Top stories in health and medicine, December 5, 2013

From MedPage Today: Medicare P4P to Affect More Docs in 2014. Next year will bring a number of changes to one of Medicare’s pay-for-performance programs, the physician value-based payment modifier (VPM) — changes that will show up in physicians’ paychecks a few years hence. Ecstasy Use Doubles Over 6 Years. The number of emergency department visits involving the drug ecstasy more than doubled from 2005 to 2011, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Odd HDL Finding Seen in Diabetes Trial. Among patients with type 2 diabetes, treatment with both fenofibrate and a thiazolidinedione (TZD) — usually rosiglitazone (Avandia) — was paradoxically associated with an increased likelihood of having an extremely low HDL cholesterol level, a post hoc analysis of the ACCORD trial showed. Dense Breasts Riskier in Younger Women. The increased risk of cancer for women with denser breasts may be stronger in younger women. Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Heart Medicare OB/GYN Source Type: blogs