There’s no better way to honor dear old dad then by winning a competition for him.

Integris Men’s Health is having it’s first “What-A-Dad” contest. The rules are simple: In 200 words or less, tell why your dad deserves to win.

Prizes will keep dad healthy, happy and busy. The package includes a heart scan from Integris Heart Hospital, a one-hour massage from Pacer Fitness Center, a  grill, dinner gift certificates, movie tickets, Zoo Amphitheater concert tickets and sports tickets.

Dad will get to hear his name on the radio, too. The winner will be announced Friday morning on WWLS-AM and KISS-FM and that evening on Cox Channel 7 Sports Night. The winner will also be recognized during the Yard Dawgz halftime show June 21.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday at 5 p.m. Please include your name, address and phone number. To enter, visit http://www.integrismenshealth.com and find the contest link under “Men’s Health University.”

Surely dad is worth 200 words of your time.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

Do you think it’s fair and/or accurate to see Oklahoma ranked at or near the bottom of, well, just about every study of health that comes our way? We can’t be worst in everything health-related, can we?

I say this after reading about Wednesday’s report from The Commonwealth Fund. The nonprofit ranked children’s health in states on 13 indicators that included access to and quality of care, outcomes, equity and cost.

Oklahoma pulled up the rear. Fifty-first. Behind the District of Columbia and Mississippi. Leading the rankings were Iowa, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Now, I know the devil’s in the details, and I admit I haven’t looked at the methodology of this report. I usually do, however, which is why I ask about the fairness of all this. I imagine this report would pass muster if you agree what it measures accurately sums up the state of children’s health.

Ah, here’s where it gets tricky: Are the measures used fair? Are small differences in rates or percentages blown out of proportion? Is the information current, or as current as possible?

See the state’s “scorecard” for yourself here.

The interesting thing about these reports is they are all largely slicing and dicing the same data. Sometimes it gets hard to tell them apart.

Anyone who honestly assesses the state’s health will find huge problems. But last or near-last every time? Perhaps I’m becoming desensitized, but my reaction is getting to be “C’mon!?!”

What’s yours? Tell me what you think by posting a comment on this blog.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

USA Today had an interesting story yesterday about how the popularity of angioplasty, a commonly performed procedure in which doctors use a balloon to open blocked coronary arteries, may be eroding.

“The rise of angioplasty procedures has leveled off and appears to be on the decline,” Duke University’s Eric Peterson, who reviewed results of the analysis by the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, told the newspaper.

Three studies in the last two years that indicate that angioplasty may be no more beneficial than medication, and may be riskier. According to the newspaper, the research suggests angioplasty is used too often and its benefits don’t justify the procedure’s $10,000 to $12,000 cost.

The newspaper’s analyses found:

• The number of annual procedures performed each year has declined by 10% to 15% over the last two years.

• Angioplasty and stent use began dropping in June 2006, after two “landmark” studies cast doubt on them. Doctors often implant stents — both bare metal and drug-coated — after angioplasty to keep the artery open.

Angioplasty is used to treat the terrible chest pain, called angina, that comes from a heart without enough oxygen.  The slight decline is important because Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines seek to have angioplasty available within 90 minutes of a patient’s arrival at the hospital. This is often called door-to-balloon time.

Many medical authorities tout the benefits of angioplasty.

Because hearts suffer from an inadequate blood supply, Bonnie Weiner, president of the Society for Coronary Angiography, told the newspaper, “(Angioplasty) is very effective at achieving more blood flow to the heart.” 

“I personally wasn’t surprised by the results,” says Michael Rich, a cardiologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who will debate the study at the heart meeting.

Michael Rich, a cardiologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said angioplasty won’t prolong a person’s life or decrease the risk of a heart attack but will decrease the symptoms of one.

“The analyses conducted for the newspaper also reflect what may be the beginning of a broader change in medicine: a move toward ‘evidence-based’ care drawing on reams of data from medical research and patient treatment,” USA Today reported.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

If you’re interested in keeping tabs on your doctor, HealthGrades now offers a notification service.

The Web site, www.healthgrades.com, is best known for its hospital ratings. But given the information it compiles, a physician notification service is a natural addition.

The “Watchdog” e-mail alert service costs $4.95 a month.  

Notification items include board certification, disciplinary actions, malpractice suits and patient safety reviews.

Would you monitor your doctor? Would you pay to have someone notify you of lawsuits and other information of interest? Leave a comment at The Medicine Bag blog at http://blog.newsok.com/health. I’d like to hear what you think.

HealthGrades maintains quality profiles on almost every practicing physician in the country. The profile includes information on the doctor’s medical training, patient ratings, state and federal sanctions, malpractice judgments (in 15 states), procedure costs and hospital affiliations.

Subscribers to the service receive e-mail alerts when a physician’s information changes. Comprehensive physician profiles cost $29.95.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

I worked for six months or so in the emergency room at Saint Francis Hospital and saw a number of interesting things while I was there. Among them were patients who repeatedly visited the ER complaining of chest pains but who weren’t having heart attacks.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today reported that such chest pain accounted for 16 million ER visits in 23 states in 2005. I’m not sure if Oklahoma was one of the surveyed states, but it’s nonetheless interesting. About one-fifth of the patients — 345,000 of them — were admitted for observation or treatment. 

“Non-specific” chest pain was the fourth most common cause of visits to the ER. The top three were sprains and strains, bruises and other superficial injuries, and abdominal pain.  

AHRQ also found:

• ER visits were almost twice as likely among those from the poorest communities compared with those from the wealthiest communities.
• Uninsured patients accounted for about 18 percent of visits.

If you ran a hospital, how would you handle an uninsured person who isn’t having a heart attack but may need observation? Visit The Medicine Bag blog at http://blog.newsok.com/health to leave a comment.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

This ran in the Jan. 25 edition of The Oklahoman:

“An Edmond man was killed Thursday morning when he lost control of his pickup and crashed into a bridge pillar in northeast Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. 

Peter Fuhrmann, 68, died in the accident about 6:15 a.m., the patrol said. He was southbound on Interstate 35 when he lost control of his pickup on the westbound entrance ramp to the Kilpatrick Turnpike. The pickup slid several hundred feet before striking an overpass, the patrol said. The patrol’s report indicated a medical condition may have caused Fuhrmann to lose control of the pickup.

Fuhrmann was wearing a seat belt.”

Now, to shamelessly rip off Paul Harvey, here’s the rest of the story….

Peter Fuhrmann’s wife, Connie, is a health unit coordinator at Integris Baptist Medical Center. She said her husband was having a heart attack and was trying to drive himself to the hospital when he crashed on the turnpike.

Connie Fuhrmann received an anonymous letter two days later from someone who stopped at the scene and tried to help. The person got a blanket from the car and covered Peter Fuhrmann until help arrived, trying to keep him warm.

The anonymous letter, according to an Integris press release, also said nurses from Baptist and Mercy Health Center stopped to help and held Peter Fuhrmann’s hand. One prayed with him before he died.

“Our employee, Connie, was so touched by this act of kindness that she wants to thank them in some way. … She feels like these strangers who stopped to help her husband during his last moments were angels sent from God,” according to the release.

The family even read part of the letter at Peter Fuhrmann’s funeral.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

The number of C-sections was 38 percent less in 1995.

AHRQ also found:

 -Vaginal deliveries declined from about 3 million in 1995 to 2.9 million in 2005.
 -Vaginal deliveries among  women who previously had given birth via C-section dropped 60 percent –157,200 in 1995 to 62,300 in 2005.
 -Hospitals charged $17.4 billion for deliveries by C-section in 2005.

The Oklahoman’s Heather Warlick wrote this story about C-sections in September.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

 The need for donor livers outstrips their supply. Each year, about one-third of those with end-stage liver disease who need an organ will receive one. Some die while on the waiting list.

The February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings examines how the current system for allocating organs in the United States affects recipients’ outcomes.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) oversees organ allocation. With the goal of giving organs to the most critically ill transplant candidates, UNOS adopted the MELD — Model for End-Stage Liver Disease — scoring system in 2002. The score is calculated from the results of three lab tests.

“Unlike past evaluation systems, the MELD score de-emphasizes the length of time a patient has been waiting for a donor organ. … Research has shown that although the donor liver shortage persists, implementing this allocation system has decreased the number of patients who die while waiting for donor organs,” according to a Mayo Clinic press release.

The study looked at the evaluation practices and acceptance criteria for liver transplant used by the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Transplant Center after implementation of MELD scoring. Researchers examined medical records from 555 patients referred for liver transplants at the Jacksonville center from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2005. Of these patients, 53 percent were denied for a transplant. Half of those denied were considered too early to have the procedure, while the rest were excluded because of medical conditions and psychosocial issues — poor support systems or continuing substance abuse problems, for example.

Many were subsequently accepted.

“Patients seeking referral often undergo repeated assessments by selection committees, as their eligibility can change over time or following treatment and/or changes in conditions that led to their initial exclusion,” according to the release.

Data suggest a “broad range” of patients could benefit from early referral to a transplant center, according to the release.

Basically, management of their disease and other medical and psychosocial conditions could make them transplant candidates sooner.

To read the report, click here.  

People seldom realize transplant waiting lists are anything but static: They constantly change, depending on organ availability and patients’ medical states. They’re definitely moving targets. People move up, they move down; they drop off, they’re added back.

“Our study suggests that early referral for LT (liver transplant) evaluation is beneficial for reasons unrelated to the time patients spend on the LT waiting list. If patients too early for LT were evaluated but not listed, LT centers could initiate management of ESLD (end-stage liver disease) and address psychosocial issues in a sub-group of patients who could also ultimately benefit from LT,” the authors wrote.

Although not exactly the same thing, last month I wrote about this man, Dr. Ludvik Artinyan, left, who registered on organ waiting lists in California and Oklahoma. He was able to receive a liver transplant quicker by traveling to Integris Baptist Medical Center to have the procedure performed rather than having it done in Los Angeles. Because patients’ MELD scores typically are higher in California for various reasons, double-listing likely allowed the Armenia-born physician to shave months off his wait time and perhaps saved his life.

UNOS allows potential transplant recipients to be listed in multiple regions – they must meet each site’s criteria and be ready to respond to the phone call or page when an organ becomes available.

Is the current organ allocation system fair? E-mail me at jraymond@oklahoman.com or post your thoughts at http://blog.newsok.com/health.  

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

Statistically speaking, men will die six years sooner than women. We have higher death rates for the 15 leading causes of death.

Here are some stats from the National Center for Health Statistics:

• In 1950 the age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 men was 1,647.2.
• For women it was 1,236.
• In 2000 the rate for men was 1,053.8.
• For women it was 731.4.
• In 2004 the rate for men was 955.7.
• For women it was 679.2.
• In 1950 the death rate among men from heart disease was 697.
• For women it was 484.7.
• In 2000 the rate for men was 320.
• For women it was 210.9.
• In 2004 the rate for men was 267.9.
• For women it was 177.3.

The numbers, whether taken together or broken down by cause of death, show that while age-adjusted death rates of men and women have made huge strides, men still trail.

Check out the rest of the document here.

I bring this up to spotlight Integris Health’s annual Men’s Health University Men’s Fit Club. The program appropriately began the day after the Super Bowl. It is a weight-loss class offered just for men, of all ages. It focuses on eating habits and increasing fitness.

Men-U is a series of events throughout the year to educate men and their loved ones on how to take care of their health. Health checks such as prostate cancer screenings are featured, and then there’s the Man Card, from Integris and WWLS The Sports Animal. Cardholders earn points that can be redeemed for prizes.

The class runs through April 17 and will be every Monday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Integris Pacer Fitness Center. The cost is $240 — less for those with a Man Card. Call (405) 951-2277 or (888) 951-2277 for more information.

One reason men die earlier may be because they avoid going to the doctor. A 2007 survey of more than 1,000 men for the American Academy of Family Physicians showed almost one-third wait as long as possible before seeking medical attention.

For health and medical news and commentary, read The Medicine Bag blog at http://blog.newsok.com/health.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer

People from across the state are invited to have their cardiovascular health evaluated via a free health screening (fasting is not required for the screening) including cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose and body fat analysis. Attendees can also learn the signs and symptoms of an ailing heart while trained staff will be on-hand to give CPR classes.

An “Ask the Cardiologist” booth will be set up for those that need answers to their heart health questions.

Three one-hour presentations will also be given:

9:30 a.m.
Kris Mullins, M.D.
Heart Checkup: The Many Cardiac Tests Available at Integris Heart Hospital

10:30 a.m.
Terrie Gibson, M.D.
Herbal Medicines: Helpful or Harmful?

11:30 a.m.
Terrie Gibson, M.D.
Health Screenings: Which Ones to Get, Which Ones to Skip

The Healthy Heart Fair is sponsored by Integris Heart Hospital at Baptist Medical Center.

For health and medical news and commentary, visit The Medicine Bag blog at http://blog.newsok.com/health.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer