Administration offers plan to shore up Medicare.(Practice
Trends)
In response to a warning that the Medicare trust fund is in
financial trouble, the Bush administration recently proposed legislation
that would tie physician payments to quality, cap medical . . .
The payoffs and pitfalls of participating in clinical
trials.(Practice Trends)
MAUI, HAWAII -- Clinical trial participation can be a moneymaker
for a practice with some realistic planning and savvy negotiations,
according to Dr. Roy Fleischmann and Dr. Alvin Well.
"If . . .
Drug, device promotion may expand.(Policy & Practice)
FDA last month proposed draft guidance that would allow drug and
medical device makers to distribute medical or scientific journal
articles and reference publications that involve unapproved uses . . .
Botox promotions investigated.(Policy & Practice)
The U.S. Attorney's office for the northern district of
Georgia has subpoenaed Allergan, seeking documents that might show
off-label promotion of Botox (botulinum toxin type A) for the treatment
of . . .
Obesity brings risk for plethora of skin conditions.(Across
Specialties)
SAN ANTONIO -- Obese patients are at increased risk for a number of
dermatologic conditions.
It is important for dermatologists to be aware of the increased
risk for these conditions among obese . . .
Hospital P4P project lowers costs and mortality.(Practice
Trends)
Hospitals participating in a Medicare-sponsored pay-for-performance
demonstration continue to sustain initial gains in quality improvement
and have seen a huge decline in costs and mortality for . . .
Future uncertain as health plan settlements expire.(Practice
Trends)
LAS VEGAS -- As more of the agreements signed by several large
insurers to settle a class action suit alleging inappropriate billing
practices expire, the possibility is increasing that the . . .
Rx abuse worries Americans.(Policy & Practice)
The abuse of prescription drugs is as big a problem as the abuse of
illegal drugs, according to respondents to a Wall Street Journal/Harris
Interactive poll. Even so, less than half of those . . .
Galderma buys CollaGenex.(Policy & Practice)
Two dermatology powerhouses are about to combine--that is, if U.S.
regulatory authorities approve the merger of Galderma Laboratories and
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals. Galderma proposes to purchase . . .
Cash being used to help motivate patients to lose weight.(Across
Specialties)
Everyone knows that money talks. But when it comes to dieting, can
money really motivate overweight patients to shed pounds?
Dr. Joseph K. Chemplavil, an endocrinologist in Hampton, Va.,
thinks . . .
States looking inward, striving for transparency as health tabs
grow.(Practice Trends)
WASHINGTON -- With health care expenses accounting for the single
largest expense in their budget, states are increasingly looking for
solutions from within, not from the federal government, . . .
Rule for Patient Safety Organizations proposed.(Practice
Trends)
Draft federal regulations more than 2 years in the making aim to
give hospital networks, physician groups, and similar organizations the
ability to help doctors reduce medical errors and improve . . .
Supreme Court limits device suits.(Policy & Practice)
The U.S. Supreme Court has bolstered medical device
manufacturers' argument that FDA approval confers special
protection against liability suits. The justices voted 8-1 in finding
that the Medical . . .
Risk factors for ovarian failure in SLE observed.(Across
Specialties)
Higher disease activity, treatment with cyclophosphamide, older
age, and a certain ethnic background were each linked with a
significantly increased risk for developing premature gonadal failure . . .
Vacuum-assisted wound therapy uses expanded.(Wound
Healing)
CHICAGO -- The indications for negative-pressure wound therapy are
expanding to include infected wounds and complicated wounds with exposed
bone, tendon, or even orthopedic hardware, Dr. Anton . . .
Health care spending projected to reach $4.3 trillion by
2017.(Practice Trends)
Health care spending in the United States is projected to consume
nearly 20% of the gross domestic product by 2017, according to estimates
from economists at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid . . .
Hiring a fee-only financial planner.(Managing Your Dermatology
Practice)
This is the second column to expand on the suggestions made in my
January "New Year's Resolutions" column. (The January
column can be found in the archives at www.skinandallergynews.com.)
The . . .
Woodcock named CDER head.(Policy & Practice)
Dr. Janet Woodcock has been named director of the FDA's Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research. Dr. Woodcock, a rheumatologist, served
as director of CDER once before, in the 1990s, and has served . . .
Lupus biologic drug pipeline: an embarrassment of riches.(Across
Specialties)
SNOWMASS, COLO. -- The systemic lupus erythematosus drug pipeline
is suddenly chockfull of biologic agents, good news for physicians, who
have been waiting more than 3 decades since the last . . .
Regions of brain associated with satiety isolated in
study.(Across Specialties)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
A new imaging study that has identified areas of brain activation
associated with feelings of fullness may provide new therapeutic targets
to minimizing overeating.
. . .
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