Hurricane Katrina taught government and society many lessons. Among others, it laid bare our American healthcare system’s failures. The task of reconstructing a sensible healthcare system for the United States is urgent.

Over the past decade consumers garnered great control over their treatment plans. Physicians are working in a more collaborative manner than ever with their patients to review care options and formulate treatment approaches.

Informed consent serves an important role in hospitals across the country. Typically packaged as a single form or series of forms, the informed consent process ideally serves as a way to educate patients about conditions, treatment alternatives, benefits, and risks of a procedure.

Healthcare software will continue to be a strong driver in improving the quality of care for patients. This good news for patients often comes with its own set of challenges for the caregivers who use the software, especially during implementation.

When it comes to improving the quality and safety of healthcare, few organizations classify the patient registration process as a top priority. But with the introduction of patient self-service technology that automates the check-in process…

Is it realistic to expect to reduce mishaps by 50% in five years? Yes! In 1980, after being commissioned as an aircraft accident investigator in the newly formed Israel Air Force…

Since the release of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, the advent of the JCAHO Sentinel Event program, and the issuance of the National Patient Safety Goals, hospitals have dedicated themselves to reducing errors and preventing harm.

General initiatives for informing patients: Recognize and compensate for different degrees of patient literacy…

Ever since publication of the Institute of Medicine’s To Err Is Human (1999), concerns about patient safety have taken a prominent place in debates about American healthcare.

Most of us think we know who Hippocrates was. Certainly no one disagrees with “not doing harm.” We want to do what we think is best for the patient, based on good science and consistent with the art.