Daily Rounds: Vaginal Mesh Risk; Group Prenatal Care; AIDS Pills For The Uninfected; A Nightmare In Brooklyn

FDA warns mesh used in vaginal surgery can pose risk - The Boston Globe
"Women who have vaginal surgery to fix a common gynecologic condition called pelvic organ prolapse may wind up with more problems than benefits if a plastic mesh is used, according to a safety communication issued yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration."

Group Prenatal Care: Finding Strength In Numbers : NPR
"The majority of patients here are uninsured or receive Medicare, and more than 90 percent live below the poverty line. We came here to learn more about a growing trend in prenatal care called centering. Here's how it works: A group of women has collective, two-hour-long medical visits throughout their pregnancies. It's a model that combines traditional prenatal care with something much like a coffee klatch."

New Blue Cross Blue Shield contract produces “modest’’ savings, study finds. from White Coat Notes/The Boston Globe
"Doctors working under the alternative quality contract saved money largely by shifting outpatient care toward less expensive facilities; by spending less on procedures, imaging, and testing; and by reducing spending for enrollees with the highest expected spending, said the authors, led by researchers at Harvard Medical School. Dana Gelb Safran of Blue Cross is also an author on the study, which was paid for by the Commonwealth Fund. But, the authors said, quality bonuses and other incentives paid to the doctors with the contract likely exceeded the savings in the first year."

Pills Prevent H.I.V. Infection in 2 New Studies - NYTimes.com
"Two new studies released on Wednesday add to the growing body of evidence that taking a daily pill containing one or two AIDS drugs can keep an uninfected person from catching the fatal human immunodeficiency virus."

Boy’s Killing Causes Parents to Ponder Worst Nightmare - NYTimes.com
"Every day, parents put their faith in those rules and send their children, with a silent prayer, off into the world, trying to push away the knowledge that something bad could happen, as if thinking it would make it come true.
On Wednesday, it did come true for one Brooklyn family, as the body of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky was found dismembered two days after he disappeared on a short walk between his day camp and where he was supposed to meet his parents. The boy, who had implored his parents for permission to walk home from school alone, had gotten lost and ran into a stranger who, the police said, kidnapped and killed him."