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Viewing entries tagged with 'patient safety'

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E-Prescribing: Waiting for the tipping point

Marianne Udow-Phillips

Posted by Marianne Udow-Phillips on October 11, 2011

Many of those working to improve health care in America have advocated for the use of electronic prescribing as an important tool for improving patient safety and moderating health care cost trends. A recent report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) documents abuses in the Medicare drug benefit that underline the potential value of electronic prescribing tools. According to the GAO report, some beneficiaries were able to obtain more than a year’s worth of narcotics by “shopping” different doctors. Electronic prescribing tools can enable health plans, physicians, and pharmacists to detect doctor-shopping, and assure that multiple prescriptions are not filled for the same condition within a given time period. Such an approach can both protect the health of patients who may receive duplicate prescriptions in error, and prevent fraud and abuse by those who seek prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

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IMRT and Patient Safety: The Way Forward

Posted by Heather Kofke-Egger on February 14, 2011

One year ago, the New York Times reported on a series of serious medical errors that had occurred during the administration of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT. IMRT is a relatively new technology that uses sophisticated equipment to deliver high doses of radiation to very specific areas of the body, while sparing normal tissue. When administered correctly, IMRT can reduce the toxic effects of radiation therapy and allow higher doses than traditional radiation therapy. However, when this highly targeted beam misses its target due to a medical error, the results can be catastrophic.

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