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Choosing a physician is never easy. But if you're in the market for a doctor, newly published ratings and a few practical tips could make the process a little less bewildering.

Most family doctors don't do the math to figure out whether their patients are obese. It's one reason among many that doctors on the front lines are unlikely to be the solution for country's weight problem.

Child life specialists can minimize the trauma caused by a hospital stay. They're also costly, but experts says they help doctors be more efficient and can pay dividends far into the future for a sick child.

Walk-in clinics are getting traction with consumers, hospitals and retailers. A visit to a clinic costs less than one to the doctor or hospital emergency room. And the clinics present less of a hassle.

One of the largest private health insurers said it will continue to allow young adults up to age 26 to stay on their parents' plans and will end lifetime dollar caps on claims, no matter what the Supreme Court decides. It's the first major insurer to make those promises.

Will the administration's health law survive the Supreme Court? A majority of bettors think not. Over at Intrade, a "prediction market" for current events, the betting gave chances of about 58 percent that the court will disallow the mandate.

Under some state laws, a patient's positive test for alcohol can mean that insurers won't pay hospitals and doctors for care after an accident. To sidestep the potential problem, hospitals often don't screen patients for alcohol use.

In Michigan, areas with more cardiac catheterization labs — places where patients are diagnosed for heart problems — tended to have more interventions than those with fewer labs.

The state is one of just a few that is expanding Medicaid ahead of a major expansion called for in 2014 by the federal health law. Though the state estimates that 50,000 people meet the income bar, Colorado will only be able to offer coverage to 10,000 people.

Nonprofit hospitals pay no federal, state, or local taxes. In return, they are expected to offer a community benefit, including free and discounted care for low-income patients. But a study by the Congressional Budget Office found that, on average, not-for-profits are providing only slightly more uncompensated care than for-profit hospitals.