Internal Medicine News articles from July 2003

Internal Medicine News archives from July 2003

Transplanted islet cells yield results: interim data from international trial.
July 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Islet cell transplantation to treat type 1 diabetes has now been replicated outside of Canada, Dr. James Shapiro reported at the American Transplant Congress. "This is the first international multicenter trial in which we...

Annual exams still favored by primary care physicians: in contrast, national guidelines endorse a more selective approach to prevention. (Survey Findings).
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Most primary care physicians don't accept current national guidelines that recommend abandoning routine annual physical examinations in favor of a more selective approach to prevention, Dr. Allan V. Prochazka reported at the...

AMA reassesses priorities amid membership woes: report on services rankles some delegates. (Organizational Structure Unchanged).(American Medical Association)
July 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- With a reorganization plan on the cutting room floor, the American Medical Association may need to refocus on its priorities in order to boost ailing membership rolls. A special committee charged with reviewing the AMA's...

Vital signs.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... VITAL SIGNS Medicare Among Americans' Top Health Priorities for the President and Congress Percent Saying Percent Saying "Very Important" "Most Important" Helping...

E-consultations led to treatment change in 90% of patients: diagnosis changed in 5%.(electronic)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Online consultations between specialists and referring physicians led to a change in treatment in 90% of cases, according to the findings of a retrospective study. In 5% of cases, online consultation led to a change in the patient's...

Simple diabetes program yields effective results. (Efficient Office Visits).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Enrollment in a simple diabetes management program improves diabetic measures, based on a chart review of diabetic patients at an Air Force base. When Dr. Heidi Buckingham was an internist at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia,...

Top federal health officials make special appearance at AMA meeting. (Disaster Preparedness).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The American health care system is learning the hard way how to prepare for disasters, and lesson number one is that front-line clinicians play a key role in identifying and responding to epidemics, Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, director...

Clarity on cloning. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The AMA came out in favor of using somatic cell nuclear transfer to develop stem cells for research purposes. The vote was widely reported in the media as support for cloning, which caused many delegates at the meeting to receive calls of...

Physician reimbursement. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The delegates voted for a resolution calling for the AMA to "aggressively pursue legislation and regulation to protect physician payment and thereby ensure patient access to physicians." Dr. David A. Ingis of Willingboro, N.J., brushed aside...

Medicare deductibles and copayments. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The AMA will seek federal legislation to require secondary insurers to pay Medicare deductibles and copayments, regardless of how much Medicare pays for the service. Short of that, the delegates voted to urge insurance companies to make such...

Clinical skills exam. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The delegates emphasized their opposition to the Clinical Skills Assessment Exam. More than 4 dozen delegates spoke against the exam's cost to medical students, cited a lack of evidence of the exam's effectiveness, and advocated letting medical...

Confronting obesity. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Urged on by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, the delegates voted to take steps to raise public awareness of the health risks of obesity and promote...

Graphic tobacco warnings. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The House of Delegates voted to support legislation to change warnings on tobacco products. The changes would include increasing the size of warnings to as large as half of the front of the package, including color photographs of such images as...

Boutique medicine. (AMA Briefs).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The House expressed concern about retainer fees to physicians. "The standard of care cannot depend on the patient's ability to pay," said Dr. Robert Sade, a member of the AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs that presented the report....

House staff self-governance. (AMA Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The delegates voted nearly unanimously to support the medical staffs of hospitals in California and Ohio in their fights against hospital administrators' efforts to rewrite medical staff bylaws, take over the medical staff dues account, nullify...

Combo HRT tied to dementia in older women. (Women's Health Initiative).(hormone replacement therapy)
July 1, 2003... The new finding that estrogen plus progestin therapy is associated with an increased risk for probable dementia in older postmenopausal women reenforces the need to limit hormone replacement therapy use to short-term relief of menopausal...

Low BMD in women tied to later dementia: Framingham study data. (News).(bone mineral density)
July 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Low bone mineral density in older women is associated with a more than twofold increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to a new analysis of data on the Framingham Study cohort....

Unprepared for SARS quarantine.(severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Editorial)
July 1, 2003... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has performed admirably to stem a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in the United States. Despite the strong federal response, the United States is ill prepared to cope with...

Pro & Con: are erythropoietin and growth factors useful adjuncts to hepatitis C therapy? (Option).
July 1, 2003... [YES] The new paradigm in treating patients with hepatitis C infection is to use erythropoietin to treat ribavirin-related anemia in order to maintain ribavirin dosages and enhance quality of life, and to use granulocyte colony-stimulating...

Talk back online.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... TALK BACK ONLINE Do you agree with the proposal to lengthen residency training in general internal medicine to 4 years? (June 1, 2003, p. 2) To Talk Back, visit www.einternalmedicinenews.com Yes 28% No 72% Note:...

The HRT switch in osteoporosis.(hormone replacement therapy)(Editorial)
July 1, 2003... The use of estrogen as a bone-building therapy has faded as physicians turn to other drugs for the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Estrogen is unquestionably effective in preventing bone loss; as first shown...

Phytoestrogens turn out a flop for hot flashes: no better than placebo. (Clinical Rounds).
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Neither of two popular commercially available phytoestrogen supplements reduced menopausal hot flashes more than placebo in a multicenter double-blind randomized clinical trial. "These supplements do not have a clinically...

CAM fact sheets now available. (Clinical Rounds).(complementary and alternative medicine)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Complementary and alternative medicine fact sheets are now available from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The fact sheets include "Making Decisions About Using CAM" and...

Patient involvement may help depression therapy: (Primary care setting. (Clinical Rounds).
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Greaterpatient involvement in treatment decision making is a promising strategy to improve outcomes of depression in primary care settings, Dr. Sarah L. Clever said at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal...

Teledermatology can assist primary care doctors: off-site cutaneous clinical skills. (Clinical Rounds).
July 1, 2003... MIAMI BEACH, FLA.--Teledermatology can help close the disparity between the cutaneous clinical skills of a primary care physician and those of a dermatologist, Dr. Michael Shapiro said. Evaluation via teledermatology also was faster, taking...

Dermoscopy yields details that bolster melanoma diagnosis: May reduce unnecessary excisions. (Clinical Rounds).
July 1, 2003... ST. JULIAN'S, MALTA -- Using dermoscopy to help diagnose malignant melanoma can decrease the number of benign lesions that otherwise would be excised, sparing patients unnecessary surgical intervention, Dr. Guiseppe Argenziano said at an...

Opioid-induced constipation is easily avoidable. (Cancer Patients).
July 1, 2003... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Constipation is highly prevalent among cancer patients on opioids, but it is also highly preventable, Dr. Michael H. Levy said at the annual conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. About 10% of the...

Sleep-disordered breathing strikes opioid users. (Screen and Monitor).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Patients receiving long-term, long-acting opioids should be screened and monitored for sleep-disordered breathing, based on findings from three recent cases. Dr. Robert J. Farney and his associates at LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, observed...

Tea for heart disease and cancer prevention. (Alternative Medicine).
July 1, 2003... * Observational data show clear benefits of tea in the prevention of heart disease. * Experimental data suggest that tea may help prevent cancer, but the evidence thus far is less certain. History of Use Beverages brewed from the...

Herbal with valerian helps end insomnia: Sleep onset insomnia. (Clinical Rounds).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... SALT LAKE CITY -- An herbal supplement containing valerian improved sleep onset insomnia, Paul J. Mills, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. In a double-blind, crossover study, patients taking the...

Diphenhydramine not linked to greater risk of in-hospital falls. (Case-Control Study).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Unlike other sedative hypnotics, diphenhydramine is not associated with an increased risk of falls in hospitalized patients, Dr. Ronald I. Shorr said at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. His...

Comprehensive view of male sexual dysfunction. (Updated Guidelines).
July 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Male sexual dysfunction is a couple's problem, often replete with emotional undercurrents and medical components, and as such, usually deserves a comprehensive evaluation rather than just a prescription for the little blue pill....

Risk of ED tied to coronary risk factors. (Lifestyle Modification).(erectile dysfunction)
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- If men with an unfavorable coronary disease risk factor profile can't be persuaded to embrace lifestyle modification to reduce cardiovascular risk, perhaps they will do so to prevent future erectile dysfunction. Coronary...

IM residents wary of early medical abortion: option embraced by 43% of those surveyed. (Clinical Rounds).(internal medicine)
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- General internal medicine trainees are far less willing than those in family medicine or ob.gyn. to provide early medical abortions by prescribing mifepristone once they enter practice, Dr. Eleanor B. Schwarz reported at the...

Systolic function key to CHF mortality in women: HERS trial yields new insights. (Cardiovascular Medicine).(congestive heart failure, Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study)
July 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Risk factors for mortality in women with congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease differ depending upon whether or not systolic function is preserved, Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo reported at the annual meeting of...

Digoxin's benefits in severe heart failure often overlooked: DIG trial 'constantly misquoted'. (Cardiovascular Medicine).(Digitalis Investigation Group)
July 1, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS -- The clinical benefits of digoxin in congestive heart failure are widely underappreciated, Dr. JoAnn Lindenfeld said at the annual meeting of the Colorado Chapter of the American College of Physicians. That's because...

Datawatch.(top 10 diagnoses in cardiology offices)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... DATAWATCH Top 10 Diagnoses in Cardiology Office Visits in 2002 % of Office Visits Hypertension NOS 16.9 Coronary Atherosclerosis ...

Medicare revises rules on covering ICD devices. (Cardiovascular Medicine).(implantable cardioverter defibrillator)
July 1, 2003... Expanded Medicare coverage for implantable cardioverter defibrillators is welcome, but the number of additional patients who will qualify for coverage is much smaller than anticipated. "The news is mixed in the sense that there will be...

Algorithm predicts lead failure risk with prolonged ICD use: removal can become necessary.(implantable cardioverter defibrillator)
July 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Lead failure in implantable cardioverter defibrillators is the "dark side" of an otherwise excellent technology, Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen said at the annual meeting of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. ...

ACE inhibitor boosts survival. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Use of the ACE inhibitor enalapril for 3-4 years improves 12-year survival of patients with left ventricular dysfunction--even in initially asymptomatic patients, reported Dr. Philip Jong of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., and his...

Quality of life after PCI, CABG. (Clinical Capsules).(percutaneous coronary interventions, coronary artery bypass grafting)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... For high-risk patients with refractory ischemia, quality of life outcomes are the same whether they undergo percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), said Dr. John S. Rumsfeld of the University of...

High fiber, low CVD risk. (Clinical Capsules).(cardiovascular disease)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... High serum levels of enterolactone, a compound linked to a high intake of fiber and vegetables, signaled a low risk of death from coronary and cardiovascular disease in a study of middle-aged Finnish men. Plant lignans in whole grain...

Counterfeit lipitor recalled. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Two drug distributors recalled all Lipitor products repackaged by MED-PRO, Inc., after the Food and Drug Administration warned that conterfeit tablets "pose a potentially significant risk to consumers. The FDA urged doctors and patients to...

Many adult diabetics not getting vaccines: pneumococcal, flu. (Infectious Diseases).
July 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Rates of pneumococcal and influenza vaccination were extremely low among diabetic patients at three clinics serving a large diabetic population, P.L. Yang said at the southern regional meeting of the American Federation for...

Antibacterial products don't go for the kill in home use: study of household samples. (Infectious Diseases).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The amount of bacteria in homes where antibacterial cleaning and personal care products were used was not significantly different from the amount in homes where such products were not used, Barbara Marshall reported in a poster...

Immunization guidelines: Shots 2003 4.1. (Digital Assistance).
July 1, 2003... Overview: Shots 2003 is a free, easy-to-use immunization reference guide for Palm OS handheld devices. Childhood and adult schedules are included, as well as immunization information relevant to particular medical conditions. Care providers at...

How Monkeypox and smallpox lesions differ. (Infectious Diseases).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Monkeypox: Incubation period is 10-12 days. Lesions are scattered and are in varying stages of development. Smallpox: Incubation period is 7-17 days. Lesions cluster and progress simultaneously from papules to edematous papules, to...

Monkeypox easy to distinguish from varicella or smallpox: scattered lesions at varying stages. (Infectious Disease).
July 1, 2003... The first case of monkeypox virus infection to be identified in the United States did not fool Dr. John W Meiski into first mistaking it for chickenpox, or cause him undue alarm that it was smallpox. The presentation of the 4-year-old girl,...

Monkeypox signals threat of emerging infections: outbreak apparently had origin in Africa. (Infectious Diseases).
July 1, 2003... Like severe acute respiratory syndrome and West Nile virus before it, the monkeypox virus outbreak in the upper Midwest offered more evidence that emerging infectious diseases no longer respect national, or even continental, boundaries. ...

New Aspergillus test. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The first rapid test for aspergillus infection was cleared for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration. Platelia Aspergillus EIA (Bio-Rad Laboratories) detects evidence of the rare but deadly fungal infection in the blood in about 3...

OSHA drops TB plan. (Clinical Capsules).(Occupational Safety and Health Administration, tuberculosis)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently abandoned a 1997 proposal designed to protect high-risk workers against tuberculosis, saying the measure is no longer necessary. The decision was reported in the May 27 issue of the...

Enfuvirtide for HIV-1. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Enfuvirtide, a novel HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, had significant antiretroviral and immunologic effects when added to an otherwise optimized treatment regimen in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection in an open-label randomized,...

Tea time. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tea improves natural resistance to infection, reported Dr. Arati B. Kamath of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues. Edible plants such as tea, mushrooms, and apples contain alkylamine antigens...

New agents may change colon cancer therapy: results of four trials. (Gastroenterology).
July 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Targeted antiangiogenesis agents and novel chemotherapy combinations are poised to change the standard of care for locally advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer, said Dr. Robert Mayer of Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute. ...

ALT levels may show response to HCV care: small viral kinetics study. (Gastroenterology).(alanine transaminase, hepatitis C virus)
July 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- A strong correlation between alanine transaminase levels and hepatitis C viral load changes during the first 4 weeks of high-dose interferon treatment suggests that ALT levels could serve as a surrogate marker for response. This...

Hepatitis C not tied to RA in patients aged 60 years and older: NHANES data analyzed.(rheumatoid arthritis, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Hepatitis C infection does not appear to play a role in the increased prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in people aged 60 years and older, reported Dr. Florence C. Hsu of the University of Washington, Seattle, and her colleagues. Despite...

Hepatitis C. (The Effective Physician).
July 1, 2003... Background Considerable progress has been made in understanding the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C virus since our last column on the topic in 1997. Last year, the National Institutes of Health released an updated consensus...

Eating frequency may influence risk of colon ca: pattern seen in men but not women. (Gastroenterology).(cancer)
July 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Daily eating frequency appears to be associated with variation in the risk for colon cancer in men, Dr. Jeffrey T. Wei reported at the annual Digestive Disease Week. Men in the population-based case-control study who ate...

Polyp removal tied to lower colorectal cancer incidence: 60% reduction. (Gastroenterology).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Polyp removal leads to an estimated 60% reduction in the incidence of colorectal cancer, according to a subgroup analysis from the Minnesota trial of fecal occult blood test screening. Initial results from the randomized...

Plication device for GERD. (Clinical Capsules).(gastroesophageal reflux disease)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration has authorized NDO Surgical Inc. to market its Plicator System for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a statement issued by the company The Plicator System consists of a reusable...

Esophageal motility and GERD. (Clinical Capsules).(gastroesophageal reflux disease)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Impaired esophageal motility is not a major determinant of abnormal esophageal acid exposure but may be associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a recent study and editorial. In 84 symptomatic patients who underwent...

Preventing variceal bleeding. (Clinical Capsules).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Propranolol plus isosorbide-5-mononitrate is not more effective than propranolol alone in the primary prevention of variceal bleeding, reported Dr. Juan Carlos GarciaPagan of the University of Barcelona (Spain) and his associates. Of 174...

Normal ALT doesn't tell all. (Clinical Capsules).(alanine aminotransferase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who have a normal alanine aminotransferase level may have steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis, said Dr. Pouneh Mofrad and his colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. In...

Fecal occult blood test. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Hemoccult II Sensa elite detects fecal occult blood. The take-home test package contains slides and developer, along with a test card and patient instructions regarding collection options and dietary restrictions. For more information,...

Syphilis rapid testing. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The BD Macro-Vue rapid plasma reagin tests offer 18-mm circle card and teardrop tests for serologic detection of syphilis. The tests include a quantitative procedure that helps differentiate active infection from cases of effective therapy...

New antivomiting agent. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Emend (aprepitant) is approved for use in combination with other antivomiting medicines to help prevent the acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. The drug--the...

Rapida-acting insulin pen. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Novolog (insulin aspart, [rDNA origin] injection), a rapid-acting insulin analogue, is now available in the FlexPen prefilled syringe for treating diabetes. With faster absorption and onset, and a shorter duration of action, the insulin analog...

Office flags and alerts. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Exam room flags can be mounted outside doors to signal to physicians and staff the level of attention required. The flags extend 81/4 inches from the wall and are available in three-, four-, and six-flag configurations. Stat-Chek alerts in a...

Blood clotting home monitor. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Harmony monitoring system allows patients to monitor their blood dotting time (international normalized ratio) at home. The system was designed for people who take warfarin to prevent blood dots and strokes. To perform the test, the patient...

Germicidal hand wipes. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Hibistat germicidal hand rinse now comes in a towelette application. Users should rub hands vigorously with the towelette for 15 seconds to cleanse hands. For more information, contact Regent Medical, 800843-8497, www.regentmedical.com.

Brush-free surgical scrub. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A new surgical scrub line features Triseptin Waterless, a scrub that can be used without water and a scrub brush. The alcohol-based scrub contains preservative and surfactant components. Two 90-second applications are required. For more...

New class of HIV treatment. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) is approved for use in combination with other anti-HIV medications to treat advanced HIV-1 infection in adults and children aged 6 years and older. The product is the first in a new class of fusion inhibitors to receive...

Herpes therapy for HIV patients. (Products).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Valtrex (valacyclovir HCl) caplets are now indicated for the suppression of recurrent genital herpes infections in patients who are concurrently infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). For more information on Valtrex caplets, contact...

New Alzheimer's report. (FYI).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... 'A Guide to Alzheimer's Disease," a report from Harvard Medical School helps caregivers and patients understand and cope with the disease. The 44-page report describes risk factors and symptoms of Alzheimer's, and goes into detail about current...

Marfan molecular testing. (FYI).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A new publication available from the National Marfan Foundation provides up-to-date information about the current status of genetic testing for Marfan syndrome. "Molecular Testing for Marfan Syndrome" also provides background information for...

Reducing asthma disparities. (FYI).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has created and is funding five new Centers for Reducing Asthma Disparities. The centers will focus on research and education aimed at understanding why certain racial, ethnic, and...

Ropinirole may resolve refractory fibromyalgia: unblinded study. (Rx).
July 1, 2003... MANCHESTER, ENGLAND -- Novel uses of dopamine agonists in fibromyalgia may herald the beginning of the end for treatment-refractory disease, Dr. Andrew J. Holman said at the annual meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology. Evidence...

Ranolazine cuts [HbA.sub.1C] in diabetics with angina: better exercise tolerance. (Rx).
July 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The investigational anti-anginal agent ranolazine appears to be particularly useful in diabetic patients, Dr. Bernard D. Chaitman said at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. Ranolazine improves diabetic...

FDA recall targets supplement for sexual performance: Vinarol tablets. (Rx).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Consumers should not purchase or use Vinarol tablets, according to a warning from the Food and Drug Administration's Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program. The product--distributed by Ultra Health Laboratories Inc. and...

Genetics will guide prescribing for hypertension: genotype predicts response to drug. (Rx).
July 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Advances in phar-macogenomics will help physicians "use genetic information rather than a person's skin color" when making certain prescribing decisions, Julie A. Johnson, Pharm. D., predicted at the annual meeting of the American...

Drug update: treating menopausal vasomotor symptoms without hormones. (Rx).
July 1, 2003... Many menopausal symptoms don't need treatment. Up to 85% of penmenopausal women develop vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes or sweating; perhaps half of these women find their symptoms disturbing. Systemic hormone replacement therapy...

Physician retirees find it costly to volunteer services: malpractice insurance is barrier. (Practice Trends).
July 1, 2003... Retired physicians across the country are discovering that it can get expensive to volunteer their services at a free clinic. Dr. Martin Gonzalez, a retired physician in Oak Park, Ill., was turned away from a homeless shelter after he...

Aetna settlement. (Policy & Practice).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Aetna is hailing its settlement on a class-action lawsuit with more than 700,000 physicians as a "new era of cooperation" between the insurer and the medical community. The physicians in the suit alleged that Aetna had cut payments to them and...

Patients in debt. (Policy & Practice).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Unclear laws and regulations are contributing to the medical debt of the uninsured--and placing extra burdens on providers, a report from the Commonwealth Fund says. Routinely waiving fees for Medicare patients, for example, is prohibited...