By Dale Rodebaugh | Herald Staff Writer http://durangoherald.com In the first six months of 2006, Durango Family Medicine collected 54 percent of what it billed Medicare and 37 percent of what it billed Medicaid. “It’s frustrating,” said Dr. Martin Pirnat, one of the physicians at Durango Family Medicine. “All we want to do is take […]

By HINA ALAM The Lufkin Daily News As Woodland Heights Medical Center considers allowing doctors to hold shares in the hospital, its not-for-profit competitor has raised a number of ethical questions. Woodland Heights CEO Lance Jones said that while hospital authorities, trustees and board of directors were still considering the idea, the focus of the […]

By Laren Hughes Hall Staff Writer The days of co-pays and deductibles could be coming to an end as more doctors rebel against insurance companies that refuse to pay a fair amount for their services. While reimbursements decrease and overhead costs rise, some physicians are finding it difficult to break even, said Catherine Smoot, a […]

Drnjbmd http://medicinefromthetrenches.blogspot.com Our biggest and grandest course during my second year of medical school was Pathology. It was a year-long course that featured a mega-load of the things that physicians would spend the rest of their professional lives, dealing with. Our first semester consisted of Systemic Pathology and covered topics like Infection, Malignancy, Necrosis, Inflammation […]

By ROBERT PEAR http://www.nytimes.com

By Ann Wlazelek Of The Morning Call http://www.mcall.com/ At King’s Market in Allentown, shoppers can not only pick up a quart of milk and carton of eggs but also park their carts to get a lab test, medical diagnosis or treatment for anything from pink eye to strep throat. The Geisinger Health System, based in […]

Anne Krishnan, Staff Writer http://www.newsobserver.com Matt Person has a vision for health care. He imagines a family doctor referring patients for counseling or acupuncture simply by walking them next door. Cardiologists and nutritionists would cross paths daily. Physical therapists and personal trainers would help patients transition from rehabilitation to getting in shape. Person and business […]

By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com Denise Wheeler, an artist in Laguna Beach, Calif., thought she and her family had health insurance. So did Tony Seals, a self-employed businessman in nearby Riverside. Across the country in Connecticut, Maria Locker and Linda Gaskill each bought short-term insurance policies to protect themselves against catastrophic costs. But each […]

By RYAN J. FOLEY | Associated Press Writer http://www.winonadailynews.com MADISON, WI — Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday that he would ask lawmakers to approve a $30 million program to encourage health care providers to install electronic medical records systems. Doyle proposed a $20 million grant program to help nonprofit organizations transition from less reliable paper […]