"Health & Medical News"

Under fire from anti-abortion physicians and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced in March that it will re-examine a controversial November 2007 opinion outlining the limits of conscientious refusal.

The ACOG ethics committee opinion said physicians who have religious or moral objections to “standard practices,” such as abortion, sterilization or the prescribing of contraceptives, are not ethically obligated to provide those services but do owe patients a timely referral to another doctor willing to deliver them.

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Physicians say a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, though narrow, recognizes the significance of medical staff bylaws and offers doctors some recourse in the face of unfair discipline.

Breaking with a 43-year-old precedent, a unanimous high court opened the door for medical staff members to sue hospitals over privileging disputes if the facilities fail to follow staff bylaws. Justices departed from a long-held principle that hospital privileging decisions were not subject to judicial review, noting that was the “nationwide majority rule” at the time of the high court’s 1965 decision.

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Physicians say a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, though narrow, recognizes the significance of medical staff bylaws and offers doctors some recourse in the face of unfair discipline.

Breaking with a 43-year-old precedent, a unanimous high court opened the door for medical staff members to sue hospitals over privileging disputes if the facilities fail to follow staff bylaws. Justices departed from a long-held principle that hospital privileging decisions were not subject to judicial review, noting that was the “nationwide majority rule” at the time of the high court’s 1965 decision.

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The rats in the West Lafayette, Ind., laboratory of Susan Swithers, PhD, don’t lose weight when they eat artificially sweetened food. They eat more, and gain more. “Rather than these kind of products making it automatically easier to lose weight, they might make it automatically harder,” said Dr. Swithers, a Purdue University associate professor of psychological sciences.

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CALPIRG released a new analysis today examining drug companies’ self-imposed limits on their marketing to doctors – efforts that include lavish wining-and-dining and thousands of dollars worth of gifts. The report, Playing By Their Own Rules: An Analysis of Drug Company Gifts to Doctors, finds that these limits are riddled with exceptions, and that some companies have evaded even the least restrictive limits on their marketing.   
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Physicians say a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, though narrow, recognizes the significance of medical staff bylaws and offers doctors some recourse in the face of unfair discipline.

Breaking with a 43-year-old precedent, a unanimous high court opened the door for medical staff members to sue hospitals over privileging disputes if the facilities fail to follow staff bylaws. Justices departed from a long-held principle that hospital privileging decisions were not subject to judicial review, noting that was the “nationwide majority rule” at the time of the high court’s 1965 decision.

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Continued From 50 Diet Mistakes Even Smart Women Make Part 6

29. You don’t get enough fiber.
Skimping on fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes can lead to constipation and may increase your risk of colon cancer. “Women should get 25 to 35 grams daily,” says Heller. Incorporate fiber into your diet gradually to avoid gastrointestinal upset. For example, use a bean puree as a dip or sandwich spread and order brown rice instead of white.

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Physicians say a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, though narrow, recognizes the significance of medical staff bylaws and offers doctors some recourse in the face of unfair discipline.

Breaking with a 43-year-old precedent, a unanimous high court opened the door for medical staff members to sue hospitals over privileging disputes if the facilities fail to follow staff bylaws. Justices departed from a long-held principle that hospital privileging decisions were not subject to judicial review, noting that was the “nationwide majority rule” at the time of the high court’s 1965 decision.

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Health plans are facing even more legal, regulatory and legislative challenges to their practice of canceling enrollees’ coverage after approving treatment. In reaction to the mounting pressure, some insurers are changing their rescission policies.

Last month, Health Net became the latest target in California. A state arbitrator on Feb. 21 levied a $9 million award, largely in punitive damages, against the insurer for canceling a breast cancer patient’s policy after authorizing $129,000 in medical care. The plan dropped the woman for supposedly misrepresenting her weight and a heart condition on a pre-enrollment form.

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In an attempt to reduce influenza among children and adolescents — and the adults with whom they come in contact — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, at a February meeting, endorsed influenza vaccination for all younger than 18.

Because of increasingly stable supplies and more science showing the vaccine’s benefit, ACIP has been slowly expanding the number of people recommended to receive it. This recent recommendation adds 30 million to the list.

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