Herbology
Herbology is the Chinese art of combining medicinal herbs. Herbology is traditionally one of the more important modalities utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient.
VICTORY: Medicare bill becomes law!
H.R. 6331 includes SGR fix, Teaching Rule reform In a historic triumph for ASA, a law has been enacted that will reverse Medicare payment cuts for 2008, provide a 1.1% positive update for 2009, and permanently restore full Medicare payment to anesthesiology teaching programs beginning in 2010! Earlier today President Bush vetoed H.R. 6331. This […]
Universal Truths Abide in Medicine, Even in Parallel Universes
Medicine is practiced differently around the world, and yet some aspects — especially the frustrations — are fairly universal. Where better can you experience the similarities and differences than in the blogging world, where clinicians share stories from their practices and their personal lives? Two physician bloggers, known as "Dr. Dino" and "Dr. Emer," provide […]
Did Low Payments in Ambulatory Care Spawn the Hospitalist Movement?
One of the most interesting developments in American healthcare in the past decade is the emergence of hospitalists: internists whose sole job is to manage hospitalized patients, and who never venture into the more traditional outpatient setting.
HHS Secretary Meets with Chinese Minister of Health, Visits Shanghai University of Traditional Chin
May 13, 2008 – On the second day of a week-long visit to the People's Republic of China, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael O. Leavitt conitnued his visit to the port city of Shanghai. The Secretary held discussions with his counterpart, the Honorable Chen Zhu, M.D., and expressed his condolences on […]
Announcing the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Section of The Medscape Journal of Medicine
I am proud to introduce the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OTO-HNS) section of The Medscape Journal of Medicine. This is the first exclusively online, open access, MEDLINE-indexed journal dedicated to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Not to be mislabeled as "just another Web site" or an "online textbook," the OTO-HNS section of The Medscape Journal of […]
Brazil Launches Cheap New Malaria Pill
Brazil launched a new treatment for malaria on Thursday, marking the latest step in a global programme to make cheap two-in-one pills available to millions at risk for the disease. The country's state-run drugmaker Farmanguinhos is working with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), a non-profit group based in Geneva, to bring the medicine […]
4-Item Assessment Provides Good Bedside Diagnosis of Delirium
A simple 4-item assessment reliably identifies delirium in hospitalized patients, investigators reported here at Hospital Medicine 2008, the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting. Delirium is often underrecognized and undertreated in hospitalized patients, although it is associated with poor outcomes, including longer length of stay and higher risk of mortality, which may be avoided through […]
Fragmented Care Prolongs Hospital Stay
The number of physicians overseeing a patient's care has a significant effect on that individual's length of stay in the hospital, according to a study of more than 10,000 hospitalized patients. Much attention has been paid to the effect of hospital staffing problems on clinicians with respect to issues such as work–life balance, said lead […]
Safe STEP Program Effective for Getting Older Hospitalized Patients Home
An innovative program helps elderly patients avoid the pitfalls associated with making the transition from hospital to home, Param Dedhia, MD, instructor in the Collaborative Internal Medicine Service, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, reported here at Hospital Medicine 2008, the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.
