And another thing …

First, do no harm. Errors at hospitals can be fatal, and that point was reinforced by a recent HealthGrades study that found that an estimated 195,000 deaths a year are attributed to medical mistakes. Using a more conservative definition of error, a 1999 Institutes of Medicine study reported 98,000 deaths.

Such findings have triggered the consideration of bills in Congress that target patient safety. And any bill that looks at reforming medical malpractice liability should also encourage hospitals to adopt safer practices.

To that end, it is encouraging to see the federal government encouraging hospitals to report data on the quality of their care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid is tying such reporting to higher Medicare payments. The information will be made public, and consumers can make better-informed health-care decisions.

And no kicking sand in people’s faces. At Sanders Beach on Lake Coeur d’Alene, there are signs warning beachcombers to swim at their own risk, not to bring dogs or alcohol onto the beach and to keep out of private areas. Someone needs to put up one more sign: Beware of angry owners.

The number of confrontations between Sanders Beach owners and users has escalated this year, including a tense standoff involving about 30 people that Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem defused last month.

Now, property owner Jerry Frank has increased tension again by erecting a makeshift barrier on his property at the 15th Street entrance to a public portion of the beach in defiance of city ordinances against such structures. When a man tried to serve him with court papers for setting up the fence, Frank allegedly fenced him in by using an electronic security gate, leading to a false imprisonment report. Last year, Frank wrote a letter of apology to escape a battery charge over a beach episode involving an 8-year-old girl.

The beach is a great place for playing games, but not this kind.