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June 2015 Briefing – Urology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Urology for June 2015. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Three Issues to Consider Before Selecting EHR

TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Work flow, features and functionality, and technical infrastructure should all be considered in advance of selecting an electronic heath record (EHR) system, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

Too Few Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Active Surveillance

TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A majority of U.S. men with low-risk prostate cancer who are eligible for active surveillance still undergo treatment, according to a new report published online June 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Patients Want Online Access to Physicians, Health Records

TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Internet-savvy Americans would like to add their doctors to their group of Facebook friends or e-mail contacts, according to a study published online June 24 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Penile Prosthesis Use Decreasing in Erectile Dysfunction

TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Use of penile prosthesis (PP) insertion has decreased for erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a study published online June 22 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

AMA Discusses Pre-Retirement Evaluation for Aging Doctors

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Issues relating to physician retirement and evaluation of aging physicians before retirement are discussed in a Council on Medical Education report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Bariatric Surgery May Help Ease Urinary Incontinence

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Bariatric surgery may also help ease urinary incontinence in the long term, a new study suggests. Results of the study were published online June 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

SCOTUS Upholds Subsidies for Affordable Care Act

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Thursday the legality of tax subsidies for millions of Americans who signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Viagra, Other ED Meds Don’t Raise Melanoma Risk

WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new review of data involving over 20,000 men does find a slightly higher risk of melanoma in men who took erectile dysfunction (ED) medications versus those who didn’t; however, the increased risk is tied to lifestyle factors rather than the medications themselves. The findings were published in the June 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Age-Adjusted Comorbidity Score Stratifies Mortality in Prostate CA

WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An age-adjusted prostate cancer-specific comorbidity index (PCCI) can stratify the risk of long-term nonprostate cancer-related mortality, according to a study published in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.

Medical Identity Theft Incidents Increasing

MONDAY, June 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical identity theft is on the rise, costly to consumers, and challenging to resolve, according to the fifth annual report published by the Ponemon Institute.

B. cenocepacia Overrepresented in Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain

MONDAY, June 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Burkholderia cenocepacia is overrepresented in initial stream urine of men with urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome, according to a study published in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.

Caution in Social Media Age: Self-Promotion Can Backfire

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In a series of experiments, researchers found that people who self-promote often offend others. The study was published in the June issue of Psychological Science.

Medications Can Increase Risk of Heat-Related Illness

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Commonly used medications may increase the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness during hot weather, according to an article published online June 13 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.

FDA Cracks Down on Online Sale of Illegal Medical Products

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with international partners, moved this week against more than 1,050 websites that sell potentially dangerous counterfeit medicines and medical devices, the agency said Thursday.

White Matter Abnormalities in Female Interstitial Cystitis

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome have white matter abnormalities, according to a study published in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.

Hundreds Arrested Nationwide for Medicare/Medicaid Fraud

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Hundreds of people have been charged after health care fraud sweeps were made across the United States, the federal government said Thursday.

Health Highlights: June 19, 2015

Readmitted Surgery Patients Fare Better at Same Hospital

THURSDAY, June 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgery patients who suffer complications after discharge from a hospital are more likely to die if they’re readmitted to a different hospital than where they had their original operation, according to a new study published online June 17 in The Lancet.

Virtual Credit Card Fees Amount to 3 to 5 Percent of Payments

THURSDAY, June 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Payment with virtual credit cards (VCCs) is associated with considerable fees, although physicians are often unaware of these charges, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

Direct Messaging Not Yet Widely Adopted by Physicians

TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Direct secure messaging (Direct), which is a standardized protocol for exchanging clinical messages and attachments, has not been widely adopted by physicians, despite its potential for improving care coordination, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

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Review Examines Inappropriate Prescribing of IV Fluids

TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Inappropriate prescribing of intravenous (IV) fluids most often involves incorrect volumes and types of IV fluids prescribed, according to a review published online June 11 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.

Article Weighs Paying Off Student Loans Versus Investment

MONDAY, June 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Newly-minted physicians should consider the issues relating to paying off their loans versus investing for retirement, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

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Half of Cancer Deaths Due to Past, Current Smoking

MONDAY, June 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — About half of U.S. deaths caused by certain cancers — including lung, colorectum, and pancreatic tumors — can be attributed to smoking, a new American Cancer Society study estimates. The report was published online June 15 as a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Study Estimates Incidence of Surgical Never Events

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Wrong-site surgery and retained surgical items still occur, and evidence for interventions to prevent these is limited, according to a review published online June 10 in JAMA Surgery.

Obesity Ups Risks in Pediatric Procedural Sedation

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation, obesity is associated with increased risk of adverse respiratory events and frequency of airway interventions, according to research published in the July issue of Pediatric Anesthesia.

Some Graduating Seniors Not Matching to Residency Positions

THURSDAY, June 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than 250 of this year’s graduating seniors from U.S. medical schools did not match to a residency position, according to the American Medical Association.

Geographic Location Most Important for Residents

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For residents, the most important element in a future practice is geographic location, with lifestyle, adequate call hours and personal time, and a good financial package also cited as being important, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

Report Offers Guidance on Medical Ethics Education

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An analysis of the current state of medical ethics education in the United States has been published in the June issue of Academic Medicine. The article, the Romanell Report, also offers guidance to assist medial ethics educators in meeting expectations.

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Extra Time During MCAT Linked to Less Success in Med School

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical school applicants with Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores obtained with extra test administration time have lower rates of success in medical schools, according to a study published in the June 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Professional Guidelines Have Limited Impact on Pre-Op Testing

TUESDAY, June 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The publication of 2002 professional guidelines on routine preoperative testing correlated with a reduction in routine electrocardiogram testing, but not in the incidence of radiography, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing, according to research published online June 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Analysis Targets U.S. Hospitals With Highest Markups

TUESDAY, June 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The 50 U.S. hospitals with the highest charge-to-cost ratio have markups approximately 10 times the Medicare-allowable costs, and most of these hospitals are for profit, according to a study published in the June issue of Health Affairs.

AMA Offers Guidance for Physician-Hospital Relationships

MONDAY, June 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New guidelines can enable successful physician hospital relationships and integrated leadership, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

CDC Guidelines Update Treatment, Management of STDs

MONDAY, June 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New recommendations have been provided to update the 2010 guidelines on the treatment and management of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The 2015 guidelines are available online in the June 5 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Study IDs Surgical Never Events, Contributing Factors

FRIDAY, June 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgical never events and contributing human factors have been identified, with individual cognitive factors contributing one half of all nano-codes, according to a study published online May 29 in Surgery.

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Formed

THURSDAY, June 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Nine states have enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact law, with the seventh state’s enactment triggering formation of a commission to administer a process for physicians seeking licensure in multiple states, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Metabolic Syndrome Up With ADT in Prostate Cancer

THURSDAY, June 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy there are increases in components of metabolic syndrome and in the prevalence of full metabolic syndrome, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology.

CMS: Hospital Charges for Common Procedures Up

WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The prices hospitals charge patients for a number of common procedures rose more than 10 percent between 2011 and 2013, more than twice the rate of inflation, according to data released by the federal government Monday.

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