STOCKHOLM -- A third of patients on lipid-lowering therapy received inadequate doses of generic simvastatin after being switched from atorvastatin (Lipitor), an analysis of a large pharmacy database showed.

Thousands of patients have discovered they need surgery to fix failed artificial knees and hips, but additional operations can be avoided by adhering to several simple procedures.

Healthcare Facility Design is a groundbreaking field that plays a vitally significant role in the well-being and recovery of patients. Color, furniture, lighting, room layout, flooring etc. are important decisions with far-reaching consequences and are much more than issues of taste, trends and style. Many studies have been done, proving the critical relationship between facilities’ interior design and the impact on residents’ health. Well thought-out design can have an enormous positive effect – accelerating healing, improving quality of care and lifting spirits! And conceptualizing an optimistic environment that meets code-specific requirements is a delicate task.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued a hospital inpatient and long-term care prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2010 that would decrease average inpatient payments by 0.5%. The proposed rule includes an initial market-basket update of 2.1% for those hospitals that submit data on quality measures; hospitals not submitting data would receive a 0.1% update.

Doctors readily dispense prescriptions and advice, but what do they do themselves? A number of surveys, polls and questionnaires provide some clues—and some surprises.

Physicians as a group are leaner, fitter and live longer than average Americans. Male physicians keep their cholesterol and blood pressure lower. Women doctors are more likely to use hormone-replacement therapy than their patients. Doctors are also less likely to have their own primary care physician—and more apt to abuse prescription drugs.