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On August 8, 2016, Mitch Zeller, JD, blogged on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website that beginning that day, federal law would protect the public-especially kids-from the dangers of all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), vapes, and more. The law, known as the Deeming Rule, would regulate the largely unregulated market that he referred to as having been the “wild, wild West.”

There is a trend in internal medicine to get away from doing complete physical examinations on each visit, with a minimalistic approach to a healthy patient. I am not prepared to go that far just yet, but I have modified my examination in many ways over the years. Here are some gems I have unearthed.

stock image of pediatrician speaking to patient and parent

It seems that our healthcare system is overdue for an integrity/honesty overhaul. Let’s review how we can begin the process of restoration at the practice and healthcare system levels.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a large cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry that examined whether children with a positive strep test are more likely than their counterparts to develop mental disorders, particularly tic disorders and OCD.

Most physicians are not adhering to recommendations on otitis media management, according to a new report from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF).

Improving care coordination across the healthcare continuum has the potential to dramatically improve patient care, reduce duplicative tests and procedures, and positively impact care quality. This whitepaper explores data coordination that more easily locates records, reduces test and procedure duplication - and boosts your quality of care.

An analysis of 2015 claims data for about 69,000 children with an asthma diagnosis suggests that the answer to this question is “yes.” Of these children, who were insured through a large Texas health plan for children with Medicaid and CHIP and who ranged in age from 1 to 18 years, 42.1% were given an oral corticosteroid (OCS) 1 or more times during the year; 9.9%, 2 or more times; and 3.3%, 3 or more times.

In children aged older than 2 months, the pediatrician is often faced with the scenario of fever with no apparent source. Because symptoms in young patients are nonspecific and reliable urine samples require invasive testing, there can be a delay in both diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This delay may be associated with increased risk of renal scarring and a longer duration symptomology for the young child.

A father brings his 8-year-old son to the office for evaluation of new, asymptomatic blue bumps that have appeared on the boy’s chest over the last several months (Figure). The dad notes that he has had similar lesions as well.

Crying and agitation for no apparent reason in children with severe neurologic impairment is a common and frustrating problem for parents and providers alike. A methodical approach is helpful in dealing with this problem, yet sometimes the cause is not apparent, even after a thorough search. It is helpful to explain to parents and caretakers that the cause of the distress may take some time to figure out, and that diagnosis is often difficult. However, in most cases, a satisfactory treatment can be found.