October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. A new Kentucky law serves to raise that awareness by providing new and expectant parents resources when they receive a test result for Down syndrome. The law, known as the Down Syndrome Information Act, took effect at the end of June. Six months earlier it could have helped…
A marriage or a divorce
Kosair Children’s Hospital and Kentucky Children’s Hospital want to advance pediatric care in Kentucky. Not everyone is happy about it. By Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman In a state where approximately 25 percent of the 4.4 million residents are children, improvement in child health is exactly what Kentucky needs. The Commonwealth has one of the highest rates of pediatric obesity in…
Tapping into hospice and palliative medicine
PCPs benefit from services of underutilized specialty. By Lynne Jeter Not long ago, hospice referrals for end-of-life care were typically made only a few weeks before the patient’s death. Now, good hospice referrals are made six months to a year in advance to allow time for patients and their families to transition to the final…
Grandparents raising grandchildren
Funding slashed for Kentucky’s poor. By Chelsea Nichols One of the blessings of being a grandparent is being able to spoil the grandchild. Then there’s the added bonus of sending her home to her parents when she acts up. But what if you can’t send her home? Maybe the mom is abusive or the dad is an alcoholic. Should she go into…
Making geriatrics a primary
As baby boomers age, and the need for geriatricians grows, medical students interest in the field wanes. By Lynne Jeter Ken Brummel-Smith, MD, almost bypassed specializing in geriatrics because of the lack of educational opportunities at medical schools during the early 1970s, when he attended and the lack of geriatric residency slots nationwide. Instead, it was a chance encounter that sculpted…
Combating rising healthcare costs
The impact of tort reform in Kentucky. By A. Courtney Guild, Esq. In March 2013, Kentucky Senate Bill 9, which would have established a medical review panel system for use in civil litigation relating to long term care facilities, was withdrawn from consideration in the House before it could be voted on in the legislative session. This provision would have allowed for tort…