Something a patient might notice when they’re talking with Dr. Michael Rieser is his computer. It might, for instance, be filling itself with words – the patient’s own words – recorded, transcribed and saved to the patient’s file automatically. Dr. Rieser, a psychiatrist working in Lexington, Kentucky, has always been interested in technology that can help him provide better patient … Read More
Chronic pain patients’ pocketbooks feel pinch of major drug-drug interactions
Chronic pain patients already have enough to worry about from adverse drug events, but a new study highlights a possibly overlooked concern – their costs. According to a recent study published by Pergolizzi et al. in the May 2014 article in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, already vulnerable chronic pain patients could end up paying 22 percent more … Read More
People of Note: Dr. David Nash
Physicians will need to start thinking on a higher level, at least according to Dr. David Nash. One of the keynote speakers at this year’s Allscripts Client Experience (ACE), and founder of the Jefferson School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Nash is an outspoken proponent for population-focused care. According to Dr. Nash, hospitals need to be using … Read More
Study links genetics to skin reactions caused by common anti-epileptic drug
A study released this month provides a genetic link between a drug commonly prescribed to combat seizures and severe adverse, potentially fatal skin reactions. The study, which was published by Chung et al. in the August 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, associated variants of the CYP2C gene group (which includes CYP2C9 and CYP2C19) with maculopapular … Read More
FDA Plans New Regulations for More Reliable Diagnostics
On July 31st, 2014, the FDA announced that they would be taking two steps to ensure the reliability of diagnostic tests. First, the FDA has issued guidance on the development of in vitro diagnostic companion devices. These are tests designed to be used in conjunction with a medication to identify patients who may or may not benefit from the treatment. … Read More
Case Report: Misdiagnosis of Adverse Effect Leads to Prescribing Cascade
A 70-year-old man fell, resulting in subdural hemorrhage and frontal lobe contusions (bleeding in his brain). He was admitted to the ICU, where lab results showed two interesting facts: he had unusually high levels of salicylate in his blood and X-ray imaging showed opaque material in his colon. He was self-administering donepezil, calcium carbonate, alendronate, pravastatin, ezetimibe, omeprazole and perindopril. … Read More
Chronic Conditions Affect Quality, Length of Life
Average life expectancy in the United States is actually rising more slowly than in other parts of the developed world and the culprit may be chronic conditions. As people live longer, thanks in part to improvements to acute care, they become more likely to develop chronic conditions such as heart disease or cancer. This means that further breakthroughs in life … Read More
Single Accreditation Standard for MD’s, DO’s
Most physicians in the United States hold a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD), however, a second type also exists: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). The differences between the two are slight and mostly focus on how they are trained. Now, however, that difference shrinks even more. In February 2014, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), American Association of Colleges of … Read More