Tag: health-care-reform-2
Emergency Medicine – Where Do We Go From Here?
We cost too much. We take care of URIs and ankle sprains. We don’t coordinate care well. We use too many resources. We’ve all heard it in the media, even our President taking passing shots at the usefulness and cost effectiveness of emergency care. Of course the reality is federal law requires us to see […]
Read ArticleReducing Medical Errors Through Improved Communication
The most important take away point from this WSJ article “Hospitals Overhaul ER’s to Reduce Mistakes” is communication. The article states that most errors in judgment involve missing pieces of critical data or information that one team member may be aware of and assume that others know. In an ideal world, the best model for […]
Read ArticleThe Time to Act is Now
On Wednesday, I spent my morning at the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) in Baltimore listening and testifying to the proposed changes that will be occurring over the next several years to the health care delivery system in Maryland. It was the first in a series of ‘public comment’ sessions designed to help guide […]
Read ArticlePrescription Monitoring Programs Changes Opioid Prescribing Behavior – AKA Sometimes a Little Big Brother is a Good Thing
A recent article in Annals of Emergency Medicine involves the change in prescribing patterns when a prescription monitoring program is put in place. After reviewing past prescriptions, emergency physicians changed opioid prescribing plans for 41% of patients. Many states have instituted prescription monitoring programs to limit potential fraud and abuse of controlled substances. In 2006, Ohio instituted a […]
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