HIV, STIs, Viral Hepatitis and LTBI Routine Screening Toolkit

The AMA’s toolkit for community health centers and emergency departments guides you from patient intake to linkage to care.

Routine Screening Toolkit
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2 Min Read

Pew got it wrong on advance care planning

There has been a lot of misinformation about advance care planning over the years. The latest in false reporting on this issue is told by Stateline, a news website run by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In an article that appeared this week about possible federal payment policy for advance care planning,

Medicare & Medicaid
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2 Min Read

Joint Commission releases 2013 sentinel events data

Updated statistics from the Joint Commission show 887 sentinel events were reported in 2013. The most frequently reported sentinel event in 2013 was delay in treatment, followed by wrong patient, wrong site or wrong procedure.

Prevention & Wellness
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4 Min Read

How states are addressing restrictively narrow networks

As insurers continue to shift toward narrow networks, states still are sorting out what actions will lead to appropriate access to care. Physicians are taking an active role in how their state governments handle the issue.

Access to Care
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4 Min Read

Physicians fight narrow networks' squeeze on access to care

On the heels of massive network terminations made across the country for the 2014 health plan year that caused enormous confusion for patients and their physicians, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and many states are considering ways to ensure health plan networks provide sufficient access to care.

Access to Care
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3 Min Read

How organized medicine is reducing health care disparities

When I participated in the National Hispanic Medical Association’s (NHMA) annual meeting several weeks ago, I was struck by the tangible sense of unity in the air. 

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Leadership
Leadership Viewpoints
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3 Min Read

Physicians go to court for their mental health patients

Physicians are taking on the issue of mental health parity in a case against UnitedHealthcare, claiming the payer has “systematically implemented unlawful and deceptive practices.”

Judicial Advocacy
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3 Min Read

3 goals doctors are working toward to reduce health care disparities

The Commission to End Health Care Disparities discussed its plans to achieve better data collection and reporting at the National Minority Quality Forum 2014 Summit held this week in Washington, D.C.

Health Equity
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1 Min Read

Racial, ethnic mental health disparities in the spotlight this month

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.

Behavioral Health
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3 Min Read

Patient safety culture crucial to effective residencies: Study

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.

Improve GME