World Articles

Worst Health System Performance of Industrialized Nations According to a recently released report, the U.S. spends double the amount on healthcare that 6 other nations they studied do, yet it gets the worst results. The U.S. ranked either last or next to last on the 5 dimensions studied: access, quality, equity, efficiency, and healthy lives—as [...]

The fallout from the new healthcare laws continues. Surprisingly, the latest front to erupt in battle is within the ranks of the American Medical Association. The Florida Medical Association recently expressed its displeasure with the AMA’s support of new healthcare legislation backed by President Obama. Even though in its letter the FMA said it had [...]

Admit your mistakes, offer remuneration; be forgiven. That’s the lesson emerging from a new malpractice claims management policy in Michigan published in the Annals of Internal Medicine August 17 issue. In the study, claims and compensation requests for errors from 1995 to 2007 filed against the University of Michigan Health System were reviewed. Because the [...]

The never-ending debate will end on August 24. But we won’t know the final rule until November. Every year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes its proposed updated Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. This year, though, is especially momentous. That’s because key provisions of the so-called health “reform” (a.k.a. Patient Protection and Affordable [...]

I know, I know. Who would have thought there was still room to cut Medicare reimbursement rates? Well, regardless of where you stand on that question – the federal government keeps trying… and then delaying. There is a recurring potential 21.3% rate cut for Medicare and TRICARE physician reimbursements that went into effect June 1. [...]

The Association of American Medical Colleges recently released a new report focusing on identifying potential conflicts of interest in the academic medical clinic care world. While academic medical center partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry are necessary for innovation that ultimately benefits patients, the financial implications can create “real or perceived” conflicts of interest when it [...]