By Katie Watson, acting associate director of the medical humanities and bioethics program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine http://www.chicagotribune.com Robert Jarvik’s ads for Lipitor are an important source of patient education about a terrible disease — physician addiction to drug money. Dr. Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, began endorsing the world’s best-selling […]

Practice Pointers. By Karen S. Schechter, AMNews contributor. Question: I have been in solo practice for 40 years and am now thinking about retiring at the end of the year. What steps do I need to take, and when should I begin the process? Answer: Closing the doors of a long-standing private medical practice should […]

Doctors’ surcharges down 19.1%; hospitals 1.3% By Michael Schroeder The Journal Gazette Health care costs continue to climb, but Indiana doctors are getting a break on payments to a state fund that covers the lion’s share of costs for larger malpractice judgments. Effective March 1, physicians’ annual surcharges to the Patient’s Compensation Fund will drop […]

By VALERIE BAUMAN | Associated Press Writer http://www.newsday.com/ Dr. Daniel Carlat sank into a choice seat at Lincoln Center, surrounded by other psychiatrists, all staying at the same four-star hotel in Manhattan and attending the same show for free. His deal with a pharmaceutical company to provide testimonials to other doctors had paid off well. […]

“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 […]

http://www.forbes.com AP You can buy almost anything online these days, but try shopping the Internet for an MRI, strep throat test or even an annual physical exam and you’ll run into roadblocks. A new Twin Cities company called Carol is trying to change that with a Web site that gives consumers a ‘care marketplace’ to […]

Competition and consumer choice are the keys http://www.fosters.com It continues to be spoken of in glowing terms on this year’s presidential campaign trail. For some it seems to have become the Holy Grail — the shining light of salvation. Over the last two weeks, however, the light has grown dim, dulled by financial reality. In […]

By Michelle Dynes http://www.wyomingnews.com Wyoming isn’t the only state struggling to recruit doctors. But lawmakers hope an incentive package that includes moving expenses, two years worth of malpractice insurance premiums and a signing bonus of up to $30,000 will make the state a more attractive option for medical professionals. Senate File 35 would create a […]

Doctors say it will hold down medical costs, but patients say they fear giving up the right to sue. By Stacey Burling Inquirer Staff Writer Within the space of two weeks late last year, Michael and Hedy Cohen, who happen to be experts on medical errors, each encountered what they saw as a disturbing development […]