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New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

The New England Journal of Medicine dedicates a significant amount of its current issue to research and perspectives on the new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is abbreviated as ACA (5/12).

14 May 2010

Hospitals' financial woes cause shake-ups in three cities

"Some doctors from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan fear they won't be covered for malpractice insurance for care they provided while on staff before the hospital's demise. They believe the failed institution has a legal obligation to continue to provide the coverage. The doctors fear they may have to buy their own medical malpractice coverage for the next several years, policies they say can cost $40,000 a year when purchased individually" (Sataline, 5/7).

7 May 2010

First Edition: May 7, 2010

Today's health policy headlines explore a range of issues -- from how health reform politics are playing in midterm election campaigns to hospital action in the marketplace.

7 May 2010

California Republican lawmakers continue to press for tort reform

The Contra Costa Times: "The effort to overhaul the nation's health care system has so far skirted the issue of tort reform, intensifying debate over the role malpractice lawsuits play in increasing premiums." Critics say the new health reform law does not do enough to address the high costs of medical lawsuits, but other experts say that malpractice suits do not contribute to increasing health costs.

27 Apr 2010

21% of Americans want no changes to health care legislation: CHPPR survey

Less than a quarter of Americans want no changes to the health care legislation signed into law by the president last month but there may be more common ground with other Americans than many think, according to the latest national survey by researchers from Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research.

23 Apr 2010

Democrats, GOP continue to trade barbs over health reform, plan next moves

Politico: Democrats are following a call from President Barack Obama in daring Republicans to try to repeal the health care reform law. "And they started with what Democrats hope will become one of the most popular features of the overhaul plan, a provision that allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26.

23 Apr 2010

Alaska is 20th state to join health reform lawsuit; Okla. and La. consider signing on

Alaska Republican Gov. Sean Parnell has said he will make Alaska the 20th state to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new health reform law, The Anchorage Daily News/McClatchy report.

21 Apr 2010

Today's OpEds: Heritage disputes Obama's claims on health law; Florida nursing home reforms in danger

Think tank analysts usually brim with pride when the president of the United States goes around claiming that his policies are based on their work. But when President Obama tries to sell his health-care law as a moderate approach that borrows ideas developed by the Heritage Foundation, we get incensed (Robert Moffit, 4/19).

19 Apr 2010

State round-up: Penn. Medicare advantage; N.J. cuts immigrant care; Hospitals face hardships

Independence Blue Cross has lost 30 percent of its Medicare managed-care members in the region this year in the wake of federal government rate cuts as its major competitors saw enrollment gains. The cuts came after the Philadelphia insurer eliminated some product offerings for senior adults and raised rates for others.

17 Apr 2010

CHPPR survey: 58% of Americans support repealing health care reform legislation

Fifty-eight percent of Americans (96 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Independents) support repealing the health care reform legislation that was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March, according to a new national survey conducted April 6 - 10 by researchers from Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research.

15 Apr 2010

Better safety performance in health care settings associated with reduced malpractice claims

Reducing the number of preventable patient injuries in California hospitals from 2001 to 2005 was associated with a corresponding drop in malpractice claims against physicians, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

15 Apr 2010

Study: Lawsuit fears, peer pressure drives higher costs, more tests

The Associated Press: A quarter of heart doctors order more tests than were necessary, driving up costs, according to a new study. "Most said they weren't swayed by such things as financial gain or a patient's expectations.

15 Apr 2010

US consumers torn between health insurance coverage and rising health care costs

DSS Research, the leader in market research for the health insurance industry, developed a proprietary set of metrics that gauge the level of engagement in health care on the part of the consumer. This quarter we also added questions based on the current health care crisis.

30 Mar 2010

Health industry will see more patients with reform; Physicians give mixed reviews

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The health care plan aims to send a wave of paying patients to hospitals, doctors and pharmacists." Expanded coverage will mean less uncompensated care, a boon to traditional safety-net hospitals, but also more Medicaid patients. Hospitals say Medicaid fees don't cover their costs, so that influx could hurt the bottom line.

30 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 29, 2010

Today's headlines showcase reports about the newly enacted health overhaul law and about the political climate facing lawmakers in the post-vote environment.

29 Mar 2010

State roundup: Arizona repeals CHIP program, Conn. insurance pool, Minnesota boosted by health bill

The Associated Press: "A controversial decision by Arizona lawmakers to eliminate a health insurance program for poor children puts it at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal Medicaid funding under the historic health care bill approved by Congress. Arizona last week became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program, removing an estimated 38,000 kids from the rolls starting in June in a budget-cutting move by Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature. ... Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, told Brewer and House Speaker Kirk Adams in separate letters that eliminating the state's KidsCare program on June 15 would violate a 'maintenance of effort' requirement of the Senate health care overhaul bill approved by Congress" (Davenport, 3/22).

24 Mar 2010

State Supreme Court weighs medical malpractice caps in case that would impact doctors, patients

The Kansas Health Institute has a package of stories about a malpractice case being considered by the Kansas Supreme Court in which the justices could determine if the state's caps on medical malpractice awards are constitutional. The case involves Amy Miller, who underwent surgery to have an ovary removed. But the surgeon took the wrong ovary and later she had the second one taken out.

4 Mar 2010

Obama to include GOP ideas in health proposal today

With President Barack Obama's release today of his latest health reform plan, he hopes to propel the dialogue forward as he also signals willingness to incorporate GOP ideas into his proposal.

4 Mar 2010

Obama says he's willing to explore ideas raised by GOP during health summit

ABC News Political Punch: In a letter to Congressional leaders President Obama signaled Tuesday afternoon he is "open to several provisions raised by GOP lawmakers during last week's bipartisan health care reform summit, including medical malpractice reform, combating fraud," and the removal of a provisions that would have allowed the federal government to pay for Nebraska's Medicaid expansion and another that would have protected Florida seniors from cuts to the Medicare Advantage program (3/2).

3 Mar 2010

Criticism, passion emerge at health care summit

NPR interviewed Rep. Dave Camp, ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. Camp said: "We were able to at least be heard and have some exposure to the ideas that we've been promoting for a long time. And the president did finally say in the close that we do have ideas that lower costs in insurance and that — do it without increasing taxes. And we don't cut Medicare. And we don't have new mandates in our proposals. So this is really the first opportunity we've had to really focus not only our colleagues and the president, but also the American people on the proposals we've had" (Siegel, 2/25).

26 Feb 2010

Medical Malpractice News and Research

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

Hospitals' financial woes cause shake-ups in three cities

First Edition: May 7, 2010

California Republican lawmakers continue to press for tort reform

21% of Americans want no changes to health care legislation: CHPPR survey

Democrats, GOP continue to trade barbs over health reform, plan next moves

Alaska is 20th state to join health reform lawsuit; Okla. and La. consider signing on

Today's OpEds: Heritage disputes Obama's claims on health law; Florida nursing home reforms in danger

State round-up: Penn. Medicare advantage; N.J. cuts immigrant care; Hospitals face hardships

CHPPR survey: 58% of Americans support repealing health care reform legislation

Better safety performance in health care settings associated with reduced malpractice claims

Study: Lawsuit fears, peer pressure drives higher costs, more tests

US consumers torn between health insurance coverage and rising health care costs

Health industry will see more patients with reform; Physicians give mixed reviews

First Edition: March 29, 2010

State roundup: Arizona repeals CHIP program, Conn. insurance pool, Minnesota boosted by health bill

State Supreme Court weighs medical malpractice caps in case that would impact doctors, patients

Obama to include GOP ideas in health proposal today

Obama says he's willing to explore ideas raised by GOP during health summit

Criticism, passion emerge at health care summit

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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