TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sept. 21, 2009

American Medical News  Print edition cover date Sept 28, 2009, vol. 52 no. 21.

Top stories - Government - Profession - Opinion - Business - 2009 index

Top stories

Senate negotiations generate new health reform bill, but not consensus
Senate Finance legislation includes a one-year Medicare pay patch, a primary care bonus and a ban on new physician-owned hospitals.

With seasonal flu shots plentiful and H1N1 vaccines expected soon, early vaccination is urged
Health officials want physicians to begin preparing by getting vaccinated.

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Government & Medicine

U.S. uninsured total again tops 46 million
But fewer children were uninsured in 2008 than in any year since 1987, the first year the U.S. Census Bureau collected comparable data.

Doctors, nurses, seniors target reform myths
The AMA joins with AARP and the American Nurses Assn. to clarify positions on health system reform and help move the debate beyond anti-reform rhetoric.

News briefs:

• Medicare lifts sanctions on WellPoint
• Medicare may cover HIV screening
• TMA holds public meetings on uninsured

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Professional Issues

When is conduct reportable? National Practitioner Data Bank takes complaints from hospitals about physicians
The peer review process is not black and white, which raises questions on reportability. And once a report is made, it's hard to undo the damage.

Surgical quality program cuts complications, patient deaths
Giving surgeons reliable clinical data is key to helping them pinpoint safety problems, researchers say.

Geriatric Consult: Delirium in hospitalized patients may be preventable

News briefs:

• N.J. hospitals must disclose "never events"
• CDC funds cancer screenings, prevention of health care-associated infections

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Opinion

Ending unequal treatment
The Commission to End Health Care Disparities is uniting physicians and others to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities.

AMA Leader Commentary: Two nations, one debate over how to achieve reform

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Business

Comparative effectiveness research: New ways to say "no"
Health plans have stepped up their efforts in using this tool to decide what to cover. Doctors ask: Is the goal better medicine, or just cheaper medicine?

Technically Speaking: Don't let EMRs cut into your doctor-patient time

Contract Language: Should you keep patients from commenting online?

News briefs:

• California lawmakers pass bill limiting rescissions; veto possible
• Pharmacists asking for change to new HIPAA rules

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