A round-up of news from Johns Hopkins Medicine for busy executives.
_________________________________________________________ KEY TRANSITIONS IN TOP POSTS This month, we salute two important transitions: Mike Armstrong’s elevation to chairman of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Board of Trustees and Mike Klag’s selection as dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Both Mikes have made enormous contributions to Hopkins Medicine and both are taking on major challenges for which they are ably qualified. You’ll also find information in this issue about the world’s first three-way "domino" kidney transplant involving an altruistic donor willing to give his kidney to anyone in need, as well as articles on efforts to trim health care costs, a promising test to detect early-stage prostate cancer and scalpel-free surgery for HIV and hepatitis patients. JHU President Bill Brody writes about the dangers of "fetal portrait studios" and Johns Hopkins HealthCare President Patricia Brown discusses cash awards to physicians for adhering to national quality criteria. We welcome your suggestions and hope you enjoy reading these reports. -- Edward D. Miller, M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty, CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine
-- Ronald R. Peterson, President, Johns Hopkins Health System, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE
HOPKINS MEDICINE’S NEW BOARD CHAIRMAN: C. MICHAEL ARMSTRONG
On July 1, C. Michael Armstrong, the retired chairman of Comcast, AT&T and Hughes Electronics who has already endowed a professorship in stem cell research, takes over as chairman of the board of Johns Hopkins Medicine. KLAG MOVING TO OTHER SIDE OF WOLFE STREET
The School of Medicine’s Vice Dean for Clinical Investigation, Michael Klag, takes over as dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health in September, chosen from over 100 candidates for the prestigious position. HOPKINS HEART INSTITUTE RECEIVES $2 MILLION DONATION
Philanthropist Virginia Weiss donates $2 million to the Hopkins Heart Institute. She and her late husband endowed a Professorship in Cardiology last year. PROTECTING RESEARCH PATIENTS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN EXPECTED
Review boards that oversee safeguards for human research come with a high price tag. The annual operating cost of Institutional Review Boards ranges from $171,000 to $4.7 million, say Hopkins researchers. DATA SLEUTH FINDS CLUES THAT TRIM HEALTH CARE COSTS
Hopkins data researcher discovers that trolling arcane health care statistics for trends and patterns leads to better and less expensive medical services. 3-D SCANNERS OFFER HUGE SAVINGS
The latest generation of CT scanning produces pictures of the heart so precise physicians can quickly identify high-risk patients without taking an angiogram - a huge savings for health care organizations.
SCIENCE REPORT
PROSTATE CANCER DETECTION TEST SHOWS PROMISE
Clinical studies find a new blood protein that detects prostate cancer in its earliest stages. This could reduce unnecessary biopsies and undetected prostate tumors. THREE-WAY "DOMINO" KIDNEY TRANSPLANT INCLUDES A FIRST
Surgeons perform the world’s first three-way kidney transplant involving a donor willing to give his kidney to anyone in need, thus creating a domino-effect for three transplants that couldn’t proceed otherwise.SCALPEL-FREE SURGERY REDUCES HIV AND HEPATITIS EXPOSURE RISK
"Sharpless" surgery using high-tech alternatives to knives combined with traditional precautions and early education for surgery trainees reduce infection risks from HIV and hepatitis patients, researchers conclude. DRUG MIGHT COMBAT HIV-INDUCED NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Researchers discover in animal studies that an antibiotic helps alleviate HIV's negative effects on the brain and central nervous system even as antiretroviral therapy is working effectively elsewhere in the body.
COMMENTARY
CAUTION ON REWARDING DOCTORS WHO MEET QUALITY STANDARDS
Before embracing physician bonus payments for adhering to patient care quality criteria, we must carefully weigh the pros and cons, writes Johns Hopkins HealthCare President Patricia Brown. FETAL PHOTOSHOPS: NOT WORTH THE RISK
University President Bill Brody worries about potential dangers from exposing a fetus to high-frequency ultrasound so that photo stores can sell lifelike "fetal portraits" of the baby-to-be.
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