The top news stories in medicine this week.

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

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.

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.

American Osteopathic Association leaders discuss the profession’s record growth, its training pipeline and the pressures facing practicing physicians.

A physician and retired Air Force Reserve colonel explains how active-duty and Reserve service work for doctors, from scholarship payback and deployments to pensions and Tricare, and what employers should know before bringing one on.

The AMA and eight other physician groups say a CMS rule narrows a protection Congress wrote for medically frail patients

Almost 70% of consumers will abandon AI customer service after two failures, a recent survey found.