The following are free links to NEJM articles through NextGenMD.org.

Medicine has built on a long history of innovation, from the stethoscope and roentgenogram to magnetic resonance imaging and robotics. Doctors have embraced each new technology to advance patient care. But nothing has changed clinical practice more fundamentally than one recent innovation: the Internet. Its profound effects derive from the fact that while previous technolgoies have been fully under doctor's control, the Internet is equally in the hands of patietns. Such access is redefining the roles of physician and patient.

Historic Passage - Reform at Last

John Iglehart reports on the passage of the health care reform bill, the first piece of major social legislation to be enacted on a strictly partisan basis.

Can Electronic Clinical Documentation Prevent DIagnostic Errors

Not everything about a patient's life can be gathered from a brief consultation in a clinic. Dr. Berland has devised a fascinating method of looking into the personal lives and troubles of her disabled patients - encouraging them to carry a video camera with them. Read about the unique insight that she gained through this novel, simple idea.

This article appears in two installments, which aim to clarify the confusino surroundign these reforms by supplementing the political hype with first-hand insight from several medical professionals. The first part includes an overview of the reforms as of March 2010 and an inside perspective on teh medical implications of these changes provided by Dr. Delbert Wigfall. The second part, which will appear in the April 2010 issue, will include an alternate medical perspective provided by Dr. Marybeth Spanarkel and a discussion of the medical professionals' concerns from teh politcial perspective of Dr. Paula D McClain.

An Overview of the Future of Diagnostic Imaging

Diagnostic imaging is a process inw hich doctors use medical images to determine the source fo medical problems in patients. From its first uses, it has come a long way from the archaic but reliable X-ray to the extremely advanced and high-tech magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Though these advances have revolutionized diagnostic imaging, it is only the beginning.