Integrative Medicine Leaders Foresee Increased Regulation of Supplements

Grassroots pressure forced Sens. John McCain and Byron Dorgan to withdraw their bill to tighten supplement industry regulation. But leaders in the field say the war has only just begun. Rep. Henry Waxman, an outspoken critic of supplements, has written language in the Wall Street Reform bill that would give the Federal Trade Commission new authority over the industry. Meanwhile Rep. Ron Paul is pushing bills that would curb federal power over health information.

 

 

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FDA to Docs: See Something? Say Something!

A new program from the Food & Drug Administration is calling on physicians to report about misleading messages from pharmaceutical company reps, especially during private "detailing" visits.

 

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New FDA Data Underscore Supplement Safety & Fast Action When Problems Arise

The first wave of data from FDA's new Adverse Events Reporting System for dietary supplements shows two important things: The system works, enabling the FDA to act quickly when there's evidence of life-threatening side effects; and serious adverse events are rare given how widely supplements are used.

 

 

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Naturopathic Medicine, Prescribing Rights & The Hard Road to a Better Health Care System

Last year, Hawaii naturopaths won a major victory when the state legislature expanded their independent prescribing authority. No sooner had the ink dried then the Hawaii Medical Assocation, with blessings from the AMA, sought to repeal the new law. The opposition is troubling given the dire shortage of primary care MDs in Hawaii and many other states.
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Primary Care Gains, While Specialists Feel Recession’s Bite

While it’s hardly a boom time, primary care groups showed slight to significant gains in total revenue during the first year of the recession, while most specialist groups showed losses.

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New Survey Shows Physicians Groups Prefer Medicare to Privates

Doctors may not exactly love Medicare, but a new survey shows they prefer it to the big private insurance plans when it comes to matters like payer communications, contract negotiation, payment processing, and overall satisfaction. [ ...Login to Read More]

Heal Thy Practice 2010: Platforms for Preventive Health Care

For too many physicians, primary care practice feels like a shoe that just doesn’t fit. Like bewitched sisters in the children’s story, Cinderella, they’re cutting off parts of their feet in order to fit the shoes they believe they must wear.

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Corporate Wellness Programs Help Employees But Leave Doctors in the Dark

The nation’s big corporations are going to great lengths to get employees to exercise, lose weight, eat better and quit smoking. But all-too-often these corporate wellness programs don’t engage employees' physicians.

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Institute of Medicine's Summit on Integrative Medicine: Revolution! Reform! Reimbursement?

Revolution and reform were major themes at the Institute of Medicine's historic Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Public Health. But it's another "R" word reimbursement that will determine what a reformed, integrated system will really deliver. IOM delegates called for a radical shift toward prevention and "wellness" but no one is sure how that transformation will be financed.

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Natural Medicine & Healthcare Reform: Taking Our Places, Raising Our Voices

Health policy experts are concerned that health care reform efforts could be stymied by a severe lack of primary care doctors. The problem could be attenuated if those presiding over reform would allow the thousands of licensed or license-eligible naturopaths and other holistic non-MD practitioners help to shape and then participate in a reformed health care system.

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