by Kenneth Briggs http://www.opednews.com 9.9 % Cut in Medicare Payments to Doctors Proposed On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] issued a Press Release announcing a proposed regulation that would cut Medicare payments to Doctors by 9.9 percent. The CMS projects that it will pay approximately $58.9 billion to 900,000 physicians and […]

http://emruser.typepad.com In a very interesting study, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in the US found that patients who consult their physicians via e-mail are less likely to visit their physician or to call their doctor’s office and as a result could reduce income for physicians whose revenue is generated by direct face-to-face contact. This study presents […]

http://www.aafp.org AMY L. McGAHA, MD, American Academy of Family Physicians, Leawood, Kansas ELIZABETH GARRETT, MD, MSPH, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri ANN C. JOBE, MD, MSN, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PETER NALIN, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana WARREN P. NEWTON, MD, MPH, University of North […]

By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff Two popular Boston internists are closing their busy practices, leaving most of their 7,500 patients to find new doctors, as the physicians open a small concierge practice that will charge individuals a $3,600 yearly fee to join. Dr. Jeffrey Bass, 50, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dr. Ronald Katz, […]

Setting up shop in your hometown can be rewarding and successful, if you set rules and learn to cope with awkward situations. By Carolina Procter, AMNews staff Family physician Alan DeWitt, MD, returned to his hometown of Snowflake, Ariz., right after residency to start a practice with three other doctors. He’d always wanted to practice […]

AMA to seek probe of in-store clinics By Bruce Japsen Tribune staff reporter chicago tribune In an attempt to ratchet up scrutiny on the proliferation of in-store clinics being opened by retail giants, the American Medical Association said Monday that it will ask state and federal agencies to launch widespread investigations into the fast-growing patient-care […]

http://www.annekunathonline.com/ As part of its ongoing commitment to patient safety, ProMutual Group, a leading provider of medical liability insurance in the Northeast, is pleased to announce that on behalf of its insured physicians, it has negotiated a discount on annual subscriptions to EmmiPrep(TM), an innovative, web-based, patient education and risk management tool. The reduced cost […]

http://www.earthtimes.org AMA doctors spoke with one voice at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago today, calling on Congress to stop Medicare physician payment cuts and instead update payments in line with practice cost increases. Next year, Congress plans to cut Medicare physician payments by 10 percent, placing seniors’ access to health care at risk. “The […]

http://www.kaisernetwork.org The American Medical Association should seek a ban on retail clinics, several physician groups said on Sunday at the annual AMA meeting in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports. Retail clinics — low-cost, walk-in facilities often located in supermarkets, pharmacies and large retail stores — in large part are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician […]