Anthem, Inc., a Blue Cross Blue Shield company, announced this week that its fourth-quarter earnings nearly doubled over last year’s earnings. The increase was driven by growth in revenue that the managed health care company attributed to recent acquisitions, “disciplined pricing,” and membership growth. Anthem shares rose 27 percent last year, in line with profits experienced by the HMO industry as a whole. “Disciplined pricing” has shown to have a profound impact on physician’s reimbursement. For a New York Times business article on the announcement, please go to www.nytimes.com. For additional information concerning HMO litigation, please visit the HMO Crisis Newsroom.

An interesting article in this week’s edition of AMEDNEWS includes a question and answer session with Mississippi internist Todd Coulter and his change to an all cash payment plan. As detailed in the article, about seven months ago, Dr. Coulter's practice, Midway Family Care in Ocean Springs, stopped accepting insurance, and began seeing patients on a cash-only basis. Dr. Coulter charges $40 for an office visit, paid in cash, and patients can receive other tests, such as $40 x-rays without going elsewhere. Patients who have insurance are encouraged to file claims directly with their respective insurance company. For the entire article please go to www.ama-assn.org. For additional information concerning HMO litigation, please visit the HMO Crisis Newsroom.