Medicare Allows Using Data to Rate Doctors
Choosing a specialist for a medical procedure is difficult and time-consuming, but Medicare is trying to make the process easier. The government announced last week that Medicare will allow patients to use its claims database to produce report cards on doctors and hospitals. Doctors will be identifiable by their Medicare records, but patient information will remain private. An analysis of the billing records could show how many times a doctor has performed a procedure, preventable complications that occurred during the …
Continue →Acetaminophen Linked to Asthma
Acetaminophen may make asthma symptoms worse in children and adults, according to a new report published in the journal Pediatrics. The report reviewed recent studies on the medication, which is also marketed as Tylenol. The studies reviewed suggested that acetaminophen may even trigger new case of asthma. One of the studies surveys 520,000 children from 122 centers in 54 countries. In a report on that data published in The Lancet in 2008, researchers found that the risk of developing asthma …
Continue →Hospitals Debate Safety of Non-Sterile Wipes
A second recall of large amounts of potentially contaminated alcohol swabs is leading some infection experts to recommend that all non-sterile pads and wipes be removed from hospital settings. Nearly 300 million individual non-sterile alcohol prep products were recalled by Pacific Disposables International Inc. of Orangeburg, NY last month. The PDI recall follows an even more massive recall of hundreds of millions alcohol and iodine wipes and pads made and sold by the Triad Group and H&P Industries, Inc. of …
Continue →FDA Says More Surgical Mesh Studies Needed
An FDA panel found that pre-approval studies are needed for new surgical-mesh products used to treat pelvic-organ prolapse, as well as research on products already on the market. The safety of transvaginal mesh products are being questioned after more than 1,500 reports of adverse effects between 2008 and 2010. Currently, transvaginal mesh products can be approved without any new research. The are products used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, an often painful condition that affects thousands of women. The mesh …
Continue →Doctors May Be Wrong About Heart Attack Risks
A common method to calculate heart attack risks may be wrong, according to a new study in the Annals of Family Medicine. The findings might mean that doctors are basing their treatment decisions on inaccurate numbers, and potentially exposing patients to unnecessary treatment. Researchers found that the method grossly overestimated the amount of heart attacks in Spaniards, while a newer technique underestimated them. Doctors worldwide use the Framingham equation, a data set from a government-led study begun in 1948, in …
Continue →Government May Have Known About Turkey Bacteria
Federal officials may have known about a dangerous form of salmonella at the Cargill turkey plant as early as last year, but didn’t elect to recall the meat until an outbreak killed one and sickened 77 others. Cargill announced the third-largest meat recall in history last week, impacting 36 million pounds of ground turkey. In April of this year, salmonella Heidelberg was discovered by inspectors in a package of ground turkey that came from the Cargill Arkansas plant. This led …
Continue →Hospital Visits More Deadly in July
Although health emergencies occur unexpectedly, you might be better off avoiding the hospital in July. That’s the conclusion of a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showing that efficiency in patient care decreases during this month. The researchers cited the departure of experienced medical residents and the arrival of new M.D.s (last year’s medical students) to start caring for their first patients in July. In hospitals responsible for training new doctors, admitted patients often serve as case …
Continue →What’s Next For Casey Anthony: Legal Expenses, Defamation Suits and Interviews
As the televised trial of Casey Anthony drew to a close, 5.2 million tuned in on cable news channel HLN for the biggest total audience in its history. The 25-year-old famously labeled “tot mom†by Nancy Grace was found not guilty of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee, whose remains were found in woods near her Florida home. Anthony was found guilty of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer and not guilty of aggravated child abuse …
Continue →Many Heart Stents Harmful
Non-emergency stenting procedures to clear blocked arteries in the heart may do more harm than good, researchers reported Tuesday. One in eight U.S. patients who have the treatment performed experience fewer benefits and more health risks, according to results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Study authors reported that 600,000 stents—small metal mesh tubes—are inserted to prop open blocked arteries in hearts each year. But in some cases, researchers say, the stenting procedure is inappropriately performed for …
Continue →Antipsychotic Risperdal Recalled for Odor
Johnson& Johnson have recalled the antipsychotic drug Risperdal and generic risperidone antipsychotic medication due to a musty odor. The same odor has led to the recall of other J&J products in the past several months. The recall affects one lot shipped between Aug. 27, 2010, and Feb. 15, 2011. The odor can reportedly be attributed to TBA, a breakdown by-product of a chemical preservative used in wooden storage pallets. Even tiny traces of TBA give off a powerful odor. Although …
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