Med Mal News

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill on Feb. 24 granting patients and their representatives the right to attend disciplinary hearings involving doctors who have allegedly harmed them.

At present, disciplinary hearings in Massachusetts are generally closed affairs. The bill, called “Taylor's Law,” was championed by John McCormack, the father of a child who died in Boston's Children's Hospital when surgery to remove fluid on her brain was delayed for too long. The doctors involved in the decision to delay the procedure received letters of censure. McCormack pressed for the legislation because he wants other victims of medical malpractice to have some input into disciplinary hearings, not just to hear about the decision of the disciplinary board after the fact. The state senate has already passed a version of the law, but the house's version includes changes, such as a guarantee that state funds will not be used to pay for patients' attorneys in these proceedings.

Changes in Breast Tissue Density Affect Mammograms

A Dutch study has found that, in general, the breast tissue of women over 50 is beginning to exhibit fewer signs of aging. Good news, women may think, but also bad; if a woman has denser breast tissue, it is harder for a mammogram to discover cancerous growths. The study, presented by Dr. Van der Horst of the National Training and Expert Centre for Breast Cancer Screening in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, to the Fourth European Breast Cancer Conference in Hamburg, Germany, suggests that the reason for the change may be the fact that women are postponing childbirth until later in life, or forgoing it completely.

Reducing Hospital Medication Errors

A new book titled “Advancing Patient Safety in U.S. Hospitals: Basic Strategies for Success,” containing case studies of hospital medication errors and the steps taken to prevent similar mistakes was published last month by United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

More than two dozen health care administrators and practitioners, representing large and small U.S. hospitals, were interviewed for the book. They describe steps their health care facilities have taken to change the “culture of blame,” thus encouraging staff members to report medication errors, and how their hospitals analyzed trends and made changes to prevent future medication errors. To purchase the book, go to: http://store.usp.org.

New Jersey Reforms in the Works

Two New Jersey Assembly committees have approved a set of bills that would allow trial judges to modify and/or stagger payments for verdicts over $1 million. Although the measures fall short of capping damage amounts, as many doctors wanted, the Medical Society of New Jersey favors passage of the bills. The legislation would also set up a fund to help defray malpractice insurance premiums, especially for doctors in high-risk fields, financed by a $50 surcharge on the professional licenses of doctors, lawyers, dentists and chiropractors.

Number of Pediatricians On the Rise

A study published in the March issue of Pediatrics predicts a 58% increase in the number of pediatricians nationwide over the next 20 years, in spite of the malpractice insurance crisis that is said to be driving down the number of practicing doctors. The study is chronicled in the article “The General Pediatrician: Projecting Future Workforce Supply and Requirements” at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/current.shtml#ELECTRONIC_ARTICLE.

MA May Allow Wronged Patients a Voice in Disciplinary Hearings

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill on Feb. 24 granting patients and their representatives the right to attend disciplinary hearings involving doctors who have allegedly harmed them.

At present, disciplinary hearings in Massachusetts are generally closed affairs. The bill, called “Taylor's Law,” was championed by John McCormack, the father of a child who died in Boston's Children's Hospital when surgery to remove fluid on her brain was delayed for too long. The doctors involved in the decision to delay the procedure received letters of censure. McCormack pressed for the legislation because he wants other victims of medical malpractice to have some input into disciplinary hearings, not just to hear about the decision of the disciplinary board after the fact. The state senate has already passed a version of the law, but the house's version includes changes, such as a guarantee that state funds will not be used to pay for patients' attorneys in these proceedings.

Changes in Breast Tissue Density Affect Mammograms

A Dutch study has found that, in general, the breast tissue of women over 50 is beginning to exhibit fewer signs of aging. Good news, women may think, but also bad; if a woman has denser breast tissue, it is harder for a mammogram to discover cancerous growths. The study, presented by Dr. Van der Horst of the National Training and Expert Centre for Breast Cancer Screening in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, to the Fourth European Breast Cancer Conference in Hamburg, Germany, suggests that the reason for the change may be the fact that women are postponing childbirth until later in life, or forgoing it completely.

Reducing Hospital Medication Errors

A new book titled “Advancing Patient Safety in U.S. Hospitals: Basic Strategies for Success,” containing case studies of hospital medication errors and the steps taken to prevent similar mistakes was published last month by United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

More than two dozen health care administrators and practitioners, representing large and small U.S. hospitals, were interviewed for the book. They describe steps their health care facilities have taken to change the “culture of blame,” thus encouraging staff members to report medication errors, and how their hospitals analyzed trends and made changes to prevent future medication errors. To purchase the book, go to: http://store.usp.org.

New Jersey Reforms in the Works

Two New Jersey Assembly committees have approved a set of bills that would allow trial judges to modify and/or stagger payments for verdicts over $1 million. Although the measures fall short of capping damage amounts, as many doctors wanted, the Medical Society of New Jersey favors passage of the bills. The legislation would also set up a fund to help defray malpractice insurance premiums, especially for doctors in high-risk fields, financed by a $50 surcharge on the professional licenses of doctors, lawyers, dentists and chiropractors.