Pediatric News articles from September 2003

Pediatric News archives from September 2003

New fees boost office revenue: charging for administrative services.
September 1, 2003... Copying medical paperwork just got more expensive--for the patient or patient's parents. Barraged by rising medical liability premiums and diminishing reimbursements, a small but growing number of office-based physicians are charging...

Teens & metabolic syndrome: at least a million affected: prevention is key: they may be at risk for type 2 diabetes and premature coronary artery disease.
September 1, 2003... As many as 1 million U.S. adolescents have metabolic syndrome, potentially setting them up for type 2 diabetes and premature coronary artery disease later in life, reported Dr. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester, New York, and his...

Most physicians not ready for HIPAA compliance: Oct. 16 deadline: leeway for those working on complying.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )
September 1, 2003... Harry Reynolds is worried. Mr. Reynolds is responsible for making sure that his health plan, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, is ready on Oct. 16, the deadline for complying with the part of the Health Insurance Portability and...

AAP urges action to prevent medication errors: new policy statement.(News)(American Academy of Pediatrics )
September 1, 2003... Confirming patient weight and double-checking weight-based dose calculations head the list of actions that the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that pediatricians take to minimize medication errors among children and among...

Diagnostic dilemma.(News)(pearly penile papules)
September 1, 2003... A 17-year-old male comes into the office to seek treatment for a possible sexually transmitted disease. During the examination, he reports that he has had unprotected sexual intercourse with two female partners in the last 3 months. One of...

Salmeterol garners warning of asthma deaths: deaths more common in African Americans.(News)
September 1, 2003... The labels of three GlaxoSmithKline asthma products containing salmeterol now have boxed warnings citing a "small but significant increase in asthma-related deaths," based on recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration. The...

Top injuries that caused hospitalization and death in young Californian children.(Data Watch)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Top Injuries That Caused Hospitalization and Death in Young Californian Children Falls 109 Poison 54 Transportation 45 Foreign body 34 Burn/Fire 31 Assaults/Neglect...

Vitamins C and E may help improve endothelial function: hyperlipidemia patients.(News)
September 1, 2003... Moderate daily doses of vitamins C and E improve endothelial function in children with hyperlipidemia--potentially preventing cardiovascular disease in the future, results from a small study suggest. This is the first randomized trial to...

Omega-3 fatty acid capsules reduce endothelial dysfunction in hyperlipidemia: slow coronary heart disease progression?(News)
September 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The consumption of omega-3 fatty acid capsules markedly improves endothelial dysfunction in hyperlipidemic children, Marguerite Engler, Ph.D., reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association. "That's...

Plenty of flu vaccine is available this year: production proceeding apace.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... This flu season, there's no need to skimp on shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a sufficient supply of vaccines for the 2003-2004 flu season. This means that anyone--healthy or at high risk--who wants a flu shot...

Folic acid fortification cuts neuroblastoma: Ontario population study.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Folic acid fortification of flour appears to have dramatically cut the incidence of neuroblastoma in Ontario infants, based on a population study. Since folic acid fortification became widespread in early 1998, the...

Vaccinate children who have cochlear implants: bacterial meningitis risk up 30-fold.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... Incidence of bacterial meningitis among children who received cochlear implants is more than 30 times that of an age-matched cohort in the general population, report Jennita Reefhuis, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the National Center on Birth...

Erythromycin resistance increased over 6 years: children with otitis media.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... There was a steady increase in erythromycin resistance in middle ear isolates of children with otitis media from 15% in 1994-1995 to 56% in 1999-2000 in a multicenter cohort, said Edward O. Mason Jr., Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine,...

Perinatal group B strep infection: resistance rising: alternatives needed.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- Resistance to antibiotics, particularly clindamycin, is increasing among perinatal group B streptococcal infections, Dr. Paul M. Southern said at the annual conference on antimicrobial resistance sponsored by the National...

Smallpox vaccine may provide lifelong immunity: degrades only slightly over time.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... Contrary to popular belief, the smallpox vaccine appears to provide lifelong immunity, according to Erika Hammarlund of the Oregon Health & Science University Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Beaverton, and her associates. The...

IOM calls for halt of smallpox vaccination of general population: says risks outweigh benefits.(Infectious Diseases)(Institute of Medicine)
September 1, 2003... The potential risks outweigh the benefits of vaccinating the general public against smallpox, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Any vaccination of that group should be done cautiously and in clinical trial settings, the...

Is Norwalk on your cruise? Check with CDC: sanitation scores available.(Infectious Diseases)(Norwalk virus)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Planning that tropical cruise during the winter months but nervous about last year's maritime outbreaks of Norwalk virus? It might be worth checking out the ship's latest sanitation scores available through the Centers for...

Fungus among us.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Infants exposed to high levels of fungus at home are at increased risk for lower respiratory illness such as croup, pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis during their first year of life, said Paul C. Stark, Sc.D., of Tufts-New England...

Pneumococcal infections rising.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Invasive pneumococcal infections increased significantly between January 1986 and December 2000 in a large teaching hospital in Madrid, reported Dr. Marta Rodriguez-Creixems and her colleagues at that hospital--the Hospital General...

Children sickened by raw milk.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Salmonella Enterica serotype Typhimurium from raw milk was identified as the cause of infection in 62 people--including 2 children--between Nov. 27 and Dec. 13, 2002. Unpasteurized, or raw, milk is sold in 27 states (MMWR 52[26]:613-15, 2003)....

Measles outbreak in Ireland.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A two-dose vaccine should be used in Ireland to prevent measles outbreaks, such as the one that hospitalized 111 of 355 children diagnosed from December 1999 through July 2000, said Dr. Jacqueline McBrien of the Children's University Hospital,...

How to keep teens with HIV/AIDS in Tx; high mortality in this age group.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... MIAMI -- More than half of all new HIV infections in the United States now occur in those under age 25 years, so strategies to retain adolescents in health care are crucial, two experts said at a meeting sponsored by the American Foundation for...

Where the wild things shouldn't be.(ID Consult)(health risks of owning an exotic pet in a home with young children)
September 1, 2003... In an era where unusual pets are becoming more common, it is helpful to review what constitutes an appropriate pet for a home with a child. The appearance this summer of 37 laboratory-confirmed cases of human monkeypox--including at least...

The West Nile virus presentation is changing for the worse: neurologic manifestations.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... The poliomyelitis-like syndrome that is sometimes associated with West Nile virus is linked with a poor long-term outcome and may be irreversible, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in two articles that...

Vector-borne diseases reaffirm need for prevention: insect repellents.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- With cases of Lyme disease and West Nile virus on the rise, there is a renewed need to know how to prevent vector-borne diseases, Dr. Adelaide Hebert said in a talk on insect repellents at the annual meeting of the Society for...

Green bananas reduce severity of shigellosis: cuts duration of chronic diarrhea.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Green bananas reduced the severity and duration of acute childhood shigellosis in a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial presented at Digestive Disease Week 2003. Children with severe shigellosis experience fever and...

'D-Zone' clue is key to MRSA clindamycin resistance: lab test for inducible resistance.(Infectious Diseases)(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Physicians should make sure their microbiology lab is testing for both inducible and constitutive resistance to clindamycin when they send samples for susceptibility testing, Dr. Carol J. Baker said at a conference on pediatric...

Try [beta]-lactam, drainage first for skin, soft-tissue infections: then consider community-acquired MRSA.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- A [beta]-lactam antibiotic, such as cephalexin, combined with surgical drainage when appropriate usually is the first treatment to try for skin or soft-tissue infections in children, Dr. Carol J. Baker said at a conference on...

Macrolides still preferred for pertussis: immunoglobulin, steroids also useful.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Macrolide antibiotics remain the mainstays of pertussis treatment and prophylaxis, although good evidence for their use remains surprisingly scanty, Dr. Sarah K. Parker said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases...

Pertussis persists in Oregon outbreak despite vaccination: more cases in older children.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... Physicians in three Oregon counties--Jackson, Klamath, and Lane--continue to battle a pertussis outbreak that surfaced this spring. As of Aug. 4, 2003, the state of Oregon had seen 272 confirmed cases this year, as defined by the Centers...

Pertussis deaths increased by 52%: among infants since 1980.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Incidence of pertussis among infants younger than 4 months of age has increased since 1980, said Dr. Charles R. Vitek and his colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Based on analysis of pertussis cases...

Try linezolid for resistant gram positives: weak Mao inhibitor.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Linezolid has a place in the treatment of resistant gram-positive infections, even though safety, efficacy, and dosing have not been formally established in children, Dr. Mark J. Abzug said at a conference on pediatric...

Voriconazole is effective against fungi: not yet approved for use in children.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2003... ASPEN, COLO. -- Voriconazole, a newly approved systemic triazole antifungal, appears to treat a broad spectrum of fungal infections in children, Dr. Mark J. Abzug said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by Children's...

Saying goodbye to old friends.(Letters From Maine)
September 1, 2003... Some of them came disguised as healthy newborns who couldn't seem to understand how to suck. A few arrived wearing the stigmata of familiar syndromes. Others were referred by family practitioners who had grown uncomfortable with the...

Bringing up bed-wetting.(Guest Editorial)
September 1, 2003... Bed-wetting, also called primary nocturnal enuresis, is one of the most prevalent, yet most misunderstood and undertreated, pediatric medical conditions. Defined as the involuntary discharge of urine at an age when bladder control should...

Already counseling.(Letters)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... I would like to respond to "Talk Back Online: "Will you personally counsel more parents about vaccines if the code is implemented?" (July 2003, p. 2). I am personally counseling all parents, regardless of whether I get paid or not, but it...

Talk back online.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... Will you measure lipid levels in your diabetic patients in accordance with the new American Diabetes Association guidelines? (August 2003, p.3) YES 83% NO 17% To Talk Back, visit www.epediatricnews.com

Code may be a liability.(Letters)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Will this new code for vaccination counseling create a new level of liability? I'm concerned that using the code for some patients and not others amounts to admitting that I don't do the right thing (counsel) for some patients. How do we...

The business of vaccination.(Letters)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... I do not believe I will counsel patients any more than I currently do, but the idea of being reimbursed for my time might make it a little less rushed. Most pediatricians have always counseled patients on immunizations and have considered...

Parasitic errors.(Letters)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... There were several important errors in the article "New Pathogen Primarily Infecting Children Is Spread by Raccoons" (July 2003, p. 11). Eggs of ascarid nematodes do not hatch in the soil. Larvae mature in the eggs for several weeks before...

Five types of behavioral problems come your way: precede overt psychiatric diagnoses.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Children who are brought into the pediatrician's office for evaluation of behavior problems fall into one of five broad categories, Dr. John Walkup said at a meeting on pediatric trends sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. ...

Brain differences detected in depressed children: preliminary imaging studies.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Results of two small imaging studies of brain structure and function in children with major depression support the concept of a biologic basis for depression, Dr. Karen Dineen Wagner said at the annual meeting of the American...

Close supervision improves parenting skills: forsake power struggles.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Adults become better parents when they abandon the power struggle and start supervising their children, Dr. John Walkup said at a meeting on pediatric trends sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Parents of children with...

Comorbid conditions accompany social anxiety: social anxiety + depression = suicide risk.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2003... TORONTO -- An estimated 6% of children and adolescents may have generalized social anxiety disorder and thus increased risks of depression, dropping out of school, and suicide, Dr. Murray B. Stein reported at the annual conference of the...

Nonstimulant modafinil effectively treats ADHD: two double-blind trials.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- The novel wake-promoting agent modafinil improves the core symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children both at school and home, according to two randomized, double-blind clinical trials presented at the...

How children have coped in the wake of 9/11: adults talk, children act.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2003... Observations of how children and parents deal with traumatic events have emerged from the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Some of these insights were presented at a teleconference sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development: *...

Internalized symptoms don't deter ADHD Tx: anxiety and depression.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder )
September 1, 2003... TAMPA, FLA. -- Concerns that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbid internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression would not respond to stimulant medication have proved to be unfounded. In contrast to...

Vagal tone may predict ADHD in LBW boys: ADHD looked for at 30 months.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(low-birth-weight )
September 1, 2003... TAMPA, FLA. -- Decreased parasympathetic activity in low-birth-weight infant boys may explain their heightened risk for hyperactivity at age 30 months. This observation emerged from the first study of infants in which estimation of...

Stimulant use soared among youths under age 20.(Data Watch)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Medicaid data from one Mid-Atlantic state ** Medicaid data from one Midwestern state *** Data from a large HMO serving the Northwest [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Beware the price of parental overcontrol.(Behavioral Consult)
September 1, 2003... All parents want to do what's best for their children. They may believe that by making their children do more homework, follow every rule, try out for sports every season, eat exactly the right foods, wear perfectly ironed clothes, and...

Childhood migraine has different presentation: only 10% are correctly diagnosed.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... COLUMBIA, MO. -- Physicians are still failing to diagnose uncomplicated migraines in children, Dr. Bernard L. Maria said at a meeting on common pediatric problems sponsored by the University of Missouri-Columbia. As a result, many children...

Try ibuprofen first, then sumatriptan for migraines in children, teenagers: sleep regularity is great preventative.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... COLUMBIA, MO. -- Dr. Bernard L. Maria tries ibuprofen first for moderately severe recurring migraines, then moves to sumatriptan if his first line treatment doesn't work. Ibuprofen is "my favorite first line abortive therapy" for this type...

When to send a child for brain imaging.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Timing is important in the differential diagnosis of migraine headache, according to Dr. Maria. Physicians need to decide which children with headaches need referral to a neurologist for some type of brain imaging. As a rule of thumb, any...

Imitrex nasal spray for migraine is fairly effective: long-term users aged 12-17 years.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- Sumatriptan nasal spray was reasonably effective and well tolerated among adolescent migraineurs in an open-label observational study, Dr. Shankar Natarajan reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. ...

Bleeding disorders behind most teen menorrhagia: use platelet function analyzer to assess.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- About half of adolescents with menorrhagia have an underlying bleeding disorder, according to a study with 30 patients at one institution. A good way to assess bleeding disorders in these patients is with a platelet...

Three lots of Nortrel 7/7/7-28 day OCs recalled: pills out of sequence.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Barr Laboratories Inc. has voluntarily recalled three lots of Nortrel 7/7/7--28 day (norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol) oral contraceptive because the color-coded pills may be out of sequence in some cases. About 470,000 packages of the...

Device allows adults to curb TV viewing, aid in obesity prevention: excessive Web surfing also a problem.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... DENVER -- A modest-looking little box that sits atop the family television set can be a powerful ally in preventing pediatric obesity. "I think this is a fabulous device," Dr. Susan Z. Yanovski said at an international conference of the...

Mild obesity raises early hypertension risk: males at greater risk than females.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Adolescent males who are even modestly overweight are five times more likely to become hypertensive in young adulthood than their normal-weight peers, Alison E. Field, Sc.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent...

Obesity easier to treat in children: multicomponent behavioral program.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... DENVER -- In the midst of an unprecedented and alarming epidemic of pediatric obesity, there remains a bright spot: treatment outcomes are much, much better than in obese adults, Marsha D. Marcus, Ph.D., said at an international conference of...

Steroids still mainstay of atopic dermatitis Tx: new guidelines.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... Emollients and topical corticosteroids remain the standard of care in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, although convincing evidence also supports the efficacy of the new calcineurin inhibitors, pimecrolimus and tacrolimus, according to new...

Cumulative UV exposure at age 18 only 23% of lifetime UV: contradicts previous belief.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... The widely accepted belief that Americans get about 80% of their lifetime UV exposure by age 18 may be based on a misconception. Americans, fact, receive only 23% of their lifetime exposure by that age, according to a study by Dianne E....

Over-the-counter Prilosec to hit stores this fall: may delay diagnosis, Tx of abdominal pain.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... The Food and Drug Administration has approved over-the-counter sales of Prilosec, and the drug is slated to hit store shelves nationwide this fall accompanied by a massive advertising campaign. Although the use of omeprazole (Prilosec)...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy precludes sports: preclinical diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Adolescents with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy should exercise for cardiovascular fitness but must not participate in competitive sports, Dr. W. Reid Thompson said at a meeting on pediatric trends sponsored by Johns Hopkins...

AAP weighs in on preventing childhood obesity: calculate and plot BMI yearly.(Clinical Rounds)(American Academy of Pediatrics)(body mass index )
September 1, 2003... Body mass index plays a starring role in the American Academy of Pediatrics' new policy aimed at preventing overweight and obesity in children. The academy recommends calculating and plotting body mass index (BMI)--the ratio of weight in...

Pearls of wisdom plucked from clinical articles: one pediatrician's picks and commentary.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- A protocol that involves using imaging techniques in all children with equivocal signs of appendicitis may result in thousands of dollars' worth of unnecessary scans, Dr. Howard Bauchner said at a meeting on clinical...

Ciprodex Otic.(New and approved: Ciprodex Otic * Humatrope)
September 1, 2003... (ciprofloxacin 0.3 % and dexamethasone 0.1%, Alcon, Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Ciprodex Otic for topical treatment of acute otitis media in children (aged 6 months and older) with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT). A second...

Humatrope.(New and approved: Ciprodex Otic * Humatrope)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... (somatropin, rDNA origin, for injection, Eli Lilly & Co.) The FDA approved a new indication for Humatrope, for long-term treatment of pediatric patients with idiopathic short stature, also known as non-growth hormone deficient short...

Concussion assessment on sidelines is critical: 'when in doubt, sit them out'.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Always err on the conservative side when determining if a young athlete is ready to resume activity after he or she has suffered a concussion. "When in doubt, sit them out," Dr. Tanuja Kodeeswaran said at a conference...

Teen menstrual problems relatively easy to triage: expert opinion.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... KOHALA, HAWAII -- Pediatricians can evaluate menstrual disorders in adolescents without doing a complex work-up, Dr. Richard G. MacKenzie said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Often patients present because they...

Literature abstracts: JournalToGo.(Digital Assistance)
September 1, 2003... Overview: JournalToGo is a free service that automatically downloads selected medical literature abstracts and health care news to handheld computers. Straightforward Web site configuration, bookmarking, and capability for export to memo pad...

Growth hormone raises bone mass after patients hit final height: may prevent adult osteoporosis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Resumption of growth hormone treatment after final height in patients with childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency induces statistically and clinically significant effects on bone mass, Dr. Charmian A. Quigley reported in a poster...

Best to use age-matched norms when assessing bone mineral density in children: use Z not T scores.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Dr. Laura Bachrach remembers the day when a 12-year-old boy was referred to her office with suspected osteoporosis. The boy had undergone an x-ray of a sprained ankle, and the radiologist who worked with the referring...

Doctors try to reignite single-payer plan debate: nearly 8,000 physicians sign on.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The more things change, the more they stay the same. When a group of 430 physicians introduced a proposal for a single-payer national health insurance system at the American Medical Association House of Delegates meeting in...

SCHIP money restored.(Policy & Practice)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... President Bush signed legislation that restores $2.7 billion in expired funds under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The new law would allow states to continue to use $1.2 billion in funds through fiscal year 2004 that...

Decline in uninsured children.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Enrollment efforts in SCHIP have paid off. The Urban Institute's Assessing the New Federalism Project reports that 7.8 million children in the United States were uninsured in 2002, a decline of 1.8 million over the past 3 years. At the time of...

Health report cards.(Policy & Practice)(may help parents manage their children's weight and fitness)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Parents who received report cards from their pediatricians about their children's weight and fitness were more likely to intervene to change their kids behavior, a study says. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; Tufts...

Vaccination rates.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Child vaccination rates held steady overall in 2002, with a significant increase in varicella vaccinations and a high rate of pneumococcal conjugate vaccinations--the first time that figure has been reported, according to the Centers for...

HIPPA flexibility.(Policy & Practice)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The American Academy of Pediatrics and more than 40 other medical groups want to prevent Medicare payment and service disruptions when the electronic transactions and code sets requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability...

Reimbursement raise.(Policy & Practice)(Medicare outpatient services to increase payment rates)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Hospitals providing outpatient services to Medicare patients would get a 3.8% increase in their payment rates next year under a proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Aggregate payments to outpatient departments would...

Malpractice awards linked to higher premiums: appear to be primary contributor.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Losses on malpractice claims may be driving up medical liability premiums. Multiple factors have contributed to the increases in medical malpractice premium rates, such as falling insurer investment income, a less competitive...

Pediatric developmental health isn't given enough attention: community approach.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2003... Pediatricians need to overhaul their practices to offer better content and quality in their developmental health services for children, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund concludes. Recent estimates suggest that at least 12%-15% of...

Developmental delay referrals: time and money: the type of disorder matters too.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Insufficient time and inadequate reimbursement keep many primary care physicians from referring patients who have developmental delays, Dr. Laura Sices said at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral...

Access unharmed by Blue Cross conversions: from nonprofit to profit.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... WILMINGTON, DEL. -- The conversion of Blue Cross plans from nonprofit to for profit does not appear to significantly hurt access to health insurance or health care, Mark Hall said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Law, Medicine,...

Expert advice on keeping good support staff: acknowledge the stress they're under.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2003... Working in a medical practice is stressful. The first step in making your office staff feel like they are part of a valued health care team is to acknowledge that stress, said Evelyn Eskin, president of Health-Power Associates Inc., a...