Permanent ‘doc fix’ unlikely as deadline nears Posted: March 24, 2014 – 4:15 pm ET The prospects for a permanent doc fix prior to the March 31 deadline are looking increasingly remote. No agreement has been reached on how to pay for a permanent repeal and replacement of Medicare’s unpopular sustainable growth-rate formula for physician payments. The House…

Doctors, Device Makers: Close Ties A lawsuit involving health-products company Johnson & Johnson JNJ+0.59% offers a glimpse into the close ties between the medical-device industry and doctors who provide or can influence the information consumers hear about medical products. At issue is a long-running debate over the company’s transvaginal mesh products, used to surgically repair a condition called…

Study generally finds comparable outcomes for outpatient, inpatient orthopaedic surgeries As the effectiveness of anesthesia, pain management and rehabilitation continues to improve, more orthopaedic procedures are being done on an outpatient basis. In a new research study presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), same-day total joint…

Health Care Horror Hooey – NYTimes.com.