Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Rural Americans And The Unemployed Struggle To Get Adequate Health Insurance
"For many of the 60 million people living in rural America, inadequate and unaffordable healthcare is an immediate and growing problem," Reuters reports. "Reform is a big deal here. We"re on the edge," said Brian Wolfe, an Iola [Kansas] family doctor. Half his patients rely on government aid for the poor and elderly and some who need care don"t seek it because they can"t payò€¦. Rural residents are heavily represented among the 46 million Americans lacking health insurance. Many are too poor to pay for a doctor"s visit and too far from cities to reach emergency rooms and free clinics. Additionally, rural residents are disproportionately losing jobs and insurance or their seeing benefits cut as employers fire workers and cut costs in the continuing recession. When rural residents do seek care, many find long lines for a shrinking number of primary care physicians and specialists."

Nephrologists Indicate High Interest In AMAG Pharmaceuticals' Newly Approved Feraheme According To Latest BioTrends Report
BioTrends Research Group, Inc. released TreatmentTrends(R): US Nephrology, a syndicated report analyzing treatment practices, attitudes and perceptions based on online survey results from over 200 US Nephrologists. The survey was fielded in late May and focuses on trends in treatment patterns for renal anemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hyperphosphatemia.
News of the day
Federal Program Cracks Down On Medicare Fraud In Houston
A federal program targets Medicare fraud in the Houston area as news of three cases representing at least $35 million in false claims emerged within the past week. The Houston Chronicle reports on the three cases, noting: "These Houston-area scams alleged in two FBI complaints and one Montgomery County indictment were among six reported nationally in a single week - representing at least $285 million in false billings, records showed. "This is an astounding amount," said Houston"s FBI spokeswoman Pat Villafranca. The $285 million is more than four times the amount stolen during robberies of U.S. banks during all of 2008, she said. This month, Houston became the fourth metropolitan area - joining Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit - to create a ramped-up fraud strike force. It goes by the acronym "HEAT," Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team."
Diagnostics

Web-Based Consultations May Reduce Referrals To Dermatologists

A Web-based system allowing general practitioners to confer with specialists regarding patients with skin conditions may reduce referrals to dermatologists by approximately 20 percent, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "In Western countries, health services face increasing pressures because of the aging population and patients" increasing demands for evaluation by specialists," the authors write as background information in the article. "The demand results in increased referral to specialists and longer waiting times for appointments. This has led to a debate regarding the appropriateness of referrals and what treatment general practitioners should be able to provide before referral. Improved communication between general practitioners and specialists leads to lower referral rates." Telemedicine using e-mail or Web sites holds promise for enhancing communication, especially in the area of dermatology, which is visual in nature and is the frequent reason for both visits to the general practitioner and referrals. Nina Eminoviä‡, Ph.D., of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial of teledermatologic consultations involving 85 general practitioners from 35 practices in two regions of the Netherlands. Eighteen of the practices, which included 46 general practitioners, were randomly assigned to participate in the intervention. For each of 312 eligible patients, the clinicians took four digital images of the skin problem and attached them to a form completed on a secure Web site. A dermatologist reviewed the form and provided feedback within 48 hours about further procedures. The other 16 practices, which included 39 general practitioners, referred 293 eligible patients according to their usual practices. All of the patients were seen in the office by one of five study dermatologists after about one month. The dermatologist then rated whether the consultation was preventable, most often because the patient had recovered or the general practitioner could have treated the condition without a specialists" assistance. In-person consultations were determined to be preventable for 39 percent of the patients in the teledermatology group and 18.3 percent of the control patients-a difference of 20.7 percent. At the one-month visit, 20 percent of patients who received teledermatologic consultations had recovered compared with 4.1 percent of control patients. A group of 350 patients (57.8 percent), including 191 (54.6 percent) in the teledermatology group, completed a satisfaction questionnaire following the study. No differences were observed between the two groups in interpersonal aspects or general satisfaction. "Teledermatologic consultation successfully enables general practitioners to treat patients they would otherwise refer to a dermatologist," the authors conclude. "Further research conducted with more specific patient groups as well as about patient satisfaction should be encouraged." Arch Dermatol. 2009;145[5]:558-564. Archives of Dermatology


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009