Prepping for Healthcare Reform Fear of the unknown, healthcare legislation, worries local providers, physicians The size and scope of federal healthcare legislation is far from certain, but providers and medical professionals throughout East Tennessee are preparing for a variety of scenarios nonetheless. JOE MORRIS

Marketing a Specialty Practice to Other Docs A Practice's "Lifeblood," One Expert Says "Your most important asset." That's what one healthcare marketing expert called a specialty physician's referral base, and he said way too many specialists are failing to nurture the relationship between their practice and the doctors who send them business. SHARON H. FITZGERALD

Weighing In on Obesity Researchers, Clinicians Advocate Multi-Discipline Approach to Epidemic For almost three decades, The Obesity Society, a leading scientific organization dedicated to the study of obesity, has worked to increase the evidence-based understanding of the causes, prevention, consequences and treatment options for what has truly become an epidemic in this country. CINDY SANDERS

Popping that Soda Controversy Swirls over National Proposed Soda Tax The New England Journal of Medicine article, "The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages," caught the attention of New York Times reporters, who gave the assessment positive ink and launched a public debate about the proposed national soda pop tax when it was published Sept. 16. LYNNE JETER

Get Fit TN State Provides Tools to Help Residents Shape Up New decade … same old resolutions. At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, Tennesseans from the northeast corner to the Mississippi River made similar vows … to make 2010 the year they finally lose weight/quit smoking/start exercising. In short, this is the year to get healthier. CINDY SANDERS

Opportunity knocks in new year with New Tax Provisions So much of the public debate right now is centered around healthcare that the national debt issue has essentially been pushed to the background. But the reality is that the government is creating larger and larger deficits. JIM BROGAN

The Literary Examiner Reviews of "Stand by Her: A Breast Cancer Guide for Men" by John W. Anderson and "Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery" by Richard Hollingham TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

BEST SLEEP PRACTICES: Sleep Evaluation 101 Would you believe it if I told you that 1 in every 10 of your patients is suffering from undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea? Believe it. If you were to ask me today, what is the most frequently asked question I receive from other physicians, it would undoubtedly be, "How can I better assess my patients for sleep disorders?" Research continues to mount regarding the significance of sleep to overall health and the potential danger of undiagnosed, untreated sleep disorders. ROSANNE S. BARKER, MD