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Check coding for intrauterine devices

As of Jan. 1, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has discontinued use of HCPCS code J7302 for 52 mg levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs.

Access resource on LARC reimbursement

Obtain appropriate compensation for long-acting reversible contraceptive services with Intrauterine Devices and Implants: A Guide to Reimbursement, a new guide created by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ long-acting reversible contraceptive Program, the National Health Law Program, the National Women’s Law Center, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, and the Bixby Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

Counsel your patients on their risk for pregnancies that are exposed to alcohol

The latest statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 3 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 are at risk of exposing their developing babies to alcohol because they are drinking and not using birth control to prevent pregnancy.¹ The report also found that three in four women who want to get pregnant as soon as possible do not stop drinking alcohol when they stop using birth control.¹

Management of your patients’ menopause — Is your care on the right track?

By 2020, more than 50 million U.S. women will be older than 51, the mean age when menopause occurs. Despite the availability of effective hormonal and nonhormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms, few women with menopausal symptoms are evaluated or treated, reports a new scientific perspective.

Teen dating violence: Why you should screen

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among high school students who date, 21% of females and 10% of males experience physical and/or sexual dating violence.

Food and Drug Administration takes steps to ensure safety of Essure

The Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to ensure the safety of the Essure method of permanent birth control. The agency has issued a new, mandatory clinical study to determine heightened risks for particular women.

2 studies show monthly vaginal ring protects women against HIV

Results presented at the 2016 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections from two large Phase III clinical trials suggest that a monthly vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine (and no contraceptives) can safely help prevent HIV-1 infection in women.

Potatoes Increase Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Few would question the recommendation to increase daily vegetable intake. Yet, an important question arises — are all vegetables created equal?

Why We Can’t Allow Physical Exam Skills to Languish

With more highly evolved and readily available technology at our fingertips, it is sometimes tempting to let the echocardiogram sort out the abnormal heart sounds we detected, or allow the pelvic ultrasound to inform whether the uterus is enlarged, or short-cut parts of the physical exam we anticipate to be unlikely sources of pertinent information.

Nitrate Therapy Shows Possible Harm in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

In heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the use of isosorbide mononitrate was associated with a nonsignificant decrease in physical activity level, and no improvement in symptoms or quality of life.