Georgia physicians are fighting to overturn a trial court decision rejecting their claims that the state Blues illegally excluded some doctors from its HMO network. Physicians say the ruling, if allowed to stand, could jeopardize access to care. Last July, Northeast Georgia Cancer Care LLC sued BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia after the company refused to readmit the group's medical oncologists to its HMO network. Doctors said such tactics violate the state's any-willing-provider law, which prohibits managed care entities from excluding reputable doctors who are willing to accept a plan's terms, according to a friend-of-the-court brief the Medical Assn. of Georgia filed in the case. But the Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County in February said the statute did not apply to HMOs, which must negotiate reimbursement rates with doctors in exchange for exclusive contracts. Giving physicians the ability to demand admission into the networks would "allow providers to push the hand of insurers while ultimately putting the patients at risk," the court said. Northeast Georgia Cancer Care appealed the decision in March. No hearing date was set. The state medical association said it plans to file another brief at the appellate level. The Blues said the ruling allows it to staff its networks appropriately to meet patients' needs. New medical schools get accreditationThe Liaison Committee on Medical Education in February awarded provisional accreditation to three new medical schools: Texas Tech University's Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso, Florida International University College of Medicine in Miami and University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando. The move opens the door for the schools to recruit students for their inaugural 2009-10 classes. Each school will have 40 students in its first class. Texas Tech's El Paso campus plans to graduate 80 medical students each year. FIU College of Medicine intends to expand to 120 students per class. UCF College of Medicine expects to grow to 120 students annually, and the school is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to give each student in its first class a scholarship that covers tuition and living expenses for four years. Dr. Kevorkian announces bid for CongressJack Kevorkian, MD, the assisted-suicide advocate who was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999, announced last month that he would challenge Republican incumbent Rep. Joe Knollenberg in Michigan's 9th Congressional District. Dr. Kevorkian, 79, who said he took part in more than 130 assisted suicides, served eight years of a 10-to-25-year sentence and was released from prison on parole last June. The former pathologist is running as an independent. He said at a news conference that if he were elected to Congress, he would fight for individual rights, such as assisted suicide, that he believes are protected by the Constitution's Ninth Amendment. Accreditors approve human research protection program at Florida agencyThe Florida Dept. of Health last month received accreditation of its human research protection program, which encompasses the institutional review board and all members of the department's research community. Accreditation means that the department has met or exceeded national best-practice standards for assuring the ethical conduct of research and protection of participants in biomedical and behavioral research. The Assn. for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs awarded the accreditation based on a peer-review process. It is valid for three years. To prepare for accreditation, the Florida agency revised its policies and procedures to align them with national best practices. The department also set a standard that all epidemiologists in its central office programs would be trained in research ethics, as part of its commitment to protect participants in both research activities and public health practice. AMA opens online CME portalAmerican Medical Association members now have access to free continuing medical education online (www.amaprimarycare.org). The Web site is intended for primary care physicians but is open to all members. The site, which was launched in March, includes educational programs on depression, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes, and features evidence-based information on diagnosing, managing and treating these illnesses. Copyright 2008 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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