Healthcare Update Satellite — 05-07-2013

More HealthCare Updates from around the web are at my new digs at www.drwhitecoat.com. Annals study shows clinical signs that necessitate admission in patients with ALTE (when newborns appear to stop breathing): “obvious need for hospitalization (they used persistent hypoxia as one example of this), significant medical history, and more than one ALTE in 24 hours. Dual energy CT scan can diagnose knee ligament tears more effectively in the emergency department. Is it necessary to definitively diagnose ligament tears in the emergency department, though? And how long will it take until government officials blast doctors for ordering these tests? You know all of those hospitals that advertise their emergency department wait times? Now those ads may end up biting hospitals in the rear. Nevada patient chooses hospital based upon advertised average wait time of 17 minutes, then waits five and a half hours before getting treatment. Newspapers publish statements suggesting that the signs may be “false advertising.” Will consumer fraud cases against hospitals based on these advertisements be too far behind. Florida House tries to improve medical malpractice environment by passing bill that would require experts to be in the same specialty as the physicians about whom they are testifying and that would allow ex parte communications between lawyers and a patient’s treating physician. I still wouldn’t practice medicine in Florida. Conditions at California’s Contra Costa Regi...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs