News

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 designated $87 billion for state Medicaid programs, enacting major increases in federal matching rates. Despite the boost from ARRA, state budgets have been groaning under the weight of the economic downturn, with 29 of them planning to make Medicaid cuts in 2010.

Evidence suggests that miscommunication between patients and clinicians contribute to departures from guideline-based care.

Rheumatologists and primary care physicians will find the "Rheumatoid Arthritis Virtual Grand Rounds" to be extremely beneficial. Hosted by experts in the field, 17 patient cases will help improve the quality of care provided through patient case studies and provide new information about the available treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.

Once again, this idea has stirred up controversy.

How quickly we humans normalize even the most extreme scenario - as long as we see it over and over. By now, it seems perfectly normal for our fringed-draped bus to 4-wheel it over piles of rubble.

Last week Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the FDA has accepted for filing the New Drug Application for JZP-6 (sodium oxybate) for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders created this website for patients who have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.

Visit this respectable, physician-authored site for a review of many IBS-related topics.

These CME programs explore key concepts in the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of heart failure in children and adults.

This activity discusses the typical signs of early-onset schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Direct your patients to this site for a reliable review of five types of schizophrenia.

Even the predawn day began a little differently. The shrill distant stadium cheers of hundreds of Haitian roosters sounded oddly synchronized, as though perhaps they were doing the wave.

Mayo Clinic anesthesiologists have developed new protocols for joint replacement surgery that largely eliminate the need for general anesthesia and intravenous narcotics and the resulting side effects.

After six hours of unaccustomed sleep, I awoke like a mad pirate, with one red eye, hair askew, lurching and croaking.

Direct patients to this site to learn more about the anatomy and function of the heart and circulatory system, the causes and symptoms of heart failure, and treatment options.

I feel they picked my pocket! Consider what happened to me-I broke my leg (a 4" fibula fracture). An orthopedist inserted a 4-inch plate, but the surgical wound wouldn't close.

There's something about the constant drone of a generator – the relentless, unremitting growl that hangs in the air. It's like the smell and the dust and the fear of the rainy season, the way it creeps under your skin so quickly, and then sinks so deepely that you're not even aware that you're aware of it. All the time.

Chocolate is good. And, in small quantities, it has properties which may promote health and treat disease. One hypothesis is that the antioxidants, largely flavonoids, are responsible for these positive effects.

There's a new battleground in the fight to curb antibiotic over prescribing and control the spread of resistant superbugs: the common ear infection, or acute otitis media (AOM). Although a growing body of literature shows that most kids with ear infections recover with no complications without the use of antibiotics, many physicians continue to prescribe antibiotics for the vast majority of children diagnosed with an ear infection.

We knew obesity was a growing problem here in the U.S., and we knew that more children were being diagnosed with attention deficits. However, these chronic conditions don't appear to be the only ones on the rise; according to a study published today in JAMA, a number of diseases, including physical ailments such as allergies and other behavioral/learning disorders, are becoming more and prevalent, and in a big way.

Thomas Jefferson University researchers found that the levels of inflammatory chemokine were significantly elevated in extremely obese patients and only in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Researchers have built the first high-resolution atlas of regulatory elements in the most studied cell type for treatment and prevention of type II diabetes, guiding scientists to regions of the genome that appear functionally relevant.

The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which could be contributing to cancer cell growth.

Immediately after crossing from the DR into Haiti, you can see the visible downshift into a worse level of poverty.

Airports are bland portals scattered across the world. It's really when you step outside, walking down the cattle-chute ramp that's lined with well-wishers and people holding up hand-written signs - it's as you emerge, blinking into hot haze and the smell of moist, marinating diesel hits you, that's when you know you're somewhere else.

We had no problems, fortunately, getting into the country with all of our medicines.

We're keeping an eye on the FDA. The recent weather resulted in the postponement of some very important ODAC meetings, which have yet to be rescheduled. In addition, some companies have been working with the FDA to design trials for investigational products. The following 10 items outline recent actions by the FDA involving drugs or devices designed to treat patients with cancer.

While clinical studies and personalized medicine are clearly the future of cancer treatment, barriers to patient participation come from several directions, including patients, physicians, and the insurance industry. A US Oncology–sponsored survey of oncologists and clinical research professionals found them to be highly optimistic about the future of clinical trials in advancing personalized medicine, despite concerns about the various hurdles. The national survey of 299 oncology and clinical research professionals determined that 58% of respondents were optimistic about trials, while only 25% were ambivalent or unsure.

Media exposure is a huge part of daily life today, with many families struggling with how to set reasonable boundaries. Studies have confirmed that too much exposure to media for kids of all ages impacts behavior, health and lifestyle decisions, and buying choices, and it contributes to issues such as obesity, early sexuality, drug and alcohol use, and bullying

HealthInsight will help guide more than 1,000 healthcare providers in Nevada to eligibility for bonus payments from the federal government for their Medicaid and Medicare patients.