Author: Dr. Clemens

Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
10 Things to Know About Aetna

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share it with our readers. Aetna’s company name is inspired by Mt.Etna — an 11,000-foot volcano on the eastern shores of Sicily — which was the most active volcano in Europe. Living up to its name, Aetna has become one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Epidural Steroids Generally Are Ineffective for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Authors: Janna L. Friedly, M.D et al A steroid-lidocaine combination is essentially no better than lidocaine alone for patients with symptomatic central lumbar spinal stenosis, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study. U.S. researchers randomized 400 patients with symptomatic stenosis to receive an epidural injection of either lidocaine alone or lidocaine plus a […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
The $3.5 Million Anesthesiologist

Fathalla Mashali, MD, accused of bilking Medicare A New England anesthesiologist stands high above all others in Medicare’s recently released list of how much money it pays providers, and court records help explain why he posted Ruthian numbers in a league of mostly singles hitters. According to records the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
How to coach your team to brilliance

Every leader is a coach to those who look to them for guidance. Your job as a leader is to be there when one of your employees are in a rut, but if you consistently offer them a gift-wrapped solution, those employees will forfeit their problem-solving skills in the process. Eventually, a new problem manifests […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
FDA Approves Abuse-Deterrent Oxycodone/Naloxone Combo

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an abuse-deterrent extended-release formulation of oxycodone (Targiniq ER, Purdue Pharma LP), a combination of oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride, the agency announced today. The new formulation is approved to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment, for which alternative treatment options are […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 5 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Slower U.S. Healthcare Cost Rise Extending Life of Medicare Fund: Trustees

Slower growth in U.S. healthcare spending and expected savings from Obamacare are shoring up the funding outlook for the federal Medicare program that covers the hospital bills of the elderly, trustees of the program said on Monday. The program’s trust fund for hospital care will run out of money in 2030, four years later than […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Hand Hygiene Compliance Infeasible for Anesthesia Providers

Anesthesia providers had high numbers of hand hygiene (HH) opportunities in the operating room per hour, but low levels of HH compliance, according to a new study. Compliance was lowest during the first and last 20-minute periods in the operating room. “Complete compliance with HH practice as recommended by World Health Organization guidelines would have […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
FDA Approves Abuse-Deterrent Oxycodone/Naloxone Combo

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an abuse-deterrent extended-release formulation of oxycodone (Targiniq ER, Purdue Pharma LP), a combination of oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride, the agency announced today. The new formulation is approved to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment, for which alternative treatment options are […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Doctor Found Guilty of Manslaughter After Overdose Deaths

Stan Xuhui Li, MD, of Hamilton, New Jersey, was a full-time anesthesiologist at a local hospital who had a sideline. On weekends, the 60-year-old Dr. Li saw patients in a pain-management clinic 80 miles away in the Queens borough of New York City. A jury in a New York state court concluded on July 18 […]

Read More
Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
How to coach your team to brilliance

Every leader is a coach to those who look to them for guidance. Your job as a leader is to be there when one of your employees are in a rut, but if you consistently offer them a gift-wrapped solution, those employees will forfeit their problem-solving skills in the process. Eventually, a new problem manifests […]

Read More