APRIL 5, 2018
[Gov. Deal] comes to aid of state workers hit by insurance standoff
Georgia Health News
Gov. Nathan Deal, continuing his public pressure on Piedmont and Blue Cross in their contract stalemate, said Tuesday that the state and University System of Georgia will absorb out-of-network costs for employees for up to 30 days to reduce their potential financial burden. | READ MORE
[Gov.] Deal announces state’s next step in Blue Cross Blue Shield, Piedmont Healthcare dispute
Georgia.gov
Gov. Nathan Deal today directed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia and Piedmont Healthcare to return to the negotiating table on behalf of the nearly 600,000 employees, retirees and their families affected by the recent contract disruption. | READ MORE
GNTC receives major donation for new program (from MAG Alliance)
Coos Valley News
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) recently received a $10,000 donation from the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) Alliance for its new Lactation Consultant program that is being offered on the Gordon County Campus in Calhoun. | READ MORE
Making Georgia healthier: Results of the 2018 legislative session (an op-ed by Georgia Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, M.D.)
Georgia Senate Press Office
Georgia consistently ranks low among the states in all measures of health, especially in rural parts. As a freshman Senator with a special interest in health care legislation, I am happy to report that we had a few big successes in the health care arena this session. But there is a lot of work left to be done. | READ MORE
Physicians’ broader vision for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation's future: Look upstream (a blog post by Physicians Foundation leaders)   
Health Affairs
Medical care, it turns out, doesn’t always lead to better health. That may sound like a radical statement coming from an organization representing physicians, but we believe it’s time to broaden our notion of health if we want to truly care for the nation’s patients. | READ MORE
Plan for [North] Georgia rural hospital’s future has as many twists as a mountain road
Georgia Health News
The proposed purchase of a hospital in rural North Georgia is anything but simple, even though the system that wants to buy the facility is headquartered only about 20 miles away. | READ MORE
Erlanger denied permission to build surgery center in Catoosa County
The Catoosa County News
Erlanger Health System's plan to build an ambulatory surgery center in Catoosa County was officially shot down this week when the Georgia Department of Community Health denied the company's request for a certificate of need. | READ MORE
Georgia lawmaker wants to empower pharmacists in the fight against opioid abuse
GPB News
The only pharmacist serving in Congress said the opioid epidemic needs legislation that empowers his industry. | READ MORE
Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage – even groceries
Kaiser Health News
Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year. | READ MORE
9 steps to welcoming the new Medicare card in your practice
AMA Wire
You know all about the welcome to Medicare preventive visit. Now your practice needs to be ready to say “welcome” to the new Medicare card. | READ MORE
School nurse saves student after ‘freak accident’ (features ‘Stop the Bleed’ campaign)  
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A day after Cumming Elementary School nurse Kathy Gregory received a shipment of emergency first-aid kits, she was called to use them in a life-saving incident. | READ MORE
Health care groups to use blockchain to improve provider data
CNET
Five national groups, including UnitedHealthcare and Optum, are launching a pilot program to see if blockchain can help keep data accurate. | READ MORE
More women than ever flocking to med school
Medical Economics
Medical school enrollment has traditionally been dominated by men—until now. The number of women enrolling in med school surpassed men for the first time last year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). | READ MORE
Advertise with MAG: Please contact Tom Kornegay at 678.303.9260 or tkornegay@mag.org if you are interested in running an ad in the Georgia Pulse, which is a weekly compilation of media reports that are related to health care and the medical profession. It is sent to more than 6,000 physicians in Georgia.
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Atlanta, GA 30339
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