Healthcare Law Briefs

Meeting the Challenge of Health Law

	What's Inside
	Ohio Physician Recovers $6,000 From Malpractice Lawyer

	CMS Announces EHR Beta-Test
	HHS Appoints Blue-Ribbon Panel On Healthcare Information Project

Healthcare Law Briefs

September 23, 2005

*READ PAST ISSUES OF THE HEALTHCARE LAW BRIEFS

1. Ohio Physician Recovers $6,000 From Malpractice Lawyer

An Ohio plaintiff’s lawyer was ordered to pay restitution to an Ohio physician for frivolous prosecution of a malpractice case. The Ohio physician alleged that the lawyer refused to dismiss the physician from the case even after the plaintiff’s expert refused to opine that the physician failed to meet the standard of care. Barbato v. Khetarpal, Case No. 2002 CV 01214, Common Pleas Court of Stark County, Ohio.

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2. CMS Announces EHR Beta-Test

CMS has announced a testing program to evaluate Electronic Health Records (EHR). The system, Vista-Office Electronic Health Record, is an adaptation of the system used by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Physicians interested in being a beta test site can get more information at http://www.vista-office.org.

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3. HHS Appoints Blue-Ribbon Panel On Healthcare Information Project

While CMS was announcing its EHR beta test, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, announced the composition of the American Health Information Community. You can access the HHS Press Release at http://www.hhs.gov.healthit/ahic.html. The purpose of the Community is to advance President Bush’s HER project. Modern Healthcare reported in its September 19, 2005 edition that many healthcare information specialists see the panel as too politicized with insufficient real-world experience.