Three Urology Practices Merge

  As of January 1st, Urology Centers of Alabama, Birmingham-Shelby Urology, and Eastern Urology Associates have merged into a single practice. Urology Centers of Alabama (UCA) will be the surviving named entity.... Read More



Current Birmingham Medical News

Three Urology Practices Merge
Three Urology Practices Merge
As of January 1st, Urology Centers of Alabama, Birmingham-Shelby Urology, and Eastern Urology Associates have merged into a single practice. Urology Centers of Alabama (UCA) will be the surviving named entity. “It’s a true merger,” said Mark DeGuenther, MD, president of UCA. “No one practice is buying another...
 
Keeping Healthy Resolutions On Track
Keeping Healthy Resolutions On Track
January starts as a fresh page, when people are full of the resolve to finally make the positive changes they’ve been meaning to get around to—go to the gym, eat healthy, stop smoking, get control of their time and stress...
 
ACOs Focus

CMS Releases ACO Final Rules, Deadlines Loom  | Accountable care organizations, Medicare, shared savings, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association
CMS Releases ACO Final Rules, Deadlines Loom

Two tracks for Shared Savings Accountable Care Organizations

The final regulations governing Medicare accountable care organizations were released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in October, and they represent a sea change in healthcare’s future...


 
Diabetes Focus

Joslin Center Affilate Clinic Brings Comprehensive Diabetes Care to Alabama
Joslin Center Affilate Clinic Brings Comprehensive Diabetes Care to Alabama
More than 12 percent of Alabama adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. That statistic has earned the state of Alabama a number one national ranking and the attention of the Joslin Center, an international diabetes organization affiliated with Harvard University in Boston..
 
Healthcare Spotlight

End-of-life Care Makes the Difference for Dr. Tracey Humbert
End-of-life Care Makes the Difference for Dr. Tracey Humbert
At 15, on her first day as a candy striper, Tracey Humbert, MD, took a pitcher of ice water into the room of an elderly woman. The woman was waiting for a perma-cath procedure and distraught about her future on dialysis.

The teenager and the 60-year-old talked for an hour. At the end, the woman said, “How did someone so young get so wise?”...


 
Guest Writers

A New Year's Resolution: Updating Your HIPAA Plan
As January gets underway, it is common for us to reflect back on the prior year and set goals for the upcoming year. Whether it is losing weight or maintaining better relationships with loved ones, New Year's resolutions are on everyone's minds this time of the year. Health care providers should also consider setting a New Year's resolution...
 
2011 Health Care Year in Review
As I sit down to write this article, I cannot help but to recall the immortal words of Yogi Berra who said: "It's déjà vu all over again."
 
The Literary Examiner
“Making an Exit: From the Magnificent to the Macabre- How We Dignify the Dead” by Sarah Murray
 
Lifeblood
You’ve done everything you possibly could.

You took your vitamins faithfully, drank lots of OJ, and ate all the things the experts said to eat. You’ve avoided touching germy things and you’ve washed your hands raw...


 
THE RUMORS OF THE ACOs DEMISE ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED
On October 20, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued final regulations (the “Final Rule”) that will govern the implementation of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (the “Medicare Program”) and the formation of accountable care organizations (“ACOs”). 
 
Increased Administrative Burdens Accompany Breach Notification Requirements
On August 24, 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued new regulations requiring health care providers and other entities subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to notify individuals when their unsecured protected health information (PHI) is breached. The regulations implement breach notification requirements enacted under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
 
JCAHO Accreditation Surveys May Become More Cumbersome
On March 26, 2009, the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations ("JCAHO" or "Joint Commission") announced changes to its accreditation and survey standards for hospitals. These changes revise the proposed set of changes that were announced earlier this year by the Joint Commission. In January, JCAHO proposed to issue more than 165 new and revised accreditation and survey standards. However, based on discussions between the Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS"), the number affected has now been reduced to 87. Nonetheless, these new and revised standards may make it more difficult for hospitals to obtain or maintain JCAHO accreditation.
 
MEANINGFUL USE REGULATIONS ISSUED BY CMS
On December 30, 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that outlines provisions governing the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs, including a proposed definition for the central concept of “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHR) technology. This proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on January 13, 2010, and public comments are due 60 days thereafter.
 
The Literary Examiner
A review of "Brain Surgeon" by Keith Black, MD with Arnold Mann
 
The Literary Examiner - "The Latina Guide to Health" by Jane L. Delgado, Ph.D., M.S.
 
The Literary Examiner - Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth by Randi Hutter Epstein, MD
You’ve known for days.
The urpy-ness before breakfast (when you can eat breakfast), the swollen bits, the tender bits, all good indications. Even the home-kit was positive but it wasn’t "official" until the doctor said it: you’re pregnant.

 

Factors Linked to Age of Onset of Menopause Identified
Title: Factors Linked to Age of Onset of Menopause Identified
Category: Health News
Created: 1/26/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST

Caffeine May Alter Women's Estrogen Levels
Title: Caffeine May Alter Women's Estrogen Levels
Category: Health News
Created: 1/26/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST

Researchers Spot Potential Bile Duct Cancer Drug Targets
Title: Researchers Spot Potential Bile Duct Cancer Drug Targets
Category: Health News
Created: 1/26/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST

Statins May Stave Off Liver Cancer in People With Hepatitis B
Title: Statins May Stave Off Liver Cancer in People With Hepatitis B
Category: Health News
Created: 1/26/2012 8:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST

Health Tip: Preparing for a Stress Test
Title: Health Tip: Preparing for a Stress Test
Category: Health News
Created: 1/27/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST

Health Tip: Manage Pain During Childbirth
Title: Health Tip: Manage Pain During Childbirth
Category: Health News
Created: 1/27/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2012 Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00 am CST


Briggs - Christopher - Anderson Independent Mail

Anderson Independent Mail

Briggs - Christopher
Anderson Independent Mail
He is a resident in internal medicine and pediatrics at Greenville Memorial Hospital. A rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom's parents, Steve and Lynn Briggs at The Club in Birmingham. Several prenuptial parties were hosted by family and friends in ...

Posted Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:14 pm CST

Middle-agers dabbling in drugs die sooner - UPI.com

Middle-agers dabbling in drugs die sooner
UPI.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Those in middle-age who still use hard drugs are five times more likely to die earlier than those who don't take drugs, US researchers said. Lead author Dr. Stefan Kertesz, an associate professor in the University of ...
'Dabbling' in Hard Drugs in Middle Age Linked to Increased Risk of DeathNewswise (press release)

all 4 news articles »
Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 8:43 pm CST

UK Teen Eats Chicken Nuggets for 15 Years, Nothing Else - ABC News (blog)

UK Teen Eats Chicken Nuggets for 15 Years, Nothing Else
ABC News (blog)
Stacey Irvine, 17, of Castle Vale, Birmingham, loves eating McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. So much so, in fact, that it's been her main-choice meal for the past 15 years, according to a report written by the UK's Daily Mail. Early this week, Irvine was ...

and more »
Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 5:13 pm CST