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University of Alabama Law Professor William Brewbaker III on Health Care Legislation
University of Alabama Law Professor William Brewbaker III is co-editor (with Mark Hall) of two books in Aspen's Health Care Corporate Law series and has written law review articles dealing with health care antitrust, price regulation, physician unionization and managed care liability.
Professor Brewbaker spoke with Birmingham Medical News publisher/editor Steve Spencer about the current healthcare legislation in Congress.
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On the Move
Two Former Carraway Physician's Advice on Moving
"It's a real pain," says Hugh O'Shields, MD, about moving. He's now with Medicine/Montclair at Trinity Medical Center, but last fall he was part of the forced exodus of physicians from Carraway when it closed.
Jane Ehrhardt |
Shedding New Light On Blindness
UAB Research Yields Unique Insights Into Macular Degeneration
By their 75th birthday, one person out of three will show at least early stages of Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD). Unlike cataracts, diabetes and other leading causes of blindness, there has been little that medical science could offer to prevent or reverse the veil of darkness that falls on aging patients in numbers even greater than Alzheimer's.
Laura Freeman |
New PSA Data Still Leaves Questions
Once again, questions arise around the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Since its FDA approval in 1986, the PSA test has become what physicians rely on to predict the presence of prostate cancer. Yet there is some conflict between the results of the latest studies regarding the test and some of the recommended guidelines, leaving physicians to deal in a gray area, rather than black or white.
Jane Ehrhardt |
UAB Physicians Search for Prostate Cancer's Fingerprint
Two researchers at UAB are completing a promising study of a screening test to signal the definite presence of prostate cancer. Currently, the best test on the market, the PSA, only gets it about one third right, since only 35% of biopsies return with cancer. "So the conundrum is what the 'abnormal' PSA and rectal exams mean in those other 65 percent," says Erik Busby, MD, assistant professor of urologic oncology at UAB.
Jane Ehrhardt |
Cusmariu Performs Less Invasive Hip Arthroscopy
Every year, hip replacement surgery brings relief to thousands of people whose joints have been destroyed by advanced osteoarthritis. Until recently, however, younger patients suffering from other hip conditions have had few practical alternatives beyond learning to live with the pain.
Laura Freeman |
North Alabama Surgeons Use Custom Fitting Knee Replacements
Knees—large and small, knock-kneed and bowed--are as different as the people who stand on them. In fact, one study looking into knee anatomy found that 98% of its subjects had least some degree of variation from what is generally considered the norm.
Laura Freeman |
Lateral Interbody Fusion Training Comes to Birmingham
This August, ten more Alabama surgeons walked out of the Sheridan knowing how to perform the direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) technique. The training on this procedure to treat degenerative disc disease had been taught by Donald A. Deinlein, MD, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at UAB and, until this event, the only physician in Birmingham trained in the approach.
Jane Ehrhardt |
Siegel Aims for Best Outcome in Total Joint Replacement
Herrick J. Siegel, MD, is on a self-imposed mission—avoiding worst-case scenarios in patients with joint replacement surgery. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at UAB, Siegel has focused his attention to improving outcomes for infected joints—the key to which is prompt attention and referral to an infection-fighting specialist.
Cara D. Clark |
Hall of Fame Nurses Receive Personal Blessings from Career Accomplishments
"Nursing isn't a job, it's a calling," said Becki McAnnally, BSN, RN of Cullman, a retired pediatric nurse at Children's Hospital of Alabama and one of three nurses in the 2009 class of the Children's Health System Nursing Hall of Fame. Joining McAnnally are Elaine Klein, CRNA, PhD of Hoover, and Lois Alexander Caldwell, BSN, RN of Mountain Brook.
Ann B. DeBellis |
FTC Complaint Evidences Increasing Government Focus on Antitrust Abuses in the Healthcare Arena
The Federal Trade Commission issued an administrative complaint on July 24, 2009, challenging Carilion Clinic's acquisition of two outpatient clinics in Roanoke, Virginia in August 2008.
FTC alleges that Carilion's acquisition of the two outpatient clinics –an advanced outpatient imaging services center called the Center for Advanced Imaging (CAI) and an outpatient surgery center called the Center for Surgical Excellence (CSE) – eliminated vital competition in violation of federal antitrust laws.
Michel Marcoux |
Literary Examiner
A review of "Dissection" by John Harley Warner and James M Edmonson
Terri Schlichenmeyer |
Gathering Information Upfront on Potential Employees
Employers can, and should, conduct background investigations regarding potential employees, and perhaps in certain situations, even current employees. Such proactive investigations can save an employer both time and money. Imagine spending months negotiating a contract with a potential health care employee to only then discover that the employee has been excluded from Medicare or is not properly licensed. The tools described below can help avoid such issues and can be useful to any practice manager responsible for hiring or overseeing health care providers.
Kelli Fleming |
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