Opinion columns

AMA Leader Commentary 2008

Messages to all physicians about current events in medical practice.

• AMA makes sharing prescribing data a matter of choice, by Joseph, M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Dec. 29
• Preparing for 2009: Lessons from a successful 2008, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - Dec. 15
• WMA shares common concerns of world's physicians, by Joseph M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Dec. 1
• Ronald M. Davis, MD: My colleague and my friend, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - Nov. 17
• AMA initiatives fight inequities of claims processing, by Joseph M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Nov. 3
• Where does your candidate stand on medicine's issues?, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - Oct. 20
• Litigation Center fights for AMA members -- and wins, by Joseph M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Oct. 6
• Voice for the Uninsured campaign growing stronger, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - Sept. 15
• Medicare is bad, but Medicaid has even more problems, by Joseph M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Sept. 1
• House of Medicine's Medicare win aids doctors and patients, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - Aug. 18
• Advocacy, facing the past, strengthens the profession, by Joseph M. Heyman, MD, AMA board chair - Aug. 4
• Let's move from awareness to action on the uninsured, by AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD - July 21
• Scope of practice: Need for continuing dialogue, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - June 2
• Addressing the epidemic of video game overuse, by AMA President Ronald M. Davis, MD - May 19
• Convenient care clinics merit a closer look by physicians, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - May 5
• Consider e-prescribing as one step in climb to health IT, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - April 7
• Looking for service opportunities? Focus on global health, by AMA President Ronald M. Davis, MD - March 24/31
• Close-up look at carrying and caring for wounded warriors, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - March 3
• Carrying the torch for physicians and patients: What are the key ingredients of leadership?, by AMA President Ronald M. Davis, MD - Feb. 18
• AMPAC: A voice for America's patients and physicians, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - Feb. 4
• Extinguishing inequities in health care, by AMA President Ronald M. Davis, MD - Jan. 21
• Embrace your team: Small efforts can yield big results, by Edward L. Langston, MD, AMA board chair - Jan. 7

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Contract Language 2008

A monthly column examining the ins and outs of contract issues, by Steven M. Harris.

• Make sure your patient's consent is truly informed - Dec. 15
• Pay for referrals may be illegal as well as unethical - Nov. 17
• Check filing requirements when retaining PAs, NPs - Oct. 20
• Separation plan needed when physician leaves practice - Sept. 15
• Examine buy-in provisions of employment agreements - Aug. 18
• Job hunting? Cast wide net, read contract - July 21
• How to put together a nurse practitioner contract - June 16
• Use your practice contract to ease into retirement - May 5
• Review medical office lease before signing - April 7
• Essential provisions of retainer contracts - March 10
• Take care when firing a patient - Feb. 4
• Don't just sign whatever the EMR vendor provides - Jan. 14

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Ethics Forum 2008

A monthly column from the Institute for Ethics at the AMA that answers questions on ethical issues in medical practice.

• Helping patients who are victims of abuse - Dec. 29
• Finding the right approach to EPT - Dec. 1
• Hospitalist, generalist: How they balance care - Nov. 3
• When it's OK to say: No new patients - Oct. 6
• Medical blogs: Who are they good for? - Sept. 1
• Assessing self-neglect in older patients - Aug. 4
• An ethics consult can help build consensus - July 7
• Obese patients benefit from supportive environment - June 2
• Ambiguously ill pose challenge for doctors - May 5
• Ask questions before working at retail clinics - April 7
• How to handle a prejudiced patient - March 3
• Research in hospice possible, even helpful - Feb. 4
• Tell patients about gifts? Or just say no? - Jan. 7

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Geriatric Consult 2008

A monthly column about treating a growing demographic.

• Find the reason, then prevent the fall, by Beatriz Korc, MD - Dec. 22
• Polypharmacy raises risks of side effects, skipped pills, by Beatriz Korc, MD - Nov. 24

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In the Courts 2008

A column analyzing the impact of recent court decisions on physicians. Columns prior to September by Bonnie Booth, then by Amy Lynn Sorrel.

• Supreme Court cases on medical issues rare, but crucial - Dec. 8
• Use of shared peer review findings is questioned - Nov. 10
• Case pits anti-bias law against doctors' rights - Oct. 13
• Attempt to remove bullet leads to lawsuit - Sept. 8
• Transplant surgeon faces criminal charge for donor's quick death - May 12
• Expert who changed mind claims immunity, but plaintiffs still sue - April 14
• Informed consent at heart of New York lawsuit - March 10

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Practice Management 2008

A column on managing your practice, by business writer Karen Caffarini.

• Check fine print before selling your practice - Dec. 29
• Best approach to retaliation suit: Don't let it happen - Dec. 1
• Survive the credit crisis by keeping on top of finances - Nov. 3
• Your bank may need a wellness check - Oct. 6
• Metal theft can disrupt physician office - Sept. 1
• Do you need an MBA, or are there alternatives? - Aug. 4
• A successful sabbatical can take years of planning - July 7
• Some physicians charge deposits to curb no-shows - June 2

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Practice Pointers 2008

A monthly column from St. Louis-based Stone Carlie Wealth Advisors answering your questions about the business side of your practice.

• How to handle the transition to a new office manager, by Karen S. Schechter - Dec. 29
• Tough economic times call for vigilant business sense, by Karen S. Schechter - Dec. 1
• 4 areas you can look to for lost profits, by Karen S. Schechter - Oct. 27
• Staying attuned to employee needs can lower turnover, by Karen S. Schechter - Sept. 22/29
• Office manager is struggling; now what?, by Karen S. Schechter - Aug. 25
• A lockbox service can protect your practice's cash, by Karen S. Schechter - July 28
• Assess benefits in hiring management firm, by Karen S. Schechter - July 7
• Simple steps can maximize efficient use of office space, by Karen S. Schechter - April 21
• How to manage without micromanaging, by Karen S. Schechter - March 24/31
• Closing your practice: What to do and when to do it, by Karen S. Schechter - Feb. 18
• Analyze payer mix before deciding how to change it, by Karen S. Schechter - Jan. 28

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Quick View 2008

An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.

• What bosses want: Accuracy with health insurance claims tops the list - Dec. 1
• Cost seen as biggest obstacle to employer-offered insurance - Dec. 1
• Medicare premiums stable - Oct. 20
• Liability reform and better ob-gyn access - Oct. 6
• Paper perceived safer than e-records - Sept. 8
• Biggest challenges facing groups - Aug. 25
• Uninsured problem lowers U.S. health system's performance score - Aug. 18
• Despite tax debts, Medicare still pays - July 28
• More schooled, more active - July 21
• Summer is the time for Lyme - July 7
• The young and the uninsured - July 7
• Barriers to prescribing opioids - June 16
• Study: Spending more on Medicare doesn't raise satisfaction - June 16
• Medicare health plan pay headed up - May 19
• Part-time doctors - May 5
• Practice trends influencing charity care - May 5
• Resident work-hour violations are up - April 21
• Who gets the pneumococcal vaccine? - April 14
• Reportable events often go unreported - April 14
• To err is human, to report is hard - March 17
• Rural practice: Perceptions and experience - Jan. 28
• Who stays in-state after training? - Jan. 28
• Big firms less receptive to health reforms - Jan. 21
• Where patients get their information - Jan. 14
• High medical costs signal underlying problems - Jan. 14
• Regional exchanges slow to get going - Jan. 7

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Technically Speaking 2008

A practical look at information technology issues and usage, by business writer Pamela Lewis Dolan.

• Adopting e-prescribing with an EMR is challenging - Dec. 8
• Merging practices find IT may not blend well - Nov. 10
• "Smart" technology moving to clinics, physician offices - Oct. 13
• Before you buy, evaluate the vendor's responsiveness - Sept. 8
• Automation seen to aid informed consent - Aug. 11
• One answer to EMR data entry: Hire a scribe to do it - July 14
• "Vaccine against libel" could have some side effects - June 9

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