By PHIL GALEWITZ http://www.palmbeachpost.com After 11 hours of sweat and pain, Kristen Hibdon’s labor was no longer progressing. Hibdon opted – with her doctor’s urging – to have the baby via a Caesarean section, a form of abdominal surgery. “Initially, I was disappointed,” she said of her C-section at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West […]

http://www.upi.com OTTAWA, Aug. 7 (UPI) — This summer has seen a surge of nearly 2,500 medical doctors beginning hospital residencies in Canada, where officials say there is a doctor shortage.The Canadian Resident Matching Service said of the 2,478 residents, 353 graduated from medical schools outside Canada, which is a record since foreign restrictions were eased […]

Tom McMahon http://www.zwire.com

By Patty Pensa http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Pregnant women in South Florida face fewer choices for medical care as more doctors stop delivering babies and avoid taking on high-risk patients. The result: More patients flock to fewer doctors, who in turn send expectant mothers to even fewer specialists. It means more juggling of appointments, longer waits to see […]

By Dr. MICHAEL LYNCH http://www.concordmonitor.com I am an emergency physician. I care for about 5,000 patients a year. I have been practicing for 12 years and thus have cared for roughly 60,000 patients. I receive deep satisfaction from my job and the privilege of the “laying on of hands” as the physician-patient relationship is called […]

By Alison Snyder Long Island Business News – New York Business News The medical malpractice insurance crisis not only has Long Island obstetricians anxious, but midwives – who take a more natural approach to childbirth – are also feeling the crunch. In the New York metropolitan area, midwives – who provide prenatal care and assist […]

By Zach Lowe http://www.stamfordadvocate.com STAMFORD – A Stamford jury’s decision to award a record $38.5 million to the parents of a boy born with cerebral palsy has reignited debates over medical malpractice rates, insurance company tactics and the cause of cerebral palsy. Obstetricians statewide were shocked by the verdict against a Harvard-trained obstetrician from Stamford […]

All 119 PQRI Measures Have Been Built Directly Into athenaNet and National Client Base Workflow to Help Maximize Participation and Reimbursement Under Expanded Program athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, today announced that athenaNet(r), athenahealth’s centrally-hosted, on-demand practice management and EMR services network, now incorporates all 119 new […]

http://www.earthtimes.org Physicians Preferred Insurance Company has successfully converted to a Florida stock company following the overwhelming approval of its subscribers. Physicians Preferred, which writes medical malpractice insurance, was originally formed as an insurance reciprocal in the fall of 2004. The conversion to a stock company became effective January 1, 2008.