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State board may require complaint notices in doctors' offices Merced Sun Star - 04-16-2009 - A proposal by the Medical Board of California to post signs in doctors' offices about the board itself is meeting opposition from physicians. The signs would have the board's Web site, name and phone number so that patients would know where to go to complain if they weren't happy with their health care. In May, the board will consider requiring the state's 125,000 licensed physicians who have waiting rooms to prominently post a large, visible sign in big type that says doctors are licensed and regulated by the board.
Lawsuit Demands Geographic Parity in Medicare Physician Pay HealthLeaders Media - 04-15-2009 - Medicare is underpaying physicians between 10% and 25% in 175 higher-cost counties across the nation, creating a "public health crisis" in which too few doctors accept the federal program, resulting in jeopardized patient care. That's the claim in the latest volley of a California class action lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services. The claim argues for a change in an allegedly antiqued formula affecting thousands of physicians in at least seven California counties, and many more in the other 168 that would like to join in. First filed in 2007, and rejected last year, the case is now under appeal.
Doctors face fiscal squeeze for treatment New York Times - 04-15-2009 - As pills and capsules improve life for some cancer patients, they are sapping the finances of many cancer doctors. For drugs they administer in their offices, oncologists can make money: They buy those drugs wholesale and then get reimbursed by patients and insurers when they use the drugs. They also are paid for administering the infusion. But with oral drugs, the doctors just write a prescription the patient fills through a pharmacy. The doctors make no money from the drug, and they have no infusion to bill for. Some doctors say the pills are actually raising their operating expenses.
White House seeks health plan compromise (AP) - 04-16-2009 - President Barack Obama's top healthcare adviser has announced a compromise is within reach on a government health plan for the middle class that wouldn't drive private insurers out of business. Offering the option of government coverage to workers and their families has become one of the most contentious issues in the debate about overhauling healthcare to cover the uninsured and curb costs.
AARP study: Drug prices up (AP) - 04-16-2009 - Prices of the most popular brand-name prescription drugs are on the rise even as the economy falters, the AARP says. But the group's annual study released Wednesday also found prices of generic drugs are falling and more and more seniors are making the switch to generics, a trend the powerful senior citizens' lobby hopes to encourage. AARP also wants policymakers to focus on how to bring drug prices down as Congress prepares legislation to reshape the nation's costly health care system.
Patients get new option to direct end-of-life care Bakersfield.com - 04-16-2009 - A state law that took effect this year now requires medical professionals to comply with Physician's Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment -- a document that elderly or seriously ill patients complete with their doctor to specify their wishes for end of life treatment. The POLST, as it's known, is a double-sided form usually printed on bright fuchsia paper. It clearly indicates medical actions to be taken or withheld in an emergency, including the patient's desire for procedures such as CPR, feeding tubes, intubation and defibrillation, and whether the patient wants to be transferred to a hospital or not.
Health Plans: New Safeguards Wall Street Journal - 04-16-2009 - Seniors will likely pay more for Medicare's private health plans next year, but new consumer protections that come with those plans could ensure they remain an attractive alternative to traditional Medicare.
The changes come as the Obama administration moves to tighten the screws on private plans offered under Medicare, the federal insurance program for the elderly and disabled. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, recently unveiled stricter terms for insurers offering the so-called Medicare Advantage plans, taking effect next year, and will effectively cut payments to them by as much as 5%
