Lupus Registry Is Online
The Lupus Foundation of America has established an online site where a patient can register to be considered for clinical trials in his or her geographic area. People with drug-induced, antiphospholipid, cutaneous, hematologic, or any systemic subtype of lupus may register their e-mail addresses at the Web site,
www.lupus.org/clinicaltrials/registry.htm
Pain Treatment Targeted
The Food and Drug Administration has formed a partnership with the University of Rochester (N.Y.) to help “streamline the discovery and development process” for new analgesics, according to an FDA announcement. With a $1 million grant from the FDA, the medical center will spearhead the Analgesic Clinical Trial Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTION) initiative to find alternatives to existing pain drugs. Current opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents “have serious, potentially life-threatening toxicities, even when used properly,” according to the FDA. The university will work with the International Association for the Study of Pain and Outcome Measures in Rheumatology, the American Pain Society, and other specialty and pharmaceutical groups to promote research on new pain medications. “One of the issues with pain is that it cuts across so many specialties – anesthesiologists, rheumatologists, emergency department physicians, and others,” said Dr. Denham Ward of the university. “This initiative is crucial because it is bringing together all the key players in pain research and treatment.”
California Limits CT Radiation
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed a bill that limits the radiation dose provided in computed tomography scans. The new law comes after the discovery that patients who received treatment from at least six California hospitals received up to eight times the normal dose of radiation from their CT scans. Beginning in 2012, technicians must record the radiation dose from every scan, and radiology reports must include that information. Each year, a medical physicist will be required to confirm each CT machine's readings. Additionally, beginning in 2013, medical imaging facilities need to report to the state any medical injury resulting from CT radiation and any instance in which certain doses have been exceeded.
Productivity, Ownership Linked
Billable work per patient appears to be increasing only at physician groups under the “private practice model,” but expenses have also grown, according to a Medical Group Management Association study. Over the past 5 years, relative value units per patient rose by 13% at private medical practices but declined nearly 18% at practices owned by hospitals or integrated delivery systems, analysts found. Meanwhile, operating costs for private practices increased by nearly 2% last year, in contrast to a slight decline for practices owned by the larger entities. MGMA attributed part of the increase in expenses for private practices to the cost of implementing electronic health record systems.
Top Fraud Cases All Involve Health
Pharmaceutical companies paid large fines in 8 of the top 10 fraud cases settled by the Department of Justice in 2010, according to the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund. An insurer and a hospital rounded out the top 10 largest fine payers, making all 10 of the top settlements health care related, the advocacy group said. Allergan Inc., which in September settled allegations that it had marketed Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) for off-label uses, accounted for the largest settlement ($600 million). AstraZeneca International came in second with its $520 million payment for illegally marketing the antipsychotic Seroquel (quetiapine).
Wired Practices Make More Money
Medical practices that have adopted electronic health records perform better financially than do practices that still use paper, according to the Medical Group Management Association. The group looked at the technology's impact on revenue, costs, and staffing and found that it correlated with $50,000 more net revenue per full-time physician in practices that were not owned by hospitals or integrated delivery systems. The wired practices reported $105,591 higher expenses per full-time physician, but had significantly more revenue per physician, the association said. “While the implementation process can be very cumbersome, these data indicate that there are financial benefits to practices that implement an EHR system,” Dr. William Jessee, the association's president and CEO, said in a statement.