Admission to Miami-Dade College’s trailblazing midwifery program was suspended Friday — a sign of the financial challenges afflicting MDC and other schools. BY ERIKA BERAS http://www.miamiherald.com In another sign of the hard times in higher education, Miami Dade College said Friday it was suspending its innovative midwifery program — because not enough students had paid […]

Tom McMahon http://www.zwire.com

Posted by Andante Higgins http://www.cbsnews.com John McCain visited Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, today, where doctors and nurses showed him how they’ve used technological advances to deliver a higher quality of care while bringing costs down. McCain heard stories from a cancer survivor and woman whose difficult pregnancy was successfully treated by specialists here. […]

By MIKE DENNISON http://www.missoulian.com HELENA – Retiree Hugh van Swearingen hadn’t seen a doctor in four years, but when he called a Helena clinic a few months ago to make an appointment, he was told, sorry, no room at the inn. “They said they weren’t taking new Medicare patients,â€? says Van Swearingen, who is 70. […]

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 […]

By Patty Pensa | South Florida Sun-Sentinel http://www.sun-sentinel.com When voters told physicians, “Three strikes, you’re out,” Dr. Douglas Martin cautiously pulled back. He dropped his malpractice insurance and cut his practice to three half days a week. “The rest of the time, I trade stocks,” said Martin, a neurosurgeon for almost 30 years. “It’s actually […]

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.

http://www.insurancejournal.com Florida Insurance Regulators held a workshop Monday to seek public input on a draft rule that would implement new legislation which gives the insurance commissioner discretion in allowing unaccredited reinsurance companies to conduct business in Florida without having to post 100 percent collateral. The workshop was part of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation […]