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By Jan D. Zieren, DO, MPH, FACOFP
dist.
April 29, 2009
Guidance for Health Professionals on Swine Flu
Clinicians should consider the possibility of swine influenza A virus(H1N1) infections in patients presenting with febrile respiratory illness. If swine flu is suspected, clinicians should consider obtaining an enhanced Specimen Collection for Influenza-like-Illness (ILI) such as an Influenza Rapid screen test or at least a respiratory swab for swine influenza testing and place it in a refrigerator (not a freezer). Once collected, the clinician should contact their state or local health department to facilitate transport and timely diagnosis at a state public health laboratory. For more information visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For prophylactic and therapeutic treatment this strain is resistant to amantadine and rimantidine, but is sensitive to oseltamivir or zanamivir. .
Updates from Washington, D.C.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) sent a letter to President Obama expressing their intent to move health care reform legislation in the Senate last week. Both Chairmen said their committees would consider separate bills in early June, with a final package being consolidated for consideration on the Senate floor. In separate venues, Senator Baucus has stated his hope to have health care reform legislation passed by the Senate prior to August recess. Members of the House of Representatives have set similar timelines for passage of their health care reform package.
Additionally, on April 21, the Senate Finance committee held a roundtable briefing on reforming the health care delivery system. This was the first of three roundtables meant to provide discussion between Senators and representatives of private sector stakeholders. The final two discussions will take place in early May. Topics discussed last week included increasing patients' access to care, incentives to increase access to and the availability of primary care physicians, and patient accountability as a component of health care reform.
FTC Red Flag Rule
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published its Red Flag rule concerning identity theft. Under the rule, financial institutions and creditors are required to develop and implement a written identity theft program to identify, detect, and respond to possible risks of identity theft relevant to them. The original compliance deadline was November 1, 2008.
The FTC extended the deadline to May 1, 2009 after receiving complaints, particularly from the medical community, regarding the definition of creditor.
FTC attorneys have taken the position that physicians are creditors, if they do not require full payment upfront at the time they see patients, but bill patients after the services are rendered. The physician associations have called on the FTC to not apply this rule to the physician community.
In February, the FTC responded to physicians associations in a written letter that the creditor definition does apply to the physician community. The FTC noted that the rule's requirements are risk-based, meaning that the steps covered entities must take to address potential identity theft should be commensurate with the risks they encounter. Therefore, if a physician's practice is at low risk for identity theft, an appropriate program may consist of checking photo identification and having procedures in place in case the physician's office is notified that the patient's identity has been misused.
The AOA recently signed onto a letter with the AMA and other physician associations maintaining the position that the FTC rule should not apply to the physician community. The AOA has compiled a Frequently Asked Questions and Guide to help our members with the red flag rule.
Recall on Dietary Supplements Distributed by Universal ABC Beauty Supply International, Inc.
ABC Beauty Supply and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified consumers and health care professionals of a recall of 34 dietary supplement products. FDA lab analyses identified undeclared sibutramine, an FDA-approved drug, used as an appetite suppressant for weight loss. FDA advises that these products pose a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or stroke. .
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Visit ACOFP's interactive, online job board. ACOFP CareerCenter is your resource for making online employment connections in the fields of osteopathic medicine. To find a job or fill a position, visit ACOFP's Career Center today..
Back to Campus
TOURO-Nevada ACOFP Student Chapter reports that they invited Shawn K. Centers, DO, FACOP to present on "The Approach to treating Autistic Spectrum Disorder." Dr. Centers is a prominent Pediatrician who is the medical director for the Osteopathic Center for Children, which is the clinic Dr. Viola Frymann started and continues to head. Dr. Centers went over the history of Autism, discussed its reclassification as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and taught students how to recognize and deal with Autistic patients.
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