Nov. 13, 2006: Table of Contents

American Medical News   vol. 49 no. 42
Top stories - Government - Profession - Business - Opinion - Health - 2006 index

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"This is a huge issue when it comes to the practice of medicine. Our scope of practice is being eroded very carefully," says Kentucky orthopedic surgeon Ronald Dubin, MD, who is engaged in an ongoing court battle over whether he can use the term physical therapy.

Wading into EMR Technology experts offer suggestions for testing the waters with incremental, less expensive changes. In Business Supreme Court sides with doctors An antitrust lawsuit alleging that health plans conspired to keep reimbursements low can continue. In Government Effort to share licensing data A grant will help medical boards develop a database to make it easier to confirm physician credentials. In Profession

Top stories

Medicare D round two: Patients will have questions; here are answers
Beneficiaries might seek advice on re-enrollment, drug formularies and medication choices.

Risks get little air time on medical reality TV
Physicians agree with a new report that says the shows give a glimpse of medicine but are not totally realistic.

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Government & Medicine

High court OKs doctors' suits over insurance pay
Justices also declined to hear a lawsuit challenging the HIPAA privacy rules.

Generic biologicals blocked by lack of federal approval process
The FDA is working on a policy, and a new bill would create an approval mechanism.

Mixed results for consumer-directed health plans
More information is needed about this type of coverage before it can be judged, a study says.

Quick View: U.S. health care satisfaction paradox

Government news briefs:

• Study: Americans increasingly concerned about health care costs

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Professional Issues

Grant aids effort to share licensing data
Leaders of the Federation of State Medical Boards saw a greater need to make it easier to access physician credentials after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Virginia law school gives doctors new perspective on liability litigation
Physicians experience the other side, hearing from plaintiff's attorneys and risk managers, while earning CME.

Allopathic med school enrollment rises 2.2%
Private and public schools boost class sizes in response to physician shortage concerns.

Hawaii physicians can sue state's biggest health plan
Doctors say a court decision allowing their lawsuit to go forward is an important step in battling insurers' wrongful payment practices.

Consumer group decries lack of physician discipline info
Public Citizen suggests states require medical boards to post criminal and malpractice data online.

Quick View: Data on quality of care hard to find

In the Courts: Scope-of-practice tiff tries to limit physical therapy (the words, not the deed)

Professional Issues news briefs:

• N.J. preventable error report documents 400 serious errors
• New subspecialty certification: Hospice and palliative medicine
• Textbook aims to equip students for internal medicine clerkship

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Business

Wading into EMR: Going electronic, one step at a time
You don't have to put your practice through an extreme tech makeover. Experts offer some suggestions for testing the waters with incremental changes.

Tax rules may stymie some hospital IT donations
Experts caution tax-exempt hospitals to seek IRS guidance before helping physicians with electronic medical records and e-prescribing technology.

Regulator cited in United-PacifiCare merger
A California agency moves to fire an attorney who helped it approve the 2005 merger. But it says the deal won't be undone.

Contract Language: Make insurer settlement agreements good for long term

Business news briefs:

• HealthSouth returns to NYSE
• More EMR products gain seal of approval
• Hospital's laptop stolen; 28,000 patients affected

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An e-visit primer
The AMA has developed a brochure to give guidance to member physicians interested in offering electronic consults.

Letters:

• Despite rules, "in-office dispensing is a form of implicit coercion"
• Crackdown on detailer visits a joke given what academic researchers get
• HHS chief Q&A article left physician with more questions than answers

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Health & Science

Thyroid cancer rates double in a decade
Asking about radiation exposure and family history could provide clues as to who is vulnerable to this disease.

Testosterone therapy shows promise for treating type 2 diabetes in men
Research is not conclusive, but evidence suggests the hormone can improve blood sugar control.

Immunization panel endorses shingles vaccine
The federal advisory group's recommendation is expected to improve coverage and access of the shot by adults.

Health news briefs:

• Earlier lung cancer detection
• FDA OKs new hepatitis B drug
• New fertility guidelines given
• Not enough evidence to support surgery for narrowed kidney arteries
• Asthma in the obese may be caused by excess weight

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