Patient Safety Improving but Work Still Needed Medicare Delivers Ultimatum to End Preventable Mistakes as Hospitals Adopt Low-tech and High-tech Solutions Hospital associations in at least 12 states, including Florida, urge their members not to charge for serious preventable medical errors dubbed "never events." But when Medicare announced in October that it wouldn't pay for the same type of mistake, that was a different thing entirely because for the first time the largest healthcare payer will make that determination.... DAVID ROSENFELD

Off the Hook Signature Pharmacy Turns Tables After "Drug Dealing" Acquittal For nearly two years, charges that an Orlando-based pharmacy was the hub of a nationwide drug ring involving the supply of steroids and human-growth hormone brought intense media scrutiny to Central Florida. On Sept. 11, Judge Stephen W. Herrick dismissed more than two dozen counts against the primary operators of Signature Compounding Pharmacy, a $30 million-per-year family-run business established in 2000. In 2006, with the help of 49 employees, Signature filled 300,000 prescriptions... LYNNE JETER

Workouts that Work Arthritic and Osteopenic Patients Need a Special Exercise Regimen Jane Fonda was 44 when she popularized the phrase “No pain, no gain” in her first fitness video in 1982. Chances are she wasn’t thinking about how that phrase could take on a different meaning for people like her who now are in their 70s and painfully aware of their bodies’ limitations... J.L. WEBB

Painful Spine Fractures Can Be Fixed Without Major Surgery Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. Advanced age, asthma, diabetes, emphysema, menopause, chronic steroid use and rheumatoid arthritis are all risk factors for osteoporosis. The resultant weakening of bones can lead to compression fractures of the spine causing severe pain, deformity, loss of height, immobilization, and in some cases, failure to thrive... RICHARD KINARD, MD, INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGIST

The Hidden Power of Testosterone Ask most doctors about testosterone, and they might tell you that this hormone helps transform a boy into a man. Or they might tell you that it helps regulate the sex drive. While that’s all true, doctors are only now beginning to understand the many other vital functions of testosterone in men and women (yes, women)... DANIEL THOMAS, DO

Physicians…Own Real Estate "When I grow up I want to be a doctor. I'll make lots of money and I will help people." Do you remember that dream? Now after many years of school, you are working long hours to make payroll and rent or mortgage payments. You are helping people, but find it difficult because of insurance companies' control over your practice and your patients. How does a successful physician find time to help himself and reach his own goals?...

Ben Vereen Shines a Spotlight on Diabetes Iconic Entertainer Launches National Awareness Campaign Ben Vereen, star of stage and screen, was just another frightened patient a year ago. According to the Tony Award-winning actor, "I was feeling off for quite awhile. I was tired all the time. I couldn't focus. I was thirsty all the time. … everything was off … my whole system was off." Hospitalized at the end of 2007, the lab report on his blood work uncovered a reason for his growing malaise. Like someone every 30 seconds around the country, Ben Vereen was diagnosed diabetic... CINDY SANDERS

The Diabetic Heart Scientists Meld Metabolic and Cardiovascular Research The negative effects of diabetes on heart diseases have been known for years, thanks primarily to comprehensive studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, which provided the evidence physicians and researchers needed to develop better treatments and medications. But most of the questions about why that link exists remain unanswered... J.L. WEBB

A Multifaceted Approach to Diabetes Education Spreading the word about how to combat an American epidemic calls for methods as diverse as the nation itself. In the case of diabetes, national health promotion efforts are targeting not only the broad U.S. population but also its most at-risk ethnic minorities, each with its own nuances of culture, language and community life... LUCY SCHULTZE

Getting Ahead of the Tax Man The air and the apples are crisp, and football is in full swing. What time is it? Time for some serious tax planning before the end of the calendar year, according to CPA Keith Kamperschroer, immediate past president of Nashville-based HCAA, the National CPA Health Care Advisors Association... SHARON H. FITZGERALD

Anh-Vu Nguyen, MD Emergency Room Physician Does Double Duty as an Author Board certified in emergency and family practice medicine, Anh-Vu Nguyen, MD, FAAFP, was exposed to the world of medicine at an early age through his mother, now a retired orthopedic nurse. Referring to himself as a "math and science" person, Nguyen, an emergency medicine physician at Bay Pines Veterans Administration Hospital and preceptor for the family practice residency program at St. Petersburg's Bayfront Medical Center, initially thought he was going to be an engineer... WENDY R. LEVINE GROSS

Tis' the Season With the Holiday Season approaching many of us will be travelling to share time with our friends and loved ones. We laugh, shop, eat, attend parties and do whatever we can to bring joy to the season. Below you will you find a few "Helpful Hints" to protect you and your family from becoming possible victims of fraud and identity theft. Remember: Children are often victims of identity theft too! During the holidays check those credit reports for everyone in the family!

Best Practices: Advanced Pediatric Surgical Specialists Offering the Most Complex Pediatric Surgeries in Florida Faster recovery begins at Advanced Pediatric Surgical Specialists, where Chris Anderson and Bryan Weidner, MDs, have quickly become known throughout the Sunshine State as experts in pediatric care, with a specialty niche in minimally invasive surgical techniques...