Organization

American Medical Association


JAMA: Rate of healthcare-related MRSA infections decreasing

Clinical Studies | Tuesday, August 10 2010
An analysis of data from 2005 through 2008 of nine metropolitan areas in the U.S. indicates that healthcare-associated invasive methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections decreased among patients with infections that began in the community or in the hospital, according to a study in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

NextGen, AMA join forces for online physician platform

Partnerships & Alliances | Wednesday, August 04 2010
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, has entered an agreement with the American Medical Association (AMA) to offer NextGen Ambulatory EHR and NextGen Practice Management on a new AMA online platform.
 

JAMA: Medical home model can boost patient safety

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
The patient-centered medical home model can potentially address many current safety concerns in primary care, wrote Mark Graber, MD, of Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, and Hardeep Singh, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in a commentary published in the July 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

AMA: EHRs don't meet all Stage 1 meaningful use criteria

Industry News | Wednesday, July 21 2010
There is no EHR on the market today that does all of the steps required for physicians to successfully meet Stage 1 meaningful use criteria, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) statement released this week.
 

Payors tend to misclassify physician cost profiles; AMA urges external review

Industry News | Wednesday, July 21 2010
If common cost-profiling methods are used, about 22 percent of physicians would be assigned to the wrong cost category, or wrongly assessed in their practice patterns by health insurers, according to a series of studies conducted by RAND research group.
 

Survey: 83% of providers see revenue declines due to CPT code cuts

Top Stories | Monday, July 19 2010
Since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) decision to eliminate payments for consultation codes began Jan. 1, 83 percent of physicians said that total practice revenues have declined, and 30 percent said they have already cut back on services to Medicare patients, according to a survey of 5,500 physicians conducted by the American Medical Association that was published June 25.
 

JAMA editorial calls for gov't regulation of CT

Industry News | Wednesday, July 14 2010
The U.S. can best address CT overutilization and issues of quality control and training through national legislation, according to an editorial published in the July edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

Societies react to meaningful use rules with mixed opinions, support materials

Industry News | Wednesday, July 14 2010
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Tuesday released the long anticipated final rules for identifying the criteria for hospitals and eligible providers to become meaningful users of health IT. Prominent professional societies have responded with supportive materials for eligible providers and hospitals, as well as reactions to the final rules.
 

JAMA: Most physicians don't report incompetent colleagues

Top Stories | Tuesday, July 13 2010
A survey of physicians finds that while most support the professional commitment to report other physicians who they feel are incompetent or impaired, such as from alcohol or drug use, when faced with this situation, many did not follow through on making a report, according to a study in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

JAMA: Length of telomeres associated with cancer risk

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 07 2010
Shorter length of leukocyte telomeres–chromosome markers of biological aging–are associated with an increased risk of cancer and death from cancer, according to a study in the July 7 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

Senate attempts another SGR fix; 21% cut is now in effect

Top Stories | Monday, June 21 2010
The Senate passed a bill June 18 to block the 21 percent cut to fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for six months, after failing to pass larger tax extender legislation that also included the Medicare provision.
 

As Friday's deadline looms, Congress has yet to pass SGR payment fix

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 16 2010
The Continuing Extension Act of 2010, enacted April 15, extended the zero percent update to the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule through May 31. Now, Congress is still debating the elimination of the negative update that took effect June 1; however, in hopes of legislation passing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is holding claims through June 17.
 

AMA names Carmel as next prez

Executive Announcements | Wednesday, June 16 2010
Peter W. Carmel, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon from New York City, with a practice in Newark, N.J., was named president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA). He will assume the office in June 2011.
 

FTC further delays Red Flags Rule until year's end

Top Stories | Friday, May 28 2010
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will further delay enforcement of the Red Flags Rule until Dec. 31 at the “request of several members of Congress” to narrow the scope of the regulation. The rule was set to take effect today.
 

Physician societies file lawsuit on FTC's Red Flags Rule

Industry News | Saturday, May 22 2010
The American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia have filed a suit in federal court seeking to prevent the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from extending identity theft regulations to physicians.
 

CMS posts payment increases for MPI codes

Top Stories | Tuesday, May 11 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a technical correction to the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which results in payment increases for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) codes—both SPECT and planar— for private practices, and the corrections are retroactive to Jan. 1.
 

Congress delays Medicare payment cuts until June 1

Top Stories | Friday, April 16 2010
President Barack Obama signed into law the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, which delayed the 21 percent cut in Medicare physician pay...again.
 

JAMA: ASTRO, FDA launch radiation safety initiatives

Industry News | Thursday, April 08 2010
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the FDA have launched radiation safety initiatives to enhance the safety of medical radiation and to reduce unnecessary exposure in patients, according to an article published in the April 7 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

HealthAffairs: About 80% of EMR users meet some meaningful use criteria

Top Stories | Tuesday, April 06 2010
Between 75 percent and 85 percent of physicians with EHRs are already using functions that meet some of the proposed criteria for demonstrating meaningful use, according to analysis from Seth O. Hogan, survey director, and Stephanie M. Kissam, health services research associate, at RTI International in Chicago.
 

CMS delays SGR payment cut, as it's set to take effect again

Industry News | Thursday, April 01 2010
A number of healthcare organizations are urging Congress to pass legislation to stop a 21 percent cut in physician payments for Medicare that is scheduled to go into effect today. Meanwhile, in a replay of the situation that took place a month ago, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has instructed contractors to hold Medicare claims for the first 10 business days in April in order to give Congress time to pass legislation.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

PORTALS

Advanced Visualization

Molecular Imaging

Integration Tools & Interoperability

More Portal Topics