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Improvements In Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Teens And Young Adults Slowing
After a period of improvement, trends in the sexual and reproductive health of U.S. teens and young adults have flattened, or in some instances may be worsening, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stem Cell 'Daughters' Lead To Breast Cancer
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have found that a population of breast cells called luminal progenitor cells are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying mutations in the gene BRCA1.
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Wall Street Journal Examines Patients' Confusion Over Coverage Of Preventive Exams
As employers increasingly offer no-cost preventive care as a means of controlling health costs, some people under such plans are being charged for services not deemed preventive by the insurer, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to Watson Wyatt Worldwide, 72% of large employers in 2009 cover 100% of preventive care -- such as physicals, colonoscopies or mammograms -- for employees, an increase from 55% of large companies in 2008. The Journal reports that the charges often result from billing errors or from a physician"s office being unaware of an insurer"s procedures. Charges that are the result of billing errors often can be reversed. However, others -- such as a test or treatment not being defined by the insurer as preventive -- force some patients to "wage a protracted battle" to get the charges reversed, according to the Journal. When unexpected charges appear on patients" bills, physicians and employers often receive complaints but they have little control over how insurers classify treatments. The Journal reports that patients can prevent being charged for preventive services by checking with their insurer before seeking care; asking for specific, covered screenings and treatments at physicians" offices; reviewing explanation of benefits forms supplied by insurers; asking supervisors at insurers to review disputed claims; and seeking help from employees in company human re departments (Wilde Mathews, Wall Street Journal, 5/21).
Endocrinology

New Incentives Needed To Encourage GPs To Teach Medical Students, Australia

New strategies are needed to encourage general practitioners to teach medical students in their practices, according to a letter published in this year"s General Practice edition of the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Mary-Louise Dick, Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland, and her co-authors interviewed 55 Brisbane-based GPs who teach third-year University of Queensland medical students. "Many of the GPs said the rewards of teaching included the opportunity to showcase high-quality medical practice, the intellectual stimulation of having their practice observed and an appreciation that patients benefited from the participation of students in consultations," Dr Dick said. "Challenges cited included ensuring teaching responsibilities did not lead to longer waiting times for patients or interfere with their care. "Other problems included concerns about potential negative impacts on patients of inappropriate or inexpert student comments or skills and the extra demands of supervising relatively weak or apparently unenthusiastic students." "The difficulties of recruitment and retention of high-quality teaching practices in the current climate of general practice workforce shortage and increased medical student numbers are likely to increase, unless practice-based teaching remains manageable and rewarding," she said. "Strategies to promote and enhance the rewards of practice-based teaching, and overcome perceived obstacles including a lack of practice infrastructure, will be needed." GP Week runs from 20-26 July. The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association. Australian Medical Association


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