Index 2009: Regional coverage list - map

West - Midwest - Northeast - South - State roundups - Map - 2008

How do I get to JAMA? Simple: "jama.com"

The West

(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

Higher hospital spending linked to better outcomes - Nov. 2
Rescission legislation vetoed - Oct. 26
Court OKs lawsuit against Hawaii Medicaid managed care - Sept. 7
Patients happy with San Francisco plan for uninsured - Sept. 7
Lawsuits challenge Calif. governor's budget vetoes - Aug. 24
Some states still prohibit hospitals from hiring doctors; physicians want to keep it that way - Aug. 3
United to buy Health Net business in Northeast - Aug. 3
Federal appeals court halts some California Medicaid pay cuts - July 27
Appellate court upholds California medical liability cap - July 13
5 people die under new Washington physician-assisted suicide law - July 6
Calif. may require public notice of medical license - June 1
Nevada lawmakers moving to change state's liability cap - May 4
Oregon developing comprehensive health system reform - April 27
California court halts some Medicaid cuts - April 13
Ariz. high court validates standards for expert witnesses in liability cases - April 6
San Francisco employer mandate may end up in U.S. Supreme Court - March 30
Calif. court denies extra MCAT time for students with learning disabilities - March 2
Lawsuit challenges San Francisco safety net programs - Feb. 23
Invention keeps patients positioned for surgery - Feb. 23
California's high court bans balance billing - Jan. 26
Court orders Medicaid coverage for low-income HIV patients - Jan. 12
Nevada medical board seeks to update discipline, licensing systems - Jan. 5

Last year's index - Back to top

There are 57 operating health information exchanges, up from 42 in 2008. Read more

The Midwest

(Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin)

Doctors owed no duty to nonpatient, Illinois high court rules - Oct. 19
Physician pay cuts on horizon at Michigan Blues? - Oct. 12
AMA takes health reform message on the road - Sept. 7
Two state courts, same ruling: Informed consent must include all options - Aug. 24
When patients lose jobs, physicians feel impact - Aug. 24
Wis. high court maintains limits on awards to third parties - Aug. 10
Indiana medical association files complaint against WellPoint over payment problems - Aug. 3
Ohio med school and medical board team up to teach professionalism - July 27
Ohio court blocks sweeping records disclosure - July 20
Physician-patient privilege waived in fraud probe - July 6
Minn. health plan consortium develops online claims portal - June 29
What editorial writers are saying about the killing of Dr. George Tiller - Editorial June 22
Doctor discipline inches up but still off 14% from peak - May 4
HHS nominee Sebelius awaits Senate vote - April 13
Initiative to cut catheter infections expands - April 6
N.D. Blues gives its top exec the boot - March 30
Emergency physicians object to plan to cut hospital beds - March 16
Surgical markers aim to reduce margin of error - March 2
Patient grows up to work beside his childhood doctor - Jan. 26

Last year's index - Back to top

The patient billing and revenue cycle is believed to account for 5% of all health care system costs. Read more

The Northeast

(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Health reform review: The Massachusetts experience - Nov. 2
Ability to find, afford care is deteriorating in many states - Oct. 19
Assisted-suicide statute challenged by 2 Connecticut doctors - Oct. 19
Doctor's rap on H1N1 prevention wins HHS contest - Oct. 5
Kennedy's death leaves gap in health reform leadership - Sept. 7
N.J. liability trial swamped with errors - In the Courts Sept. 7
Quality-of-care concerns add to doctors' stress - Aug. 31
Physicians stop states from raiding liability funds - Aug. 17
Smallpox -- The Death of a Disease (book excerpt) - Aug. 17
Mass. doctors urge caution as state ponders shift to global payments - Aug. 10
Pennsylvania to examine its Blues market - Aug. 10
Landmark Massachusetts health reforms showing cracks in access, coverage - Aug. 3
New York OKs paying women who donate eggs for research - July 27
Court: Physician liability limited in third-party cases - July 20
N.H. doctors sue to stop state raid on medical liability fund - July 13
Senate report criticizes plans' use of Ingenix database - July 13
Access-to-care problems are resurfacing in Mass. - June 29
Serving the servers: Health care co-op for restaurant workers - June 15
Vt. bans industry gifts, tightens reporting rules - June 1
Long appointment waits may signal doctor shortage - June 1
Massachusetts considers capitated insurance payments - June 1
FDA pick answers lawmakers on tobacco regulation, flu - May 18
Court upholds Vermont law on prescribing data privacy - May 11
Key Senate panel sets brisk pace for health system reform package - May 4
Court approves doctors' suit over ranking program - April 27
New York budget increases Medicaid fees for physicians - April 20
Mass. sets new rules for contact with drug industry - April 6
States dangle school loan repayment deals - April 6
Boston physicians cut their own salaries to help hospital - April 6
Surgeon tells how his team removed 6 organs during cancer operation - March 30
Fed court upholds New York City's calorie-posting rule - March 9
Mass. bill aims to reverse court expansion of physician liability - March 9
R.I. says Blues can't raise individual health premiums - March 9
N.J. lawmakers compromise on physician referral - Feb. 23
"Inevitable" Blues merger implodes at 11th hour - Feb. 2
Massachusetts now applying CON rules to surgery centers - Jan. 12
Blues merger faces opposition in Pennsylvania Legislature - Jan. 5

Last year's index - Back to top

Louisiana has one of the largest Medicaid patient populations in the U.S. Read more

The South

(Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia)

Ability to find, afford care is deteriorating in many states - Oct. 19
Certificate-of-merit law struck down by Washington Supreme Court - Oct. 12
Florida lawsuit takes swing at 3-strikes liability rule - In the Courts Oct. 5
Challenges to medical liability caps go before Georgia, Maryland high courts - Sept. 28
Fla. med school welcomes first class with white coats, money - Sept. 7
Two state courts, same ruling: Informed consent must include all options - Aug. 24
Louisiana cuts physicians' Medicaid payments - Aug. 17
Fla. jury rules for hospital that deported immigrant patient - Aug. 10
Fla. Medicaid reform pilot: More efficiency or less care? - Aug. 10
Enhanced Medicaid plan sees low sign-ups, but high use - Aug. 10
Okla. ob-gyn grows grapes of wine, not wrath - Aug. 10
Some states still prohibit hospitals from hiring doctors; physicians want to keep it that way - Aug. 3
5 people die under new Washington physician-assisted suicide law - July 6
Tennessee Medical Assn. sues collections firm - July 6
W.Va. Medicaid wellness plan comes up short in evaluation - June 1
Hospitals entitled to peer review protections in negligent credentialing claims - May 25
N.C. court overturns ban on doctor participation in executions - May 18
Medicine scores legal victories in scope of practice - May 11
Company stops tapping physicians for "overpayments" - May 11
Texas university explores offering an MD degree in addition to its DO program - April 27
Texas Blues plan agrees to stop grading physicians on how much they charge - April 27
Ariz. high court validates standards for expert witnesses in liability cases - April 6
States dangle school loan repayment deals - April 6
A miscarriage of medicine (book excerpt: Three Generations, No Imbeciles) - March 30
Doctor faces assisted-suicide charge in Georgia - March 23
Organized medicine-backed lawsuit knocks down hospital's attempt at economic credentialing - March 16
Texas hospital settles charges of boycotting physician-owned hospital - March 16
Maryland program covering more uninsured, despite slow start - March 2
Texas physicians voice time, pay frustrations - Feb. 23
MBA project helps get business off on the right foot - Jan. 19
Florida consumer-driven Medicaid reform in limbo - Jan. 5
Louisiana pediatricians sue over Medicaid care pilots - Jan. 5
Supreme Court asked to examine Texas peer review case - Jan. 5
Maryland insurance commissioner seeks audit of CareFirst reserves - Jan. 5

Last year's index - Back to top

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the U.S. Read more

State Roundups

(Our coverage of trends in state legislatures and regulatory bodies is also a good source of information about developments in different parts of the country.)