June 2014 Briefing - Urology
Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Urology for June 2014. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
New Plan Would Permit Doctors to Treat Patients in Other States
MONDAY, June 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A proposal to make it much easier for doctors licensed in one state to treat patients in other states in person, online, or by videoconference has been prepared by the Federation of State Medical Boards, which includes the agencies that license and discipline doctors.
Health Highlights: June 30, 2014
UnitedHealth Cutting More Docs From Medicare Advantage
FRIDAY, June 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- UnitedHealth Group's Medicare Advantage network has begun notifying physicians of a new wave of cuts to its network, according to an article published June 17 in Medical Economics.
Court: Patients Responsible for Outcomes of Risky Behavior
FRIDAY, June 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that patients can be at least partially responsible for their health outcomes resulting from their own unhealthy behavior, according to the American Medical Association (AMA), which supported the physicians in the case.
Cancer Screening Discussions Lack Shared Decision-Making
FRIDAY, June 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of patients report that shared decision-making (SDM) is lacking when it comes to cancer screening decisions, according to a study published online June 8 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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PCP Follow-Up Cuts Readmission After High-Risk Surgery
THURSDAY, June 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For surgical patients at high risk of readmission, especially those with surgical complications, early primary care provider (PCP) follow-up reduces the rate of readmission, according to a study published online June 25 in JAMA Surgery.
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Tips Offered for Improving Practice Productivity
THURSDAY, June 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Four steps can be utilized to improve practice productivity, according to an article published June 24 in Medical Economics.
Unique Sexual Health Risks for Bisexual Men
THURSDAY, June 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) have unique vulnerability to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other sexual health problems, according to a review published online June 22 in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Wikipedia Drug Entries Often Not Up-to-Date
THURSDAY, June 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patients frequently turn to digital media for drug information; however, many Wikipedia entries about medications aren't up-to-date and accurate, according to a perspective piece published in the June 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Standardized Instructions Improve Preop Med Compliance
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A standardized, pictorial "Preoperative Patient Medication Instruction Sheet" can improve patient medication compliance on the day of surgery, according to a study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology.
CDC: Over Half of Seniors Plagued by Incontinence
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than 50 percent of older Americans struggle with incontinence, a new government report released Wednesday shows. The National Center for Health Statistics report was published in the June edition of the CDC's Vital and Health Statistics.
Active Surveillance Underused for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although most prostate cancer specialists believe active surveillance to be effective and underused, fewer endorse active surveillance than other therapies for low-risk prostate cancer, according to a study published in the July issue of Medical Care.
Medicaid Backlog May Have Financial Ramifications
TUESDAY, June 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There is a considerable backlog in Medicaid enrollment applications, which may have financial ramifications on physicians and practices, according to an article published online June 10 in Medical Economics.
CMS Launches Initiative to Assist Newly Insured
MONDAY, June 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A national initiative has been launched to help answer questions that people may have about their new health coverage and to offer health providers the tools needed to promote patient engagement, according to a press release from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Complex Electronic Record Safety Issues Surface Long After Launch
MONDAY, June 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic health record-related safety concerns involving both unsafe technology and unsafe use of technology persist long after "go-live," according to a study published online June 20 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Guidance Offered for Protection When Firing Employees
FRIDAY, June 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Steps can be taken to protect employers in the case of termination of an employee, according to an article published online June 10 in Medical Economics.
NCHS: Insurance Coverage Expands, Gaps Remain
THURSDAY, June 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Two new U.S. government reports provide a statistical snapshot of health and health insurance coverage in 2013, before new coverage options took effect under the Affordable Care Act.
Anesthesiologists Issue Choosing Wisely Recommendations
THURSDAY, June 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A list of the top five unnecessary medical services in anesthesiology has been developed as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign, according to a study published online June 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Cost of Prostate Cancer Surgery Varies Widely in the U.S.
WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The open market cost of a radical prostatectomy (RP) varies widely in U.S. hospitals, according to research published in the March issue of Urology.
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ACA May Mean Healthier Young Adults, Study Suggests
WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A popular provision of the Affordable Care Act that allows young adults to stay on a parent's health insurance plan up to age 26 may be good for their health and financial security, a new study suggests. The study was published as a research letter in the June 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Tips Offered for Finding Buyer for Medical Practice
TUESDAY, June 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Suggestions are provided for finding a buyer for a medical practice in an article published online June 10 in Medical Economics.
U.S. Health Care System Ranked Last Again: Report
MONDAY, June 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The United States' health system once again comes in last when compared to 10 other rich nations, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund report on the issue.
Health Highlights: June 16, 2014
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Clinicians Often Fail to Empathize After Adverse Event
MONDAY, June 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The health care industry is recognizing the benefits of prompt and transparent physician communication with patients and families about bad outcomes, according to an article published June 10 in Medical Economics.
Physician Leadership, Ownership Dominates ACOs
MONDAY, June 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians are playing strong leadership and ownership roles in accountable care organizations (ACOs), according to research published in the June issue of Health Affairs.
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Pre-Op Serum Cholesterol Tied to Survival in Renal Cell Carcinoma
MONDAY, June 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), preoperative serum cholesterol is an independent prognostic factor, according to a study published online June 12 in BJU International.
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HHS Inspector General Finds Big Problem With Medicare Coding
FRIDAY, June 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 42 percent of Medicare claims for evaluation and management (E/M) services are incorrectly coded, according to an article published June 2 in Medical Economics.
Researchers Hesitant to Use Social Media to Show Findings
FRIDAY, June 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers remain uncertain about the use of social media to communicate their findings to policy makers, according to research published online June 6 in Health Affairs.
Data From EHRs Should Be Used to Improve Patient Care
THURSDAY, June 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The data from electronic health records (EHRs) should be utilized to improve the quality of patient care, according to an article published online June 10 in Medical Economics.
Marriage, Not Cohabitation, Pays Health Dividends for Men
WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Single and married men are more likely to see a doctor regularly than those living with a partner out of wedlock, according to a new U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) study.
Follow-Up Care Guidelines Issued for Prostate Cancer Survivors
WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines have been developed for clinical follow-up care for prostate cancer survivors. The guidelines were published online June 10 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Many STDs May Go Undiagnosed, U.S. Report Finds
TUESDAY, June 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 400,000 Americans may have the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, but not know they have it, new research suggests. The study was scheduled for presentation Tuesday at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's STD Prevention Conference in Atlanta.
Cellphone Exposure May Harm Male Fertility
TUESDAY, June 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Men who carry a cellphone in their pants pocket may harm their sperm and reduce their chances of having children, a new review warns.
Millions Will Not Have to Pay ACA Tax Penalties: Report
TUESDAY, June 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although an estimated 30 million people will still be uninsured in 2016, only four million are expected to pay penalties, according to the latest report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Incentives May Lead to Greater Support for Practice Goals
MONDAY, June 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Incentives may aid employees in meeting practice goals, according to an article published May 23 in Medical Economics.
Veterans Affected by Scandal May Seek Private Care
FRIDAY, June 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The recent scandal at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may lead to more veteran visits to private physicians and community health centers, according to an article published June 2 in Medical Economics.
Physician Political Contributions Are Increasing, Shifting
FRIDAY, June 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The political alignment of physicians in the United States has shifted from predominantly Republican to predominantly Democrat, based in part on the larger number of women physicians and smaller percentage of physicians practicing solo or in small practices, according to research published online June 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Many 'Inconsistencies' in ACA Sign-Ups: Report
THURSDAY, June 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new government document finds that more than a quarter of the eight million people who signed up for coverage under the Obama Administration's new health care law have "inconsistencies" in the data they supplied.
Health Highlights: June 5, 2014
Redo High Intensity Focused U/S May Up Urinary Symptoms
THURSDAY, June 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For men with prostate cancer, retreatment with high intensity focused ultrasound is associated with an increase in urinary, but not sexual, side effects, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology.
Claim Denials Expected to Increase
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Even with good office procedures, most practices are plagued by claim denials, a hassle that is expected to increase in the coming years, according to an article published May 8 in Medical Economics.
Most Physicians Would Forgo Aggressive Treatment
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although physicians regularly recommend high-intensity, aggressive, life-prolonging care for their terminally ill patients, the vast majority would choose to forgo such care for themselves at the end of life, according to a study published online May 28 in PLOS ONE.
Number of Cancer Survivors Projected to Grow in the U.S.
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Factors such as the aging and growth of the population accompanied by improvements in early detection and treatment are expected to contribute to the growth of the number of cancer survivors in the United States, according to research published online June 1 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Circumcision May Cut Risk of Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, June 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Circumcision appears to confer a protective effect against the development of prostate cancer, according to research published online May 28 in BJU International.
EHRs Can Be Used to Boost Practice Revenue
TUESDAY, June 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Practices can achieve return on investment (ROI) for implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems if they participate in alternative delivery models, according to an article published May 8 in Medical Economics.
Surgical Checklists Cut Post-Op Complications
MONDAY, June 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Surgical checklists reduce postoperative complications but have no significant effect on mortality, according to a review published in the June issue of Anesthesiology.