The number of children and teenagers diagnosed with bipolar disorder, once known as manic-depression, increased exponentially between 1994 and 2003, although some of the rise may be due to misdiagnoses, the new research suggests.

Roughly 800,000 children and teenagers nationwide were diagnosed or treated for the condition in 2003, up from 20,000 in 1994, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry’s September issue.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Mark Olfson, said the number of patients treated for bipolar disorder may be compromised by misdiagnoses.

“These trends likely reflect a recent tendency to overdiagnose bipolar disorder in young people, a correction of historical underrecognition, or a combination of both trends,” Dr. Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, said in a statement.

Bipolar disorder, a condition characterized by extreme mood swings, is notoriously difficult to diagnose in children and teenagers because their symptoms differ from adult symptoms.

STATE RELEASES RANKINGS OF HMOS, INSURERS IN NEW CONSUMER GUIDE

The state Insurance Department released its 2007 Consumer Guide to Health Insurance, which includes a ranking of HMOs and health insurers according to the number of consumer complaints filed against them.

Among HMOs, the Independent Health Association ranked first, with a total of 38 complaints, only six of which were upheld, or decided in favor of the consumer. In 2006, the company’s premiums totaled $586.9 million.

The worst was MDNY, with 507 complaints, though only eight were upheld. In 2006, the company reported $93.9 million in premiums.

In addition to the rankings, the guide contained data on quality measures and patient satisfaction.

When asked to rate their clinician on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, 77% of insured New Yorkers gave their doctors ratings of 8, 9, or 10.

Only 34% of New Yorkers reported that their HMOs advised them to quit smoking.

HOSPITALS RECEIVE GRANTS TO CLOSE

The state’s Department of Health has awarded St. Vincent’s Midtown Hospital $17 million in state and federal grants to help defray the cost of closing under a directive handed down by the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.

The grant is the first in a series of awards totaling $550 million that the state is expected to dole out to the hospitals the commission has slated for closure or reconfiguration. The funding was made available from the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers and the Federal-State Health Reform Partnership.

In the case of St. Vincent’s, the $17 million will help cover nearly $100 million in closing expenses. The hospital shut its doors August 31, becoming the first hospital to comply with the recommendations of what is known as the Berger Commission after its chairman, Stephen Berger. Overall, the commission recommended closure for nine hospitals statewide, five of them in New York City.

By law, hospitals must comply with the recommendations by June 31, 2008.

In a statement announcing the award to St. Vincent’s, the state’s health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, praised the hospital for complying “expeditiously” with the mandate to close.

Citing the costliness of implementing the commission’s recommendations, Dr. Daines reiterated the commission’s effort to reduce health care costs by identifying wasted resources. “Empty hospital and nursing home beds are costly to New York taxpayers because facilities must pay for staff and maintenance to keep them up,” he said.

STATE HEALTH COMMISSION KICKS OFF UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE HEARINGS

A series of statewide hearings on expanding health insurance coverage — a politically divisive issue that seems likely to play out nationally in the 2008 presidential race — will kick off tomorrow in Glen Falls, N.Y.

The hearings are part of Governor Spitzer’s “Partnership for Coverage,” a public-private collaborative that seeks input on ways to reform New York’s health system and aims to develop a plan for universal health insurance in New York.

“We know that 2.6 million New Yorkers don’t have health insurance, making it very difficult for them to get the health care they need,” Dr. Daines, who as state health commissioner will lead the hearings with the insurance superintendent, Eric Dinallo, said in a statement.

A hearing in New York City is scheduled for October 30. Other hearings are slated for October 3 in Buffalo, November 13 in Syracuse, November 26 in Rochester, and December 5 on Long Island.

MOUNT SINAI SURGEON AND ROBOT CLAIM NEW RECORD FOR PROSTATE REMOVALS

A doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center has performed five robotic prostatectomies in 24 hours, a record number of procedures in one day, the hospital said.

Dr. David Samadi, the chief of Mount Sinai’s division of robotics and minimally invasive surgery in the department of urology, performed the procedures August 27 using a Da Vinci Surgical System robot, the hospital announced.

“This is the ultimate form of minimally invasive surgery,” Dr. Samadi said. “The procedure is not as time sensitive as traditional open surgery.”

The Food and Drug Administration approved Da Vinci robots for use in prostate surgeries in May 2001. Currently, there are 300 robots in use worldwide; each device costs $1.5 million, according to its manufacturer, Intuitive Surgical. Dr. Samadi, who joined Mount Sinai in May from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, has performed 1,000 robotic procedures throughout his career, and 200 at Mount Sinai, the hospital said.

DUANE READE GOES PINK

Duane Reade stores citywide will distribute pink bags this week in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Starting today, store employees will bag purchases in limited edition pink bags instead of the pharmacy chain’s trademark red, white, and blue bags.

The launch of the bags coincides with the 2007 Komen NYC Race for the Cure, a 5K race in Central Park that is expected to raise more than $4 million for the Susan G. Komen For a Cure Foundation. The race, which drew 20,000 participants last year, will take place September 9.