AMA meeting: AMA grades health plans on how they handle claims The Association hopes to reduce the administrative costs and other obstacles doctors face in collecting from insurance companies. AMA meeting: Delegates decry CMS no-pay list as unrealistic and call for revision Physicians said many conditions are not truly preventable and the initiative will expose doctors to additional liability. "Patients should have the right and every expectation that they're not going to get diseases that they didn't have when they went into the exam room or hospital," says Greg Poland, MD, professor of medicine and director of the vaccine research group at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., discussing a recent outbreak of infant pertussis and the need for health care workers to be vaccinated. MORE HEADLINES ADVERTISEMENT

INSIDE THIS WEEK AMA meeting special section The need for greater oversight of nurses by doctors was among the key issues discussed at the June Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates. Medicare audit overreach?Physicians say Medicare's "bounty hunters" are heavy-handed, but the program is going nationwide.Government & Medicine Book provides vaccine answers Physicians may benefit from summaries of research as well as tips on communicating effectively with parents. Health & Science NEED NEWS? E-mail alerts STAY INFORMED with RSS HEAR IT NOW on ReachMD

American Medical News - July 7, 2008 (vol. 51 no. 25)

GOVERNMENT & MEDICINE  Go to section
  Medicare audit overreach? Doctors think so, but audits aren't going away
  Colorado adopts doctor rating standards, health system reforms
  CMS selects communities for Medicare EHR bonus pilot project
  Quick View - The young and the uninsured

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES  Go to section
  Massachusetts doctors sue, saying ranking program is flawed
  AMA tool kit helps doctors measure, boost patient comprehension
  Military sweetens the deal to entice medical students
  AMA meeting: Physicians demand greater oversight of doctors of nursing
  AMA meeting: Guidelines target safety of medical tourists
  AMA meeting: Increasing use of Tasers prompts safety review
  AMA meeting: Doctors oppose mandatory drug reporting laws
  AMA meeting: Delegates explore on-call coverage, at-home genetic tests
  AMA meeting: AMA OKs palliative sedation for terminally ill
  AMA meeting: Delegates respond to rising student debt
  AMA meeting: AMA clarifies plan on tax credits for insurance AMA meeting: Resident work hours stir passionate debate
  AMA meeting: Delegates seek to change law on organ donor incentives
  Ethics Forum - An ethics consult can help build consensus

BUSINESS  Go to section
  Ministries offer bill-sharing as insurance alternative
  Aetna requires doctors to opt out of workers' compensation network
  PHR vendors bypass patients, pitch to business
  For-profit hospitals find ways to cut the bad debt they carry
  Practice Management - A successful sabbatical can take years of planning
  Practice Pointers - Assess benefits in hiring management firm

OPINION  Go to section
  Removing health IT barriers
  Letters - AOA president: DOs are responding to the need for more rural care and others

HEALTH & SCIENCE  Go to section
  New book aims to provide vaccine answers: AMNews interviews Martin Myers, MD
  Infant pertussis outbreak emphasizes need to vaccinate health care workers
  Centers offer ways to bridge language, cultural differences
  Quick View - Summer is the time for Lyme

American Medical News

American Medical News is the newspaper for America's physicians. Published since 1958, it is one of the most widely read publications in the United States on news affecting the medical profession. From Medicare and managed care to public health and practice management, no other source covers the same range of current events affecting medical practice.

American Medical News is published by the American Medical Association and is intended to serve as a credible forum for information affecting physicians and their practices. The content of articles and the opinions expressed in AMNews are not necessarily endorsed by the AMA.