The American Medical Association (AMA) on May 8 issued a statement to refute the "flawed analysis" in a study published in the May/June issue of Health Affairs. The study's authors, a law professor and two law students, contended that perceptions of a liability crisis are overblown based on data...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 19
The New Hampshire state Senate unanimously passed legislation May 4 to prohibit the sale of physicians' prescription information to pharmaceutical, insurance, and data-mining companies for commercial purposes. If Gov. John Lynch (D) signs the bill, the state will become the first in the nation...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 18
Deciding whether to have non-physicians, such as nurses, participate in peer review is a culture issue-although it is wise to consult with your legal counsel to make sure that having non-physicians participate in peer review does not jeopardize any peer review legal protection.
The main...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 18
A board member of the American Medical Association (AMA) last week testified in Congress in support of medical liability reform, calling on legislators to cap non-economic damages. The U.S. House of Representatives passed medical liability legislation, H.R. 5, last July. Now the Senate is...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 17
The importance of creating a reporting system that respects and protects staff members who disclose improper conduct can not be overstated. Hospital staff may be reluctant to report physician misconduct out of fear of retaliation by powerful physicians, and a physician's colleagues may be...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 17
More than two out of every five public healthcare workers would not show up for work during a flu pandemic, according to a survey conducted by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. The researchers reported...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 16
The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is accepting comments on revisions to the Leadership chapter through May 4, 2006, the commission announced. The proposed revisions to the Leadership chapter encompass new leadership accountability standards; a new...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 15
The medical executive committee (MEC) is a democratically elected organization appointed to conduct quality monitoring. However, individual physicians must also be held accountable for the quality of care they deliver. To encourage physicians to take this...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 15
Patients receiving medical care value interpersonal skills and a human touch when evaluating their physicians, rather than assessing measures of technical skill, according to a study published in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 14
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released for public comment draft standards for its 2007 accreditation and certification programs. The comment period ends April 7. The NCQA announced it will add "Quality Plus" content areas to its 2007 accreditation requirements, in response...
