Gifts that drug makers have long showered on doctors will be banned from pharmaceutical marketing campaigns under new voluntary guidelines titled the "Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals." The guidelines will ask the chief executives of large drug makers to certify in writing that "they have policies and procedures in place to foster compliance with the code." The code, however, provides no definite limits on the millions of dollars spent on speaking and consulting arrangements that drug makers have forged with doctors. The code was written by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Bullying doctors can make nurses afraid to question their performance and result in medical errors, according to a safety alert issued by The Joint Commission. Outbursts and condescending language also threaten patient safety and increase the cost of care, according to the alert. Hospitals will be required by 2009 to have codes of conduct and processes for dealing with inappropriate behavior by staff, and hospitals without such systems risk losing their accreditation, said Joint Commission representatives.
The board for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, FL, has agreed to increase income requirements for its Vita Health program. The move will allow more people to qualify for low-cost health coverage. Currently, those earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, or $20,800 annually for an individual, can join. By October, people making up to 300% of the poverty level, which is $31,200 annually for an individual, can qualify.
Mt. Lebanon, PA-based St. Clair Hospital is teaming with Cura Hospitality in planning sweeping changes not only in menus but also in the entire approach to shopping for, cooking, and serving meals. Renovations are under way at the hospital that will allow for restaurant-quality takeout food for the staff, a "salads-by-design" bar, and grab-and-go fresh foods that can be ordered via a touch-screen device. A long-term goal for the hospital includes room service dining for patients, which would provide even wider menu choices.
The American Medical Association has issued a formal apology for more than a century of discriminatory policies that excluded blacks. The apology stems from AMA initiatives to reduce racial disparities in medicine. Ronald Davis, the group's immediate past president, said he hopes the apology "will hasten healing between the AMA and our African-American physician colleagues so that we can create a better future for our patients, our communities and the medical profession."
More than three in four emergency room patients do not fully understand the instructions that doctors give them after their visits, according to research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. In addition, researchers found that the vast majority of patients are also unaware that they have not fully understood what the doctor has told them.