Authors: Makris U, et al Published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 312 (8), 825-836 (Aug 2014) Importance Persistent pain is highly prevalent, costly, and frequently disabling in later life. Objective To describe barriers to the management of persistent pain among older adults, summarize current management approaches, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities; present […]
Read MoreThe producer price index for acute-care hospitals increased 1.7 percent between August 2013 and August 2014, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall hospital prices also increased 0.1 percent between July and August. The PPI for hospitals measures “changes in actual or expected reimbursement received for services across the full range of […]
Read MoreAs of Thursday, 7.3 million people have both enrolled in and paid for health insurance plans, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner announced during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee. The announcement comes after a letter from Republican Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Tennesse’s Lamar Alexander to Tavenner, requesting an […]
Read MoreAuthors: Samolsky Dekel BG et al Published in Journal of Opioid Management 10 (1), 29-38 (Jan-Feb 2014) OBJECTIVES: Opioid titration is the first challenging stage for rapid control of moderate/severe cancer pain. Evidence shows that sustained-release formulations may be used for opioid titration. We set a pilot assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of our […]
Read MoreAs if managing the broad spectrum of patient pain were not complex enough, results from an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis study has found that patient race, provider bias and clinical ambiguity interact to influence providers’ assessment and treatment decisions. The researchers suggested that understanding these factors and their influence might be an important step toward […]
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