State Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) faces an uphill climb in his effort to revamp the medical malpractice system in Georgia. Beach has been pushing his malpractice reform bill for two years, but experts say SB 141 is not likely to pass in 2014. House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) told the Atlanta Business Chronicle there…
A safe prediction for the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly is that dozens of bills involving health care will be up for consideration. That’s the case every year under the Gold Dome. But given the likelihood this year of a short session, ending in mid-March, it’s also a good bet that many health…
Georgia’s physician shortage continues to limit patients’ access to care, especially in rural areas, a recently released report indicates. But the report by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce also highlights some promising trends on doctors practicing in Georgia. The state ranked 39th in the ratio of doctors per 100,000 population in 2010, the latest…
Moving new discoveries from the science lab to the doctor’s office can take decades and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And although it is not possible to eliminate this process, people who straddle the worlds of science and medicine may be able to speed it up. Consider the task of translating laboratory findings about…
As the president of the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG), I get a chance to hear from physicians in every specialty and practice setting in the state on a daily basis. I consequently believe that I’m qualified to state with confidence that the vast majority of our physicians agree that we need to continue to look for…
Nearly a year after it was supposed to take effect, the physician pay hike for Medicaid services still hasn’t been fully implemented in Georgia and other states. The delays have come in states, including Georgia, that use managed care in their Medicaid programs, a physicians organization says. The Affordable Care Act created the pay hike…
In Tuesday’s edition of Georgia Health News, (“Commentary: Replace Georgia tort system”), Dr. Henry Goodwin writes about a proposal currently before the Georgia General Assembly that would take away Georgia citizens’ constitutional right to trial by jury when they have been harmed through the negligence of their health care provider. This proposal, he insists, will…
A new tort reform effort has gained considerable attention in the days leading up to the 2014 Georgia General Assembly session. Senate Bill 141 would set up a system something like workers’ comp, with injured patients getting access to an independent medical review panel that would rule on the merits of their claims. In a…
Dr. Howard Cohen spent nearly 30 years as an infectious disease physician in Atlanta. He treated people with everything from the flu to malaria. He was a highly respected doctor, recognized in his field. But about a decade ago, Cohen made a mistake that he has never forgotten. And he doesn’t want to forget. At…
When Athens resident Ruthann Lariscy’s joints began to ache last spring, she assumed it was simply because she was growing older. But when the pain persisted and interfered with activities like gardening or cooking, she talked to her primary care doctor. He took the situation seriously and referred Lariscy to Dr. Will Chafin, a rheumatologist….