Study documents defensive medicine

Featured

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

---

Goodbye

■ 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

Current Topics »

• Health system reform »
  Medical groups fear ACA grace period will lead to unpaid claims
• EHRs »
  Medical practice managers seek EHR penalty moratorium in 2015
• Liability »
  Liability fears drive doctors to defensive medicine, study reaffirms
• Medicare »
  Medical practice managers seek EHR penalty moratorium in 2015
• Social media »
  Do physician social media guidelines need updating?
• Public health »
  Confronting bias against obese patients

September 2

American Medical News ceases publication after 55-year run

■ Unsustainable financial losses forced the move despite the newspaper's editorial quality, the AMA's senior management says. The Association's other news operations will be enhanced.

AMA readies campaign for Medicare SGR repeal

■ Physicians are rallying for the remaining months of the legislative year to overhaul the formula and build a new payment system based more on quality.

• Government »
  Medical groups fear ACA grace period will lead to unpaid claims
• Profession »
  Confronting bias against obese patients
• Business »
  Writing your way to a bigger physician brand
• Opinion »
  Goodbye
• Health »
  Many women don’t believe their breast cancer risk numbers

• Stay informed
• 
• 
• 
• 

Columns

• Contract Language »
  Deadline looms on updating HIPAA privacy materials
• Ethics Forum »
  Doctors need delicate touch when children are over-scheduled
• In the Courts »
  Elder abuse claim adds new liability risk for doctors
• Leader Commentary »
  Era of excellence in health journalism draws to a close
• Practice Management »
  Collaboration can save medical practices time, money and effort
• Technically Speaking »
  Child patients especially susceptible to identity theft