The Illinois Supreme Court Thursday did not rule as expected on whether the state's four-year-old medical malpractice reform survives. The next batch of Supreme Court opinions is expected in mid-January, the court spokesman said. The much-anticipated ruling, which could directly impact the constitutionality of damage caps for doctors and hospitals, is being watched closely by the healthcare industry and employers who see caps on damages as a way to tame rising healthcare costs. Should the high court uphold the law, it could provide momentum in Washington for federal malpractice reform.
When physicians at Santa Clara County's cash-strapped public hospital seek professional development, they often indulge in "luxurious accommodations" on tropical islands and bill taxpayers for large cars to bring spouses, children, and even parents along for conferences-turned-family-vacations, according to a new county audit. The audit, which analyzed a three-year period, blasts Valley Medical Center—Santa Clara County's hospital of last resort—for what it called "abusive and noncompliant" travel expenses at a time when the county is slashing budgets and cutting social services. Physicians traveled to Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Spain, China, Aruba, Thailand, the West Indies, and the Bahamas, with costs averaging $3,085 per trip. Each year, county doctors spent $650,000 on educational travel. Continuing education units were pursued inside California just 8% of the time during the period analyzed.
Santa Claus is still coming to town. Or in this case, he's still scheduled to make his Christmas visit to The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Typically, business groups, church groups, organizations, and individuals make a point to visit the children this time of year. However, because of the seasonal flu, and especially the H1N1 virus, The Children's Hospital currently has a Level 2 visitation policy, said Debbie Parris, a nursing director at the hospital. So, visitation is restricted to those 12 years and older and two visitors per patient in a room at a time. But Santa is still scheduled to make his annual visit. "Probably the one thing that hasn't changed this year—we are assured that Santa is coming Christmas morning," said Whitney Moore, a child life specialist at Children's. "He's making his stop and he said he's taking good care of himself to stay well."
After weeks of shortages, swine flu vaccine is plentiful enough that nearly half the states now say everyone can get it, not just people in high-risk groups. But the good news comes with a challenge for health officials: how to keep persuading people to get vaccinated when swine flu infections are waning. Health authorities say that getting vaccinated could be a lifesaver if a new wave of illnesses materializes this winter.
Ten years ago, a national panel of health care experts released a landmark report on medical errors in the American healthcare system. Published by the Institute of Medicine, "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System" estimated that as many as 98,000 people died in hospitals each year as a result of preventable mistakes. Spurred on by this finding, healthcare leaders across the country began addressing errors believed to be a result of systemic flaws. But some healthcare safety experts have begun questioning the assumption underlying the report's conclusions: that only healthcare systems, and not individual clinicians, could be held accountable for medical mistakes.
The Secret Service has entered an investigation into the alleged theft of patient records from the University of Pennsylvania Health System, the local agent in charge indicated. The records were used to create bogus credit cards that were used to make nearly $3,000 in purchases at an Upper Darby Sears, according to authorities. A spokeswoman for the health system said that 18 medical records had been compromised, but that all the victims had been notified and had been offered help repairing their credit issues.