TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dec. 27, 2004

American Medical News  vol. 47 no. 48

Top stories - Government - Profession - Business - Opinion - Health - 2004 index

Top stories

Delegates target courts for liability reform expansion
Liability surcharges, countersuits and ethics surrounding physician job actions also were on the agenda.

Drug reimportation supported if safety of patients is assured
Delegates continue to oppose direct consumer importation of drugs via the Internet.

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Government & Medicine

AMA reaffirms commitment to fight Medicare pay cuts
Delegates voted to stay the course and continue to press for Medicare reimbursement reform.

Bush names EPA chief as new HHS secretary
Physicians say Michael Leavitt has a record of working well with the medical community.

Federal health budget, abortion language OK'd
The giant omnibus spending package heralds lean times ahead for the federal funding of medical research and health information technology efforts.

Terrorism measures lead into uncharted waters
The Patriot Act and bids to compensate terror victims present more questions than answers.

Quick View: Health proposals have popular appeal

News briefs:

• AMA to voice concerns to DEA over pain medication prescribing policy
• Delegates back AMA's work on Medicare drug benefit
• AMA supports asthma drugs in schools
• AMA board to study uncompensated care proposal

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Professional Issues

Faith in healing: A Chicago physician is as at home in the pulpit as he is in the exam room
Horace E. Smith, MD, is a man of many coats, serving as both a pediatric hematologist and oncologist and a Pentecostal bishop.

Tort reform alive and well in West Virginia
A future case -- and a reshuffled court -- will be the one to decide the fate of West Virginia's tort reform.

TV makeovers more extreme than real
Physicians discuss the ethics of reality television at a CEJA Open Forum.

Can patients really handle the truth?
Some doctors say patients always have a right to know.

Adding performance data to EMRs shows payoff
Integrating measures developed by the Physician Consortium into the electronic health record system was found to improve care and save money.

Delegates OK denying Rx data to drug reps
The AMA has created a comprehensive prescribing information Web site for physicians.

News briefs:

• AMA finishes 2004 in the black
• Harassment policy adopted
• AMA encourages patient action on end-of-life-care issues
• AMA to monitor draft plan
• Patient safety advocate named to JCAHO board

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Business

Scrushy on trial: He's sure he'll win
HealthSouth's charismatic founder is approaching his upcoming court date on fraud charges in his customary manner -- with great self-assurance.

AMA: Don't extend moratorium on specialty hospitals
Delegates want to see a federal study of the policy's effect before taking a position.

Ruling in tax shelter lawsuit could benefit doctors
The court order returns all seized assets of Xelan Inc. and related companies.

Aetna buys back its mental health division
The insurer had sold it to Magellan Health Services before that company filed for bankruptcy.

Practice Management: Set a policy about extra exams in a single appointment

News briefs:

• Quarterly HMO profits top $3 billion

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Opinion

Community service: Always in season
From medical student-run programs to stethoscope distribution in underserved areas, AMA programs show the joy of giving.

Letters:

• Consider longer residencies to reduce long hours and the errors they cause
• Want zero errors? Try zero residents
• Large group practice can have edge in providing patient-friendly services

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Health & Science

Too soon to predict easy flu season
In response to the flu vaccine shortage, German vaccine is purchased and ethicists are called upon to help decide allocation issues.

Sinusitis guidelines point the way for further research
The consensus paper seeks to define and categorize the increasingly prevalent condition in order to improve clinical studies, and ultimately patient care.

Chest CT scans detect early-stage lung cancer
Researchers say it is time to consider regular screening. Other scientists are investigating breast cancer tests and whether virtual colonoscopy can reveal heart attack risk.

News briefs:

• AMA clarifies policy on adolescents seeking confidential care
• Making clinical trial data more available
• NCI awards go to labs for cancer biomarker research
• Prescription drug use rising for all age groups

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