Hospital: 15 fired for looking at octuplet mom’s file

From CNN.com:
Fifteen employees were fired for improperly accessing medical records of Nadya Suleman, the mother of octuplets, a Kaiser Permanente spokesman said Monday.
“We always provide training on the importance of patient privacy and confidentiality,” said Jim Anderson, the hospital spokesman.
“We knew from the time she (Nadya Suleman) was admitted to the hospital in December, this [...]

Mich. system agrees to $13.6 million settlement

From Modern Healthcare:
St. John Health System will pay $13.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the seven-hospital Ascension Health subsidiary conspired with several of its Detroit-area competitors to depress nurse wages. The settlement, which is subject to court approval, is the second stemming from lawsuits backed by the Service Employees International Union targeting [...]

Can Second Life help teach doctors to treat patients?

From CNN.com:
At Imperial College London, medical students navigate a full-service hospital where they see patients, order X-rays, consult with colleagues and make diagnoses.
It’s an interactive, hands-on learning experience — and none of it is real.
These prospective doctors are treating virtual patients in Second Life, the Internet world where users interact through online alter egos called [...]

Doctor’s Day

From Quint ’s (Quint Studer) Blog:
More than the application of science and technology, medicine is a special calling, and those who have chosen this vocation in order to serve their fellowman understand the tremendous responsibility it entails.” With these words spoken 28 years ago, President George H. W. Bush proclaimed March 30th as the annual [...]

Characteristics of Physicians Choosing EM

From InterScience:
ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study sought to account for trends in medical student specialty choice by examining the importance of lifestyle factors. Emergency medicine (EM) is among several medical specialties classified as having a “controllable lifestyle.” The primary objective of this study was to determine if medical students choosing careers in EM have a different profile [...]

EDPMA Conference

Here’s a link (PDF File) to the Emergency Department Practice Management  Association (EDPMA) Solutions Summit Conference brochure

Doctors Push for Clean Slate on Medicare Reimbursement Rates

From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
Every year or so, we hear that some big Medicare pay cuts for doctors are on the way. Almost every time, Congress swoops in at the last minute to block the cuts. Leaders of the AMA and other big doctor groups have been in Congress lately asking for a [...]

“Nighthawks, dayhawks and the demise of the American radiologist”

From Kevin MD:
More hospitals are resorting to so-called “dayhawk” radiology services to read their x-rays.
It’s modeled after the “nighthawk” model, where radiologists (via Shadowfax), in some cases as far away as India, remotely read films in the middle of the night.
Now, the phenomenon is happening during business hours as well, which according to radiologist Giles [...]

Are Paramedics Necessary?

From JEMS:
A committee charged with finding ways for Columbus to save money has recommended that the city return to a basic emergency medical system.
The last time the Columbus Division of Fire provided only basic-level care was in 1968.
Since then, Columbus has provided advanced life support to anyone who calls 911 for medical attention, whether a patient needs it or not.
Basic [...]

Health Affairs Issue Briefing: Stimulating Health Information Technology

From Health Affairs:
There is widespread agreement that greater investment in information technology (IT) is critical to reforming U.S. health care. The use of such technologies as electronic health record systems, personal health records, e-prescribing, and computerized physician order entry holds the potential for vastly improving care at a reasonable cost. The recently enacted economic stimulus [...]