Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has been honored with an award for operational excellence by the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). The honor recognizes the hospital's Breast Cancer Diagnostic Process Improvement, a successful multidisciplinary effort to significantly reduce wait times between suspicious findings in screening or diagnostic mammography, biopsy and diagnosis.
"The time between abnormal mammogram and breast biopsy is extremely stressful for patients, regardless of the ultimate diagnosis," said Judy Herstine, administrator of women's cancer services at Magee. "But as a result of this new service, women whose mammography findings are suspicious often can get their full diagnostic evaluation completed on the same day, including a breast biopsy."
Nationally, the average wait time between an abnormal screening result and follow-up diagnostic mammogram is 20 days. Likewise, the national average wait time for scheduling a biopsy procedure once diagnostic mammogram indicates it is necessary is 19 days. Magee has been able to dramatically shorten wait times between abnormal screening and diagnostic follow-up mammogram, and provide same-day biopsy scheduling in many cases after identification of a suspicious mass. This accomplishment is the result of diligent work by a task force made up of radiologists, surgeons, administrators, technologists, nursing staff and patients to reorganize and streamline hospital procedures.
"The quality of the patient experience is extremely important to us," said hospital President Leslie C. Davis. "Receiving this award for operational excellence from HAP is yet another indication of why Magee-Womens Hospital has long been known as the region's premier health care resource for women."
Each year, HAP honors the innovation, creativity and commitment to patient care of Pennsylvania's hospitals and health systems through the HAP Achievement Awards, which showcase and share member hospital and health system innovations and best practices in a variety of areas. Sixteen winners were selected from 100 entries in 2008. Magee's award will be conferred at a meeting of the hospital's Board of Directors on July 14.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
вторник, 20 марта 2012 г.
вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.
Cedars-Sinai Endocrine Researchers Discuss Gene That May Be Linked To Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Researchers in endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center made several presentations at the annual meetings of two medical organizations - the Androgen Excess Society and the Endocrine Society.
One key topic was a gene that appears to play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women.
Women with PCOS have many small cysts on the periphery of the ovaries and suffer from symptoms that include menstrual irregularities, excess weight, skin problems and an excess of male-type hair growth called hirsutism. These women also are often found to have insulin resistance, a condition that allows high levels of insulin to circulate in the blood, which increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
PCOS also is associated with excessive levels of androgens - "male" hormones that normally exist at low levels in women. The effects on androgen production by hormones secreted by fat tissue (adipokines) are being studied at Cedars-Sinai, and several researchers will present related findings at the meetings. Researchers also will present preliminary evidence that the level of androgens produced by the adrenal glands of pre-adolescent girls may serve as markers of the risk of PCOS.
Ricardo Azziz, M.D., chairman of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will open the Androgen Excess Society meeting with a brief history of the study of androgen excess disorders. He is one of the founders of the organization and its executive director. He also serves as director of Cedars-Sinai's Center for Androgen Related Disorders (CARD), which offers in-depth testing, comprehensive treatments and support, and research into molecular mechanisms and future therapies for PCOS, androgen excess and related disorders.
Among the Endocrine Society sessions presented by Cedars-Sinai researchers:
* AKT2: First Evidence of Genetic Association with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome;
* Adipokine Regulation of Ovarian Theca Cell Androgen Production;
* Are Adrenal Androgens in Pre-Adolescent Girls Markers of Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)";
* Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Inflammation: Adipokine Secretion by Adipocytes and Regulation by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines;
* Circulating Adipokines, Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Young Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS);
The first in Southern California and one of only 10 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additional information is available at cedars-sinai.edu/
Contact: Sandy Van
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
One key topic was a gene that appears to play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women.
Women with PCOS have many small cysts on the periphery of the ovaries and suffer from symptoms that include menstrual irregularities, excess weight, skin problems and an excess of male-type hair growth called hirsutism. These women also are often found to have insulin resistance, a condition that allows high levels of insulin to circulate in the blood, which increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
PCOS also is associated with excessive levels of androgens - "male" hormones that normally exist at low levels in women. The effects on androgen production by hormones secreted by fat tissue (adipokines) are being studied at Cedars-Sinai, and several researchers will present related findings at the meetings. Researchers also will present preliminary evidence that the level of androgens produced by the adrenal glands of pre-adolescent girls may serve as markers of the risk of PCOS.
Ricardo Azziz, M.D., chairman of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will open the Androgen Excess Society meeting with a brief history of the study of androgen excess disorders. He is one of the founders of the organization and its executive director. He also serves as director of Cedars-Sinai's Center for Androgen Related Disorders (CARD), which offers in-depth testing, comprehensive treatments and support, and research into molecular mechanisms and future therapies for PCOS, androgen excess and related disorders.
Among the Endocrine Society sessions presented by Cedars-Sinai researchers:
* AKT2: First Evidence of Genetic Association with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome;
* Adipokine Regulation of Ovarian Theca Cell Androgen Production;
* Are Adrenal Androgens in Pre-Adolescent Girls Markers of Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)";
* Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Inflammation: Adipokine Secretion by Adipocytes and Regulation by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines;
* Circulating Adipokines, Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Young Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS);
The first in Southern California and one of only 10 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additional information is available at cedars-sinai.edu/
Contact: Sandy Van
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
вторник, 6 марта 2012 г.
German, Cameroonian Advocacy Groups Launch 'Breast Ironing' Awareness Campaign
The German cooperation agency GTZ and the Cameroonian nongovernmental organization Network of Aunties, which supports young women with children, have launched a campaign warning that the practice of "breast ironing" can stunt girls' natural development and is dangerous and ineffective, IRIN News reports.
According to IRIN News, breast ironing involves massaging breasts of young girls with a stone, hammer or heated spatula to make them disappear and prevent sexual advances of boys and men (IRIN News, 8/27). People who perform the practice in Cameroon could go to jail for up to three years if a physician determines the breasts have been damaged (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/26/06). However, about 24% of girls in Cameroon have had their breasts ironed, including up to 53% of girls in the coastal Littoral province, a recent GTZ survey found. According to the survey, about 3.8 million young girls are at risk of undergoing the practice.
Flavien Ndonko, an anthropologist with GTZ's German-Cameroon HIV/AIDS health program, said that the practice has negative health consequences and is ineffective as a form of sex education. Many young girls and women with children have said they had their breasts ironed, which "clearly proves" that the practice does not work as pregnancy prevention, Ndonko said. According to IRIN News, girls and women ages 13 to 25 account for one-third of unintended pregnancies in the country.
Ndonko said that because parents are often uncomfortable discussing sex with their children, they "prefer to get rid of the bodily signs of sexuality." Because sex is not discussed openly, girls often are unaware of how to prevent pregnancy, or HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Bessem Arrey Ebanga Bisong, executive secretary of Network of Aunties, said. GTZ and Network of Aunties' breast ironing awareness campaign has generated discussion about the practice, Ndonko said. "This is a good way to resolve the problem: people talk about it and ask why it is being done," she said, adding, "As there is no way to justify [the practice] ... hopefully, they will stop doing it" (IRIN News, 8/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
According to IRIN News, breast ironing involves massaging breasts of young girls with a stone, hammer or heated spatula to make them disappear and prevent sexual advances of boys and men (IRIN News, 8/27). People who perform the practice in Cameroon could go to jail for up to three years if a physician determines the breasts have been damaged (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/26/06). However, about 24% of girls in Cameroon have had their breasts ironed, including up to 53% of girls in the coastal Littoral province, a recent GTZ survey found. According to the survey, about 3.8 million young girls are at risk of undergoing the practice.
Flavien Ndonko, an anthropologist with GTZ's German-Cameroon HIV/AIDS health program, said that the practice has negative health consequences and is ineffective as a form of sex education. Many young girls and women with children have said they had their breasts ironed, which "clearly proves" that the practice does not work as pregnancy prevention, Ndonko said. According to IRIN News, girls and women ages 13 to 25 account for one-third of unintended pregnancies in the country.
Ndonko said that because parents are often uncomfortable discussing sex with their children, they "prefer to get rid of the bodily signs of sexuality." Because sex is not discussed openly, girls often are unaware of how to prevent pregnancy, or HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Bessem Arrey Ebanga Bisong, executive secretary of Network of Aunties, said. GTZ and Network of Aunties' breast ironing awareness campaign has generated discussion about the practice, Ndonko said. "This is a good way to resolve the problem: people talk about it and ask why it is being done," she said, adding, "As there is no way to justify [the practice] ... hopefully, they will stop doing it" (IRIN News, 8/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 28 февраля 2012 г.
NARAL Pro-Choice America Releases National Status Report On Women's Reproductive Rights In U.S.
NARAL Pro-Choice America earlier this month released its 16th annual "Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States" report, issuing failing grades to 19 states for enacting legislation to restrict access to abortion and other reproductive health services, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to the report, 13 states received a A+, A or A- grade; four states received a B+, B or B- grade; six states were given a C+, C or C-; and nine states were given a D+, D or D- (CQ HealthBeat, 1/30). California and Washington were the only states to receive an A+, while Louisiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania rated worst (Ms. Magazine, 1/19). According to a NARAL Pro-Choice America release, state legislatures in 2006 considered 470 measures that favored abortion rights and 650 measures that restricted abortion rights, a 6% increase from 2005 (NARAL Pro-Choice America release, 1/19). According to the report, 21 states enacted 56 abortion-rights measures -- nine of which emphasized pregnancy prevention (Ms. Magazine, 1/19). Seventeen states enacted 45 measures that restrict abortion rights, a 22% decrease from 2005. The report includes a section on federal legislation, along with new political findings and a "year in review." Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, "Events in 2006 have altered the future political landscape for choice. On Nov. 7 Americans reaffirmed their commitment to a woman's right to choose by electing pro-choice candidates and defeating anti-choice ballot measures across the country." She added, "One election cycle cannot change everything, but ... by working together and acting on our values, we can lay the foundation for a future in which privacy and freedom are protected" (NARAL Pro-Choice America release, 1/19).
The report is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
The report is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 21 февраля 2012 г.
Early Detection Remains Key In Updated NCCN Guidelines For Ovarian Cancer
Improvements in screening and early detection remains the key for women with ovarian cancer according to Robert J. Morgan, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Ovarian Cancer. Dr. Morgan discussed the future of ovarian cancer and notable changes to the recently updated NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for Ovarian Cancer at the NCCN Annual Conference on Saturday, March 14.
Dr. Morgan began by explaining that the major challenge in treating ovarian cancer is that by the time the majority of patients (70 percent) are diagnosed with the disease, it has already progressed to stage III or IV. "We have not yet found a good way to screen the general population or even the high-risk population of women for ovarian cancer," he said.
New to the NCCN Guidelines is a section on the management of allergic reactions in patients receiving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Dr. Morgan explained the need for this section as ovarian cancer tends to respond to the same treatment repeatedly. Combined with the fact that recurrence rates of ovarian cancer are high, this can result in patients often being retreated with the same chemotherapeutic agent. Given that virtually all chemotherapy drugs have the potential to cause infusion reactions, including agents commonly used in ovarian cancer, the NCCN Guidelines Panel felt it was important to provide information on allergic reactions and recommendations on desensitization regimens.
"Most patients experiencing allergic reactions are able to be desensitized allowing for continued chemotherapeutic treatment, which is vital to the management of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Morgan.
Also new to the updated NCCN Guidelines is the addition of new agents for recurrence therapy, most notably pemetrexed (Alimta(R), Eli Lilly and Company) as well as recommendations for therapies based on the timing of recurrence.
"Seventy-five to 80 percent of patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer will experience recurrence and this recurrence can occur at any time - during treatment, within 6 months of completing treatment, or more than a year after completing treatment," Dr. Morgan noted. "In the updated NCCN Guidelines, we differentiated appropriate therapy for recurrence based upon the time frame on which it occurs."
Additionally, Dr. Morgan referred to a clinical trial suggesting that pemetrexed is active in recurrent ovarian cancer, to support the new recommendation in the updated NCCN Guidelines.
Dr. Morgan described new updates to the Principles of Primary Surgery section in the updated NCCN Guidelines that included the recommendation to consider completion surgery for patients responsive to chemotherapy with initially unresectable residual disease, as well as recommendations relating to special circumstances including minimally-invasive procedures, and fertility sparing procedures.
Dr. Morgan also discussed recent clinical studies conducted abroad that studied the effect of chemotherapy as an up-front therapy in patients with ovarian cancer, and concluded that "in the United States, up-front debulking surgery remains the recommendation for the best overall survival."
Another addition to the updated NCCN Guidelines is a section on the Principles of Chemotherapy. This section emphasizes the encouragement of patients participating in clinical trials during all aspects of their treatment course as well as noting that patients with newly diagnosed tumors should be informed about the different options available, particularly IV vs. IV/IP chemotherapy and the risks and benefits of each regimen.
"The future of ovarian cancer lies in early detection and improvements in screening," Dr. Morgan noted as he discussed potential biomarkers for the detection, prediction and prognostication of ovarian cancer.
He concluded that steady progress is being made in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but further trials are necessary to investigate the role of targeted agents alone and in combination in newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian cancer. Finally, he again stressed the need for physicians to encourage their patients to participate in clinical trials.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
For more information on NCCN, please visit nccn.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
nccn
Dr. Morgan began by explaining that the major challenge in treating ovarian cancer is that by the time the majority of patients (70 percent) are diagnosed with the disease, it has already progressed to stage III or IV. "We have not yet found a good way to screen the general population or even the high-risk population of women for ovarian cancer," he said.
New to the NCCN Guidelines is a section on the management of allergic reactions in patients receiving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Dr. Morgan explained the need for this section as ovarian cancer tends to respond to the same treatment repeatedly. Combined with the fact that recurrence rates of ovarian cancer are high, this can result in patients often being retreated with the same chemotherapeutic agent. Given that virtually all chemotherapy drugs have the potential to cause infusion reactions, including agents commonly used in ovarian cancer, the NCCN Guidelines Panel felt it was important to provide information on allergic reactions and recommendations on desensitization regimens.
"Most patients experiencing allergic reactions are able to be desensitized allowing for continued chemotherapeutic treatment, which is vital to the management of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Morgan.
Also new to the updated NCCN Guidelines is the addition of new agents for recurrence therapy, most notably pemetrexed (Alimta(R), Eli Lilly and Company) as well as recommendations for therapies based on the timing of recurrence.
"Seventy-five to 80 percent of patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer will experience recurrence and this recurrence can occur at any time - during treatment, within 6 months of completing treatment, or more than a year after completing treatment," Dr. Morgan noted. "In the updated NCCN Guidelines, we differentiated appropriate therapy for recurrence based upon the time frame on which it occurs."
Additionally, Dr. Morgan referred to a clinical trial suggesting that pemetrexed is active in recurrent ovarian cancer, to support the new recommendation in the updated NCCN Guidelines.
Dr. Morgan described new updates to the Principles of Primary Surgery section in the updated NCCN Guidelines that included the recommendation to consider completion surgery for patients responsive to chemotherapy with initially unresectable residual disease, as well as recommendations relating to special circumstances including minimally-invasive procedures, and fertility sparing procedures.
Dr. Morgan also discussed recent clinical studies conducted abroad that studied the effect of chemotherapy as an up-front therapy in patients with ovarian cancer, and concluded that "in the United States, up-front debulking surgery remains the recommendation for the best overall survival."
Another addition to the updated NCCN Guidelines is a section on the Principles of Chemotherapy. This section emphasizes the encouragement of patients participating in clinical trials during all aspects of their treatment course as well as noting that patients with newly diagnosed tumors should be informed about the different options available, particularly IV vs. IV/IP chemotherapy and the risks and benefits of each regimen.
"The future of ovarian cancer lies in early detection and improvements in screening," Dr. Morgan noted as he discussed potential biomarkers for the detection, prediction and prognostication of ovarian cancer.
He concluded that steady progress is being made in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but further trials are necessary to investigate the role of targeted agents alone and in combination in newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian cancer. Finally, he again stressed the need for physicians to encourage their patients to participate in clinical trials.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
For more information on NCCN, please visit nccn.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
nccn
вторник, 14 февраля 2012 г.
Idaho Senate Bill Would Allow Providers To Refuse Health Services Based On Beliefs
Two Idaho state senators -- Russell Fulcher (R) and Chuck Winder (R) -- have introduced a bill (SB 1270) that would legally exempt physicians, nurses and other health professionals from providing medical care or services that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, the Idaho Statesman reports. Although the bill was prepared for a public hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee, its sponsors are revising it to address concerns from groups representing trial lawyers, physicians and hospitals.
The bill cites a list of specific practices and procedures -- including abortion, embryonic stem cell research, embryo cloning and dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs -- that could potentially clash with a provider's values. The bill does not specify which drugs would be classified as abortifacients, though Fulcher said it is not intended to cover contraceptives. He said, "There are legal definitions and medical definitions for the same word, and they don't necessarily line up."
According to the Statesman, the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association expressed concern about the provision that would shield health workers from legal liability for their decisions. The association considers the provision an infringement on patients' rights to legal action, but Fulcher said it was meant to cover the employee-employer relationship and not patients' rights. He added that he hopes to deliver the revised bill to the committee by next week (Lamay, Idaho Statesman, 2/2).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2010 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
вторник, 7 февраля 2012 г.
Kansas AG Kline Receives Late-Term Abortion Records
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (R) -- who is running for re-election in November against Johnson County, Kan., District Attorney Paul Morrison (D) -- on Tuesday said his office received the records of 90 women and girls who in 2003 underwent late-term abortions at two clinics and will begin reviewing them for evidence of possible crimes, the AP/Kansas City Star reports (Hanna, AP/Kansas City Star, 11/1). Kline in 2004 subpoenaed the records of the women and girls who received late-term abortions at Comprehensive Health, which is operated by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri in Overland Park, Kan., and Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, Kan., saying there is probable cause that each record contains evidence of a felony. The original subpoena asked that the records include each patient's name, medical history, birth control practices, psychological profile and sexual history and asked for the records of all women and girls who sought abortions at or after 22 weeks' gestation. The clinics in March 2005 filed a brief with the state Supreme Court requesting that the court block Kline's subpoena, and the court in February ruled that Kline can seek access to the records but that he must return to Shawnee County, Kan., District Court and present his reasons for seeking the subpoenas (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/4). The records -- which were turned over Oct. 24 by Shawnee County District Court Judge Richard Anderson and do not include information that would identify individuals -- are being reviewed "by criminal investigators and criminal prosecutors," Kline said. According to Kline, the targets of the investigations are sex offenders, rapists and physicians who performed, or provided a second opinion for, a late-term abortion or who failed to report child abuse. Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney representing one of the clinics, said, "Nothing whatsoever in those records supports the proposition that our clients have violated the law." He added, "What [Kline] now has in his hands are facts regarding procedures, not identifications of individuals receiving those procedures. Those facts do not justify Mr. Kline's involvement in any further criminal action -- none whatsoever" (AP/Kansas City Star, 11/1).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
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