The legal pros and cons of e-prescribing
June 11, 2008
Though some physicians contend that the new standards for electronic prescribing from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aren’t sufficiently comprehensive to spur an immediate groundswell of e-prescribing adoption, attorneys agree that implementation can carry substantial legal benefits.
Holding on to your prescription pad? Barriers to e-prescribing
June 11, 2008
As valuable as the newly adopted e-prescribing standards may be, there are still a number of hurdles that could act as barriers to widespread adoption of e-prescribing, practitioners say.
New e-prescribing regulations are applauded by medical community
June 11, 2008
As part of the federal government’s ongoing push to make health care go paperless, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently adopted final standards for electronic prescribing under Part D, Medicare’s prescription drug benefit.
Doctors fight ‘unfair, offensive’ proposals from Board of Registration
June 11, 2008
On a warm Friday afternoon in April, doctors, lawyers and health care administrators gathered in the bunker-like lobby of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine to offer their testimony about proposed changes to the Board’s regulations.
The atmosphere was tense: A sign on the door warned against “disruptive behavior,” and next to the sign-in desk stood a uniformed guard. Read more
No liability in feeding tube case
June 14, 2008
A man in his late 40s was living in a nursing home. He was legally blind and suffered from dementia, multiple sclerosis, urinary incontinence, and difficulty swallowing. For this reason, a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube was inserted and the man returned to the nursing home.
Warning signs for fatal heart attack are missed
June 14, 2008
Early one morning in 2004, a married, 45-year-old mother of two woke up with excruciating pain in her right shoulder going into her arm.
The woman was seen at a local health center later that morning by a nurse practitioner and a doctor. The doctor’s notes from the examination indicated that the patient had pain on her right side going toward her upper back. The record further indicated that she had not experienced any trauma or performed any physical activity that would account for her pain.
Parents, physicians settle over missed cystic fibrosis in fetus
June 14, 2008
During the course of a couple’s pregnancy, both parents were found to be genetic carriers of cystic fibrosis. Their OBGYN referred them to a geneticist for counseling.
Radiologist could assume staff would communicate findings
June 14, 2008
The patient, a 69-year-old male with a history of congestive heart failure and diabetes, presented to his primary care physician on Dec. 19, 1998 complaining of cold-like symptoms.
MMS files suit over doctor ranking system
June 14, 2008
The Massachusetts Medical Society announced that it has filed legal action seeking to “correct the wrongs” of the physician ranking program implemented by the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission, the purchaser of health insurance for most state employees and retirees.
Debate rages over drug company gifts
June 14, 2008
An influential association has concluded that drug and medical device companies should be banned from offering free food, gifts, travel and ghost-writing services to doctors, staff members and students in all 129 of the nation’s medical colleges.



