Going green with your urology practice: Here's how to do it cost effectively
July 1st 2011By practicing medicine in an ecologically conscious atmosphere, we can contribute to the health of our patients, our staff, and our community; on a much larger scale, we will be helping to sustain the future of our ecosystem.
When is a non-screening PSA covered by Medicare?
July 1st 2011The coverage, and subsequent payment, for a PSA test is determined by the contractual agreement with the patient's insurance company. Some insurance companies pay and others do not for procedures and other services with different diagnoses.
Outpatient setting for urologic procedures doesn't compromise quality of care
July 1st 2011A random sampling of national health care claims data indicates that the use of non-hospital ambulatory facilities as the setting for common outpatient urologic procedures does not adversely affect short-term patient morbidity or mortality.
Best of AUA 2011: Take-home messages from the 2011 AUA annual meeting in Washington
July 1st 2011Public health issues-obesity, diet, smoking, and sleep disorders, among others-and their links to a range of benign and malignant urologic diseases made headlines at the 2011 AUA annual meeting in Washington. In particular, research focused on the impact of lifestyle factors on stone disease and prostate cancer.
American Urological Association offers concrete solutions to sustainable growth rate problem
July 1st 2011Despite the nation's budget crisis, the fact that Medicare reform is being discussed and a near-30% cut in Medicare physician fees looms in January appears to be providing some incentive for lawmakers to get serious about reforming the system used to pay doctors who treat patients under the program.
Varicoceles linked to lower testosterone in men
June 30th 2011Varicoceles may interfere with the production of testosterone in men, but microsurgery can increase testosterone levels in these patients, according to researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
Study: Radiation post-radical prostatectomy is cost-effective
June 23rd 2011Receiving radiation therapy immediately after a radical prostatectomy is a cost-effective treatment for prostate cancer patients when compared with active surveillance, say researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Philadelphia.
iPhone app educates physicians on preserving fertility
June 16th 2011A new iPhone application, launched June 2 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, is designed to give physicians a quick reference guide for preserving the fertility of children, women, and men diagnosed with cancer.
Study: New prostate Ca test is more specific, sensitive than PSA
June 2nd 2011A still-investigational prostate cancer test that measures PSA as well as six specific antibodies found in the blood of men with the disease is more sensitive and more specific than the conventional PSA test, say researchers from UCLA?s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Study: Tort reform reduces malpractice lawsuit risk
June 2nd 2011Implementation of comprehensive tort reform has been associated with a nearly 80% decrease in the prevalence of surgical malpractice lawsuits at one academic medical center, say researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.