NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 25, 2004
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has added VoIP (Voice-Over-Internet Protocol) technology to its Web site, giving physicians priority for customer service when they telephone the plan over the Internet.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/25/bibf1025.htm.
Confronting bias against obese patients
■ Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story
■ American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story
Policing medical practice employees after work
■ Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story
Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change
■ The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story
Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture
■ The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story
How to get tax breaks for your medical practice
■ Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story
Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future
■ Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story
Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk
■ When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story
American Medical News ceases publication after 55-year run
