Archive for January, 2008

Know Your Rights As A Patient

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

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As a patient, we gave our full trust to our health care providers. We trust them that they would protect us to their best and cure our illness. Despite giving our full trust to our health care providers, we should also have an idea of what our rights are as a patient. It is important for us to know our rights as patients as these rights would protect us.

To be educated about our patient rights, I suggest that we all read this website that states all our rights as patients. The federal laws guarantee us with outmost protection. In fact they are many other laws protecting us, patients.

Image source: www.nwh.org

Medicare and Medicaid: A Closer Look

Friday, January 18th, 2008

Image Source: samford.edu

Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that alleviate health care costs. They are designed to help the less fortunate members of society that cannot pay for health care services.

Medicare is a health insurance program of the federal government. It caters to people aged 65 and older, people with disabilities, and those with late-stage renal disease. In practice, the Medicare recipients pay a premium for a particular period, which can vary every year, before they can start availing Medicare benefits.

Medicaid, on the other hand, is a joint federal and state assistance program. It helps low-income families afford health care services, particularly those with limited assets and resources and those living below the poverty line.

For more information about Medicare, click here.
For more information about Medicaid, click here.

Email Access Facilitates Patient-Surgeon Communication

Sunday, January 13th, 2008

http://www.sxc.hu

The Internet is continually evolving and the tools to improve every aspects of human existence as well as the conduct of business and industries are mostly readily available online.

Email access has revolutionized the way people communicate and connect with each other. In the health care industry, for instance, NetDoc.com reports that a medical journal recently published a study showing that providing patients with email access to their surgeons improves communication and facilitates better treatment.

The study was conducted with the help of 100 patients who will be undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery. It was concluded that people with email access would certainly like to have email access of their surgeons to get medical advice and other important health information regarding their condition.

For the complete link to the article, click here.

Medical Mutual to Pay $75,000 Fine

Saturday, January 12th, 2008

Image Source: www.sxc.hu

Medical malpractice insurer Medical Mutual Insurance Co. has agreed to pay a $75,000 fine in settlement to the allegations that the company violated state law by investing in real estate partnerships for the sole purpose of compensating its top executives. This is what NewsObserver.Com reports through a health law article.

Four executives of Medical Mutual allegedly invested in nine real estate partnerships, with investments of up to $2.6 million.

Aside from monetary fine, the real estate partnerships will be transferred to the company.
However, despite paying the penalty, the accused individuals denied any wrongdoing.

For the link to the article, click here.

What is Medical Malpractice?

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Image Source: 2spencers.com

According to Wikipedia, medical malpractice is �an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and which causes injury to the patient.�

Medical malpractice denotes bad or unskillful practice by a physician or allied medical professional where the health of the patient is compromised. The failure of a medical professional to follow the standards of medical practice could earn legal consequences.

Medical malpractice can results in harm, injury, prolonged physical and mental suffering and even death of a patient while under the care of a medical professional. To prove this claim, the patient must prove that the failure of a health care provider to comply with the standards of medical care was the cause of his harm.

President Bush Signs Another Health Law

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Image Source: knowledgenetwork.ca

Eurekalert.org reports that President Bush has signed another health law in the form of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007 (H.R. 2764).

The bill includes a provision directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make findings from its funded research more accessible to the public. The findings will be available through open online access. For the record, this is the first time the US government has mandated a major agency like NIH to provide public access to funded research.

I am certain this development will be greeted positively by the public. Access to valuable medical information is very important to raise people�s awareness on major health trends, issues and challenges. It is also a sure way for the rapid advancement of science. I think the benefits from this new law will be felt more dramatically by universities, medical institutions and private sector-run medical organizations as they are the ones involved in medical research and development.

Welcome to the GuidetoMedicalLaborLaws Blog!

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Image Source: ifimages.com

Welcome to our newest blog on medical laws.

Medical laws are wide-ranging and continually evolving. They govern the medical industry and protect, first and foremost, the patients. Here, we will serve as your partner in developing a better understanding of medical laws and regulations. We will also help you in dealing with the issues and concerns confronting the medical industry at present.

We will be your guide in accessing thousands of medical law resources online and update you on the latest trends in the medical industry today by providing medical news and opinions.

Please help us improve by sharing your thoughts with us.