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Medicine's move into the computer age has great potential for improving care. But patients and doctors still face serious challenges in adapting to the rush of new technology.

Americans spend billions of dollars every year on annual physicals. But there's little evidence that a yearly checkup helps healthy adults. Some doctors are telling patients to skip it.

Nearly half the states in the U.S. require that women be notified if mammograms detect that they have dense breasts. Critics say the information raises anxiety more than it improves care.

Under the federal health law, employers with 100 or more full-time workers can enroll them in the company plan without their say as long as the coverage is deemed affordable and adequate.

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.

It's far from unanimous, but many believe Newton's law of inertia will kick in even if the fedreal statute that launched changes in the nation's health care system is found unconstitutional.

Some companies are adding drug dispensaries to their on-site health clinics. Others are offering concierge services that deliver drugs right to workers' desks. The companies hope to improve workers' compliance with doctors' orders by making it easier to get prescriptions filled.

Move over restaurants. Now hospitals are getting letter grades based on their patient safety performance from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that's looking to improve the quality and safety of health care.

How some insurers pay for treatments means that cancer pills can wind up costing a patient more than an IV. Some states have passed laws to make sure that patients don't have to pay more to take pills. But those laws don't apply to Medicare.