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• Electronic health records need work

  January 27, 2012 10:13 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) -- America may be a technology-driven nation, but the health care system's conversion from paper to computerized records needs lots of work to get the bugs out, according to experts who spent months studying the issue. Hospitals and doctors' offices increasingly are going digital, the Bipartisan Policy... more »

• Court clears immediate enforcement of abortion law

  January 13, 2012 5:18 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for Texas to immediately begin enforcing a new law requiring doctors to conduct a sonogram before performing an abortion. The three-judge panel agreed to a request by the state's Attorney General Greg Abbott to cut short the typical... more »

• DMHC orders Anthem to pay providers for services

  January 12, 2012 7:04 PM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - State regulators have ordered Anthem Blue Cross to pay doctors and hospitals for services dating back to 2007, after the insurer failed to remediate violations revealed by a state audit. Department of Managed Health Care spokesman Rodger Butler says it's unclear how much money the medical... more »

• Doctors: George Michael recovering in Vienna

  November 30, 2011 12:03 PM

  VIENNA (AP) - Doctors treating George Michael say the ex-front man for the pop group "Wham!" is making progress as he recovers from pneumonia. Doctors Gottfried Locker and Christoph Zielinski say the 48-year-old Michael remains hospitalized nonetheless. They say in a statement that he "needed intensive care because of the... more »

• NH allows pharmacists to give more vaccinations

  September 4, 2011 5:44 PM

  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire is joining a growing national trend in allowing pharmacists to give more vaccinations than annual flu shots - but doctors oppose the changes in what some call a turf war over a profitable aspect of medical care. A new state law authorizes pharmacists... more »

• 2 doctors accused in deaths ask for hearing change

  August 20, 2011 8:43 AM

  GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - Two doctors accused in four deaths due to the overprescribing of painkillers are asking a federal judge to move their next court hearings from Grand Junction to Denver because it would be more convenient. The attorney for Dr. Sam Jahani says it would be... more »

• 2 doctors accused in deaths ask for hearing change

  August 20, 2011 8:42 AM

  GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - Two doctors accused in four deaths due to the overprescribing of painkillers are asking a federal judge to move their next court hearings from Grand Junction to Denver because it would be more convenient. The attorney for Dr. Sam Jahani says it would be... more »

• Doctors play a role in Pro Cycling

  August 18, 2011 7:38 PM

  As pro cyclists gear up for the Pro Cycling Challenge that starts on Monday, so do their medical teams. Centura Health Partners will be providing all the race medical support for the hundred plus competitors. Doctors will be equipped with everything from cars and motorcycles to Flight for Life.... more »

• Second doctor arrested in Colo. painkiller case

  August 10, 2011 5:56 PM

  DENVER (AP) - A second doctor accused of overprescribing painkillers that led to the deaths of four patients in Colorado has been arrested in Florida. The Colorado U.S. Attorney's office said that 53-year-old Eric Peper was arrested without incident on Wednesday at his home in Summerland Key, Fla. A second... more »

• Pot docs face new rules in Colorado

  March 12, 2011 12:14 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Colorado's dispute over which doctors can recommend medical marijuana could become more confusing this week when state health authorities consider tighter limits at the same time lawmakers debate conflicting rules. One question is whether doctors with conditions on their medical licenses - such as a surgeon... more »

• Hospital ERs increase use of CT and MRI

  October 6, 2010 11:53 AM

  When someone comes into the emergency room with an injury the chance they'll get a CT scan or MRI is more likely now than ever before. A nationwide study finds emergency doctors ordered medical imaging for about 6-percent of injured patients in 1998. In 2007, that percentage rose to... more »

• Governor Ritter changes rules on anesthesia

  September 27, 2010 5:46 PM

  Gov. Bill Ritter announced Monday that Colorado will opt out of a federal Medicare rule that requires physician supervision in rural hospitals for certified registered nurse anesthetists. Colorado will join 15 other states - many of them large, Western and rural - that have opted out of the rule since... more »

• Fantasy Football Alert: QB Tom Brady in car wreck

  September 9, 2010 9:16 AM

  New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was "pretty banged up" in a two-car accident near his home in Boston Thursday morning. According to NBC Boston, Brady refused medical treatment at the scene, opting instead to be examined by team doctors. Witnesses say a minivan ran a red light and... more »

• ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes

  August 30, 2010 9:30 AM

  Emergency room visits for teen athletes with concussions have tripled in recent years in a trend that doctors are calling disturbing. The findings come in a study of 10 years of national data. Experts say increasing awareness of head injuries is one reason ER concussion reports are up. But... more »

• Study: Weight loss surgery is safe

  July 28, 2010 9:48 AM

  Serious complications after bariatric surgery appear to be low, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. Researchers there analyzed data on more than 15,000 patients. Overall, about 7-percent of patients who underwent weight-loss surgery like gastric bypass had complications, most of which were minor. Bariatric surgery... more »

• Colorado man gets 40 years for infant son's death

  July 22, 2010 8:30 AM

  A Colorado man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the death of his 4-month-old baby, who had a skull fracture, bruising and bite marks on his face. Twenty-seven-year-old Benjamin Koller of Lafayette wept at his sentencing Wednesday during a slide show of his son, Jack. ... more »

• Pueblo cancer center attracts patients from state, beyond

  June 29, 2010 7:38 PM

  Joe Horton and Alan Reynolds have a lot in common. They both have a good sense of humor, both live in the San Luis Valley and within this past year, both received a grim diagnosis: prostate cancer. "It's the scariest thing in the world. It was probably the lowest point... more »

• Colorado company settles kickback complaint

  June 9, 2010 4:55 PM

  A manufacturer of Cochlear implants has agreed to pay $880,000 to the U.S. government to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors. The U.S. Justice Department announced the settlement with Cochlear Americas on Wednesday. The company in Centennial, Colorado, is a subsidiary of Australia's Cochlear Limited and officials... more »

• Diet and exercise keep you sharp into golden years

  June 3, 2010 11:57 AM

  The riches of the golden years are all too often stolen. As we age our chances of being afflicted with dementia go up dramatically and it can creep up on you. "Maybe your memory is not quite as sharp as usual, your problem solving skills are not quite as... more »

• Study: A heart attack shouldn't kill your sex life

  May 21, 2010 9:00 AM

  A new study finds that many heart attack survivors are afraid to resume having sex, and few of them are talking about this with their doctors. Researchers found that less than half of men and only about a third of the women in the study got advice on this... more »

• Vice President Joe Biden's son out of hospital

  May 18, 2010 2:11 PM

  Vice President Joe Biden's son is on his way home from the hospital a week after what doctors said was a mild stroke. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden was released from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia early Tuesday afternoon. The 41-year-old will continue recuperating at home, and... more »

• Study: Overweight people receive just as good care

  April 6, 2010 12:14 PM

  Surveys of physicians and other health care professionals have shown a certain stigma towards overweight and obese patients. Some of these patients say they feel that bias, but does it affect the care they receive? A new study shows when it comes to several common outpatient medical procedures, overweight... more »

• Doctors calls for 500-foot zone around clinics

  March 28, 2010 8:07 AM

  One of the few doctors who performs late-term abortions is calling for tougher limits on protesters and says he's working on a city ordinance that would create a 500-foot buffer zone around his clinic. Dr. Warren Hern says people regularly "harass" patients who visit the Boulder Abortion Clinic, prompting him... more »

• New research shows promise in limiting stroke damage

  March 19, 2010 3:55 PM

  Researchers at Vanderbilt University say they are zeroing in on the most effective ways of treating life threatening strokes. Doctors have several options when it comes to treating ischemic strokes, caused by blockages in a vessel in or leading to the brain. Using brain imaging equipment, researchers looked... more »

• Pueblo doctors provide more medical help in Haiti

  March 10, 2010 7:56 PM

  A team of surgeons from Pueblo is back from a relief mission is Haiti. Its been three months since the massive earthquake hit killing more than 200,000 people and injuring thousands more. New photos from Haiti show a nation still fractured including some of its people. "Fractures, the amputation, the... more »

• Republicans seeking secret White House papers on health care deals

  January 27, 2010 4:40 PM

  House Democrats have headed off a wide-ranging request by Republicans for documents on private meetings White House officials had last year with doctors and other medical providers as health care legislation was being prepared. A bipartisan agreement among members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee would limit lawmakers'... more »

• Medical marijuana bill up for hearing at Capitol

  January 27, 2010 11:12 AM

  The first attempt to try to regulate Colorado's medical marijuana industry is up for its first vote at the state Capitol. A big crowd is expected for Wednesday's hearing before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. The committee will consider a bill aimed at preventing doctors from issuing medical... more »

• Doc Rock! Catchy tunes serve as teaching aids

  December 3, 2009 11:37 AM

  Body parts become lyrics in all of John Paro's songs these days. He performs all of the musical parts himself. It has everything to do with who he is trying to become. "I want to be a surgeon, and hopefully a great surgeon," he says. For now... more »

• Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD

  November 20, 2009 9:08 AM

  A military experiment is under way to try to predict who's most at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors say understanding underlying triggers might help reduce the burden of those who return from combat psychologically wounded, if they can get early help. PTSD is a crippling condition that can emerge... more »

• "I didn't know if I would walk again"

  November 19, 2009 6:37 PM

  Standing on the field at Sand Creek High School, Nathan Pittman recalls the dreams he had as freshmen joining the football team here six years ago. "Just to be an amazing football player," Pittman said. "Go to like 5 Super Bowls, get 5 Super Bowl rings." But those... more »

• Many doctors ignore heart drug guidelines

  October 21, 2009 11:18 AM

  Most hospitalized heart failure patients are sent home without widely recommended inexpensive pills, despite a program to get more doctors to follow treatment guidelines, a study suggests. Only one-third of 12,565 patients eligible for the drugs got them - even though they were treated at 201 hospitals that had... more »

• Testimony depicts final days of Anna Nicole Smith

  October 14, 2009 8:38 AM

  A judge in Los Angeles continues a hearing today about the final days of Anna Nicole Smith. And according to an investigator, those days were marked by illness and confusion. The testimony came at a preliminary hearing yesterday involving charges that Smith's former lawyer and boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and... more »

• U.S. says too many swine flu cases to count

  October 9, 2009 10:21 AM

  U.S. health officials have lost track of how many illnesses and deaths have been caused by the first global flu epidemic in 40 years. And they did it on purpose. Government doctors stopped counting swine flu cases in July, when they estimated more than 1 million were infected... more »

• Pueblo seeking medical volunteers

  October 5, 2009 6:38 PM

  Medical volunteers are needed to help with mass vaccination clinics, and provide basic medical care as needed in Pueblo County. The Pueblo County Medical Reserve Corps and the Pueblo City-County Health Department are seeking Physicians, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Emergency Medical Technician Intermediates (EMTI), Paramedics, RN's, LPN's, and Nursing Students.... more »

• Doctors warn swine flu panic may be worse than the illness itself

  October 4, 2009 9:27 AM

  The swine flu is causing a lot of people to panic, and some doctors say hysteria about the flu might be worse than the illness itself. Dr. Richard Honaker, a family practice physician in Carrollton, Texas is getting lots of calls from parents worried their children may have the... more »

• New treatment to prevent strokes

  October 2, 2009 2:14 PM

  Combining two generic drugs could protect against heart attack and strokes in high-risk patients. The drugs are a cholesterol-lowering medication called lovastatin and a blood pressure drug called lisinopril. Kaiser Permanente researchers gave the drugs to people with diabetes or heart disease . Within two years, doctors said... more »

• Intense hunt begins for new shot's side effects

  September 28, 2009 11:08 AM

  More than 3,000 people a day have a heart attack. If you're one of them the day after your swine flu shot, will you worry the vaccine was to blame and not the more likely culprit, all those burgers and fries? The government is starting an unprecedented system to... more »

• GlaxoSmithKline changes doctor training policy

  September 21, 2009 11:03 AM

  British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC is making major changes in its spending on training programs for doctors, fees paid to doctors for consulting, and even political contributions. The changes include immediate bans on all corporate political contributions and on using commercial medical education and communication companies to run programs teaching doctors... more »

• Doctors campaign in Denver for reform

  September 14, 2009 1:21 PM

  A coalition of doctors from Oregon is campaign for a single-payer health care system at the Colorado state Capitol. The doctors are holding a rally Monday to express their indignation over the lack of universal health care. The doctors are being joined by local supporters, including state lawmakers and Colorado... more »

• Doctors frustrated treating obese patients

  September 2, 2009 1:17 PM

  An estimated 30% of Americans are obese -- and now a new study finds many doctors have negative feelings about treating them. Researchers from New York University School of Medicine surveyed close to 400 of their own colleagues practicing all types of medicine. More than 40% said they... more »

• 15 doctors behind most pot referrals in Colorado

  August 31, 2009 9:15 AM

  Statistics from the Colorado health department show two doctors are responsible for referring more than a third of the patients on the state's medical-marijuana registry. The Denver Post reports that of the roughly 10,000 medical-marijuana patients on the registry, 75 percent received their recommendations from one of 15 doctors. ... more »