So many good stories (about race-related stroke survival odds, acupuncture for tension headaches, a powerful new treatment against HIV)–too many to repeat here, so take a look at MedPage Today. It’s a news service that emails you about regular news (you can even specify which news by specialty) and sends a special email when there’s breaking news.
Just got notice that Bush has signed a bill that will allow people to report medical errors confidentially and yet protect doctors from liability. Sounds like it might stir up some controversy. I think it makes sense to LIMIT liability for errors–after all, there isn’t a human being who doesn’t make errors–and perhaps set up a mediation service that would help patients and doctors circumvent the normally hideous mess of litigation. It’s the lawsuit-pushing contingent that plays such a huge part in the cost of malpractice insurance–and therefore, the cost to deliver medical care.