Insurers are looking to trim costs by reducing readmissions. For patients with HIV, and their providers, this may lead to some unanticipated consequences. Here are some suggestions for reducing the risk.

Here: a fruitful approach to the evaluation of dizziness that focuses on timing, triggers, and associated symptoms, followed by a complaint-directed physical exam with special attention to specific germane aspects of the neurologic exam and (when indicated) selective testing.

Choroidal hemorrhage in the left orbit with retinal detachment: your dx?

A 30% to 40% prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Crohn disease patients highlights the importance of testing these patients for vitamin D levels.

The 5 quiz questions this week are far-ranging and cover conditions as rare as opisthorchiasis and as common as obesity. See how you fare...

The real impact of nutritious menu changes at fast food chains like McDonalds remains to be seen, but these-along with modifying the dosage schedules of patients who appear to be statin-intolerant-may prove to have long-term salubrious effects.

Data from pivotal international phase III clinical trials showed superior efficacy, safety, and convenience for a new wave of direct-acting oral agents. The breakthrough will benefit physicians in all practice settings, including primary care.

Here: strategies for making the exam more comfortable and efficient, and tips for using topical anesthetics, removing earwax, extracting a plantar foreign body, and approaching the Dx of appendicitis.

The “take home” from this presentation: be cautious with inappropriate use of drugs with or without black box warnings, but maintain a healthy skepticism about some of these warnings. Cases in point: droperidol, antidepressants, clindamycin.

A presentation on October 14, 2013, at the American College of Gastroenterology Scientific Session by Joseph A. Murray, MD, FACG  (Mayo Clinic)Murray JA. Implications of gluten intolerance and celiac disease in IBS.  

Chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and cancer combined. Here are some facts and figures about pain for you to consider.

What accounts for the 129% increase in admissions for constipation over the past decade-and what can be done to avoid these expensive and often unnecessary admissions? Primary care clinicians take note.

Nearly three-quarters of patients who are initially "statin-intolerant" are able to re-start therapy on a graduated-dosing schedule and continue on an intermittent dosing regimen.

An IDWeek 2013 poster presentation quantified clinician fatigue with the finding that Boston-area primary care physicians were more likely to prescribe antibiotics for ARIs at the end of the day than when they were fresh on the job in the morning.

How do you know you are in Survival Mode? You believe patients, your nurse, the lab reports, and phone calls are out to get you. You become cynical and sarcastic-especially under your breath.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics offer no advantage over guideline-recommended agents, even against severe community-acquired pneumonia.

How much do you know about cephalic tetanus? Perioperative hypotension? PCOS? Take this week’s test and see if you can answer these 5 questions.

Iron deficiency seen in restless leg syndrome is identified as an important secondary cause and supplementation helps relieve symptoms.