Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Beginning Wednesday, Iowa physicians who perform the wrong procedure or perform a procedure at the wrong anatomical site or on the wrong patient will be subject to new state sanctions. The change is the result of an administrative rule adopted last fall by the Iowa Board of Medicine, which takes effect March 17.
“Although wrong-site surgeries are rare, they can have devastating consequences for the patient,” said Siroos Shirazi, chairperson of the Board of Medicine. “They are seen as a preventable medical error if certain steps are taken and standardized procedures are taken in the perioperative setting.”
Under the new subrule 23.1(42) in Chapter 17 of the board’s administrative rules, physicians found guilty of wrong-site surgery can face disciplinary sanctions, which may include suspension or revocation of their Iowa medical license and a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
Of the 700 to 900 complaints the Board receives each year, 2 to 4 of them allege wrong-site surgery, which is an unexpected occurrence involving risk or actual death or serious physical or psychological injuries to a patient. Wrong-site surgery results from poor preoperative planning, lack of institutional controls, failure of the surgeon to exercise due care, or a simple mistake in communication between the patient and surgeon, according to The Joint Commission. The commission advises patients and family members to make sure that there is total agreement between themselves, their primary care physician and the surgeon about exact what will be done and where.
Follow Lynda Waddington on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter