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March 23, 2009 |
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IN THIS ISSUE
Editor's Column: Where Convention Cracks
'Cover The Uninsured Week' Draws Big Names,
Sizable Crowd
WSUSOM Selects New Physiology Chief
Med Students Celebrate Match Day At WSU
Van Elslander Gives St. John Neuroscience Center A
Boost
Physicians Must Comply With Identity Theft 'Red
Flags Rule'
Energy Drinks May Worsen Hypertension
Docs Might Not Be Ready For
HIT Change |
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Editor's Column: Where Convention
Cracks
By JOSEPH
WEISS, MD
The conventional consensus is wrong. The greatest threat to an
equitable health care system in this country is not from the flaws
in the present system, but from the needs of our aging citizens.
Readers of the
Detroit Medical News do not need graphs and statistics to grasp the
enormous health care cost the nation incurs because of the success
of technology and innovative therapies that allow Americans the
opportunity for longevity.
None of us will
get out of here alive. However, the effort to hold on by taking
another drug, inserting a more sophisticated pacemaker, or
undergoing a robot-related repair, has created a new life cycle.
This process of hanging on takes up a huge amount of physician time
and health care dollars. The flow of technology and the ingenuity of
the medical community mean the potential exists to nearly create a
world without end for the elderly.
However, no
reasonable way exists for American Society to make rules for who
should get medical care and for how long. That decision, now and for
the foreseeable future, will remain an individual choice.
What the public
needs is not yet another article about costs, quality and access,
but editorials and commentary on the importance of the elderly to
decide how far they want to health care to go on their behalf. The
courts and legislatures need to work further to end areas of
confusion on end-of-life directives, such as better restraint of
emotional relatives and acknowledgment of other cultures and
beliefs. The public needs more information on the place of
palliative care and end-of-life assistance.
A call for reason
is what should shape our health care goals, not the voices of
righteous health care critics calling for one more roundup of the
usual suspects.
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'Cover The Uninsured
Week' Draws Big Names, Sizable Crowd
By PAUL
NATINSKY
By 9 a.m. March 23 there were 700 guests signed in to the sprawling
health fair at Cobo Hall in Detroit. The event kicked off the
seventh annual Cover The Uninsured Week, a nationally franchised
weeklong event that features health screenings, enrollment
activities for government health programs and media events.
Attendees at Cobo
could have their body mass index (BMI) checked and then proceed to
the other end of the hall and receive a free massage, possibly to
alleviate some of the stress revealed by the index reading.
The event
officially kicked off with a 10:30 a.m. press conference, featuring
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano,
representatives for Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Ken
Cockrell, Jr. Hospital executives, health care and hospital
association representatives and community representatives filled the
stage.
Ficano called for
a national health care system and bemoaned the fact that he could
see Canada, with its nationalized system, across the river while he
spoke.
Stabenow gave
some details on the recently passed economic recovery bill,
including $2.6 million in new money to fund community health centers
and a “very substantial subsidy to help continue benefits” for those
who have lost jobs during the current economic downturn. She also
applauded the recent expansion of State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) that covers one in three children in Michigan.
“It’s not enough
to do stop-gap efforts – we need comprehensive national health care
reform,” she added, stopping short of calling for a national health
system.
“This
event…reminds us of why we come to work every day and why we must
address this issue,” said Michigan Department of Community Health
Director Janet Olszewski, speaking for Granholm. She said Michigan’s
Medicaid program serves about 1.6 million people and is adding
15,000 to the program per month.
For more
information, visit
www.mctun.org
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WSUSOM Selects New
Physiology Chief
Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean Robert M. Mentzer
Jr., MD, has offered the position of Chair of the Department of
Physiology to Jian-Ping Jin, MD, PhD. Dr. Jin will be named
professor and chairman of the department effective June 1, pending
WSU Board of Governors approval.
Dr. Jin comes to the School of Medicine from the Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he served as chief of
Molecular Cardiology and professor of Medicine.
“Dr. Jin’s experience in teaching, research and multidisciplinary
collaboration, as well as his work as a section chief in molecular
cardiology, will serve the School of Medicine and the department
well as we continue building cross-disciplinary research platforms,”
said Dean Mentzer, who also serves as senior advisor to the
president for Medical Affairs.
Dr. Jin completed his undergraduate studies and received his medical
degree from the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an, China.
He received his doctorate degree in molecular biology from the
University of Iowa.
At Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Jin directed and taught for
six years a comprehensive graduate-upper undergraduate level course
in Molecular Biology. He also taught a hands-on lab course of
Recombinant DNA Technology.
Dr. Jin’s research revolves around the gene regulation and structure
and function relationships of contractile and cytoskeleton proteins.
His work focuses on several actin thin filament related proteins:
troponin, calponin, nebulin and titin, and their gene regulation.
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Med Students
Celebrate Match Day At WSU
The Wayne State
University School of Medicine’s Class of 2009 tore open envelopes to
discover where they are headed to continue their medical training
during annual Match Day.
The cafeteria in
Scott Hall was packed with the students, their family members,
faculty and administrators March 19 for the ceremony. Camera flashes
winked and celebratory flutes of sparkling wine were raised in a
toast before the revelation of residencies.
“Match Day is
really what it’s all about,” Robert M. Mentzer Jr., MD, dean and
senior advisor to the president, told the assembly. “You will be
taking the Wayne State University School of Medicine reputation to
the more than 65 institutions you’ll be training at. Your training
here will allow you to go wherever you want to go in the United
States.”
“Now the real fun
begins,” said Robert Frank, MD, executive vice dean. “You’ll find
that caring for people can be scary, frustrating, burdensome and
scary. Then it becomes challenging, awe-inspiring and rewarding –
and then you’re a doctor.”
The Class of 2009
chalked up an 88 percent match rate, meaning 88 percent of the 253
students received residencies at one of their chosen facilities
across the country.
Sixty-two percent
of placements matched facilities in Michigan, important for a number
of reasons, said Kertia Black, MD, assistant dean of Student
Affairs, who served as mistress of ceremonies for Match Day 2009.
Those who practice residencies in Michigan often remain in Michigan
to practice medicine, a definite boon to a state facing a projected
physician shortage. And, those who remain in Michigan, in many
cases, also stay close to family.
Andrea Barbieri,
25 of Troy, burst into tears of joy when she tore open her envelope
to discover that she is headed for her first pick, Yale-New Haven
Hospitals, for a residency in pathology. “I knew it was the perfect
fit when I visited there,” she said, grinning through the tears.
Itishree Trivedi,
25, of Livonia, and her family celebrated her first pick, a
residency at University of Michigan Ann Arbor. “It’s close to home
so I can remain near family,” she explained with a broad smile.
“I’m excited
because they (her residency facility) have a great program, but
Match Day is bittersweet for many of us because we have to leave
family,” said Katherine Gurchak. The 31-year-old Northville
resident, originally from Minnesota, secured her first pick of an
obstetric/gynecology residency at the Medical College of South
Carolina.
Class President
Ryan Kelly toasted the class. “We’ve gone from a bunch of kids
thrown together to a group that has grown together.”
The event was
accompanied by scores of awards and presented honors. For a full
list, view the Wayne State University School of Medicine website at
http://home.med.wayne.edu/
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Van Elslander Gives St. John
Neuroscience A Boost
Providence’s
nationally recognized Neurosciences Center of Excellence will move
years ahead in expanding technology and quality patient care with a
substantial gift from Art Van Elslander, a longtime supporter of St.
John Health System.
The major gift,
the largest ever received by St. John Health System, will focus
primarily on capital technology purchases which will bring
state-of-the-art technology to the Midwest and vastly benefit
patient care. The lead gift will give Mr. Van Elslander the naming
opportunity for the Neurosciences Center at Providence Park Hospital
and will fund the planned purchase of an Intraoperative MRI (iMRI),
the first of its kind in the Midwest. In addition, the donation will
fund advanced technology to support Providence’s stroke network,
epilepsy center, balance and falls clinic and surgical skills lab.
“Our dream of
creating a hospital of the future at Providence Park is further
realized by our partnership with Mr. Van Elslander,” said Dr.
Patricia Maryland, president & CEO, St. John Health. “His generous
donation will allow St. John Health to greatly enhance the
Providence Neurosciences program that already has been recognized as
a premier center of excellence.”
The Van Elslander
Family has been a long-time benefactor of St. John Health System.
Their donations resulted in the realization of several projects at
St. John Hospital & Medical Center, including the Van Elslander
Cancer Center, as well as the September 2007 opening of the Van
Elslander Pavilion, a new patient tower with all private rooms,
consolidated diagnostic center and Emergency Center.
"Supporting
Michigan communities has been an important part of the culture of
Art Van Furniture for 50 years," said Mr. Van Elslander. "Michigan
is becoming a leader in the health care industry, and St. John
Health System is at the forefront in terms of medical advances and
state-of-the-art treatments. To help make this level of care
available to our communities is both an honor and smart business.
There is no place we would rather invest than in Michigan's future."
Providence Park Hospital, the first new hospital to open in
Michigan in 20 years, opened in September 2008. The hospital’s fifth
floor Neurosciences Center opens this week.
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Physicians Must
Comply With Identity Theft 'Red Flags Rule'
As Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Red Flags
Rule has been suspended until May 1, 2009, according to MSMS.
Despite objections raised by the AMA and 26 other medical
associations last fall, the FTC continues to assert that physicians
who regularly bill their patients for services rendered (including
copayments and coinsurance) are creditors and must comply with the
Rule. Organized medicine continues to push for an exemption for
physicians, but in the event that no such exemption is given, MSMS
legal counsel has prepared a Legal Alert that provides members with
specific guidance on complying with the regulations. It will appear
Webcasts on the issue are expected to be available
April 8, 28 and 29 through MSMS. Further details will be reported as
they become available.
For additional informatoin, contact Stacey Hettiger
at 517-336-5766 or
shettiger@msms.org
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Energy Drinks May
Worsen Hypertension
People who have
high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid consuming energy
drinks, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study to be published
online March 25 in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
Researchers found
that healthy adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy
drink experienced an increase in their blood pressure and heart
rate. No significant changes in EKG measurements were reported.
The increases in
blood pressure and heart rate were insignificant for healthy adults,
but could prove harmful to people with a heart-related condition,
says James Kalus, Pharm.D., senior manager of Patient Care Services
at Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of the study.
"Based on our
findings, we recommend that people who have hypertension or heart
disease and are taking medication for them to avoid consuming energy
drinks because of a potential risk to their health," Dr. Kalus says.
Researchers
believe the caffeine and taurine levels in energy drinks could be
responsible for increases in blood pressure and heart rate. The
brand of energy drink used in the study is not being identified
because most energy drinks on the market boast similar levels of
caffeine and taurine, a non-essential amino acid derivative often
found in meat and fish. The caffeine levels in energy drinks are
equivalent to at least one to two cups of coffee.
Dr. Kalus says
energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks, which aim
to replenish the carbohydrates and electrolytes that a body needs.
"Both caffeine
and taurine have been shown to have a direct impact on cardiac
function," Dr. Kalus says.
Researchers
studied 15 healthy adult participants who abstained from other forms
of caffeine for two days prior to and throughout the study. On the
first day after a baseline measurement of blood pressure, heart rate
and EKG were taken, the adults consumed two cans of the energy
drink.
Researchers then
measured the participants' blood pressure, heart rate and EKG again
at 30 minutes and one, two, three and four hours after consumption.
For the next five days, the participants' consumed two cans of the
energy drink.
On the study's
seventh day, the protocol used on the first day was repeated and the
average baseline measurements were compared to the measurements
obtained after energy drink consumption. Researchers found that the
participants:
Heart rate
increased 7.8 percent the first day and 11 percent the seventh day.
Blood pressure
increased at least 7 percent the first and seventh days.
"Dr. Kalus says
the participants did not engage in any physical activity during the
study, suggesting that the increases could have been higher.
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Docs Might Not Be
Ready For HIT Changes
Newspapers Examine Economic Stimulus Package Funding for Health IT,
Safety Net Hospitals
[Mar 23, 2009]
Summaries of recent news about health care
provisions of the recently
enacted economic stimulus package appear below.
§
Health IT: The stimulus bill included $19 billion to encourage
physicians to adopt electronic health record systems, but many
questions about implementing the systems remain unanswered, the
AP/Denver Post
reports. According to the AP/Post, "important details are missing from the
legislation," and "important officials" who would oversee
implementation of EHRs have not yet been confirmed, including the
HHS secretary. Preliminary technology standards are due at the
end of the year, which "doesn't give doctors, hospitals or
technology companies much time to get systems up and running by
2011," the AP/Post
reports. The Obama administration and congressional lawmakers say
they are aware of the challenges physicians face in adopting the
technology. Lawmakers say that the stimulus bill calls for new
standards to drive development of interoperable systems and requires
physicians and hospitals to show they will put the systems to
"meaningful use" (Werner,
AP/Denver Post, 3/23).
§
Hospitals: HHS on Friday announced the release of $268 million from
the economic stimulus package for hospitals that treat a
disproportionate number of low-income or uninsured patients,
CQ HealthBeat
reports. The stimulus bill increases funding for
so-called DSH facilities from $11.06 billion to $11.33 billion in
2009. To receive the additional funds, states must show that they
have spent all of their existing DSH funds (CQ
HealthBeat, 3/20).
Reprinted from
kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire
Kaiser Daily Health Policy
Report, search the archives, and sign up for email
delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy . The
Kaiser Daily Health Policy
Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free
service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory
Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved."
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