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CHIP Faces Uncertain Future

锘縒ASHINGTON -- The final implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be bad news for re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a congressional staffer said.

Gun Control: Docs Told to Speak Up

WASHINGTON -- Physicians need to do a better job at promoting the data that supports stronger gun-control laws, experts here said.

FDA Lowers Age for OTC Plan B

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has approved over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to women and girls as young as 15.

How Much Exercise to Burn Off a Burger?

Menus displaying the amount of exercise required to burn off calories in a meal had some impact on food choice, researchers found.

More Docs Joining Forces in ACOs

SAN FRANCISCO -- The number of physician-led accountable care organizations (ACOs) has recently surpassed the number led by hospitals, becoming the largest backers of the payment and delivery model, an analysis showed.

Docs May See Pay Delay Under ACA Exchanges

SAN FRANCISCO -- A provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) states that insurance companies will not process claims on patients who haven't paid their premiums in 3 months, leaving doctors on the hook to recoup payment directly from the patients.

Docs' Charting Falls Short of ICD-10 Demands

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearly 65% of clinical documentation doesn't contain enough information for coders to use for billing under the upcoming ICD-10 coding system, a survey of patient charts found.

Is Pot Smoking a Stroke Trigger?

HONOLULU -- Middle age stroke patients were twice as likely to be pot smokers than healthy middle age controls, researchers found.

Close-Up: When Hospice Patients Live Too Long

Across the country, Medicare is cracking down on the hospice industry's growing habit of embracing those whose deaths aren't imminent.

Pfizer Will Pay $55 Million in Off-Label Case

Pfizer subsidiary Wyeth has agreed to pay $55 million plus interest to settle allegations it promoted off-label use of the acid reflux drug pantoprazole (Protonix), the company and government officials announced.

No Need for Skin Preps to Be Sterile, FDA Told

WASHINGTON -- Requiring that antiseptic skin preparation products be sterile is unnecessary and wouldn't lead to a dramatic drop in infections, speakers told the FDA Wednesday.

FDA Panel Gives Thumbs Down to Opioid

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee voted 11-2 on Friday against recommending approval of a single-entity hydrocodone product, raising questions about its abuse potential.

Eating Before Lipid Test OK

It may not be necessary to fast before a routine cholesterol check, a large community-based population study suggested.

Child Booster Seat Laws Work

锘縉EW ORLEANS -- States that implemented booster seat laws saw a drop in serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes among children ages 4 to 8 during a recent 11-year period, researchers found.锘�

Watchdog Group Wants Black Box on BP Meds

WASHINGTON -- The consumer watchdog group Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to add a black box warning to three classes of hypertension drugs, cautioning against their combined use.

Working with Weights May Help Stroke Rehab

Resistance training -- which is often overlooked in stroke rehab -- may help improve thinking and memory in stroke survivors, researchers found.

Romney Takes Daily Statin, Aspirin

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has hyperlipidemia and takes a statin and low-dose aspirin daily, according to a letter from his personal physician released Friday.

NYC to Limit Baby Formula in Hospitals

By Labor Day, at least 27 hospitals in New York City will have implemented the main components of an initiative aimed at encouraging breastfeeding for new mothers.

AMA: Trust but Verify Genetically Modified Foods

茂禄驴CHICAGO -- When it comes to genetically modified foods, the American Medical Association has adopted a "trust but verify" policy: the foods seem safe, but they still need to be checked out.

DSM-5: What's In, What's Out

PHILADELPHIA -- Reports here provided what may be the last public update on DSM-5, the next edition of American psychiatry's diagnostic guide, before it is formally released in May 2013.

Lewin Group Founder Dies

Lawrence (Larry) Lewin, founder of the healthcare consulting firm The Lewin Group, has died at age 74, according to an announcement on the organization's website.

Kids Today Really Are Different

The adolescent phase in human development now lasts much longer than it once did, leading to a potential rise in risky behavior, including STDs and excessive drinking, researchers said.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

Clinical Notes: Beware the Seat Heater

番茄社区 debuts a new regular feature, a roundup of clinical news you might otherwise have missed. This week we led with a report that heated car seats can leave passengers with "toasted skin syndrome."

Komen Official Quits After Controversy

A vice-president at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has resigned in the wake of the controversy surrounding the organization's decision -- since reversed -- to stop funding Planned Parenthood's breast cancer programs.

India Emerges as Source for Execution Drugs

Unable to get Pentothal through regular channels, Nebraska prison officials turned to a broker in India so they could execute two convicted murderers.

AMA Adopts Policies on Circumcision, Gun Safety

The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has adopted a number of new policies at its interim meeting, including policies on male circumcision, physician discussion of gun safety, and a new medical coding system that will go into effect in 2013.

Airport Metal Detectors Safe for Pacemakers

Metal detector security screening appears safe for people with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), researchers found.

Calif. 12-Year-Olds Can Get HPV Vaccine Without Parental OK

Minors as young as 12 can consent to preventive measures against sexually transmitted diseases, including vaccination, according to a new California law that has sparked an outcry over parents' rights.

Readers Say Vitamin Levels Should Be Checked Yearly

Processed foods, mineral-depleted soil, overcooked vegetables, increased stress levels -- all of these increase the chances of having a vitamin deficiency, according to a vocal majority of 番茄社区 readers who commented on last week's poll.

Time Is Money and Some Doctors Are Paying the Price

No one likes to wait and the waiting can be even more tiresome when it is a worried patient who is waiting to see his or her physician. So it's not surprising that patients are speaking out about -- and in some cases billing for -- time spent waiting for to hear, "The doctor will see you now."

Medical Tourism: Boom or Bust?

Traveling abroad for medical procedures was touted as a trend and it even has its own trade group, the Medical Tourism Association, but some question whether it's as big a growth market as once thought.

AMA: House of Delegates Backs Individual Mandate

CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association's House of Delegates has reaffirmed its support of individual responsibility -- including a requirement that most U.S. residents buy health insurance -- as the foundation of universal coverage.

AAPM: 'Focused Factories' on Healthcare Horizon

WASHINGTON -- The next big thing in healthcare won't be large, all-purpose healthcare organizations -- it will be 'focused factories' for treating specific problems, a Harvard economist says.

Pfizer Moves May Dim Prospect for New Antibiotics

Infectious disease specialists are concerned that a corporate decision by Pfizer to scale back its R&D spending next year -- plus a transition to China -- will further slow development of new antibiotic drugs.

Outliers: The Story of Success

The latest book by the author of Blink outlines key principles of communication that can play a major role in improving healthcare quality and safety.

The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade

From genome to hormones, doctors pick the top medical advances of the decade.

Socialism and Healthcare Reform

In the current discussions, a single word -- "socialism" -- seems to have triggered the most emotional responses, needlessly so.

AMA Reverses Stance on Medical Marijuana

The American Medical Association has changed its policy on medical marijuana, urging the federal government to review the drug's status as a top-tier controlled dangerous substance.

Men Encouraged to Consider Medication to Prevent Prostate Cancer

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Millions of healthy men ages 55 and older should talk to their physicians about taking a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor such as finasteride (Proscar) or dutasteride (Avodart) to prevent prostate cancer, according to a guideline issued by two medical groups.

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