Archive - May 2019

June 4, 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment being passed by Congress. Suffragettes changed the course of history because they fought for the right to vote. This battle was not won overnight; it took over 100 years of persistence to affect change. Suffragettes were told that the battle was not worth the fight or that it was too radical of a change. Most of us cannot imagine a world without being able to perform this simple civic duty. The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act was

The FDA recently approved the PI3K inhibitor Piqray for the treatment of postmenopausal women and men with HR-positive, HER2-negative, PIK3CA-mutated, advanced or metastatic breast cancer following profession on or after an endocrine-based regimen.  Piqray is the first PI3K inhibitor to show clinically meaninful benefit in treating patients with this type of breast cancer. Treating a patient's specific genetic mutation is becoming increasingly more common in cancer treatment.  Read

A new study shows that there is a way to detect lymphedema early. Typically, a patient with potential lymphedema is screened through a tape measure evaluation. A new technology, bioimpedance spectroscopy, or BIS, sends an electrical signal into the extremity that can detect lymphedema before a tape evaluation. The new study found that BIS helped discover symptoms better than just a traditional tape measure, but it allowed patients to receive treatment that could potentially reverse the progression.

According to a group of scientists from the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., breastfeeding can boost an infant's immunity system for life. The group of researchers infected a group of mice with parasitic worms, then cleared the infection with drugs. They then bred the mice with other mice to determine if their offspring would be immune to the infection during breastfeeding. They found that they were immune from the parasitic worms throughout

Research presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons showed that a nipple-sparing mastectomy is a safe option for some patients. Nipple-sparing mastectomy removes breast tissue, but leaves the skin, nipple and areola in place so they can immediately reconstruct the breast. There has been an ongoing debate whether removing a smaller quantity of breast tissue for cosmetic reasons will compromise the chances for a long term cure. This research helps resolve the

On May 6, 2019, the Office of Civil Rights published a press release regarding a settlement reached with a Tennessee diagnostic medical imaging services company for $3,000,000. This settlement was reached, in essence, due to the lack of a sufficient HIPAA compliance program. To summarize, the organization’s FTP server allowed uncontrolled access to the internet, exposing PHI for over 300,000 individuals. In the process of the OCR investigation, it was determined that the organization

In a new twist in the long-running debate on whether breastfeeding boosts childhood intelligence, scientists have found that breast milk increases the levels of certain chemicals in babies brains that are linked to neurodevelopment. Whether or not breastfeeding leads to improved intelligence, however, is a controversial question, and studies have found mixed results. This most recent study focused on premature babies with a gestational age of 23 to 32 weeks. Researchers were able to monitor

For many reasons, providers are focusing on retail cash sales of products, including Medicare-covered items and non-covered items. As margins tighten, providers should look for ways to reduce their dependency on insurance reimbursement. What opportunity is out there? An estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2019. There were 3,788,235 births in the U.S. in 2018. Baby boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day. These individuals need products you can

Treatment advances for breast cancer survival rates among women in the United States have improved over the years, but the disparity between white and black women has grown. Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The biggest disparity can be found in the South, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.  Black women are more

Connie Frameli has had breast cancer twice. The first time was 19 years ago. She was treated with medication, chemo and radiation. When discussing her second diagnosis, an Allegany Health Network oncologist told her about a new treatment, which includes implanting special seeds. These "seeds" are radioactive pellets that are implanted near the tumor after the lump has been removed. They gradually release radioactivity over a few weeks to the targeted area. The pellets eventually become inactive,