by Christina Rogers http://www.redorbit.com Predictions of a physician shortage have set off a spate of new medical school construction nationwide in what health care experts say is the first wave of construction since the early 1980s. More than a dozen medical schools are now in various planning stages across the country, with many of them […]

by Michelle Lang http://www.canada.com When Arpana Singh needs to see a doctor, she braces herself for an epic wait. The 23-year-old, who moved from Edmonton to Calgary last year, doesn’t have a family physician. She relies instead on a downtown walk-in clinic when she needs medical attention. But service at the clinic is hardly speedy, […]

by Tim Hoover http://www.denverpost.com A Senate committee Monday passed a bill that would allow injured patients to sue doctors for more money, despite warnings from physicians and insurers that it would raise health care costs and hurt patient access. Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, said his legislation restores medical malpractice law to the intent lawmakers […]

Professor of medicine, Washington University; Partner, Fox and Vuylsteke; President, St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society http://www.stltoday.com Professor of medicine, Washington University Yes … ‘Safety movement’ and time-limited certification help safeguard patients. Medical practice is fraught with complexity and uncertainty. Thus, medical malpractice is not defined by an unfortunate outcome or a patient’s death. Rather, medical […]

By George Wallace http://www.suffolklife.com Less than a year after New York State raised medical malpractice premiums by 15%, and created a task force to look into nagging problems in financing medical practitioners’ insurance, some doctors in Suffolk County are up in arms about rumors that they may be in for another financial shock this year. […]

by Bob Mook Denver Business Journal http://www.bizjournals.com A proposal to relax caps in medical malpractice lawsuits is scheduled to be heard by the Senate, State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Monday. Introduced on Thursday, Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver and Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, would raise the caps for non-economic […]

http://www.insurancejournal.com The Texas Medical Association reported it has joined a legal action aimed a protecting tort reforms passed by the Texas Legislature passed in 2003. TMA said it sued to resolve several constitutional challenges to the centerpiece of the 2003 reforms: a cap on noneconomic damages (such as for pain and suffering) that may be […]

Physicians object to a letter from Blue Cross seeking information that could lead to policy cancellations. By Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer http://www.latimes.com The state’s largest for-profit health insurer is asking California physicians to look for conditions it can use to cancel their new patients’ medical coverage. Blue Cross of California is sending […]

“Some of the uninsured haven’t seen a doctor in 10 years or more. For such people to find conscientious medical care is an immense relief …â€? http://www.emailwire.com Rohnert Park CA — Dr. Robert Forester of Modesto, California, and his partner, Dr. R.J. Heck, have done something most family physicians would say is impossible: they give […]