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Prescribing a more active life A new effort launched by the AMA and American College of Sports Medicine urges physicians to take every opportunity to encourage their patients to exercise more.
- Dec. 24/31
AMA's plan for 2008 The American Medical Association lays out strategies to improve the environment in which physicians and patients operate and offers tools for their everyday lives.
- Dec. 17
Tax credits for EMRs The new AMA policy aims to address cost concerns that have kept many physicians from buying health information technology.
- Dec. 10
Putting the quality in rankings An agreement between the New York attorney general and Cigna promises to curtail flawed systems that rank physicians more on cost than on care.
- Dec. 3
Heeding the MRSA warning A new study offers national estimates of this infection's reach -- and a wake-up call.
- Nov. 26
Repair student loan repayment law A federal legislative change in how medical school graduates repay their loans leaves residents in a financial pinch.
- Nov. 19
Don't duck the flu shot It's the beginning of the annual flu season, and physicians and other health workers should be the first to step forward for the vaccine.
- Oct. 22/29
Restaurant menus: Reveal the calories As Americans eat out more frequently, it's important for chain restaurants to provide customers with nutrition information in menus and on menu boards.
- Oct. 8
Prescription for confusion Congress needs to give physicians more time to comply with an anti-prescription fraud law -- as well as limit the law's scope
- Oct. 1
The uninsured: A campaign for action Striking new census figures on the uninsured debut at the same time as an AMA campaign to work for a solution.
- Sept. 24
Reining in rankings for tiered and narrow networks Organized medicine has joined lawsuits to nip bad performance measurement programs in the bud. And in New York, the state attorney general has warned several insurers about their programs.
- Sept. 17
Protect health access for kids, seniors The AMA is urging quick passage of legislation that would renew SCHIP and prevent Medicare physician payment cuts.
- Sept. 10
Federal prompt-pay law: A path to timely reimbursement Health insurers often flout the spirit and the letter of state legislation requiring them to pay physicians within a certain number of days. A tough national law is a way to ensure that such conduct ceases.
- Sept. 3
Veterinarians and physicians: Working together for one medicine The AMA and the American Veterinary Medical Assn. are collaborating on the One Health Initiative as human and animal medicine join forces to fight existing and emerging zoonotic diseases.
- Aug. 13
A new tool against childhood obesity An AMA-convened expert commission offers recommendations to doctors about how to assess, treat and prevent excess pounds for their young patients.
- July 9
Getting aboard SCHIP The legislation -- and the funding -- of the State Children's Health Insurance Program needs to be high on the nation's agenda. And doctors can do their part, too.
- July 2
TB on a plane Recent news stories of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis highlight why there is no room for complacency when it comes to infectious diseases.
- June 25
Fighting back against frivolous lawsuits Physicians are contesting attorneys who file meritless lawsuits. When doctors win, it is good for those who deliver care and those who receive -- and pay for -- it.
- June 18
New thinking about flu vaccination Prospects for increased influenza vaccine production are leading to more and different strategies to increase its uptake.
- May 28
Roadmap for health IT Cost and privacy issues must be addressed if lawmakers want to encourage physicians to invest in technology -- and fulfill its promise.
- May 7
Reducing underage drinking: Surgeon general issues Call for Action Making inroads against this continuing epidemic will require action at all levels of society -- from government officials and educators to teachers, physicians and even adolescents, says the surgeon general.
- April 23/30
UnitedHealth Group-Sierra merger a bad deal In a decade, the Dept. of Justice has approved 400 mergers, and only two had conditions attached. It's time to stop health plan consolidation.
- April 16
Joining forces for patient safety The AMA and AARP partner on a patient-safety initiative that stresses how a better patient-physician relationship can produce better care.
- April 9
Dump -- don't expand -- the SGR The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has offered two paths to reforming Medicare physician payment, but only one is viable.
- April 2
The FDA and tobacco control: New hope for action With bipartisan legislation reintroduced in both the House and Senate and a Democratic majority in Congress, public health advocates hope that the push to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco products might be passed.
- March 26
Time to pass mental health parity The AMA is part of a coalition that supports new Senate legislation to close some gaps in the law requiring equal insurance coverage for mental illness.
- March 12
E-prescribing stumbling blocks The fits and starts of electronic prescribing systems show why their use and development should be encouraged but not mandated.
- March 5
Shoring up the drug safety system The Food and Drug Administration offers a new vision for safeguarding the nation's pharmaceutical products to protect the public health.
- Feb. 26
Covering the uninsured: Working from common ground The continuing problem of uninsured Americans was thrust into the national spotlight as influential groups, including the AMA, came together to lay out a plan to insure more people.
- Feb. 19
An honor for AMNews The newspaper's recognition as an outstanding media brand reflects quality, performance and success in meeting readers' needs.
- Feb. 12
Tobacco control: A long way to go The public health imperative is to push for adequate funding for smoking cessation and prevention programs.
- Feb. 5
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
Health-related expenses for middle-age Americans jumped from $186.8 billion in 1996 to $370.1 billion in 2006.
