The United States ePrescibing market is expected to hit $205 million by 2017, according to a Global Industry Analysts release, reported by ChartLogic.

Sports medicine physicians and surgeons play a critical role in the advancement of the field and delivery of care, according to a new article published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BCPI) initiative has generally been more attractive to providers than either of its two accountable care programs — the Medicare Shared Savings and Pioneer ACO program. Unlike those programs, the BCPI program is typically considered more manageable as it allows providers to choose specific service lines or diagnosis-related groups where quality and cost improvement opportunities exist.

The House and Senate have passed a new payroll tax cut bill that also stopped the Medicare payment cut to physicians, and it will now head to President Barack Obama's desk, where it is expected to be signed, according to a Politico report. But what does the bill mean for physicians, surgery centers and the healthcare industry as a whole?

Pittsburgh-based Highmark, an insurer, will spend up to $500 million on a new network of physicians, community hospitals and outpatient care locations — an investment in addition to its $475 million takeover of West Penn Allegheny Health System, according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.

As some states challenge the Affordable Care Act in court, others are pushing implementation of regulations under the federal reform law. The healthcare industry in 2011 is a fragmented and fascinating place. Here are 40 people who have been instrumental in shaping healthcare policy, trends and debate over the last year.

Seventy percent of physicians plan to work longer until retirement due to the economic downturn and depleted personal savings, according to the Jackson & Coker Retirement Survey.

iPad application drchrono — which includes speech-to-text technology, paperless billing, e-prescription filling and other features — has received meaningful use certification as a complete electronic health record, according to a company news release.

Physicians, healthcare professionals and medical students should be wary of social media blurring the line between their professional and personal lives, according to a recent British Medical Association report.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has proposed a bill that would require physicians and pharmacists to use an electronic database of a patient's prescription history when writing and filling a prescription for certain narcotics, according to a Times Union report.

Physicians and pharmacists would use the database, called the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing and which has up-to-the-minute information on pertinent patient information and prescription details, before dispensing narcotics such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and Xanax, the report said.

Physicians or pharmacists who fail to report information to the database, fail to review patient data before prescribing or disclose and dispense private patient information to a third party may be fined.

The report said the proposed bill aims to stop drug seekers and curb prescription drug trafficking.

Read the Times Union report on I-STOP.

Related Articles on E-Prescribing:
Study: Omitted Information Most Common Error in E-Prescribing Systems
Healthcare Providers That Don't E-Prescribe May See 1% Medicare Payment Reduction
CMS Issues Proposed Changes to E-Prescribing Incentive Program