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Regarding the article, "Group challenges RT self-referral charges" (August 2010): Dr. Kapoor questions real data regarding self-referral concerns in in-office ancillary services (IOAS) arrangements for IMRT. Yet he states that a lot of patients will be adversely affected by legislation without citing any statistical data to back up this statement since it's impossible to measure the effect of something that has yet to occur.

It is easy to have a vast knowledge of coding and billing but at the same time misunderstand or misinterpret the application of a particular rule.

A large number of organizations in the medical community-including the AUA-have launched a campaign to persuade Congress to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an entity designed by Congress to take politics out of decisions involving changes to federal health programs such as Medicare.

Early results from the first multicenter trial of stereotactic robotic radiosurgery are in, with researchers reporting that toxicity is acceptable and PSA responses are favorable.

Peter Bretan, MD, a urologist in private practice in Novato, CA, is the sole urologist for a company specializing in telemedicine-in this case, the use of robots to connect with computers at great distance from the bedside of the patient.

In the treatment of benign prostatic obstruction, bipolar and monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate yield comparable outcomes at 12 months.

An experimental new device may help clinicians in the surgical treatment of lower pole stones by using ultrasound to move stones through the kidney collecting system.

An investigational metered dose, aerosolized spray containing a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine (PSD502) is an effective treatment for premature ejaculation in both circumcised and uncircumcised men, although the magnitude of response is relatively greater in uncircumcised men.

A new premature ejaculation therapy is simple to apply, is truly an on-demand therapy that takes effect in less than 5 minutes, prolongs intravaginal ejaculatory latency in the range of five fold, and does not seem to reduce sensitivity.

Authors from two recent studies discuss the risks men face in undergoing biopsy as well as the steps urologists are taking to minimize these risks.

As employers (and individuals) select health insurance plans with higher deductibles that place more financial responsibility on the patient, it's more important than ever that medical practices revamp front office collection procedures and place more responsibility on the front office staff.

Within the next year or so, depending on how quickly the FDA acts, the U.S. may be getting its first therapeutic agent specifically indicated for the treatment of premature ejaculation.

Urologists share a diverse range of lessons they've learned since they started practicing.

A novel minimally invasive system for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH appears to be safe and efficacious for as long as 2 years after the procedure is performed.

A nanotechnology PSA assay shows potential for identifying prostate cancer patients at increased risk of recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

A novel experimental technology for removing kidney stone fragments using magnetic energy has passed a pair of early tests.

Urodynamic results do correlate with treatment outcomes in idiopathic overactive bladder treatment, at least with onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox). Surprisingly, despite all the urodynamic studies done in OAB, this is new information.

Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) in patients with intermediate or advanced prostate cancer offers additional information sufficient enough to allow surgeons to alter management plans to the benefit of the patient.

Although inflammation in deceased donor kidneys represent an increased risk in acute transplant failures, there is no causal connection, Austrian researchers say.

Less than 1 month remains for physicians to file a claim for the $350 million settlement reached against UnitedHealth Group and its Ingenix subsidiary for its flawed out-of-network reimbursement database.

In men with localized prostate cancer, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) offers a rate of cancer-specific survival at 8 years similar to that expected with external beam radiation therapy, French researchers reported.

Every newborn child should be screened for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and positive results should be followed by testing, according to a new clinical practice guideline from the Endocrine Society on the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

In men with a low serum baseline PSA level, the benefits of additional screening or treatment appear to be, European researchers reported.

UCLA scientists say they have identified for the first time a cell-of-origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostic tools and the development of more effective targeted treatments for the disease.

Short-term and long-term costs of prostate cancer care vary considerably based on which treatment strategy a man initially receives, according to a recent study.

Men exposed in the womb to the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its related compounds are more likely to develop testicular cancer, say researchers from Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS), Berkeley, CA.

Men using commonly prescribed medications?nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, statins, and thiazide diuretics?appear to experience reduced PSA levels by clinically significant amounts, researchers from Stanford University, Stanford, CA recently reported.