Legal

Standards for accessing care vary widely

A reader says healthcare spending in the United States can't be meaningfully compared to spending in other industrialized countries.

A reader doubts the existence of a physician shortage.

Majority say they were dissatisfied with purchase experience, but like ability to compare plans and affordability

Physicians are subject to a wide range of federal and state mandates impacting their practice. Some of these requirements are murky, such as laws addressing discrimination against patients who speak limited or no English.

A reader disagrees with a recent American College of Physicians guideline regarding contraception and abortion.

A reader defends the American Osteopathic Association's decision to pursue a single GME accreditation program.

Rehearing could lessen possibility of Supreme Court ending availability of tax subsidies to buy health insurance

After a decline, more beneficiaries have trouble affording their medications or paying for other necessities

A reader describes the costs to her practice of maintaining certification.

A reader says the certification exam for internal medicine has little relevance to his practice.

A reader says the MOC process is doomed.

A physician disagrees with the views of an insurance company spokesman regarding the need for prior authorizations.

States actively embracing two key provisions of the Affordable Care Act show steepest declines in those without insurance.

A writer says that accountable care organizations (ACOs) will be successful only if the goals of all participating organizations, including patients, are aligned.

Meaningful, timely cost information leads consumers away from hospitals, towards freestanding and office-based procedures

Primary care physicians used to provide the services of a patient medical home, a reader notes.

Many pressures are contributing to physicians' decisions to leave medical practices.

New survey finds disconnect in ways patients, experts evaluate quality in healthcare

A recent vote by the American Osteopathic Association’s House of Delegates clears the way for the unification process to begin

Avoiding coding mistakes in ICD-10 by highlighting the major changes from ICD-9

Physicians need to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of screening tests and procedures with patients and document the discussions in their records to protect themselves if they are sued for medical malpractice.

Two federal appeals court rulings on the Affordable Care Act's insurance subsidies create more confusion surrounding the healthcare law

Gains occur across age groups but are greater in states expanding Medicaid coverage

The HIMSS Electronic Health Records Association is urging CMS and ONC not to make the same mistakes with meaningful use as it did with meaningful use 2.

A reader calls maintenance of certification an example of academic medicine exerting control over practicing physicians.

Kaiser Foundation examines factors affecting program outlays

Fighting with payers over prior authorizations costs millions of hours in lost productivity, but there are ways to improve your chances of winning the battle.

Fighting with payers over prior authorizations costs millions of hours in lost productivity, but there are ways to improve your chances of winning the battle

A medical director for a major insurance company discusses prior authorizations, and how physicians and payers can work together