On Tuesday, July 15, 2008, both the U.S. House and Senate voted to override the President’s veto of H.R. 6331, the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.” 

Patients in Georgia charged for their visit up front, an increase in pay for on-call surgeons in Arizona, an EP group gives 500k for a community hospital upgrade, and more...   

I’m a chairman that was lucky enough to have two full time night shift docs and the other docs got used to not having to do night shifts. Unfortunately, one of night shift people moved out of state and now my staff says that I either need to hire another night shift doc or create a pay differential for those working nights. I need some guidance.
Signed,
Chairman under fire

As state sees more enrollees, Massachusetts emergency physicians may see pay cuts.

Emergency physicians: Become educators!
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Medical Management Professionals

Two bills attempt to address boarding in the ED, but hospital industry officials criticize the legislation, saying it fails to address the big picture

 

Dear Boss:
When it gets slow at night I notice that the ED clerks play computer solitaire and surf the internet.  It usually doesn’t slow things down. But sometimes they will let an order sit while they finish what they are doing.  Should I say something and take the chance that they will do passive aggressive things, like forget to take off all my orders (which they’ve done) or be quiet.
Dr. Nice Guy

• Doctor-patient miscommunications account for preventable repeat visits to the ED, panel says
• EDs are struggling to reverse a decline in clinicians willing to work on call. What are they doing that may work?
  
• AMA adopts policy points aimed at improving physician-hospital relations

EPs skeptical as more states move forward with their own reforms.