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| Current Birmingham Medical News |
BCBS to Rate Alabama Physicians Based on Claims Data
In July, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) will unveil to the public a rating system of Alabama physicians. "This stemmed from customer demand," said Jeff Ingrum, Vice President of Healthcare Networks at BCBS. "We've been hearing a request for this kind of information from larger employers since before last year."
JANE EHRHARDT |
UAB Lab Helps Spinal Patients Use Technology for Daily Living
Spinal cord patients are better able to manage daily living activities than at any time past, thanks to new advances in technology. In October, UAB's Spain Rehabilitation Center opened a unique facility, only the second of its type in the country, that is equipped with the latest technological tools for assisting spinal cord injury patients to function independently.
JANE EHRHARDT |
Jefferson County Medical Society Installs High Tech Answering System
In 1986, when the medical community needed a reliable answering service, the Jefferson County Medical Society responded by forming the only answering service to exclusively service the medical field. Today, the Jefferson County Medical Foundation Trust (JCMFT) Answering Service handles calls for 400 clients throughout the state, representing about 2,000 physicians and medical personnel. Its approximately thirty operators now answer an average of over 23,000 calls per week.
JANE EHRHARDT |
Dedicated Stroke Units at UAB and Trinity Save Lives
Sroke victims in the Birmingham area now have the benefit of two dedicated stroke units at area hospitals that offer specialized care for their medical emergency. Trinity Medical Center, which opened its Neuro Intensive Care Unit in 2007, was joined in January of this year by UAB Hospital when it opened its new 10-bed Comprehensive Stroke Unit.
ANN DEBELLIS |
Birmingham Rehabilitation Centers Respond to Shift in Philosophy With Stroke Rehabilitation
As more research shows how the brain responds to injury by reorganizing its plasticity, scientists from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are sponsoring research on the restoration of function after a stroke. Such research has led the way for other studies, such as one conducted by Lynne Gauthier and colleagues in the Department of Psychology at UAB that shows the magnitude of clinical improvement achieved during stroke rehabilitation is directly proportional to structural modeling of the brain.
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
Multiple Sclerosis – It's Not Just for Grown-Ups Anymore
Over the years, multiple sclerosis (MS) has generally been thought of as an adult disease, so many pediatricians are not familiar with its symptoms and effects, says Jayne M. Ness, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Center for Pediatric Onset Demyelinating Disease (CPODD). The lack of validated diagnostic criteria in pediatric patients can complicate the diagnosis of MS and other demyelinating diseases, such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
Handling Asthma in Pregnancy
During pregnancy, asthma poses the most common, potentially serious medical condition. "Oxygen is good for mom and baby. That's the quick version," said Adina Kay Knight, MD, a board certified allergist with the Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center. Yet physicians often hesitate to treat pregnant asthma patients, which can lead to far greater risks for the baby.
JANE EHRHARDT |
Sublingual Immunotherapy on the Horizon
Though not yet approved by the FDA, some allergists have begun prescribing sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). "This is definitely a hot topic. There's a lot of debate about it among allergists," said Adina Kay Knight, MD, a board certified allergist with Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center.
JANE EHRHARDT |
Allergy Immunotherapy & Pregnancy
If a woman has bad allergic asthma and is thinking of getting pregnant in a year or so, she may be looking to minimize the amount of medicines she needs. Adina Kay Knight, MD, a board certified allergist with the Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center, suggests allergy immunotherapy.
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Mark Ricketts, MD Gives Health A Voice
Every Wednesday over lunch, Dr. Mark Ricketts gets together with his friends—thousands of them. As "The Doc On Jox" he has a standing appointment behind the WJOX radio microphone from 12:20 until 12:50 p.m..
"The first half of show, I talk about current medical issues in the news. It helps people understand what the health headlines mean, so there's less fear and a better sense of how to use new information to stay healthier," Ricketts said. "The second half of the show, I take listener phone calls."
LAURA FREEMAN |
What to expect if RAC'd
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 established the Medicare RAC program as a demonstration program to identify improper Medicare payments, both overpayments and underpayments. The RAC program began in 2005 in the states with the highest Medicare expenditures -- California, Florida and New York. In 2007, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Arizona were added.
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Patient Fraud On Their Own Doctor's Office
The new Red Flag rules issued by the Federal Trade Commission impose on medical practices a responsibility to author a written protocol, by May 1, 2009, aimed at recognizing identity theft and dealing with it when detected. The AMA has unsuccessfully argued with the FTC that medical practices should not be included in this requirement because they are not extenders of credit. Regardless of whether the FTC rules ultimately apply to medical practices, all medical practices have a larger problem, which necessitates a heightened sense of caution in this area. Specifically, there is a growing epidemic of fraud by the use of health insurance coverage for which the presenting patient has not actually paid.
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The National Practitioner Data Bank: How Does It Actually Work?
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is a permanent record of sorts for physicians, dentists, and other health care practitioners which serves as a self-described "alert or flagging system intended to facilitate a comprehensive review of health care practitioners' professional credentials." Required submissions to the NPDB include information regarding medical malpractice payments as well as adverse licensure, privilege, and professional society membership actions. Unfortunately, the law is not always clear as to whether a particular action is a reportable event. Once a report has been submitted to the NPDB, the statutes and regulations provide a procedure to challenge an NPDB report, but the cards are stacked against the physician once the report has been filed.
CHRIS YEILDING |
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