Conn. Attorney General to Seek Legislation on Medical Mistake Disclosure

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has announced plans to seek legislation requiring hospitals to improve the disclosure of medical mistakes.

The legislation would also direct resources to the state Medical Examining Board and Department of Public Health to for the investigation of medical mistakes and complaints of errors.

Blumenthal believes that disclosure of medical mistakes will create transparency and increase hospital accountability for errors committed.

This is definitely a good strategy toward improving the delivery of health care services and preventing further medical mishaps. Better investigation of mistakes and complaints at all hospitals will be a huge undertaking for the state government, but may be an effective step toward preventing unnecessary patient harm. It will be interesting to see where the resources for this improved oversight will come from, whether or not this initiative is successful at improving care, and whether or not other states will seek similar legislation.

Source: BNA

Question of the Week: Online Doctor's Visits

A post on the blog, Hospital Impact, highlights a new subscription service called Hello Health, which allows patients to schedule an appointment and meet with a doctor online.

The service is aimed at providing both patients and doctors with a convenient forum where they meet in less time than a traditional office visit.

Currently the service is not covered by any insurance companies, so patients must pay out-of-pocket for all services, but may be able to receive a reimbursement depending on their health plan.

It will be interesting to see if Hello Health picks up steam and helps to improve patient-provider communication. It will also be interesting to see if Hello Health and any other similar services eventually seek to have the time spent on online patient visits covered by insurers. If so, this could raise interesting challenges on how to credential and privilege providers working in an "online practice."

The question of the week is, what do you think of the online doctor's visit? Is it a good strategy for improving the delivery of care, or will it have little impact?



Source: Hospital Impact

http://www.hospitalimpact.org/index.php/2009/11/11/innovation_in_healthcare_a_look_at_onlin?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Hospitalimpactorg+%28hospitalimpact.org%29.

Changing Landscape of the Medical School Curriculum

The following article from The Washington Post illustrates changes in the way medical schools are training doctors. Instead of focusing only on anatomy, students are learning more about patient communication and political advocacy.

Some schools have also adopted a different way of studying the human body, focusing on a multi-system approach, rather than focusing on the functions of individual organs.

These changes are intended to train doctors who can offer preventative care and greater patient interaction.

For the full article, click here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603471.html.


Source: The Washington Post

Question of the Week: Health Reform

The House passed its bill over the weekend, and the Senate is expected to start debate on the issue on November 16.

There are several issues that are expected to cause controversy, including the inclusion of a public-run health plan, and whether those who receive federal subsidies to purchase health coverage should be allowed to select plans that cover selective abortion.

This week's question is, what do you think is the most difficult issue for our lawmakers to tackle as they debate our nation's healthcare system? Vote in the poll on the right of the NAMSS Blog page and let us know your thoughts in the comment field below.

House Passes Health Reform Bill

After a late Saturday session, the House passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

The bill includes a public-run health plan, which is expected to cause controversy in the Senate.

Below are a few highlights of the bill:

• Estimated cost: $1.05 trillion
• Includes a government-run health plan option that will compete with private insurers in a health care exchange
• Prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing premiums based on pre-existing conditions
• Provides subsidies to individuals and families receiving income at up to 400% of the poverty level
• Provides tax credits to some small businesses that provide coverage to their employees
• Prohibits lifetime caps on insurance coverage
• Expands Medicaid eligibility
• Prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions, except in the cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life

Question of the Week: Registered Dietitians

This month's issue of HCPro's Briefings on Credentialing reports the movement toward Registered Dietitians (RDs) seeking clinical privileges so that they can write diet orders at their facilities. Currently, only licensed independent practitioners are required to write orders according to CMS regulations.

The American Dietetic Association supports the movement toward granting RDs clinical privileges. The ADA believes that allowing RDs to write diet orders on their own allows them to practice within the full scope for which they are trained. They acknowledge one issue, and that is that the physician in charge of a patient's care can still be liable in a malpractice suit, even if the patient's injury is a result of the dietitian's order.

The credentialing of RDs is a practice that facilities have handled in different ways. Some facilities delegate it to their human resources offices, while medical staff offices take care of it in other facilities. If the movement toward granting RDs clinical privileges picks up steam, it is likely that credentialing of RDs will become a function of the medical staff office.

The question of the week is, who currently performs the credentialing of Registered Dietitians in your facility? Take the poll on the right side of the NAMSS Blog page, and leave any comments or thoughts on this topic in the comment field below.

Happy Medical Staff Services Awareness Week!

In 1992, President George Bush signed Congressional House Joint Resolution #399 proclaiming the first week in November as National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week. Since then, NAMSS has partnered with hospitals, MCOs, doctor’s offices, university health systems, and government agencies to promote awareness of the medical services professionals (MSPs).

Don't forget to visit the NAMSS website to find a toolkit that you can use to teach your facility more about the importance of medical staff services. Invite colleagues to visit your office this week to learn more about what MSPs do on a daily basis. This is our week!

Use the comment field to share stories and ideas on how your facility is celebrating National Medical Staff Services Week.

Click here to access the National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week toolkit:
http://www.namss.org/MemberCenter/NationalMedicalStaffAwarenessWeek/tabid/157/Default.aspx.