Opinion content from 2006
GO TO » Jan. - Feb. - March - April - May - June - July - Aug. - Sept. - Oct. - Nov. - Dec.
December
- » Discussion: Keeping children safe online - Dec. 25
- » Letter: Find the right limits for e-mail consults between doctor, patient - Dec. 25
- » Letter: If Florida's Supreme Court can't speak tort reform, perhaps the state's medical and legal leaders can - Dec. 25
- » Discussion: Hospital standards worth your attention - Dec. 18
- » Letter: Patients not well served by transparency proposals on price and quality reporting - Dec. 18
- » Letter: Get politicians to go on the record about Medicare for their own care - Dec. 18
- » The House of Medicine has been abundantly blessed - Dec. 18
- » Discussion: Bioidentical hormone replacement: Safety requires oversight - Dec. 11
- » Letter: Claims data an appropriate basis in pay-for-performance programs - Dec. 11
- » When we care the most, we are at our best as physicians - Dec. 11
- » Discussion: Right to reimbursement - Dec. 4
- » Letter: Index Medicare pay to inflation - Dec. 4
November
- » Discussion: Clearing the on-screen air - Nov. 27
- » Letter: Even for those willing to pay, health insurance can be unobtainable - Nov. 27
- » Discussion: Medical liability: Florida voters speak, but no one listens - Nov. 20
- » Letter: Competition's outcome - Nov. 20
- » Letter: In-store clinics' edge: Less waiting - Nov. 20
- » Letter: Medicare not rewarding physicians for keeping the service growth rate down - Nov. 20
- » Public confidence, support growing for AMA positions - Nov. 20
- » Letter: HHS chief Q&A article left physician with more questions than answers - Nov. 13
- » Discussion: An e-visit primer - Nov. 13
- » Letter: Crackdown on detailer visits a joke given what academic researchers get - Nov. 13
- » Letter: Despite rules, "in-office dispensing is a form of implicit coercion" - Nov. 13
- » Discussion: Making things clear on cost and quality - Nov. 6
- » Letter: Medicaid capitation fails patients - Nov. 6
- » Letter: End Medicare hypocrisy by making it mandatory for those now in charge - Nov. 6
- » Letter: Prison research can't meet standard of "freely given informed consent" - Nov. 6
- » Letter: Practice-based sales risk reducing physicians to cosmetics salespeople - Nov. 6
- » Clear thinking critical to solving Medicare pay problem - Nov. 6
October
- » Discussion: Knowledge is power: Testing everyone for HIV status - Oct. 23
- » Letter: Physicians should take a stand against pharmaceutical promotions - Oct. 23
- » Letter: EMRs need not cost $50,000 per doctor - Oct. 23
- » Discussion: Schedule II drug rule only a first step - Oct. 16
- » Letter: Work-life balance best learned in residency to meet career-long demands of the profession - Oct. 16
- » Here we go again: Same SGR song, newest verse - Oct. 16
- » Discussion: Physician-owned specialty hospitals: Lifting ban will lift quality of care - Oct. 9
- » Letter: No tears for those who choose not to buy health insurance - Oct. 9
- » Discussion: Safeguards needed for doctor ID numbers - Oct. 2
- » Letter: In-store clinics hurt primary care - Oct. 2
- » Letter: Lawmakers with no thought for future are behind Medicare crisis - Oct. 2
- » The principle of values: Health costs are worth it - Oct. 2
September
- » Discussion: New uninsured figures: A powerful reminder - Sept. 25
- » Letter: Medical societies can expect trouble over policing expert witnesses - Sept. 25
- » Letter: Consider the "why" factors of some surgeons' criticized behavior in the OR - Sept. 25
- » EMR: Great opportunity disguised as a threat - Sept. 25
- » Discussion: Easing medical student debt: Some solutions - Sept. 18
- » Letter: Abuse of residents, liability pressures could lead to physician suicide - Sept. 18
- » Letter: Replace the current medical tort system with a compensation fund - Sept. 18
- » Letter: E-prescribing still has too many drawbacks to be practical - Sept. 18
- » Discussion: Time running out to fix Medicare pay - Sept. 11
- » Letter: Residency is not the right time to pursue extracurricular interests - Sept. 11
- » Letter: Following parliamentary procedure makes meetings more productive - Sept. 11
- » Discussion: Revving the IT train - Sept. 4
- » Letter: Physician shortage no surprise - Sept. 4
- » Letter: Hospital case managers get unfair rap as "utilization review police" - Sept. 4
- » The partnership principle: Together we are stronger - Sept. 4
August
- » Discussion: Putting away the salt shaker - Aug. 28
- » Letter: Parental monitoring of teens is reasonable in isotretinoin therapy - Aug. 28
- » Letter: Want ICD codes? Have someone other than the doctor look them up - Aug. 28
- » Discussion: Freedom from SLAPP suits: The right to speak up for patients - Aug. 21
- » Letter: Pain scores not a reliable gauge of what treatment patients will seek - Aug. 21
- » Medicare makes promises; physicians bear the burden - Aug. 21
- » Discussion: Organ donation: Medical ethics and public appeals - Aug. 14
- » Letter: Resident nap study should not be used to make case for longer hours - Aug. 14
- » Letter: Resident nap rooms shouldn't be shared, and especially not be coed - Aug. 14
- » Discussion News: In-store health clinics: Convenience is not enough - Aug. 7
- » Letter: Medical marijuana underscores a basic right to make personal decisions - Aug. 7
- » Letter: Physicians should drop all dealings with public and private insurers - Aug. 7
- » Letter: Poor pay for much-needed cognitive services threatens primary care - Aug. 7
- » Integrity should be guiding force in finding SGR fix - Aug. 7
July
- » Discussion News: Building a better drug ad: Direct-to-consumer marketing - July 24
- » Letter: Residency's end gives revealing look at dangerous gaps in coverage - July 24
- » Discussion: Medical staff autonomy a must: Courts take note - July 17
- » Letter: Protect patient privacy by using a waiting room number system - July 17
- » Letter: Report on better pay in primary care doesn't jibe with practice realities - July 17
- » Letter: Good care flows from maintaining medicine as a desirable career - July 17
- » Physicians can guide major changes ahead in health care - July 17
- » Discussion News: Personal responsibility: New part of health insurance coverage solution - July 10
- » Letter: Quote, as it appeared in AMNews, did not accurately reflect my position - July 10
- » Letter: Urgent care fellowships as valid as other specialist training - July 10
- » Letter: SGR stealthily undermines care -- what will physicians do about it? - July 10
- » Discussion: Strengthen prompt-pay laws: Insurer payment still too slow - July 3
- » Letter: States' Medicaid healthy living push could be accomplished in better ways - July 3
- » Letter: IVF reporting experiences foretell pay-for-performance problems - July 3
- » Strength of organized medicine is in our unity - July 3
June
- » Discussion: Draining soda's impact: Less sugar a sweeter solution - June 26
- » Letter: True hospital infection control requires clean stethoscopes - June 26
- » Letter: Better pay, liability reform will ensure the doctors needed for universal care - June 26
- » Letter: American Academy of Pain Medicine offers guidance on proper prescribing - June 26
- » Discussion: Only the best science belongs in court: Limits on witness testimony needed - June 19
- » Letter: Doctors should rely on better business sense -- not government generosity - June 19
- » Letter: Drug reps could see prescriptions in this physician's name, but he couldn't - June 19
- » Discussion: Drug reps and prescribing data: Doctors can choose to say no - June 12
- » Letter: Major funding for Florida medical schools not money wisely spent - June 12
- » Letter: New twist on hospital staff reappointment: No due process - June 12
- » Discussion: Health plan consolidation: Bigger isn't better - June 5
- » Letter: Dump United's $1.6 billion CEO - June 5
- » Letter: Low pay for mental health treatment is a major Medicare shortcoming - June 5
- » Letter: Part D exception form won't work with insurers who act in bad faith - June 5
- » Looking back on accomplishments but moving forward - June 5
May
- » Discussion News: Medicine's democracy in action: Coming soon at the AMA meeting - May 22
- » Letter: Answer to Medicare's problems lies in HSAs, and not in managed care - May 22
- » Letter: Emergency medicine physician: Provide a tax credit for free care - May 22
- » Letter: PIAA: Liability insurance critic's suggestions were off base - May 22
- » Discussion: A victory for medical staff autonomy: Physicians win in Florida - May 15
- » Letter: Primary care doctors have "ever-increasing burden of paperwork" - May 15
- » Letter: Mind-set behind certain Web sites can lead to physician hiring discrimination - May 15
- » Lessons learned on a journey to the soul of medicine - May 15
- » Discussion: Easing the Part D burden: A new tool will help - May 8
- » Letter: Profitable pharma industry shouldn't get incentives to do the right thing - May 8
- » Letter: Physicians not immune from adopting views from faulty news stories - May 8
- » Letter: Patients, to their peril, are resistant to colonoscopies when warranted - May 8
- » Letter: Medicare payment panel will pit physicians against one another - May 8
- » Discussion: Mass. appeal: A plan to cover the uninsured - May 1
- » Letter: Physicians should stick to providing information and let patients decide moral matters for themselves - May 1
- » Letter: Time for men to feel the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy - May 1
- » Letter: Judge doctors on qualifications and sensitivity -- not race or religion - May 1
- » The seasons of life are seasons of opportunity - May 1
April
- » Discussion: Planning for a pandemic: Are you ready? - April 24
- » Letter: No long-term benefits from 80-hour workweek for surgical residents - April 24
- » Letter: Report author: Criticism in AMNews editorial was shortsighted - April 24
- » Letter: Doctors shouldn't be dismissive when patients' pain source isn't obvious - April 24
- » Discussion: Broader patents, lesser care: Avoiding fear of infringement - April 17
- » Letter: A hired-gun witness can be exposed by a good liability defense attorney - April 17
- » Letter: Performance pay plans will increase paperwork burden for physicians - April 17
- » Colorectal cancer screening: Make the recommendation - April 17
- » Discussion: The AMA Foundation: 56 years of giving - April 10
- » Letter: Obesity is clearly a disease and not a reflection of "individual failure" - April 10
- » Letter: Doctors ill-served by "high-and-mighty posturing" over aid in executions - April 10
- » Letter: Physicians shouldn't have to report their own pay-for-performance data - April 10
- » Discussion: New look, same mission: A newspaper of a different color - April 3
- » Letter: Treat records theft as the crime that it is -- not as cause for lawsuit - April 3
- » Letter: A physician shouldn't have to provide option viewed as morally wrong - April 3
- » Letter: Conscience clause laws undermine appropriate care for patients - April 3
- » Advocacy, activism: No longer a choice - April 3
March
- » Discussion: No role for physicians in executions: Going against the oath - March 27
- » Letter: Workers comp-style system should replace current medical tort system - March 27
- » Letter: At this practice, HSAs a "disaster" - March 27
- » Discussion: 21 reasons why we need tort reform now: The case for states - March 20
- » Letter: Physicians must realize the true goal of drug company representatives - March 20
- » Letter: Oath of Maimonides is an apt choice for medical school graduations - March 20
- » Lots more to do in fight against deadly tobacco epidemic - March 20
- » Discussion: New drug labels: Easing information overload - March 13
- » Letter: It's psychiatrist -- not "shrink" - March 13
- » Letter: AMA-OMSS: Tell the Joint Commission not to weaken medical staff bylaws - March 13
- » Discussion: AMA's advocacy agenda: Driven by physicians - March 6
- » Letter: Drug companies unfairly under siege by critics of marketing practices - March 6
- » Letter: Interaction with drug industry reps needs to be professional, educational - March 6
- » Letter: Marketing advice article desecrates the proper practice of medicine - March 6
- » The state of the union -- and of the nation's health - March 6
February
- » Discussion: Medicare pay formula: Overhaul is needed - Feb. 27
- » Letter: When screening for depression, also screen for bipolar disorder - Feb. 27
- » Letter: Mystery shoppers are deceptive, unethical in a health care setting - Feb. 27
- » Letter: ECFMG: U.S. has a rigorous system to assess physicians seeking licensure - Feb. 27
- » Discussion: Tort reform: The truth of the matter - Feb. 20
- » Letter: Falls far too common to be routinely placed on the list of "never events" - Feb. 20
- » Letter: Don't penalize doctors for patient behavior that can't be controlled - Feb. 20
- » Physician shortages pose a risk to the nation's health - Feb. 20
- » Discussion: Bridging the language gap: For patients with limited English skills - Feb. 13
- » Letter: Questions for critics of honoraria - Feb. 13
- » Letter: Hard to expect residents and fellows to pass on an offer of lunch - Feb. 13
- » Letter: Physicians don't have to want gifts to appreciate the role of drug reps - Feb. 13
- » Discussion: Health plan mergers: More oversight needed - Feb. 6
- » Letter: Health care facing similar economic breaking point as is predicted for oil - Feb. 6
- » Letter: Medical community holds answer to problem of rogue expert witnesses - Feb. 6
- » Rays of hope needed in Medicare muddle - Feb. 6
January
- » Discussion: 5 steps to a healthy new year: Sticking to your resolutions - Jan. 30
- » Letter: Blend codes but provide pay supplement for special cases - Jan. 30
- » Letter: Handle claims on case-by-case basis instead of blending - Jan. 30
- » Discussion: No smoking at work: Let's broaden effort - Jan. 23
- » Letter: Blended rates immoral and more - Jan. 23
- » Letter: Don't expect a cost-saving fallout from Wellpoint's blended rates - Jan. 23
- » Nurses are important allies in protecting patients' health - Jan. 23
- » Discussion: A home for medicine's history and heritage - Jan. 16
- » Letter: Pay-for-performance at odds with the idea of patient autonomy - Jan. 16
- » Letter: Diversity covers a broader range than what was presented in article - Jan. 16
- » Letter: Health plan profits should go to higher reimbursement or back to members - Jan. 16
- » Discussion: Insurers must be specific about payment information - Jan. 2
- » Letter: Special courts are not the right setting to decide medical liability - Jan. 2
- » AMA ends the year on an upbeat, productive note - Jan. 2
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