Can Electronic Medical Records Help to Decrease Malpractice Insurance Costs? Written by Patricia King, JD    Proponents of health information technology (HIT) contend that widespread adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) will both enhance patient safety, and help contain health care costs by decreasing inefficiencies in health care delivery.  Most studies seeking to determine the impact of HIT for patient safety focus on whether EMRs can prevent medication errors.  For example, a 1998 study reported that computerized physician order entry (CPOE) decreased nonintercepted serious medication errors by more than half.[1]  In one effort to quantify the impact of HIT on medication errors, a study published in the journal Health Affairs in 2005 estimated that computerized physician order entry (CPOE) could eliminate 200,000 adverse drug events in hospitals, and two million adverse drug events in the ambulatory setting.[2]  While there are still not many studies providing rigorous analysis on whether EMRs can in fact decrease incidence of medication errors, the evidence seems convincing enough for many groups to recommend adoption of HIT for patient safety reasons.[3] Read more...

President Obama adresses AMA Written by Naoum Issa, MD, PhD    June 15, 2009. Chicago, IL President Obama today addressed the American Medical Association's House of Delegates on the topic of health care reform. The President outlined his goals and, in general terms, his approach to reforming the cost structure of American health care. Trying to enlist the help of American physicians, he suggested that malpractice reform could be an important part of the entire approach. The AMA, which has publicly expressed support for health care reform, hopes to influence the coming policy decisions to protect physician compensation and autonomy. The entire text of the President's speech follows: "To say it as plainly as I can, health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health. That is a fact." President Barack Obama June 15, 2009 Chicago, IL - AMA House of Delegates Read more...   Hospital Quality Rankings Written by Norm Issa    Hospital Ratings in your neighborhood Ratings are based on benchmarks set out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in four categories: Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgical Care Improvement/Surgical Infection Prevention. New hospital rankings: San Antonio Hospitals New York Hospitals | Chicago Hospitals | Detroit hospitals | Florida Hospitals | Dallas Hospitals | California Hospitals | Portland Hospitals | Nashville Hospitals   Read more...

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Swine Flu - Updates and information on H1N1 2009 (AKA Swine Influenza) pandemic.

Ankylosing spondylitis - Current protocols for diagnosis and treatment options.

Wegener granulomatosis - Autoimmune etiology and clinical course.

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