Community service: Always in season From medical student-run programs to stethoscope distribution in underserved areas, AMA programs show the joy of giving.
- Dec. 27
Inform your patients about HSAs A new AMA brochure, "Health Savings Accounts at a Glance," is useful for physician waiting rooms.
- Dec. 20
Strengthening the steroid law: Protecting young athletes With the passage of a bill that bans over-the-counter sales of steroid precursors, the government has struck a needed blow against their inappropriate and dangerous use.
- Dec. 6
Medical education: 100 years of progress The AMA Council on Medical Education celebrates its centennial with a nod to the past and a look to the future.
- Nov. 15
Timely scrutiny of health plan consolidation After years of plan mergers, a medical society's legal challenge provides the opportunity for one deal to get the proper attention.
- Nov. 1
Good medicine is a global goal Organized medicine here is helped by its involvement with a physician organization that has a worldwide perspective.
- Oct. 25
Protect medical staff autonomy A template for autonomy is the welcome result from settling a lawsuit brought by a medical staff against a hospital.
- Oct. 18
New TV season, old problem: Entertainment violence The AMA is continuing its efforts to urge the entertainment industry to reform, and doctors can play an individual role by stressing the dangers to parents.
- Oct. 11
Medicare's no-help line: Doctors not getting good answers A report saying Medicare carrier call centers rarely give the correct answer to billing questions highlights the need for Congress to protect physicians from overzealous fraud investigators.
- Oct. 4
Death penalty for minors: Cruel and unusual As the Supreme Court hears arguments on using the death penalty against minors, the AMA joins the voices of science and international leaders against it.
- Sept. 27
Antitrust reform: Physicians need the right to negotiate With the FTC and the Justice Dept. reiterating their stance against joint negotiation with health plans, it's more important than ever for Congress to pass antitrust relief for physicians.
- Sept. 6
Answer the phone already: A plea from doctors to managed care The AMA is on record encouraging legislation that would set a much-needed maximum on how long physicians can be put on hold when they call managed care plans to appeal denials of care.
- Aug. 2
Let sun shine on clinical results The push is on for more transparency in the clinical trial process. A comprehensive registry could help achieve it.
- July 26
High standard needed for expert witnesses The AMA will develop voluntary affirmations of its principles that those who testify could sign and will identify standards for response to false testimony.
- July 12
Stake your claim: How to fight for fair reimbursement The AMA's new claims management resource kit can help physicians know what they should be paid and have the evidence to call insurers on any discrepancy.
- June 21
Sniffing out inhalant abuse This form of substance abuse is widespread, but continues to fall below the radar screen of most parents and many physicians.
- April 26
Pain meds: A balancing act A government effort to crack down on prescription drug abuse must not exacerbate the undertreatment of chronic pain.
- April 12
Tobacco control: Vigilance remains imperative This is the 40th anniversary of the first surgeon general's report on the dangers of tobacco. But millions of Americans still smoke, and the battle continues on many fronts.
- Feb. 23
Banning ephedra just the first step for FDA The federal government has outlawed products containing ephedra, but Congress still must change the way dietary supplements are regulated.
- Feb. 9
Physician health and wellness: An ethical imperative A recent report by the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs focuses attention on steps individual physicians and the profession can take to maintain doctors' well-being.
- Jan. 26
Medicare reform helps doctors and patients The physician payment increase will help prevent access problems for patients, but a permanent repair of the reimbursement formula is essential.
- Jan. 12
Space invader
The exam room where a meteorite hit a Virginia doctors' office has become the most requested room among patients, who joke about wearing hard hats to appointments.
Story
Students' average debt after medical school ranged from $120,000 to $160,000 in 2006.
