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While a recent study has found that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) pose less of a health risk than conventional cigarettes, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a ban on indoor use and stronger regulation.

Recognizing the rising cost of healthcare and the importance of providing value to patients, resource utilization and value assessments will now be explicitly considered in the development of clinical practice guidelines and performance measures from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association.

Immunization payments

A table showing the dollar amounts physicians may bill Medicare for administering vaccines under various CPT codes.

President Barack Obama skimmed the surface of the Affordable Care Act during his sixth State of the Union speech, while physicians, nurses, educators, and thought leaders in the healthcare industry weighed in on the country's challenges.

A reader writes that today's physicans are subject to so many government requirements that they can no longer practice in the way that best suits patients.

The numbers of new Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) climbed to 123, according to new numbers from Health and Human Services.

Since the 16-day government shutdown in October, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology reports that 13 complete electronic health record (EHR) systems have been added to the ranks of those achieving 2014 edition certification for Meaningful Use.

The top 100 EHR companies

In an effort to help physicians make purchasing decisions, Medical Economics is unveiling an exclusive report on the top 100 electronic health record (EHR) systems to examine key metrics, including revenue, certification, whether it has met MU2 certification requirements for complete EHRs or modules, and provides Web addresses for additional information.

A reader writes that defensive medicine now is included in the training doctors receive and is considered the standard of practice, making it difficult to eliminate from the culture of medicine.

A reader writes that the American Board of Medical Specialties is anti-competitive and wields too much power over the medical profession.