Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Physicians face Medicaid's April 1 deadline for tamper-proof Rx pads

From AMA News...

Most physicians are prepared to meet the April 1 federal deadline for writing many Medicaid prescriptions on tamper-resistant pads, according to medical, pharmacist and other organizations. But these groups continue to reach out to doctors who may be unaware of, or confused about, the law.

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Brubaker is 2008 Medical Director of the Year

From an AMDA press release...

The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) announced today that Kenneth Brubaker, MD, CMD, medical director of three long term care facilities in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, has been named the organization’s 2008 “Medical Director of the Year.” An interdisciplinary panel chose Dr. Brubaker from over nearly 30 nominees for his exemplary work as a physician leader, educator, patient advocate, and clinician.

Click here for more information.

Vaccine exemptions rising

From CNN...

A video by Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the alarming trend of parents claiming exemptions from required vaccines for their children.

Click here to view the video.

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WHO Claims Polio Stopped in Somalia

From the AP...

The World Health Organization claims polio transmission has been stopped in Somalia, leaving only a dozen other countries with the deadly disease.

But given the lack of detailed medical data from Somalia, the absence of a centralized government and continued violence across the country, officials admitted the virus could very easily pop up again.

Click here to read more.


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The Mayo Clinic polio page

Great expectations: Med students' 'Match Day' arrives

From the Miami Herald...

For fourth-year medical school students at the University of Miami, Thursday was a nerve-jangling rite of passage: Match Day.

At the same time on the same day at every med school in the country, students learned where they will do their residency.

Click here to read more.

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TB Patient Faces Felony Charges in Ariz.

From AP...

A man with a virulent form of tuberculosis who once was confined to a hospital jail ward for failing to wear a mask in public has been indicted on felony charges.

Prosecutors said Monday there was no evidence that Robert Daniels had exposed anyone to his multiple drug-resistant TB before he was quarantined in 2006, but they still charged him with two counts of unlawful introduction of disease or parasite.

Click here to read more.

Guidelines for Epidemics: Who Gets a Ventilator?

From NYTimes...

It may sound unthinkable — the idea of denying life support to some people in a public health disaster like an epidemic. But a new report says doctors, health care workers and the public need to start thinking about it.

The report, by New York State health officials, grows out of the work of a group formed in 2006 to plan for the possibility of an influenza pandemic. The group focused on the breathing machines called ventilators.

Click here to read more.

When the Disease Eludes a Diagnosis

From NYTimes...

Why do doctors and patients often approach the diagnosis of disease so differently?

Click here to read more.

Stolen laptop contains personal info of 2,500 patients

From CNN...

A government laptop computer stolen last month held unencrypted medical records of 2,500 participants in a government study, Susan Shirin, deputy director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) told CNN Monday.

The incident prompted the NHLBI to issue a statement saying it would no longer store patient medical information on laptops.

The lack of encryption violated federal guidelines dating back to 2006. Shurin told CNN the stolen laptop "fell through the cracks" and should have been encrypted. A thorough review of other laptops containing sensitive information is under way, she said.

Click here to read more.

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Brazil minister says Rio dengue mortality too high

From Reuters...

The mortality rate from the hemorrhagic form of dengue fever in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro far exceeds rates considered acceptable in the world, Health Minister Jose Temporao said on Monday.

A dengue fever epidemic has killed 48 people in Rio state this year, compared to 31 in all of last year, according to state health officials.

Click here to read more.

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The CDC Dengue page

Therapeutic Cloning Works in Mice With Parkinson's

From HealthDay News...

Therapeutic cloning successfully treated Parkinson's disease in mice, researchers report.

Using the process to develop dopamine-producing neurons with an identical genetic profile to each mouse being treated allowed scientists to significantly improve the neurological performance of the diseased animals, without provoking any evidence of immune system rejection.

Click here to read more.

Breakthrough surgery saves terminal cancer patient

From ABC News...

A Florida woman with a golf ball-size tumor in her abdomen who risked a cutting-edge surgery to save her life is now on her way to a full recovery.

Brooke Zepp, 63, was told that her tumor was inoperable because it was buried so deep inside her abdomen and that she had only months to live.

After receiving a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer in her abdomen, Zepp had tried radiation and chemotherapy but neither had worked.

Desperate for help, Zepp found a team of surgeons willing to perform an unprecedented operation. The tumor was buried underneath half a dozen major organs.

Click here to read more.

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from CBS News