Internal Medicine News articles from January 2009

Internal Medicine News archives from January 2009

LMW heparin cuts event rate in cancer.(NEWS)(low-molecular-weight)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Prophylactic use of a low-molecular-weight heparin reduced thromboembolic events by half in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled nearly 1,200 ambulatory cancer patients-a high-risk group not usually offered...

PET scans detect breast cancer in challenging cases: imaging good at detecting small tumors.(NEWS)(positron emission tomography)
January 1, 2009... CHICAGO -- Positron emission mammography appears not to be adversely affected by either breast density or a woman's hormonal status--two common limitations in mammography and breast MRI. In a prospective, single--site study of 208 women...

C-reactive protein might improve CV risk profiling.(NEWS)(cardiovascular)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- A new formula for calculating the cardiovascular disease risk of men and women--the Reynolds Risk Score--is an opportunity, proponents say, to move beyond the Framingham Risk Score, the standard formula for primary prevention...

Vital signs.(NEWS)(Table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... VITAL SIGNS Number of People per Active Physician By Specialty, 2007 (In thousands) Rheumatology 66 Endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism 55 Pulmonary disease and critical care...

Dispute delays roll-out of RAC program.(NEWS)(Recovery Audit Contractor)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The national roll-out of Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor program is on hold because of protests filed by two contractors who bid unsuccessfully to be part of the program. The dispute will be reviewed by the Government Accountability...

Amyloid scans may aid Alzheimer's diagnosis.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
January 1, 2009... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- Radionuclide imaging products that reliably detect cerebral amyloid deposits would be clinically useful in ruling out a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients with cognitive impairment, according to a Food and Drug...

FDA panel backs new fluoroquinolone for conjunctivitis.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(United States Food and Drug Administration)(besifloxacin)
January 1, 2009... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 9-0 that an ophthalmic formulation of besifloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone antibiotic, should be approved for treating bacterial conjunctivitis in people aged 1 year and...

Obama sparks hopes for health care reform.(NEWS)
January 1, 2009... Early signals from the incoming Obama administration have made some physician groups optimistic about the chances for comprehensive health reform. The economy is one reason that health reform may have a greater chance for success now than...

Make imaging costs public.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I appreciate Dr. N.S. Damle's take on controlling medical imaging costs, but one aspect that he didn't discuss is the lack of public information on the exact costs of individual tests ("Paying for Advanced Medical Imaging," Guest Editorial,...

Health care 'paradigm shift' needed.(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... As the 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006) and chairperson of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (www.fightchronicdisease.org), I have been working for nearly 2 years with the presidential candidates' policy teams to...

After trauma, 31% report sexual dysfunction.(PSYCHIATRY)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearly one-third of trauma patients reported at least some degree of sexual dysfunction a year after injury, according to a multicenter prospective cohort study. This rate is about double that of healthy patients, and...

Preference, cost should drive SSRI, SNRI choice.(PSYCHIATRY)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors)
January 1, 2009... Second-generation antidepressants are similarly effective in the treatment of major depression in adults, so drug selection should be driven by adverse event profile, cost, and patient preference, according to a clinical practice guideline...

Paroxetine linked to sperm DNA fragmentation.(PSYCHIATRY)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Treatment with paroxetine (Paxil) appears to put healthy men at greater risk of sperm DNA fragmentation, according to data from a small study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine....

Menopause affects presentation of major depression.(PSYCHIATRY)
January 1, 2009... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Menopausal status and use of hormone therapy can influence the presentation and treatment of major depression, according to Dr. Susan G. Kornstein, professor of psychiatry and obstetrics-gynecology at Virginia...

Stress-related behaviors increase heart risk.(PSYCHIATRY)
January 1, 2009... Psychological distress is a significant driver of cardiovascular disease, mostly because of poor health behaviors associated with chronic stress, according to the findings of a prospective study. Psychologically distressed individuals were...

Depression risk higher in obese black women.(PSYCHIATRY)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... CHICAGO -- The odds of comorbid depression are 41% greater in obese than in nonobese African American women, according to a large national study. Based on this finding, obese African American women should routinely be screened for...

More weight lost with liraglutide than orlistat.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... PHOENIX -- Liraglutide, an investigational drug given once a day, produced significantly more weight loss than orlistat in a randomized, 20-week, placebo-controlled trial in obese patients, most of whom were not diabetic. Participants on...

Mediterranean diet plus nuts lowers CV risk.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)(cardiovascular)
January 1, 2009... An ad libitum Mediterranean-style diet, supplemented with a daily serving of mixed nuts, appears to decrease the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in older people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to Spanish researchers. In...

Orlistat not helpful in teens with metabolic syndrome.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... PHOENIX -- Orlistat produced modest weight loss in extremely obese adolescents but failed to reverse comorbidities associated with metabolic syndrome in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health. ...

Sibutramine kept off weight for 2 years, then gains resumed.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... PHOENIX -- Sibutramine helped people who had lost substantial amounts of weight maintain much of their weight loss for 2 years in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial. By 3 years, however, they had regained about as much as a control...

Anemia drugs tied to deaths in cancer patients.(HEMATOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Cancer patients on erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are 17% more likely to die of any cause while in clinical trials and 6% less likely to be alive at the longest available follow-up, researchers reported at the annual meeting...

Eltrombopag increases platelet counts in chronic ITP.(HEMATOLOGY)(idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients with severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura were eight times more likely to achieve target platelet counts when treated for 6 months with oral eltrombopag in a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III trial...

Procedure relieves heel pain of plantar fasciitis.(RHEUMATOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... CHICAGO -- The combination of ultrasound-guided dry-needling and steroid injection was 95% effective in relieving the heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis in a study of 44 patients. Within 2-3 weeks of treatment, symptoms disappeared...

Fibromyalgia care varies among specialties.(RHEUMATOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Rheumatologists and primary care physicians tend to use different diagnostic tests and prescribe different treatments for fibromyalgia syndrome, survey results indicated. A large fraction of physicians in both groups did...

Drug may improve sleep in patients with fibromyalgia.(RHEUMATOLOGY)(sodium oxybate)
January 1, 2009... Phoenix -- Preliminary data on the off-label use of sodium oxybate suggest that it improved sleep in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 151 patients with fibromyalgia who completed 8 weeks of treatment at 21 medical centers. The...

Two antidepressants show promise for fibromyalgia.(RHEMUATOLOGY)
January 1, 2009... BARCELONA -- The antidepressants milnacipran and trazodone appear to relieve pain and improve sleep and overall quality of life for fibromyalgia patients. Neither drug is approved in the United States for fibromyalgia, but the Food and...

Metabolic syndrome blunts aspirin's antiplatelet activity.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
January 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Apparently healthy people with a family history of coronary artery disease who also had metabolic syndrome showed elevated platelet aggregation and reduced platelet responsiveness to aspirin in a study of more than 2,000 people....

Fecal transfer cures relapsing C. diff infection.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)(clostridium difficile)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- A preparation of fecal bacteria from healthy donors successfully resolved chronic relapsing Clostridium difficile--associated diarrhea in 46 of 48 patients, of whom all but one underwent the procedure in their homes. Few...

Antibiotic-related diarrhea not halted by probiotic yogurt.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Probiotic yogurt did not prevent antibiotic--associated diarrhea in a randomized, double--blind trial of about 300 adult patients. According to the study authors, meta-analyses have suggested that probiotics may be helpful...

Food-borne illnesses subject to publication bias.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Publication bias creates a skewed picture of the true prevalence of restaurant-associated food-borne disease outbreaks in the United States, and this can lead to misdiagnosis, said Dr. Tim F. Jones, state epidemiologist for the...

CRP test may help curb use of antibiotics.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(C-reactive protein)
January 1, 2009... RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO--Antibiotics were used less frequently on day 1 and during 28 days of follow-up among patients who underwent C-reactive protein tests to determine the presence of bacterial infections, data from a study of adults with...

Shedding of HSV-2 persists beyond 10 years.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(herpes simplex virus type 2 infection)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- High rates of both overall and subclinical viral shedding continue even beyond 10 years among people with genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, suggesting that there is a continued risk of transmission to sexual partners...

Early experience with PQRI spurs 2009 updates.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Physician Quality Reporting Initiative)
January 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Data from the first 6 months of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative are spurring improvements for the upcoming year, a Medicare official testified at a meeting of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council. In the...

Medical emissions curbed.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tougher air pollution standards for medical waste incinerators, which environmental groups said have been among the country's worst emitters of mercury and dioxins. The new rule, subject to...

Clinic discloses industry ties.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Cleveland Clinic)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Cleveland Clinic has begun public disclosure of the business relationships its staff physicians and scientists have with drug and medical device makers. The organization said its Web site will list the names of companies with which each...

HHS issues final PSO rules.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(United States Department of Health and Human Services)(Patient Safety Organizations)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Department of Health and Human Services has issued the final requirements for Patient Safety Organizations, new entities through which health care providers can collect and analyze data to identify and reduce patient care risks. PSOs allow...

Lawmaker asks for heparin review.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), ranking minority member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has asked the Government Accountability Office for a thorough review of the Food and Drug Administration's handling of the recent problems with...

Defensive medicine: $1.4 billion.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Defensive medicine--physicians ordering tests, procedures, referrals, hospitalizations, or prescriptions because of fear of being sued--is widespread and adds a minimum of $1.4 billion per year to the cost of health care in Massachusetts,...

Workers have uninsured children.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Approximately 8.6 million children in the United States are uninsured, and most of these are in working families, according to a report from the advocacy group Families USA. In fact, almost 90% of uninsured children are in families where one...

Insurers offer health coverage guarantee.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
January 1, 2009... As a new administration prepares to tackle health care reform, the health insurance industry is offering a few suggestions. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), representing about 1,300 companies covering more than 200 million...

The effective physician 2009: changes?
January 1, 2009... A new year with new national leadership, predating a new decade. We offer thoughts about the months ahead. Health Care Reform on Speed Dial: The pace of health care reform might have an inverse relationship to the strength of the economy....

Reaching out in the Dominican Republic: global perspectives on medical practice.(WORLD WIDE MED)(Interview)
January 1, 2009... When Dr. Mackram Eleid decided to begin his medical career by helping people who had limited access to health care, he walked the walk--to a village clinic in the Dominican Republic. "The idea of immersing [myself] into an unfamiliar...

New relicensure policy under consideration.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
January 1, 2009... Physicians could face increased requirements when renewing their state medical licenses under a draft model policy being evaluated by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Under the draft policy, relicensure would become more...

Preventive services guide updated.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published its 2008 "Guide to Clinical Preventive Services," which highlights recommendations released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In addition to previous...

A caries cure that Kinda Sucks.(INDICATIONS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Those lollipops once handed out by many pediatric offices have fallen out of favor, but they may soon make a healthy comeback. At least, if the treats are sugarless lollipops containing licorice extract. It seems the kids can be joined by their...

Bush's Brain, Part Deux.(INDICATIONS)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A couple of Dutch researcher have figured out that the brain, some of President Bush's speeches notwithstanding, is set up to prevent mistakes in speaking. Study volunteers, tasked, with identifying whether words contained certain letters or...

Brachytherapy averts capsular contraction.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Image-guided multicatheter brachytherapy produces excellent cosmesis and a low complication rate--including a minimal risk of capsular contracture--in women with early-stage breast carcinoma who have undergone mammoplasty...

CVD data confirm value of tailoring glycemic goals: strict glucose control not for all patients.(NEWS)(cardiovascular diseases)
January 15, 2009... The target hemoglobin [A.sub.1c] of less than 7% should remain the general goal for nonpregnant adults with diabetes, despite the recent results from three large randomized trials showing that intensive glucose lowering did not reduce the risks...

Zoledronic acid an option for osteoporotic men.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of yearly zoledronic acid infusions for the treatment of low bone mass in men with osteoporosis will give clinicians a treatment option for men other than oral weekly therapy, according to Dr....

Vital signs.(funding of clinical trials)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... Who Funds Clinical Trials? Universities/organizations 16,488 Industry 8,298 NIH/other federal agency 5,881 Other 830 Notes: Based on 26,193 open international studies as of Nov. 4,...

Bowel preps linked to phosphate nephropathy.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Visicol and OsmoPrep)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has added a boxed warning to the prescription oral sodium phosphate bowel preparation products Visicol and OsmoPrep concerning the risk of acute phosphate nephropathy. The agency is also recommending...

Hormonal drug degarelix approved for treating advanced prostate cancer.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has approved an injectable gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, the first new agent cleared to treat the disease since 2004. Degarelix, which will...

Trilipix approved for lipid management in combo with a statin.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration approved Trilipix (fenofibric acid) delayed-release capsules for use alone or in combination with a statin to help improve lipid levels. The drug is the first fibrate to be approved for use in combination with a...

Influenza a showing resistance to oseltamivir.(NEWS)
January 15, 2009... A high prevalence of oseltamivir resistance to circulating influenza A (HlNl) virus strains in some states has prompted the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention to issue interim recommendations regarding the use of the antiviral drug...

Skin reactions seen in Asians on phenytoin.(NEWS)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration is investigating preliminary data indicating that people with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele HLA-B*1052 may be at greater risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis if...

Protect your data!(Editorial)
January 15, 2009... All too often, our office computers are disasters waiting to happen. We store huge amounts of important information on them and risk losing it all by neglecting to back up the data. No amount of casualty insurance will recoup the loss of the...

What is normal, really?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
January 15, 2009... Dr. Rhoda H. Cobin's editorial ("What Is Normal Thyroid Function?" Guest Editorial, Nov. 1, 2008, p. 10) prompts me to write. Over the past years I have diagnosed and treated hundreds of patients, particularly in pregnancy, when they...

E-prescription for trouble.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
January 15, 2009... I have been trying to use an e-prescription program, but there are several problems ("Medicare Bonus to Push E-Prescribing Beginning in 2009," Nov. 15, 2008, p. 1): * Controlled medications cannot be issued through an electronic...

Two predictors of early arthritis identified.(RHEUMATOLOY)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- An observational study of 395 patients with suspected early arthritis identified two factors that predicted a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis within a year's time. Patients with swelling in a small joint of the hands...

Low-dose colchicine effective for acute gout.(RHEUMATOLOY)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Low-dose colchicine appeared to be as effective as a more conventional dose in treating acute gout flares, but produced far fewer side effects in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 185 patients. The...

Dual-energy CT may aid diagnosis of gout.(RHEUMATOLOY)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Dual-energy CT scans showed red-colored uric acid deposits in 20 consecutive patients with clinically obvious tophaceous gout but not in 10 control subjects with other nongout joint conditions. The 100% sensitivity and...

New agents for gout provide alternatives to allopurinol.(RHEUMATOLOY)
January 15, 2009... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The likely approval of febuxostat for the treatment of gout means that there soon will be an alternative for the underserved group of patients with severe disease who cannot tolerate allopurinol. No new...

Emerging treatments for vitiligo offer hope.(DERMATOLOGY)
January 15, 2009... PARIS -- Vitiligo can be a psychologically devastating disorder, but there are several effective therapies that can improve skin pigmentation and reduce the burden of this disease, according to Dr. Pearl Grimes. "Pigmentation significantly...

Breast density predicts drug's preventive benefit.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- A reduction in mammographic breast density after 12-18 months of tamoxifen use--prescribed for primary prevention of breast cancer--is an excellent early predictor of subsequent treatment efficacy, according to a new report from...

Lasofoxifene shown to sharply reduce incidence of breast cancer.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- The investigational selective estrogen-receptor modulator lasofoxifene is shaping up as a PEARL of a drug for the prevention of breast cancer. Lasofoxifene (Fablyn) slashed the incidence of estrogen receptor-positive breast...

Soy matches HT for menopause symptoms.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(hormone therapy)
January 15, 2009... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Soy supplements improved somatic and urogenital symptoms of menopause to the same degree as did low-dose combination hormone therapy, in a small, randomized, double-blind controlled trial. A total of 60 women who...

Absolute risks of hormone therapy may reassure women.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... ORLANDO -- When counseling postmenopausal women about hormone therapy, frame the discussion in terms of absolute rather than relative risks, a principal investigator of the Women's Health Initiative said. "Hormone therapy still has a...

Hot flashes don't cause depression in menopause.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Hot flashes may not necessarily be a cause of depressive symptoms, according to a study that followed women in the menopausal transition for 10 years. "We were interested in whether these symptoms were more likely to occur...

Optimal TSH suppression in thyroid ca varies.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)(thyroid-stimulating hormone)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- An individually tailored approach to providing thyroid hormone replacement in thyroid cancer patients should be guided by the findings of several key studies, according to endocrinologist Giuseppe Barbesino. The evidence at hand...

High TSH level may enhance brachial artery endothelial flow.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Injection of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone causes a marked and persistent improvement in brachial artery endothelial flow-mediated dilation, without affecting heart rate, blood pressure, or echocardiographic...

Once-weekly levothyroxine deemed safe and effective.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Once-weekly levothyroxine administration in hypothyroid women proved to be a safe and well-tolerated alternative to standard daily therapy in a Brazilian randomized trial. Echocardiographic evaluation showed no differences...

Four new fact sheets focus on thyroid disorders.(ENDOCRINOLOGY)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has produced four new fact sheets for consumers and health care providers. The subjects of the four publications are...

FDA panels weigh risks, benefits of asthma drugs.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
January 15, 2009... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- The benefits of the single-ingredient, long-acting [beta]-agonist products salmeterol (Serevent) and formoterol (Foradil) do not outweigh their risks when used for treating asthma in adults, adolescents, and children,...

PTSD can persist months after school shooting.(ADOLESCENT HEALTH)(posttraumatic stress disorder)
January 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Schoolwide mental health screening should be routinely conducted after a school shooting to identify at-risk students and help guide the selection of appropriate treatment strategies. This conclusion is based on a study that...

Teen smoking rates down; drug use steady.(ADOLESCENT HEALTH)
January 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Drug abuse among U.S. adolescents remained steady in 2008, compared with recent years, but cigarette smoking is at a historic low, according to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey, released by the National Institute on Drug...

Drug reduces interferon-related depression.(GASTROENTEROLOGY)
January 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients with hepatitis C who were given prophylactic escitalopram in advance of therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin had one-third the incidence of major depression as did those who were given a placebo, according to a...

Nanoparticle emulsion speeds cold sore healing.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 15, 2009... WASHINGTON -- A novel topical antiviral nanoemulsion reduced the time to healing of cold sores by more than 1 day in a phase IIB study of patients with recurrent herpes labialis. The lotion, called NB-001, is an oil-in-water emulsion...

Adult Immunization Schedule updated, released for 2009.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
January 15, 2009... This year's Adult Immunization Schedule includes the 2008 recommendation to use the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in cigarette smokers and patients with asthma. No new vaccines have been added to the schedule, but there are several...

Fluids, rest, OTC medicines remain top cold care choices.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(over the counter)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... ARLINGTON, VA. -- Despite the lack of evidence that over-the-counter cold medicines cure the common cold, nearly two-thirds of American adults choose them to treat symptoms, according to survey results from 1,005 individuals aged 18 and older....

Treating elevated biomarkers to lower CV risk.(MINDFUL PRACTICE)(cardiovascular)(Case study)
January 15, 2009... The Problem A-50-year-old physician presents to your office for a routine physical examination. His past medical history is significant for adenoidectomy. He jogs 3 miles five times a week. He is a never tobacco user, and his family...

Score can gauge risk of atrial fibrillation.(CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE)
January 15, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Eight easily obtained clinical variables together formed a risk score that could predict a person's risk for developing atrial fibrillation with reasonable reliability, on the basis of an analysis using data from the Framingham...

CMS launches enrollment site.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... A new, Internet-based system will let physicians and nonphysician practitioners apply for Medicare enrollment, check on applications, make changes, and view information on file. The Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System is now...

FDA approvals increase.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... The FDA approved 21 new molecular entities and 4 new biologic drugs in 2008, compared with 17 NMEs and 2 biologics in 2007. Four of the 2008 approvals came in December. In 2006, the FDA approved 22 new drugs and biologics. Although the agency...

Hospitalizations hit coverage gaps.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
January 15, 2009... Interruptions in Medicaid coverage are associated with a higher rate of hospitalizations for conditions that often can be treated in ambulatory care settings, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers in California...