By William M. Sage, MD, JD Home

By Jeffrey Krasner Come this fall, members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts will be able to go online to look up their healthcare claims and some medical records, which the insurer says will help patients manage their medical care and have more productive discussions with doctors. The feature is being offered through […]

By Bill Hendrick http://www.ajc.com Your doctor pulls out a file of 20 years of your medical records and even he can’t read the hieroglyphics. It’s one of the reasons medical errors cause hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of serious illnesses every year. It’s also why the federal government is spearheading a $150 million […]

By JOHN COOK http://seattlepi.nwsource.com Social networks — traditionally the domain of the young — are increasingly moving into the professional ranks. There are social networks for lawyers (Avvo), real estate agents (Active Rain) and marketers (AdGabber). Now, a Seattle startup wants to create an online community — complete with forums, profiles, messaging and other tools […]

By DIANE LEVICK http://www.courant.com Reform is needed to fix the crisis of the uninsured, but it requires a joint effort of government and the private sector and should preserve the nation’s employer-based health insurance system, Aetna Chief Executive Ronald A. Williams told a congressional panel Tuesday. Changes in the $2.2 trillion U.S. health care system […]

By GETAHN WARD http://www.tennessean.com After 18 months, three levels of appeals and $150,000 in legal expenses, doctors with Premier Medical Group in Clarksville can breathe a sigh of relief after an administrative law judge ruled in their favor in a dispute with Medicare last month. Barring another appeal, the decision ends a process that began […]

By Jane M. Von Bergen http://www.philly.com A hearing on the proposed Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc. merger took an unexpected twist in Harrisburg yesterday. Instead of focusing on the merger, which would create the largest health insurer in the state, it was all about how much the Insurance Department’s consultants were being paid – […]

By Janet Kornblum http://www.usatoday.com

By Jan Moller http://www.nola.com