TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dec. 26, 2011

American Medical News  Web-only issue

Top stories - Government - Profession - Business - Opinion - Health - 2011 index

Top stories

Why patients are turning less to media and friends for health information
Consumers' access to physicians and the quality of information available are affecting their level of interest in seeking outside guidance on their conditions.

Med schools promote training that lets students follow individual patients
Longitudinal integrated clerkships have been around for decades. A small but growing number of medical schools are turning to them to promote patient-centered care.

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Government & Medicine

CMS proposes sunshine rules on industry payments, gifts to doctors
Drug companies and medical equipment manufacturers would be required to detail their financial relationships with physicians starting in 2013.

NIH, health centers avoid cuts in fiscal 2012
Many other federal health items received modest reductions under a funding measure approved by Congress and the White House.

States keep reducing health center funding
But more federal money is slated to bolster school-based facilities.

News briefs:

• Medicare pay will drop for 30% of end-stage renal disease centers
• 13 New Jersey doctors arrested on illegal kickback charges
• House bill would fund primary care residency programs

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Professional Issues

Residency Match revamps placement of students not selected initially
Starting in 2012, the National Resident Matching Program will administer a new system to link unmatched students with unfilled residency positions.

Supreme Court hears case involving medical record disclosure
An HIV-positive pilot claims the government is liable for releasing his medical history during a joint-agency investigation.

Physicians earn nearly perfect ratings from most patients
Findings from a new study join other evidence showing that patients typically believe their physicians are delivering quality care.

News briefs:

• Hospital mandate raises flu-vaccination rate
• University of Pittsburgh center to target health disparities

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Business

Older physicians may have fewer job options than younger colleagues
A new survey finds that employment opportunities decline once a physician is out of residency at least 16 years.

Highmark looks to expand hospital and physician ownership
The Pittsburgh-based insurer, in a dispute with the area's largest hospital system, wants to occupy what it calls the "provider space."

Health plans look to save on each patient visit
Insurers are looking to work directly with physicians to figure out how to make the cost of a single encounter less expensive.

Technically Speaking: How to budget for a cloud-based EMR system

News briefs:

• Waiting room time for patients varies by region, specialty
• R.I. Blues plan considers EMR program a success

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Inside look at physicians' embrace of tablet computers
Connected coverage -- selected articles on trends, challenges and controversies in the changing world of medicine.

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Health

Improvements in nation's health stalled after years of progress
Economic downturn and rising rates of diabetes and obesity contributed to the halted progress, officials say.

News briefs:

• Listeriosis outbreak tied to Colorado cantaloupes is over, CDC says
• Irregular work schedule increases diabetes risk in women, study shows

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