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By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, October 21, 2009
One of the 206 patients who received a radiation overdose eight times normal during a CT scan at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, has filed a class action lawsuit against both the hospital and the device manufacturer, GE Healthcare Technologies. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff, Trevor Rees, was not only subjected to an overdose of radiation, but faces a higher risk of cancer, expense of longer term health monitoring of its effects, and suffers "severe and serious physical and emotional damage."
By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, October 20, 2009
American Medical Association President J. James Rohack, MD, says budget neutrality in the healthcare reform debate should not derail the push to abolish what he says is an obsolete Medicare physician fee schedule that will carve out up to $245 billion in payment reductions for physicians.
By: Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media, October 21, 2009
As the debate over healthcare reform continues, one "particularly cruel" area impacting individuals is potentially overwhelming medical expenses that can lead to personal medical debt and bankruptcy, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said Tuesday at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts.
By: John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, October 21, 2009
Patients at highly-rated hospitals have a 52% lower chance of dying compared with the U.S. hospital average, a quality gulf that has persisted in the last 10 years, even as mortality rates have declined, a new HealthGrades study shows. The 12th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study of patient outcomes at each of the nation's 5,000 nonfederal hospitals found a wide gap in quality between the nation's best hospitals and all others.
By: Dom Nicastro, for HealthLeaders Media, October 21, 2009
The FTC will enforce its medical identity theft Red Flags Rule beginning November 1. Now, the government is turning its anti-theft and fraud attention to consumers. HHS released tips and information to help seniors and Medicare beneficiaries "deter, detect and defend" against medical identity theft.
By: Scott Wallask, for HealthLeaders Media, October 20, 2009
When a professional fighter allegedly went haywire in a Nevada hospital and attacked nurses, it briefly brought some national attention to a long-standing problem: violence against healthcare workers. Of course, it's not just famous people or athletes who can cause trouble, which makes the challenge of protecting hospital employees daunting.
By: Rebecca Hendren, for HealthLeaders Media, October 20, 2009
As well as securing the opinion of nursing experts from around the country, a new study will also be examining testimony submitted from individuals and organizations in the field.
By: Carrie Vaughan, for HealthLeaders Media, October 20, 2009
While I agree that physicians need to join the effort for CPOE to be successful, I also think there is a lot more behind the successful implementations—like dogged persistence.