Studies have shown the United States faces a shortage of physicians, making it increasingly difficult for people to access needed health care. Physicians need graduate medical education (GME) training before they can practice medicine independently and often practice in the same geographic area as their training. The vast majority of federal…

The federal government invests significantly in medical education through various programs to help ensure that the anticipated supply of new physicians meets the nation's health care needs. Medicare, the federal health care program for elderly and certain disabled people, subsidizes training for medical school graduates in hospitals and other…

The Supreme Court ruled that state statutes providing a former patient with access to medical records applies only to institutions receiving state legislative appropriations. The narrow focus of the case will allow challenges to the scope and validity of this ruling. (SF)

This document presents the text of the Congressional hearing called to discuss the provision of health care services to people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) outside of hospitals, including home health care, hospice care, nursing home care, personal care and counseling, and other support services for patients and their families.…

Two theories of hospital liability--respondeat superior and corporate negligence and the legal intricacies of the physician-hospital-patient relationship--that affect hospital liability are examined. The impact of Darling vs Charleston Memorial Hospital as a medicolegal precedent is emphasized. (BH)

The relationship of the law to ethics committees is examined, including the legal context and impetus for such committees, categories and roles of members, member appointment and removal, member power, timing of committee action, responsibility and liability, and issues about records of committee action. (Author/MSE)

A report on the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act of 1987, a bill to amend Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, is presented. The bill would establish programs to reduce the shortage of professional nurses. A special advisory committee consisting of representatives of professional nursing and other organizations, hospitals, and experts in…

Testimonies and articles, letters, and statements from a congressional hearing of the U.S. Senate concerning nutrition education in medical schools are presented. The hearing was held to ascertain the present status of nutrition instruction in U.S. medical schools, to determine the need for such instruction, and to identify problems with…

This report fulfills the requirement of Public Law 94-353 that requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress with respect to the feasibility, practicability, and cost of soundproofing noise-impacted schools, hospitals, and public health facilities, in order to reduce the possible adverse effects of aircraft noise. A survey of…

Congressional hearings on H.R. 7118, a bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the admission of foreign medical graduates for graduate medical education, are presented. The bill would allow an extension of the time by which hospitals are required to reduce their reliance on foreign medical graduates. In particular the…

Procedural due process issues concerning the suspension or dismissal of medical and dental residents are outlined, and related court litigation is discussed. It is concluded that courts generally follow the faculty due process model. (Author/MSE)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appointed a Joint Board to recommend changes in existing FCC rules to fulfill the regulatory mandates of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Joint Board, which consists of three FCC commissioners, four State commissioners, and one consumer advocate, issued its recommendations to the FCC in a 500-page…

Legislative, judicial, and administrative activity surrounding questions raised about treatment of critically ill newborns are discussed, including the Indiana Baby Doe case, the March 1983 Baby Doe II rule and its invalidation, the related lawsuit, and recent congressional activity regarding amendment of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 constitutes a major overhaul of telecommunications law and will have a major impact on rural residents, communities, schools, libraries, and hospitals. This paper presents 68 key points from the Federal Communication Commission's Universal Service Report and Order, Section X: Schools and Libraries, which contains…

In compliance with legislation enacted by New York State in 1981, a manual of recommendations and standards for hospital libraries was developed (1) to assist in assessment of the quality of hospital library services; (2) to enable measurement of the improvement in individual institutions; and (3) to be used as criteria in the administration of…