Pediatric News articles from September 2006

Pediatric News archives from September 2006

Satellite clinics help practice soar.(News)
September 1, 2006... When Dr. David Tayloe Jr., a pediatrician in Goldsboro, N.C., and his partners found they had more patients than they could handle, they didn't stop taking new ones; they opened a satellite clinic in a nearby town. And another. And then...

AAP policy limits Fluoroquinolones to dire situations: 'we wanted to be very specific" about use.(News)(American Academy of Pediatrics)
September 1, 2006... Fluoroquinolone use in children should be restricted to situations in which there is no safe and effective alternative either for treating an infection caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria or in which parenteral therapy is not feasible. ...

ADHD drugs may benefit subsyndromal disorder.(News)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Disease/Disorder overview)
September 1, 2006... Children who are impaired from subsyndromal levels of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may benefit from medication. The finding comes from a population-based study conducted between 1996 and 2001 of 1,610 twins, 1,006...

Well-Child visits and special needs.(News)(parent-child relations)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Parents of children with special health care needs expect more discussion of illness during well-child visits than do other parents, but still receive the same level of preventive care, Dr. Jeanne Van Cleave said at the annual...

Halting insulin during exercise cuts hypoglycemia.(News)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Stopping basal insulin during exercise sharply reduces the risk of hypoglycemia in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy, Dr. Rosanna Fiallo-Scharer reported at a conference on the management...

Pediatricians on Human Research Protection panel.(News)(appointment of pediatricians)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Three pediatricians and a pediatric research professor have been appointed to the federal Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection. Dr. Jeffrey Botkin, professor of pediatrics and medical ethics at the University of Utah, Salt Lake...

International classification for vasculitis updated.(News)
September 1, 2006... A new international classification for childhood vasculitis promises to improve existing criteria by bringing them into line with current clinical practice, reported Dr. Seza Ozen and associates. The new criteria, endorsed by the European...

Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes is skyrocketing: the unique endocrine disorder is neither type I nor type 2 diabetes, and its treatment differs greatly.(News)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- The prevalence of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes is skyrocketing in parallel with the rising average life span of the cystic fibrosis population, Dr. Robert Slover said at a conference on the management of diabetes in...

Treat CF-related diabetes with insulin, high-calorie diet.(News)(cystic fibrosis)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Treatment of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes is essentially insulin adjusted to a largely unrestricted diet, Dr. Robert H. Slover said at a conference on the management of diabetes in youth. "Never calorie-restrict these...

Data watch.(News)
September 1, 2006... DATA WATCH Median Malpractice Payments Made on Behalf of Physicians 1991 $67,500 '05 $174,568 Note: Based on a total of 221,485 payments reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank from 1001 to 2005 Source:...

Modafinil to treat ADHD is rejected by the FDA.(News)(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
September 1, 2006... Modafinil, first approved for narcolepsy almost a decade ago, will not be among the Food and Drug Administration--approved options for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. In response to the FDA's...

New AAP acne policy stresses combo therapy.(News)
September 1, 2006... Management of acne should involve combined treatment that targets as many of the underlying pathogenic factors as possible, according to new expert committee recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The new document is...

Corticosteroids, antihistamines no use in AOM.(Infectious Diseases)(acute otitis media)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Although it may seem logical that corticosteroids, antihistamines, and/or decongestants may be good adjunctive treatments of acute otitis media, the evidence does not bear this out, Dr. Tasnee Chonmaitree said at the annual...

International vaccine records usually valid.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Records for most vaccines from most countries of origin for children adopted internationally are trustworthy, Dr. Bindy Crouch said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. For...

Combined vaccine doesn't hurt practice profits.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... Less than 12% of 312 pediatricians experienced or expected a notable decrease in revenue from using Pediarix, the combined vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, based on a nationwide survey. About 11% of the practices reported a moderate decrease...

Despite PCV7 results, vigilance needed.(ID Consult)(pneumococcal conjugate vaccine)
September 1, 2006... When the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was first introduced in 2000, many of us had high hopes that it would bring with it a new era in which we could leave invasive pneumococcal disease out of the equation and not have to worry that...

Vaccine refusal triggered 2005 measles outbreak in Indiana.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... The largest, documented measles outbreak to hit the United States in a decade infected 34 people in Indiana last year. The vast majority of the infected were children whose parents had objected to immunization. The Indiana outbreak...

Rheumatic fever subtypes pinpointed.(Clinical Capsules)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Identification of emm types from acute rheumatic fever patients seen at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh between 1994 and 2003 could aid in vaccine development. Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) persists in western Pennsylvania despite...

Protein values and meningitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Procalcitonin and cerebrospinal fluid protein values were significantly more effective than other biologic tests at distinguishing bacterial from aseptic meningitis based on data from 167 hospitalized children who ranged in age from about 1...

Rhinovirus and respiratory illnesses.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Rhinoviruses are the most common pathogens in the upper and lower respiratory tract of infants in their first year of life, according to findings from a study of 263 infants in an upper-class community who were followed up from birth until 1...

Community-acquired MRSA spread detailed.(Infectious Diseases)(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
September 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- In Dallas, by the time the infectious disease specialists found out they had a problem with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, it already comprised one-third of staphylococcal infections, Dr. Sheldon...

Suspect chronic varicella zoster in immunocompromised children.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Suspect chronic varicella zoster in all immunocompromised children, not just those with HIV, Dr. Christopher Bohyer said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. Test zosterlike lesions in...

Be vigilant, aggressive with suspected CA-MRSA.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- Vigilance, aggressive drainage, and the appropriate antibiotic are components of a strategy to counter community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in an office practice setting, according to...

Educate about repeated staph skin infections.(Infectious Diseases)(Disease/Disorder overview)
September 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- Can patients with repeated Staphylococcus aureus infections be decolonized to prevent recurrences? The evidence supporting this approach is not very good. But, it is always worth a try, Dr. Sarah K. Parker said at a meeting...

WHO, UNICEF complete plan for access to medicine.(Infectious Diseases)(World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund have completed a plan to expand access to essential pediatric medicines in developing countries. Completed in a meeting last month of government officials and leaders of...

Enterovirus 71 may be transmissible by respiration.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- When Colorado had two separate outbreaks of aseptic meningoencephalitis associated with enterovirus 71, the patients were more likely to have the virus detected in throat swabs than in the cerebrospinal fluid, Dr. Mark J. Abzug...

Ceftriaxone alone can't treat mastoiditis.(Infectious Diseases)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Ceftriaxone by itself is not sufficient for acute or chronic pediatric mastoiditis, according to a group of emergency physicians who compared cases treated before and after adoption of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. ...

The HPV vaccine is too expensive.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I was surprised to read Dr. Keith Powell's comment, "'we're right with it" on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and his prediction that "pediatricians will embrace the HPV vaccine" ("ACIP Recommends HPV Vaccination at Preteen...

Save the trees: tips for pediatricians.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I kept reading and reading Dr. William G. Wilkoff's article about how he seldom uses tongue depressors, in great anticipation to see by what skill and wisdom he has achieved this--but nothing! ("Tribute to a Tongue Depressor," Letters From...

Adoptive parents are 'natural,' too.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I was disappointed to find that the editor permitted use of the term "natural" to describe a birth parent ("Maternal Depression Predicts Children's Behavior Problems," July 2006, p. 30). The word has many meanings, and understandably it is...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... In "Physicians to Be Urged to Extend Flu Shot Dates" (July, p. 18), the correct number of influenza vaccine doses projected to be produced by GlaxoSmithKline for the 2006-2007 season should have been 7-9 million.

Address problems, not just symptoms.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I was very pleased to note the article about Dr. Melvin D. Levine's thoughtful research ("Reject Psychiatric View of Attention Disorders," April 2006, p. 28). Since then, your newspaper has published a barrage of articles that promote...

Should metformin be used to treat children with insulin resistance? Metformin can complement lifestyle interventions.(Point/Counterpoint)
September 1, 2006... The recent surge in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and other complications in insulin-resistant young people reveals a very serious problem. Given the progressive nature of these conditions, we must intervene effectively We cannot...

Should metformin be used to treat children with insulin resistance? Metformin could undermine diet, exercise approaches.(Point/Counterpoint)
September 1, 2006... Obviously, this is a very serious problem. We really can't dally. I would agree lifestyle intervention is disappointing. The question is not whether we need something better, but whether metformin is that better thing. The potential...

Happy is as happy does.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... A couple of months ago I was invited to deliver the commencement address at a small high school on Maryland's eastern shore. I was stumped for a topic, so my wife suggested that because I seem to be enjoying myself most of the time, I speak...

Deficient sleep tied to depression in adolescents.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2006... PITTSBURGH -- Adolescence is physically the healthiest period of the life span, but early adolescence appears to be a time of developmental vulnerability in relation to sleep, arousal, and emotional regulation, Dr. Ronald E. Dahl said at the...

Dexedrine label updated for CV, psychiatric risks.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Cardiovascular )
September 1, 2006... Warnings about sudden death, exacerbation of psychiatric illnesses, and other risks associated with dextroamphetamine use have been added to the drug's label and are highlighted in a "dear health care professional" letter issued by the drug's...

The source of aggression determines therapy: you need to know the whys of aggression before you can devise a plan of treatment to help the child.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2006... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Aggression is not a diagnosis, it's a symptom. It may be secondary to a psychiatric diagnosis, or unrelated. It may be a temporary response to the environment, or deeply woven into a child's personality. You...

Borderline personality disorder traits tracked in teens.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Four factors appear to account for 67% of the variance of psychopathology seen in borderline personality disorder adolescent inpatients as compared with hospitalized adults with borderline personality disorder, reported Dr. Daniel E Becker of...

Pressured by peers.(child development related to peer interaction)
September 1, 2006... Primary school pals form bonds during recess, at play dates, on teams, and at sleepaway camps. These friendships may be important and occasionally lifelong, but generally they develop as a matter of circumstance, in the context of kids'...

Adolescent insomnia may have psychological repercussions.(Behavioral Consult)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Adolescent insomnia is fairly common and appears to be a risk factor for psychological disorders in young adulthood, according to a study presented by doctoral candidate Brandy M. Roane at the annual meeting of the Associated...

Higher PTSD rate in bronx teens is tied to 9/11.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(posttraumatic stress disorder)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Among 1,122 high school students who lived in the New York City borough of the Bronx at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 83 (7.4%) met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder based on questionnaires completed at school...

Ethnicity predicts discomfort with discussing sex.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Ethnicity was a significant predictor of mothers' discomfort in discussing sex-related topics with their daughters, according to data from surveys of 6,929 adolescent gifts and their biological mothers. Compared with white mothers, Asian...

Antidepressant-suicide linkage study is debated: many intervening variables could explain the findings of an analysis limited to hospitalized subjects.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2006... A new case-control study showing that antidepressants appear to raise the risk of suicide in children and adolescents but not in adults should be interpreted with caution, a trustee at large for the American Psychiatric Association warned. ...

Primary care aids early intervention for behavior problems.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
September 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- Primary care providers may be well placed to deliver an early intervention program for child behavioral and mental health problems, according to a feasibility study from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. The...

Moving forward in developmental screening: Special needs: realizing potential.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... Pediatricians are being given a helping hand in their efforts to incorporate developmental surveillance and screening at preventive care visits. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released an algorithm and policy statement to...

Erythropoietin may worsen retinopathy of prematurity.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... Recombinant erythropoietin used to eat anemia of prematurity may induce the progression of retinopathy of prematurity, reported Dr. Mark S. Brown of Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, Denver, and his associates. Erythropoietin is used...

Lansoprazole found safe for infants with GERD.(gastroesophageal reflux disease)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- An investigational formulation of lansoprazole can safely treat gastroesophageal reflux disease in neonates and infants as old as 1 year of age, according to the results of a pair of phase I trials presented in a poster at the...

Symbicort, Synera.(New & approved)(Drug overview)
September 1, 2006... Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol inhalation aerosol, AstraZeneca) The Food and Drug Administration approved Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol) for maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years and older. * Recommended...

Most brimonidine poisonings occur in child aged 5 or less.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Toxic exposures to brimonidine tartrate affected 43-55 patients per year between 2000 and 2005, and more than half of them were children aged 5 years and younger, Dr. Melisa W. Lai reported in a poster presentation at the...

Vesicoureteral reflux: 17% adhere to prophylaxis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Most children with vesicoureteral reflux who are prescribed prophylactic antibiotic therapy do not take their medications, according to a retrospective study presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association. ...

Breathing ills linked to myocarditis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Acute myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy should be in the differential diagnosis of any child who presents with difficulty breathing or respiratory symptoms, according to a poster presentation by Dr. Yamini Durani at the...

Tips to determine why a child is weak.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- Differential diagnosis of the weak child can be tricky. Rule out mimic conditions, order diagnostic tests as warranted, and perform an age-appropriate formal assessment, Dr. David Hammond suggested at a meeting on...

Mealtime prompt briefly aids insulin pump users.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Alarm reminders to take a bolus of mealtime insulin improved glycemic control in a significant minority of children on insulin pumps, Dr. H. Peter Chase said at a conference on the management of diabetes in youth. The...

Combo bolus advocated for insulin pump therapy.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- The combination mealtime bolus is an important and greatly underutilized tool in insulin pump therapy for type 1 diabetes, Dr. H. Peter Chase said at a conference on the management of diabetes in youth. This technique...

Islet cell testing advised in obese diabetic child.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in adolescents is a trickier matter than many physicians realize, Dr. Philip S. Zeitler cautioned at a conference on the management of diabetes in youth. "Testing for islet cell antibodies is...

Biases, bone ills confound child-abuse diagnosis.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... OLD GREENWICH, CONN. -- Child abuse remains one of the most misdiagnosed problems in all of pediatrics, Dr. Cindy Christian said at a meeting of the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research. On one hand, a lack of awareness of their own social...

Metabolic syndrome picture: black, white tones.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Although there are no formal criteria defining metabolic syndrome in children, it is clear that black and white children show important differences in some of the components, Dr. Silva A. Arslanian said at the annual meeting of the...

Obese children have more severe headaches.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Disproportionately more obese children had headaches severe enough to require treatment at a pediatric headache center, and their headaches were more frequent and severe than were those experienced by their normal-weight peers,...

Daily persistent headaches often follow illnesses.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Los ANGELES -- New daily persistent headaches in children and adolescents appeared to be most often caused by a physical stress, viral illness, or minor head trauma, according to study findings reported by Dr. Kenneth Mack at the annual meeting...

Migraine prevalence put at 6% in U.S. adolescents.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- In any given year, 6% of adolescents aged 12-19 years experience at least one migraine headache, according to the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study released at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society....

Neurologist cites the trickiness of triptan trials in teens.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Triptans are commonly used for the treatment of adolescents with migraines, but have never clearly demonstrated efficacy over placebo in randomized, clinical trials of those patients. At the annual meeting of the American...

Almotriptan aid migraine pain and sensitivities, but FDA demurs.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- A relatively low dose of oral almotriptan significantly relieved migraine pain, photophobia, and phonophohia in a large, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of adolescent patients, Dr. Steven L. Linder reported...

Eating disorders abound in youths with type 1 diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- A high index of suspicion for eating disorders is warranted in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes, Stephanie H. Gerken said at a conference on the management of diabetes in youth. The largest studies...

Dueling meal plans epitomize the different management needs of dual-diagnosis cases.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- The disparate and often conflicting management philosophies for type 1 diabetes and eating disorders are evident in the contrasting meal plans traditionally advocated for individuals with one disease or the other, Stephanie...

Parental anxiety and children's abdominal pain.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... when a child presents with recurrent abdominal pain, parents" anxiety may be a factor, reported Dr. Paul G. Ramchandani of the University of Oxford (England) and his associates. Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP)--defined as pain five or more...

FDA warns 3 compounders of inhalation drugs.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... Three companies that have been compounding budesonide, albuterol, and other formulations of inhalation drugs have been warned by the Food and Drug Administration to stop manufacturing and distributing these products in the United States. ...

Runner's knee affects 30% of female athletes: the pain syndrome is usually caused by improper tracking of the kneecap in the patellofemoral groove.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... MIAMI -- Patellofemoral pain syndrome is the most common sports-related overuse injury in young athletes, occurring in an estimated 30%-40% of female athletes at some point in their career, Dr. Joseph Congeni said at a meeting on pediatric...

Apophysitis is a common overuse injury in young athletes.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... MIAMI -- In young children, think apophysitis instead of tendonitis, Dr. Teri McCambridge said at a meeting on pediatric sports medicine sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Apophysitis is a traction injury that can occur...

New preparticipation exam targets heart health.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... MIAMI -- Pediatricians performing the preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) required for children to participate in sports activities should be aware of some changes to the recommended exam based on the third edition of the PPE monograph,...

Heat sensitivity only exercise issue in obese child.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... MIAMI -- A greater sensitivity to heat is the only issue to be aware of regarding exercise in children with obesity, Dr. Andrew Gregory said at a meeting on pediatric sports medicine sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Obesity...

Inner-city convenience stores spur kids obesity.(Clinical Rounds)
September 1, 2006... OLD GREENWICH, CONN. -- A child growing up in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood has easy access to fast-food restaurants and "convenience" stores selling poor-quality processed foods, but her parents may have to walk 10 or 20 blocks to...

The art of mentor maintenance.(physicians mentor relationship management)
September 1, 2006... Ask any professional who has experienced a rewarding career to list the op factors in his or her success, and "a good mentor" will likely be mentioned. Yet for a young physician, mentorship can seem a confusing and elusive term. When I...

PDA screener technology raises teens' esteem for visits.(personal digital assistant)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Teens who filled out a personal digital assistant health screen before their physician visit reported better communication with their doctor and higher overall satisfaction with their visit, Cecelia Gaffney said at the annual...

Let's talk about pediatric public health.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)(Column)
September 1, 2006... Let's begin this column, which is intended to be a public health conversation among pediatricians, with a vignette. Marisol is an 8-year-old female member of a Spanish-speaking family, sent to the hospital for severe failure to thrive by a...

Health plan feedback to physicians improves asthma care.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- What health plans tell physicians can make a difference in the quality of care given to poor children with asthma, according to a study of about 4,500 children covered by 18 Medicaid managed care plans in Tennessee and...

New federal regs aim to grease health IT wheels.(Practice Trends)(Information Technology)
September 1, 2006... Hospitals, health plans, and other health care organizations will soon be able to help physicians obtain health information technology without running afoul of federal fraud laws under regulations issued last month by the Department of Health...

Circumcision pain relief is taught but underused.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2006... A significant portion of neonates still do not receive effective pain relief when undergoing circumcision, according to the findings of a study by Dr. Daniel Yawman and his colleagues. This is true despite the substantial increase over the...

Uninsured figures climb.(Medically uninsured persons statistics)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The number of people in the United States without health insurance edged higher in 2005, fueled in part by a drop in employer-sponsored health insurance, according to figures released in August from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2005, 46.6 million...

Teen Risky behavior declines.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Over the past 15 years, fewer U.S. high school students have been engaging in sexual behaviors that would put them at risk for HW, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The percentage of high school...

WIC would add vegetables, fruits.(Women, Infants and Children)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... More vegetables, fruits, and whole grains would be available to beneficiaries of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, under a proposal issued last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture....

Medicare proposes 5.1% pay cut.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Unless Congress intervenes by the end of the year, physicians are scheduled to face a 5.1% cut in Medicare payments starting Jan. 1, 2007. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published the proposed physician fee schedule...

Patient registries improve quality at modest cost.(Practice Trends)
September 1, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- A costly electronic health record system is not necessary to engage in quality improvement and participate in the growing number of pay-for-performance programs, Dr. godney Hornbake said at the annual meeting of the American...

Expert urges 'baby steps' to electronic records.(Practice Trends)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Physicians who are too nervous to completely convert their offices to electronic health records can start the process with a few "baby steps" to make it less intimidating, Dr. Daniel Sands said at a health care congress sponsored...