Jessica Melton

05/19/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post

TMA Elects Fort Worth Physician as President, Frisco Psychiatrist as Speaker

The Texas Medical Association, or TMA, has elected Fort Worth physician Stephen Brotherton, M.D., as its 148th president. It also reelected Frisco psychiatrist Clifford K. Moy, M.D., as speaker of the TMA House of Delegates at its annual conference in San Antonio on Saturday. Brotherton lists his three top priorities for his term as president as supporting and shoring up primary care for patients, ensuring patient safety, and strengthening TMA’s local county medical societies, according to the TMA. A past president of the Tarrant County Medical Society, Brotherton served as the speaker of TMA’s House of Delegates for four years… Full Story

05/16/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Government/Law

CMS Names a Permanent Administrator

Marilyn Tavenner was named the first permanent CMS administrator since 2006 on Wednesday. Tavenner served as an acting administrator since late 2011 and received a 91-7 vote, according to Modern Healthcare. The former Virginia secretary of health and human services employee’s election follows a February nomination by President Barack Obama.

05/14/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Finance

Morning Rounds (05.15.13)

Private equity healthcare transactions more than doubled between 2009 and 2012.

Children’s Medical Center’s President and CEO has been nominated for the chairman position of the American Hospital Association.

The HeartGift Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free heart surgery to disadvantaged children all over the world, has established a chapter in Dallas. Full Story

05/13/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post

Salary by Market: Medical Assistant

Medical assistants help in the examination and treatment of patients under a physician’s order. Medical assistants often interview patients, measure vital signs, such as pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure, weight, height, and record information from patients’ charts. According to Salary.com, a Dallas medical assistant makes an average annual salary of $31,203. The same medical assistant would make $31,298 in Houston, $34,383 in Boston, $33,029 in Chicago, $38,036 in San Francisco, $30,888 in Miami, and $36,713 in New York.

05/13/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

Primary-Care Physicians Bring in More Money than Specialty Docs

Primary-care physicians made more, on average, than specialty doctors, according to a study conducted by Irving-based Merritt Hawkins. Family physicians generated almost $2.07 million for their affiliated hospitals, in contrast to the average 1.45 million brought in by specialty doctors. This represents an increase of more than 24.3 percent for family doctors since the 2010 survey total of $1.66 million. Modern Physician noted the discrepancy might be due to the fact that specialty physicians require higher salaries and equipment or that primary-care physicians can be economical by using a low-cost prescription to avoid a later, costlier illness.

05/12/2013 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Research

UT Southwestern Study Looks to Identify Which Bladder Cancer Patients Need Follow-up Chemotherapy

Certain patients with surgically removed bladder cancers may need additional therapy to prevent the cancer from returning, according to a UT Southwestern study. The five-year international study, that was published in European Urology, used a marker panel to predict which patients are more likely to have a recurrence of cancer after bladder removal by monitoring 216 patients to track if their cancers recurred by using five commercially available markers. “It is well known that bladder cancer tumors have certain molecular alterations, but the problem is that there has been little data regarding which patients should get additional therapy, especially if… Full Story