side note: Another article on the importance of Electronic Health Records (EHR). Though the initial cost may be a burden for doctors, hospitals and practices, the rewards of an electronic system will begin paying immediate dividends. Studies show that error rates (and therefore, medical malpractice lawsuits) are lower for those physicians and hospitals that use […]

Side note: Doctors who see Medicare patients are once again facing the possibility of a large pay cut. For the third time this year, Congress must vote on whether or not to delay a 21% cut in Medicare payments to physicians. At a time when doctors are facing rising costs due to expensive tests and […]

side note: Looks like this woman has a slam dunk medical malpractice insurance case. Monitoring of narcotics in a hospital setting is paramount. These are the kind of errors that contribute to the rising costs of professional medical liability insurance. I’m assuming med-mal insurance rates in Colorado are going to creep upwards when this trial […]

side note: This was a big concern of ours when President Obama urged physicians and health care providers to begin the transition to EHR/EMR. Our IT staff voiced this concern after visiting the HIMSS convention at McCormick place in Chicago in early 2009. How would doctors, espcially in small 1-2 physician practices make the transition? […]

Side note: Great article from the New York Times on teaching medical students about the cost of care. Thought this is an important first step, students should also be taught about the cost of running a practice, and how much this can vary by location and specialty. Since medical malpractice insurance is one of the […]

side note: Well this article is alarming, and it reflects a number of physicians who I’ve talked with concerning the health care bill just passed by the Federal Government. They feel that their interests were not taken into account when the details of the bill were being hammered out. One of the biggest issues that […]

I meant to post this when it came out a few weeks back, but just in case someone missed it, here you go. US News & World Report lists the top medical school in the country. You can head over to their site filter their rankings based upon the following specialties: AIDS Drug and alcohol […]

Side note: Study shows the real cost of medical malpractice lawsuits. Nearly one in four cardiologists surveyed admit to practicing defensive medicine because of fears of getting sued. Another term used within the medical community to describe defensive medicine is CYA. Cover Your Ass! We see physicians practicing CYA medicine as one of the main […]

Washington’s debate over healthcare reform came to an official close on March 25, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted 220-207 to pass legislation that made budgetary “fixes” to the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, the 2,409-page piece of healthcare reform legislation signed into law earlier that same week. This final legislation, debated under […]