Fiscal-cliff deal revives program that helps rural hospitals dependent on Medicare; 200 in nation, 10 in Kentucky

Even though most of the hospital industry wasn't happy with the fiscal-cliff deal that will only pay half the $30 billion needed to avoid a 27 percent Medicare fee cut for doctors, the deal gave about 200 rural hospitals, including 10 in Kentucky, reason to celebrate. It extends a program that pays hospitals up to several millions of dollars a year because they have fewer than 100 beds, are located in rural areas and have a high percentage of Medicare patients, Phil Galewitz of Kaiser Health News reports.

The Medicare Dependent Hospital Program was created in 1990 and is one of several payment programs designed to help small, rural hospitals deal with financial challenges that larger hospitals don't face. The program is based on the idea that "some rural hospitals have such a high percentage of Medicare patients they are unable to get enough money from higher paying privately insured patients to make up for the lower government reimbursements," health lawyer Eric Zimmerman told Galewitz.

The program has come under scrutiny. Congress allowed it to expire in September 2012, but two senators from New York and Iowa made sure $100 million for the program made it into the budget deal. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission said hospitals in the program will receive about 25 percent higher reimbursements as a result of the funding. (Read more)

The Kentucky hospitals in the program are Clinton County Hospital, Fleming County Hospital, Harrison Memorial Hospital, Jewish Hospital Shelbyville, Logan Memorial Hospital, Monroe County Medical Center, Parkway Regional Hospital in Fulton, Rockcastle Regional Hospital, Taylor Regional Hospital and Westlake Regional Hospital in Columbia. The Appalachian Regional Hospital in Williamson, W.Va., is also considered a Kentucky hospital in the program.

Even though most of the hospital industry wasn't happy with the fiscal-cliff deal that will only pay half the $30 billion needed to avoid a 27 percent Medicare fee cut for doctors, the deal gave about 200 rural hospitals, including 10 in Kentucky, reason to celebrate. It extends a program that pays hospitals up to several millions of dollars a year because they have fewer than 100 beds, are located in rural areas and have a high percentage of Medicare patients, Phil Galewitz of Kaiser Health News reports.

The Medicare Dependent Hospital Program was created in 1990 and is one of several payment programs designed to help small, rural hospitals deal with financial challenges that larger hospitals don't face. The program is based on the idea that "some rural hospitals have such a high percentage of Medicare patients they are unable to get enough money from higher paying privately insured patients to make up for the lower government reimbursements," health lawyer Eric Zimmerman told Galewitz.

The program has come under scrutiny. Congress allowed it to expire in September 2012, but two senators from New York and Iowa made sure $100 million for the program made it into the budget deal. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission said hospitals in the program will receive about 25 percent higher reimbursements as a result of the funding. (Read more)

The Kentucky hospitals in the program are Clinton County Hospital, Fleming County Hospital, Harrison Memorial Hospital, Jewish Hospital Shelbyville, Logan Memorial Hospital, Monroe County Medical Center, Parkway Regional Hospital in Fulton, Rockcastle Regional Hospital, Taylor Regional Hospital and Westlake Regional Hospital in Columbia. The Appalachian Regional Hospital in Williamson, W.Va., is also considered a Kentucky hospital in the program.

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History Exposes Vaccines as Dangerous and Ineffective

HISTORICAL FACTS EXPOSING THE DANGERS AND INEFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINES

• In 1871-1872, England, with 98% of the population aged between 2 and 50 vaccinated against smallpox, it experienced its worst ever smallpox outbreak with 45,000 deaths. During the same period in Germany, with a vaccination rate of 96%, there were over 125,000 deaths from smallpox. ( The Hadwen Documents)

• In Germany, compulsory mass vaccination against diphtheria commenced in 1940 and by 1945 diphtheria cases were up from 40,000 to 250,000. (Don't Get Stuck, Hannah Allen)

• In the USA in 1960, two virologists discovered that both polio vaccines were contaminated with the SV 40 virus which causes cancer in animals as well as changes in human cell tissue cultures. Millions of children had been injected with these vaccines. (Med Jnl of Australia 17/3/1973 p555)

• In 1967, Ghana was declared measles free by the World Health Organisation after 96% of its population was vaccinated. In 1972, Ghana experienced one of its worst measles outbreaks with its highest ever mortality rate. (Dr H Albonico, MMR Vaccine Campaign in Switzerland, March 1990)

• In the UK between 1970 and 1990, over 200,000 cases of whooping cough occurred in fully vaccinated children. (Community Disease Surveillance Centre, UK)

• In the 1970's a tuberculosis vaccine trial in India involving 260,000 people revealed that more cases of TB occurred in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. (The Lancet 12/1/80 p73)

• In 1977, Dr Jonas Salk who developed the first polio vaccine, testified along with other scientists, that mass inoculation against polio was the cause of most polio cases throughout the USA since 1961. (Science 4/4/77 "Abstracts" )

• In 1978, a survey of 30 States in the US revealed that more than half of the children who contracted measles had been adequately vaccinated. (The People's Doctor, Dr R Mendelsohn)

• In 1979, Sweden abandoned the whooping cough vaccine due to its ineffectiveness. Out of 5,140 cases in 1978, it was found that 84% had been vaccinated three times! (BMJ 283:696-697, 1981)

• The February 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 90% of obstetricians and 66% of pediatricians refused to take the rubella vaccine.

• In the USA, the cost of a single DPT shot had risen from 11 cents in 1982 to $11.40 in 1987. The manufacturers of the vaccine were putting aside $8 per shot to cover legal costs and damages they were paying out to parents of brain damaged children and children who died after vaccination. (The Vine, Issue 7, January 1994, Nambour, Qld)

• In Oman between 1988 and 1989, a polio outbreak occurred amongst thousands of fully vaccinated children. The region with the highest attack rate had the highest vaccine coverage. The region with the lowest attack rate had the lowest vaccine coverage. (The Lancet, 21/9/91)

• In 1990, a UK survey involving 598 doctors revealed that over 50% of them refused to have the Hepatitis B vaccine despite belonging to the high risk group urged to be vaccinated. (British Med Jnl, 27/1/1990)

• In 1990, the Journal of the American Medical Association had an article on measles which stated " Although more than 95% of school-aged children in the US are vaccinated against measles, large measles outbreaks continue to occur in schools and most cases in this setting occur among previously vaccinated children." (JAMA, 21/11/90)

• In the USA, from July 1990 to November 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration counted a total of 54,072 adverse reactions following vaccination. The FDA admitted that this number represented only 10% of the real total, because most doctors were refusing to report vaccine injuries. In other words, adverse reactions for this period exceeded half a million! (National Vaccine Information Centre, March 2, 1994)

• In the New England Journal of Medicine July 1994 issue a study found that over 80% of children under 5 years of age who had contracted whooping cough had been fully vaccinated.

• On November 2nd, 2000, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) announced that its members voted at their 57th annual meeting in St Louis to pass a resolution calling for an end to mandatory childhood vaccines. The resolution passed without a single "no" vote. (Report by Michael Devitt)

Life-Changing Care Of Texas            AutoImmune Disease information

From: http://www.vaclib.org/sites/debate/web2.html

HISTORICAL FACTS EXPOSING THE DANGERS AND INEFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINES

• In 1871-1872, England, with 98% of the population aged between 2 and 50 vaccinated against smallpox, it experienced its worst ever smallpox outbreak with 45,000 deaths. During the same period in Germany, with a vaccination rate of 96%, there were over 125,000 deaths from smallpox. ( The Hadwen Documents)

• In Germany, compulsory mass vaccination against diphtheria commenced in 1940 and by 1945 diphtheria cases were up from 40,000 to 250,000. (Don't Get Stuck, Hannah Allen)

• In the USA in 1960, two virologists discovered that both polio vaccines were contaminated with the SV 40 virus which causes cancer in animals as well as changes in human cell tissue cultures. Millions of children had been injected with these vaccines. (Med Jnl of Australia 17/3/1973 p555)

• In 1967, Ghana was declared measles free by the World Health Organisation after 96% of its population was vaccinated. In 1972, Ghana experienced one of its worst measles outbreaks with its highest ever mortality rate. (Dr H Albonico, MMR Vaccine Campaign in Switzerland, March 1990)

• In the UK between 1970 and 1990, over 200,000 cases of whooping cough occurred in fully vaccinated children. (Community Disease Surveillance Centre, UK)

• In the 1970's a tuberculosis vaccine trial in India involving 260,000 people revealed that more cases of TB occurred in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. (The Lancet 12/1/80 p73)

• In 1977, Dr Jonas Salk who developed the first polio vaccine, testified along with other scientists, that mass inoculation against polio was the cause of most polio cases throughout the USA since 1961. (Science 4/4/77 "Abstracts" )

• In 1978, a survey of 30 States in the US revealed that more than half of the children who contracted measles had been adequately vaccinated. (The People's Doctor, Dr R Mendelsohn)

• In 1979, Sweden abandoned the whooping cough vaccine due to its ineffectiveness. Out of 5,140 cases in 1978, it was found that 84% had been vaccinated three times! (BMJ 283:696-697, 1981)

• The February 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 90% of obstetricians and 66% of pediatricians refused to take the rubella vaccine.

• In the USA, the cost of a single DPT shot had risen from 11 cents in 1982 to $11.40 in 1987. The manufacturers of the vaccine were putting aside $8 per shot to cover legal costs and damages they were paying out to parents of brain damaged children and children who died after vaccination. (The Vine, Issue 7, January 1994, Nambour, Qld)

• In Oman between 1988 and 1989, a polio outbreak occurred amongst thousands of fully vaccinated children. The region with the highest attack rate had the highest vaccine coverage. The region with the lowest attack rate had the lowest vaccine coverage. (The Lancet, 21/9/91)

• In 1990, a UK survey involving 598 doctors revealed that over 50% of them refused to have the Hepatitis B vaccine despite belonging to the high risk group urged to be vaccinated. (British Med Jnl, 27/1/1990)

• In 1990, the Journal of the American Medical Association had an article on measles which stated " Although more than 95% of school-aged children in the US are vaccinated against measles, large measles outbreaks continue to occur in schools and most cases in this setting occur among previously vaccinated children." (JAMA, 21/11/90)

• In the USA, from July 1990 to November 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration counted a total of 54,072 adverse reactions following vaccination. The FDA admitted that this number represented only 10% of the real total, because most doctors were refusing to report vaccine injuries. In other words, adverse reactions for this period exceeded half a million! (National Vaccine Information Centre, March 2, 1994)

• In the New England Journal of Medicine July 1994 issue a study found that over 80% of children under 5 years of age who had contracted whooping cough had been fully vaccinated.

• On November 2nd, 2000, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) announced that its members voted at their 57th annual meeting in St Louis to pass a resolution calling for an end to mandatory childhood vaccines. The resolution passed without a single "no" vote. (Report by Michael Devitt)

Life-Changing Care Of Texas            AutoImmune Disease information

From: http://www.vaclib.org/sites/debate/web2.html

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Painkiller epidemic was driven in part by drug makers' financial relationships with researchers who discounted the risks

For almost a decade, medical officials and experts claimed OxyContin rarely posed problems of addiction for patients. The drug's label, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said addiction risks were small. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine also said OxyContin wasn't addictive; so did a study in another journal, which OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma reprinted 10,000 times. Since the drug first hit the market, it has fueled a large-scale swath of prescription pain killer addiction, beginning in Central Appalachia, that has grown into a national epidemic, especially in rural areas.

The epidemic was driven in no small part by doctors' lack of knowledge about OxyContin, which was perpetuated by the drug's manufacturer through false claims that became scientific consensus. But now, "Many in the medical profession have rediscovered the destructive power of opiates," and are calling that consensus into question, Peter Whoriskey of The Washington Post reports. "A closer look at the opioid painkiller binge, in which retail prescriptions have roughly tripled in the past 20 years, shows that the rising sales and addictions were catalyzed by a massive effort by pharmaceutical companies to shape medical opinion and practice."

Doctors were wary of prescribing painkillers to any patient except those with cancer for years. But manufacturers and some pain specialists "helped create a body of scientific research assuaging the long-standing worries about opioids and pushed to expand the use of the drugs in people with chronic pain: bad backs, arthritis, sore knees," Whoriskey reports.

Through an examination of key scientific papers, court documents and FDA records, the Post found that many of the studies claiming OxyContin wasn't addictive were supported by Purdue Pharma. The conclusions those studies reached were sometimes not supported by data, and when the FDA needed to develop an opioid policy, it turned to a panel of doctors who had financial relationships with Purdue Pharma and other drug makers. (Read more)

For almost a decade, medical officials and experts claimed OxyContin rarely posed problems of addiction for patients. The drug's label, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said addiction risks were small. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine also said OxyContin wasn't addictive; so did a study in another journal, which OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma reprinted 10,000 times. Since the drug first hit the market, it has fueled a large-scale swath of prescription pain killer addiction, beginning in Central Appalachia, that has grown into a national epidemic, especially in rural areas.

The epidemic was driven in no small part by doctors' lack of knowledge about OxyContin, which was perpetuated by the drug's manufacturer through false claims that became scientific consensus. But now, "Many in the medical profession have rediscovered the destructive power of opiates," and are calling that consensus into question, Peter Whoriskey of The Washington Post reports. "A closer look at the opioid painkiller binge, in which retail prescriptions have roughly tripled in the past 20 years, shows that the rising sales and addictions were catalyzed by a massive effort by pharmaceutical companies to shape medical opinion and practice."

Doctors were wary of prescribing painkillers to any patient except those with cancer for years. But manufacturers and some pain specialists "helped create a body of scientific research assuaging the long-standing worries about opioids and pushed to expand the use of the drugs in people with chronic pain: bad backs, arthritis, sore knees," Whoriskey reports.

Through an examination of key scientific papers, court documents and FDA records, the Post found that many of the studies claiming OxyContin wasn't addictive were supported by Purdue Pharma. The conclusions those studies reached were sometimes not supported by data, and when the FDA needed to develop an opioid policy, it turned to a panel of doctors who had financial relationships with Purdue Pharma and other drug makers. (Read more)

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U.S. Senator Hitler? Ban all Guns in USA???

 

"U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is a traitor to America. In her own words, she openly explained that her goal was to take away all the guns from "Mr. and Mrs. America." Click here to watch Feinstein's video admission of her total disarmament plan. Astonishingly, Feinstein says in the same video that she carried a concealed weapon to protect her and her family,

http://www.naturalnews.com/038527_Dianne_Feinstein_Alexander_Hamilton_betrayal.html#ixzz2GvNecv96

Senator Hitler?

First the government bans guns, then they round up the masses for concentration camps: History and Today: A Natural News realistic look at our near future in USA

 

Senator Dianne Feinstein posting news about her plan to ban nearly all guns in America!

 

Who’s ready to repeat history? Hitler made everyone register their guns, just before he took them and began mass genocide. That was just 70 years ago, not centuries ago. But every time there’s a school shooting, the mass media reinforces the false need to ban guns, because, of course, guns shoot people all by themselves all the time, not the people who are on psycho meds that make them violent and suicidal.

 

Gun registration ALWAYS leads to gun confiscation:

 

“It would be instructive at this time to recall why the American citizenry and Congress have historically opposed the registration of firearms. The reason is plain. Registration makes it easy for a tyrannical government to confiscate firearms and to make prey of its subjects. Denying this historical fact is no more justified than denying that the Holocaust occurred or that the Nazis murdered millions unarmed people.”

http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/registration_article/registration.html

 

Read your blogs, websites and social networking outreach campaigns. Get your email lists, phone lists and friends lists ready for action.

 

Social media is one of the most powerful communication tools in the world. Television, radio, newspapers, billboards and faxes have nothing on the power of instant social media news, based on current events, attitudes, intellect, and real life. As this new gun confiscation campaign gains momentum in the U.S. Government and lamestream media, it will be the peoples’ job to spread the word of new tyranny and outrage.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream_media   

 

Get ready for the revolution. The Government you think is helping you … is going to take you out like flies. Start spreading the word in your own words, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, Flickr, YouTube, everywhere!

 

Nazis murdered millions of unarmed people:

 

Remember, once the gun registration law is passed, they can simply keep amending the law to confiscate more and more guns, even simple hand guns and hunting rifles. The fraudulent Government is most afraid of a rebellion, so gun control is first and foremost. When the fiscal cliff comes, when inflation comes hard, when most food is toxic, when most medicine is toxic, when supplements are outlawed, when voting machines are all electronic and fixed, when Ron Paul can’t debate because he’s not part of the ruling class, when the rich rob the poor, that’s when it’s time to fight.

 

A pen may be mightier than a sword, but you may want your loaded gun when the MAN comes and kicks in your door to take away another Bill of Right!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038483_Senator_Feinstein_gun_control_registration.html#ixzz2GHHUcJtF

Natural News coverage: Forthcoming gun-owner nationwide registration and fingerprinting: could it be true? When?

“If Sen. Feinstein's outrageous, unconstitutional and freedom-crushing proposal becomes law, it would require all gun owners to register the serial numbers of all their guns with the federal government. They would have to supply fingerprints, undergo a new round of background checks, and somehow get the "permission" of a local police chief or Sheriff who will vouch for them.”

 

Source: http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/assault-weapons

 

Read more about firearm restrictions and the right to bear arms as Natural News reports are ongoing!  http://www.naturalnews.com/index.htmlof

 

 

 

"U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is a traitor to America. In her own words, she openly explained that her goal was to take away all the guns from "Mr. and Mrs. America." Click here to watch Feinstein's video admission of her total disarmament plan. Astonishingly, Feinstein says in the same video that she carried a concealed weapon to protect her and her family,

http://www.naturalnews.com/038527_Dianne_Feinstein_Alexander_Hamilton_betrayal.html#ixzz2GvNecv96

Senator Hitler?

First the government bans guns, then they round up the masses for concentration camps: History and Today: A Natural News realistic look at our near future in USA

 

Senator Dianne Feinstein posting news about her plan to ban nearly all guns in America!

 

Who’s ready to repeat history? Hitler made everyone register their guns, just before he took them and began mass genocide. That was just 70 years ago, not centuries ago. But every time there’s a school shooting, the mass media reinforces the false need to ban guns, because, of course, guns shoot people all by themselves all the time, not the people who are on psycho meds that make them violent and suicidal.

 

Gun registration ALWAYS leads to gun confiscation:

 

“It would be instructive at this time to recall why the American citizenry and Congress have historically opposed the registration of firearms. The reason is plain. Registration makes it easy for a tyrannical government to confiscate firearms and to make prey of its subjects. Denying this historical fact is no more justified than denying that the Holocaust occurred or that the Nazis murdered millions unarmed people.”

http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/registration_article/registration.html

 

Read your blogs, websites and social networking outreach campaigns. Get your email lists, phone lists and friends lists ready for action.

 

Social media is one of the most powerful communication tools in the world. Television, radio, newspapers, billboards and faxes have nothing on the power of instant social media news, based on current events, attitudes, intellect, and real life. As this new gun confiscation campaign gains momentum in the U.S. Government and lamestream media, it will be the peoples’ job to spread the word of new tyranny and outrage.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream_media   

 

Get ready for the revolution. The Government you think is helping you … is going to take you out like flies. Start spreading the word in your own words, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, Flickr, YouTube, everywhere!

 

Nazis murdered millions of unarmed people:

 

Remember, once the gun registration law is passed, they can simply keep amending the law to confiscate more and more guns, even simple hand guns and hunting rifles. The fraudulent Government is most afraid of a rebellion, so gun control is first and foremost. When the fiscal cliff comes, when inflation comes hard, when most food is toxic, when most medicine is toxic, when supplements are outlawed, when voting machines are all electronic and fixed, when Ron Paul can’t debate because he’s not part of the ruling class, when the rich rob the poor, that’s when it’s time to fight.

 

A pen may be mightier than a sword, but you may want your loaded gun when the MAN comes and kicks in your door to take away another Bill of Right!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038483_Senator_Feinstein_gun_control_registration.html#ixzz2GHHUcJtF

Natural News coverage: Forthcoming gun-owner nationwide registration and fingerprinting: could it be true? When?

“If Sen. Feinstein's outrageous, unconstitutional and freedom-crushing proposal becomes law, it would require all gun owners to register the serial numbers of all their guns with the federal government. They would have to supply fingerprints, undergo a new round of background checks, and somehow get the "permission" of a local police chief or Sheriff who will vouch for them.”

 

Source: http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/assault-weapons

 

Read more about firearm restrictions and the right to bear arms as Natural News reports are ongoing!  http://www.naturalnews.com/index.htmlof

 

 

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Diagnosis of feline conjunctivitis

Hillström A, Tvedten H, Källberg M, Hanås S, Lindhe A and Holst BS. Evaluation of cytologic findings in feline conjunctivitis. Vet Clin Pathol. 2012; 41: 283-90.

Conjunctivitis is a common problem in cats. The most common causes of conjunctivitis are infections. Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), Chlamydophila felis (C. felis), and Mycoplasma felis (M. felis) are the most common infectious agents present. PCR analysis has the highest sensitivity along with high specificity and is usually the preferred method for diagnosis. The objectives of this study were to describe the cytological findings in cats with conjunctivitis and compare the findings with the results of PCR analysis for these three main infectious agents. Conjunctival smears from 88 cats with conjunctivitis and 10 healthy control cats were evaluated. 

Infectious agents identified by PCR analysis were FHV-1 in 9 cats, C. felis in 8 cats, and M. felis in 6 cats. All 8 cats that were positive for C. felis by PCR testing had epithelial inclusions interpreted as chlamydial inclusions on conjunctival smears. PCR analysis also detects potential co-infection of C. felis with M. felis and FHV-1. The cytological examination of samples from cats with and without M. felis infections resulted in both false positive and negative diagnoses. Therefore, cytological examination was not a highly specific or sensitive diagnostic test for M. felis infection. Many inflammatory cells were present in conjunctival smears from all cats infected with C. felis. This would support the finding that the absence of inflammation makes the diagnosis of C. felis infection unlikely. When many typical inclusions of C. felis are found, cytological examination can be diagnostic, but not when inclusions are considered “suspicious”. Finding eosinophils in conjunctival smears may be an indication to perform PCR testing for FHV-1. Viral inclusions of FHV-1 were not found in specimens stained with Romanowsky stains. Researchers found the effectiveness of cytologic diagnosis is greatly affected by the quality of the smears. [VT]

See also: Gould D. Feline herpesvirus-1: ocular manifestations, diagnosis and treatment options. J Feline Med Surg. 2011; 13: 333-46.

Related blog articles:
Treatment of feline herpesvirus (Feb 2009)
Pradofloxacin for feline upper respiratory tract disease (March 2008)

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+

Hillström A, Tvedten H, Källberg M, Hanås S, Lindhe A and Holst BS. Evaluation of cytologic findings in feline conjunctivitis. Vet Clin Pathol. 2012; 41: 283-90.

Conjunctivitis is a common problem in cats. The most common causes of conjunctivitis are infections. Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), Chlamydophila felis (C. felis), and Mycoplasma felis (M. felis) are the most common infectious agents present. PCR analysis has the highest sensitivity along with high specificity and is usually the preferred method for diagnosis. The objectives of this study were to describe the cytological findings in cats with conjunctivitis and compare the findings with the results of PCR analysis for these three main infectious agents. Conjunctival smears from 88 cats with conjunctivitis and 10 healthy control cats were evaluated. 

Infectious agents identified by PCR analysis were FHV-1 in 9 cats, C. felis in 8 cats, and M. felis in 6 cats. All 8 cats that were positive for C. felis by PCR testing had epithelial inclusions interpreted as chlamydial inclusions on conjunctival smears. PCR analysis also detects potential co-infection of C. felis with M. felis and FHV-1. The cytological examination of samples from cats with and without M. felis infections resulted in both false positive and negative diagnoses. Therefore, cytological examination was not a highly specific or sensitive diagnostic test for M. felis infection. Many inflammatory cells were present in conjunctival smears from all cats infected with C. felis. This would support the finding that the absence of inflammation makes the diagnosis of C. felis infection unlikely. When many typical inclusions of C. felis are found, cytological examination can be diagnostic, but not when inclusions are considered “suspicious”. Finding eosinophils in conjunctival smears may be an indication to perform PCR testing for FHV-1. Viral inclusions of FHV-1 were not found in specimens stained with Romanowsky stains. Researchers found the effectiveness of cytologic diagnosis is greatly affected by the quality of the smears. [VT]

See also: Gould D. Feline herpesvirus-1: ocular manifestations, diagnosis and treatment options. J Feline Med Surg. 2011; 13: 333-46.

Related blog articles:
Treatment of feline herpesvirus (Feb 2009)
Pradofloxacin for feline upper respiratory tract disease (March 2008)

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Google+

Read More

Health reform drives hospital mergers and affiliations, and makes clinical collaborations more important

Is your community's hospital one of the many rural hospitals considering sale, merger or affiliation with a larger hospital or group of hospitals, all options that are becoming more common, partly due to federal health-care reform? A recent article in HealthLeaders magazine, which examines some of the considerations, may inform your coverage.

Basing decisions on past experiences "is difficult because the creativity surrounding partnerships among hospitals and health systems is expanding rapidly," writes Philip Betbeze, the magazine's senior leadership editor. For example, clinical collaborations have become more important in affiliations. "Whether they own or don't own each other doesn't matter as much as coming up with a structure for sharing those value-based purchasing points together," Joseph R. Lupica, chairman of Newpoint Healthcare Advisors, told Betbeze, who writes: "That's a sea change compared to prior affiliations or mergers. In the past, such deals were driven by traditional aims around increasing market share and increasing bargaining power."

Health reform will create incentives for better patient outcomes, which upsets the old "iron trangle" of hospitals: "volume, rates, and the ability to decrease unit costs," said Dr. Gregg Meyer, chief medical officer of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a New Hampshire hospital group that recently affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, more than 1,000 miles away, "because we know that patients who come to us for care will often seek a second opinion. In the past, that meant going to Boston or New York, and we lost out on that because we lost the ability to keep that care local. Now we can have a virtual second opinion with arguably the most famous health system in the world."

The article has several more examples. to read it, click here.

Is your community's hospital one of the many rural hospitals considering sale, merger or affiliation with a larger hospital or group of hospitals, all options that are becoming more common, partly due to federal health-care reform? A recent article in HealthLeaders magazine, which examines some of the considerations, may inform your coverage.

Basing decisions on past experiences "is difficult because the creativity surrounding partnerships among hospitals and health systems is expanding rapidly," writes Philip Betbeze, the magazine's senior leadership editor. For example, clinical collaborations have become more important in affiliations. "Whether they own or don't own each other doesn't matter as much as coming up with a structure for sharing those value-based purchasing points together," Joseph R. Lupica, chairman of Newpoint Healthcare Advisors, told Betbeze, who writes: "That's a sea change compared to prior affiliations or mergers. In the past, such deals were driven by traditional aims around increasing market share and increasing bargaining power."

Health reform will create incentives for better patient outcomes, which upsets the old "iron trangle" of hospitals: "volume, rates, and the ability to decrease unit costs," said Dr. Gregg Meyer, chief medical officer of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a New Hampshire hospital group that recently affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, more than 1,000 miles away, "because we know that patients who come to us for care will often seek a second opinion. In the past, that meant going to Boston or New York, and we lost out on that because we lost the ability to keep that care local. Now we can have a virtual second opinion with arguably the most famous health system in the world."

The article has several more examples. to read it, click here.

Read More

Chart shows how to get coverage under federal health reform

The core of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is helping people get health insurance, beginning next year. That will be relatively simple for some people, but complicated for others, as this infographic produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation for the Journal of the American Medical Association shows. For a larger, clearer, PDF of the chart, click here. In most states, including Kentucky, a key question remains unanswered: Will the state opt to expand Medicaid eligibility to households with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (138 percent with a fudge factor)?

The core of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is helping people get health insurance, beginning next year. That will be relatively simple for some people, but complicated for others, as this infographic produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation for the Journal of the American Medical Association shows. For a larger, clearer, PDF of the chart, click here. In most states, including Kentucky, a key question remains unanswered: Will the state opt to expand Medicaid eligibility to households with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (138 percent with a fudge factor)?

Read More

UK has its pediatric heart program under review; chief is on leave, and patients are being referred to other hospitals

Kentucky Children's Hospital at the University of Kentucky is reviewing its cardio-thoracic surgery program and referring surgical patients to other hospitals, "but the reasons why are unclear," Brenna Angel reported Dec. 21 for WUKY-FM, the university-owned station.

Angel did identify "the surgeon at the center of the review," Dr. Mark Plunkett, left, who is on a leave of absence but "remains on staff at UK with a $700,000 annual salary," as chief of cardio-thoracic surgery. "UK denied an open-records request for the date of his most recent surgery and his patient mortality rate," citing privacy rules in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was unclear how release of such statistics, without any personally identifying information, would compromise privacy. Plunkett and officials of the medical center refused to be interviewed.

"It's been pretty hush-hush," Tabitha Rainey of Lexington, the mother of a Plunkett patient, told Angel, who reported: "Plunkett and his assistant Dr. Deborah Kozik operated on Waylon seven days after he was born. Tabitha was later told that Dr. Plunkett was taking a leave of absence." Rainey told Angel, "Months went past and they lost another patient, who was a dear friend of mine, and it was pretty heavy in the unit at the time. Then soon after I guess they decided to stop doing the surgeries and review the entire program."

Angle was able to get some records from UK and reported they showed that "The number of children Dr. Plunkett operated on this year is down around 43 percent from two years ago." UK Trustee Dr. Charles Sachatello, a surgeon who sits on the Board of Trustees' health-care committee, told Angel, "I was not aware of that, and that was never announced at the Board of Trustees meeting." Sachatello told Angel that UK should merge its pediatric heart program with the one at the University of Louisville because of the high operational costs of such programs. (Read more)

Kentucky Children's Hospital at the University of Kentucky is reviewing its cardio-thoracic surgery program and referring surgical patients to other hospitals, "but the reasons why are unclear," Brenna Angel reported Dec. 21 for WUKY-FM, the university-owned station.

Angel did identify "the surgeon at the center of the review," Dr. Mark Plunkett, left, who is on a leave of absence but "remains on staff at UK with a $700,000 annual salary," as chief of cardio-thoracic surgery. "UK denied an open-records request for the date of his most recent surgery and his patient mortality rate," citing privacy rules in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was unclear how release of such statistics, without any personally identifying information, would compromise privacy. Plunkett and officials of the medical center refused to be interviewed.

"It's been pretty hush-hush," Tabitha Rainey of Lexington, the mother of a Plunkett patient, told Angel, who reported: "Plunkett and his assistant Dr. Deborah Kozik operated on Waylon seven days after he was born. Tabitha was later told that Dr. Plunkett was taking a leave of absence." Rainey told Angel, "Months went past and they lost another patient, who was a dear friend of mine, and it was pretty heavy in the unit at the time. Then soon after I guess they decided to stop doing the surgeries and review the entire program."

Angle was able to get some records from UK and reported they showed that "The number of children Dr. Plunkett operated on this year is down around 43 percent from two years ago." UK Trustee Dr. Charles Sachatello, a surgeon who sits on the Board of Trustees' health-care committee, told Angel, "I was not aware of that, and that was never announced at the Board of Trustees meeting." Sachatello told Angel that UK should merge its pediatric heart program with the one at the University of Louisville because of the high operational costs of such programs. (Read more)

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