Older Patients Most Likely to Die From Swine Flu Nov 5, 2009
Of 1,088 patients hospitalized with H1N1 flu in California, 11%, or 118 patients, died, and 30%, or 340 patients, were admitted to intensive-care units, Louie and her co-authors report in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. In patients 50 and older, the death rate was up to 20%, compared with about 2% in hospitalized patients under age 18. (ABC News)
Health care issues: Other presidents have tried Nov 5, 2009
LBJ tapped a strong Democratic majority, a talent for arm-twisting lawmakers and the support of health insurers and hospitals but not the American Medical Association in achieving Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Cal Woodward. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Smart Rx: Drugs that work and won't break the bank Nov 5, 2009
The industry spends about 90 percent of its $20 billion annual marketing budget pitching drugs to doctors, according to one estimate in the Journal of the American Medical Association. With greater access to medical information online, consumers are increasingly seeking out independent reviews. (AZCentral -- Business)
H1N1 a 'Special Threat' to the Obese Nov 5, 2009
"What our study shows was that once you were hospitalized, if you were elderly you have a higher risk of dying," Dr. Janice Louie of the California Department of Public Health in Richmond, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the study matches the CDC's own observations that H1N1 affects all age groups, including people over 65. (Fox News)
Cost of defensive medicine spurs heated debate Nov 5, 2009
The feuding between doctors' groups like the American Medical Association, who have long battled rising malpractice premiums, and trial attorneys, who say malpractice lawsuits discourage bad medicine, has made it tough to put an accurate price tag on the cost of the issues ... American Medical Association ethical guidelines state that doctors must "always make referral decisions based on the best interests of their patients" and "under no circumstances may physicians place their own financial... (MSNBC -- Health)
Timing of Kids' Flu Shots: Tricky, Vital Nov 4, 2009
We have to wonder if by immunising our babies/children that we have now done away with what all Dr's used to consider were the mild childhood diseases, in exchange of cancers, leukemia Asthma, autism, ADD, ADHD, and even the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2007; 297: 2755-9) said that 1 in 5 American kids are chronically sick and that the figure has trebled in the last 20 years. So one has to ask oneself that even with all our fantastic immunisations, and medical miracles why are... (CBS News -- Health)
Severe swine flu kills young, old alike Nov 4, 2009
The report, appearing in the Nov. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, somewhat contradicts the popularly held notion that elderly people are relatively immune from the ravages of this new infection. Even though the numbers of elderly hospitalized and dying are relatively small, "that small proportion that are hospitalized who are elderly should be watched because they are at a higher risk of having a bad outcome once hospitalized. It doesn't mean they have a higher risk... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Obese at risk Nov 4, 2009
That fivefold increase in risk is nearly the same as the sixfold increase observed in pregnant women, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A team from the California Department of Public Health analyzed data from the 1,088 hospitalizations that occurred in the state from the outbreak of the pandemic this spring through Aug. 11 and found that the highest rate of hospitalizations occurred among infants, while the highest rate of deaths occurred among those... (AZCentral -- News)
H1N1 Flu: Hitting the Young, but Riskier for the Old Nov 4, 2009
The latest study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a snapshot of 1,088 H1N1 cases in California that were severe enough to require hospitalization or resulted in death between April 23 and Aug. 11 of this year. Experts at the California Department of Public Health, who led the study, say their findings are largely in line with the growing body of data on the worldwide pandemic flu, confirming, for instance, that the 2009 H1N1 flu disproportionately... (Time.com)
Effectiveness of cancer screenings questioned Nov 4, 2009
An article in the Oct. 21 Journal of the American Medical Association challenged the validity of previous studies that claim screening significantly reduces the number of deaths in those two cancers. In turn, a New York Times story reported that day that the American Cancer Society is considering adding cautions to its guidelines on cancer screening and its benefits. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Read the 'Journal' transcript Nov 3, 2009
The American Medical Association irked many of its members earlier this year by endorsing a plan by House Democrats that included a public option. And next weekend, a dissident group of doctors plans to try to force the AMA to drop its support for the health care overhaul. (Fox News)
Information on diabetes prevention and antipsychotic drugs Nov 2, 2009
WHERE TO FIND IT: Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 28. ELIZABETH COONEY. (Boston Globe)
Let's repeal Medicare payment formula Oct 31, 2009
J. James Rohack is president of the AMA, the American Medical Association ... J. James Rohack is president of the AMA, the American Medical Association. (Anchorage Daily News)
McCain talks health care, spending at town hall Oct 31, 2009
But I have seen representatives of the pharmaceutical companies and the health insurance industry, the American Medical Association and other special interests. . (AZCentral -- News)
Atkins Fares Best in Study Of Four Weight-Loss Regimens Oct 30, 2009
"This isn't a study testing how well you would do if you followed these diets to the letter," notes Christopher Gardner, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and lead author of the study, which appears in tomorrow's Journal of the American Medical Association. "This is a study that shows what happens if you bought the book and tried to follow" the diets, as most dieters do. (Yahoo News -- Diet and Nutrition)
Vitamins 'could shorten lifespan' Oct 30, 2009
A supplements industry expert said the Journal of the American Medical Association study was fatally flawed. But nutritionists said it reinforced the need to eat a balanced diet, rather than relying on supplements. (Yahoo News -- Diet and Nutrition)
Workers' comp study shows improvement Oct 30, 2009
In Almaraz/Guzman, the Appeals Board in a revised ruling said doctors have to stay within the American Medical Association Guides as the playbook for determining disability impairment ratings, but they can use any chapter, table or method within it to measure an employee s disability. In Ogilvie, the board said the current mechanism for adjusting an award to reflect diminished future earning capacity can be challenged. (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
Kids gain weight on certain meds Oct 30, 2009
The findings were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Use of atypical antipsychotics in children has increased fivefold since the early 1990s. (CNN)
Opinion: Foer on eating animals Oct 29, 2009
Today, institutions as diverse as the American Medical Association; the Centers for Disease Control; the Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academy of Sciences; and the World Health Organization have linked nontherapeutic antibiotic use on factory farms with increased antimicrobial resistance and called for a ban. Still, the factory farm industry has effectively opposed such a ban in the United States. (CNN)
Doctors lobby in tricky spot with health care battle Oct 29, 2009
After a humiliating defeat in the Senate, the venerable American Medical Association faces a revolt from both its member doctors and one-time political allies as it struggles to influence an overhaul of the nation s health system. The group had pinned its hopes on winning a $247 billion, 10-year reprieve from scheduled reimbursement cuts for physicians who treat Medicare patients in return for supporting the White House push for broader changes in health care coverage. (Ontario Argus Observer, OR)
All New Dialysis Patients at Increased Risk of Death Oct 29, 2009
The overall all-cause death rate was higher among patients on dialysis, according to the report published in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association ... SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, news release, Oct. 27, 2009. (MEDLINEplus)
Old, New Pap Methods Equally Good, Dutch Study Finds Oct 29, 2009
In the United States, liquid-based cytology testing has all but replaced the traditional Pap test, but in Europe the debate continues over which method is best, according to Dr. Mark Schiffman, a senior investigator at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, co-author of an editorial accompanying the study's publication in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association ... Oct. 28, 2009, Journal of the American Medical Association. (MEDLINEplus)
Alarming weight gain seen in kids on psych drugs Oct 29, 2009
The study appears in Wednesday s Journal of the American Medical Association. It involved 205 New York City-area children from 4 to 19 years old who had recently been prescribed one of the drugs; the average age was 14. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Robert Sharpe: Marijuana prohibition has failed Oct 29, 2009
The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. (Athens Banner-Herald)
A public option isn't the only hot healthcare issue Oct 29, 2009
He replied that government "should do what works." And in a speech to the American Medical Association, he asked Americans to take "more responsibility for our health and the health of our children.". Indeed, the practice of what is called "behavioral medicine" has become a big field, with more than 2,800 researchers and clinicians. (Christian Science Monitor)
Antipsychotics Cause Rapid Weight Gain in Youth Oct 29, 2009
"These data confirm prior findings that children and adolescents are highly vulnerable to antipsychotic medication," Dr. Christopher Varley and Dr. Jon McClellan of the Seattle Children's Hospital wrote in a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "These results challenge the widespread use of atypical antipsychotic medications in youth," they wrote. (Newsmax)
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Doctors' Lobby in Tricky Spot Oct 28, 2009
After a humiliating defeat in the Senate in mid-October, the venerable American Medical Association faces a revolt from both its doctor members and one-time political allies as it struggles to influence an overhaul of the nation's health system ... After a humiliating defeat in the Senate, the venerable American Medical Association faces a revolt from both its member doctors and one-time political allies as it struggles to influence an overhaul of the nation's health system. (ABC News -- Business)
Antipsychotic Drugs Spur Dramatic Weight Gain in Kids Oct 28, 2009
The study, reported in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the largest analysis of its kind, Correll said. Jeanette M. Jerrell, a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, is the co-author of a similar study published last year in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Ohio Can't Find Doctors To Offer Execution Advice Oct 27, 2009
The American Medical Association prohibits its members from participating in executions, including anything that would "contribute to the ability of another individual to directly cause the death of the condemned.". "The role of a physician is that of healer," Dr. Rebecca Patchin, the AMA board chairman, said Monday. (Click2Houston, TX)
Swine Flu Can Move Quickly to Severe Illness Oct 27, 2009
Many patients required mechanical ventilators, say the reports, slated to be published in the Nov. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association ... SOURCES: Anand Kumar, M.D., intensivist, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and associate professor, critical care and infectious disease, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Tamara R. Kuittinen, M.D. emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; John J. Treanor, M.D., professor, medicine and microbiology and... (MEDLINEplus)
Hawaii doctors frustrated by pay setup, AMA chief says Oct 27, 2009
The American Medical Association president said he had the impression physicians loved to come to Hawaii -- until he talked to some ... The American Medical Association president said he had the impression physicians loved to come to Hawaii -- until he talked to some. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Health care affordability matters most Oct 27, 2009
They cite an American Medical Association report asserting insurance markets in the country are highly concentrated and "monopoly-like" in many parts of New York. The AMA has its own ax to grind, and its statistics do not accurately reflect the actual level of competition, not only among HMOs but also other health insurers in the market. (Albany Times Union)
Commentary: Cancer won't wait Oct 27, 2009
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, cancer survivors in the United States were 37 percent more likely to be unemployed than those who have not been afflicted by the disease. This is a health and economic crisis on par with the worldwide recession. (CNN)
Children Need Seasonal Flu Vaccine, Experts Say Oct 27, 2009
Meanwhile, a new study published early in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that surgical masks are just as effective as respirators at protecting hospital personnel from infection with the flu ... SOURCES: Oct. 2, 2009, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; Oct. 1, 2009, Journal of the American Medical Association, online; Associated Press. (MEDLINEplus)
Mixed diagnosis for breast screening Oct 26, 2009
As many as one in three breast cancers caught through screening programs might not need major treatment, she wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association, setting many on a path of needless treatment. As well as finding high numbers of relatively benign cancers, Esserman said, the programs did ''not screen patients often enough to detect lethal tumours'' - those whose basic biology made them more likely to spread dangerously. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Harry Reid's train wreck Oct 25, 2009
" By the 11th year, the Baucus bill would add massively to the deficit. There was a problem with this gimmick, though. Mr. Baucus proposed to save money in Medicare by gutting the Medicare Advantage program, in which 23 percent of seniors are enrolled, and by slashing the payments doctors and hospitals receive for treating Medicare patients. Medicare currently reimburses doctors only 94 cents for each dollar of health-care services provided. To slash payments another 21.5 percent, as Mr. Baucus... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Fears of health monopoly as Congress urges collaboration Oct 25, 2009
Indeed, an American Medical Association report found that just one or two insurers dominated 94 percent of metropolitan areas surveyed last year. But economists say big insurers can be an important counterweight against powerful hospitals and clinics. (Boston Globe)
Calif heart surgeon can keep license after dispute Oct 25, 2009
THE POLITICS: The American Medical Association, the most powerful doctors' group, has specifically backed a House version of the effort, and it and other physicians' organizations have generally endorsed the overhaul effort. They would benefit if the legislation results in millions of additional, insured patients. (Fresno Bee -- State)
New Website Answers Flu Questions Oct 24, 2009
A free interactive website from The American Medical Association, built with partners Microsoft and personal health record provider Healthy Circles, may be able to help. The website, AMAfluhelp. (Newsmax)
The One Thing Oct 24, 2009
The American Medical Association came out and said it wouldn't support a government-run plan. Now how do you feel about those doctors. (Fox News)
How Many Docs Out There? Nobody Knows Oct 23, 2009
The census survey showed 67,000 fewer physicians than estimates based on the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. Whatever the actual number, the reduction in the workforce has been almost entirely the result of fewer active physicians age 55 and older. (ABC News)
SWINE FLU CENTRAL: Latest news, videos, CDC tracking on interactive U.S. map Oct 23, 2009
H1n1 Flu - USATODAY.com Specials. Tracking the flu The H1N1, or swine, flu virus first appeared in April in Mexico before arriving in the USA. In anticipation of the fall flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reset the swine flu numbers and now tracks cases on a regional level. (USA Today -- Life)
Experts Issue Call To Reconsider Screening For Breast Cancer And Prostate Cancer Oct 23, 2009
22, 2009) Twenty years of screening for breast and prostate cancer -- the most diagnosed cancer for women and men -- have not brought the anticipated decline in deaths from these diseases, argue experts from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in an opinion piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. See also. (Science Daily)
The Case of the Disappearing Assistant Surgeon Oct 23, 2009
Yet when insurance companies refuse to pay for an assistant, they cite "American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines," which list procedures as "assistant required" or "not required" (often "not required"). Not surprisingly, 84% of practicing American doctors do not belong to the AMA, and many in my acquaintance have quite a negative view of this organization. (Time.com)
Vitamins 'could shorten lifespan' Oct 22, 2009
A supplements industry expert said the Journal of the American Medical Association study was fatally flawed. But nutritionists said it reinforced the need to eat a balanced diet, rather than relying on supplements. (Yahoo News -- Diet and Nutrition)
Senate blocks action on Medicare legislation Oct 22, 2009
Senate Democratic leaders said the bill to protect doctors fees had strong support from the White House, the American Medical Association, and AARP.. Under current law, doctors face a 21. (Boston Globe)
Dems eye insurance antitrust protections Oct 22, 2009
"Thus, the bills attempt to remedy a problem that does not exist. The flurry over antitrust law occurred as the Senate neared a vote on legislation to give doctors who treat Medicare patients an additional $247 billion in fees over the next decade. The measure would add to the deficit, and as a result, it appeared unlikely to gain the 60 votes needed to advance. The bill's demise would mark a defeat for the American Medical Association, which has lobbied furiously for its passage. The Senate... (MSNBC -- Politics)
Gene Screening: Brings Good With Bad? Oct 22, 2009
The case study appears in the newest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In a related editorial in the journal, Judith Daar of Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, Calif. (ABC News)
Selected recent California newspaper editorials Oct 22, 2009
The Legislature standardized payouts in 2004, however, based on American Medical Association guidelines for judging impairment. The idea was to provide an objective, fair and consistent way to pay for workplace injuries. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Genes May Link Hip Fractures and Heart Disease Oct 22, 2009
Genetic factors might explain the relationship, including "specific genes involved in cellular mechanisms shared by the vasculature [blood vessels] and bone," said Dr. Karl Michaelsson, an associate professor of medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden and an author of a report on the finding in the Oct. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association ... D., director, preventive cardiology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, New York City; Oct 21,... (MEDLINEplus)
A Fight Over Docs' Reimbursement Rates Is Latest Threat to Health Reform Oct 21, 2009
It was also no surprise that Senate majority leader Harry Reid would invite the American Medical Association (AMA) and 10 other doctors' groups in for a meeting. But what came out of that session, critics say, is too high a price for maintaining physicians' backing: a stand-alone, unfunded bill on the Senate floor this week that would hand doctors $247 billion more than they would otherwise get for their Medicare services over the next 10 years. (Time.com)
A federal misstep with medical marijuana? Oct 21, 2009
Neither does the American Medical Association approve of it though it has encouraged its study. Doctors hesitate to approve a medicine that is smoked. (Christian Science Monitor)
Stabenow Rejects Demands for ‘Doc Fix’ Pay-Fors Oct 21, 2009
Meanwhile, Dr. J. James Rohack, president of the American Medical Association, declined to endorse Democrats broader health care reform efforts. His position comes in the face of a report in the Hill newspaper that Reid had offered up the Medicare fix in exchange for support of the health care overhaul by nearly a dozen doctor groups. (Roll Call)
Sperm donor passed on deadly heart defect Oct 21, 2009
The latest case highlights the importance of thoroughly screening sperm donors, according to the report and an editorial published with it in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Health)
Another View: 2.47 trillion dimes Oct 21, 2009
The political imperative is twofold: to make certain that Republicans dont use the physician payment issue to bring down the larger bill and to placate the American Medical Association. This latest maneuver only heightens the fiscal irresponsibility of what already was a fiscal sleight of hand. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Fish Oil Supplements Don't Help Depressed Heart Patients Oct 21, 2009
Participants in the study, which is published in the Oct. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, were also taking the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft). Some studies have suggested that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish might enhance the effects of Zoloft. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Dems push to reverse doctors' Medicare cuts Oct 21, 2009
She was joined by representatives of the American Medical Association, the senior citizens advocacy group AARP and the Military Officers Association of America. "It's important to invest in quality care," Stabenow said. (CNN -- Health)
‘Doc Fix’ Continues to Vex Senate Leaders Oct 21, 2009
And the [American Medical Association] is engaged in basically selling the support of its body by leveraging, by throwing future generations under the bus, by in essence urging that we as Congress pass this week a quarter-of-a-trillion-dollar spending bill, unpaid for, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn. (Roll Call)
Pooling health care’s best ideas Oct 20, 2009
As we inch closer toward health care reform, the medical community groups like the American Medical Association and the CDC, along with the World Health Organization together with private industry have the chance to decide how to identify and use best practices. In so doing, we will be able to forge a global path to better health for all Americans and the world s citizens. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Too many health care monopolies Oct 20, 2009
According to the American Medical Association, 94 percent of insurance markets in this country are highly concentrated. Here in New York, radical insurance industry consolidations have led to a monopoly-like situation in many parts of the state, where one or two large corporations control the entire HMO market. (Albany Times Union)
New Flu Can Kill Fast, Researchers Agree Oct 20, 2009
Among the doctors speaking to the WHO meeting was Dr. Anand Kumar of St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who reported swine flu's effects in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week. "At one point, 50 percent of the available ICU (intensive care unit) beds in the entire city were filled with H1N1 patients," Kumar said in a telephone interview. (MEDLINEplus)
Atkins Fares Best in Study Of Four Weight-Loss Regimens Oct 20, 2009
"This isn't a study testing how well you would do if you followed these diets to the letter," notes Christopher Gardner, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and lead author of the study, which appears in tomorrow's Journal of the American Medical Association. "This is a study that shows what happens if you bought the book and tried to follow" the diets, as most dieters do. (Yahoo News -- Diet and Nutrition)
Analysis: Courting doctors in health care battle Oct 20, 2009
Now the bill's supporters are making a play to lock in the American Medical Association, the organization that says it represents 250,000 doctors and medical students in every state and congressional district. The principal enticement, a $247 billion measure making its way to the Senate floor, aims to wipe out a scheduled 21 percent rate cut for doctors treating Medicare patients and replace it with a permanent, predictable system for future fee increases. (Albany Times Union)
Reform spurs campaign-like ferocity Oct 18, 2009
In the 1940s, the American Medical Association rallied to block an early proposal from President Harry Truman that foes decried as socialized medicine. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton ran into a buzzsaw of opposition to his plan. (AZCentral -- News)
From Politico Oct 17, 2009
The result has been a somewhat unlikely alliance between an administration that came into power criticizing George W. Bush for his closeness to Big Business and such as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the American Medical Association. The previously undisclosed meeting April 15 at the offices of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee led to the creation of two groups Americans for Stable Quality Care and a now-defunct predecessor group called Healthy Economy... (Harper's Magazine)
