Medical practice

Healthcare researchers already know that as boys become men, they visit the doctor less often, sometimes because of costs or lack of health insurance. Now, a new study suggests that problem is deeper than that. The study, by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, suggests that 15- to 19-year-olds see visits to doctors as a sign of weakness. Researchers, who looked at data from 1,700 young men, also noted that the young men's parents may not be encouraging them to get annual exams either, …

A new study published in Health Affairs suggests that some physicians may be dodging Stark regulations when billing for advanced imaging services. The study, which used data from an unnamed California insurer, found that 33 percent of providers who billed for MRIs, 22 percent of those billing for CT scans and 17 percent of those who billed for PET scans could be classed as self-referrals. These physicians are avoiding the appearance of conflict by leasing or …

As we've noted previously in FierceHealthcare, the long shifts worked by residents may not be good for patient care, as error rates shoot up when they get too tired. But according to one study, it could hit facilities in the pocketbook, and hard, if they were to work fewer hours. Why? Because someone else, probably physician assistants, nurse practitioners or hospitalists, would have to do the work. What's more, facilities might have trouble adding such workers, as each category …

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has concluded that patients in for-profit dialysis chains routinely get higher doses of the antianemia drug Epogen. These larger doses, while lucrative for the chains, can sometimes boost red blood cells above FDA levels. Part of the reason for the higher doses is financial. Medicare reimbursement encourages use of the drug, and clinics take in about 25 percent of their revenue through Epogen payments. …

Each year, 1.7 million Americans die and 25 million are disabled by chronic diseases created or aggravated by the patient's lifestyle, according to the CDC. But coaching patients on how to change their lifestyle and improve their health has not been one of doctors' strengths, to say the least. In fact, many provide only vague recommendations that do little impact a patient's behavior. But one group of doctors is working to reverse this trend. Two years ago, the group founded a new …

While cancer is an equal-opportunity disease, it often hits the poor harder, according to a new study by California researchers. The researchers, who are affiliated with the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, surveyed more than 350 stomach and kidney cancer patients to get a sense of their personal and neighborhood risk factors. Researchers found that people who waited until their cancer was advanced typically lived in unsafe neighborhoods and had to travel at …

A Brooklyn hospital has decided to sue one of New York city's largest health plans, arguing that the plan conspired to wrongfully deny coverage. Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center says that it was forced to eat a major portion of costs that were really the financial responsibility of Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP). The hospital has filed a civil racketeering lawsuit contending that HIP teamed up with physicians and others to deny coverage. Specifically, the …

Concerned about the influence of pharma drug reps, who some consider to have undue power, state legislators are considering a number of measures which would regulate the companies providing data on physicians. They're targeting firms like IMS Health, a $1.96 billion company which collects records from pharmacy chains on which drugs physicians prescribe to patients. These databases include details like the physician's age and gender, patient insurance mix and a sense of their attitudes. …

When it comes to fancy amenities, some patients are apparently more equal than others. Increasingly, hospitals are developing high-end, five-star-hotel like amenities for the well-heeled, tempting these patients with fine linens, broadband Internet and flat-screen TVs in their rooms. Such patients are an attractive target because they pay top rates, either shelling out their own cash or being paid for directly by their employers as an extra perk. These batteries of tests and …

For a decade, Oregon has been the only state in the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal. However, California could soon become the second, and given its bellwether status, potentially spark a tidal wave of laws in other states or even federal legislation, observers say. California's legislature is now considering a measure which, like Oregon's, would let patients with six months or less to live to take a fatal dose of pills prescribed by their doctor. As in Oregon, doctors …