A study of more than 40,000 physicians covered by a national medical liability insurer revealed that the average physician spent 50.7 months, or almost 11 percent of an estimated 40-year career, practicing with one or more open, unresolved malpractice claims pending.

The use of cardiovascular service line organizations to align resources needed to best serve patients appears to be spreading to all types of healthcare entities, according to MedAxiom’s “2013 Annual Integration Report.” Many reported annual savings between $500,000 and $5 million.

Notwithstanding the absence of any data indicating inferior quality or clinical efficacy of generic statins, high-cost, brand-name statins retain a robust share of the market.

MedStar Heart Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., has entered into a clinical and research alliance with the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

When patients specifically request a brand-name drug and a generic equivalent is available, 44 percent of cardiologists will write the prescription for the brand-name medication, according to a nationwide survey of physicians’ prescribing habits. That is 7 percentage points higher than physicians overall.

Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) and Northeast Cardiology Associates, both of Bangor, Maine, have completed an agreement to integrate the cardiology practice into EMMC’s Heart Center.

Cardiovascular Associates and St. Luke’s Health System, both in of Sioux City, Iowa, have partnered to expand cardiovascular care in the region.

A nonprofit community hospital system in Ohio and a physician group have agreed to pay more than $4.4 million to settle allegations over Medicare billing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.