Brain imaging can distinguish fibromyalgia patients from healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity, according to two papers published nearly simultaneously in Pain late last summer, by groups at the Universities of Colorado and Michigan, respectively. Somewhat surprisingly to the authors and others, in the Colorado study, which used both painful and nonpainful stimuli, the…
The Phone Call A phone call in the middle of the night can rattle one’s nerves. The rush of adrenaline sets the heart pounding as our ears brace for what we are about to hear next. A distress call from an elderly parent or a child away at college? Is everyone safe? Or may this…
Systemic autoimmune diseases are thought to result from immune dysregulation in genetically susceptible individuals who were exposed to environmental risk factors. Many studies have identified genetic risk factors for these diseases, but concordance rates among monozygotic twins are 25–40%, suggesting that nonheritable environmental factors play a more prominent role.1,2 Through carefully conducted epidemiologic and other…
Throughout their training and practice, physicians become adept at pattern recognition as a means to efficiently connect and synthesize seemingly disparate laboratory, physical exam, and radiologic and historical findings into a coherent theory for what likely ails the patient sitting in front of them. This inductive method of reasoning is necessary because, based on these…
In the good old days, physicians routinely made house calls. The decision to visit the literal bedside of a patient was practical: hospital services were primitive and often offered too little benefit to justify an emergency journey by the patient. These physicians carried leather bags, sometimes called Gladstones, that were filled with instruments for eventualities…
In the past 15 years, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has posed an economic burden on patients in Saudi Arabia due to the high cost of the medications used to treat the condition. As a rheumatology consultant, I’ve observed the economic impact on patients in one clinic in a private hospital in Riyadh. RA is a chronic,…
Overcoding is a common term used when discussing fraud and abuse in reporting procedures and services not supported by the actual work performed. Alternatively, undercoding—or failing to report the full extent of services or procedures provided—is an equally unsound practice and a compliance risk. In the world of quality reporting, undercoding can have damaging effects…
If left untreated, low back pain can cause long-term disability. To aid its diagnosis and management, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has released revised guidance. Recommendations include the use of risk stratification tools for diagnosis, as well as physical activity or a comprehensive program that addresses biomechanical, aerobic and/or psychological needs…
(Reuters Health)—Local TV news coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, generally focused more on politics than on information consumers can use to help choose insurance, a recent study suggests. Overall, less than half of ACA-related news coverage focused on health insurance products, while much of the rest of the spots concentrated…
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Health savings accounts (HSAs) feature prominently in the new healthcare bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives, with a variety of changes in store. But research shows not many participants are actually saving money beyond the initial tax break. More than 20 million Americans currently have these accounts, which allow people…