By Phil Galewitz Palm Beach Post Staff Writer http://www.palmbeachpost.com The Florida Board of Medicine took far fewer disciplinary actions against the state’s doctors last year compared with 2005, according to a report this month by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Overall, the board penalized 523 doctors last year, compared with 834 in 2005 — […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 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 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 […]

Tom McMahon http://www.zwire.com

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 […]