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

Hebrew University Research Leads To Advanced Trials Of New Cancer Treatment
Research by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor has led to the development of a product that has been shown in clinical trials to be successful in halting the growth of various types of cancer cells.
generic viagra online
Many U.S. Hospitals Fail To Report Physician Disciplinary Cases To National Databank
Many U.S. hospitals do not take sufficient disciplinary action against physicians for poor conduct or medical incompetence and fail to report such cases to the National Practitioner Data Bank, according to a report released Wednesday by Public Citizen, the Contra Costa Times reports. Congress established the databank in 1990 as a central repository for information about physicians whose hospital privileges had been withdrawn or limited for more than 30 days. The bank is closed to the public (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 5/27).For the report, Public Citizen"s Health Research Group analyzed studies by the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Citizen Advocacy Center, as well as medical journal articles and recommendations made during an October 1996 meeting on under-reporting by hospitals (Stark/Hallihan, ABCNews.com, 5/27). According to the report, nearly half of U.S. hospitals did not submit one physician"s name in 17 years to the databank. One purpose of the databank is to provide hospitals with background information about physicians they were considering hiring at their facilities. Under the initial expectations of the databank, federal officials estimated that at least 5,000 disciplinary cases would be reported annually. However, on average, about 650 reports have been made annually since the databank was created, the report found (Contra Costa Times, 5/27). The group on Wednesday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that included recommendations to improve the efficacy of the databank. The letter said that the reporting numbers are "unreasonably low, compared with what would be expected if hospitals pursued disciplinary actions aggressively and reported all such actions." The letter urged Sebelius to ensure that hospitals are conducting necessary peer reviews and oversight of physicians, taking proper disciplinary actions and reporting them to the databank so that physicians" track records are available to all hospital administrators. Penalties also should be established for hospitals that fail to comply with the reporting requirements, the group said.Al Levine, the author of the report, said some hospitals had found ways to avoid their physician reporting responsibilities, such as by limiting restrictions on hospital privileges to fewer than 30 days or giving physicians a "leave of absence" in place of suspending their privileges. Levine said, "Even in states with high levels of reporting," it "seems to be concentrated in a few facilities" (Contra Costa Times, 5/27).In a statement responding to the report, the American Hospital Association said, "The premise that the number of reports received by the National Practitioner Data Bank correlates to jeopardized patient care is inaccurate," adding, "Hospitals are actively involved in a wide variety of efforts to continuously improve care and talk publicly about the care we provide" (ABCNews.com, 5/27).
News of the day
Link Between Pesticide Levels In Blood And Parkinson's Disease
People with Parkinson"s disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Health Insurance

Indiana University And Head And Neck Cancer Alliance To Provide Screenings At Allstate 400

Race fans at this year"s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard can get a free oral, head and neck cancer screening. Volunteers from the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, and the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance will provide the screenings. The screenings, which are quick and painless and involve a physical examination of the mouth as well as feeling of the facial area and neck for abnormalities, are offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 25, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 26. The screenings will be offered in the display lot on the east side of the Hall of Fame Museum to race ticket holders. If any irregularities are found, a person will be referred to his or her primary care physician or a specialist. "When diagnosed very early, oral and other head and neck cancers can be more easily treated without significant complications, and the chances of survival greatly increase," said Michael G. Moore, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery with the IU School of Medicine. "Many Americans do not recognize the symptoms of these cancers, so an additional benefit of these screenings is that they allow us to educate a larger audience about head and neck cancer." According to the American Cancer Society, this year more than 87,560 people will be diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck, which include cancers of the tongue, the rest of the mouth, the salivary glands and inside the throat, the voice box, eye and orbit, thyroid, and the lymph nodes in the upper neck. More than 13,000 will die. Oral, head, and neck cancer refers to a variety of cancers that develop in the head and neck region, such as the oral cavity (mouth); the pharynx (throat); paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity; the larynx (voice box); thyroid and salivary glands; the skin of the face and neck; and the lymph nodes in the neck. Common warning signs are: - Red or white patch in the mouth that lasts more than two weeks - Change in voice or hoarseness that lasts more than two weeks - Sore throat that does not subside - Pain or swelling in the mouth or neck that does not subside - Lump in the neck Other warning signs that can occur during later stages of the disease include: - Ear pain - Difficulty speaking or swallowing - Difficulty breathing The most effective prevention strategy remains the cessation of risky behaviors such as smoking, use of chewing tobacco, and excessive alcohol consumption. More than 85 percent of head and neck cancers are related to tobacco use, while others may have a relationship to viral causes such as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and Epstein-Barr virus. Lori Hamilton, wife of the late NASCAR racing legend Bobby Hamilton who died of complications of head and neck cancer, is the national spokesperson for this effort. "When Bobby was diagnosed, he immediately became an advocate of early detection of head and neck cancer," Hamilton said. "He asked everyone around him to get tested, promoted it to anyone who would listen and became a huge believer in the screening process. It doesn"t hurt, is free and the 10 minutes it takes to do it could save your life. So we are encouraging everyone to please take advantage of this free screening opportunity." Funding is provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly & Co. Indiana University


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

© Copyright 2009