A state physician database shows that South Florida has become the nation's capital for doctors without medical malpractice insurance, leaving patients at risk of getting little financial help for care after a medical error. Nearly one-quarter of doctors in Broward and Palm Beach counties, and one-eighth statewide, opt out of malpractice insurance under a state law that lets them go without coverage. Florida laws has allowed doctors to go without malpractice coverage for decades. Critics say the law raises the chances patients cannot collect enough money in court to cover medical bills from physician mistakes. Also, malpractice victims and lawyers are less likely to sue doctors who don't carry insurance, experts say.
A new high-tech imaging center is opening in Southdale Medical Center in Edina, MN. Called Suburban Imaging, the joint venture involves two large radiology groups, the state’s third-largest hospital and clinic group, Fairview Health Services; and 21 physician groups in the area. Its opening is likely to reignite a debate on whether Minnesota has too many diagnostic imaging facilities and encourages doctors to order unnecessary procedures and pushing up medical costs. It’s also likely to raise the question of whether doctors should refer patients to a facility in which they have a financial stake.
Prince George's County in Maryland is considering converting empty stores in old shopping centers, even entire malls, into medical facilities. County officials are reviewing a feasibility study that recommends creating "medical malls" in four underutilized shopping centers in neglected communities. Under the plan, the county would partner with private retail owners to renovate or build spaces where customers could, for example, shop for clothes in one end of the mall and get a mammogram or a physical in another. The partnership would be paid for with public and private dollars.
As pressure builds for Grady Memorial Hospital CEO Pam Stephenson to answer questions regarding her law degree, efforts are under way to oust her as chairwoman of the Atlanta hospital's authority board. Some state and local officials have criticized Stephenson for the multiple hats she's donned in Grady management, saying they represent conflicts of interest. The latest controversy over her law degree is adding momentum to efforts to remove her as the Grady authority chairwoman. The 10-member board will soon meet to elect its officers. While it remains unclear whether there are enough votes to oust her as chairwoman, some authority members say Stephenson's controversies have become a distraction from overseeing the business of Grady.
While most people have heard about the nationwide nursing shortage, the country is also experiencing a shortage of trained workers in the allied health professions such as respiratory care practitioners, medical transcriptionists, radiographers, and about 200 other occupations that make up about 60% of healthcare workers. According to a recent study, California and its burgeoning population lags behind the rest of the nation in the number of allied health professionals per capita.
To help children come to terms with their treatment, hospitals across the country are having young patients act out medical procedures on dolls. Their are more than 400 such programs in the United States and Canada, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The idea is to lessen the terror that kids may feel before a scary procedure, and research shows that structured play can reduce stress. In the short term, specialists say that working with a petrified child before a minor procedure can also help avoid sedation.