Prescription abandonment climbs sharply as out-of-pocket costs rise, and prior authorization delays push more patients away. Showing cost and coverage at the point of prescribing could change whether patients ever start therapy.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

HFMA proposes ‘Declaration on Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability’ as physicians and patients feel the squeeze.

Physicians have embraced ambient documentation faster than almost any technology before it. But every note it writes carries your signature, and lawyers, auditors and patients are starting to read those notes closely.

A Maryland pathologist and MedChi past president explains how all-or-nothing contracts, anti-steering clauses and private equity deals inflate costs. He also outlines the federal and state reforms that could restore competition.

Paying membership fees with pretax employer dollars held cost growth to 0.9% a year, but the numbers come with caveats physicians should know before pitching employers.

Prior authorization, step therapy and shifting coverage rules keep patients from obesity drugs with proven benefits, an endocrinologist argues — and the long-term savings make the case for broader access.

Milbank Memorial Fund finds uneven training standards, workforce tracking for nurse practitioners.