March 2008
The front office bottleneck: schedules, phones and refills
Third in a six-part series on small practice issues: ACP's Center for Practice Innovation found that about half of the practices it observed as part of its quality improvement project had problems with phone communication, scheduling and the prescription refill process. The good news is that the bottleneck can be loosened with some relatively simple changes.
Internists taking primary care to the streets
Practicing medicine changes when homeless patients don't have a phone, food or access to first aid. Free health care programs have been converting buses and vans into clinics on wheels as they discover that mobile care is an effective way to reach homeless patients.
Patient's doubts about diagnosis prompt a second opinion
A 61-year-old retired military officer presented to a local hospital in the Midwest with flank pain and E. coli bacteremia.
Cultural differences complicate a terminal cancer diagnosis
The College's new guidelines recommend that clinicians regularly assess end-of-life patients for symptoms of pain, dyspnea and depression, and use proven therapies to treat these conditions.
Working toward health care one step at a time
While the presidential candidates debate different strategies for reforming the ailing U.S. health care system, ACP has been quietly working toward change.
Letters to the Editor
What do an X-ray machine in Oregon and a shower chair in Bellmore, N.Y. have in common? Both are available for free on a Web site that matches U.S. donors of medical equipment to needy recipients.
Fleshing out the debate over meat from cloned animals
Warnings, recalls, label changes, and approvals.
Clearing up confusion over Medicare coverage for vaccines
Medicare's vaccination payments covered in a variety of ways.
Follow a few simple steps to ensure safety with vaccines
Needlesticks happen. Patients have the same or similar names. OSHA inspectors visit. Drugs are recalled. Now what?.
Diabetes project narrows gap between theory and practice
Following a successful first phase, the College's diabetes programs reach out to a wider audience of members, residents and patients.
Visits can be more productive when patients set the agenda
First in a three-part series: Motivational interviewing is one technique for engaging patients and developing strategies that work.
A woman in medicine reflects on philanthropic leadership
Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourey, MACP.
College's new end-of-life guidelines fill gaps in patient care
The College's new guidelines recommend that clinicians regularly assess end-of-life patients for symptoms of pain, dyspnea and depression, and use proven therapies to treat these conditions.
Dispensing drugs on site may help with patient compliance
Morris Kliger, D.O., a physician in Lansdale, Pa., has patients tell him that they are overwhelmed by the price of prescription drugs.
Site shifts surplus supplies from the haves to the have-nots
What do an X-ray machine in Oregon and a shower chair in Bellmore, N.Y. have in common? Both are available for free on a Web site that matches U.S. donors of medical equipment to needy recipients.
Heparin, saline solutions recalled for possible contamination
Warnings, recalls, label changes, and approvals.
Rosiglitazone controversy has internists scratching their heads
E. Victor Adlin, FACP, an endocrinologist at Temple University School of Medicine, discusses how the rosiglitazone drama has affected internists' prescribing habits.
Will the 2008 elections be the turning point for health care?
For the first time in 15 years, health care reform is back as a major campaign issue.
ACPNET brings continuing medical education into the clinic
We all appreciate that studying and learning are lifetime essentials for being a good physician.