Category: Uncategorized

HCFA wrote:
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) heralds the recent news of a decline in U.S. cancer deaths and incidence rates, with colorectal cancer among the top three cancers with significant declines. ASGE, representing the specialists in colorectal cancer screening, is excited by the report showing that colorectal cancer deaths among men […]

HCFA wrote:
It’s a parents worst nightmare, a newborn baby going under the knife to repair a heart defect. If the baby survives, that’s when the real work begins for parents. University of Alberta nursing professor Gwen Rempel has seen hundreds of babies on the brink as a former pediatric cardiology nurse; she wanted […]

HCFA wrote:
In the same way that winter is usually known to be the “flu season,” a new study suggests that the dog days of summer may well be the “bacterial infection” season. Scientists have discovered that serious infections caused by gram-negative bacteria can go up as much as 17 percent with every 10 […]

Rachel Nugent wrote:
With President-elect Obama promising to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would nullify all existing laws and regulations that limit abortion in any way, Catholic hospitals have threatened to shut down.
Bishops are saying that “any one of us would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow . . . to […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
A fundamental feature of blogs is the ability to speak one’s mind, solicit feedback and incite discussion to controversial topics.
Some major media outlets aren’t getting the message. Journalism professor Gary Schwitzer cites an example where several controversial blog entries were deleted without the composing reporter’s knowledge.
Being able to express viewpoints […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
Despite all the big talk about reform, very little may actually happen.
The reason, says Joe Paduda, is the failure to address costs. Blindly focusing on the uninsured and increasing coverage will drive up utilization of services, and “once the medical/pharma/device/hospital industry figures out there are a lot more people with […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
What happens to those who can’t afford the retainer fee?
There is no doubt that doctors are leaving generalist practice to cash-only models, with a recent survey showing that 50 percent want to quit.
The current payment system is not sustainable, and the environment is such that primary care to be practiced properly. […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
Doing so may put your health at risk.
A study showed that many drug entries omitted important side effects and drug reactions. When compared with the Medscape Drug Reference - which is also free, but it’s peer-reviewed - the study found that it answered upwards of 80 percent of the researcher’s […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
Despite chilling x-rays, he had a full recovery. Very lucky.
Read the rest of this great post here

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
As a primary care physician with a pure office practice, I’m not up to date with many of the issues that surgeons face. That’s why I like to read Jeffrey Parks’ observations on the surgical profession.
A recent post talks about how trauma surgeons want to increase their caseload, by transferring […]

admin wrote:
By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, scientists have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findingspublished in the November 25th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publicationreveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, as […]

admin wrote:
Older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others. That is the unexpected finding of a University of Michigan study forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The study supports earlier research showing that in terms […]

admin wrote:
Hormone treatment could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests. The research also showed that in women without existing atherosclerosis, hormone treatment use included some positive effects on lipids but also some negative effects correlation to […]

Rachel Nugent wrote:
Doctors in training often do so in their prime family-rearing years.
A few pediatric residencies are offering part-time residency options, designed for those who also want to raise their own families. Proponents argue that residents can not only get more rest, but also avoid depression, which affected almost a […]

Rachel Nugent wrote:
Fecal transplants have been mentioned as a possible cure for C Difficile colitis.
Val Jones interviews a gastroenterologist on the procedure, who notes that the data is purely observational, and that although it has potential, “we have to temper our enthusiasm” as it’s “simply not ready for prime time.”
topics: cdiff, fecal […]

Rachel Nugent wrote:
Microsoft released a study looking at the patterns of those who perform health-related searches on popular search engines.
To no one’s surprise, “self-diagnosis by search engine frequently leads Web searchers to conclude the worst about what ails them.”
People only looked at the first few results for their keyword symptom searches, which […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has put a positive face on the condition.
Often presented as a disability, some are wondering whether children with ADHD should be re-labeled as having a “gift.” By focusing on inspiring stories, like Phelps and other successful people with the condition, can the disease-focused stigma be removed?
Some wonder […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
The Empire strikes back.
BI-Deaconess’ CEO Paul Levy points out that Partners Healthcare has taken out full-page ads in the Boston Globe rebutting the investigative story exposing their disproportionally higher payments.
Or, as Mr. Levy jokes, “the Boston Globe Spotlight team . . . has managed to become a profit center for the […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
There is some anxiety within the physician assistant ranks.
Do patients truly understand the role and scope of the physician assistant? Will it require more public education? It’s important, because there is no doubt that PAs will play a growing role as health delivery is reformed.
An easier idea may be simply […]

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) wrote:
Almost 60 percent of health care workers do not receive the flu vaccine. That’s a shocking number.
Manoj Jain explores the reasons in his regular Washington Post piece. He debunks common myths, including the fear of side effects, “in particular the misconception that the dead virus the vaccine contains can […]