Physicians News Health news for doctors and patients.

The perception of the nation’s drug supply as safe and reliable is now forever altered.

Physicians, nurses and administrators will not only be able to communicate with a larger field of colleagues, but do so using advanced features not available with traditional phone lines and much lower long-distance bills.

As a tool to settle litigation between plaintiffs and defendants, mediation can reduce the number of malpractice cases that go to trial and avoid the risk of high jury awards for plaintiffs, while also greatly expediting case resolution and saving on protracted legal costs for plaintiffs and defendants.

Retirement has become a phase of life that will require more money than ever before, without the availability of traditional resources.

HSAs will be good for some individuals and very well could have an effect on intangibles such as incentives to stay healthy.

Physician groups are torn over the issue as to how to handle the payment of tail coverage. Determination of who should pay for the tail policy is not as easy as it once was.

The OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance specifically targets the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and gives clear guidance as to those types of arrangements with physicians which are considered to be suspect.

Physicians must continually be aware of new developments in the law. One of the most recent and troubling developments in Pa. and other states is the expansion of the Doctrine of Informed Consent.

There would clearly be some negative impacts: jobs would be lost, local businesses would close and physicians would be dislocated. Some analysts counter that MCP had been a weak institution – financially, academically and clinically – for many years, that Philadelphia has an abundance and/or maldistribution of medical services, and that MCP’s closure would cause little long-term disruption to most physicians, patients or remaining hospitals.

Isn’t it time you save some of those taxes and turn the value of your practice into a more usable retirement asset?