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| Current Orlando Medical News |
Back in Session
FMA Preps for 2010 Legislative Agenda
TALLAHASSEE—Fresh from significant legislative victories in the Florida Legislature’s 2009 session—most notably the controversial Assignment of Benefits bill approved by the governor last June—the Florida Medical Association (FMA) is preparing for challenges in the 2010 session.
LYNNE JETER |
Burnham Team Focuses on Orexin
Hormone Impacts Obesity, Diabetes and Cancer
Devanjan Sikder was studying how metabolism impacts sleep and weight control when he stumbled across some very interesting research involving orexin.
Sikder began investigating how orexin—a hypothalamic neuropeptide—regulates metabolism, sleep patterns and feeding behavior, and the role that hunger plays in the regulation of fat metabolism and insulin secretion.
LYNNE JETER |
Marketing 101 for Docs
Sometime in recent memory, I’m not exactly sure when, physicians discovered that they actually needed to market themselves lest they let new business in the form of patients fall into the hands of competing practices.
At least some did.
BUD BREWER |
RX for the BOTTOM LINE: Choosing the Right Branch Boosts Bottom Line
In a slowing economy, medical practices may reduce their operating expenses by delegating a portion of essential functions to an infrastructure that will result in lower costs and higher revenue—an infrastructure that can be seen as an extension of your practice.
That infrastructure is an organization with your best interest at heart, one whose bottom line is tied to your success.
MINERVA DEJESUS and AURIANA REYES |
Macular Degeneration: The Loss of Central Vision
Macular degeneration also known as ARMD, is the leading cause of vision loss among patients who are 65 and older. ARMD is degeneration of the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read, drive and recognize faces. The blurred vision is central and does not affect side vision, so it does not lead to complete blindness.
MONT JAY CARTWRIGHT, MD |
Actively Decreasing Infant Mortality in Seminole County
In response to rising infant mortality rates, the Seminole County Health Department (SCHD) has embarked on a new strategy of providing comprehensive prenatal care for county residents. The system that had been in place since the late 1980s only provided care to the uninsured and Medicaid pregnant women for the first 26 weeks at the health department. Then patients were referred to local doctors who provided the final stages of care, delivery and the post-partum visit.
Seminole County Health Department |
RAC ‘n’ Roll
Recovery Audit Contracting Rolled Out Nationwide
After several years of anticipation, the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program was set for nationwide rollout last month. Despite the notice, many Medicare providers still are not adequately prepared to respond to a request for records.
CINDY SANDERS |
| Health Information Technology Focus |
Mayo Clinic Software Answers Cardiology’s HIT Need
Kardia Health Brings Technology to the Market
With cardiologists spread thin and reimbursements for their services declining, the key to survival is improved efficiency. That’s according to Doug Marinaro, the chief operating officer of Minnesota-based Kardia Health Systems. The three-year-old company is working to put cardiology-focused health information technology developed by the renowned Mayo Clinic into the hands of providers.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Patricia A. Guerrero, MD, FACC
ORLANDO —Born in New Orleans, Patricia Adriana Guerrero, MD, moved with her family to Cartagena, Colombia when she was an adolescent. It was at this same period that she became fascinated with fitness.
"Since my teenage years, I’ve been passionate about nutrition and the effects of exercise in the prevention of diseases and the prolongation of good health," said Guerrero, a partner with Florida Heart Group.
LYNNE JETER |
Pain Medicine-a Primer
The American Board of Pain Medicine defines the specialty of Pain Medicine as “a discipline within the field of medicine that is concerned with the prevention of pain, and the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons in pain.” The Pain Medicine physician, or algiatrist, treats conditions in which patients may have pain and associated symptoms arising from a discrete cause, such as postoperative pain or pain associated with a malignancy. Alternatively, the pain specialist sees patients in which pain constitutes the primary problem, such as neuropathic pains or headaches.
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