Physician groups and health insurers often blame excessive malpractice settlements for the high rates that doctors have to pay to obtain malpractice liability insurance. But a recent analysis indicates that regional differences may play an even more significant role in determining malpractice insurance rates. According to a recent analysis by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a BC/BS….
Continue ReadingArchives for June 2011
Georgia physicians must reveal if they don’t have malpractice insurance
It’s bad enough when a treatment goes so wrong a patient has to sue to get financial compensation for the physician’s malpractice, but what if the physician has no liability insurance and the judgment can’t be collected? For Georgia residents, this no longer poses a problem, because under a new law that may be the….
Continue ReadingReports increase of serious patient care issues in Maryland hospitals
Maryland hospitals reported significantly more serious patient care problems, including malpractice and preventable injuries, in 2010 than in the previous year. According to the state’s annual report on patient care and safety, there were 265 adverse events causing death or serious injury to patients reported in 2010, compared with 190 the year before. However, health….
Continue ReadingPatients Deserve Compassion, but Can It Be Taught to Doctors?
Every patient and every doctor know that delivering bad news is something that physicians sometimes have to do. But too many doctors don’t realize that the way they communicate can cause terrible and needless emotional injury. A flat, heartless delivery of bad news can make patients feel abandoned and devastated. A touch of compassion, on….
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