Fascinating, fun and feel-good stuff from life in medicine.

Roger Ohanesian, MD * Richard Declusin, MD * Michelle Laba, MD * Janis Neuman, MD * Arthur Calick, MD

California Medical Association remains opposed to tax on doctors, while hospital group accepts 4-percent fee.

Despite physician opposition, rules to prohibit balance billing were revived on both the legislative and regulatory fronts.

The California Medical Association may have scored a major victory this year against insurers and health plans thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate).

Public health officials aim for an unprecedented coordinated response to influenza.

Medicine’s National Voice Grows Louder on Uninsured * AMA Provides Practice Resources

An introduction to the three-part series by John Hill, MD, the physician who was at the center of a major medical staff-hospital administration conflict.

The link between hospital opposition to self-governance and economic fear cannot be overestimated. This article explains the damaging ways hospital administrations might behave in their relationships with medical staffs and highlights why medical staffs must know and exercise their rights.

Experts and physician users offer advice on better electronic health records system selection, implementation and operation. Learn more about the costs and the process of going paperless.

Check out these seven no-nos in pursuing an advanced degree on top of your MD.

Physicians are under constant pressure to alter their prescribing habits--and new developments are adding to the force.

Seven resolutions adopted at an Aug. 22 meeting will guide the Los Angeles County Medical Association delegates attending this month's California Medical Association House of Delegates meeting, which will set the statewide organization's agenda for 2008.

The Los Angeles County Medical Association and an evolving list of about 10 partner groups are working to find alternative primary- and specialty-care options for South Los Angeles residents, whose limited access to healthcare was further stressed by the August closure of Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital.

Physicians wanting to speak directly to a Blue Cross of California medical director are welcome to call a dedicated phone number--818/234-5072--newly set up for the purpose, says Jeff Kamil, MD, the company's vice president and senior medical director.

With great pleasure and honor, I join the Orange County Medical Association leaders and members in congratulating Richard Frankenstein, MD, as he embarks on his year as president of the California Medical Association. There are few others, if any, who have served so diligently in such a broad spectrum of leadership positions.

The Medical Board of California announced in July the termination of its Diversion Program, effective June 30, 2008. The decision stunned most of us, and the California Medical Association appropriately responded by condemning the decision.

To assist our members in the challenging area of language access, the RCMA is involved with the Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency. The association recently received two grants to develop additional resources for physicians in Riverside County.

From July 30-Aug. 6, 28 physicians and allied practitioners from as far away as New Jersey and Texas came together on a Princess Cruise to Alaska to participate in a continuing medical education program.

Effective immediately, the Riverside County Department of Public Health will no longer require tuberculosis skin testing of students for entry into K-12 schools.

Physicians are facing increased scrutiny from the federal government, state regulatory boards and third-party payers on issues of administrative fraud and abuse. Most professional liability policies provide some level of defense coverage.

Upon completion of my residency in obstetrics/gynecology, my parents sent me a small bronze statute of a mountain ram. They proudly declared that I had reached the pinnacle of my educational career in medicine and was now on top.

San Bernardino County's most trusted and comprehensive physician directory is hot off the press! As a benefit of membership, SBCMS active members will be mailed a complimentary copy of the directory. Active members can order additional copies for their home or office at the discounted price of $35 each.

The San Bernardino County Medical Society, the Riverside County Medical Association, and the District II Delegation of the California Medical Association proudly and enthusiastically endorse the candidacy of Dev GnanaDev, MD, MBA, FACS, for 2007 president-elect of the California Medical Association. CMA elections will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at the CMA House of Delegates in Anaheim.

In August 2007, the San Bernardino County Medical Society received two grants from the Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency (MLC). The monies are designed to improve the quality of care received by San Bernardino County patients with limited English proficiency.

As of April 2007, there were about 110,000 patients with Medi-Cal coverage in Ventura County. Yet in the future, the manner of coverage for many of them may change because the county has been earmarked by the state for Medi-Cal managed care starting in 2008. What does this mean for doctors?

Want to know what to pay a new staff member? Call the Ventura County Medical Association for the 2007 salary survey. Thanks to the effort of the local Professional Association of Health Care Office Managers, the data captures information from 420 employees in Ventura County medical practices. Figures are available for 18 different job titles. Call 805/484-6822. Please note that the survey will be released to physicians only.

A creative side has propelled Los Angeles surgeon and researcher Hillel Laks, MD, to the heights of cardiothoracic surgery.