In this issue:
- More sensitive troponin test may lead to better diagnosis of heart attacks
- Radiology jobs not easily outsourced to India.
- There’s an app for that. Will a lawsuit follow?
- Current guidelines may prevent healthcare malpractice solution from succeeding
More sensitive troponin test may lead to better diagnosis of heart attacks
The Los Angeles Times reported that in research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, investigators “reported success using a more sensitive test to identify troponin, a cardiac muscle protein.” The study authors found that “adopting a troponin score that is lower than what has traditionally been used resulted in more accurate diagnoses of actual heart attacks.”
Radiology jobs not easily outsourced to India.
With great strides being made in technology and bandwidth, radiologists are able to review diagnostic studies from anywhere in the world, and offshore radiologists may be competing with western trained doctors for this work. MIT economist Frank Levy, there are several factors that prevent radiology jobs from being outsourced to India, including certification requirements, litigation fears, and medical skills that are difficult to master. In fact, contrary to some news reports, only 15 Indian radiologists currently provide the US with service. Considering the country’s weak medical education system, that number isn’t expected to increase in the near future, according to the paper in the British Journal of Industrial Relations.
There’s an app for that. Will a lawsuit follow?
For those techies on the cutting edge of the law, this article from [“Tech News World”] discusses the legal ramifications of healthcare apps for mobile devices. Read it to see who’s at risk. It’s a brave new world.
Current guidelines may prevent healthcare malpractice solution from succeeding
Recent federal budget proposals have offered a plan to “encourage evidence-based medicine by limiting the malpractice liability of doctors who follow clinical practice guidelines — in effect, granting them immunity,” according to an article in the LA Times. But because current guidelines are written mostly by those with “skin in the game,” they are of variable quality and unlikely to “achieve the noble goal of providing quality care at a reasonable cost.” (Click here to read this bulletin’s recent “Perspective” on the value of these guidelines.)