Dear Intern,
Welcome to my staff. I am currently trying to get a handle on the problem of medical errors. There is a lot of talk of passing a new law requiring hospitals to report all serious errors and list the name of the hospital and the physician on the internet. I know medical errors are a real problem, but I am not sure if this is the best way to deal with them. I am hoping you can tell me about the significance of medical errors and address the issue of a mandatory policy/law of public reporting of serious medical errors from both a pro and a con position. I am not a legal scholar, but dont we already have laws in place to deal with medical errors?
Please write me a detailed memo with headings – that addresses the issues as indicated above including pro/con. I would appreciate if you could conclude by giving me your best guess as to whether the medical community would be inclined to support my re-election bid if I were to sponsor a bill.
