August 2001

LEGAL FRONT

Administrators Could Be Liable Under Patients' Bill of Rights
The Senate version would leave previous state and federal rulings against HMOs intact. Medical directors ignoring external-review boards can be sued.

Edward T. Waters

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Info on Questionable Physicians Languishes in National Data Bank
A clearinghouse was created that stores details about malpractice suits and disciplinary actions. So how come HMOs don't use it?

John Carroll

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

Four Views of Managed Care Ethics
The evolution of managed care has posed ethical problems for physicians, plan administrators, and even patients. Four ethicists find that questions are many, while satisfactory answers are in short supply.

Daniel P. Sulmasy, MD, PhD

FORMULARIES

Four-Tier Approach Injects Consumerism Into Drug Benefit
In tying copayments closely to the actual cost of medications, Humana takes a step toward promoting awareness of resource use.

Steve Perlstein

Q&A

A Conversation With Judith Cahill: The Expanding Role of Pharmacists
Lobbying in Washington, monitoring state legislation and generally looking out for the interests of pharmacy programs run by health care plans and pharmacy benefit managers, Judith Cahill leads the AMCP at an exciting, critical time.

Patrick Mullen

Consumers Dare You to Just Say 'No'
The backlash has helped push a Patients' Bill of Rights forward, challenging the very nature of cost containment. Ironically, enrollees may be shortchanged.

Frank Diamond

Compensation Monitor

How nice to be the chief medical officer — of a large commercial HMO in or near Minnesota
Editor’s Memo

The Patients' Bill of Rights: Is What They Want What They Need?

John A. Marcille

Ethics

Why Falsify Records When Anonymity Can Be Had in a Tested, Familiar Way?

Michael S. Victoroff, M.D.

Managed Care Outlook

Interest in capitation backs off
State Initiatives

States' Role as Policy Labs Tested as Resources Tighten

Bob Carlson

Systems & Software

Should You Use E-mail in Clinical Practice?

Joyce R. Ochs

Washington Watch

How Much Damage Did Supreme Court Ruling Do to Health Care Unionization?

Michael Levin-Epstein



News & Commentary

Controversy Swirls Over Unregulated RU-486 Print Ads

NCQA Reviewing Comments About Its DM Standards

Headlines On Deadline...

GAO: Consultants Point Docs Toward Federal Law Violations

In Calif., Bonuses Based on Quality, Not Cost Savings

For Pharmacists: Reimbursement In Medicare Bill

Prescription Plan For Medicare Faces Lawsuit

Group Rates Value Of Recommended Preventive Care

Drug costs up, but trend is down