- Dan Frith | January 31, 2008 6:46 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousI rarely read Jane Brody's syndicated column from the New York Times but a recent article caught my attention. The article was entitled, "A Basic Hospital To-Do List Saves Lives of Patients." Being a medical malpractice attorney who represents victims of medical negligence...this title caught my eye!The article suggested five simple steps in dealing with patients with a central venous catheter...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 30, 2008 9:03 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThis morning the Wall Street Journal reports ("Eli Lilly Sales Exceed Forecast By PETER LOFTUS)"Eli Lilly & Co. reported that fourth-quarter profit soared, as increased sales of drugs for mental illness and cancer helped boost revenue above expectations.""For now, Lilly seems to be free of some of the problems that are plaguing other pharmaceutical companies, such as generic competition for top...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 29, 2008 11:05 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousAnyone hear the news this morning - VA Hospital in Illinois my have caused 19 deaths and 36 injuries.. I wish I was surprised. I am not. Here in Southwest Virginia, there is a VA hospital - where we have learned a practicing surgeon is performing surgeries, after local hospital denied priviliges due to substance abuse. Don't our VETs deserve better? Shouldn't they return home to the best medical...
- Dan Frith | January 28, 2008 4:35 PM |
Category:
Nursing Home & Elder AbuseThe Washingto Post has a disturbing (although not surprising) article in yesterday's paper. The article, entitled "A Hidden Crime," reports on how America cares for its elderly...and it is not a pretty picture! Decubitus ulcers, malnourishment, dehydration, repeated falls, medication errors causing death and disability, and more...Elder abuse typically conjures visions of nightmarish nursing...
- Dan Frith | January 25, 2008 1:04 PM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeFormer Dallas Cowboy running back, Ron Springs, had a tiny cyst on his left forearm. Not a big medical problem when you remember he received a new kidney about 7 months ago in a much publicized kidney transplant from friend and fellow former Cowboy Everson Walls. However, the treatment of this small cyst was about to change Ron Springs' life, and the lives of his family, forever. Mr. Springs...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 24, 2008 5:51 PM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeTwice this week, it has been brought to my attention that a local physician has substance abuse problems - not the same physician, but 2 different ones. One lost hospital privileges, lost his license for a few years - and then the VERTERANS ADMINISTRATION hired him to perform surgery on Veterans. That says a lot - "welcome home, we think you are a hero, so here, a physician who can't operate...
- Dan Frith | January 22, 2008 9:30 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousBig Pharma is at it again! Do you or a family member take a doctor prescribed antidepressant? We are talking about Zoloft, Serzone, Wellbutrin, Paxil, Effexor, Celexa, Lexapro, and Prozac among others. It appears the pharmaceutical industry has been misleading not only consumers but also the doctors who prescribe these drugs!The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that the...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 21, 2008 3:11 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousCaffeine Increases Risk of Miscarriage, Study Finds Its all over the news - I suggest a quick glance at the Washington Post Article - "Caffeine consumption by pregnant women can significantly increase the risk of miscarriage, according to new research. The study, involving more than 1,000 pregnant California women, provides the most convincing evidence to date of such a link, the researchers...
- Dan Frith | January 19, 2008 6:39 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousWe hear comments all the time from elders who believe that Medicare will pay for nursing home care. These same people are shocked to learn the reality is far different than what they assumed to be true!Medicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. Medicare covers up to 100 days of "skilled nursing care" per illness, but there are a number of requirements that must be met before the...
- Dan Frith | January 18, 2008 6:48 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousMedicare announced last summer that it would no longer pay for the extra cost of treating bedsores (decubitus ulcers), falls and six other preventable injuries and infections that occur when a patient is in the hospital. These changes start in October of this year. Next year Medicare will extend its "no pay" program to hospital acquired infections (think MRSA), blood clots in legs and lungs,...
- Dan Frith | January 17, 2008 1:56 PM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeWe wrote an article on January 13 about questions you should ask of your surgeon before he/she operates. While getting ready for work and watching the Today Show (NBC) this morning I saw a story by the show's chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyder, entitled, "What Doctors Aren't Telling You." The story was informative and discusses many of the issues and concerns we blogged about just a couple...
- Dan Frith | January 17, 2008 6:42 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousWhether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, I hope we call all agree that our federal government has the obligation to make sure our products and foods are safe. If you disagree, please stop reading right here as what I am about to write will surely make you mad!Effective consumer protection in America has been lacking at both the federal and state levels for years. Don't believe...
- Dan Frith | January 16, 2008 6:23 AM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeThis is a sad story about a mistake made by a pharmacist at a Walgreens pharmacy. Terry Smith, a 46 year old roofer, was taking methadone, a narcotic pain reliever, for back and leg pain. He filled the prescription at a nearby Walgreens, returned home, and began taking the medication. Within 36 hours, he was found dead and curled up on the shower floor.How did it happen? The prescription...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 15, 2008 3:47 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousBeen to the Emergency Room lately? Was it an actual emergency? How long did you wait?Article in Houston Chronical today, claims Wait times at the ER are ticking upward. Researchers say patient care is at risk as crowding causes many to just leave."Emergency room wait times across the country increased 36 percent between 1997 and 2004, according to a Harvard study published today. And anecdotal...
- Dan Frith | January 15, 2008 6:18 AM |
Category:
Nursing Home & Elder AbuseLet's face it. Many of the elderly who live in America's nursing homes are at increased risk for falls and resulting hip fractures. This fact is due to many factors including muscle weakness, coordination and flexibility problems, arthritis, medications, as well as the presence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The risk for hip fractures is higher among elderly persons who are...
- Dan Frith | January 14, 2008 9:13 AM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California put pediatric patients in danger of harm by giving them overdoses of the blood thinner Heparin,. The California Department of Public Health said the hospital gave three children 1,000 times the intended dosage of heparin on Nov. 18. Two of the children were actor Dennis Quaid's twins. State regulators said the "violations caused, or were...
- Dan Frith | January 13, 2008 12:09 PM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeAre you getting ready to go under the knife...the surgical knife? If so, shouldn't you be informed about your surgeon? Many people would not think of buying a car or a new computer without asking questions...lots of questions. Why don't those same smart and informed people ask their surgeons the same types of questions?Dr. Thomas Russell, a surgeon and executive director of the American...
- Dan Frith | January 12, 2008 6:32 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThis news should not come as a surprise to our readers. The Consumer Federation of America's insurance director, J. Robert Hunter, said insurance companies have enjoyed robust profits and contained losses largely by "methodically overcharging consumers, cutting back on coverage, underpaying claims and getting taxpayers to pick up some of the tab for risks the insurers should cover." A study...
- Dan Frith | January 11, 2008 9:54 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousTwo former sales representatives for Amgen Inc. are suing the biotech company, alleging it pushed its sales force to search doctor's confidential medical records for potential patients to boost sales of a drug used to treat psoriasis. The two former representatives, who are seeking lost pay, punitive damages and other compensation, allege they objected to superiors and refused to go along with...
- Dan Frith | January 10, 2008 6:23 AM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeA public health advisory has been issued to educate healthcare professionals and patients regarding the appropriate use of fentanyl transdermal patches (Duragesic, Alza Corp and generics), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised healthcare professionals this week. Despite a previous public health advisory and safety labeling changes issued in July 2005, the FDA has continued to...
- Dan Frith | January 09, 2008 6:31 AM |
Category:
Nursing Home & Elder AbuseI cannot tell you how many times we have been involved in medical malpractice cases against hospitals and nursing homes where a patient has been seriously injured as a result of being dropped. Typically, the patient is being transferred from bed to wheel chair or wheel chair to shower chair and, as a result of improper technique and training, is dropped to the floor suffering fractured hips,...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 08, 2008 9:15 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousNPR reported this morning from the journal Health Affairs."For the first time ever, the total spent on health care topped $2 trillion.""Health spending in the U.S. accelerated slightly," he says. "It picked up in growth to 6.7 percent in 2006. That's up two-tenths of a percentage point from 2005."That's not much of an increase in growth if you're an economist, especially when you consider it's...
- Dan Frith | January 08, 2008 6:46 AM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticePretty outrageous isn't it! Can the above title be true? Yes, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.If you have a heart attack in an airport, or even a casino, there is a 50% chance you survive, compared to just one third if your heart attack takes place at a US hospital, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It seems that all too often patients...
- Dan Frith | January 07, 2008 8:20 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousWe all know an elderly person whose driving skills have diminished with age - some to the point that their driving presents a danger to themselves and others. Now Congress has gotten interested in the topic.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently issued a report entitled, "Older Driver Safety: Knowledge Sharing Should Help States Prepare for Increase in Older Driver Population"...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 05, 2008 10:07 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousFDA Clears First Quick Test For Drug-Resistant Staph InfectionsTest Identifies MRSA Bacterium in Two HoursThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced it has cleared for marketing the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which can cause potentially deadly infections.Methicillin is an antibiotic...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 04, 2008 9:58 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousI read this article from the AP in the Washington Post - sad, but it seems that ER doctors are prescribing medication differently to White and African American Patients."Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites. The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency room visits over 13 years found differences...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 03, 2008 9:02 AM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsMedical Examiner pronounces man dead - except he is not. Charlotte North Carolina - man is in a serious car accident, and county Medical Examiner pronounces him dead. Problem is the man is still alive, and does not receive proper medical care for life threatening injuries.This is almost as odd as something out of a CSI episode - except its true, and someone is now living in a nursing home...
- Lauren Ellerman | January 01, 2008 8:57 AM |
Category:
Miscellaneous