Dec. 17, 2001: Table of Contents

American Medical News - vol. 44 no. 47
Government - Professional Issues - Business - Opinion - Health - 2001 index

Congress scrambles to trim amount of Medicare pay cut
Bills would reduce the cut in Medicare payments to doctors from 5.4% to 0.9%.

Don't get caught unaware if your IPA fails
The bankruptcies of four IPAs in Texas highlight the importance of being alert to the warning signs that an IPA may be in financial trouble.

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Physicians lobbying Congress for health law expansions
At stake are laws providing equal insurance coverage for treatment of mental illness and patent extensions for drugs tested on children.

Texas Supreme Court weighs Medicaid abortion coverage
If the court says refusing to pay for services is sex discrimination, the decision could set a precedent to change other state policies.

Internist group advances universal coverage proposal
ACP-ASIM is seeking feedback before it finalizes its plan for expanding health care coverage to all Americans.

Government news briefs:

• Laid-off workers losing coverage
• Small employers face health insurance challenges -- GAO
• Court asked to halt disclosure of PRO investigation results

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A little help from their friends: San Francisco Free Clinic cares for the uninsured
A physician couple, and a host of colleague volunteers, provide medical care, treating patients with respect.

Doctors use CME, quality efforts to boost results
To cut medical errors and improve outcomes, a growing number of physicians are combining continuous quality improvement projects with directed continuing medical education activities.

Renegotiating Health Care: Responding to the emerging conflicts that divide us

Professional Issues news briefs:

• N.Y. abortion protest buffer zone ruling reversed
• Panel to decide jurisdiction for MSSNY lawsuits against HMOs
• New CRNA rule published for Medicare
• California appeals court to consider physicians' right to dispense drugs

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HMO bashing for fun and profit: Three doctors turn making light of managed care into a market
A few physicians are proving you can make mirth -- and money -- out of misery by lampooning HMOs. These physicians require no referral and only a small co-pay for their services.

Nev. doctors get universal authorization form
The state's physicians can access and print a standardized form directly from the Web.

Texas doctors say restitution pay is meager
Insurers say physicians are getting less than they expected because they submitted unclean claims.

West Coast group will offer managed care alternative
Large employers are motivated by higher premium costs to provide a plan that includes a mix of medical savings accounts and PPOs.

Practice Pointers: Partnership or corporation: Making the call

Business news briefs:

• Survey reflects plan uncertainty

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Opinion

Health plan competition: Numbers confirm tilted market
A landmark report from the AMA provides the numbers that show how individual health plans dominate many local markets.

AMA Leader Commentary: The AMA's goal and role in preventing gun-related injury

Letters:

• An OR play list with a western flair
• Information is the physician's ally in securing equitable pay

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Dispatch from the front lines: From Pakistani refugee to APHA chief
Mohammad Akhter, MD, MPH, executive director of the American Public Health Assn., reflects on the traditional, and new, challenges facing our public health system.

CDC offers strategy to contain smallpox
Plans to protect the nation from a widespread outbreak are well received by public health officials.

Number of syphilis cases hits all-time low
Stubborn pockets of infection remain, accompanied by warnings that more work needs to be done to eliminate this sexually transmitted disease.

Health news briefs:

• National Cancer Institute says "safer" cigarettes are not
• FDA OKs new sepsis treatment
• More vaccine to come; not much flu
• NSAID use may reduce Alzheimer's risk
• Epilepsy guidelines recommend increased use of monotherapy

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