- Lauren Ellerman | October 30, 2007 3:09 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeRead all about it - High Court upholds $1.7 million verdict against West Virginia physician.The appeal, filed by the physician, alleged the trial court wrongly calculated judgment. In addition, the physician alleged the plaintiff was faking his injuries. Now, faking a headache maybe, but being blind - that's a hard one to fake! For more information on this subject, please refer to the section...
- Dan Frith | October 29, 2007 8:38 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeWe all know the physical effects of medical negligence. It can mean the loss of the ability to walk or work. It can mean a lifetime of pain. It can mean death! One well-known study estimated that as many as 98,000 hospital deaths a year stem from mistakes by health care workers. A recently published article discusses how these act of medical negligence can affect our emotions. The New...
- Dan Frith | October 28, 2007 10:06 AM |
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MiscellaneousDid you know that National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week ends Saturday? Childhood lead poisoning is the most preventable environmental disease in young children, but approximately 1 million children still have elevated blood lead levels. Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, seizures and death, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 28, 2007 9:29 AM |
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MiscellaneousThis week a West Virginia appeal was argued before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. The case, Monongalia County, Riggs v. West Virginia University Hospitals involves whether state law can limit non-economic damages, such as damages for pain and suffering. Currently, West Virginia law limits non economic damages to $250,000. Before 2003, there was a $1 million cap.The appeal is not...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 27, 2007 9:15 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeOur business has made everyone in our office, opinionated on health care. What I mean is that we are proactive - ask questions of our physicians, get second opinions, question medications, research procedures and hospitals. Some would say this is a luxury, but it shouldn't be. Patients should be in charge of their own health care.Washington Post writer Shannon Brownless reports increase in...
- Dan Frith | October 25, 2007 2:48 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeI was killing some time recently reading through articles on the Internet and ran across the Patient Safety Blog. The blog is written by Ken Farbstein who advises patients and their families on living longer, healthier lives, and preventing medical errors. His most recent post is on electronic patient records and how they can save lives!Nationally, only about 20% of physician offices are...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 25, 2007 9:01 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeDid you see the movie Erin Brokovitch? The Julia Robert's movie where small plaintiff firm takes on polluter because children in a small town are getting cancer at alarming rates. It was based on a true story, and it seems we haven't learned our lesson. Today the AP printed an article on Cancer in community north of Philadelphia. Elevated Cancer Level Found in Pa. MICHAEL RUBINKAM writes The...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 24, 2007 3:45 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseI was at a social function last week when a friend asked "How many cases do you have against non profit nursing homes?" after a moment of reflection, I realized we don't have a single case against a non profit nursing home. Now, does that really say anything about the level of care at non-profit nursing homes, or is neglect more frequent at for profit facilities?I don't know the answer to that...
- Dan Frith | October 24, 2007 2:25 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeTalk with almost any doctor and they will quickly tell you that they are forced to practice defensive medicine due to the fear of being sued. With the next breath they will tell you the cost of their malpractice coverage is outrageous and the result of greedy patients and their medical malpractice lawyers who are too quick to sue! Take these complaints with a grain of salt!Let's look at...
- Dan Frith | October 23, 2007 1:58 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeI cannot believe it! We place our elderly and infirm family members in a nursing home so they will be watched over and taken care of in a safe and supportive environment. No one would ever think that those same family members are at risk for being sexually assaulted! Right? Unfortunately, I'm wrong!Convicted sex offender Dennis Strong will spend at least his next eight months in far less...
- Dan Frith | October 22, 2007 8:54 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeA study released earlier this week suggests that most invasive, severe disease from MRSA infection is associated with health care delivery and occurs in people with underlying illness. The study's publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association coincided with news accounts of MRSA infections in schools around the nation, often among student athletes.The MRSA study suggests the...
- Dan Frith | October 19, 2007 10:50 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseKentucky state authorities are investigating the death of an 86 year old woman at Parkway Medical Center. The woman's family has hired a nursing home negligence attorney to investigate the facts surrounding her death. 86-year old Marcelline Vale was doing fine physically according to her family's attorney when her health took a sudden turn in early July. A month later she died, apparently...
- Dan Frith | October 18, 2007 4:08 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeLauren wrote an article yesterday about a 16 year old boy who lived near our city and died from a MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection. Today in our local newspaper (The Roanoke Times), another family came forward to tell the tragedy of another child (this time 15 years old!) who died of the same infection. These two reports days apart got me thinking...and worrying! ...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 17, 2007 2:57 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeLead story on NBC Nightly News last night www.nbc.com was about a high school boy that died yesterday of MRSA, a staph infetcion he likely picked up in the hospital. The cover our local paper today, www.roanoke.com was the same story. New York Times today, lead with a story on hospital infections. We have had numerous infection control or infection disease cases in long term care facility...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 16, 2007 1:43 PM |
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MiscellaneousWhy does a physician prescribe one medication over the other? Well, recent research and legislation reflects that doctors are influenced by drug companies. How can this be? If my staff was given free lunch, I was given a new watch and or trip to Bermuda, I might remember the name of the drug or drug company that paid for those gifts, such, that I would recommend their product to my patients. I...
- Dan Frith | October 16, 2007 1:26 PM |
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MiscellaneousAmerican history is filled with stories of manufacturers putting profits over people! Do you remember the Ford Pinto, the Tobacco Industry, Lead Paint Manufacturers, the Dalkon Shield, etc., etc.? When it comes to drugs and medical devices the Food and Drug Administration has a pretty poor track record as well. How about the FDA approval and then subsequent concerns over Vioxx, Ambien,...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 10, 2007 12:09 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseAnother case against a Virginia Nursing Home - where a drop or fall, causes death.Apparently, the 91 year old resident was dropped from a Hoyer Lift (which moves non-ambulatory residents from bed to chair, etc.). The fall, probably was from 3-4 feet to the floor, caused rib fractures, and other extensive injuries, eventually causing her death.Another sad case, that could have been prevented with...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 08, 2007 11:22 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeI couldn't begin to explain the "costs" of healthcare in the United States... You have the costs of not providing care to those in need; the costs that for profit healthcare companies try to reduce in order to maximize profits; the actual cost of having to obtain care without insurance, and or a supplemental program. The truth is, the costs of healthcare are too extensive, and complicated to...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 03, 2007 5:15 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA week or two ago - we wrote about the Wall Street Journal article on residents in nursing homes owned by private equity corporations, receiving lower quality care than residents in other facilities... And for once it seems, the squeaky wheel will get the oil. Today, Senators Clinton (NY) and Grassley (Iowa) announced they have asked the GAO - Government Accountability Office, to investigate -...
- Dan Frith | October 03, 2007 11:28 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsWhy do we see too many teenagers killed on our highways? There cannot be a greater loss than the unnecessary death of a child or young adult...and it has happened again in Southwest Virginia!The Roanoke Times reports today that, LeAndra Milliner, a 16 year old Shawsville girl died Tuesday afternoon, October 2, in a single car accident. LeAndra was a junior at Eastern Montgomery High School...
- Dan Frith | October 03, 2007 11:15 AM |
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MiscellaneousThere are numerous reasons why prescription drugs cost so much. The exorbitant salaries of Big Pharma's top executives and the drug companies constant presence on television (commercials) are just two of the explanations. But what about kickbacks to the doctors to encourage the use of their drugs?The US Attorneys Office in Massachusetts has announced a civil settlement with Bristol Myers...
- Dan Frith | October 02, 2007 4:30 PM |
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MiscellaneousHere is an interesting case to report. First, wife files suit for divorce against husband. Divorce proceeding is dirty with wife making outrageous and unsubstantiated claims against husband including desertion, cruelty, and assault which results in husband being taken away in handcuffs in front of the parties' children. Now the husband gets even...The husband, while the divorce case is...
- Lauren Ellerman | October 02, 2007 4:28 PM |
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MiscellaneousLA Times writer Charles Ornstein, publiushed an article today on new proposed legislation on Nursing Homes in California."The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), passed the Legislature last month and is now on the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor's press office said he has not yet taken a position on the legislation..."The purpose of the bill is to protect...