http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—A geographically based value index to set Medicare reimbursements may not take into account differences in health care decision-making by individual practitioners or organizations, according to an interim report released March 22 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-geographic-index-efficient.html Health Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:40:01 EST news284302548 Substantial regional variation in Medicare spending for patients with advanced cancer is not linked to differences in survival, according to a study published March 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-medicare-advanced-cancer-linked-survival.html Cancer Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:00:01 EST news282318980 (HealthDay)—Anesthesia assistance is used in 8.7 percent of outpatient colonoscopies, with wide regional variation, but its use does not affect patient risk or outcomes, according to research published in the February issue of Gastroenterology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-anesthesia-percent-colonoscopies.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:33:55 EST news279552826 (HealthDay)—Approximately one-third of patients with normal results on their first and second colonoscopies after undergoing curative resection for colorectal cancer undergo subsequent surveillance colonoscopies within two years, which is earlier than recommended by current guidelines, according to research published in the January issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-overuse-surveillance-colonoscopy-resection.html Cancer Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:10:01 EST news278938107 (HealthDay)—There is considerable local and regional variation within the United States in the use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in Health & Place. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-geographic-variation-mental-health-medication.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:20:01 EST news278341410