Displaying articles 1 - 100 of 1010 Next Last
|
Camp SHINE Gives Boost to Weight Management Patients
Childhood obesity has become a common health issue for many children and adolescents, putting them at risk for long-term problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, and psycho-social issues.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Children Most Vulnerable to Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is unprecedented in size and scope. As a result, there may be extraordinary levels of chemical exposure to those who live in the affected areas. Children are especially vulnerable.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Poison Control Centers Important to Our Communities
Every eight seconds, someone calls a poison center. These centers, located throughout the United States, are saving lives everyday and saving money by eliminating unnecessary health care expenses. In Alabama alone last year, the Regional Poison Control Center saved $16 million in uninsured costs, private insurance, and Medicaid just by answering the telephone.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Physicians Will Need Time to Adapt to the ICD-10 Code
"People are used to getting code updates every year with our CPT codes and ICD-9 codes," says Donna Stariha, director of the billing services division at MediSYS. "So for a lot of people, they mistakenly feel this change to ICD-10 is just another change like that." But that's like equating ripples in a bathtub to storm-tossed swells on the ocean.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Lax Reimbursement Practices Leave Money on the Table
For the lack of a single billing code modifier, a specialty practice lost reimbursements equaling 16 percent of their gross income in their first year. "When we refiled the claims for that one doctor, it recovered $8,000 within four weeks," says Judy Campodonico, director of operations with MRG Management Services.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes
Reform Regulations Are Kicking In Already
Healthcare reform requires changes of all stakeholders, but probably none more so than third-party payers, usually portrayed as wearing the black hat in this ongoing drama. In fact, President Obama hasn’t hesitated to cast insurers in the role of characters more worried about money than patient care.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Creating Thinking Adds Fulfillment to Bullock's Practice
His Passion for Preventive Care Transforms his Patients' Lives
Using just his waiting room, Gary Bullock, DO, MPH, helps patients transform their lives, while replenishing some of the fulfillment that managed care had drained from his practice.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Proposed Changes to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules
On July 14, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the Federal Register ("Proposed Rule"). These proposed changes are part of the enactment of the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Kelli Fleming - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Don't get caught by expiring tax provisions
Ten years ago, Congress passed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. That Act provided a number of income, estate and gift tax changes that were put into effect, or scheduled changes to become effective in the years ahead. Many of the changes that took effect under EGTRRA 2001will expire on December 31, 2010, unless Congress enacts new laws or passes extensions. If EGTRRA 2001 expires, taxpayers will face several significant changes.
Gerard J. Kassouf, CPA - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
CMS Proposes Stark Law Changes to Require Written Notices for Select Imaging Services
On June 25, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule (the "Proposed Rule"). Among its revisions are the proposed regulations implementing Section 6003 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) amending the In-Office Ancillary Services exception (IOAS) to the federal physician self-referral law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law. The proposed regulations, when finalized, will take effect on January 1, 2011, along with the rest of the Proposed Rule.
Judd Harwood - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
The Literary Examiner - "Critical Care" by Theresa Brown
Author Theresa Brown was an English professor who taught writing at Tufts University when she began to feel an internal nudge toward a new career. In the new book Critical Care, she tells about her switch from pen to patient.
TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER - Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:04 pm |
Ignoring IT Hardware Means Losing Business
If software updates and maintenance get all the attention, you're leaving your practice open to failure.
Your hard drives and server sit quietly unnoticed, keeping your practice alive; until they quit. "Uptime is a big deal in healthcare. You can't do anything with patients if your EHR is down," says Ryan McGinty of Oceris, makers of FlexMedical, a practice software package.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Meaningful Use of Your EHR
Practices that hesitate lose money and complicate the inevitable conversion
"Meaningful use" is the buzzword surrounding electronic health records (EHR) at the moment. "If you achieve it, then the government will send you money, depending on what you qualify for," says Michael Shaffer, BSN, president of Information Technology Advantages.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Baptist Health Systems Helps Doctors Go Electronic
As a busy internist, Darlene Traffanstedt, MD is always looking for ways to improve efficiency. A partnership between Baptist Health System (BHS) and NextGen Health Care appears to help her do just that.
Cindy Riley - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm - 1 opinion posted |
Out Of The Picture?
Delays In Physician PECOS Enrollment And Reimbursement Cuts Threaten Access To Imaging
A situation is brewing regarding PECOS, the CMS Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, that threatens to disrupt medical care for thousands of patients.
Laura Freeman - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
UAB Launching TrueBeam™ STx Radiotherapy And Radiosurgery System
Among The World's First In Clinical Use
Imagine not only seeing a tumor in real time, but also using the same equipment to aim a cancer-killing beam at it—a beam shaped to the tumor, timed to the patient's breathing, and delivering high dose treatments in only a fraction of the time with extreme precision that protects surrounding tissue. Now, imagine doing it all digitally with a keyboard console that is as easy to operate as using a remote control to adjust the volume on your television. For good measure, the treatment couch is tied into the computer and can adjust the patient's position to less than a millimeter.
Laura Freeman - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Healthcare Reform Affects Medicare Patients and the Under 65 Set Differently
How to Answer Questions from Your Patients
If you’re a physician, chances are you have already fielded a bevy of questions from patients about healthcare reform. Rest assured, the questions will keep coming. Experts say that doctors need to be up to speed, and fast, about how reform will affect their patients’ healthcare and their insurance options in the future.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Thrombophilia Can Be Difficult to Diagnose
Thrombophilia is a term used to describe a group of conditions in which there is an increased tendency, often repeated and often over an extended period of time, for excessive clotting. Because of the various conditions involved in thrombophilia, diagnosing the disease can be difficult.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
William Clancy, MD Combines Sports and Medicine
Orthopaedist for Miracle on Ice Team
Both sports and medicine have played major roles in the life of William G. Clancy, Jr., MD. He has combined the two into a prestigious career that has culminated in his current position as an orthopaedic surgeon at the renowned Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center at St. Vincent's Birmingham. He joined his best friend, James R. Andrews, MD, in 1989 to help develop the clinic.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Creation of First Synthetic Cell Raises Ownership Questions
Patenting Life
In May 2010, Dr. J. Craig Venter announced that researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute had created artificial life by synthesizing an entire bacterial genome and using it to control a living cell. Venter described the cell as "the first self-replicating species we've had on the planet whose parent is a computer."
Robin Franco - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
The Literary Examiner - "Change Your Age" by Frank Wildman
Okay, sure. Your knees creak and you have more wrinkles than a Shar-pei. You never remember where you put your keys anymore. You can’t do deep-knee bends like you used to and the elevator is your best friend.
But old? You?
Terri Schlichenmeyer - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Alabama's Health Information Exchange
Moving Closer To "Interoperable" and "Meaningful Use"
As many readers are aware, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act established incentive programs to provide payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals who participate in Medicare and Medicaid that adopt and make meaningful use of certified electronic health record ("EHR") technology.
Jim Hoover of Burr & Forman - Posted: Friday, July 9, 2010 12:37 pm |
Regular Use of Sunscreen Can Save Money … and Your Life
It has been known for some time that ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the primary factor in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer and actinic keratoses (pre-cancers), but there have been few studies to investigate how sunscreens actually reduce the number of skin cancers that develop in people.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Hormone Therapy Can Help Many Adult Women with Acne
Acne traditionally has been considered a disease of teenagers, but it is also common in adult women. Studies show that acne affects more than 50 percent of women between the ages of 20-29 and more than 25 percent of women between the ages of 40-49, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. In fact, after age 20, women are far more likely to report having acne than men. While there is no cure for acne, dermatologists are finding that hormonal therapies can help some women fight bothersome acne that occurs in adulthood.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
New Biologic Treatment Changing Lives of Psoriasis Patients
Less than 5 percent of people with moderate to severe psoriasis are receiving drugs that can help control their disease. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug – Stelara – that has been added to the arsenal of medicines that target this debilitating condition.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Playing Well With Others
Building Strong Relationships in an Evolving Environment
In theory, hospital administrators, physicians and nurses are all on the same team with the same ultimate goal — delivering the highest quality of patient care possible. In practice, those relationships are easily strained as fiscal realities, misaligned objectives and strong personalities are factored into the equation.
CINDY SANDERS - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Healthcare Reform Boosts Primary Care
Reimbursement Incentives Offered to Ease the Strain
Well, it’s done, and depending on your perspective, the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that sets about reforming America’s health system could be a boon or it could be a bust. For most stakeholders, reality is somewhere in the middle.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Gynecological Advances in Laparoscopy and Robotic Surgeries
“In the past, if a uterus was above a certain size, we had to do an open procedure, but with recent advances in laparoscopy, size is no longer such an obstacle,” says John Woods, MD at Henderson & Walton Women's Center
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Healthcare Spotlight: Haiti Draws Victoria Masear, MD, to Disaster Relief
A Surgeon's Life Altered by the Haiti Earthquake
"The first thing that hit me as I walked off the plane in Haiti was the number of people just standing around the airport outside the fence. They were trying to sell to you. They were just desperate to get some kind of money or food," says Victoria Masear, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Orthopaedic Specialists of Alabama. She arrived in Port-au-Prince about five weeks after the massive 7.0 earthquake struck last January
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Joint Commission Revises Medical Staff Bylaws Standard MS.01.01.01.
The relationship between a hospital and its medical staff is important. A hospital's medical staff is not only an integral part of its daily clinical operations, but is also a major source of referrals. The medical staff desires to be self-sufficient without interference from the hospital's governing body. However, since the hospital is ultimately responsible for the care delivered by medical staff physicians, a hospital is oftentimes hesitant to relinquish too much control to the medical staff.
Kelli Fleming - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
An Unusual Year for Estate Tax Planning
Estate tax—the tax on the value of a decedent's property at death—as of the day of this writing--is repealed by Congress for the current calendar year. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 repealed the estate and generation skipping tax for decedents dying in 2010 and for generation skipping transfers made during this year (but gift tax rules remain in effect). While no one knows whether Congress will act on the law this year, if it does not act, the estate, generation skipping and gift tax rules will revert to rules in effect over ten years ago, with surprising results.
Gerard J. Kassouf, CPA/PFS, CFP© - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Specialist Reimbursement Flatlining? CMS Eliminates Billing under Consultation Codes
Effective January 1, 2010, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) eliminated all consultation codes, other than those used for billing telehealth consultations, from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. In place of the codes, Medicare will reimburse consulting physicians under evaluation and management (E/M) codes for new and established patient visits. Physicians who attempt to bill for services using obsolete consultation codes will receive claims rejections, along with instructions for proper billing from CMS.
Daniel Murphy of Balch & Bingham - Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:11 am |
Women Doctors Face Different Expectations
The 23-year-old man waited in the exam chair as Lynne Stevens, OD, an optometrist at UAB's Low Vision Rehabilitation Center and a fill-in at the Wal-Mart that day, walked in the room. She introduced herself as Dr. Stevens.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Sleep Disorders in Women
"A woman's irregular periods can be caused by a sleep disorder," says Trish Patterson, MD, D.ABSM, ABIM sleep specialist and medical director at St. Vincent's Sleep Disorder Center. She's talking about Shift Work Disorder, logically named for a condition where the person sleeps during the day rather than at night usually due to work schedules. The change in sleep pattern throws off a woman's cycle, which she may attribute to something more drastic.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Before the Breathin' Air is Gone
Luring Physicians "Out in the Country"
Grady, S.C., was one of the lucky rural communities. Unfortunately, it was fictional.
In the 1991 film "Doc Hollywood" with Michael J. Fox, the Porsche Speedster of hotshot plastic surgeon Benjamin Stone breaks down in Grady, and the charms of the community, its people and one woman in particular entice the young physician to hang his family-practice shingle in the rural Southeast.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Searching for Opportunities in the New Healthcare Legislation
In last month’s Birmingham Medical News, Editor Steve Spencer shared his thoughts on the recently passed healthcare reform legislation. He focused on the big picture aspects of the financial implications of the bill. While I agree in large part with his concerns, I also have a more basic view. I believe the legislation we have today, with the political issues associated with it, will look different in the next 24 months, and will change more after that.
Bill Cockrell - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Cullman Regional Medical Center After Woodland Closes
Eight months ago, Cullman Regional Medical Center (CRMC) ran at about 65 percent patient capacity. Woodland Medical Center, five miles away and 20 years older, ran at a scarce 25 percent. When Capella Healthcare purchased Woodland in early 2008, it did not take long for talks to begin between the two entities.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Medevac Crews Save Lives in Afghanistan
I would never presume to say I earned my wings in Afghanistan, but Major Jason Wilson, commander of DUSTOFF, medevac unit of the Third Combat Aviation Brigade, Third Infantry Division, did present me with the unit’s winged patch as my embed with the unit ended in mid January.
Cara Clark - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Jones Hones Karate Skills
In most instances, the physician is a teacher, explaining a diagnosis or medical condition to the patient. However in the case of Byron Dale Jones, MD, his patient, Rayburn Nichols, is also his teacher. Nichols helped Jones earn his fifth-degree black belt in the Yoshikai-style of karate.
Cara D. Clark - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
How Healthcare Reform Will Impact Your Physician Group
Following a year of sustained negotiations and wrangling, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and modifying legislation, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (jointly, with PPACA, the Act), in March 2010.
Michel Marcoux - Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Treating Family Members Carries Risks
The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners ("Board") recently published an article in its January-March 2010 Newsletter and Report reminding its members of the Board's position on treating and prescribing to family members. The Board advised that it receives frequent inquiries on the permissibility of such activity, and that it looks to the American Medical Association ("AMA") opinion E-8.19 "Self-Treatment or Treatment of Immediate Family Members" when considering unprofessional conduct issues.
Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 12:43 pm |
Treatment Advances Offer Hope for Stroke Management
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in America. These statistics have scientists searching for new ways to prevent and treat stroke, with UAB researchers at the forefront of this effort to save brain cells, and ultimately, lives.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Unlikely Patient Helped by the NESS L300 System
The NESS L300™ Foot Drop System from Bioness, Inc. has helped many patients regain mobility they had lost as a result of a neurological condition or event. Most people who are helped by this device are victims of stroke, traumatic brain injury or multiple sclerosis, but not typically those who suffer from nerve damage such as peripheral neuropathy. However, one Leeds man has proved to be an exception to that rule.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Mid South Neurorehabilitation Program Offers Team Approach
Mid South, a Gentiva company that specializes in home health rehabilitation, launched its Neurorehabilitation Program a year ago in the Birmingham area with the goal of better serving stroke and other patients with neurological challenges.
Kathy Hagood - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
UAB Participates in Promising Gene Therapy Trial for Alzheimer’s
To date, physicians do not have a disease modifying therapy to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and it remains a major unmet need for the 5 million Americans affected by the disease. That number is expected to rise to more than 11 million by 2040. UAB is currently one of eight centers in the United States participating in a Phase 2 clinical trial for a gene therapy treatment that has the potential to be disease modifying.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Renovations and New Medical Centers Growing to Meet Demand
Medical centers have to keep pace to meet growing demands for office and hospital space, as well as treatment facilities. Unlike residential and most commercial building, healthcare construction is accelerating, giving a boost to local economies. Some area hospitals are renovating and updating existing space, while others are starting from the ground up, building new facilities to replace older buildings or to create access in a growing area. As St. Vincent’s Health System President and Chief Executive Officer John O’Neil says, "All healthcare is local. Patients want to be treated in their communities by people they know."
Cathy DeLozier - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Survival Guide to New Health Care Law
So, now what?
The massive health-system legislation dubbed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is now law, enacting the most sweeping change in America’s health system since Medicare. Experts say now is the time providers should take a deep breath, then jump into action with strategies that could pay off down the road.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
From the Publisher: American Healthcare Changed Forever
Some critics call the new health care legislation flawed.
Flawed? That’s like calling Hurricane Katrina a spring shower. In my opinion, this 2,700- page labyrinth of legalese is nothing short of disaster.
STEVE SPENCER - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Blue Cross Building Incentive Programs to Augment Primary Care Reimbursements
BCBS wants to tie extra payments to providers into actions generally accepted to improve the care of patients rather than simply raising reimbursements across the board. "We are developing value-based meaningful initiatives that will allow payment dollars to focus on areas of quality that bring greater value to our customers," says Koko Mackin of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBS)
JANE EHRHARDT - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Making Faces, Reshaping Lives
Patrick J. Louis, DDS, MD
A gunshot victim lives, but his nose and jaw are gone. A young mother struck by a car will see tomorrow, but seeing the damage to her chin and ear will bring more pain.
A teenager looks away from the mirror, avoiding the reflection that fibrous dysplasia has distorted into someone he doesn’t even recognize.
In medicine, sometimes the challenge is not only keeping hearts beating, but also helping patients face the future.
That's Dr. Patrick Louis’s specialty.
Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
National Practitioner Data Bank Reports Expanded
A recent federal law expanded the scope of the National Practitioner Data Bank ("NPDB"). The Department of Health and Human Services issued the Final Rule to Section 1921 of the Social Security Act (often referred to as simply "Section 1921") on January 28, 2010 with an effective date of March 1, 2010. Thus, starting on March 1, 2010 the NPDB began accepting reports and querying for Section 1921.
Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
Patient-Centered Medical Home Model—Wave of the Future for Primary Care Physicians?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act recently signed into law by President Obama includes several provisions meant to test the efficacy of the Patient Centered Medical Home model. The legislation establishes Medicaid medical home demonstration projects and creates a center for innovation at CMS to test the medical home model under Medicare. The term “medical home” refers to a primary care services delivery model whereby a patient has continuous access to a personal physician who provides comprehensive and coordinated care for the majority of that patient’s health care needs. The concept of a “medical home” is premised upon the notion that utilization of primary care services results in better health outcomes, greater patient satisfaction, and a more efficient use of resources.
Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
The Literary Examiner - "Officer, Nurse, Woman" by Kara Dixon Vuic
If it weren’t for the grin, you might not have even looked once.
It wasn’t the soldier’s dusty jacket or battered helmet that caught your eye. It wasn’t the rifle casually held in both hands, either. No, the soldier’s grin was what got your attention. She was doing a good job and she knew it.
Terri Schlichenmeyer - Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:38 am |
UAB Remains at Forefront of Cancer Technology with New Radiation Center
When the new Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center opens this month, UAB cancer patients will be able to take advantage of some of the most advanced cancer treatment facilities available. The 50,000-square-foot radiation treatment space will replace the facilities currently located on the first two floors of the current Wallace Tumor Center and will be connected by an overhead walkway to UAB Hospital across 18th street near Sixth Avenue. There will be a separate area in the new building for the state’s pediatric cancer patients, most of whom – including all from Children’s Hospital – receive their radiation treatment at UAB.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Studies Show Link between Vitamin D Deficiency and Cancer
Historically, health care professionals have valued Vitamin D mainly for its relation to bone health. Recently however, there has been growth in substantial scientific evidence that supports the role of Vitamin D in the prevention of cancer.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Tiny Microscope Offers Big Hope
A new technology is providing physicians a way to diagnose hard-to-find cancers in the early stages, and offers patients hope for survival as a result of earlier detection. UAB gastroenterologists have one of only a few of the systems that are currently available worldwide.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Medication Compliance Key to Controlling Asthma
Many asthma patients don’t take their medication as prescribed, making them more vulnerable to asthma triggers and severe symptoms that can require hospitalization and may even cause death.
Kathy Hagood - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Immunomodulators: Retraining the Immune System in Allergic Asthmatics
“We know asthma is heterogeneous. There’s not just one disease causing it,” says Weily Soong, MD, of the Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center. But for around 60 to 70 percent of asthma sufferers, the cause stems from allergies.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
UAB Building National Database of Treatment Response to Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has set forth on the first step to determining which rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments would work best on a patient. “When a patient asks, ‘What drug is best for me?’, we don’t normally have an answer, except to say we’ll try some and see what works best for you,” says S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, director of the UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Blue Cross Physician Ratings Gaining an Audience
Started just eight months ago, the provider ratings on the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) website now receive tens of thousands of hits each month. About 23 percent of the 171,000 monthly hits on the “Doctor Finder” tool click through to view the “Quality of Care” ratings for each physician and other types of providers.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
A Football Champion In the Medical Field
Internist Steven Kulback, MD is a team player. The lessons of dedication, hard work and discipline he learned from Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama have led to a successful medical career. After playing defensive tackle for Clarksville High School in Tennessee, he played for the Crimson Tide from 1971-1975, including the 1973 National Championship season. “I still have my ring,” he says, smiling.
CATHY DELOZIER - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
CMS Delays Implementation of PECOS Enrollment Policy
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced during a recent open-door forum that it is delaying the requirement for providers to be enrolled in the Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (or PECOS) until January 3, 2011. Prior to the announcement, the new enrollment policy had been slated to take effect on April 5th of this year.
Judd Harwood and Michel Marcoux - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
CMS Requires Accreditation for Advanced Imaging Providers
Physician practices and other providers of "advanced diagnostic imaging procedures" must be accredited by a designated organization by January 1, 2012, in order to continue to receive reimbursement from the Medicare program. On January 26, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") published a notice in the Federal Register approving three organizations to accredit advanced diagnostic imaging suppliers: The American College of Radiology, The Joint Commission (formerly known as JCAHO) and The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.
Howard Bogard of Burr & Forman - Posted: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:59 am |
Unique Tissue Repair Technology ‘Sews Up’ Hearts
Surgeons at St. Vincent’s East are implementing the latest in tissue repair technology that is allowing patients to remodel their own cardiovascular tissue following open heart surgery. Atlanta-based CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc. has developed the extra cellular matrix (ECM) biomaterial devices that harness the body’s innate ability to repair damaged cardiovascular tissue.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
New Clinics Developed for Pulmonary Hypertension Patients
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare condition that affects about 300 people each year in the United States. Because these patients require special care, Birmingham-based CardioVascular Associates P.C. has opened several new clinics, staffed by CVA physicians, which are helping pulmonary hypertension patients manage the disease.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
New Orbital Atherectomy System Offers Relief for PAD
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) sufferers are benefiting from a new treatment approach that overcomes many of the limitations of previous atherectomy devices, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A new technology, the Diamondback 360° Orbital Atherectomy System, treats symptomatic PAD within the major and branch arteries of the leg.
Ann B. DeBellis - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
UAB’s Low Vision Center Keeps Patients Vital and Independent
“It’s amazing what a big problem it is for so many people to just pour themselves a drink,” says Dawn DeCarlo, OD, MS, director of UAB's Low Vision Rehabilitation Center. For those with low vision, sticking your finger in your cup to determine when it’s full works for cold drinks, she says, but not for hot ones and not for guests.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
FocusFirst Making Impact On Children’s Vision
Alabama has tens of thousands of low-income children who are uninsured and do not see a doctor regularly. As a result, many health conditions that can be detected and corrected at an early age, such as vision problems, are left untreated with devastating consequences. “Four years ago, there was not a state that comprehensively screened for children’s vision problems before public school,” says local attorney Stephen Black. In 2004, he formed FocusFirst, a non-profit program that uses volunteer college students to conduct free vision screenings throughout Alabama for children between the ages of six months to five years.
Cathy DeLozier - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Can a routine eye exam save your life?
For thousands of people each year, the answer is yes when optometrists identify serious health problems, while conducting an eye examination
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Less is Better with the Corneal Transplant
For over a hundred years, corneal transplants removed the entire thickness of the cornea. Now the procedure has gained such sophistication that ophthalmologists can retain some of the original tissue, and transplant only a few of the five layers.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Blue Cross Transparency Program Expands to Patient Surveys
This spring, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) will augment their quality and transparency program with opinion-based patient feedback. “Customers kept asking for patient satisfaction as part of the measurement of quality care,” says Koko Mackin, BCBS spokesperson.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
New DNA Tests Yields Dramatic Results in Fighting Infection
Robert Sciacca, MD, ENT, has seen numerous patients with chronic infection issues during the years since he began performing endoscopic sinus surgery in 1986. In an effort to fight the insidious bacteria, Sciacca has been culturing and incubating samples from nasal swabs for years. In the past three or four months, he’s changed his method and already sees the drastic changes that can be made in implementing DNA testing. Most importantly, the correct antibiotic can be targeted to treat the infection effectively. With the threat of MRSA, Sciacca says new testing is getting to the heart of the matter.
Cara D. Clark - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
For John Grant, MD, Treating Patients Can Be Mere Child’s Play
One of Davis Pearce’s earliest and fondest memories is spending the afternoon at Zoo Day, an annual event hosted by pediatric reconstructive surgeon John Grant, III, MD.
“I was scared of the alligators, but I really liked the train ride,” recalls the eight-year-old Huntsville boy, who was born with a cranial deformity caused by sagittal synostosis. Davis underwent corrective surgery on his skull just three months after birth, and has traveled to the Birmingham Zoo each summer since his operation at Children’s Hospital in 2001.
Cindy Riley - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
2010 Off to a RAC and Roll Start
Connolly Expands RAC Approved Audit Issues for Alabama, and CMS Releases Revised FY2010 RAC Documentation Request Limits.
JENNIFER GRIFFIN - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Charitable Giving – Understanding complex rules helps to secure deductions
With Haitian Earthquake Relief in the news recently, it’s important to note that tax savings can be achieved utilizing a properly planned program of gifts to charity. While contributions may be motivated by humanitarian reasons, it is prudent to take the tax considerations into account when making a contribution. Charitable giving can be categorized two ways. There are donations that are made on a regular basis and involve relatively small amounts. Then, there are the extraordinary donations often associated with special giving desires.
Gerry Kassouf - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Literary Examiner
A review of Medicine in Translation by Danielle Ofri
Terri Schlichenmeyer - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
MEANINGFUL USE REGULATIONS ISSUED BY CMS
On December 30, 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that outlines provisions governing the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs, including a proposed definition for the central concept of “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHR) technology. This proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on January 13, 2010, and public comments are due 60 days thereafter.
JUDD HARWOOD - Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:42 pm |
Integrated Modalities Generate Stellar Outcomes at Birmingham Clinic
“Like all good medicine, this is all evidence-based and outcomes-oriented,” says James E. McMinn, MD, about his unique practice in Homewood focused on wellness and utilizing a variety of medical modalities. Currently, the McMinn Clinic has a month-long waiting list. “We would not be so successful if we didn’t have great outcomes.”
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
One Nineteen Melds Wellness and Medicine
A Growing Medical Campus Flourishes alongside a Gym and Spa“Wellness has a lot of pieces to it,” says Steven Sims, director of clinical services at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Health and Wellness. “Our approach is to address all the aspects of holistic care and what goes into a healthy lifestyle.” So the facility offers a buffet of choices to support wellness, including a state-of-the-art gym, a saline lap pool, certified dietician, and luxury spa.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
Urology Center Partners with YMCA for Patient Wellness Program
Stepping outside their specialty to stimulate all-round health in their patients, Urology Centers of Alabama (UCA) just began offering their patients free memberships at the nearby YMCA. “We take pride in caring for other aspects of our patients’ wellness that may involve things other than the surgery we perform or the medicines we put them on,” says Mark DeGuenther, MD, president of UCA.
JANE EHRHARDT - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
ENT Physicians Treat Variety of Otolaryngologic Ddisorders
ENT Associates of Alabama, P.C. added two partners in 2009, Drs. Scott Elledge and Stephen Favrot, and acquired two new locations in the process. The group of twelve physicians offers otolaryngology services in eight locations, focusing on general ear, nose and throat treatment, head and neck diseases and surgeries, voice disorders, allergies, and cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. While all of the physicians are board certified and qualified to practice all aspects of otolaryngology, some are more interested in certain sub-specialties than others.
Cathy DeLozier - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
Birmingham Has Full Range of ENT Services and Expertise
Each year, specialists at the UAB Division of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery provide care for more than 10,000 patients, suffering from injuries or disorders of the ears, nose and sinuses, mouth, throat, neck and thyroid. Services available incorporate treatment of neoplasms of the head and neck, skull base and thyroid; management of maxillofacial trauma; benign laryngeal and voice disorders; cochlear implants; otology and neuro-otology; image guided sinus surgery; facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and general otolaryngology.
Cathy DeLozier - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
A Look Inside the Digital Hospital
“Nobody could build this today. That’s why it’s an asset to the state of Alabama, a fabulous asset,” says Bill Heburn, CEO of Trinity Medical Center, as he begins the tour of the Digital Hospital. Trinity is currently vying for a Certificate of Need (CON) to allow them to move into the building.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
MASA Leaders Speak Out on Healthcare Reform
“We’re still going to be talking about reform in January, even if Congress passed a bill in November,” said the president of to the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA), Jorge Alsip, MD.
Jane Ehrhardt - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
The Flavor of Compassion
Dr. Luis Pineda and Cooking with Cancer
The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.
- Plato
Matthew Parker, MD - Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 am |
| |
|
| Google Ad Blocks |
|
| Add our RSS Feed |
|
| |
|
