ACO Revolution May Take Place…Someday
While many expect accountable care organizations (ACO) to speed up the consolidation of small physician practices, health industry members say years may pass before the vaguely defined groups become reality...Read More



Current Louisiana Medical News

ACO Revolution May Take Place…Someday | Accountable care organizations, Ochsner Medical Center, HealthGrades, Leapfrog Group, Medicare, Medicaid, healthcare reform, Mitch Wasden, Gil Dupré, Louisiana Association of Health Plans, Veterans Affairs
ACO Revolution May Take Place…Someday
While many expect accountable care organizations (ACO) to speed up the consolidation of small physician practices, health industry members say years may pass before the vaguely defined groups become reality.
 
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes | J. James Rohack, Kris Haltmeyer, Robert Zirkelbach, health reform, American Medical Association, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, health insurance exchanges
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes
Reform Regulations Are Kicking In Already
Healthcare reform requires changes of all stakeholders, but probably none more so than third-party payers, usually portrayed as wearing the black hat in this ongoing drama. In fact, President Obama hasn’t hesitated to cast insurers in the role of characters more worried about money than patient care.

 
Oil Disaster Smothers Legislative Session | Louisiana State Medical Society, Medicaid, Van Culotta, BP, punitive damages, Patient's Compensation Fund, malpractice
Oil Disaster Smothers Legislative Session
The BP well disaster dominated the state Legislature's most recent session, derailing efforts to find long-term solutions to Louisiana's enormous budget shortfall and growing Medicaid population.
 
RX FOR THE BOTTOM LINE: Higher Collections, Better Control, Reduced Management Concerns among Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Billing
Physicians facing uncertainty about changes taking shape in the healthcare industry should consider outsourcing their medical billing functions.
 
Legislative Affairs: 2010 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature ends
The 2010 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature adjourned sine die on Monday June 21, 2010. The time allowed for a bill to become law without the governor's action is nearing (twenty day post-session) and soon, we will know the status of healthcare measures.
 
Pediatrics Focus

Louisiana DHH Launches Campaigns for Healthy Babies
Louisiana DHH Launches Campaigns for Healthy Babies
Louisiana ranks second-highest in the nation for infant mortality. According to the 2009 Kids Count Data Book on Louisiana's Children, 47.5 percent of these deaths relate to conditions originating in the perinatal period. Of these, 39.7 percent result from preterm births and fetal malnutrition. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) accounts for 10.7 percent of the state's infant deaths.
 
Children Are Not Small Adults | Edward R.B. McCabe III,  nanopediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, Pediatric Research
Children Are Not Small Adults
Nanopediatrics Emerges to Ensure Nanotechnology Encompasses Kids

Imagine a pump the size of a molecule delivering medicine directly in the body where it's needed. Or a miniscule tool programmed to seek out and destroy the first cancer cells of a tumor. That's the promise of nanomedicine, medical applications in the much broader field of nanotechnology. Yet, as such customized medical innovations are being researched, Edward R.B. McCabe III, MD, has one reminder: Kids are different.


 
Imaging Focus

Maximizing Reimbursements | Reimbursements, Physician Payer Relations, Elizabeth Woodcock, Jeffrey Milburn, MGMA, Healthcare Contract, Fee Schedule
Maximizing Reimbursements
In an environment of rising costs and diminishing returns, it's easy to hone in on contracted rates as the sole source of financial woes. Certainly, negotiating favorable reimbursements with payers is key to a healthy bottom line, but it's really only half the story.
 
Guest Writers

Physician Spotlight

Dr. Stanley E. "Bubba" Peters, Jr.
Dr. Stanley E. "Bubba" Peters, Jr.
Medicine: It's A Family Tradition
Like his father, ENT Dr. Stanley E. "Bubba" Peters, Jr. pursued the medical field. Now, Peters' own son, Geoffrey, plans to follow in his Dad's footsteps by becoming an otolaryngologist. Bubba's dream one day is to practice with Geoffrey in their native Baton Rouge. "I can't wait to practice with my son," he gushed. "I think it would be a whole lot of fun."

 
In The News

In the News August
 
In the News July
 

Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Title: Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:11:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:11:12 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Title: Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:01:05 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Title: Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:55:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:55:19 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Title: Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:36:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:36:01 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Title: Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Title: Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT


Lots of tea for the GOP - Houma Courier

Lots of tea for the GOP
Houma Courier
They were outraged by stimulus spending, the federal deficit and proposals for “socialized” medicine, but, most of all, they'd been Taxed Enough Already. ...

and more »
Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 3:18 pm CDT

No Safe Harbor on Gulf Coast; Human Blood Tests Show Dangerous Levels of Toxic ... - Huffington Post (blog)

No Safe Harbor on Gulf Coast; Human Blood Tests Show Dangerous Levels of Toxic ...
Huffington Post (blog)
I spoke at length with Michael R. Harbut, MD, MPH, who is clinical professor of Internal Medicine and director of the Environmental Cancer Program at Wayne ...

Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:06 pm CDT

Study: Weight-loss drug ups risk of heart attack, stroke in some - CNN

Study: Weight-loss drug ups risk of heart attack, stroke in some
CNN
Lead researcher W. Philip T. James, MD, an obesity expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the UK, says that the study underscores ...

and more »
Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 5:06 pm CDT