The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

One highly-touted component of health care reform plans is the use of electronic records to reduce medical mistakes that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year. By alerting doctors to potentially dangerous drug combinations, making sure the pharmacist knows which drug the doctor is ordering, and identifying the patient for whom the drug was intended with a photograph, the hope is that the system will reduce medication errors, the most common form of deadly medical malpractice. President Barack Obama has earmarked $20 billion in stimulus money for the computerization of health records.

In promoting and utilizing the new electronic records, a clinic and a hospital in New York are pioneering a path that can help reduce medical mistakes. The two facilities, one in the Bronx, the other in Brooklyn, are considered leaders in the attempt to modernize medical practice.

The attempt to modernize medicine in New York has been ongoing for many years, and last year the New York Health Department launched its Primary Care Information Project, which gave free software and tech support to 200 doctors serving underprivileged communities. Cost is the primary obstacle cited in the reluctance of hospitals to modernize procedures, but in nearly every case, doctors report improved patient care: better care delivered faster.

If you or a loved one suffered a medical error that could easily have been prevented with computerized medical records, you may be eligible for compensation. Get a free case evaluation from the New York medical malpractice lawyers of The Cochran Firm.

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