The use of coded patient data for reimbursement purposes can tempt clinicians to exaggerate the severity of the patient's condition, skewing the accuracy of the data and interfering with clinical decision support and research.

The states' participation in implementing the provisions of the Affordable Care Act will shape the form those provisions ultimately take.

If a physician worries that a treatment will benefit the patient through the placebo effect, should he perform it?

The AMA Code of Medical Ethics’ opinions on cost containment, payment structures, and financial incentives.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The individual mandates and the optional Medicaid expansion will begin on January 1, 2014.

Those charged by the ACA health reform act to identify best clinical practices that are evidence-based and applicable across diverse populations can learn much from the experience of the Medicare-funded End Stage Renal Disease Program.

A single-payer health system is the only way for the United States to consolidate fragmented health care administration, successfully negotiate lower prices for medical care, and adopt responsible rather than profit-driven strategies.

The Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA) has created a loophole through which managed care organizations can escape liability for full compensatory damages solely because the patient is insured by his or her employer.

Despite exclusion of cost from the definition of comparative effectiveness research from the recent health care reform legislation, it will feed into cost-benefit analyses.

Correctional physicians’ concerns about medication diversion should not outweigh respect for autonomy when deciding on a patient’s care plan.