How Indiana Patients Can Prevent Central Line Infections
Patients still struggle to determine a hospital’s safety based on its infection rates. However, things are slowly changing for the better. More and more hospitals are beginning to report their infection rates. Approximately, 1,500 hospitals report infection data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, these reports are strictly confidential. The Agency of Health Care Research and Quality also collects data from hospitals in 42 states, but these hospitals are not named.
The Leapfrog website reports patient safety ratings, allowing you to screen hospitals in any city in Indiana, and compare ratings. Simply enter your search preferences (city/state) and wait for the listings. Follow THIS LINK to see an example of hospitals in Indianapolis.
Continue reading "How Indiana Patients Can Prevent Central Line Infections" »
Every year, one particular type of medical infection kills approximately 30 percent of the estimated 99,000 people who died from hospital infections. 
New radiation technologies are offering patients more focused and precise treatment, but as a series of investigative reports in the New York Times shows, lack of safeguards, software flaws, faulty programming, poor safety procedures or inadequate staffing and training are causing these technologies to harm the very patients they are meant to treat. 
As 
Approximately 1.3 million people in the country, including thousands in Indiana, are injured every year from 
Information released this week indicates that a request is before the Indiana Medical Licensing Board asking to consider extending a suspension for an Indiana physician. 
The H1N1 virus is a big concern for Indiana residents, as it is for the rest of the country. Many local schools, day cares and churches are taking extra precautions in the fight against the growing virus threat. 
Timothy Plank, the husband of the late Debbie Plank, has authorized his attorneys to file a challenge to Indiana's long-standing cap on medical malpractice injuries. Indiana's current medical malpractice law limits awards to $1.25 million. On September 3, 2009, a Marion County jury returned a verdict of $ 8.5 million against Community Hospital of Indianapolis. The Planks alleged that Community Hospital had misplaced an x-ray that showed that Mrs. Plank had a small bowel obstruction. 
The 
Whether debating the current healthcare system or working to keep the status quo, Indiana residents can find common ground when the conversation turns to the increasing cost of medical care. Even Indiana patients with full insurance coverage can find themselves responsible for co-payments, co-insurance, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses that can add up very quickly. Patients unfortunate enough to have no insurance coverage pay an even higher price. For many, the financial burden of medical expenses can be the tipping point that leads to bankruptcy. 
