Issue

I have written previously about National Patient Safety initiatives and the need to ensure that all physicians do whatever possible to reduce medication errors. Whether it is writing more clearly, using only “approved” abbreviations, monitoring side effects, or other techniques, morbidity and mortality from medication use can be reduced. A couple of months ago, I watched on national television as a celebrity couple discussed a medication error that occurred when their twins were born. Apparently, the babies were given one form of heparin that contained 10,000 u

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) March report to Congress was, in one respect, encouraging. While Medicare’s problematic Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula dictates a 10.6% cut in payments to physicians starting July 1, the MedPAC report calls on legislators to increase Medicare physician reimbursement next year.
Now for the discouraging part: The report recommends a mere 1.1% increase in reimbursement in 2009. And it fails to propose a much-needed alternative to the SGR, which automatically mandates cuts

Dr. Lantz is Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, First Ave @ 16th Street #6K40, New York, NY 10003; (212) 420-2457; fax: (212) 844-7659; e-mail: mlantz@chpnet.org.

Case Presentation
Mrs. D is a 72-year-old widowed woman who was referred for psychiatric evaluation by her primary care physician, Dr. B. Mrs. D is a retired school librarian who worked until three months ago, when her school district had to downsize the

Dr. Osevala is a Junior Faculty Hartford Foundation Scholar, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System; and Dr. Malani is from the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Ann Arbor, MI.

Introduction
 Ca

Dr. Castellanos is in Medical Research, Department of Medicine, Dr. Abi Fadel is from the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Seminara is Director, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY.

Approximately four million American adults develop community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) annually.1 Geriatric patients are particularly susceptible to this infection due to multiple factors associated with aging, including a decline in immune function. In addition, geriatric residents of long-t

Dr. Ryan Hall is an Affiliate Instructor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, and is a 2006 Rappeport Fellow of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law; Dr. Richard Hall is Courtesy Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Lake Mary, and Affiliate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; and Ms. Chapman is Research Assistant to Dr. Richard Hall.

This is Part I of a two-part

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
1. Explain the epidemiology of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in the older adult.
2. Discuss the clinical course of chronic hepatitis C virus and its distinctive progression in older adults, including effects on the aging immune system.
3. Recognize the importance of screening techniques, early intervention, and disease monitoring for hepatitis C virus infection.
4. Understand current guidelines for treatment and mana

Dr. Sharma is from the University of Iowa – Des Moines Internal Medicine Residency Program; Dr. Habib is from the Center for Liver Disease, Iowa Health – Des Moines; and Dr. Agrawal is from the Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL.