Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and Web.

Iowa News

Doctors to get help in shift to electronic records
When Dr. Robert Lee decided to install an electronic medical records system for his family practice clinic in Johnston in 2002, he had to choose from somewhere around 60 companies’ systems. “I could see electronic records were coming, so I decided to switch over when I started my new office,” Lee said. “It was so intimidating; there weren’t enough sites that had already installed one in Iowa that I could visit.” (Des Moines Business Journal)

Plans progressing for PCI’s medical mall
A portion of Second Avenue SE will close in April under plans for constructing Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa’s new medical mall. Mike Sundall, the group’s CEO, said PCI is working with the city on finalizing the development agreement for the mall, which includes tax increment financing. (Eastern Iowa Health)

U.S. News

Even with malpractice insurance, doctors opt for expensive, defensive medicine
Most malpractice suits turn out to be against doctors who were not at fault. Of every 100 malpractice claims filed, only 17 appeared to involve a negligent injury, such as a medication overdose resulting in death, according to a 2004 New England Journal of Medicine review. This means that patients and lawyers appear to be suing the doctors and hospitals for non-negligent injury 83 percent of the time. (Washington Post)

US urges nearly all to get flu shots
It’s flu-shot season already, and for the first time health authorities are urging nearly everyone to get vaccinated. There is even a new high-dose version for people 65 or older. Last fall, crowds lined up for hours for scarce shots during the swine flu pandemic, when infections peaked well before enough vaccine could be produced. This year, a record vaccine supply is expected — an all-in-one inoculation that now promises protection against that swine flu strain plus two other kinds of influenza. (Boston Globe)

Support slips for health reform law
Public support for the health overhaul declined in August, a development sure to stir concerns among the Obama administration and congressional Democrats seeking to shore up support for the law in the months leading up to the mid-term elections. The latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found that 43 percent of Americans viewed the law favorably – down from 50 percent in July – while 45 percent held unfavorable views. (Kaiser Health News)

About 2,000 employers to draw health funds
Almost 2,000 employers and unions will be eligible to submit retirees’ medical bills for reimbursement by a $5 billion federal fund, the Obama administration will disclose Tuesday, suggesting the fund will be spread widely but thinly. General Motors Co., General Electric Co., Procter & Gamble Co., PepsiCo Inc., Alcoa Inc., Intel Corp., and Pfizer Inc. are among the large corporations that the White House will say can submit retirees’ health bills for reimbursement. The list also includes the United Auto Workers union, state and local governments and universities. (Wall Street Journal)

HHS authorizes first firms to certify electronic health record systems
The Obama administration on Monday named the first two companies with the power to approve the electronic health record (EHR) systems soon to be required of all providers. The Chicago-based Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group Inc. of Austin, Texas, can begin certifying the products of EHR vendors “immediately,” said David Blumenthal, the Department of Health and Human Services’s national coordinator for health information technology. (The Hill)

Nebraska governor says health reform a threat to state education funding
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is calling on the state’s education advocates to support a repeal of the Democrats’ new health reform law — or risk getting fewer dollars in the future. The Republican governor says the looming expansion of Medicaid will steal funding directly from the state’s education coffers. (The Hill)

ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes
Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries. The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say. (Associated Press/Cedar Rapids Gazette)