Antidepressants are worthless for most people, according to research published in the journal Public Library of Science: Medicine. Looking at the results of 35 clinical trials in the U.S. for drugs including Prozac, researchers at the University of Hull in Britain found that placebos were equally effective in nearly all cases. Exercise and therapy should be prescribed in preference to drugs except for "severely depressed patients," they conclude. To read it, go to www.plos.org/journals/index.php. Scroll down and click on "PLoS: Medicine."

If you’re thinking about moving your practice, you may be wondering where people are going. According to United Van Lines, these five states had the highest influx-to-outflux ratio last year: North Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, Oregon, and South Carolina.
The five states people are most likely to be leaving instead of arriving are: Michigan, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.
Note: This only includes people moving within the U.S. (Source: The Wall Street Journal, February 12.)

More than a quarter of all college students have had a mental illness. The estimate is based on a survey of 10,000 students at 14 campuses in Minnesota, but researchers contend it reflects university conditions nationwide. The survey was conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Boynton Health Service. It showed that 27.1% reported having had a diagnosed mental illness at some point in their lives; 15.7% within the previous year. Depression and anxiety were most commonly cited. The survey also addressed such issues as alcohol use and financial behavior. For more, see www. medicalnewstoday.com/articles/89060.php.

National health spending topped $2 trillion in 2006. That’s double what it was 10 years ago, and now totals $7,000 per year, per person, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Although private insurance spending grew at a slower rate in 2006, Medicare spending exploded due to the implementation of the Medicare drug benefit. (Source: New York Times, January 8.)

Magellan is doing random audits of provider phone systems. The company recently called 462 offices after hours in Illnois, Michigan, and Texas to see if they adhered to the Magellan policy of referring callers to urgent or emergency care. Eight-one percent complied. The lowest compliance rate was in Michigan (73.7%); followed by Texas (83.2%) and Illnois (86.1%). (Source: Provider Focus, Winter 2008.)

Scrap routine dementia screenings, says the AMA. Primary care physicians should only screen patients who exhibit "red flags", according to new commentary in the November 28 Journal of the American Medical Association. Routine screenings yield an unacceptable number of false positives and false negatives, says Malaz Boustani, a geriatrician at Indiana University School of Medicine. Red flags include failure to take meds, taking more than seven prescribed medications, multiple falls, agitation, and more than two hospitalizations in a year. See more at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/298/20/2409.

HIPAA is hindering health rese arch, a new survey says. Privacy provisions associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act require researchers to obtain written consent to look at patients’ medical records, adding a new layer of difficulty and expense. Epidemiologist Roberta Ness of the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed 1,527 medical researchers. Seventy percent complained that HIPAA was impeding their efforts, while only 25% believe the law enhances medical privacy. Survey results were published in the November 14 issue of JAMA. See more here: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/298/18/2164.