Washington doctors' group fights MRSA screening bill

The Washington State Medical Association, which represents more than 9,000 physicians, is fighting a bill that would require doctors to screen vulnerable patients for a potentially deadly germ called MRSA. The number of hospital patients infected with MRSA has skyrocketed in Washington, but the medical association opposes any attempt by lawmakers to dictate how doctors attack the pathogen, said spokeswoman Jennifer Hanscom. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, said the evidence is clear that doctors and hospitals have repeatedly failed to protect patients from the antibiotic-resistant germ MRSA.