortality from the condition from 1963 to 1975 ceased after that time, reported Dr. Michael J. Goldacre and Dr....

Value of eradicating H. pylori.(Helicobacter pylori)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Eradication of Helicobacter pylori from patients does not significantly impact gastroesophageal reflux disease or heartburn, reported Dr. Richard F. Harvey of Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, England, and his associates. Six months after 1,558...

Milk and risk of colorectal ca.(colorectal cancer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Increased consumption of milk and calcium is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, according to a pooled analysis of 10 prospective, cohort studies. In both men and women, consumption of milk was associated with a significant...

Celiac disease prevalence higher than thought.(Gastroenterology)
August 1, 2004... Celiac disease is far more prevalent than previously thought but often goes undiagnosed, according to a consensus statement released by the National Institutes of Health. The statement identifies candidates for screening, suggests management...

Adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.(Drug Update)
August 1, 2004... Adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the second most common neuropsychiatric disorder of adulthood, following depressive disorders; it affects about 8 million people, or 4% of the adult U.S. population. But experts estimate...

FDA deliberating over supplements' OA claims.(Food and Drug Administration, osteoarthritis)
August 1, 2004... BETHESDA, MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration could decide by September whether dietary supplement makers can claim that glucosamine and/or chondroitin help reduce the risk of osteoarthritis. That is when the agency has agreed to act on...

New and old agents on horizon to treat gout.(Rx)
August 1, 2004... Physicians may soon have something old and new in their arsenal for treating gout patients who are intolerant to allopurinol. The xanthine oxidase inhibitor oxypurinol, which as an orphan drug has been available only through a...

Etoricoxib on a par with indomethacin for gouty arthritis Tx.(Rx)
August 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Etoricoxib is as effective as indomethacin for acute gouty arthritis, Dr. David I. Daikh reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Daikh and his colleagues pooled results from...

NCQA: database identifies 'high-quality' physicians.(National Committee for Quality Assurance)
August 1, 2004... The National Committee for Quality Assurance is using a new searchable online database to let consumers know whom it rates as a high-quality doctor. The searchable database, which was added to NCQA's Web site in June, allows consumers to...

Growth in Medicaid fees.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... After growing slowly for most of the 1990s, Medicaid physician fees grew about 27.4% from 1998 through 2003, a study indicated. Primary care fees grew the most during this 5-year period, and states with the lowest relative fees in 1998...

Self-administered drug demo.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Medicare will begin testing possible coverage for self-administered drugs in September and physicians can begin immediately to help their patients to apply for inclusion. The demonstration project is available to certain Medicare beneficiaries...

Risks of Internet pharmacies.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Some Internet pharmacies pose safety risks for consumers and have unreliable business practices, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. To evaluate the safety of drugs purchased over the Internet, the GAO obtained...

AMA supports Plan B.(American Medical Association, levonorgestrel)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The FDA should reconsider its rejection of over-the-counter status for levonorgestrel (Plan B) for emergency contraception pills, the American Medical Association urged during its 2004 annual meeting. In a resolution approved by delegates, AMA...

Medical debt dilemma.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Almost 20 million Americans had problems with medical debt in 2003, according to a study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Although uninsured families were the most likely to have problems paying bills, at least...