Reform Should Include Fix to ER Dilemma
from The Herald Dispatch
A large number of Americans have made it clear they are opposed to or fearful of many aspects of health care reform plans being talked about in Washington. But that doesn't negate the fact that portions of the current health care system do not operate efficiently and do not always yield the best care for many people. A case in point is the reliance by many people on the use of hospital emergency rooms as their "health care plan," making visits to the emergency rooms when they are ill or not feeling well although no true emergency is involved. More    

Time for E-records is Now, but It Isn't Easy
from the Buffalo News
When patients visit an emergency room, they're strangers to the doctors who treat them. There is no way to quickly retrieve key information from their medical records about medication they take, previous tests, X-rays or allergies. And when patients return to their regular doctors, there is no quick way for the doctors to check what happened in the hospital. Until now. More    

White House Targets Insurers' Health Care Premiums
from CNBC
The White House kept insurance companies squarely in its sights Tuesday in the push for health care reform by releasing research showing that health insurance premiums have risen far faster than inflation in every U.S. state. More    

Pediatric Nurses Seldom Tackle Parents about Smoking
from Modern Medicine
Pediatric nurses are often in contact with smokers among the parents of their patients, but they seldom engage in smoking cessation activities with them, according to a study in the September issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing. More    

Majority of Unintended Incidents in the Emergency Room are Caused by Human Error, Study Finds
from Science Daily
Sixty percent of the causes of unintended incidents in the emergency department that could have compromised patient safety are related to human failures, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Emergency Medicine. More    

CMS Survey: Providers Satisfied with Medicare Contractors
from Healthcare Finance News
Health care providers are generally satisfied with the services performed by the contractors that process and pay the more than $300 billion in Medicare claims each year, according to the latest annual survey by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. More    

Census Releases Insurance Coverage by State
from Modern Healthcare
Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured residents last year while Massachusetts had the lowest, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. More    

Citywide Record System to Keep Tabs on Patients
from the Courier Post
Jeff Brenner, a family physician at Cooper University Hospital, can't count how many times patients have come to his office with a vague story about a recent trip to a specialist or the emergency room. Some don't remember where they were treated or why, perhaps because they have mental issues or a language barrier, he said. More