Marianne Mattera

CHICAGO -- Physicians will be able to report smoking-cessation counseling efforts soon using two new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes that address tobacco use specifically.

Take this MedPage Today poll on the accessibility of influenza vaccine.

CHICAGO -- Two new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes will allow physicians to report specific services they provide to screen and counsel patients with alcohol or drug abuse problems.

Nearly three-quarters of the respondents to a MedPage Today poll supported action by the FDA to formalize a behind-the-counter drug dispensing category.

Take this MedPage Today poll that looks at creation of a behind-the-counter drug dispensing category that would involve pharmacists more heavily in direct patient counseling.

Respondents to a MedPage Today poll overwhelmingly supported the concept of annual preventive visits.

Just over half of the respondents to a MedPage Today poll said they can interpret the data presented in published research, but there's no guarantee that study results will be translated into practice.

Take this MedPage Today survey that looks at clinicians' ability to interpret clinical studies and implement research into practice.

Six out of every 10 respondents to a MedPage Today poll said Medicare's decision not to reimburse hospitals for the extra costs of treating preventable injuries is overly punitive.

Take this MedPage Today survey on the wisdom of Medicare's plan to withhold payment to hospitals for the costs involved in preventable errors.

Just over half (55%) of the respondents to a MedPage Today poll said that eponyms are a convenient shorthand and should not be abandoned for more scientific terminology.

Take this MedPage Today survey on the practice of naming diseases after the doctors who discovered them.

Respondents to a MedPage Today poll were almost equally split over whether bariatric surgery should be first-line therapy in the treatment of obesity, but most of those who said Yes did so with reservations.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Only six of the 17 declared candidates for President showed up at a two-day forum designed to bring cancer care to the forefront of campaign issues, but the discussion broadened into questions of overall health care.

Take this MedPage Today survey on bariatric surgery.

More than seven out of 10 respondents to a MedPage Today poll say they would wish patients a "bon voyage" if they want to travel overseas for expensive surgery or treatment not available in the U.S.

Just over half of the respondents to a MedPage Today poll think the FDA spoke too soon when it revealed -- then quelled -- concerns about the cardiovascular safety of proton-pump inhibitors. But the rest welcomed the information.

Doctors responding to an online MedPage Today survey overwhelmingly rejected the idea of writing new prescriptions for patients with diabetes for rosiglitazone (Avandia).