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Anthem’s emergency room coverage denials draw scrutiny
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Starting in summer 2017, Anthem began saying that if patients made the wrong decision about whether their condition was an emergency, the entire bill would be on them. ER bills easily run into the thousands of dollars. | READ MORE
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Panel backs bill to let Georgia honor other states’ medical licenses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill that would allow doctors to move more easily from state to state passed the Georgia Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday. | READ MORE
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More than 30 patient & physician groups applaud Georgia legislation to reform step therapy insurance practice (mentions MAG)
PR Newswire
More than 30 Georgia patient and provider groups led by the Rx in Reach Coalition today applauded Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) for introducing House Bill 63 – legislation to reform the insurance practice known as step therapy, which forces patients to try and fail on medications other than what their health care provider prescribes – and in some cases, happens even when patients have already tried the insurer-preferred medications or when those medications could cause their health to deteriorate. | READ MORE
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What is certificate of need? Explaining a likely health care fight at the Gold Dome
WABE
This year, Georgia lawmakers and health care industry lobbyists will likely have many heated conversations about a complex issue that sounds pretty dull: certificate of need. | READ MORE
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Anthem, amid dispute with WellStar, gives exchange patients a (temporary) break
Georgia Health News
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has given people in the Georgia insurance exchange more time to visit WellStar Health System doctors and presumably not face higher out-of-pocket costs. | READ MORE
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Opioid town hall set for this weekend at Emory School of Medicine (mentions MAA)
Patch
Leaders of the Medical Association of Atlanta have announced that the nation's opioid epidemic, its impact on the people of Georgia, fighting addiction stigma and offering hope to both patients and physicians will be the subject of a town hall meeting in February. | READ MORE
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Expert: Georgia cell phone law lowered traffic fatalities
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An insurance expert told state lawmakers Wednesday that Georgia traffic fatalities, injuries and collision claims have fallen, thanks in part to the state’s new distracted driving law. | READ MORE
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CDC rolls out plan to curb HIV epidemic
WSB-TV
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling out a new plan to tackle the HIV epidemic. | READ MORE
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Telemedicine’s challenge: Getting patients to click the app
Associated Press
Walmart workers can now see a doctor for only $4. The catch? It has to be a virtual visit. | READ MORE
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AMA survey: 28% of physicians say prior authorizations led to serious adverse events
Fierce Healthcare
Prior authorizations are hazardous to patients’ health, according to more than one-quarter of physicians. | READ MORE
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When is a surgeon too old to practice?
Becker's Hospital Review
After nodding off during an operation he was observing in the fall of 2015, Herbert Dardik, M.D., who was 80 years old at the time, said hospital leadership immediately called on him to reduce his workload and undergo testing to evaluate whether he could continue practicing medicine safely. | READ MORE
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Medical scribes could help doctors care for more patients
Medical Xpress
Scribes help to increase doctors' productivity and shorten patients' stay at the emergency department, with no significant risk to patient safety, suggest the results of a randomised trial published in The BMJ today. | READ MORE
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Measles outbreak: Children of anti-vaxxers are asking how to get vaccinated without their parents knowing
Newsweek
As health officials battle measles outbreaks in pockets of the U.S., unvaccinated children worried that they are vulnerable to catching infectious diseases are asking online how they can get shots without their parents' consent. | READ MORE
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