By Mary Jo Feldstein ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH At the Des Peres Urgent Care Center, when patients leave with a prescription it typically means pills in hand, not a slip of paper to be brought to the pharmacy. The physicians there worked with Purkinje Inc. of Creve Coeur to set up an in-office dispensing system that […]

By Kathleen Kerr, Newsday LA TIMES In a 150-square-foot tin-ceilinged office in a building that once housed a speakeasy, Dr. Moitri Savard checks her laptop to see whether any patients have scheduled themselves to see her. Wait, scheduled themselves? Yes. Savard’s patients decide when they want to see her and then let her know by […]

By Kathleen Kerr, Newsday LA TIMES In a 150-square-foot tin-ceilinged office in a building that once housed a speakeasy, Dr. Moitri Savard checks her laptop to see whether any patients have scheduled themselves to see her. Wait, scheduled themselves? Yes. Savard’s patients decide when they want to see her and then let her know by […]

By REED ABELSON NY TIMES By coordinating care and keeping their patients out of the hospital, doctors can help reduce overall health care spending, Medicare officials said yesterday in announcing the results of an experiment that allowed doctors to share in the cost savings. The experiment, which started in April 2005 and is to continue […]

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 […]

Rochester investigation finds disclosures can harm physician-patient relationship Michael Wentzel http://www.eurekalert.org In well-intentioned efforts to establish relationships, some physicians tell patients about their own family members, health problems, travel experiences and political beliefs. While such disclosures seem an important way to build a personal connection, a University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry investigation […]

By Felice J. Freyer Journal Medical Writer http://www.projo.com When Anne Grant needed surgery on a painful arthritic hip, she didn’t go to a hospital in Rhode Island. She didn’t even go to Boston. Instead, she packed her bags for India. Yes, India — where Indian doctors and nurses performed the procedure that Grant wanted for […]

By Leslie Champlin http://www.aafp.org Diversity may be good in many circumstances. But in issues related to health care administration — such as credentialing requirements, health plan contracts, coverage, copayments and deductibles, and prior authorizations within and among insurance plans — can be crippling. According to the Medical Group Management Association, or MGMA, the annual cost […]

Joe Pellicer For The Olympian I recently attended a refreshingly different medical conference. Instead of t eaching about diagnosis and treatment, it taught us about the art and science of service excellence in the practice of medicine. As medicine has evolved from its cultish past into a multibillion dollar industry, too many physicians have considered […]