"Health News - Medicine, Diet and Fitness"

Washington — Programs that reward employees for exercising or not smoking sound logical. But they could violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act if employers do not offer alternatives for workers unable to participate because of health factors, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

HIPAA requires health plans to charge the same price for insurance regardless of preexisting conditions or health factors. It exempts supplemental benefits such as wellness programs. The extra benefits must be provided under a separate policy and fill gaps in primary coverage.

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Washington — Physicians trying to keep up with the latest journal articles have their work cut out for them in more ways than one. First, there is the massive number of articles to read. Second, the possibility of publication bias must be considered. Both pose significant challenges when weighing the risks and benefits of therapeutic treatments.

“Evidence shows that even if physicians were to do their darndest to keep up with all of the literature … and even if they were just keeping up with the quality journals, they would still have to read 19 articles a day, 365 days a year. They just can’t do it,” said Kay Dickersin, PhD, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Clinical Trials at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Currently, pathology reports and PSA levels are all that doctors have to predictor whether a man’s prostate cancer will spread or come back. New research done at the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute has uncovered a biomarker that can significantly improve on what’s available.

Dr. Joshua Alumakal, MD conducted a study on men with localized prostate caner examining DNA and a gene modification process called methylation in which tumor suppressing genes like CDH13 are turned off. With the tumor-suppressing gene turned off, there is nothing to put the brakes on cell growth and spread. 

Georgia physicians are fighting what they say is an illegal attempt by the state Blues to shut some doctors out of the health plan’s HMO network in violation of the state’s so-called any-willing-provider law.

Most states have such laws, which generally prohibit managed care entities from excluding doctors from their panels as long as the physicians meet the plan’s criteria and are willing to accept its terms. But doctors say BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia’s refusal to include some of Northeast Georgia Cancer Care LLC’s oncologists in its HMO plan is putting patient care at stake.

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(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Before you take your next cigarette puff, beware! If you are one of the majority of people with a common genetic defect, you are likely to suffer from an early heart attack.

“We’ve all heard the stories: Someone’s great-uncle has smoked three packs of cigarettes since he was 14, and now, at the age of 88, he’s living a fine, healthy life,” Arthur Moss, M.D., director of the Heart Research Follow-up Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, was quoted as saying. Now, scientists say they have figured out why some smokers are luckier than others: they lack a defect of the gene CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) found in 50 percent to 70 percent of the population.

Two hospital agreements to share with physicians some of the cost savings derived from quality-of-care measures are not likely to violate federal fraud and anti-kickback statutes, according to a pair of Jan. 14 advisory opinions by the Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

Gainsharing agreements let hospitals pass to doctors some of the savings facilities reap due to, in part, the physicians’ efforts to increase quality and efficiency. Experts said the OIG letters not only offer added insight into what the government sees as acceptable collaboration but also may signal a recognition that gainsharing arrangements — if done right — can be a viable way to improve quality.

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Washington — The Senate is poised to vote on new funding for the Indian Health Service that includes plans to combat a doctor shortage. But President Bush says he would veto it over cost and Medicaid documentation concerns.

The Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 would authorize $35 billion from 2008 through 2017 for the IHS. The bill would establish doctor retention and recruitment bonuses of up to $25,000 and fund demonstration programs to recruit new physicians to the IHS. The agency’s physician vacancy rate is currently 13%. The measure also would:

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(Ivanhoe Newswire)  Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are just as likely to have long term health problems as people with chronic disease risk factors like high white blood cell counts.  However, very few healthcare providers screen PTSD patients for these biological markers.

“Exposure to trauma has not only psychological effects, but it can take a serious toll on a person’s health status and biological function as well,” said Geisinger Health Systems Senior Investigator Joseph Boscarino, PhD, MPH.  “PTSD is a risk factor for disease that doctors should put on their radar screens.”

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