By Maggie Mahar, Health Beat http://www.alternet.org This article originally appeared on Health Beat. More and more doctors are fed up with private insurers. It’s not just a question of how stingy they are, but how difficult it is to get reimbursed. Paperwork, phone calls, insurers who play games by deliberately making reimbursement forms difficult to […]

http://www.marketwatch.com OLDWICK, N.J., Jul 18, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Risk Assurance Company of Saint Peter’s University Hospital (RAC) (Cayman Islands). The outlook for both ratings is negative. Concurrently, A.M. Best has withdrawn the ratings and assigned […]

By JUNG EUN LEE http://www.ajc.com

http://www.washingtontimes.com COMMENTARY: In April, a tiny step was taken that may have costly consequences for American health care. The Council for the Advancement of Comprehensive Care (CACC) and the National Board of Medical Examiners announced that, beginning this autumn, they will offer a voluntary exam for nurse practitioners (NPs) to gain certification as a DNP […]

By Candice Ferrette http://www.lohud.com High malpractice costs may squeeze out more doctors who deliver babies in the Lower Hudson Valley this year. The area has seen a significant drop in the number of practicing obstetrician/gynecologists in recent years, and more will close their offices or charge patients out-of-pocket if state lawmakers don’t help cap their […]

By Amy Lynn Sorrel http://www.ama-assn.org A recent study tracking declining medical liability insurance premiums in Massachusetts fails to tell the whole story, physicians say. According to the report in the May/June issue of Health Affairs, Massachusetts has the fourth-highest average settlement payments in the nation. But study authors from Suffolk University Law School in Boston […]

By Judith Gordon http://www.philly.com We almost had a catastrophe in our health care system. A mandated 10 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements was averted Tuesday when Congress overrode President Bush’s veto of a bill that would protect doctors from the cut. But the reduction was instigated by a flawed calculation designed to reduce Medicare spending […]

By REED ABELSON http://www.nytimes.com American medical care may be the most expensive in the world, but that does not mean it is worth every penny. A study to be released Thursday highlights the stark contrast between what the United States spends on its health system and the quality of care it delivers, especially when compared […]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://seattlepi.nwsource.com SEATTLE — The Seattle-based Providence healthcare company has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine and improve its patient information security to settle privacy complaints from 2005 and 2006. Federal officials say the home and community health care company failed to properly secure backup tapes, disks and laptops with electronic patient information […]