This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Follow the Money: Pain, Policy, and Profit. The Federation of State Medical Boards, often develops guidelines that serve as the basis for model policies with the stated goal of improving medical practice -- but after its guideline for the use of opioids to treat chronic pain patients was adopted as a model policy, it asked ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. High Cost to Getting Rid of ACA Mandate. Premiums in the health insurance exchanges would not rise sharply if the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate requirement is overturned or repealed, but government spending could more than double and fewer people would be covered.2. Military Deaths Spike After End of Vaccine Program. After a ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Amyloidosis Responds to Myeloma Therapy. Two-thirds of patients with amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis remained alive without progression two years after treatment with a regimen developed for multiple myeloma.2. Deal Near on SGR Fix. The joint House-Senate conference committee tasked with fixing the Medicare physician payment formula is very close to reaching a deal.3. ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Happy Patient No Indicator of Better Outcomes. What does a satisfied patient look like clinically? Not what you might expect -- in fact, happy patients have higher rates of hospitalization and mortality.2. Tavenner Hints at ICD-10 Delay. Acting Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner vowed to work with doctors to "reexamine the pace at which ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Obama Budget: No Big Dollars for Health. President Obama's proposed 2013 budget includes a slight increase for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) -- but it's coming at a time when his Republican adversaries are calling for budget cuts, not increases.2. Air Pollution Tied to Stroke, Cognitive Slide. Airborne pollution can ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Biomarkers May Help Heart Failure Risk Prediction. In older adults, echocardiographic variables and levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) improved heart failure risk stratification compared with a clinical risk score alone.2. Progress Cited in War Against Trans Fats. The campaign against trans fats appears to be producing results, according to a CDC ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Last Patients on ICU Rounds Get Least Time. Clinical staff spent significantly less time with intensive care unit patients at the end of rounds as compared with the beginning.2. Women Suffer More ICD Complications. Women are at greater risk of complications and are less likely to receive appropriate shocks from their implantable cardioverter-defibrillators ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Fighters Need Padded Gear to Cut Head Injury. Rotational head injuries in fighting sports can be minimized if participants wear padded boxing gloves and headgear rather lighter protective gear or no protection at all.2. Heart Failure, Fractures Linked. Heart failure appears to be associated with a greater risk of major osteoporotic fractures, independent ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Aspirin, Plavix Not Good Stroke Prevention Combo. Combining clopidogrel (Plavix) with aspirin did not prevent recurrent stroke deep in the brain, and even increased the risk of bleeding and death.2. Wii Helps Arms, Heart in Stroke Patients. A short but intense Wii-based program not only improved physical function in stroke patients, but added ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Spanking No Help in Child-Rearing. Physical punishment of children, such as spanking, is increasingly linked with long-term adverse consequences.2. Physical Child Abuse Sends Thousands to Hospitals. Nearly 4,600 children were admitted to a U.S. hospital in 2006 as a result of physical abuse and 300 died because of the abuse.3. Hubbies ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Abbreviated Radiotherapy Shows Promise in Prostate Ca. Dramatically condensing radiation treatment for early prostate cancer into just five fractions produces good results without much toxicity.2. Child Abuse in One Year Costs Billions in Long Run. The lifetime costs -- including healthcare, lost productivity, and criminal justice costs -- of all the children abused ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. CABG Outlasts Stenting for Survival. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was associated with better longer-term survival compared with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in certain high-risk subgroups.2. Birth Control Pills Recalled. Pfizer has recalled a total of 28 lots of Lo/Ovral and its generic equivalent because of a packaging error that may result in inadequate ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Both Sexes Enjoy Statin Benefits. Statins cut cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in both men and women.2. Support by Mom Raises Kids' Brain Volume. Maternal support and nurturing in early childhood can boost development of a brain region crucial for memory, stress, and emotion regulation.3. WellPoint to Boost Pay for Primary Care ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Epidural Plus Fever During Labor Put Baby at Risk. A temperature spike during labor with epidural analgesia may indicate serious risks for the baby in an otherwise low-risk delivery.2. Child Safety Takes a Back Seat During Carpooling. Parents who generally have their children use booster seats in the car are not consistent in their ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Docs Contradict NCAA on Sickle Cell Trait Tests. The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is challenging the major college sports organization over its policy on sickle cell trait testing for athletes.2. Heavier Docs Less Likely to Tackle Patient Weight. A physician's body mass index (BMI) may have an impact on how he or she ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Prostate Surgery Plans Often Change After MRI. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate changed the surgical plan in more than one in four patients undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).2. Men More Likely Develop Mild Cognitive Problems. Men are more likely than women to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with and without memory problems.3. ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Iodine in Contrast Material Poses Thyroid Threat. The use of contrast media that contains iodine -- on the rise with increased cardiac catheterization and CT scanning -- is associated with an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction.2. Dyslexic Kids Show Brain Changes at an Early Age. Young children at risk for developing dyslexia showed abnormalities ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Enzymes Show Early Heart Damage in Diabetes. A highly sensitive troponin test revealed evidence of subclinical heart damage in patients with hyperglycemia but no known coronary artery disease or heart failure, with particularly high enzyme levels in those with diabetes.2. Time in ER Sends Infection Back to Nursing Home. An emergency department visit may ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Cardiac Risk Higher for Women Getting Radiation. Women undergoing radiation therapy for esophageal cancer appear to be at greater risk of cardiac complications than men.2. Gastric Ca Survival Rates Down, Chemo Use Up. A decline in survival rates in stage IV gastric cancer coincides with the increased use of chemotherapy rather than radiation and ...

This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Kids, Teens Ignore Sun Risks. Most children and adolescents did not regularly use sunscreen despite reporting high rates of sunburn.2. SSRIs Up Chance of Falls in Dementia Patients. Nursing home residents with dementia face a significantly increased risk of injurious falls if they are taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).3. Medicare Demo ...