Medical Journal December 2021 Digital Edition
December 17, 20211 min
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John Hawkins to take the helm January 1
December 17, 20216 min
Following a nationwide search, the Texas Hospital Association has selected longtime advocacy veteran John Hawkins to lead the organization, replacing Ted Shaw who retires at the end of the year. On Jan. 1, Hawkins will become the association’s president and chief executive officer. THA is the largest voice for Texas hospitals, representing more than 600 members – from sprawling hospital systems to small, rural facilities, both private and public – from all corners of the...
Final call for back door ROTH IRA’s?
December 17, 20216 min
By Catherine Lightfoot, CPA, CHBC, Director of Healthcare at EEPB A popular tax strategy for some, maybe new to others, this tax-favored vehicle for retirement planning may be going away after December 2021. As it stands, the House bill eliminates “back door Roth conversions” starting in 2022. Let’s walk through what this means. First, a reminder about the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. The money you contribute to a Roth IRA...
Creative strategies for addressing worker shortages in healthcare
December 17, 202112 min
By Pamela Williams, Partner, Fisher Phillips The ongoing pandemic has undoubtedly (and understandably) taken a toll on healthcare workers, many of whom have worked tirelessly in challenging conditions for almost two years as the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the world in an unexpected manner. As a result of an unfortunate combination of factors, including unprecedented levels of stress and burnout related to the pandemic, healthcare employers are facing severe staffing shortages resulting from workers...
Lawsuits enjoin OSHA, CMS vaccine mandates . . . for now
December 17, 20218 min
By Rossana Howard and Beth Anne Jackson, Brown & Fortunato, P.C. The COVID-19 vaccine mandate requirements, guidance, and next steps have gone through a number of changes since they were initially announced by the Biden Administration at the beginning of November. On November 4, 2021, the White House published an announcement describing two COVID-19 vaccine rules that would purportedly cover two-thirds of all U.S. workers. The first rule was published by the Department of Labor,...
Integrative approaches to thriving and healthy aging
December 17, 202110 min
By Victor S. Sierpina, MD Prime health concerns of patients as they age are the 3-D’s: dependence, disability, dementia. No one wants to be in a situation where they are totally dependent on their family or others, disabled from normal activities of daily living, or worst of all, demented with Alzheimer’s or another cognitive problem. These are deep and very real concerns of so many patients I have treated over the years. Preventing or slowing...
UTMB to debut Procedure treating prostate cancer
December 17, 20212 min
Dr. Eric Walser will debut a new treatment for prostate cancer that uses focused ultrasound beams rather than needles or incisions. “This is a radical new therapy which also shows promise and is approved for the treatment of essential tremors and Parkinson’s disease,” said Walser, chair of Radiology and director of the Interventional Radiology Department at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “We see future applications for brain cancer and cancer in other parts of the body....
Venetoclax combination therapies found effective against challenging subtypes of acute myeloid leukemia
December 17, 20218 min
Combination therapies including venetoclax and another therapy have displayed promising results against subtypes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that are particularly difficult to treat, including relapsed or refractory AML with a specific mutation, high-risk AML, and treated secondary AML. AML is a type of leukemia in which the myeloid stem cells produce immature blood cells, rather than mature, healthy cells, causing anemia and risk of bleeding and infection. Most patients with AML are not cured...
New factor identified with key role in regulating hypoxia-induced metastasis
December 17, 20211 min
Hypoxia — insufficient oxygen levels in tissues — initiates cancer cell invasion and metastasis through the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) protein. During this process, cancer cells undergo a conversion to amoeboid migration, although the underlying mechanisms are not clear. New research led by Veronika te Boekhorst, Ph.D., and Peter Friedl, M.D., Ph.D., identified calpain-2 as a key regulator of the amoeboid conversion in response to hypoxia. The researchers demonstrated that hypoxia and HIF stabilization stimulate calpain-2 to...
Houston Methodist opening Comprehensive Care Center in Aliana
December 17, 20215 min
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital will start the new year by opening a multispecialty facility in Aliana. This new Houston Methodist Comprehensive Care Center is designed to meet the growing health and wellness needs of families in Richmond and surrounding areas. The facility will offer primary care and a variety of specialty care – including orthopedics and sports medicine, rheumatology, and physical therapy – complete with onsite lab services for quick and accurate test results....