Physicians, lawmakers ask: what about the uninsured?
WASHINGTON -- Physicians are increasingly willing to cross party lines on the issue of the uninsured, but convincing lawmakers may be their biggest hurdle. It's in physicians' best interest to be involved in the debate over health care reform, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), also an orthopedic surgeon,...

GMA vows to protect environment through strong mining safeguards.
Byline: GENALYN D. KABILING and ELLALYN B. DE VERA President Arroyo yesterday vowed a more rigid enforcement of environmental safeguards while promoting sustainable mining development as the countryas way out of poverty. The President issued the pledge a day after the government reportedly conceded to...

Presidents: industry faces ever-changing hurdles.
Memphis -- Much has changed in the hotel industry during the past 10 years, and executives participating in a roundtable discussion held in conjunction with the Memphis Hotel & Lodging Assn.'s annual industry update said they expect changes in the next five years to have a profound effect on...

Council delays decision on drop zone for sky divers.
Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard CRESWELL - Concerns over safety of a sky-dive "drop zone" at the municipal airport here landed in the lap of the City Council Monday night. The Creswell Airport Commission, its airport director and owners of the airport's two sky-diving operations...

No more caps in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to remove a 30-year-old cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice cases will have a devastating effect on physicians and patients, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The court held that the cap, currently set at $445,775, was "unconstitutional beyond a reasonable...

Emergency departments face shortage of specialty care.
Most hospital officials are having trouble getting specialists to take emergency department call, according to a national survey of physician executives. About 64% of physician executives surveyed reported having a problem getting specialists to take call at their hospitals. Many of them--about 47%--report that their hospitals are...

Ob.gyn. specialty shifts practice, training methods: everything from new attitudes to technology will alter the way young physicians do their work.
RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- The face of ob.gyns. is changing, and so are practices and training methods in the specialty, several speakers said at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons. "Our specialty is currently in crisis," said Joseph Schaffer, M.D., who moderated a session...

Cheerleaders' stunts raise risk of serious injury.
MIAMI -- Although the overall risk of injury in cheerleading is low, the activity accounts for more than half of all catastrophic sports injuries in females, Dr. Teri McCambridge said at a meeting on pediatric sports medicine sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the last...

Bariatric surgery quality, competence scrutinized.
Kailua Kona, Hawaii -- In the past 5 years, the annual number of bariatric procedures has increased 10-fold, from 30,000 to 300,000 per year worldwide, Dr. Louis E Martin said at a meeting on medical negligence and risk management. With that increase has come debate about whether...

Medical liability problems demand reform.
Byline: GLENN L. KEIPER, Jr. For The Register-Guard MEDICAL LIABILITY insurance premiums are skyrocketing, and the local medical community is feeling the effects. This problem has affected my practice as a neurosurgeon in Eugene, but it was not until I was invited to Salem to discuss this...