Thanks to technology, innovation, and creative entrepreneurs, Americans in the twenty-first century enjoy a wide variety of products and services that would astonish previous generations. Many of these innovations allow them to prevent, treat, cure, and recover from serious injuries and diseases that were once fatal. While medical knowledge and technology have surged ahead, some parts of the health care industry are still struggling to catch up. These include the ability to keep patient records up to date, prevent medical errors, and compensate patients promptly and fairly when errors do occur. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues to work with the health care industry and employers to transform the practice of medicine by giving consumers of health care more choices and greater flexibility while encouraging people to make healthier decisions in their daily lives. As the contributors to this issue of the William Mitchell Law Review demonstrate, these transformations raise interesting issues in health care law
