SPOTLIGHT -
Richard Payerchin is editor of Medical Economics.
ACP: Physicians must be a force for environmental health and justice
Fighting pollution and climate change are at heart of new policy paper for health care sector, government regulators.
‘Daixin Team’ cyberattackers threatening health care organizations with ransomware
HHS, FBI, CISA issue joint alert against online threat with tips to bolster computer security.
Writing about medicine and people, the good and the bad
Volume logs life as a small-town physician
RSV: What to know, what to look for, what to tell your patients
CDC, other experts are tracking increases in respiratory syncytial virus cases in infants.
Public policy and acknowledging America’s huge health care problem
The United States is a great place to be sick, but needs to grow healthy people to begin with.
High prices driving low grades from Americans burdened with health care bills
Report card on U.S. health care system has marks from slightly above average to really bad.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine gets emergency use authorization to be booster
FDA, CDC grant approve use for adults at least six months after first two-dose series, but with no booster.
The opioid crisis has not gone away
Physicians and everyone should know substance use and addiction can hurt the ones they love.
Health care costs could edge out political party loyalty in November elections
Candidates working to lower prescription drug costs could gain supporters at the ballot box.
Small-town medicine is about relationships in the community
Watching patients and the community grow is the heart of the job.
FDA sues six e-cigarette makers for illegal sales
First enforcement action seeking court enforcement through the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Feds sue Cigna for bogus billing for Medicare Advantage patients
Justice Department says Cigna pocketed millions; complaint follows national news report about widespread fraud by Medicare Advantage insurers.
Analyzing social determinants of health in theory and practice
Why health care needs to change to recognize outside factors.
1.3M adults rationed insulin to save money in 2021
Study examines patient action that ‘is frequently harmful, and sometimes deadly.’
Why Austin, Indiana, is not an isolated case
In poverty, people make choices from options available.
HHS extends COVID-19 public health emergency into 2023
Administration pushes for vaccines and boosters for the fall.
HIV spreads as opioid users share needles
In 2010, infections and hepatitis C foreshadowed another epidemic.
Primary care patients did better with telemedicine than in-person visits during COVID-19 pandemic
As lawmakers consider future of funding, study reports video visits provided quality care across 13 of 16 measures.
15 metropolitan areas with the fewest primary care physicians per 100,000 people
General population grows, but primary care physician population is not keeping up in some cities.
AMA: Pharmacy benefit managers dominate health insurance services in state, local markets
Consolidation and lack of competition create risk of higher prices for patients.
Discovering the opioid epidemic
A new physician is surprised at requests for prescription painkillers.
15 metropolitan areas with the most primary care physicians per 100,000 people
Local level data needed to understand gaps in services, analyst says.
MGMA 2022: Physicians don’t have to be mental health experts to become mental well-being advocates
Lack of providers, stigma are barriers to seeking needed care, but meaningful conversations can help.
Introducing Austin, Indiana, with the town physician
A ‘Tale of Two Cities’ off Interstate 65
15 metropolitan areas with the most behavioral health providers per 100,000 people
If more screening creates more demand, these cities rank above the national average.
MGMA 2022: As COVID-19 goes away, regulatory burdens spring up to occupy physicians
MGMA releases annual member survey on processes that take time away from patient care.
MGMA 2022: Want your patients to pay? Make it easy for them
Offering financial education helps patients understand what they owe, why, and when.
MGMA 2022: Physician practices, health care systems remain vulnerable cyberattack targets
Working from home offers flexibility for staff, gateway for cyberattacks.
MGMA 2022: What duties can medical assistants take on? Some principles for delegating
Physicians should consider legalities as scope of practice laws change around the country.
MGMA 2022: Organizational changes, U.S. health care revisions needed to alleviate physician burnout
Recognizing it’s a problem is first step to making changes that help workforce, patients and the bottom line.
