Doctors Tend to Share Patients With Similar Colleagues

HealthDay – Fri, Jul 20, 2012 FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. doctors tend to share patients with colleagues who have similar personal and practice styles, according to a new study.

The findings are from a Harvard Medical School study that looked at informal patient-sharing networks among doctors across the country. The researchers used 2006 data from nearly 4.6 million Medicare patients seen by more than 68,000 doctors in 51 urban and rural hospital referral regions.

The study was published in the July 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There was substantial variation between the doctors' informal sharing networks. The number of doctors included in a network ranged from 135 in Minot, N.D., to nearly 8,200 in Boston. The average number of other doctors each doctor was connected to per 100 Medicare patients was 27.3.

Doctors were far more likely to have connections with doctors based at the same hospital than those based at different hospitals. Connected doctors also were much more likely to be in close geographic proximity: The average distance for connected doctors was 13.1 miles, compared to 24 miles for unconnected doctors.

The researchers also found that patient characteristics such as race, age and health conditions were more similar among connected doctors than among unconnected doctors.

"It has long been known that physician behavior varies across geographic areas, yet our understanding of the factors that contribute to these geographic differences is incomplete," Dr. Bruce Landon, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a journal news release. "Our findings suggest that variation according to network attribute might help explain health-care variation across geographic areas, particularly given what is known about how networks function."

Strong connections among doctors -- as well as among doctors, nurses and administrators -- can create trust and shared values that improve health care for patients, Valerie Lewis and Dr. Elliott Fisher, both professors at Dartmouth University's Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, N.H., wrote in an accompanying editorial.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers tips for choosing a family doctor.

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Cancer Patients Share Web Info With Docs for Insight, Advice

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Neurosearch denies share manipulation charges

Reuters – 6 hrs ago COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish biopharma firm Neurosearch A/S said on Wednesday charges of share price manipulation had been filed against it, but it denied the allegations and said it was working with the authorities to clear up the matter.

Neurosearch said the charges were related to an announcement in February 2010 in which the management of the company reported top-line results from a Phase III study with its Huntington's disease drug candidate Huntexil and then two months later reassessed and corrected the data in a new announcement.

"On the present basis, Neurosearch is denying the charges and is collaborating fully with the authorities in order to resolve the matter," the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by John Acher)

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Dieters Share Success Strategies

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Many obese Americans who try to lose weight are successful, at least short-term, using traditional methods, according to a new study.

Researchers who evaluated the strategies of more than 1,500 successful obese dieters found that eating less fat, exercising more, taking prescription diet pills and joining a commercial weight-loss program led dieters to lose from 5 percent to 10 percent or more of their body weight.

Just as important as picking a strategy for losing weight is a dieter's commitment to the approach, whatever it is, said lead investigator Dr. Jacinda Nicklas, a clinical research fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

"Any of these strategies takes a certain degree of investment -- cutting back on calories, exercising on a regular basis, going to the doctor to get a prescription weight-loss drug, joining a program," she said.

More than a third of Americans are obese. While many obese people may think attempting to lose weight is futile, Nicklas said her study suggests that is not true. And for an obese person, weight loss of 5 to 10 percent can produce health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, she said.

The study, published online April 10 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, looked at a nationally representative sample from the 2001 to 2006 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This ongoing survey collects information about health, health behavior and other data.

The survey takers computed the participants' body mass index (BMI), based on their reported height and weight. BMI is a measurement of size used to calculate weight categories, from underweight to obese. The team focused on the data from those with a BMI of 30 or above, considered obese.

Respondents were asked if they had tried to lose weight and, if so, how they tried to do so.

Of more than 4,000 obese respondents, more than 2,500 said they had tried to lose weight in the last year. Of these, about 1,000 (40 percent) said they had lost 5 percent or more of their body weight. More than 500 (20 percent) said they had lost 10 percent or more.

"For the 5 percent weight loss, people said they used one or more of these strategies -- eating less fat, exercising more and using prescription weight-loss drugs," Nicklas said. "For the 10 percent loss, it was any one or more of those and also joining a commercial weight-loss program."

Other methods, such as liquid diets, nonprescription diet pills or fad diets, were unsuccessful, the researchers said.

"Something advertised over the Internet that seems quick and easy may seem to be an easier way to lose weight but we don't have any evidence that those methods work," Nicklas said.

The study has limitations, however, she said. Height and weight were self-reported, and there is no follow-up data on whether the dieters kept off the pounds.

The results do offer some hope, said Dr. Jennifer Marks, a professor of medicine at the University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute, who is familiar with the study.

The message is, "Weight can come off," she said.

Of those surveyed who were obese and trying to lose weight, about 70 percent were white, so the findings may not apply as much to other ethnicities, she said.

For her patients trying to lose weight, Marks said she advises them to consider the possible strategies and to the one or two that seem "least onerous to you."

With her own patients, Nicklas has noticed yet another strategy used by some successful dieters who want to maintain the loss. They take on a new ''persona." For instance, some become triathletes who are eager to maintain that new image.

These people seem to maintain the loss better, she has observed.

More information

For more about weight control, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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Obese Kids: Genes, Junk Food Share Blame

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Share your #springplayist

Arthur Krystal: The excuses of a mean book criticConstitution-burning Obama painting parodied by artist Dan LaceyEntries By CategoryAboutJacqueline TrescottJazzNational Endowment for the Artsnational endowment for the humanitiesStories By DateFull Monthly Archive Posted at 02:28 PM ET, 03/23/2012TheWashingtonPostBy Chris Richards

In the city, springtime is the moment pop music goes public.

Apartment windows are opened, car windows are rolled down and sounds spill out into the streets. It’s a communal rite of spring. Consciously or subconsciously, we’re sharing the music that makes us feel good.

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Share your spring photography with Instagram (#springscape)

Forever Young’Dame Edna to retireEntries By CategoryAboutJacqueline TrescottJazzNational Endowment for the Artsnational endowment for the humanitiesStories By DateFull Monthly Archive Posted at 12:21 PM ET, 03/19/2012TheWashingtonPostBy Mark S. Luckie

Spring is here! Tuesday marks the official first day of spring and signs of the season can already be seen around the country. The grass is growing, the sun is shining and in D.C., the cherry blossoms are blooming.

We want you to share your spring photos through the popular iPhone app Instagram by including the hashtag #springscape in your photo caption. Whether you’re going for a stroll through the park or enjoying a sweet treat under the cool spring sun, we want you to capture the moment in a photo.

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