While the information released so far is considered physician-friendly, consumers are likely to press for release of quality measures, disciplinary actions and malpractice history. A report from the HHS inspector general says that a shift in the focus of peer review organizations may be allowing incompetent physicians to slip through the oversight cracks. Several years ago, PROs replaced punitive tactics with an educational approach to monitoring the quality of care provided in Medicare. The report concludes that the government should either encourage PROs to do more policing or support other entities better equipped for the job. Supporters call assisted suicide a humane and dignified way to end unbearable suffering.
Opponents call it an assault on the value of human life.
State officials say it marks the first time such a sophisticated technology has been used in the battle against Medicaid fraud. The Utah House unanimously voted to remove a legislative requirement that a physician attend executions. The bill, headed to the Senate, came on the heels of an AMA threat to censure a doctor who attended a 1992 execution. Back to top. But the new protections are so narrow they'll be of little or no value to most physician-sponsored plans, experts say.