Medical Malpractice News and Research

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Viewpoints: Gerson says no compromises make for 'bad politics;' Democrats are getting a pass; Manchin signals a break in Democratic ranks

We are seeing that an anti-compromise ideology can make for bad politics. In our system, Obamacare will not be overturned by one house of Congress. A tea-party shutdown strategy - if implemented - would make securing the other house and the presidency less likely for Republicans. And the political energy consumed by Cruz and crew has not been available to promote incremental limits on Obamacare that might have aided GOP political prospects (Michael Gerson, 9/26).

30 Sep 2013

State highlights: Texas Gov. Perry touts tort reform; Calif. lawmakers want to pass 100 bills per day

A measles outbreak in a vaccination-wary North Texas megachurch and soaring rates of whooping cough across the state are drawing renewed calls for immunization legislation, which some lawmakers and medical professionals argue would help the state prevent public health crises (Aaronson, 9/10).

11 Sep 2013

State highlights: N.M. high court rules malpractice law covers doc businesses

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, New Mexico, California, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota and Massachusetts.

7 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: 'Mixed signals' on employee benefits; Michigan debates Medicaid expansion; malpractice awards drive safety

It is hard to know whether to rejoice or lament two striking if somewhat conflicting messages last week about the costs of employer-sponsored health insurance. An authoritative survey found that premiums for family and individual coverage at work - including both the company's and the worker's share - have gone up only moderately for the second year in a row.

27 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Latest Health law delay just a 'glitch;' feds' overhaul of health care gets many 'moving parts wrong'

Today brings news of another delay in the implementation of Obamacare -- the second significant glitch this summer. … If this sounds like a winner for Republicans in 2014 it probably isn't.

17 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Gov. Jindal skeptical of navigators program; scare tactics against Obamacare growing

By August 15, the Obama administration is expected to spend $54 million of our tax dollars to hire community organizers to push this law on the American people. ...

14 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Use of high-deductible plans limits some E.R. visits; older folks not as sick as they used to be

One-third of US workers now have high-deductible health plans, and those numbers are expected to grow in 2014 as implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues. There is concern that high-deductible health plans might cause enrollees of low socioeconomic status to forgo emergency care as a result of burdensome out-of-pocket costs.

12 Aug 2013

Hospitals to face more severe penalties for patients' readmissions

News coverage continues regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' hospital readmissions reduction program with details of a final rule released Friday and a local look at how hospitals are faring in Georgia and Missouri.

7 Aug 2013

First Edition: July 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about an effort by some GOP lawmakers to force a showdown over health law funding.

26 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services - a $69.6 billion item in 2012 - according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

AANS, CNS commend House committee efforts to repeal Medicare's flawed SGR payment formula

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons joined 11 other medical societies in commending the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for its bipartisan efforts to repeal and replace Medicare's flawed sustainable growth rate payment formula.

24 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: USA Today says 'GOP poisons' Obamacare, McConnell counters, calls for repeal

Making Obamacare work was always going to be hard, which is exactly what you'd expect for a complex new program that affects one-sixth of the U.S. economy. ... That explains - but hardly excuses - Republicans' latest assault on Obamacare. Having lost in Congress and in court, they're now using the most cynical of tactics: trying to make the law fail. Never mind the public inconvenience and human misery that will result. Their assault is under way on several fronts (7/9).

11 Jul 2013

New study highlights prevalence of diagnostic errors in US

According to El Paso, Texas personal injury attorney Michael Gopin, medical malpractice is a critical form of negligence that can not only result in legal action against the provider, but in harm against patients. While healthcare negligence can range from faulty surgeries to impaired physicians, Gopin explains that one common incident involves the wrongful diagnosis of patient medical conditions.

9 May 2013

State roundup: Ala. lawmakers OK shift to Medicaid managed care

A bill that restructures the way Medicaid is administered passed the Alabama Legislature Tuesday and now awaits the governor's signature. The State Medicaid Agency now pays doctors directly for services provided to Medicaid patients. Under the new policy, there will be several regions managed by privately owned, for-profit Regional Care Organizations that will contract with doctors and other providers (Wingard, 5/7).

9 May 2013

Viewpoints: S.C. House race spotlights Dems' discomfort with health law; Cannon, Cohn offer contrasting views of Medicaid study

The media tittering over Mrs. Colbert Busch's decision to publicly slap the former Republican governor over his extramarital affair obscured the more notable political comment of the night.

3 May 2013

$Johns Hopkins researchers find that diagnostic errors accounted for largest fraction of claims$

Johns Hopkins researchers find that diagnostic errors accounted for largest fraction of claims

In reviewing 25 years of U.S. malpractice claim payouts, Johns Hopkins researchers found that diagnostic errors — not surgical mistakes or medication overdoses — accounted for the largest fraction of claims, the most severe patient harm, and the highest total of penalty payouts.

23 Apr 2013

Ahead of big reforms, health care marketplace feels slowdown

Reuters reports a softening in demand for hospital chains and device makers, among others. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials warn of insurance scams that play on confusion over the health care overhaul.

23 Apr 2013

Roundup: Feds cut N.Y. Medicaid payments $1.2B; 93,000 fewer kids enroll in CHIP in Pa.; W. Va. lawmakers promise miners benefits

Federal authorities have dramatically lowered the amount that New York state can claim from the federal government for certain medical services, costing the state an estimated $1.2 billion.

3 Apr 2013

State roundup: NYC firms will be required to offer sick leave; Fla. government part-timers to get health coverage

New York is poised to mandate that companies with 15 or more employees provide paid time off for them when they are sick. A compromise agreement reached Thursday night resulted from a raw display of political muscle by a coalition of labor unions and liberal activists who overcame fierce objections from New York's business-minded mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, and his allies in the corporate world (Barbaro and Grynbaum, 3/28).

30 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: N.D. abortion law is 'repressive and extreme;' States identify 'promising' ideas to overhaul medical malpractice

Late last week, the North Dakota legislature passed a bill that would ban a woman from having an abortion as soon as the heartbeat of the fetus is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

21 Mar 2013