Part Three – Avoiding Surgical Mistakes
March 22, 2011
Whether your surgical procedure is necessary due to an immediate medical condition or is elective surgery, whether your surgery is considered major surgery or a minor procedure, there are steps you can take to reduce surgical medical errors. Surgery performed on the wrong side (for instance, surgery[...]
Continue Reading
More Tips to Help You Avoid Medical Errors – Part Two
March 21, 2011
Our last blog discussed ways that you can avoid becoming a victim of medical errors involving medications. Today, we discuss some ways you can help prevent medical errors while you are in the hospital. Avoiding Hospital Errors If you have a choice, choose a hospital that has much experience in provi[...]
Continue Reading
Some Tips to Help You Prevent Medical Errors – Part One
March 20, 2011
As many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals in the United States every year as a result of medical errors, and many more suffer serious or permanent injuries as a result of preventable medical errors. While many people rely on the knowledge and expertise of their health care providers to ass[...]
Continue Reading
Use of Potassium Iodide (KI) For Radiation Exposure
March 19, 2011
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a fact sheet regarding the use of potassium iodide (KI) during radiation emergencies in light of the nuclear power plant explosions in Japan. Radiation is a form of energy that occurs naturally in our environment. There are different ty[...]
Continue Reading
Pressure Ulcers (Bed Sores) In Nursing Home Residents
March 19, 2011
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) are wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin, most commonly occurring at the elbows, heels, hips, and over other bony prominences. Between 2% and 28% of nursing home residents have pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers are classified based on the depth of the soft t[...]
Continue Reading
The Truth About Medical Malpractice Insurance Costs
March 18, 2011
In its analysis of medical malpractice insurance premiums (the amounts paid by doctors and other health care providers for their professional malpractice insurance coverage), medical malpractice claims, insurance companies profits, and the impact of medical malpractice laws restricting victims righ[...]
Continue Reading
Health Care Fraud Recoveries And Enforcement Actions
March 17, 2011
According to this report, during Fiscal Year 2010, the Federal government received approximately $2.5 billion in health care fraud judgments and settlements and the Medicare Trust Fund received approximately $2.86 billion including more than $683.2 million in Federal Medicaid money in fraud recove[...]
Continue Reading
Statistics Regarding Falls Suffered By Older Adults
March 16, 2011
According to this report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year one in three adults age 65 and older suffer a fall. Falls can lead to serious injuries such as hip fractures, head trauma, and even death. Over 18,000 older adults died from fall injuries in 2007 alone. The d[...]
Continue Reading
Fall Prevention And Medical Malpractice
March 15, 2011
It is not uncommon for a patient in a hospital or in a nursing home to suffer one or more falls, resulting in serious injuries or even death. Not all falls are the result of medical malpractice (by definition in Maryland, medical malpractice occurs when the care given by the heal[...]
Continue Reading
CEREBRAL PALSY AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
March 14, 2011
Cerebral palsy, which is often called “CP”, is described by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and keep their balance and posture as a result of injury to parts of the brain, or as a result of a[...]
Continue Reading
MEDICATION ERRORS MADE BY PHARMACIES
March 12, 2011
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non-governmental, official public standards-setting authority for prescription and over-the-counter medicines and other healthcare products manufactured or sold in the United States. Prior to 2009, USP maintained a national medication error and adverse drug[...]
Continue Reading
