By BARNABY J. FEDER NY TIMES www.nytimes.com Aetna, one of the nation’s largest private health plan managers, is the latest insurer to clamp down on the use of a powerful anesthetic during an increasingly common form of colon cancer screening. The company will send a letter to doctors on Friday, saying that it plans to […]

By MARTHA RAFFAELE (AP) Gov. Ed Rendell could not persuade state lawmakers this year to embrace the cornerstone of his sweeping health care reform plan: expanding state-subsidized health coverage to roughly 800,000 uninsured adults. But his administration won some smaller victories in its effort to lower the cost and improve the quality and availability of […]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com In 2003, the state of Texas enacted tort reform that capped noneconomic medical malpractice jury awards at $250,000 and also created stricter requirements for expert testimony and a tougher negligence standard for emergency medical cases. Since then, medical malpractice insurance rates have fallen 40 percent and many malpractice insurance companies that left the state […]

LAUREN NARDELLA http://www.savannahnow.com This is the sixth installment in our year-end series counting down the top 10 local business stories of 2007. The stories will be featured in Exchange each day through Jan. 1: 10. Savannah’s Herty Center bringing biofuel development to state (Sunday, Dec. 23) 9. JCB has best year ever (Monday, Dec. 24) […]

Reporter: Rhiana Huckins http://www.wtvynews4.com The number of physicians is decreasing in the Wiregrass, as well as across the country. Nationwide, an average of 75% of emergency rooms are short-staffed in terms of specialty coverage. Things aren’t looking too bad right now, but local healthcare professionals are actively exploring ways to prevent a major healthcare shortage. […]

By Rosemarie Nelson http://www.medpagetoday.com A typical day in a medical practice is filled with interruptions. In addition to the occasional drop-in patient who needs a prescription re-issue or a back-to-work letter or an answer for “just a quick question,” the practice has many other business visitors who stop in without an appointment. The local medical […]

By ANDY MILLER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.ajc.com/ If not for Good Sam, Trenace Langford said she would waste many hours in Grady Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. She would wait amid the ER patient crush to get care for high cholesterol and other ailments. The 51-year-old Atlanta woman is among the 1.7 million Georgians who have […]

Indo-Asian News Service, Press Trust Of India http://www.hindustantimes.com An Indian American doctor has closed down her practice in the US to dedicate time and attention to a pediatrics centre for impoverished children in Gujarat. The Gujarat-born Roda Patel, who had migrated with her husband to the US in 1963, had a flourishing practice at Northbrook, […]

By Dr. Elizabeth Smoots Herald Columnist Home Do you find that your medical care is sometimes confusing, disorganized and complicated? Our fragmented health care system offers such an assortment of providers, tests, treatments and procedures — each with its own set of paperwork and bills — that it’s difficult to keep track of it all. […]