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An Uncontrollable Urge
Restless Legs Syndrome Continues to Confound Neurologists
Perhaps nothing is more frustrating to a medical scientist than an idiopathic diagnosis. Even when physicians have tools to treat the symptoms of a disorder, not knowing the cause can make it a tedious undertaking.
The phenomenon of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) continues to perplex in that way, but increased awareness and pharmaceuticals are providing more relief than ever to those who suffer from this unpleasant neurological disorder.
J.L. WEBB |
AAN Chief Says Neurology Promises Perpetual Horizon for Discoveries
TAMPA — As president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Dr. Stephen Sergay leads the world’s largest group of neurologists at 20,000 members strong. But when he’s in his clinic in Tampa, Fla., there’s only one individual on his mind — the patient sitting in front of him.
LUCY SCHULTZE |
Cardiology Consultations
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the #1 killer of women, surpassing all cancers combined. In many countries, including the United States, more women than men die every year of CVD, and overall outcomes for women with coronary disease are worse than for men. In particular, 38 percent of women versus 24 percent of men, die within one year of their first coronary event, reminding us of the need for aggressive risk modification and early disease detection in women.
DR. LINDA JAFFE |
Florida Hospital Cath Lab Goes 24/7
Expanded Hours Marks Milestone for Central Florida
Cardiologists at Florida Hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab in Orlando know exactly how much their work matters by the number of lives they save.
The lab performs about 750 emergency angioplasties a year, let alone the thousands of other catheter-based interventions and non-emergent balloon angioplasties, where a balloon is placed to open a blocked coronary artery.
DAVID ROSENFELD |
Medical Missions
Dr. Kantilal Bhalani Celebrates Seven Years of Charitable Work
Dr. Kantilal Bhalani first got the idea to organize charitable medical missions around the globe from his son who volunteered at a Leprosy camp in Bangor, India in 1999. “Sometimes father teaches the son, but in this case it was the son who taught me,” Bhalani said. “He was a bright student. But when he put that on the resume, it opened up the eyes of every medical school admissions department he applied to.
DAVID ROSENFELD |
MS Drug Trial Brings Hope
St. Petersburg Doc has Three Patients in Trial Program
For Cathy Gregory, who suffers from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the benefit of the drug trial she’s enrolled in may represent more hope for others than herself. And that’s all right with her.
“I can’t turn back time for myself,” said Gregory, whose MS has progressed to the point where she’s wheelchair-bound and has difficulty performing simple tasks.
DAVID ROSENFELD |
Nemours, Area Hospitals Reach Agreement
New Children’s Hospital Due in 2012
The backroom bargaining between Nemours Foundation officials and the leaders of both Orlando Regional Healthcare and Florida Hospital finally became public in February when state regulators announced they had approved a deal to officially pave the way for a new Nemours Children’s Hospital in Lake Nona.
After six months of on-again, off-again negotiations — and nearly three years since Nemours first submitted an application to the state — the hospital goliaths had reached an agreement.
DAVID ROSENFELD |
The Second Wave
Keeping Your Corporate Compliance Program in Action
In a recent continuing education class, a student volunteered that nurses in the hospital-based home health agency for which she worked routinely upcoded home care visits. This was necessary, she explained, to compensate for the low level of reimbursement for the correct code. While she recognized that it probably wasn’t proper, she was unaware that she was describing criminal conduct that could expose the nurses and their employer to severe penalties.
VANESSA A. REYNOLDS |
Financial Planning for Physicians
Remember during “Star Trek” episodes when Spock would raise his hand, separate his fingers and wish his colleagues an “uneventful trip”? Physicians should set that same goal for themselves when planning their financial future.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. Richard Bragg
By day, Dr. Richard Bragg cares for the veins of patients throughout Central Florida. By night, he takes care of Seminole County Medical Society business matters, his family, and occasionally, his hand — as in a game of Texas hold ‘em.
STEPHANIE DOYLE |
Dr. Richard T. Benson |
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Stopping Strokes
An Aggressive Push for Primary and Secondary Prevention
We all know the stats. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the number one cause of disability. The southeastern United States is known as “The Stroke Belt.” Approximately 780,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year — on average, that’s one stroke every 45 seconds. About every three minutes, someone dies of stroke.
CINDY SANDERS |
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