February 21, 2013
Volume-based referral policies do not appear to steer patients toward hospitals with high average costs for inpatient surgery in the elderly. A University of Michigan study found that the lowest-volume hospitals had considerably higher case-mix-adjusted episode payments for CABG and abdominal aortic aneurysm surgeries, but not for colectomy, when compared with the highest-volume hospitals.…
Survey results of pediatric primary care and emergency medicine providers suggest that these physicians may not have adequate training or infrastructure to systematically diagnose and manage concussions despite regularly caring for these patients. The vast majority of respondents (91%) reported caring for at least one concussion in the previous 3 months, but 16% reported being inadequately trained to educate patients and families about the diagnosis.…
February 14, 2013
Men with higher levels of perceived stress appear to be significantly less likely to have their PSA levels screened, according to a study involving more than 1,100 older men without prostate cancer. Anxiety had a varied effect on PSA screening rates.…
An international investigation has found that cumulative smoking history appears to be an independent risk factor for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer recurrence and progression. When compared with current smoking, cessation of more than 10 years before treatment was shown to decrease the risk of disease recurrence.…
February 2, 2013
January 31, 2013
Adherence to the 2009 Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) pharmacologic guidelines appears to help reduce mortality among patients with schizophrenia, according to a study from Johns Hopkins University. The authors recommend that clinicians consider adopting outcomes-monitoring systems and innovative service delivery programs to improve adherence to the PORT guidelines.…
Among patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), overall rates of atrial fibrillation (AF) and mortality from it decreased between 2000 and 2007, according to a study from Massachusetts. Despite the findings, investigators noted that AF still exerts a significant adverse effect on survival among patients hospitalized with an ACS.…
January 29, 2013
Mental illness appears to be an important comorbidity for physicians who complete a suicide, according to findings from a data review. After assessing postmortem toxicology data, researchers observed low rates of medication treatment for their mental illnesses. The authors noted that inadequate treatment and having more job stress may be modifiable risk factors to reduce suicidal death among physicians.…
January 25, 2013
Statin use appears to decrease mortality and reduce length of stay in patients hospitalized with pneumonia, according to findings from a Veterans Affairs study. Statins were also associated with decreased mechanical ventilation use. The authors added that ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers also improved outcomes in these patients, but to a lesser degree.…
