07/02/2009
Doctor Tied to Nevada Hepatitis Outbreak Reinstated
The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners ruled July 1 to restore privileges to practice medicine to Eladio Carrer, MD, , a co-owner of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, which is involved in one of the largest hepatitis C scares in the nation.
Change of Venue Denied for Nevada Hepatitis Trials
District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez denied a change of venue request from attorneys representing Dr. Dipak Desai, who is facing 22 medical malpractice lawsuits from patients who claim they were exposed to hepatitis C from the unsterilized equipment used at his Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.
07/01/2009
Lawmakers: More Oversight Needed at VA
The Miami Herald is reporting that Mary Berrocal, the director of the Miami Veterans Affairs Health Care System, told a Senate panel last week that the facility has taken steps to improve patient safety; however, senators suggested the VA needs tightening at the very top.
C.B. Fleet Says Bowel Cleansers Safe
C.B. Fleet says its products are safe and has collected thousands of cases of the products and is considering ways to put the drugs back on the market.
Celiac Disease Four Times More Common Than in 1950s
Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Gastroenterology.
06/30/2009
Study Explores Gluten-Sensitivity Enteropathy in RAS Patients
According to a new study in BMC Gastroenterology, a minority of patients with recurrent mouth sores (aphthous stomatitis) have gluten-sensitive enteropathy, which means it is appropriate to evaluate these patients for celiac disease.
06/29/2009
Latest Issue of GIE Focuses on Polyp-Detection Rates
In the June issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), a study looking at polyp detection rates at screening colonoscopy found a wide variation among endoscopists, though researchers note that further study is needed to determine the reasons for the variation and their clinical significance.
06/26/2009
VA Allocates $26M for Endoscopy Sterilization Equipment
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced June 24 that VA hospitals will receive $26 million worth of new sterilizing equipment to help reprocess endoscopes and other reusable medical devices.
06/25/2009
Covidien Unveils MIS, Soft Tissue Repair Devices
Covidien will showcase new innovations in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and soft tissue repair at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) annual meeting, June 21-26, 2009 in Grapevine, Texas.
Study: Covidien Stapler Effective for Gastric Bypass
Covidien, a global provider of healthcare products, today released clinical data from a multi-center, prospective, randomizedstudy on the Company’s DST Series™ EEA™ stapler and OrVil™ device.
Clinics Get Grant for Free Colon-Cancer Screening
The Conejos County Hospital Rural Health Clinics (all three of which are in Colo.) will be able to host two free cancer-screening programs because of a grant the clinics recently received, The Valley Courier newspaper reports.
06/24/2009
Docs Use Molecular Test to Guide Colon Cancer Treatment
Physicians at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and The Nebraska Medical Center are using a new test that allows oncologists to effectively target colon cancer therapy, saving patients precious time and money.
Study Looks at How Race Affects Esophagitis
A new study investigated the prevalence of reflux esophagitis between non-Hispanic Caucasians and blacks and found the distribution of esophagitis severity and its complications were equivalent between groups, except for Barrett's esophagus.
06/23/2009
Drug Makers to Reduce Medicare Drug Costs
Reuters is reporting that drug manufacturers agreed to a 50-percent prescription drug discount for elderly and disabled Americans in the Medicare health insurance program that face a gap in coverage after their drug costs reach a certain level, known as the "doughnut hole.”
HHS Extends Legal Protections for H1N1 Treatment
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius extended legal immunity to healthcare providers who administer the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza to treat patients for the 2009 H1N1 flu. The announcement is retroactive to April 26.
MGMA: Primary Care Not Keeping Pace With Inflation
Increases in physicians’ overall compensation in primary and specialty care did not keep up with inflation in 2008, according to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2009 Report Based on 2008 Data.
FTC’s New Identity-Theft Rules May Affect Your Facility
Rules apply broadly and may require businesses to develop a written identity-theft prevention program
06/22/2009
Hospitals Switch to New Choice for Colonoscopy Prep
A handful of hospitals nationwide are offering colon hydrotherapy, a new alternative bowel prep that is more convenient, quicker and eliminates the need to drink a gallon of liquid laxatives the night before a colonoscopy.
P&G Announces National Launch of Align Probiotic
Procter & Gamble announces the national launch of Align, a probiotic containing Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 (Bifantis) that is clinically proven to help build and maintain an ongoing natural defense against the five signs of episodic digestive imbalance—constipation, diarrhea, urgency, gas and bloating.
Study: Too Many Docs Don't Report Abnormal Test Results
New research reveals that physicians failed to report clinically significant abnormal test results to patients—or to document that they had informed them—in one out of every 14 cases of abnormal results. In some medical groups, the failure rate is close to zero; in others it is as high as one in four abnormal results.
Shortage of Primary-Care Docs May Weaken Healthcare Reform
A Washington Post article recently said the shortage of primary-care doctors may put a strain on the Obama Administration’s healthcare reform agenda and fixing the problem will require fundamental changes in medical education and compensation to lure more doctors into primary-care offices.
Pa. Hospital Implements Endoscope-Tracking Solution
The University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has implemented Mobile Aspects’ innovative endoscope tracking solution, iRIScope™, which leverages the unique capabilities of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to support the utilization, cleaning, reprocessing and storage of flexible endoscopes.
06/19/2009
Folic Acid and Colon Cancer
06/18/2009
Glucose Response After Rye, White Bread
06/16/2009
Event Features 20-Foot Super Colon
A 20-foot long inflatable colon was the highlight of a cancer awareness event hosted at a health fair sponsored at the Florida Cancer Specialists last week.
'Helping Hits' Fundraiser Takes a Swing at Colon Cancer
A metro man is taking a swing against cancer by trying to 5,000 balls in 24 hours as part of the fundraiser Helping Hits.
VA Officials Criticized Over Colonoscopy Scandal
The Associated Press reported that lawmakers sharply criticized the Veterans Affairs Department today about why a national scare over botched colonoscopies earlier this year didn't prompt stronger safeguards at the agency's medical centers.
The Importance of Staff Feedback in a Medical Office
What do your employees want? More feedback! One of the frustrations of employees in every industry, particularly the medical industry, is a lack of feedback from supervisors.
06/15/2009
Government Panel to Discuss VA Scandal
A congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing June 17 to discuss mistakes at three Department of Veterans Affairs’ hospitals that put more than 10,000 former patients in Florida, Tennessee and Texas at risk for infections from endoscopy equipment that was not processed properly.
Inspections: Too Few VA Clinics Follow Endoscopy Guidelines
The Associated Press today reported that fewer than half of the Veterans Affairs clinics that received surprise inspections from the VA’s inspector general in May had proper training and guidelines in place for common endoscopic procedures, such as colonoscopies.
GutGard™ Safety Studies
06/12/2009
Foundation Plans IBD Awareness Webcast
On June 18 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. EST, the Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation (CDHNF) will host the “IBD and Families: Disease Education and the Role of Nutrition” Webcast, focused on helping patients and families affected by IBD.
U.S. Hospitals Rationing Nuclear Imaging Tests
U.S. hospitals are rationing diagnostic tests because of a North American shortage of medical isotopes, Reuters reported today.
Study: Severely Obese Don’t Feel Full
A physiological response may partially explain why severely obese individuals may not feel satisfied after eating and often have difficulty controlling the amount of food they consume during a meal.
06/11/2009
Third Eye® Retroscope® Detects Polyps in Right Colon
Avantis Medical Systems, Inc. presented results of a study that showed using the Third Eye Retroscope with a standard colonoscope increased the detection of all polyps by 16.5 percent on the right side of the colon and 9.7 percent on the left side of the colon, relative to the colonoscope alone.
Conn. Free Colorectal Cancer Screening Ends June 29
A free colorectal cancer screening program funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health ends June 29.
Change of Venue Sought for Nevada Hepatitis Trials
Lawyers for Dr. Dipak Desai will seek a change-of-venue hearing June 30 and request that the trial be moved from Southern Nevada to Carson City because of "an avalanche of negative and sensational media coverage."
06/10/2009
WHO May Declare H1N1 Flu Pandemic
The Associated Press is reporting that World Health Organization (WHO) Flu Chief Keiji Fukuda said a recent spike in swine flu cases in Australia may force it declare the first flu pandemic in 41 years.
Scientists Use Infrared Microscope to Diagnose BE
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan (UofS) used the synchrotron’s infrared microscope to identify tissue afflicted with a condition known as Barrett’s Esophagus from chemical fingerprints associated with the disease, which can lead to esophageal cancer.
Increased Screening Programs Help GI Videoscope Market
Millennium Research Group (MRG) reports that despite the economic downturn, market growth in the European gastrointestinal (GI) videoscope segment will be fueled by increased colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Job Losses Slowed in May; Healthcare Posts Gains
WASHINGTON—New figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for May showed the overall rate of job losses slowing in the American economy.
06/09/2009
Colon Cancer Rising Among Hispanics
A new study presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2009 reveals a rise in colon cancer among Hispanic immigrants who followed a high-fat Western diet.
Florida Governor Visits Miami VA Hospital
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist today visited a Miami VA medical center to promote a bill to help disabled veterans. As reported by the Associate Press, Crist did not discuss the recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs scandal that put more than 10,000 VA former patients in Florida, Tennessee and Texas at risk for infections from endoscopy equipment was not processed properly.
Study: LEBS Colon-Cancer Screening Promising
Clinical trials at Northwestern University reveal that a new colon cancer screening technique that uses optical technology—low-coherence enhanced backscattering (LEBS) spectroscopy—to analyze tissue samples taken from the base of the rectum may be more effective than traditional colonoscopy.
06/08/2009
Fleet Phospho Soda Lawsuits Allege Kidney Failure
Lawyers at Bernstein Liebhard LLP are reviewing potential Fleet Phospho Soda lawsuits for individuals who experienced serious kidney injuries after using a Fleet Phospho Soda bowel cleansing product.
Study: Colorectal Cancer Increasing in Young Adults
A new study finds that in sharp contrast to the overall declining rates of colorectal cancer in the United States, incidence rates among adults younger than age 50 years are increasing.
06/05/2009
VA Now Counts 6 Cases of HIV From Endoscopy Problem
The Associated Press reports that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released that six former patients have tested positive for HIV.
06/04/2009
Colon Cancer Deaths Decrease Over Last 15 Years
The American Cancer Society's annual cancer statistics show overall declines in cancer death rates in the last 14-15 years.
Obama Wants to Give MedPAC Power Over Payments
In a letter sent Tuesday to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and his counterpart on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), President Barack Obama has thrown his support behind a measure that would give the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) extraordinary power to affect how much the federal government pays providers.
Study: Radiofrequency Ablation Can Reverse Barrett's Esophagus
Patients who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for a prolonged period have an increased risk of developing Barrett's esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition where the tissue lining the esophagus becomes damaged by stomach acid and transformed into something like the inside of the stomach
