Regional coverage

The West 2007

(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

• California fines plan for failing to reveal policy cancellation incentive - Dec. 10
• California regulators halt plan's confidentiality agreements - Dec. 3
• University of California system loses tuition-hike appeal - Dec. 3
• No lawsuits until peer review is complete, Colorado Supreme Court rules - Nov. 19
• Drop in mortality rates continues for most common cancers - Nov. 12
• California health reform debate enters new phase after veto - Nov. 5
• Online open house may be a first in recruiting residents - Oct. 8
• Colorado stakes out major health system reforms - Sept. 24
• Washington state doctors lead their own quality appraisal - Sept. 24
• Nevada regulator OKs merger of United, Sierra - Sept. 17
• California plan backs down from some scheduled fee reductions - Sept. 10
• Utah doctor can pursue libel case against state over fraud claims - Sept. 3
• California ends beleaguered program for impaired doctors - Aug. 27
• San Francisco launching universal health care plan - Aug. 20
• Judge rules criminal fraud case against Idaho doctor is frivolous - Aug. 20
• Kaiser fined for poor oversight - Aug. 13
• Oregon adopts plan for universal health access - Aug. 6
• California internist plays an OB in his first film role - July 23/30
• California radiologist group sues UnitedHealthcare over payment rates - July 2
• WellPoint gets double blow as it faces investigation, tosses CFO - June 25
• The University of California appeals a court ruling on tuition hikes - June 18
• Health system reform effort widens in California - June 4
• Sign of the times: San Francisco shifts delivery of AIDS care - April 16
• Assisted-suicide bill in California clears first hurdle - April 16
• California doctors fight for right to counsel during negotiations - April 16
• Idaho emergency doctor sued for overriding parent's decision - April 9
• Pioneering regional health network logs off for the final time - April 9
• California looks into Kaiser's EMR troubles - March 12
• Judge allows California challenge to conscience clause law over abortion - March 5
• Physician offices to serve as major tenants in "mall" - Feb. 5
• Physician revenue tax draws heat in California universal care proposal - Jan. 29
• California doctors look to join suit accusing insurer of rescinding coverage - Jan. 29
• Medical marijuana advocates win one, lose one in court - Jan. 15

Last year's index - Back to top

A laptop computer with personal information about 850,000 physicians was stolen. Read more

The Midwest 2007

(Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)

• Wisconsin doctor pulls double duty: 4 sets of twins in 24 hours - Dec. 24/31
• Illinois judge voids cap on liability awards - Dec. 3
• Surgical safety device is his invention, but ENT is what he does - Dec. 3
• Illinois sues radiology clinics over MRI leasing - Nov. 26
• Ohio medical society pushes doctor-friendly EMR pacts - Nov. 26
• Wisconsin doctors sue to stop "raid" on state's medical liability fund - Nov. 19
• Hospital can be sued for credentialing doctor with questionable qualifications, Minnesota high court rules - Oct. 15
• Wisconsin budget crisis threatens physicians' Medicaid pay - Sept. 24
• Doctor fights abortion law, criminal charges - Sept. 17
• Minnesota child-abuse reporting law does not create civil liability - Sept. 10
• Physician's slaying could go unpunished - Sept. 10
• Physicians sue Missouri over midwifery law - Aug. 13
• Refusal of new Medicaid patients spurs antitrust suit - July 23/30
• New Minnesota law requires electronic claims filing by 2009 - July 23/30
• AMA meeting: Medical students take skills to Chicago neighborhood - July 16
• Confronting eugenics: Does the now discredited practice have relevance to today's technology? - July 9
• Missouri set to reform Medicaid, boost doctor pay - June 25
• Transplant team, pilots die in EMS plane crash - June 25
• Radio icon sings praises of Minnesota town to lure doctors - June 11
• Court: Medical board charges should be public - June 11
• United settles suit with Nebraska over complaint procedure - June 11
• State high court limits reach of Missouri abortion consent law - June 4
• Ohio attorney sanctioned for pursuing frivolous liability case - June 4
• Kansas consumer act excludes medical negligence - June 4
• Illinois reform plan hits funding snags - May 28
• Indiana passes health reforms, Medicaid pay boost for doctors - May 21
• Kentucky medical school will freeze tuition for each class - May 7
• Wisconsin governor wants liability pool money for health programs - April 23/30
• Illinois makes big strides in covering all kids - April 16
• Match Day 2007: The envelope, please - April 2
• Illinois bill proposes stricter requirements for retail clinics - March 26
• Artists teach students the power of observing - March 19
• Noncompete clauses enforceable, courts in Illinois and Indiana rule - March 12
• Kansas high court: Doctor can be sued under consumer act - In the Courts March 12
• Spanning the globe to advise sports media - Feb. 19
• Records of minors' sex-related care ruled private by Indiana court - In the Courts Feb. 12
• GM and WellPoint are partners in e-prescribing pilot - Feb. 12
• Illinois task force pushes plan for universal coverage - Feb. 5
• Michigan medical schools pursue diversity without preferences - Feb. 5
• New York, Ohio adopt limited mental health parity coverage - Jan. 22
• Courts split on arbitrating pay disputes - Jan. 22
• Effort cuts down catheter-related infections - Jan. 22
• Keeping patients' heads up and more - Jan. 15

Last year's index - Back to top

60% of U.S. medical schools have reported incidents of students posting unprofessional content online. Read more

The Northeast 2007

(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont)

• Fight over physician quality ratings moves to Massachusetts - Dec. 24/31
• Santa aging well, ho-ho-ho'ing to health - Dec. 24/31
• Punitive damages ruled OK for privacy breach - Dec. 17
• Measuring out medicine (book excerpt: The Surgeons: Life and Death in a Top Heart Center) - Dec. 10
• More health plans agree to New York model for physician rankings - Dec. 10
• State boards keep an eye on medical spas - Dec. 3
• Insurers agree to more transparent physician ratings - Dec. 3
• Putting the quality in rankings - Editorial Dec. 3
• New York agreement refines doctor-rating criteria - Nov. 19
• Physicians challenge New Jersey fee schedule - In the Courts Nov. 12
• Judge punishes Pennsylvania Blues plans for not producing documents - Nov. 5
• Hospital employees suspended for snooping on injured actor - Nov. 5
• New Hampshire Blues offers e-prescribing software - Oct. 22/29
• Fine-tuning the thought process (book excerpt: How Doctors Think) - Oct. 8
• Personal health record venture gets new life - Oct. 8
• Massachusetts health reform builds momentum - Oct. 1
• Drug info firms target prescriber data laws - Oct. 1
• Resistance builds against insurers' tiered networks - Sept. 17
• Reining in rankings for tiered and narrow networks - Editorial Sept. 17
• New York City wants calories put on menus - In the Courts Sept. 10
• New Jersey fines Aetna for fee schedule, orders more pay for doctors - Aug. 13
• Maine court questions liability panels - Aug. 6
• New York warns of lawsuit over physician rankings by United - Aug. 6
• MinuteClinic seeks waivers of Massachusetts public health rules - July 9
• Searching for more (book excerpt: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance) - June 25
• Pennsylvania governor touts cost control in health reform plan - June 11
• New Hampshire ban on sale of prescribing data is overruled - May 28
• Rhode Island to distribute adult flu vaccine free to doctors - May 21
• New York City offers doctors discounted EMRs - May 14
• New Jersey regulator tells United to justify lab referrals - May 14
• Massachusetts considers requiring all surgeries to be videotaped - April 23/30
• New Hampshire parental notification law faces repeal - April 16
• Doctor cards help Pennsylvania hospital put a human face on patient care - April 16
• Independence Blue Cross, Highmark announce merger - April 16
• Departing lessons (book excerpt: Final Exam) - April 9
• Mass health reform: Still a work in progress - April 2
• Doctor tax dropped from Connecticut health reform bill - April 2
• In one state, United suspends new lab protocol - March 26
• Boston hospital CEO asks: Do I get paid too much? - March 5
• Pennsylvania universal care plan gets wary welcome - Feb. 26
• New York doctors settle suit over Blues underpayments - Feb. 19
• New Hampshire posts health cost estimates online - Feb. 19
• Citywide EMR network to link nearly all area physicians - Feb. 19
• Rewiring lives (book excerpt: Shattered Nerves) - Feb. 12
• Doctors, health plans against pay rule proposed in New Jersey - Feb. 12
• New York, Ohio adopt limited mental health parity coverage - Jan. 22
• Studies link infections to hospital processes - Jan. 15
• Sale of Eakins' medical painting stirs controversy in Philadelphia - Jan. 1/8

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88% of retail clinics are in urban areas. Read more

The South 2007

(Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia)

• Court: Non-radiologists can't refer for in-office imaging - Dec. 17
• Florida begins electronic health record pilot program for Medicaid recipients - Dec. 17
• Oklahoma stops repaying medical school loans - Dec. 10
• Maryland county idea offers access for uninsured - Dec. 3
• Doctors gain insight from theater training - Dec. 3
• Texas medical board vows to speed up process - Nov. 26
• Controversial insurance proposal on ballot in Washington state - Nov. 5
• Maryland board can't punish doctor for defending privacy of patients - Nov. 5
• North Carolina medical board can't discipline doctors for execution work - Oct. 22/29
• Maryland wants its share of liability insurance credit - Oct. 15
• Maryland task force reviewing physician payment - Oct. 15
• Physicians see North Carolina tort reform as first step - Oct. 8
• Court rules Medicare plans can be sued for nonpayment - Oct. 8
• New Orleans grows into testing ground for medical homes - Sept. 24
• Georgia family physician brings conservative values to Congress - Sept. 10
• North Carolina changes medical board nomination process - Sept. 3
• Doctor builds career in urban redevelopment - Sept. 3
• District of Columbia residents can't sue for high drug costs - Aug. 27
• Washington doctors, health plan agree on network structure - Aug. 27
• Dr. Pou's plight: Heroic actions, harrowing aftermath - Editorial Aug. 20
• What made them sick (book excerpt: Solving History's Great Medical Mysteries) - Aug. 13
• Physicians offered incentives to practice in New Orleans - Aug. 6
• Court invalidates hospital special privilege law - July 23/30
• Katrina nurses might be forced to testify against physician - July 23/30
• New school wants to give 1st class free ride - July 9
• States expand children's access to health care - July 2
• Florida physician can sue insurer over forced liability settlement - June 25
• Georgia Supreme Court kills part of state's tort reform law - June 18
• Hospital in Florida not liable for uninsured doctor - June 18
• Credentialing records open in liability cases -- Florida court - June 11
• Doctors still reeling after Katrina, sue state for uncompensated care - May 28
• New laws in Washington state aim to boost access and quality - May 28
• Med school refunds tuition, then wants it back - May 28
• Texas Medicaid physician pay gets hike in new settlement - May 21
• Battle over futile care erupts in Texas - May 14
• Texas court awards fired doctor nearly $10 million - May 14
• Virginia: 14 is old enough to decide on medical treatment - May 7
• Kentucky medical school will freeze tuition for each class - May 7
• More lay members sought as lawmakers challenge who sits on medical boards - April 23/30
• Prisoner organ donation proposal worrisome - April 9
• West Virginia court OKs self-funded trust to cover liability - April 2
• North Carolina appeals court allows new use of HIPAA in lawsuit - March 12
• Designed for disaster: Planners of innovative ED want it to be ready for anything - March 5
• Louisiana liability cap upheld; trials still ahead - March 5
• Will states follow Texas on HPV shot mandate? - Feb. 26
• Florida appeals court OKs access to peer review records - Feb. 26
• HMO offers Weight Watchers to West Virginia Medicaid enrollees - Feb. 19
• Florida doctor indicted over expert qualifications - Feb. 19
• Court overturns "Wal-Mart" law - Feb. 12
• Federal appeals court rules against doctors, patients in Oklahoma Medicaid pay suit - Jan. 29
• Arkansas cardiologists accuse hospital of collusion - Jan. 22
• Courts split on arbitrating pay disputes - Jan. 22
• No warrant, no searching doctors' offices, says Kentucky Supreme Court - Jan. 15
• Texas Blues plan suspends rating system -- for now - Jan. 15

Last year's index - Back to top

By late September 2009, widespread H1N1 activity had been reported in 27 states. Read more

State Roundups 2007

(Our coverage of trends in state legislatures and regulatory bodies is also a good source of information about developments in different parts of the country.)

• Florida begins electronic health record pilot program for Medicaid recipients - Dec. 17
• Cigna expands with Great-West health deal - Dec. 17
• CBO: Medicare and Medicaid spending growth unsustainable - Dec. 3
• Illinois sues radiology clinics over MRI leasing - Nov. 26
• Medicaid's rule changes are drawing fire - Nov. 19
• Most Medicaid programs adopt modest 2008 pay boosts for doctors - Nov. 12
• States strike at "most-favored" pay clause - Nov. 12
• Lawmakers at SCHIP impasse while funding ends in mid-November - Nov. 5
• Number, cost of vaccines spur budget dilemma - Nov. 5
• States sue federal government over tighter SCHIP limits - Oct. 22/29
• After Bush veto, SCHIP strategy shifts to courting override votes - Oct. 15
• Medicaid Rx pad security rule is delayed - Oct. 15
• Medicare & Medicaid: A study in contrasts - Quick View Oct. 15
• Maryland wants its share of liability insurance credit - Oct. 15
• Medicare pay hike on tougher road after being stripped from SCHIP bill - Oct. 8
• States scrutinize health insurer offering limited-benefit policies - Oct. 1
• UnitedHealthcare promises reform in deal with state regulators - Oct. 1
• Wisconsin budget crisis threatens physicians' Medicaid pay - Sept. 24
• New reps, new rap: The counter-detailers - Sept. 24
• Annual study shows states moving to more balanced pain policies - Sept. 17
• Bush SCHIP limits hurt efforts to expand kids coverage, states say - Sept. 10
• States review nonprofit hospitals' tax exemptions - Sept. 10
• Protect health access for kids, seniors - Editorial Sept. 10
• Medicaid Rx must be on tamper-resistant pads - Sept. 3
• Doctors stump for the uninsured - Sept. 3
• States let adult kids stay on parents' insurance - Sept. 3
• Fate of Medicare pay raise hinges on contentious SCHIP negotiations - Aug. 20
• House panel advances SCHIP reauthorization bill - Aug. 13
• Medicaid measures performance: The push to improve care and save money - Aug. 6
• Senate panel OKs SCHIP funding bill; Bush threatens to veto it - Aug. 6
• Oregon adopts plan for universal health access - Aug. 6
• Refusal of new Medicaid patients spurs antitrust suit - July 23/30
• AMA meeting: AMA launches pre-election push on plight of uninsured - July 16
• Peer review records opened in physician's discrimination suit - July 16
• States, CME incorporating cultural competency training - July 16
• HHS gives lower estimate of uninsured children eligible for SCHIP - July 9
• MRSA infection rate higher than earlier thought - July 9
• Medicaid seeks to cut contribution to GME funding - July 9
• States expand children's access to health care - July 2
• Getting aboard SCHIP - Editorial July 2
• Florida physician can sue insurer over forced liability settlement - June 25
• Missouri set to reform Medicaid, boost doctor pay - June 25
• Congress plugs $650 million SCHIP funding gap - June 18
• Medicaid citizenship rules costing health centers - June 18
• Funding pools OK'd for Medicare doctor pay, SCHIP - June 11
• United settles suit with Nebraska over complaint procedure - June 11
• Physicians pushing state lawmakers to regulate burgeoning retail clinics - June 4
• New laws in Washington state aim to boost access and quality - May 28
• Texas Medicaid physician pay gets hike in new settlement - May 21
• Indiana passes health reforms, Medicaid pay boost for doctors - May 21
• Virginia: 14 is old enough to decide on medical treatment - May 7
• Congress wants to enlarge SCHIP; Bush seeks limits - April 23/30
• More states eye reporting infection rates to give scrutiny to hospitals - April 16
• Mass health reform: Still a work in progress - April 2
• DEA judge's ruling could help medical marijuana research - March 19
• Merck ends push for HPV vaccine mandate - March 12
• Tort reforms boost some states' liability outlook - March 5
• Bush budget plan slashes billions from Medicare, Medicaid spending - Feb. 26
• Will states follow Texas on HPV shot mandate? - Feb. 26
• HMO offers Weight Watchers to West Virginia Medicaid enrollees - Feb. 19
• Nonphysicians bypass legislatures, use own boards to expand scope - Feb. 12
• Tougher rules on citizenship records curbing Medicaid enrollment - Feb. 12
• Slower spending: Growth in national health care expenditures slows for third year - Feb. 5
• Federal appeals court rules against doctors, patients in Oklahoma Medicaid pay suit - Jan. 29
• States propose laws requiring HPV vaccine - Jan. 29
• New York, Ohio adopt limited mental health parity coverage - Jan. 22
• Congress plugs SCHIP funding gap but deficits still loom in 14 states - Jan. 15

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