Buyer Beware
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery is warning consumers to be careful when undergoing cosmetic procedures. And the group is asking physicians to talk to their patients about the risks of invasive cosmetic procedures performed by practitioners without the proper training. "It is our responsibility to protect consumers from the unfortunate proliferation of nonphysician providers who typically don't have the necessary medical training and qualifications to diagnose the condition, perform the procedure, and adequately handle complications when they occur," said ASDS President Rhoda S. Narins, M.D. An ASDS member survey from 2002 showed that 41% of respondents said they had seen a significant increase in the number of patients seeking corrective treatment for damage caused by untrained practitioners. ASDS advises consumers to make sure a physician is on site, to check out the physician's credentials, to be sure a medical history is taken, to insist on having an initial evaluation with a dermatologic surgeon, and to discuss pain management options to avoid risks of general anesthesia.
A Spot in the Shade
The American Academy of Dermatology is providing seven grants to nonprofit organizations that build permanent shade structures over outdoor locations such as playgrounds, pools, and eating areas. "As the number of hours people spend outdoors participating in leisure activities continues to rise and as dermatologists note an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with skin cancer, it has never been more important to offer protection from the dangerous rays of the sun," said AAD President Boni E. Elewski, M.D. The academy estimates more than 95,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed last year, up 4% from 2003. The grantees were chosen from 95 applications and the projects that were selected are expected to affect more than 3,500 people each day. For more information on the grants, visit
New Surgical Marker
The Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing a first-of-its-kind external surgical marker that could minimize the potential for wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient surgeries. The device uses radio frequency identification technology to mark an area of the patient's body for surgery. The patient's name and surgical site are printed on the tag and the inside of the tag is encoded with the date of the surgery, the type of procedure, and the name of the surgeon. Here's how it will work: The tag would be scanned with a desktop reader for confirmation by the patient and placed in the patient's file. On the day of the surgery, the tag would be scanned again and verified by the patient. Then, the tag, which has an adhesive backing, would be affixed to the patient's body near the surgical site. Once in the operating room, the tag would be scanned and verified again. The system is manufactured by SurgiChip Inc.
Retiree Health Benefits
It's still too early to say what the impact of the 2006 Medicare prescription drug benefit will be on retiree health benefits, Jon Gabel, vice president for health systems studies at the Health Research and Educational Trust told the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission at a recent meeting. Mr. Gabel said that in recent conversations with employers, most say that they don't know how they will adjust retiree health benefits based on the coming benefit. An HRET survey conducted a few months after the passage of the Medicare Modernization Act showed that only about 1% of retirees from firms with 200 or more workers would lose all their health benefits. The majority of retirees currently receiving benefits would continue to receive both health and drug benefits either through Medicare-subsidized employer plans or from employer-sponsored benefits that wrap around the Medicare Part D coverage. "There's a great deal of uncertainty," Mr. Gabel said.
Anthem-WellPoint Merger Finalized
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has approved the $16.4 billion merger of Anthem Inc., a for-profit BlueCross BlueShield subsidiary with plans in nine states, with WellPoint Health Networks, a Blues plan serving California and several other states. Mr. Garamendi approved the plan only after Anthem agreed to modify it to guarantee that the merger will not result in increased premiums for WellPoint customers. The agreement also calls for a $35 million contribution to health care clinics in underserved communities in the state, and another $200 million for health care in underserved communities.
Medicare Settlement
Temple University Physicians has agreed to pay more than $1.8 million to settle civil charges arising from an investigation into its Medicare Part B billing practices. The Department of Health and Human Services audited Medicare Part B claims submitted by the group between July 1995 and July 1996 and concluded that the group lacked sufficient documentation to support some claims, and that some claims represented a greater level of service than was actually provided. "This settlement … is intended to correct improper past behavior and to ensure that the physician submitting the claim to Medicare actually rendered the service," Patrick L. Meehan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said in a statement on behalf of HHS. The physician group denies the government's allegations and any liability relating to them.