> A one-year "doc fix" will cost $25 billion, $7 billion more than previous projections, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, The Hill's Healthwatch reported. A two-year doc fix would cost $41.5 billion. Article
> Massachusetts' Public Health Council relaxed rules on gifts that physicians can take from pharmaceutical companies, The Boston Globe reported. The regulations don't prohibit alcohol or set a dollar limit on what pharma companies can spend. Article
> Proof-of-citizenship requirements in Georgia are burdening physicians and healthcare employees to prove their citizenship or legal residency as they apply for or renew their professional licenses, American Medical News reported. State lawmakers said processing delays are unintended consequences of the "necessary immigration law." Article
> With more patients preferring to die at home, family caregivers struggle with transforming their home into a hospital, Linda G. Beeler, a private particle psychotherapist in Manhattan wrote in an editorial in The New York Times. Op-ed
And Finally… Do we really need Cyber Monday? Article