Smartphones and other mobile devices, such as tablet PCs, are seeing increasing use by everyone -- especially physicians. Around 63% of physicians report using a mobile device for health solutions in treating patients, usually as a handy data or reference source, according to a survey of 1,000 physicians by PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC).

Of these physicians, 56% said their devices "expedite decision making" and 40% said they "decrease time spent on administration."

The main advantage of using mobile technology in the practice setting is faster decisions, driven by accessing more accurate data in real time, the PWC survey concludes. Timely access to the right information was consistently cited as the top challenge to physicians, survey respondents said (read more on mobile health solutions) ...

Hospitalists with lower base salaries outperformed hospitalists with higher base salaries, a Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) survey shows.

Adult hospitalists who received 50% or less of their compensation as fixed base salary reported the highest median work relative value units (RVUs) at 5,407, the MGMA and SHM says. The study showed other hospitalists who:

Read more on hospitalist compensation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has turned to health care providers for help in curbing the amount of pharmaceuticals making their way into the nation's water supply.

This "60 Minutes" report aired over the weekend. Steve Kroft's piece on Medicare fraud shows you what is driving Medicare enrollment and program integrity changes over the last few years.

CBS interviewed former CMS official Kim Brandt, who mentioned the agency has tightened its enrollment standards.

Newly minted CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, is striking back against a claim by former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt that the projected savings from health reform are "an illusion" born of statistical sophistry. In an op-ed piece published in today's (Sept. 3) issue of The Washington Post, Dr. Berwick says Leavitt is "incorrect" and cites a variety of provisions in the law that would improve health outcomes for seniors.

Leavitt had argued in his op-ed -- also published in The Post -- that the hundreds of billions in projected savings over the next decade are based on "double counting" of the Medicare savings generated by health reform (read more on Berwick clashes with Leavitt) ...