Staff News Writer

A systematic approach to hypertension management that meets clinical and community needs holds promise for both bringing blood pressure under control for the general population and reducing prevalent racial disparities around hypertension and heart disease.

During Mental Health Month, observed each May, the AMA Minority Affairs Section encourages all physicians to recognize and work to address the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in mental health care.

Expensive claim denials and unexpected payment adjustments that stem from the hundreds of proprietary claim edits individual health insurers create behind closed doors could become a thing of the past in a few short years, thanks to an initiative underway in Colorado.

Employed and self-employed physicians are about equally satisfied with their work situations, according to a recent Medscape survey of more than 4,600 physicians, but self-employed doctors are somewhat more satisfied with their current practice situation than employed doctors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Thursday released a proposed rule that would give the agency authority to regulate alternative tobacco products that are growing in popularity.

Medical residents today must demonstrate that they can successfully participate as contributing members of interprofessional teams, so medical schools are working through barriers to incorporate interprofessional education (IPE) into their curricula to give students a firm grounding when they begin providing care.

Patient safety is a growing part of effective residency programs, so much so that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has built quality and safety into its requirements. But a recent study in JAMA Dermatology suggests that improvements around patient safety cultures during residency may be necessary.

Assisting physicians in adopting new models of care and payment that will enhance quality and lower costs is the aim of a recent request for information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).