Overdue Rule Changes Brings Clarity to Patient Requests

A January 2020 decision by the District Court of Columbia has invalidated a rule regarding an individual's access to protected health information (PHI).

Preventing Diabetes through Lifestyle Changes

Approximately 30 percent of the three million people in metro Birmingham have pre-diabetes, a condition that can progress to Type 2 diabetes without treatment.

What Can You Charge for a Copy of a Medical Record? The Rules Have Changed.

As you may know, a patient has the right to access his/her medical records pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA").

Is the CON Physician Office Exemption in Jeopardy?

There is an ongoing discussion among healthcare provider associations regarding the appropriateness of the Physician Office Exemption ("POE") under the Certificate of Need ("CON") Program.

What You Need to Know About Selling Your Practice to Private Equity

Physicians across specialties are facing mounting legal and operational risks at the same time as health systems and private equity (PE) investors are hungry to buy practices and take that risk off physicians' hands - at unprecedented valuations.

Hospital Price Transparency Rule

Diversion from Life's Path Leads Physicians on a New Journey

UAB emergency room physician Julian Maha, MD and his wife, UAB Pediatric Critical Care physician Michele Kong, MD were living their dream as successful physicians starting a family with endless opportunities ahead on the path of life.

Meal Timing Strategies Appear to Lower Appetite, Improve Fat Burning

Researchers at UAB have discovered that meal timing strategies -- like intermittent fasting or eating earlier in the daytime -- appear to help people lose weight.

New Trial of Long-Acting HIV Medication

A new clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health will evaluate the effectiveness of a long-acting antiretroviral therapy, or ART, combined with conditional economic incentives for patients living with HIV who have had a history of non-adherence to daily oral medication and treatment.

Using Bag-Mask Ventilation During Intubation Improves Outcomes

New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that using bag-mask ventilation during intubation improves outcomes and could potentially change the standard of care.

Study: Low-carb Diet Provides Relief from Knee Osteoarthritis

A study conducted at UAB, published in Pain Medicine, shows a low-carbohydrate diet was more effective in reducing pain intensity than a low-fat diet in adults ages 65-75 suffering from osteoarthritis.

HHS Moves Forward with Prescription Drug Import Plan

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposed rule that would allow states to pursue pilot programs to import drugs from Canada and a draft guidance that would allow drugmakers to import their own products and sell them under different drug codes.

Proposed Stark Law Changes May Impact Physician Compensation Models

On October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") proposed sweeping changes to the federal Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law.

Discussions among Physician Groups - Avoiding Antitrust Issues

Driven by Federal Health Care Reform and a desire to remain independent of hospitals and health care systems, physician groups are actively exploring different collaborative and alignment options, including the formation of independent practice associations (IPAs), integrated care networks (ICNs), and participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs).

HHS Issues Final Rule on Conscience Protections

On May 21, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the final regulations referred to as the Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws.

AlaHA Quality Improvement Efforts Bear Fruit

When the Alabama Hospital Association (AlaHA) joined forces six years ago with other state associations across the country under the umbrella of the American Hospital Association (AHA), they became recipients of a grant for hospital quality improvement, enabling them to hire a staff person to work with their member hospitals.

National Nephrology Initiative Aims to Advance Kidney Care

Cardiology, oncology and many other areas of medicine have benefited from remarkable advances in recent years. However, for kidney patients the standards of care have remained much the same for decades.

Sepsis: What patients don't know could kill them

Teaching people to recognize signs of a heart attack, stroke and cancer has made a real difference in improving outcomes. However, one of the most common causes of death is something many people have never heard of--and even many physicians are surprised when they see the numbers in black and white.

Antibiotic Stewardship in Alabama

Last year, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) investigated two Acinetobacter baumannii cases in one facility. Resistant to nearly all antibiotics, including the powerful carbapenem class, this bacteria tends to occur in patients in intensive care units.

UAB Research Team Develops Compound being used to Treat Novel Coronavirus

The Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center (AD3C) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has developed remdesivir, an investigational drug that is being used to treat select infected patients in the United States and in China who have been affected by the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Preparing for Pandemic

Ease of travel, interconnected financial markets, and differences in testing & response have upped the collateral damage from this latest coronavirus.

Tale of Two Nurses: Niece Donates a Kidney to her Aunt

If you ask Rebecca Harrison, RN and her aunt, Sue Gravelle, RN, about sacrifice, they will each point to the other. But last November, Harrison put her life on hold--and at risk--to give one of her kidneys to Gravelle.

Princeton Baptist Performs its First Rental Cryoablation

Princeton Baptist Medical Center recently performed its first renal cryoablation, a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that destroys tumors through freezing to less than -40 degrees Celsius, resulting in cell death.

UAB School of Nursing Recognized for Promoting Men in Nursing

The number of men who choose to enter the nursing profession continues to increase in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the School of Nursing at UAB was recognized for its efforts in promoting male nursing students when it was named one of the 2019 Best Schools for Men in Nursing by the American Association for Men in Nursing.

Jeff Kerby Named First State Trauma Consultant

Jeff Kerby, MD, PhD has been named the first state of Alabama trauma consultant by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Kerby is a trauma surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and director of the Division of Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery.

Sandra Ford Honored

Sandra Mathews Ford, MD, an affiliated physician of Princeton Baptist Medical Center, was recently honored as the 2020 Hettie Butler Terry Community Service Award recipient by the Medical Alumni Association of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Pate Named Optometric Educator of the Year

Caroline Pate, OD, associate professor and director of Residency Programs at the UAB School of Optometry, has been named the 2019 Optometric Educator of the Year by the Alabama Optometric Association.

Mickey Trimm, PhD Joins Kolbe Clinic

J.M. "Mickey" Trimm, PhD has been named Executive Director of Kolbe Clinic. He will lead the clinic's plan to expand its services from its current five locations in Alabama and Florida to a large footprint that will cover the south and midwest over the next five years.

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center Staff Honored

The Medical Staff of Brookwood Baptist Medical Center recently honored five members of hospital staff with the distinguished Melissa Cole Award.

CON Approves Cullman Regional Expansion

The Health Care Authority of Cullman County/ Cullman Regional Board of Directors announced today that the Alabama State Health Planning & Development Agency has approved the Certificate of Need (CON) for the $30 million expansion project announced by Cullman Regional in June of 2019.

Carnel Joins Andrews Sports Medicine

Charles T. Carnel, MD has joined Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center.

Saag Named Editor of Journal of the International AIDS Society

Michael Saag, MD, director of the UAB Center for AIDS Research and professor in the School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, has been named an editor of the Journal of the International AIDS Society, also known as AIDS.

Atomic Force Microscope Awarded to UAB

The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Alabama at Birmingham a major research instrumentation grant of $314,912 to acquire an atomic force microscope for interdisciplinary materials research and education.

Sharma Named Brookwood Baptist Medical Center Physician of the Year

The medical staff of Brookwood Baptist Medical Center named Jitendra Sharma, MD the 2019 Physician of the Year. This honor recognizes physicians who exemplify the core values of Brookwood Baptist Medical Center - integrity, service, quality, transparency and innovation.