By CHET BROKAW http://www.chicagotribune.com RAPID CITY, S.D. – Health care costs could be cut substantially if Americans stopped smoking, stopped overeating and got in shape, a national expert told lawmakers from 11 Midwestern states on Tuesday. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if Americans adopted such a healthy lifestyle, 80 percent […]

By GETAHN WARD http://www.tennessean.com Vanderbilt University said it has launched a new, one-year master’s degree program in health care management to teach doctors, nurses and hospital administrators how to apply business skills to solving health care problems. “Clinicians frequently find themselves with management responsibilities, however, their clinical training provided them no experience or education in […]

http://www.tennessean.com BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is taking another shot at easing doctors’ concerns about a tool to allow its members to compare quality and costs of care. Starting Tuesday, doctors have 45 days to review their profiles and update information on their medical claims, which underpins the rating system. The state’s largest health insurer, based […]

By Michael Abramowitz and Paul Kane http://www.washingtonpost.com President Bush sought to block a bill yesterday aimed at forestalling an 11 percent cut in payments to doctors taking care of Medicare patients, but Congress quickly overrode his veto. The House voted 383 to 41 to override the veto, while the Senate voted 70 to 26, in […]

By Bruce Japsen http://www.chicagotribune.com North suburban hospital operator Evanston Northwestern Healthcare is acquiring Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, committing more than $160 million in a deal that was finalized Tuesday. As part of the agreement, which still needs approval of federal regulators, Evanston Northwestern will commit $100 million in capital over the next […]

Jim Foody, MD http://www.chicagotribune.com I am a physician dedicated to my patients, but my practice is also my living. No business can survive long if our vendors do not pay their bills. On Tuesday, July 15, Medicare is required to pay us for services provided since the first of this month. On that date, Medicare […]

http://www.marketwatch.com

By Sarah Avery http://www.newsobserver.com RALEIGH – The N.C. Medical Board voted today to scale back some of the information that will be published on its Web site about settlements doctors make in medical malpractice lawsuits. The board decided it will only post settlements more than $25,000 — the same amount that insurance companies use to […]

http://www.prlog.org