Physicians news and information

Physician assistants are helping to fill the many holes in the U.S. healthcare system, providing tests, counseling and other basic care when a doctor is unavailable. They expect to get busier as healthcare reform starts making it easier for people to pay for medical care.
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Over the past two years, dozens of medical specialty groups have embraced a national campaign to reduce unneeded tests and procedures, with at least one notable exception: Emergency room doctors have been slow to join this push to cut costs and improve care.
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While the patient-centered medical home has been touted as the foundation for a better coordinated and more efficient healthcare system, experts now say medical home practices need to be connected to other parts of the healthcare system. To this end, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative...
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Nearly two weeks after the debut of Covered California, the state's online insurance marketplace, its website still doesn't offer a way to find out which doctors and hospitals are included in each health plan. The website tool designed to help shoppers cross-reference providers launched last week,...
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In dentists’ and doctors’ offices, hearing aid centers and pain clinics, American healthcare is forging a lucrative alliance with American finance. A growing number of healthcare professionals are urging patients to pay for treatment not covered by their insurance plans with credit...
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The physicians expected to provide the care to exchange plan members are wary about the new program, according to a Medical Group Management Association survey.
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Healthcare providers are threatening to sue insurers that pass along a 2% rate cut imposed on their Medicare Advantage plan payments under the federal budget sequestration law.
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A recent survey of some 2,500 doctors conducted by Dr. Jon Tilburt at the Mayo Clinic and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association was full of good news for those of us who believe that, as physicians, we have a big role to play in controlling healthcare costs. It reveals...
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Choice of healthcare provider often ranks second only to cost when consumers choose a health insurance plan. But for visitors to the new federally facilitated and state-run insurance exchanges, their ability to...
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Research demonstrates that patients who are engaged in their care enjoy improved clinical outcomes, report measurably higher levels of satisfaction, and are more loyal to their physicians. When it's done right, patient engagement supports both the traditional healthcare model and the transition...
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