Headlines: March 26, 2010

by Meg Larkin

            In the business of health care, more doctors are leaving private practice to take salaried positions with larger health systems.  While practice within a larger health system can help doctors gain access to medical innovations and improve the quality of care, it risks destroying the traditional doctor-patient relationship.  Patients who see salaried doctors are less likely to see the same doctor every time they visit.  The health reform legislation may accelerate the rate at which doctors give up private practice, because new Medicare reimbursement schedules make moving to a larger health system a more financially sound decision.  However, it may be more difficult for insurers to negotiate lower payment deals with large health systems, which would make medical costs continue to rise. 

            In the research sphere, Francisco J. Ayala, a biologist and former Roman Catholic Priest, has won the 2010 Templeton Prize.  According to the New York Times, Ayala is famous for advocating that there is no essential conflict between scientific knowledge and religious faith.  “The John Templeton Foundation awards the annual prize, worth about $1.5 million, to “a living person who has made exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.’”

            In other health news, an FDA expert panel has recommended stricter regulation of tanning beds.  The panel found that stricter regulations were needed in order to protect young people from the cancer risk associated with artificial tanning.  The practice of tanning has been linked with an increase in skin cancer among young women, and some states already have regulations in place that may require parental consent for young people to go tanning, or ban the practice for those under a certain age.  According to the Boston Globe, “Currently the machines are classified as low-risk devices, in the same group as bandages and tongue depressors. By increasing their classification to Class II, the FDA could limit the levels of radiation the devices emit and make other changes to their design.”

            Finally, at the European Breast Cancer Conference, researchers said that up to one third of all new cases of breast cancer could be avoided if women exercised more and ate less.  The data comes from a new report put out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, which found a link between weight and breast cancer risk.  Breast cancer is often fueled by estrogen, which is produced in fat cells, and could explain the link between obesity and breast cancer.  The Globe explained that, “A woman's lifetime chance of getting breast cancer is about one in eight. Obese women are up to 60 percent more likely to develop any cancer than normal-weight women, according to a 2006 study by British researchers.”  Conference participants urged young women to make healthier choices and avoid weight gain later in life.

Meg Larkin is a second year law student at Boston University.  Please feel free to email her with any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns.