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Major Study Of Malpractice Insurance Finds No Basis To Limit Liability Of Unsafe Health Care Providers
A major new study released today by Americans for Insurance Reform finds that premiums and claims for doctors both have dropped significantly in recent years while the medical malpractice insurance industry is enjoying remarkable profits in light of the global economic collapse. It concludes that further limiting the liability of negligent doctors and unsafe hospitals is not only unjustified, but also would have almost no impact lowering this country"s overall health care expenditures.

CBO Director May Help Determine Fate Of Health Care
Several newspapers had articles on major players in health care reform. Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, has "toiled for much of his career in the anonymous bowels of the nation"s economic superstructure," the Washington Post reports. But now, some lawmakers "think he holds the fate of public policy in his hands." After delivering a "skeptical analysis of a stimulus package intended to rescue the U.S. economy" and forecasting "bigger-than-expected losses from a $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial system, Elmendorf now "faces the toughest task of his brief tenure: attaching a price to a monumental overhaul of the nation"s health-care system." Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has "publicly lectured Elmendorf, saying he has a moral duty to be "creative" and deliver the favorable budget estimates "we have to have" to win broad support." But Elmendorf says "his office will offer an objective analysis, "without regard to the political consequences."" Elmendorf told the Post that his office would provide the information, but the decision is in the hands of Congress. "CBO is not going to make or break health-care reform," he says.
News of the day
Vitamin D May Lessen Age-related Cognitive Decline
Eating fish long considered "brain food" may really be good for the old grey matter, as is a healthy dose of sunshine, new research suggests.
Public Health

Clinical Handover - Critical Communications

The lead article in a special supplement on clinical handover in the Medical Journal of Australia relates a tragic case in which an elderly man died for want of effective handover. The ageing Indigenous man was evacuated to Katherine Hospital with pneumonia. The first failure in handover came when he travelled alone despite a previous recommendation from a doctor that he be accompanied by a family member because of his poor English and frail condition. After nine days" treatment he was flown back to the airstrip some distance from the town. A fax on his discharge was sent to the local community health facility, but it was not acted upon and there was no check in place with the travel service. The pilot left the patient at the airstrip, assuming someone was going to pick him up. Three days later the police were informed that he was missing. His body was subsequently found - he had died alone, dehydrated and suffering from pneumonia. This distressing event was related by Dr Christine Jorm and colleagues, of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, to illustrate the human consequences of poor communication on handover. "Since this tragic incident, the Northern Territory Government has taken steps to standardise and improve handover processes but health professionals need to acknowledge that handover is alwaysň€¦ integral to the delivery of safe patient care," Dr Jorm said. Problems that can arise from poor communication at handover include incorrect medication, delays or failures in treatment, duplication of diagnostic testing and preventable readmissions. These failings waste time, strain health care res and cause harm to patients. The poor outcomes that arise from poor handover, and the scarcity of evidence, have motivated the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to develop evidence-based solutions for improving handover. Dr Jorm introduces a number of themes on the issue of handover that are explored in the MJA supplement, including the importance of clinical involvement in the quality improvement process and the need for "flexible standardisation". Medical Journal of Australia


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