Dec. 15, 2003: Table of Contents

American Medical News   vol. 46 no. 47
Top stories - Government - Profession - Business - Opinion - Health - 2003 index

"What a doctor does is take care of each patient as best he or she can, and that's sort of saving the world one patient at a time," says Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, an anthropologist and infectious disease specialist who urges all doctors to work for global health equity.

Kicking butt The decision to quit has to come from the smoker. But physicians can help ensure success. Counseling makes an impact, and medications or nicotine replacements can ease the struggle. In Health Seed money Growing a new medical practice can be a complex process. Start with plotting your needs then finding the best place to go for financing. In Business

Top stories

State budget cuts threaten to disconnect poison hotlines
Physicians and public health officials say poison control centers are a vital and cost-efficient part of the health system.

Stanford medical major rule says students must pick path early
Critics say asking first-year students to choose a scholarly concentration points them toward specialties too soon.

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Government & Medicine

Specialty hospital growth put on hold
A Medicare bill sets an 18-month moratorium on referrals to new physician-owned hospitals.

Congress OKs drug reimportation from Canada with safety caveat
The measure included with Medicare reform is unlikely to lead to legalization, but proponents aren't ready to give up.

Report questions federal mental health funding priorities
But others say the National Institute of Mental Health rightly finances research on a broad range of mental illnesses.

Government news briefs:

• Pa. doctors asked to make liability fund payments

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Professional Issues

National CME pilot getting good reviews
Some 6,000 physicians have signed on to a quality improvement project.

Foreign-born Ohio transplant surgeon denied work visa
A hospital has been forced to suspend its 36-year-old kidney transplant program, leaving patients 40 miles from the nearest alternative.

Hospital settles transplant misconduct case
A physician whistle-blower in Illinois will get $250,000 of the settlement, but is still seeking his old job back.

Physician works to improve health care for everyone
An infectious disease specialist believes that more doctors should work for global health equity.

ACOG: Ask why patient wants surgery
An ethical opinion from the ob-gyn group offers a structure for dealing with requests for potentially risky treatment.

Professional Issues news briefs:

• Better reporting brings more reports
• New guide helps physicians treat psychiatric conditions
• AMA Foundation awards scholarships
• ATRA releases report on judicial "hellholes"

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Business

Seed money: Getting the funds to grow a new medical practice
This complex process must start with plotting your needs then finding the best place to go for financing.

Family doctor finds house calls a good fit for Florida island
After leaving an office-based practice, one physician saw an opportunity for cash-only services.

Managed care industry's profit outlook is strong
Healthy margins for the insurance plans are likely to persist in 2004, though employers' willingness to tolerate premium increases may be dwindling.

Judge lowers loss from HealthSouth fraud
Less pain for shareholders could mean lighter sentences for some former employees convicted in the accounting scandal.

Practice Pointers: Stock ownership plan can yield tax benefits to practice

Quick View: Wellness programs ignored by employees

Business news briefs:

• Quality group hands out first checks
• Portable EMR closer to reality
• Tenet affiliates subpoenaed

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Opinion

Advance directives: Talk now about plans for later care
In the wake of the Terri Schiavo case, more people are contemplating these instructions. That makes now the perfect time to discuss them with your patients.

AMA Leader Commentary: Patient safety: Separating misinformation from truth

Letters:

• AAFP president: Fitness initiative's goal is simply to improve lives
• "Squeaky wheels" not worth the effort it takes to please them
• FSMB and NBME: We disagree with AMA board chair on clinical skills exam
• Article should have made clear the distinctions in ICD-10 coding system

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Health & Science

Kicking butt: Primary care physicians can help smokers quit
Connecting smokers with the help they need to stop can make all the difference in freeing them from the addictive pull of nicotine.

Patients toss and turn with restless legs, but don't tell
Effective treatment can control creepy-crawly sensations that hinder sleep, but afflicted patients often hesitate to bring it up.

Better technology can bring better care -- and higher costs
A new study examines whether innovations in health care technology are too much of a good thing.

Health news briefs:

• JFK's neurosurgeon offers new information about assassination
• Ebola vaccine trials under way
• Overscreening in older women

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