http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues.html en-us Copyright 2008 American Academy of Family Physicians http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080429pa-liability.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080429pa-liability.html An impasse between the governor of Pennsylvania and that state's legislature has temporarily derailed a medical liability abatement program, thus forcing many Pennsylvania physicians to pay a higher rate for medical liability insurance. "Family physicians are now required to pay anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 in additional liability costs that would have been abated had the program been reauthorized by the state legislature," said Andrew Sandusky, vice president of governmental affairs at the Pennsylvania AFP. jarvantes@aafp.org Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:05:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080416colomalpractice.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080416colomalpractice.html Colorado physicians have been engaged in an ongoing battle with that state's trial lawyers regarding a bill that would dramatically increase the amount of money patients and their trial attorneys can collect in malpractice awards. In March, the Colorado Senate narrowly passed S.B. 164, a bill supported by the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association that would raise the cap on noneconomic damages in civil suits by 50 percent to more than $450,000. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:40:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080416mentalhlthforum.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080416mentalhlthforum.html The patient-centered medical home should purposefully include mental health and substance abuse services to improve patient care and reduce costs, said the director of the AAFP's Robert Graham Center during a primary care forum in Washington on March 29. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:35:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080409pharmreview.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080409pharmreview.html The AAFP has voiced objections to a new medication management standard for hospital emergency departments proposed by The Joint Commission, the accrediting organization for more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs throughout the nation. ann@aafp.org Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:10:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080402ohiotranslaw.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080402ohiotranslaw.html Ohio recently became the latest state to enact legislation requiring insurance companies to spell out the exact terms and conditions of their contracts with physicians. Ohio's Healthcare Simplification Act attempts to level the playing field between insurance companies and physicians by providing transparency and fairness in contracts and by creating a standardized credentialing form for use by all insurers. The Ohio law is based, in large part, on a similar transparency law enacted in Colorado in March 2007. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080402perfcharter.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080402perfcharter.html Some of the largest health insurance plans in the United States have agreed to adhere to a national set of principles for collecting and reporting physician performance measurements to consumers. sporter@aafp.org Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:50:00 CDT Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080227gaoreport.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080227gaoreport.html The nation's reliance on a fee-for-service payment system has resulted in an "atomized and uncoordinated system of care that rewards expensive procedure-based services while undervaluing primary care services," according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, or GAO. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:55:00 CST Professional Issues http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080220fsmblicense.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/professional-issues/20080220fsmblicense.html In May, the Federation of State Medical Boards, or FSMB, will ask its House of Delegates to approve new policy that establishes guiding principles for adding accountability to the licensure maintenance process. This is the latest step in the federation's plan to recommend physicians demonstrate competence in order to maintain their state medical licensure. ann@aafp.org Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:15:00 CST Professional Issues