AACCA RN-Coder/Clinical Coder Certification Exams Now Available!

The AACCA's first computer-based examination is "live" and ready for sign up.

1. To be eligible for certification testing you must have current membership in the AACCA.  If you do not yet have membership, please register for 1-year and 3-year memberships.
2. Current AACCA members must pay their certification application fee before they will be eligible to take the certification test at a Pearson Testing Center.  If you have not yet paid your application fee, please click here.  

FDA Issues Guidance on Pharmacogenomics Data

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a new document -- Draft Guidance for Industry: Pharmacogenomic Data Submissions -- that encourages drug and biologic developers to conduct pharmacogenomic tests during drug development and clarifies how FDA will evaluate the resulting data.

Pharmacogenomics deals with the small genetic differences that help explain why some people respond positively to a drug, while others don’t respond, or may experience a side effect. Genetic differences also can predict variations in drug metabolism—how quickly or slowly a drug is eliminated from the body. In the draft guidance, FDA said that the promise of pharmacogenomics lies in its potential ability to individualize therapy by predicting which individuals have a greater chance of benefit or risk -- thus helping to maximize the effectiveness and safety of drugs. FDA believes that pharmacogenomic testing can be smoothly integrated into drug development processes.

Click here to read more about the FDA's recommendations and the effect of pharmacogenomics testing.

Doctors Reverse Course on Poison Study Remedy

Parents should avoid the old standby poison remedy of ipecac syrup and instead call poison control centers when children ingest toxic substances, the American Academy of Pediatrics says, reversing a long-standing position.

For decades, doctors have recommended that parents keep a bottle of ipecac on hand to induce vomiting when children ingest something poisonous. The antidote, made from roots of the tropical ipecac plant, induces vomiting.  However, due to the vomiting and lethargy that ipecac causes, doctors have reversed this long held belief. 

Click here to learn more on the ABC News web site.

World's Oldest Person Dies at 116

Kamato Hongo, a Japanese woman believed to have been the world's oldest person, died Friday. She was 116.

Born in 1887, Hongo was recognized as the world's oldest by the Guinness Book of Records after an American woman — Maude Farris-Luse — died in March at the age of 115.

Her doctor, Kiyoshige Niina, said she died of pneumonia.

Click here to learn more about this woman's fascinating life and how she lived a full life on the CBS News web site.

U.S. Pregnancy Rate Down from Peak; Births and Abortion Rates on the Decline

According the latest release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnancy rates dropped 7 percent in 1999 compared to the peak in 1990. There were 6.28 million U.S. pregnancies in 1999 compared with 6.78 million in 1990. The 1999 total pregnancy count includes about 3.96 million live births, 1.31 million induced abortions, and 1 million fetal losses (miscarriages and stillbirths).

Click here to learn more about this latest finding including:

	Teen pregnancy statistics
	Race/Ethnicity pregnancy rates
	Marital status-related pregnancies

Supreme Court to Hear Pivotal HMO Case

The Supreme Court said Monday it will settle a fight over patients’ legal rights when their HMOs refuse to pay for recommended medical treatment.

The court’s answer could determine whether patients can win large amounts of money if insurers refuse to pay for beneficial or even lifesaving treatment. 

Click here to read MSNBC's coverage of the case and its potential impact on the health insurance industry.

Study: Extra Copies of Gene May Cause Parkinson's

Certain patients with Parkinson's disease carry extra copies of a gene that clogs their brains with excess proteins -- a finding that may lead to better treatments and perhaps a way to stop the deadly disease, scientists said on Thursday.

They found members of a family plagued by Parkinson's carried extra copies of a gene called alpha synuclein, causing a buildup in the brain of the protein the gene controls. The buildup is believed to cause the Parkinson's symptoms.

Click here to read CNN's latest information on this study. 

First Human Clinical Trial of HIV Vaccine in South Africa Begins this Week

The first human clinical trial of an HIV vaccine in South Africa begins this week, researchers announced Monday. 

The drug, which is also being tested in the United States, is one of about two dozen potential vaccines being tested by some 12,000 human volunteers in experiments around the world.

But it is the only one that contains genetic material from the HIV strain most prevalent in South Africa — the country with the most people infected with HIV in the world.

Click here to learn more specifics about this vaccine and previous results.

Undermining the Effectiveness of Aspirin Therapy

Many people reach for a painkiller when they have a headache or when their arthritis is acting up, but what if you're already taking aspirin every day? For people taking daily aspirin therapy to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke, a recent study shows that regular use of other common painkillers might interfere with the benefits of the aspirin.

Click here to read more details on reactants and the overall effectiveness of Aspirin via the Chicago Sun Times web site.

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