Banking: shop and compare.

There are many reasons to take a critical look at the practice's banking relationship(s)--technology advancements, security measures, improvements in available services, recent banking enhancements designed specifically for medical practices, the impact of the financial crisis on bank ratings and stability, changing practice needs, opportunities for operational automation at the practice--and it is just simply smart to periodically evaluate and compare the features, pricing, and potential savings offered by vendors.

Recruit and hire the best fit for your practice.

Hiring for your practice is a big responsibility as well as a commitment of time and resources. To find and place the right person for an opening in your practice, consider all of the tools and methods available to you. Use the Internet to advertise the open position, do background and credit checks, and communicate with candidates clearly and securely.

Improved spatial learning in aged rats by genetic activation of protein kinase C in small groups of hippocampal neurons.

Age-related decline in human cognition is well known, and there are correlative changes in the function of neocortical and hippocampal neurons. Similarly, age-related decline in learning has been observed in rodents, including deficits in a hippocampal-dependent learning paradigm, the Morris water maze. Furthermore, there are correlative deficits in specific signaling pathways, including protein kinase C (PKC) pathways, in cerebellar, hippocampal, or neocortical neurons.

Clinical trials finance and operations.

The National Coverage Decision of 2000 was designed to enhance the participation in clinical trials for both patients and physicians by mandating the governmental coverage for services in a clinical trial that are considered "routine" regardless of the trial. Participation in clinical trials can be a practice builder as well as a contribution to the betterment of medical science. Without proper coverage analysis, study budgeting, accurate time estimates, and effective negotiation prior to signing the contract, participation in clinical trials can cost a practice rather than benefit it.

Netiquette: e-mail for group practices.

E-mail is a relatively new tool in business and communication, and it has unique nuances. Effective use of e-mail and its features can enhance performance, interaction, even morale. Misuse of e-mail can be a legal liability and damage relationships within your practice.

Secondary prevention of intimate partner violence: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Despite the recognition of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women as a global health issue associated with significant morbidity and mortality, evidence-based treatment strategies for primary care settings are lacking.

Objective: To assess the comparative safety behaviors, use of community resources, and extent of violence following two levels of intervention.

Methods: A randomized, two-arm, clinical trial was completed in urban public primary care clinics with 360 abused women who assessed positive for physical or sexual abuse within the preceding 12 months.

Behaviors of children following a randomized controlled treatment program for their abused mothers.

Objective: To determine if a treatment program offered to abused mothers positively affects the behaviors of their children.

Methods: A randomized, two-arm, clinical trial was used to measure child behavior at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months following the application of two levels of abuse treatment services to abused mothers: (1) abuse assessment and receipt of a wallet-size referral card, or (2) abuse assessment, receipt of a wallet-size referral card, and nurse case management sessions. The setting was public primary care clinics.

Prevalence of partner violence against 7,443 African American, White, and Hispanic women receiving care at urban public primary care clinics.

Given inconclusive findings regarding racial/ethnic differences in risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), this study will estimate annual prevalence and severity of IPV and associated risk factors of homicide among a multiethnic population of English- and Spanish-speaking African American, White, and Hispanic women receiving public primary health care. A personal interview survey was conducted using three measurement instruments including a brief two-question screen. The sample consisted of 7,443 women, aged 18-44 years, receiving care at urban, primary health care clinics in southern Texas.

Behaviors of children exposed to intimate partner violence before and 1 year after a treatment program for their mother.

Children exposed to intimate partner violence against their mothers are at increased risk for emotional, behavior, physiological, cognitive, and social problems. To compare the behavioral functioning of children exposed to intimate partner violence before and 1 year after their mother received treatment, 206 Black, White, and Hispanic children, age 18 months to 18 years, were administered the Child Behavior Checklist. Behavior problems of all children significantly improved 1 year following treatment of their mother.

Low-maintenance management: using a simple classification to rate employees' productivity and support requirements.

Employees vary in their productivity and their need for guidance, support, and other inputs that may be called "maintenance." This article provides a guide to classifying your team members by a gross ratio of perceived managerial inputs to productivity outputs. It also gives some approaches to understanding your own reactions and dealing with the needs of each group.

GABA(B) modulation of GABA(A) and glycine receptor-mediated synaptic currents in hypoglossal motoneurons.

We studied the effects of GABA(B) receptor activation on either glycine or GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic transmission to hypoglossal motoneurons (HMs, P8-13) using a rat brainstem slice preparation. Activation of GABA(B) receptors with baclofen, a GABA(B) receptor agonist, inhibited the amplitude of evoked glycine and GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Additionally, with blockade of postsynaptic GABA(B) receptors baclofen decreased the frequency of both glycine and GABA(A) receptor-mediated spontaneous miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), indicating a presynaptic site of action.

Behaviors of children who are exposed and not exposed to intimate partner violence: an analysis of 330 black, white, and Hispanic children.

Objective: To compare the behaviors of black, white, and Hispanic children who were 18 months to 18 years of age and exposed to intimate partner violence with an age- and ethnically similar sample of children who were not exposed to violence and to compare both exposed and nonexposed children to normative samples.

Methods: As part of a study on treatments for abused women in primary care public health clinics and Women, Infants and Children clinics in a large urban area, 258 abused mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) on 1 of their randomly selected children between the ages of 18 months and 18 years. An ethnically similar sample of 72 nonabused mothers also completed the CBCL.