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Oregon is to draft a bill stating that malpractice claims against ALL Oregon physicians must be reported to the state. This bill is because of the arrogance of Kaiser and the University of Oregon not believing that any reporting requirements pertained to them. Some make it hard on all. Please see like story in Recent News Physicians.
The Connecticut insurance regulators have stood by their original determination that the largest malpractice carrier in the state could not get a 12% premium increase. Top
California has approved the merger of UnitedHealth and PacifiCare. This came after the company pledged $50 million in charitable contributions and $200 million in investments to improve services to low income people living in communities with little access to quality medical care. This amount is about the same as the bonuses paid to the execs of the two companies. The merger still has to be approved by other states.
Anybody wonder why Massachusetts is always in the red? The People's Republic is now going to pay for the Medicare Part D doughnut hole prescriptions for the low income people of the state. It will also allow pharmacists to be paid for a one time 30 day prescription for meds not covered under Part D. The estimates for this program is between $8 million to the more likely $42 million. Part D does allow those below a certain monetary income to not pay for drugs or pay a very small amount. Top
Indiana now requires hospitals to report 25 types of errors to the state and these will become public. The errors include wrong dosage of medication and infections when personnel don't wash their hands. I know of one of our local hospitals that would be spending almost full time reporting if this were true in California.
In a bow to pressure the People's Republic of Massachusetts has become the first state to ban the giving of new mother gift bags with formula. Why? It wants to promote breast feeding. Breast feeding is good, but it is not for all. The ruling takes away a woman's choice which is abhorrent to the People's Republic. The hospital may still give out free formula so the law becomes moot. The lactation Nazis are dismayed by the statistics that in the beginning 74% of the People's Republic's new mothers are breast feeding. This drops to 30% at six months of age about the same as the national average. Top
The Senate voted 51-50 with Vice President Chaney casting the deciding vote to pass a health care bill that included the freezing of physician payments and getting rid of the proposed 2006 4.4% reduction. The same bill would extend the freeze on new physician owned hospitals and have HHS make sure the specialty hospitals take low income patients.
A Georgia physician, Totada Shanthaveerappa, had his license suspended as an emergency after it was found he was treating cancer with intravenous weed killer. He has been charged in federal court with using drugs not approved by the FDA and billing as if they were approved. He lists himself as an alternative healer. He has also been charged with defrauding insurance companies and pled not guilty. Top
DISCLAIMER: Although this article is updated periodically, it reflects the author's point of view at the time of publication. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the information presented.