| Government restrictions on weight loss surgeries limit access for poor, underinsured patients
DALLAS � Oct. 30, 2007 � Thresholds limiting bariatric surgeries to high-volume centers disproportionately restrict access for poor and underinsured patients, populations which are among the most in need of them, an analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. Government-imposed restrictions currently mandate a 125-case annual threshold for facilities permitted to perform bariatric surgeries under Medicare and Medicaid because some studies have identified better outcomes for centers performing large volumes of bariatric surgeries. But most bariatric surgeries for the poor � about 60 percent � are performed in low-volume centers. �Restricting surgeries to high-volume centers has the effect of limiting bariatric surgery as an option for many poor and underinsured who rely on Medicare and Medicaid,� said Dr.
Hurley Medical Center Enhances Customer Service Capabilities With Beryl Partnership
Hurley Medical Center, a 443-bed hospital, announced today that it will expand its physician referral and class registration services so they will be available over the phone and online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The medical center has selected The Beryl Companies, the nation's leading healthcare-exclusive customer interaction center, as its partner to provide these online and telephone customer services. .
dallasnews.com | Your Health Matters
Bariatric surgeon Wade N. Barker, M.D. and his experienced staff are committed to helping patients take control of their health and improve their lives through weight loss. For obese patients who have been unable to reach a healthy weight through diet and exercise, we offer two highly effective weight loss surgery options: LAPAROSCOPIC GASTRIC BYPASS surgery and LAP BAND® surgery.Both have helped innumerable men and women achievedramatic, long-term results[+more] Vision Correction Surgery Since 1987, noted cornea specialist William A. Boothe, M.D., has brought the world into focus with more than 82,000 LASIK laser vision correction procedures. Dr. Boothe also continues to be the busiest IntraLASIK surgeon in the world, having now performed over 44,000 IntraLASIK procedures.
In Memoriam: Remembering John Henry
Our readers share their memories... Garland, TX
My wife and I visited John at the Ky. Horse Park just this last month. I always admired the grit and determination that made him what he was. You couldn't be around John for very long without feeling that he wanted to communicate something; that he wanted something from you, from everyone who came by and stopped to say hello and couldn't understand what it was. Perhaps it was just the adulation. He was a legend and he seemed to know it. Perhaps he always knew it. Holbrook, New York
I was planning a trip to the Horse Park but knew John's time was short. We didn't make it to see him, but the memories I have of watching him perform are burned indelibly in my mind. Often when I need a lift, I watch one of his performances and it makes me try harder.
Patients find success with lap band surgery
(MEMPHIS-11/7/07)-There is no question we're losing the battle of the bulge. The CDC say two thirds of American adults are now overweight. And some looking for their inner thinness are going to the extreme and choosing surgery to shed the pounds.
The laparoscopic gastric band or lap band surgery is the less expensive, less invasive alternative to the gastric bypass surgery. And patients we talked to who opted for the lap band surgery say it wasn't just about shedding the pounds, but prolonging their lives.
Sandra Carmichiel, Lisa Richardson and Donna Schmitz are all eating better these days.
And now the sisters also have a secret weapon that is helping them battle the bulge.
Back in August all three underwent the lap band surgery at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Roy Exum: My 10 Picks – Week 11
There is an ancient saying that goes, �The bones remember and the blood never forgets.� It is a fancy precursor to the more modern version, �What goes around comes around.�
So when the Notre Dame football team tripped once more last weekend, losing to Navy for the first time in over 40 seasons and falling to 1-8 overall in what is fast becoming the worst season in its oft-hallowed history, I thought again of my boy �Doogie.�
I know, I shouldn�t be like this, but right after I hired Steven Hargis as a sports writer, he was so innocent � and bumbling � his fellow writers immediately tagged him with the nickname of an innocent and bumbling TV sitcom star of the day.
Well, he�s since become a terrific writer while I�ve drifted away, but I keep up with him and one day his editors dispatched him to Dalton where the �legendary� Charlie Weis was giving a talk to a huge gathering of the Notre Dame fans.
PlasticSurgeryResource.com Launches with In-Depth Information on Top Cosmetic Procedures
PlasticSurgeryResource.com, a news and cosmetic procedure website, provides in-depth information on top surgeries and treatments including breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, and Botox injections as well as covering up-to-date developments in the field. The site is intended to serve as a factual resource for individuals considering a wide range of cosmetic procedure options. (PRWEB) November 7, 2007 -- With more than 16 million Americans electing to undergo some form of cosmetic work each year, PlasticSurgeryResource.com serves to provide multiple levels of data on each procedure while tracking the latest developments in the field of cosmetic medicine. Relying on a full staff of writers and researchers, PlasticSurgeryResource.com has compiled material and articles on such popular procedures as breast augmentation and reduction, tummy tucks, gastric bypass, liposuction, rhinoplasty, face lifts, and Botox injections.
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