According to the 2008 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 41.5 percent of physicians reported at least partially using electronic medical records in their office-based practices. In 2007, the figure was 34 percent.
Source: CDC
Year: 2010
U.S. Chamber: More Lawsuit Malarkey
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running a false ad claiming that "52 percent of all lawsuits" target small businesses. The claim is contradicted by the very study the Chamber cites as its source, and it’s not even close to the truth. The study shows the true figure is somewhere between 5 percent and 8 percent.
A spokesman for the Chamber, Mark Szymanski, told us the ad began airing "nationally" in late December and will continue to air until the end of January.
January 7, 2010
The macaroni penguin is the most numerous of the 17 species of penguins in the world.
Source: International Penguin Conservation Work Group
January 6, 2010
Jazz musician and composer Dizzy Gillespie died on this day in 1993 in Englewood, N.J.
Source: Library of Congress
The United States of Interpol?
Q: Did Obama sign an order giving Interpol the right to police the U.S.?
A: No. The executive order Obama signed in December simply gives Interpol the same privileges that other international organizations operating in the U.S. already have.
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Dec. 29-Jan. 4
This week, readers sent us comments on our Whoppers story, our mailbag, our bias and Climategate (but it’s not what you think!).
In the FactCheck Mailbag we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
MoveOn.org: Starved for Facts
Would you believe that one in six Americans is "going hungry"?
You shouldn’t, because it’s not true.
Nevertheless, the liberal group MoveOn.org claimed something close to that in an end-of-the-year appeal for donations to Feeding America, the national anti-hunger charity. MoveOn’s message said: "This winter, a record 49 million Americans are going hungry because of the economy." (To read the whole fundraising appeal, click the link below.)
Dear MoveOn member,
"I’m sure we’re going to run out of food today,
January 5, 2010
Risk for fractures from osteoporosis or low bone mass will affect one in two Americans aged 50 and older by 2020.
Source: CDC
January 4, 2010
The Census Bureau projects that this month net international migration will add one person every 37 seconds to the U.S. population.
Source: Census Bureau
January 3, 2010
The mathematical formula for determining which college teams will play in the Bowl Championship Series was first created in 1997.
Source: Bowl Championship Series