Autopsies Can Help Reduce Misdiagnoses Which Cause Medical Errors, Patient Deaths, According to New Medscape Peer-reviewed Article.Health/Medical Writers NEW YORK--(BW Healthwire)--April 28, 2000 U.S. Autopsy Rates Have Declined by More than 50% Since Early 1970's,Despite Heightened Interest in Patient Safety, Error Prevention and Quality Health Care A just-released peer-review article reveals that advances in medical technology, as well as a defensive medical culture, may be responsible for the declining number of autopsies performed in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The information value of autopsies, however, is gaining increased attention from the medical community as medical errors leading to patient deaths continue to rise. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the article's authors, the discrepancies between ante mortem ante mortem /an·te mor·tem/ (an´te mor´tem) [L.] before death. ante mortem [L.] before death. See antemortem. and postmortem postmortem /post·mor·tem/ (post-mort´im) performed or occurring after death. post·mor·tem adj. Relating to or occurring during the period after death. n. See autopsy. diagnoses - at the average rate of 40% - call attention to the value autopsies provide in terms of conclusive clinical information that can ultimately help lead to a decrease in ante mortem misdiagnoses. The exclusive article, "Medical Error and Outcomes Measures: Where Have All the Autopsies Gone?" has just been posted on Medscape General Medicine (MedGenMed) at http://www.medscape.com/MedGenMed/autopsies, the Internet's pioneering, primary-source, peer-reviewed medical journal. MedGenMed is found on medscape.com, www.medscape.com, a leading provider of authoritative health and medical information on the Internet since 1995. According to the article, based on data from two major studies conducted in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and in Colorado and Utah, between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die annually as a result of medical errors, with an estimated cost to society ranging from $17 billion to $29 billion. Despite the development of performance measurements used in evaluating the systems of care, national autopsy rates, "which have traditionally served as the 'gold standard' in the quality assurance of medical care," have declined. U.S. autopsy rates have declined from 19.1% in 1972 to just 9.4% in 1994 - a nearly 50% drop over 20 years. This is in direct contrast to total number of deaths in the U.S., which have risen from 1,963,944 in 1972 to 2,278,994 in 1994. The paper points out that the reasons for this decline are "multifaceted and have clear implications for the clinical and epidemiological yield of the autopsy." The authors pose the fundamental question, "why is this continuing to occur in an atmosphere where commitment to error prevention and patient safety is proclaimed?". The authors offer the following reasons: -- Advances in medical technology including new laboratory methods, sophisticated imaging techniques and fine needle aspirations, for example, have "reinforced diagnostic overconfidence and have led to the perception that autopsies are no longer necessary." -- In the cases where human errors are the cause of death, a "culture of defensiveness results," with attempts to "kill the messenger," "distort the data," and "divert attention." "This article takes on added significance in light of the S.A.F S.A.F Sport Association .E. Bill (Stop All Frequent Errors in Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid U.S. government programs in effect since 1966. Medicare covers most people 65 or older and those with long-term disabilities. Part A, a hospital insurance plan, also pays for home health visits and hospice care. Act of 2000), recently proposed by Senators Grassley, Lieberman, Kerrey and Bryan," explained Medscape Editor in Chief George D. Lundberg George D. Lundberg is a physician, board-certified pathologist, and, since February 1999, editor of Medscape . For 17 years prior to joining Medscape Dr. Lundberg served as editor of the JAMA. One month before joining Medscape Lundberg was dramatically fired from JAMA by E. , MD. "The goal of the bill, which is based on the Institute of Medicine report released last November and cited in the Medscape article, is to reduce the medical error rate by 50 percent over the next five years. Many within the medical community believe that autopsies, which had fallen out of favor over the last 35 years, can once again play a critical role in helping physicians more accurately diagnose a patient's condition, which can improve the delivery of care and ultimately help save more lives in the future." The authors maintain that when the patient's final outcome is death, the autopsy remains the most accurate evaluative diagnostic tool. In conclusion, the article calls for a re-evaluation of medical strategy in measuring health care performance to "systematically include autopsies as one of the main outcomes measures." "Medical Error and Outcomes Measures: Where Have All The Autopsies Gone?" was written by Elizabeth C. Burton, MD, a member of the National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program at San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. Medical Center, and Peter N. Nemetz, PhD, a member of the Strategy and Business Economics Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration at University of British Columbia Locations Vancouver The Vancouver campus is located at Point Grey, a twenty-minute drive from downtown Vancouver. It is near several beaches and has views of the North Shore mountains. The 7. . MedGenMed articles are submitted, peer-reviewed, edited and then published exclusively online free of charge. Those articles become available to a virtually unlimited, broad-based audience of physicians, other healthcare professionals, patients, consumers, policymakers and the news media. Because the Internet does not limit MedGenMed to a set weekly, monthly or quarterly publishing schedule, Medscape maximizes the speed of delivery by reducing lengthy print cycles while upholding the highest standards of quality. Guiding the editorial content of both MedGenMed and medscape.com is a staff led by George D. Lundberg, former Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. JAMA is the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. for 17 years. Dr. Lundberg has attracted a star-studded Editorial Board comprising 19 of the world's leading physicians, clinicians, medical experts, academicians and ethicists. In June 1999, MedGenMed advanced online medical history by posting an original, authoritative peer-reviewed report only 39 days after it was submitted, compared to the 6 to 24 months of review normally required by traditional print general medical journals. ABOUT MEDSCAPE, INC inc - /ink/ increment, i.e. increase by one. Especially used by assembly programmers, as many assembly languages have an "inc" mnemonic. Antonym: dec. . Medscape, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on NM: MSCP MSCP Mass Storage & Control Protocol MSCP Multi-Storey Car Park MSCP Multi-Species Conservation Program MSCP Managed Services Channel Program (Cisco) MSCP Master of Science in Counseling Psychology MSCP Microsoft Certified Professional ), a leading provider of authoritative health and medical information on the Internet since 1995, currently operates two primary healthcare Web sites, medscape.com and CBSHealthWatch by Medscape. As of March 31, 2000 Medscape, Inc.'s sites had more than 2.2 million registered members worldwide, including over 350,000 registered as physicians, one million registered as allied health professionals and 800,000 registered as consumers. Medscape.com, www.medscape.com, provides comprehensive, authoritative and timely medical information and interactive programs to physicians, allied healthcare professionals and consumers, and includes the following specialty sites and pages: Medscape Japan, http://japan.medscape.com, Medscape General Medicine, or MedGenMed, www.medscape.com/journal/MedGenMed, believed to be the first and only peer-reviewed online general medical journal; Medical Office Management, http://medoffice.medscape.com, Medscape Nursing, http://nursing.medscape.com; Medscape Pharmacists, http://pharmacists.medscape.com; Medscape Med Students, http://medstudents.medscape.com; and Today on Medscape, http://www.medscape.com/today, featuring the latest health and medical news. The Company also operates CBSHealthWatch by Medscape, http://cbs.healthwatch.com, the recently launched consumer site designed to help families and individuals make better informed healthcare decisions and to simplify management of their healthcare needs. Developed jointly with CBS Corporation
Investors and security holders are urged to read the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by MedicaLogic, Inc. (NASD NASD See: National Association of Securities Dealers NASD See National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). :MDLI MDLI Molecular Design Limited ) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with the proposed merger with Medscape, Inc. because it contains important information. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus filed by MedicaLogic with the SEC at the SEC's Web site, www.sec.gov. The statements made in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Editor's Note Editor's Note (foaled in 1993 in Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1992 U.S. Champion 2 YO Colt Forty Niner, who in turn was a son of Champion sire Mr. Prospector and out of the mare, Beware Of The Cat. Trained by D. : To contact Elizabeth C. Burton, MD, call 415/221-4810, ext 4240. To contact Peter N. Nemetz, PhD, call 604/822-8443. |
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