Kidney stones linked to heart disease risk in women
July 29th 2013An analysis of data from three studies that involved a total of more than 240,000 participants found that a self-reported history of kidney stones was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of coronary heart disease among women.
States may hold key to work force shortage solutions
July 29th 2013There is little doubt that the federal government will continue to play an important role subsidizing the training of physicians. However, given the immediate medical education and work force crisis, states will likely be the source of temporary and long-term solutions.
Technology doesn’t raise overall PCa therapy rate
July 24th 2013The rate of therapy for localized prostate cancer does not rise in markets with higher penetration of robotic surgical technology and intensity-modulated radiation therapy, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Repeat botulinum injections found safe, efficacious
July 23rd 2013Repeat injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) continue to be a safe and effective treatment for urinary incontinence due to neurogenic detrusor overactivity, according to interim results from a long-term extension study of phase III pivotal trials.
Agent shows benefit in PDE-5 incomplete responders
July 23rd 2013A greater percentage of men who had an incomplete response to as-needed phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor treatment returned to normal erectile function when given tadalafil (Cialis) once daily, compared to placebo, researchers reported.
Colpocleisis found viable for prolapse in older women
July 23rd 2013Colpocleisis is a safe, minimally invasive procedure for treating pelvic organ prolapse in older women, according to the findings of a retrospective study reported by female pelvic medicine surgeons from Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.
GAO report critical of self-referral; AUA responds
July 22nd 2013Self-referred anatomic pathology services have increased at a faster rate than non-self-referred services, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office that quickly drew praise from the College of American Pathologists and criticism from the AUA.
Semi-annual PSA may be safe for men on surveillance
July 18th 2013Some men with low-risk prostate cancer who are being managed by active surveillance can have their PSA levels measured every 6 months instead of every 3 months, researchers reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Diabetes drug lowers prostate cancer-specific, all-cause mortality
July 18th 2013In men with diabetes who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, use of metformin reduces both cancer-specific and all-cause mortality, and the treatment benefits increase with increasing cumulative duration of exposure to the drug, according to the results of a retrospective study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Men still want PSA; shared decision making uncommon
July 15th 2013Men plan to continue getting PSA tests despite the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation against screening, but just over one-third of men report shared decision making for screening with their physician, according to findings from two recently published studies.
Non-physician providers: What urologists need to know about billing
July 15th 2013The NPP is an intriguing asset to a urology group and, as with other assets, requires monitoring from the business, clinical, and billing aspects. This article will provide some guidance and interpretation for reporting service requirements under the Medicare program.
Are you getting the most out of your patient data?
July 15th 2013One area of health care analytics that has practical application today is the accurate identification of certain patients within your practice, based on clinical characteristics and for a defined purpose. In this article, I describe three “use cases” for this simple form of descriptive analytics.
Mutual funds vary by asset class, size, location
July 15th 2013The universe of mutual fund options is overwhelming. If investors take a moment to learn the basics of how to compare mutual funds, they’ll be armed with the ability to choose wisely for themselves or to intelligently weigh the advice of their financial professional.
Organized urology finds allies on self-referral
July 12th 2013As the pressure continues to build in Washington to tighten the screws on the in-office ancillary services exception to provisions of the Stark self-referral law, key organizations representing urology are looking for allies on Capitol Hill to preserve that piece of business for urologists.
BLOG: Summertime, and the living’s not so easy for urologists
July 11th 2013Unfortunately, for physicians who have dedicated their careers to patient care, they are besieged by the many ongoing uncertainties within the U.S. health care system, this summer, this year, and for the last decade(s), which have promulgated a great deal of apprehension as to how we can best “practice” our profession