Congress and health care: A message for primary care physicians

CMS' proposed cuts to physician fees focus on the operating room. For the primary care physicians managing recovery after surgery, the real gap is much larger.

A simple break-even calculation turns a reimbursement advantage into staff minutes, showing practices when prior authorization, denials and uncollected patient balances wipe out a better rate.

A Hologic survey of 1,000 U.S. women aged 35 to 75 found that a direct recommendation from a physician was the top motivator for overdue patients, while knowledge gaps about cost, radiation and breast density persist.

Cash payments for GLP-1s are on the rise, according to pharmacists surveyed by Buzz Health.

Patients who received weekly plant-based grocery packages from a primary care clinic's food pantry for an average of 2.7 years saw dose-dependent drops in diastolic blood pressure, weight and BMI, but no significant change in hemoglobin A1c, a Mass General Brigham study found.

Medical Economics spoke with health care attorney Tatiana Melnik, J.D., about vendor contracts, patient consent and the malpractice questions physicians could face next.

How long before every doctor has an artificial intelligence stunt double?

The Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School welcomed its first class of 91 students in July, with mental health built into all four years of training. Medical Economics spoke with John Lucas, D.O., and Michele Nealon, Psy.D., about whole-person care, burnout and the stigma physicians face in seeking help.