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.