A physician in Indianapolis is suing the Indiana Department of Health and members of the state medical licensing board in federal court over enforcement of a state law regarding reporting requirements for physicians that perform abortions, the Daily Journal reported Dec. 31. Her lawsuit alleges that the requirement conflicts with new federal health privacy requirements that prohibit such disclosures. 

Physicians faced numerous challenges in 2024, from increased legal pitfalls in some areas of care to deteriorating physician autonomy. 

Congress has signed a downsized funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, which did not include a bipartisan package that would have offset CMS' 2.85% cut to physician payments in 2025. 

2024 has become a more legally treacherous year for physicians and it's affecting the way they practice medicine. 

President Joe Biden recently commuted the prison sentence of Shelinder Aggarwal, who was allegedly the most prolific Medicare prescriber of opioids in the U.S., WAFF reported Dec. 17. 

Members of the Committee of Interns and Residents at George Washington University Hospital in Washington have reached a tentative labor deal, averting a strike. 

Physician autonomy is a central concern for physicians and physician leaders heading into 2025, as just 44% of physicians owned their own practice in 2022, compared with 76% in the early 1980s, according to the American Medical Association. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a physician in New York for prescribing abortion medication to a Texas resident through telemedicine services. 

The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston has broken ground on a new medical school building, Live 5 News reported Dec. 13. 

Here are three union updates since Nov. 22, as reported by Becker's:

The most important thing for female physicians in the workplace is a commitment to work-life balance for physicians and staff, according to Medscape's 2024 "Fighting Glass Ceilings: Medscape Female Physician Career Tracks Report," published Dec. 11. 

Massachusetts' Physician Pathway Act will soon allow foreign-trained physicians to practice medicine in the state to address the ongoing physician shortage, Metro West Daily News reported Dec. 11. 

Raj Mitra, MD, has been tapped to serve as the new dean of the Dayton, Ohio-based Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and the chief academic officer at Premier Health, also based in Dayton, WYSO reported Dec. 10.

Five physician leaders joined Becker's to discuss the biggest lesson they learned in 2024. 

Here are five CMO exits that occurred in 2024, as reported by Becker's:

CMS has issued updated guidance for surveyors and healthcare providers on addressing immediate jeopardy, the most severe type of noncompliance warning as the findings can place organizations at risk of losing federal funding.

The Arkansas State Medical Board voted to delay action in the case of a physician seeking to return to practice after being accused of rape and sexual assault until after his charges are heard in court, effectively denying his request, the Arkansas Advocate reported Dec. 5.

Social media is highly present in the lives of many patients and physicians, which can sometimes lead patients to encounter medical misinformation that physicians must manage in their patient relationships. 

Here are 10 layoffs and closures by hospitals or health systems that physicians need to know in 2024: 

Rising labor expenses and shrinking reimbursements are putting significant pressure on hospitals’ financial health, according to Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report.