Good communication between hospitalists and primary care physicians at the time of discharge is critical to patient safety and to the reduction of risk.

As more and more health care professionals use mobile devices to store and transmit Protected Health Information (PHI), there is now a need to safeguard not only the physical security of the device but also the information stored on it.

In 2014, the era of health care reform will fully take effect. The many changes will bring uncertainty to health care providers, as well as patients.

Cobb v. Grant was one of the first California cases to establish two informed consent components: The patient’s right of self-determination (no matter how bad the decision) and the physician’s non-delegable responsibility, due to advanced training, knowledge, and expertise, to adequately communicate information to the patient through the informed consent process that would enable the patient to determine the course of treatment he or she chooses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water.