June 7th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Cardiology, Department of Justice, DOJ, Fear of Malpractice, Government Investigation, ICD Implantation, ICD Surgery, Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator, Medical Malpractice, Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groupings, MS-DRG, RAC, Recovery Audit Contractors, Report on Medicare Compliance
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When I started medical school, if someone had told me that providing healthcare to my patients would be grounds for a Department of Justice inquiry into the care I delivered, I would have laughed in their face. But the government’s desperate financial times require desperate measures. From the Report on Medicare Compliance:
Both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) are focusing investigations on Medicare billing for implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) surgery. The reimbursement rate for ICD surgery is one of the higher dollar Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groupings (MS-DRG). The DOJ’s investigation is focusing on both medical necessity and MS-DRG coding validation issues, while the RACs are currently only conducting MS-DRG validation reviews. According to the CMS national coverage determination (NCD), Medicare pays for ICD implantation for eight specific conditions. However, there are many circumstantial limitations to coverage in these conditions that often lead to CMS not covering the implantation. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
June 7th, 2010 by JessicaBerthold in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: CEI, Children's Health, Community Planning, Competitive Enterprise Institution, Diet and Nutrition, Dietetics, FDA, Federal Regulation, Food and Drug Administration, Food and Nutrition, Freedom Donuts, Government Intrusion, Government Meddling, Healthcare Legislation, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, National Donut Day, Nutrition and Health, Nutritional Issues, Patriotic Civil Disobedience, Prenatal Programs, Processed Foods, Protest, Restaurant Menu Labeling, Sam Kazman, White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity
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An interesting press release from the Competitive Enterprise Institute recently came across our desk and is reproduced in full below. I’m curious what our readers think of it, and of the government’s role in nutritional issues, given the link between nutrition and health:
Institute Calls for Civil Disobedience on National Donut Day
As Government Meddling in Nutritional Issues Mounts, CEI Advises, “Eat Two Donuts Today—One for Yourself, and One for Your Freedom”
Washington, D.C., June 4, 2010 — The Competitive Enterprise Institute today urged Americans to turn National Donut Day into a day of protest against growing government intrusion into nutritional issues. CEI urged people to eat two donuts — “one for yourself, and one as an act of patriotic civil disobedience.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Hospitalist*
June 6th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Buckle Up, Children's Health, Community and Preventive Medicine, Cool, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Honda, kids, Law Enforcement, Passenger Safety, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Public Safety, Repetition, Safety Fashion, Seatbelt Belts, Seatbelts, Teaching Kids, Teenagers, teens, Vehicle Safety
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I was having fun watching my niece play with dozens of pool inner tubes when another relative shows up. Never one to surprise me, he shows me a fashion statement I’d never seen before. How do you get your kids to wear their seatbelts?
The key here is repetition. Just like a medical school education, repetition is what makes us experts. Doing the same thing over and over again makes us great at what we do. To get your kids to wear their seatbelt every time, you must make it a part of their daily existence. How do you do that? You buy them a “seatbelt” belts from Honda
. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
June 6th, 2010 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Cancer, Carcinogens, Cardiovascular Disease, Circulation, Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes, Diet and Nutrition, Dietetics, Eat Your Vegetables, Family Medicine, Food and Nutrition, General Medicine, Hazardous To Health, Healthy Diet, Iron, Moderation In All Things, Mortality, Oxidative Damage, Primary Care, Processed Meats, Red Meat, Saturated Fat, Vegetarians
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Red meat consumption has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer (breast, colorectal, stomach, bladder, prostate, and lymphoma).
There are plausible mechanisms: Meat is a source of carcinogens, iron that may increase oxidative damage, and saturated fat. But correlation and plausibility are not enough to establish causation.
Is red meat really dangerous? If so, how great is the risk? A couple of recent studies have tried to shed light on these questions, but they have raised more questions than they have answered. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
June 5th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Active Lifestyle, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Youth, Childhood Obesity, Children's Health, Family Medicine, Fun Activities, General Medicine, Healthy Kids, Kids Need A Break, New York Times, Overtraining Young Athletes, Primary Care, Sacrificing Fun, What To Teach Your Kids
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As a cardiologist and advocate for healthy living through exercise, the bleak news of rising childhood obesity hits me hard. But as an endurance athlete well versed in the inflammatory effects of excessive exercise, and a coach of middle school children, recent news reports on the overtraining of American youth is equally troublesome.
The overtraining of the young American athlete has risen to the level of capturing the attention of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I planned on letting this New York Times piece pass quietly, as yet another documentation of how adults are either explicitly or implicitly drilling out the young athlete — sacrificing fun at the alter of performance. Little League-like overzealousness is old news dating back to my era, I thought. But I just couldn’t help myself. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
