Mass. receives $10M in Vioxx settlement

Massachusetts will receive $10 million as part of a multi-state settlement with Merck, Sharp & Dohme over the alleged illegal marketing of the painkiller drug Vioxx. Read more

Report: Retail-clinic use has skyrocketed

A new study by Rand Corp. has revealed that the use of retail medical clinics is rising swiftly, and users tend to be younger, wealthier and in better health overall than their peers who went to a physician’s office or an emergency room for care, according to Modern Physician. Read more

Study: Docs often fail to report child abuse

Pediatricians and other primary care providers are good at identifying physical injuries in children that might be the result of abuse, but they are not as good at judging when to report those cases to authorities, according to a study led by a doctor at Boston Medical Center. Read more

AMA launches patient Rx app

The American Medical Association has released “My Medications,” a new smartphone application created to help patients store and share their health information, according to Modern Physician. Read more

Succeeding in breaking down barriers

Six pairs of skeptical eyes shifted between the copy of Massachusetts Medical Law Report in front of them and the editor across the boardroom table at the Massachusetts Medical Society in 2005.

It was the first issue of the newspaper, and this was an opportunity to show the Society’s executive staff members and officers what we were doing and pick their brains for ideas of what they would want to read. Read more

HIPAA audits have begun

All entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act must get ready – audits of privacy and security compliance under the Act have officially begun. Read more

Physicians call final ACO rule more user-friendly

With modified risk-sharing models, less stringent technology requirements and an improved method of assigning patients, many members of the health care community are applauding a more “user-friendly” final version of the federal rule for Accountable Care Organizations. Read more

Failure to communicate test results leads to lawsuits

The failure to communicate diagnostic test results is generating more claims against health care providers, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American College of Radiology in November. Read more

Med school applications reach new high in 2011

U.S. medical schools saw a record number of applicants in 2011, with applicant ranks increasing by 1,178, or 2.8 percent, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Modern Healthcare reports. Read more

AMA: Pay docs for care coordination

The American Medical Association wants Medicare to start paying doctors for four types of coordination services because they avoid more expensive patient care in the hospital down the line, HealthLeadersMedia reports. Read more

Next Page »