Index 2004: AMNews editorials

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec - 2003 - 2005

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Community service: Always in season
From medical student-run programs to stethoscope distribution in underserved areas, AMA programs show the joy of giving. - Dec. 27

Inform your patients about HSAs
A new AMA brochure, "Health Savings Accounts at a Glance," is useful for physician waiting rooms. - Dec. 20

Vote of confidence for tort reform: Victory at the ballot box
Physicians plan to build on the momentum to accomplish more changes at the state and federal levels. - Dec. 13

Strengthening the steroid law: Protecting young athletes
With the passage of a bill that bans over-the-counter sales of steroid precursors, the government has struck a needed blow against their inappropriate and dangerous use. - Dec. 6

The flu vaccine shortage: Patience and teamwork are virtues
Health officials responded with a plan to see that limited supplies make it to high-risk patients. - Nov. 22/29

Medical education: 100 years of progress
The AMA Council on Medical Education celebrates its centennial with a nod to the past and a look to the future. - Nov. 15

Doctors a force in battle of the bulge
The obesity crisis is worsening. But with physicians' help, Americans can reverse the trend. - Nov. 8

Timely scrutiny of health plan consolidation
After years of plan mergers, a medical society's legal challenge provides the opportunity for one deal to get the proper attention. - Nov. 1

Good medicine is a global goal
Organized medicine here is helped by its involvement with a physician organization that has a worldwide perspective. - Oct. 25

Protect medical staff autonomy
A template for autonomy is the welcome result from settling a lawsuit brought by a medical staff against a hospital. - Oct. 18

New TV season, old problem: Entertainment violence
The AMA is continuing its efforts to urge the entertainment industry to reform, and doctors can play an individual role by stressing the dangers to parents. - Oct. 11

Medicare's no-help line: Doctors not getting good answers
A report saying Medicare carrier call centers rarely give the correct answer to billing questions highlights the need for Congress to protect physicians from overzealous fraud investigators. - Oct. 4

Death penalty for minors: Cruel and unusual
As the Supreme Court hears arguments on using the death penalty against minors, the AMA joins the voices of science and international leaders against it. - Sept. 27

Equal care for all: Fighting on many fronts
Medical organizations work to end health care disparities. - Sept. 20

Congress must finish work on patient safety
Lawmakers must embrace this historic opportunity to end the culture of blame that inhibits medical error reporting. - Sept. 13

Antitrust reform: Physicians need the right to negotiate
With the FTC and the Justice Dept. reiterating their stance against joint negotiation with health plans, it's more important than ever for Congress to pass antitrust relief for physicians. - Sept. 6

Ready for anything: From bioterrorism to environmental hazards
A recent congress brought together leaders from medicine and public health to focus on their intersecting responsibilities in disaster preparedness. - Aug. 23/30

Tread lightly with patients on money matters
Two AMA ethics reports address how to avoid situations where money can intrude on the physician-patient relationship. - Aug. 16

California doctors fight back: Medicaid pay cut goes to court
The AMA supports the California Medical Assn.'s lawsuit challenging a Medi-Cal payment reduction that could hurt patients' ability to get care. - Aug. 9

Answer the phone already: A plea from doctors to managed care
The AMA is on record encouraging legislation that would set a much-needed maximum on how long physicians can be put on hold when they call managed care plans to appeal denials of care. - Aug. 2

Let sun shine on clinical results
The push is on for more transparency in the clinical trial process. A comprehensive registry could help achieve it. - July 26

Supreme Court ruling a setback for patients' rights
Patients and physicians wonder if managed care will be magnanimous in victory. - July 19

High standard needed for expert witnesses
The AMA will develop voluntary affirmations of its principles that those who testify could sign and will identify standards for response to false testimony. - July 12

Doctors need to take a leading role on electronic medical records
With EMRs becoming an inevitability, it's essential for the physician's voice to be heard in how the technology gets implemented. - July 5

Global tobacco control: U.S. must prove its mettle
American leadership is important to the future of a landmark international health treaty. - June 28

Stake your claim: How to fight for fair reimbursement
The AMA's new claims management resource kit can help physicians know what they should be paid and have the evidence to call insurers on any discrepancy. - June 21

Tax credits are best approach for uninsured
Now is the time to lay the groundwork for passage of such a proposal next year. - June 14

Marketplace domination: Watching out for insurer mergers
With health plans' power getting ever more concentrated, it's more urgent than ever for regulators to scrutinize big plan consolidations. - June 7

Fighting foodborne pathogens: A tool for the battle
The AMA's updated primer on the diagnosis and management of these illnesses offers CME credit and resources to share with patients. - May 24/31

Revitalizing family medicine: How to strengthen the specialty
A new report from a coalition of family physician groups offers a blueprint. - May 17

Health literacy: Help your patients understand directions
Doctors can take steps in their practices to help the 90 million Americans who have trouble comprehending health information. - May 10

Keeping it ethical: Retainer practices have rules and restrictions
So-called retainer or boutique practices can be beneficial to physicians and patients -- if all legal guidelines are followed. - May 3

Sniffing out inhalant abuse
This form of substance abuse is widespread, but continues to fall below the radar screen of most parents and many physicians. - April 26

Ensuring a fair deal for all in the health care system
A new report describes how fairness can be improved in health care coverage decisions. - April 19

Pain meds: A balancing act
A government effort to crack down on prescription drug abuse must not exacerbate the undertreatment of chronic pain. - April 12

Class-action lawsuits against insurers: Settling for fair treatment
The power of organized medicine and the attention of individual physicians will ensure that settlements with managed care companies result in better conduct toward doctors. - April 5

Drug counterfeiting: A new Rx for curbing fake meds
The FDA offers a new plan to protect the nation's prescription medications. - March 22/29

Peer review: The case for absolute immunity
Courts need to know that unqualified immunity is the only thing that makes the practice possible. - March 15

Safety reporting now in Senate's hands
Congress should finish what it started and pass medical error reporting legislation this year. - March 8

Some advice before you sign: AMA Model Managed Care Contract
Before you sign on the dotted line with a health plan, check out the AMA's updated model contract. - March 1

Tobacco control: Vigilance remains imperative
This is the 40th anniversary of the first surgeon general's report on the dangers of tobacco. But millions of Americans still smoke, and the battle continues on many fronts. - Feb. 23

AMA Foundation invests in health of America
The Fund for Better Health continues the AMA Foundation's strong tradition of advancing public health. - Feb. 16

Banning ephedra just the first step for FDA
The federal government has outlawed products containing ephedra, but Congress still must change the way dietary supplements are regulated. - Feb. 9

Helping Aetna get religion: Doctor panel gives insurer a chance for salvation
Thanks to the insurer's settlement of a class-action lawsuit, doctors now can speak their piece directly. Nothing may change soon, but it's an encouraging sign. - Feb. 2

Physician health and wellness: An ethical imperative
A recent report by the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs focuses attention on steps individual physicians and the profession can take to maintain doctors' well-being. - Jan. 26

Physician supply: Evaluating the need for more doctors
The AMA is well-suited to facilitate consensus on a national work-force strategy. - Jan. 19

Medicare reform helps doctors and patients
The physician payment increase will help prevent access problems for patients, but a permanent repair of the reimbursement formula is essential. - Jan. 12

A place to report HIPAA problems: AMA form gives doctors an outlet
The AMA's HIPAA complaint form is the best tool doctors have to let organized medicine, and CMS, know what's going wrong with the new transaction and code set standards. - Jan. 5

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