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The American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago in July issued a formal apology for its past history of racial inequality toward African-American physicians, and it highlighted its current efforts to increase the numbers of minority physicians and their participation in the physician membership organization.
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As the baby boomers age, medicine is allowing us to live longer, but perhaps sicker, managing chronic disease with medication and replacing parts that have broken down with a combination of medical devices and surgeries.
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The American Medical Association in Chicago at its annual meeting in June adopted policy calling for the modification of current law to allow pilot studies on financial incentives for organ donation from people who have died.
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Ethicists primarily at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia came together to pen a commentary appearing in June 26, 2008, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine calling for organ transplantation policies that would require potential organ recipients to opt-in or opt-out at the time they are listed for organs as to whether they would accept so-called "non-standard" organs.
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The Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, on July 9 issued a Sentinel Alert that would require hospitals to establish policies that address, manage and correct what it refers to as "intimidating and disruptive behaviors" by health care professionals in the facility setting.
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The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) board of directors has approved what was termed elements of a pilot national system to facilitate kidney paired donations.
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A paper presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto in May suggests that patients with end-stage lung cancer may benefit from noninvasive ventilation (NIV).
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A new study on ICU physicians conducted by an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland found that physicians are less comfortable discussing end-of-life issues and do it less frequently with African-American patients and their families than with Caucasian patients and families.
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While it might seem that physician lectures to patients about the dangers of smoking are falling on deaf ears, experts in the United States and England say doctors who take a few minutes to talk with patients about their smoking really do make a difference when it comes to helping them quit successfully.
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"If a mass casualty critical care event were to occur tomorrow, many people with clinical conditions that are survivable under usual health care system conditions may have to forgo life-sustaining interventions owing to deficiencies in supply or staffing."