Support victims of domestic violence with PAFP Sept. 30, 2016
The PAFP is proud to support Women's Resources of Monroe County, a community-based crisis center which helps child and adult victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The PAFP will be collecting donations for needed items at its Kalahari CME Conference; donations can also be made online. |
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Congress approves bill to combat Zika Sept. 29, 2016
The U.S. House and Senate have passed a bill to avoid a government shutdown and fight the Zika virus. Politico reports the legislation, which had White House backing, passed 72-26 in the Senate and 342-85 in the House. The continuing resolution provides $1.1 billion to combat the mosquito-borne virus. |
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Gov. Wolf to address General Assembly on opioids Sept. 28, 2016
Today, Sept. 28, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. EST, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf will address a joint session of the General Assembly to discuss what Pennsylvania can do to lead the nation in combating the opioid and heroin epidemic. Wolf's address will be streamed live on Facebook; click here to watch. |
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Naloxone use draws backlash from public Sept. 27, 2016
Naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdose, is facing a backlash from the public amid concerns it wastes resources. The Associated Press reports some express frustration that users who are brought back from the brink immediately continue using, and say the social and government budget costs are too high. |
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CDC updates flu shot recommendations Sept. 26, 2016
You can feel it in the air - flu season is on its way. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its recommendations on who should get a flu shot - in particular, reports Medical Daily, the CDC says those with egg allergies no longer need to be observed for 30 minutes after injection. |
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DDAP hosts panel discussion on improving addiction care Sept. 23, 2016
The state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is hosting a panel discussion on improving care for people with drug addiction at 9 a.m. on Sept. 29 at the State Museum in Harrisburg. The event will be streamed online; live attendees will be able to obtain CME credit for participating. Click here for details. |
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Medical marijuana comes to life slowly in Pa. Sept. 22, 2016
Medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania, but there's still a long way to go before the entire program is up and running. WITF's Transforming Health reports regulations for growers, physicians, patients, and others are still in process, and the Department of Health says it will be until 2018 before the whole system is ready. |
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Senate votes to combat Zika virus in 'shell bill' Sept. 21, 2016
While the U.S. Senate has voted to avoid a government shutdown and fight the Zika virus, the "shell bill" doesn't provide any details of the agreement. According to USA Today, senators voted 89-7 to approve the procedural move, and leaders say they hope the Senate soon will be able to vote on written legislation. |
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Do more to combat physician burnout: doctors to AAFP Sept. 20, 2016
Family doctors are telling the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) it needs to take action to prevent burnout. MedPage Today reports about 100 physicians lined up to testify on the matter at a meeting of the AAFP Congress of Delegates in Orlando on Monday. The AAFP will reconvene Tuesday to vote. |
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Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week begins Sept. 19, 2016
President Barack Obama has proclaimed Sept. 18-24, 2016 as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week. In the midst of the nation's opioid epidemic, the president is asking Americans to take this week to raise awareness, remember lives lost to addiction and, stand with those in recovery. |
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Doctors doubt mass emergency readiness Sept. 16, 2016
Half of physicians in the U.S. doubt hospitals are equipped to handle disaster situations. According to Becker's Hospital Review, a poll of doctors has found 51 percent don't believe their health systems are prepared to deal with mass casualty situations. More than 1,800 physicians responded to the poll. |
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Support grows in Pa. for limiting opioid abuse Sept. 15, 2016
Legislators hope an emerging bipartisan package of at least four bills would help to curb the opioid crisis in the Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports new rules and measures would demand the use of the state's new prescription monitoring database and require and compel additional physician education. |
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The physician-pharma relationship is souring Sept. 14, 2016
More physicians are showing drug reps the door. According to Medscape, more than one-third of doctors do not permit access to industry salespeople; fewer than a quarter of doctors responded the same way in 2010. Research that suggests samples and free food influences physicians is partially responsible for the shift. |
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Most parents give kids the wrong dose of liquid medication Sept. 13, 2016
Many parents are making dosing errors when it comes to giving their children liquid medications. In fact, CNN reports, more than 80 percent of caregivers made one or more dosing errors. The most common mistake was overdosing - 68 percent poured out too much, not too little, medicine for the young patients. |
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Today only, get double points on CME registration Sept. 12, 2016
The PAFP's popular Double Points Day is back! Today (Sept. 12), through 11:59 p.m., if you register for the Kalahari CME Conference Nov. 18-20, you'll receive double points on your CME rewards account. You'll instantly have enough points for $25 off a future live CME event or a PAFP product at our apparel store. |
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Pa. reports first sexually transmitted Zika case Sept. 9, 2016
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has announced a Pennsylvania resident who traveled outside of the state contracted the Zika virus and transmitted it to his or her partner. Philly.com reports this is the first known instance of the virus's sexual transmission in the state. Pennsylvania has reported 95 cases in total. |
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Young family docs don't earn much less than their peers Sept. 8, 2016
In its 2016 Young Physicians Compensation Report, Medscape has found young family physicians (under 40) earn an average of $190,000 - only $22,000 less than their more experienced peers. The income gap between younger and older family physicians is the smallest out of all the specialties Medscape surveyed. |
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PAFP: Get the flu vaccine (but skip the nasal spray) Sept. 7, 2016
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the nasal spray flu vaccine is ineffective this year, the PAFP is encouraging families to get the flu vaccine anyway. The flu vaccine can guard against the virus and its symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose, aches, and pains. Click here for more. |
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FDA bans antibacterial soaps Sept. 6, 2016
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is banning antibacterial soaps, citing evidence suggesting they work no better than plain soaps, and may actually do more harm than good. Vox reports compounds within the soaps may interrupt hormone function and contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. |
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