Read article – Continued coverage of comments by James Dinulos, clinical associate professor of surgery, in an article about how even though the number of dermatologists per capita in the U.S. has surged more than 20 percent since the mid-90s, a new study suggests that access to care may have improved more in cities than in rural areas.

Read article – Briefly cites the Dartmouth Atlas Project in an article about how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently authorized Medicare Advantage Plans to use step therapy protocols for Part B drugs.

Read article – Quotes James Dinulos, clinical associate professor of surgery, in an article about how even though the number of  dermatologists per capita in the U.S. has surged more than 20 percent since the mid-90s, a new study suggests that access to care may have improved more in cities than in rural areas. “These other practitioners are being asked to tackle the same skin issues a seasoned dermatologist would, but with very little if any formal dermatology training,” says  Dinulos, who wasn’t involved in the study. “This can result in delayed or misdiagnoses, ineffective treatments or unnecessary visits – particularly for skin cancer and eczema.” (Picked up by 100.7 Mix FM and Physician’s Weekly.)

Read article – Quotes Paula Schnurr, professor of psychiatry, about how the Department of Veterans Affairs is studying whether it is better to treat post-traumatic stress by consciously processing traumatic events or by prolonged exposure to memory of the trauma in hopes of fine-tuning the therapy delivery system. “Treatment for PTSD works. PTSD does not have to be a chronic disorder,” says Schnur. “We’re at a state right now where we have a number of treatments that are effective, but what we don’t know very much about is how the treatments compare with each other.”

Read article – A review of the book A Doctor’s Dozen: Twelve Strategies for Personal Health and a Culture of Wellness by Catherine Pipas, professor of community and family medicine. (Picked up by Key of Thought.)

Read article – Recommends the posthumously published book The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Stanford University neuroscientist Ben Barres, MED ’79, as one of the best books read this fall. “His candor and love for science transform the ensuing story into a portrait of a singular personality that was shaped by his status as an outsider,” says the reviewer.

Read article – Quotes David Bzik, professor of microbiology and immunology, and Barbara Fox, research associate of microbiology and immunology, about how they are researching how to turn the parasite T. gondii’s immunological power against cancer tumors, with the goal of making a cancer vaccine. “We know biologically this parasite has figured out how to stimulate the exact immune responses you want to fight cancer,” says Bzik.

Read article – A review of the posthumously published book The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Stanford University neuroscientist Ben Barres, MED ’79. “Barres breaks the account of his life into three sections: Life, Science, and Advocacy. His candor and love for science transform the ensuing story into a portrait of a singular personality that was shaped by his status as an outsider,” says the reviewer.

Read article – Quotes Ellen Meara, professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and adjunct professor in economics, about a new study that found that health insurance coverage rates have held steady in the United States, despite continued commotion over the future of the Affordable Care Act. “Things are relatively stable. During a time with a lot of uncertainty—there’s been a lot of political turmoil over what will or won’t happen with Obamacare—these gains we’ve made in reducing the number of uninsured have held pretty steady,” says Meara, who was not involved in the study. (Picked up by U.S. News & World Report.)

Read article – A ranking of the best places to retire in each state, which mentions that it used the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care to assess the quality of medical care in each location.