Cover Article
Health Care Providers: Paid for Performance or Not at All?
Pay for performance initiative aims to reduce US health care costs while improving quality of care, however this may be detrimental for those that don't measure up to standards, according to Daniel L. Herr, MD.

Selected Articles

• Medicare P4P Incentive Programs Are Ready to Use Now
• Traumatic Brain Injury Research Reveals More Don'ts Than Dos
• Vasopressin Mortality Rates No Better Than Norepinephrine's in Septic Shock
• ECMO Increases Survival for Patients With Severe Respiratory Failure
• Is OSA Linked to Increased Mortality in Stroke Patients?

Cover Article
Endoscopic Lung Cancer Staging Methods May Improve Accuracy
Endobronchial plus transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations may be more accurate in detecting malignant lymph nodes than transbronchial needle aspiration, and it could be an alternative to mediastinoscopy, according to Michael B. Wallace, MD.

Selected Articles

• When Should Acute PE Be Treated on an Outpatient Basis?
• Epidemic Form of MRSA Emerged From a Single Strain
• Intensive Insulin Therapy and HES May Be Harmful to the Critically Ill
• Severe Sepsis Incidence Highest Among Blacks, Lowest Among Hispanics
• Ventricular Arrhythmia Is Established as a Possible Cause of Chronic Cough

Cover Article
Improvements in Oxygen Delivery Systems Lead to More Efficient, Easier-to-Use Devices
Significant technological advancements have occurred in the area of supplemental oxygen delivery, according to Joseph S. Lewarski, RRT, at the American College of Chest Physicians' 2007 Annual International Scientific Assembly.

Selected Articles

• More Patients Should Be Tested for α₁-Antitrypsin Deficiency
• Osteoporosis Prevalent Among Women With Sarcoidosis
• Viral Infection in Community-Acquired Pneumonia Is Common
• Early Mobility Among ICU Pateints May Reduce Later Disability
• Severe Sepsis Risk Depends More on Organ Dysfunction Mix Than on Age

Cover Article
Can Early Treatment of COPD Slow Its Progression?
At a Clinical Controversy session during the American College of Chest Physicians' 2007 Annual International Scientific Assembly, Sandra G. Adams, MD, of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and Paul Enright, MD, of the University of Arizona presented opposing views as to whether early treatment of COPD can slow disease progression.

Selected Articles

• Lung Transplantation for Children With CF May Do More Harm Than Good
• Obesity Has Implications for Lung Disease, Sleep Disorders, and Critical Care
• Should All Inpatients Undergo Sleep Apnea Screening?
• ICU Patients Need Better Quality Sleep
• Dexmedetomidine May Provide Better Sedation, Less Acute Brain Dysfunction