The Latest

MedBridge Names Christopher Tormey Director of Clinical Operations

MedBridge, a developer and operators of ambulatory surgery centers, has announced it has named Christopher Tormey as its director of clinical operations.

Merging an Independent Orthopedic Group With a Hospital-Employed Orthopedic Group: Q&A With Dr. Thomas Miller of Carilion Clinic Orthopaedics

In April 2010, the Roanoke Orthopaedic Center, the largest independent orthopedic group in Southwest Virginia, merged with the Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic. ROC had approached Carilion Health System about a possible merger several years earlier after the hospital-based physician group converted…

Florida Hospital Wins APIC Award for Film on Successful Reduction of Bloodstream Infections

Broward Health Coral Springs (Fla.) Medical Center (CSMC) has announced it received the People's Choice Award at the 2011 annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology for its film focusing on efforts to minimize catheter-related…

Ophthalmologist on the Move: Dr. Nazanin Barzideh Joins New York's Winthrop-University Hospital

Nazanin Barzideh, MD, a vitreoretinal surgeon, has joined Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., according to a report by the Garden City News.

Study: Prescription Painkillers Key Gateway to Heroin Use

Prescription painkillers are often a key gateway to using injected illegal drugs such as heroin, according to a news release by the Drexel University School of Public Health.

25-50% of Older Americans Experience Pain, Many Untreated

One-quarter to one-half of Americans age 65 or older experience pain, and many of them are not treated, according to a report by Internal Medicine News.

CMS to Add Covered Diagnosis Codes for PT Testing

CMS has determined that ICD-9-CM codes for 786.50 Chest pain, unspecified and 786.51 Precordial pain "flow from the existing narrative for conditions for which a [PT test] is reasonable and necessary," according to an AAPC report.

Major Study Explores Role of Gut Microflora in Bypass Surgery

A major study, involving researchers at Mayo Clinic Arizona and Arizona State University, is examining the influence of gut microflora on patients undergoing bypass surgery, according to a report by News Medical.

IOM Calls for Overhaul of FDA Device Approval Process; MDMA Disagrees

A new $1.3 million report by the Institute of Medicine calls for a complete overhaul of the FDA's 150(k) approval process for medical devices.

Former LewisGale Regional Health Physician Reprimanded for Causing Patient Harm

The Virginia Board of Medicine has reprimanded Christopher Vincent, MD, for causing patient harm on four separate occasions, according to a Roanoke Times report. Read the full report in Becker’s Hospital Review on Dr. Christopher Vincent’s reprimand.