"Health & Medical News"

Washington — Federal regulators have proposed sweeping patient safety rules to give physicians and others a confidential, voluntary way to report medical errors and near mistakes. Several health care organizations applauded the release of the long-awaited regulations but want a closer look before making a final judgment.

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Depressed medical residents make six times more medication errors than residents who are not depressed, according to a U.S. study published online Feb. 7 in the British Medical Journal.

“Depression is a significant problem for residents as well as for their patients,” said lead study author Amy Fahrenkopf, MD, MPH. “The fact that it’s a problem for both needs to be addressed.”

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The movement to align patient safety and payment seems to be picking up a full head of steam. Hospitals and payers are coalescing around the idea that no one should get paid for so-called never events — serious reportable events, such as wrong-site surgery, that kill or maim patients.

Perhaps most significantly, the BlueCross BlueShield Assn. announced in November 2007 that its plans will work toward ending payment for never events. The change will be phased in over several years as the Blues alters its coding and claims processes. A spokesman said adoption will vary among the 39 Blues plans, which insure more than 100 million people, because the change requires renegotiating contracts and securing agreements from local physicians and hospitals.

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Residents are vulnerable to making errors that stem from teamwork breakdowns, especially a lack of attending supervision, according to a study in the Oct. 22 Archives of Internal Medicine.

In response, some experts said residencies should focus on better supervision, along with improved team communications. One went so far as to call for a new model of resident training and patient care. Others disagreed, saying residencies had improved such issues since the study’s data were compiled and did not need significant restructuring.

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Drug trafficking funds 18 of the 42 groups considered terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says.

The AFP reported Sept. 9 that DEA chief of operations Michael Braun said that terrorist groups turn to drug revenues because most states have ceased funding their activities, and because drug trafficking is so profitable.

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