Side Note: this article from the Wall Street Journal blog reports on new challenges to caps on non-economic damages in Nevada malpractice cases.  Opponents of tort reform are arguing that the cap is per claim, not per event, a murky point in the law.  This development is cause for concern, as Nevada has had problems […]

We here at Cunningham Group were extremely disappointed that trial lawyers got their way in Illinois and were able to strike down the 2005 Tort Reform legislation put into place to help with the absurd insurance rates physicians have to pay for their professional medical liability. A new study conducted by the consulting firm Millman […]

athenahealth, Inc., the premier provider of web-based services, knowledge, and software for medical practices, today announced that in 2006 its system caught claims errors that would have resulted in health insurance claim denials totaling close to $100 million for Massachusetts medical providers. This figure is one of a series of new financial milestones athenahealth achieved […]

side note: We here at Cunningham Group have been following this closely since this is in our backyard. Granted, we insure physicians and other healthcare professionals across the nation, but we got started in Illinois and share the same concerns stated in this study, because our numbers are showing something very similar. In addition, we […]

Side Note: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has found that the state must repay $200M that it took out of the state patient compensation fund for malpractice.  This is a victory for the Wisconsin Medical Association, and for health care consumers in Wisconsin.  A solvent patient compensation fund keeps medical malpractice insurance premiums stable, and in […]

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 Joy Mapaye http://www.ktuu.com Gov. Sarah Palin has authorized more students to receive their medical education in Alaska. The governor signed House Bill 18 on Wednesday. The bill doubled the number of entering students into the WWAMI Program from 10 to 20 students. Alaska is one of five states participating in the WWAMI Regional Medical […]

By Molly Albertson Cape Gazette staff http://www.capegazette.com State officials say midwives could be a part of the solution to Delaware’s high infant-mortality rate, and new legislation regulating midwives will be considered in the House on Tuesday, May 8. In its 2006 report, the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium called for better prenatal care, a […]

Federal panel meeting in Anchorage is told relief is still in school By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA Anchorage Daily News http://www.adn.com A shortage of primary care physicians in Alaska will get worse before it gets better because the best solutions — training more Alaskans to be doctors and teaching them within the state — will take years, […]