Patient Safety

Rick Santorum's (and the GOP's) Damage Cap Problem

Patrick Malone | Posted 04.02.2012

Read More: Patient Safety, GOP Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform, Karen Santorum Lawsuit, Santorum 2012, Health Care Reform, Santorum Medical Malpractice, Gop Santorum Health, 2012 Presidential Candidates, Health Jury Verdicts, Politics News

All the Republican presidential candidates -- this year and stretching back for many campaigns -- propose damage caps and other rollbacks to the public's right to sue when injured by medical mistakes.

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The Medications Seniors Can't Live With -- Or Without

Richard W. Besdine, M.D. | Posted 03.14.2012

For many older Americans, their relationship with the most important drugs in their medicine cabinets can be described as "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."

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Why 3 Hospitals Didn't Hurt My Wife (And What That Means)

Michael L. Millenson | Posted 02.07.2012

Read More: Medical Errors, Baylor Health Care System, Ascension Health, York Hospital, Patient Safety, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Massachusetts General Hospital, Hospitals and Patient Safety, Personal Health, Healthy Living News

Our experience showed that "doing the right thing" -- appropriate care -- and "doing the right thing right" --- safe and effective care - can become the norm at rural, suburban and big urban teaching hospitals alike.

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Patient Safety Paramount for Cutting Edge Medicines

Gary Puckrein | Posted 02.05.2012

Read More: Affordable Care Act, Fda, Healthcare Reform, Medicine, Patient Safety, Healthcare, Biologics, Generic Drugs, Black Voices News

It is crucial that the health care communities in both the public and private sector transform their data collection and testing approaches to account for the overall changing face of the American population.

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Bill Falls Short on Protecting Patients

Gibson Vance | Posted 07.11.2011

Read More: Health Care, Patient Safety, Tort Reform, Civil Justice, Insurance Premiums, HR 5, Cost of Health Care, Politics News

Congress must put more important priorities, like patient safety, first. H.R. 5 certainly is no answer to addressing the real problems in America's health care system.

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Doctors Don't Need Tort "Reform" -- They Need a Shrink

Joanne Doroshow | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Texas, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Defensive Medicine, Medical Malpractice, Politics News

Patients need competent physicians; doctors need medication, psychotherapy, or both; and, politicians need to focus on reducing medical malpractice. This is the only acceptable way to reduce deaths, injuries, claims and lawsuits.

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Hospitals Can Be Risky Places, New Report Details How

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National Patient Safety Goals, Patient Safety Standards, Patient Safety Issues, Hospital Patient Safety, Patient Safety Initiatives, Patient Safety, Improving Patient Safety, Home News

WASHINGTON — Medicare's new chief called for more steps to improve patient safety Tuesday, in the wake of a government report that said one in s...

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The 'Bounce Back Effect': How Hospital Readmissions Are Jeopardizing Medicare

Richard C. Senelick, M.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Hospital Readmission, Medical Patient Tips Medical Patient Advice, Patient Safety, Health, Patient Readmission, Healthy Living News

Patient readmissions or bounce back is a serious financial and quality issue. A 2009 study found that approximately one-fifth of medical beneficiaries were readmitted within 30 days

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Skipped Heart Tests at Harlem Hospital Flag a Stressed Medical System

Dr. Elaine Schattner | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Medical Errors, Harlem Hospital, Health, Healthcare System, Patient Safety, Hospital Safety, Health Care System, Medical Safety, Healthy Living News

The skipped heart tests mark the failing of our overburdened, financially-strapped health care system. I'm doubtful that this sort of failure is limited to one department at one Harlem hospital.

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The Challenge of Hospital Safety: A Success Story

Seth Freeman | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Hospital Safety, Safety Hospital, Hospital Patient Safety, Patient Safety, Health, Medical Safety, Healthy Living News

A hospital task force with the lofty designation: Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee takes up issues that seem almost intractable.

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Many Docs Don't Blow Whistle On Colleagues

AP | CARLA K. JOHNSON | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Health, Doctor Safety, Hospital Safety, Patient Safety, Hospital Safety Issues, Unsafe Doctor, Healthy Living News

CHICAGO — Your doctor could be drunk, addicted to drugs or outright incompetent, but other physicians may not blow the whistle. A new survey fi...

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Medication Mix-ups? Missing Lab Results? Send Us Your Health IT Tips, Stories

Emma Schwartz | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Economic Stimulus Package, Patient Safety, Health IT, Safety, Oversight, Regulation, Fda, Medication, Health Care, Electronic Medical Records, Foreign Policy, Technology News

Amid concerns about patient safety, a consensus is emerging: The government needs a way to monitor the safety of health information technology it is e...

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Hospital Errors: Be Wary of the "July Effect"

ABC News | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Health, Malpractice, Medical Mistakes, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Hospital Errors, Medical Error, Medical Errors, Video, Healthy Living News

Findings from a new University of California San Diego study lend credence to what is called the "July effect" -- a long-held suspicion that July is t...

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During Patient Safety Awareness Week, Remember Injured Patients

Anthony Tarricone | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Health Care, Politics News

This week is Patient Safety Awareness Week, an annual national education and awareness-building campaign that this year carries greater implications f...

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Where Are the Firing Offenses in Medicine?

Patrick Malone | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Northwest Airlines, Politics News

In the medical industry, for a doctor to lose their license only a flagrant pattern of drug or alcohol abuse or other criminal behavior will put the practitioner out of business. This needs to change.

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Memo to Congress: Listen to the Patients on National Patient Safety Day

Patrick Malone | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Medical Errors, Health Care, Patient Safety, Medical Malpractice, Politics News

These advocates have turned their own tragic losses into a crusade to make our hospitals and clinics cleaner and safer, demanding they become more open in dealing with tragic mistakes.

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