BY HECTOR LOMBANA Special to The Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com Five years ago, following a well-documented battle between insurance companies and patient rights groups, Florida capped statutory damages on medical malpractice insurance awards. Recent news suggests that the future of these caps may be in jeopardy. One Florida court ruled the caps unconstitutional; another court ruled […]

Will LaBreche / Web Editor/Staff Writer/Photographer http://www.haywardwis.com According to a report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Medical Society, getting in to see a physician will be a growing problem in the coming years. In 2003, the two agencies established a Task Force on Wisconsin’s Future Physician Workforce which was charged with identifying […]

32 Captives Licensed Brings Total Licenses Issued in Vermont to 823 The State of Vermont licensed 32 new captive insurance companies in 2007 as it passed the 800-license milestone, according to data released by the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA). The new captives formed include 13 pure captives, 8 […]

By MICHAEL McAULIFFE http://www.masslive.com While it would seem to be an error, admitting a mistake may actually keep a doctor out of court. Massachusetts is among 34 states that have some kind of apology law covering physicians, however the Bay State statute provides doctors a shield from liability only for expressing apology or regret for […]

http://www.earthtimes.org Physicians Preferred Insurance Company has successfully converted to a Florida stock company following the overwhelming approval of its subscribers. Physicians Preferred, which writes medical malpractice insurance, was originally formed as an insurance reciprocal in the fall of 2004. The conversion to a stock company became effective January 1, 2008.

By: Carlos Mayorga http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com With Utah’s consistently high birthrate, people moving into the state and more Utahns projected to retire in the coming years, the demand for more physicians is increasing fast. As the Utah State Legislative session begins next week, officials at the U’s School of Medicine say they are ready to respond to […]

http://www.cnw.ca Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President Dr. Brian Day announced today in a speech on the costs of wait times, that his organization, representing 67,500 doctors nationwide, was launching a major campaign to put the growing physician shortage on the federal political agenda. “The shortage of health care professionals affects wait times and hurts patients,” […]

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com Chicago Magazine named its top Chicago doctors in the January edition — and the final list of physicians contained four with medical staff privileges at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. The four local physicians selected were Dr. Bryan Foy, cardiovascular surgery; Dr. Lucy Canaday, family practice; Dr. Aras Zlioba, ophthalmology; and Dr. Robert W. […]

http://www.sciencedaily.com With emerging diseases like the West Nile Virus, and re-emerging diseases such as the pandemic flu and drug-resistant tuberculosis, it’s increasingly important to promptly detect a potential infectious outbreak within a community. But public health officials can’t act quickly unless physicians report the diseases. “Quick reporting by several physicians, all acting independently, allows the […]