tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24007825334713480192024-03-05T17:28:27.293-05:00Healthcare and Medical NewsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger767125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-55359802098782076142016-09-30T13:36:00.000-04:002016-09-30T13:36:14.523-04:00MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ON THE INCREASE<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: newswire.net</span><br />
<br />
When you go to a medical facility or hospital, you expect to receive professional care. While there are no guarantees that the doctor or physician can help you, there’s certainly an expectation that they will do their best. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Current State of Medical Malpractice</b><br />
<br />
If you’ve never been close to a medical malpractice case, it may seem like something that only happens in John Grisham books and Hollywood flicks. Oh, if only this were true. Medical malpractice is a pervasive problem today and likely will be for the foreseeable future. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/hackensack-nj-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lesnevich-marzano-lesnevich-llc-hackensack-new-jersey-nj.html" target="_blank">Hackensack medical malpractice lawyer</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
Here are some statistics you need to know, as gathered by MedicalMalpractice.com.<br />
<br />
According to a recent study of malpractice cases, 60 percent of victims are female and the median age is 38 years old. Around 20 percent of patients are newborns, while 12 percent are 65 or older.<br />
<br />
OBGYNs are the defendants in 19 percent of cases, while general surgeons (17 percent) and primary care physicians (16 percent) follow closely behind.<br />
<br />
The average compensation for inpatient malpractice is $363,000, while the average award for outpatient care is right around $290,000.<br />
<br />
For inpatient care, 34 percent of medical malpractice claims are rooted in surgical errors. For outpatient care, 46 percent of claims are tied to diagnosis errors.<br />
<br />
This should give you a better idea of what the current state of medical malpractice looks like in the United States. Trends are always changing, though, so make sure you stay up to date.<br />
<br />
<b>Three Things You Need to Know</b><br />
<br />
Now that you’re familiar with some of the data behind medical malpractice cases, let’s check out some of the top things you need to know in order to be informed. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/newark-nj-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lesnevich-marzano-lesnevich-llc-newark-new-jersey-nj.html" target="_blank">Newark medical malpractice attorney</a> has a track record of success in medical malpractice litigation cases.<br />
<br />
1. Standard of Care<br />
<br />
“Medical malpractice cases are assessed based on a ‘standard of care,’” Jax Legal explains. “That means that if the physician or medical professional did not meet the standards, they are guilty of medical malpractice. A standard refers to how others in a similar professional capacity would have acted.”<br />
<br />
In any medical malpractice case, everything is going to come back to the standard of care. If the medical professional was deemed to have provided the same standard of care as that of his peers, then he will almost always be acquitted of any responsibility. However, if it’s deemed that he didn’t live up to that standard of care, then the plaintiff usually wins.<br />
<br />
2. How to Proceed<br />
<br />
If you suspect you’re a victim of medical malpractice, the first step is to contact the medical professional you believe is at fault. The doctor will tell you the situation and may even offer some sort of corrective service, free of charge.<br />
<br />
If contacting the medical professional doesn’t remedy the issue, you may reach out to the licensing board that governs medical licenses. They can often provide enough pressure to make something happen. Finally, you may wish to contact an attorney and file a medical malpractice claim. Just know that certain limitations and timeframes may be applicable.<br />
<br />
3. Settlements vs. Litigation<br />
<br />
“Medical malpractice cases can be timely and costly, which is why most medical malpractice cases are settled out of court,” FindLaw explains. “In addition, because medical malpractice insurance companies reject a significantly large portion of medical malpractice claims, it may be in your best interest to settle out-of-court or risk having no case at all.”<br />
<br />
However, should you and your attorney feel like you have a very strong case, then, by all means, seek a larger settlement or take the case to court. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/minneapolis-mn-medical-malpractice-lawyer/robert-p-christensen-pa-minneapolis-minnesota-mn.html" target="_blank">Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer</a> is reviewing the details of this case.<br />
<br />
<b>Medical Malpractice is Serious Business</b><br />
<br />
Medical malpractice is a big deal. While the odds of you or a loved one ever being subjected to malpractice in the United States are quite low, it never hurts to understand your rights and contact a legal professional if you suspect an issue.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-67199713362377518002016-09-30T13:31:00.002-04:002016-09-30T13:31:24.684-04:00DEMAND FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE TO SPIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: yahoo.com</span><br />
<br />
Senior healthcare organisations forecast to take up 40%.<br />
<br />
Demand for medical malpractice insurance by senior healthcare organisations in Singapore is forecast to grow by 40 per cent over the next five years, according to AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd. ('AIG Singapore'). A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/baltimore-md-medical-malpractice-lawyer/dugan-babij-tolley-llc-baltimore-maryland-md.html" target="_blank">Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer</a> is reviewing the details of this story.<br />
<br />
Driving this demand is the number of residents aged over 65 years here, which is expected to double from 440,000 to 900,000 by 2030[1], as well as rising incidents of chronic and complex conditions. These factors are putting the healthcare system under pressure, potentially increasing the risk of medical errors.<br />
<br />
Similarly, the take-up rate for malpractice insurance for general healthcare institutions is projected to increase by 25 per cent in the next five years. A survey undertaken by AIG in Asia[2] revealed that the top concerns for Singapore healthcare organisations and their patients include inadequate patient handovers between caregivers, failure to correctly conduct independent double checks, and medication prescription errors as more patients get treated by multiple public and private health care professionals.<br />
<br />
These risk areas align with complaints received by the Singapore Medical Council in 2015[3]. Out of 141 complaints, one of the most common causes was professional negligence or incompetence which accounted for 28 per cent of complaints. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/hackensack-nj-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lesnevich-marzano-lesnevich-llc-hackensack-new-jersey-nj.html" target="_blank">Hackensack medical malpractice attorney</a> understand the sense of loss and tragedy that a medical malpractice or negligent accident often causes.<br />
<br />
AIG’s Head of Casualty Risk Consulting – Healthcare, Dr Aileen Killen, said AIG Singapore has seen a 300 per cent increase in medical malpractice insurance enquiries in the last year by both healthcare institutions and professionals, with a significant proportion from senior healthcare organisations.<br />
<br />
“While hospitals and healthcare professionals have no legal obligation to insure themselves, we are seeing a strong rise in demand for medical malpractice insurance due to the increased pressures on medical staff driven by factors such as an ageing population.”<br />
<br />
Dr Killen added, “There is a need to proactively address the risks that can arise from these pressures and for healthcare organisations to build preventive solutions into their systems. This ensures that healthcare professionals are better equipped to proactively manage risk instead of reacting to issues after the fact. In this way, healthcare organisations can keep their staff safe, and this has a major positive impact on patient outcomes and safety.” A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/washington-dc-medical-malpractice-lawyer/price-benowitz-llp-washington-district-of-columbia-dc.html" target="_blank">Washington DC medical malpractice attorney</a> helps clients receive the justice they deserve.<br />
<br />
Research has found that there is a direct correlation between workplace safety culture scores and higher burnout rates. Aggressive patients, falls caused by unstable patients, and injuries from lifting patients are all risk areas for healthcare workers.<br />
<br />
“Creating a safety culture begins with the well-being of healthcare professionals. It is vital to ensure adequate support for these workers for a coordinated approach to patient safety, which will ultimately create a safer environment for both patients and workers,” said Dr Killen.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-39825504299075236732016-09-30T13:22:00.001-04:002016-09-30T13:22:51.814-04:002 INDIAN AMERICAN CARDIOLOGISTS IN INDIANA SUED FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: americanbazaaronline.com</span><br />
<br />
WASHINGTON, DC: More than two dozen medical malpractice lawsuits, including three wrongful death allegations, have been filed against three Lake County, Indiana cardiologists accused of performing scores of unnecessary surgical procedures at Community Hospital in Munster. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-wrongful-death-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago wrongful death lawyer</a> provides experienced and passionate wrongful death legal representation across a range of civil litigation matters.<br />
<br />
The defendants in the lawsuits are Dr. Arvind Gandhi, Dr. Satyaprakash Makam and Dr. Wail Asfour, Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana, PC and Munster Medical Research Foundation, Inc., doing business as Community Hospital, according to a press release issued by attorneys from Cohen & Malad, LLP, Theodoros & Rooth, PC, and the Law Office of Paul A. Rossi, last month.<br />
<br />
The law firms’ 19 new lawsuits – and a total of 28 lawsuits – have been filed with the Indiana Department of Insurance or in state courts against cardiologists at Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana, PC, and Munster Medical Research Foundation, Inc., doing business as Community Hospital. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/newark-nj-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lesnevich-marzano-lesnevich-llc-newark-new-jersey-nj.html" target="_blank">Newark medical malpractice attorney</a> is reviewing the details of this case.<br />
<br />
A formal complaint was also filed with the Indiana Attorney General against members of his medical group. The Indiana AG refers cases to the Medical Licensing Board.<br />
<br />
The allegations against the defendants include numerous instances of unnecessary pacemaker implantation, death caused by unnecessary pacemaker installation, unnecessary open-heart surgery, unnecessary angiograms, unnecessary stenting, and unnecessary cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implantation.<br />
<br />
David Cutshaw, of Cohen & Malad, LLP, said in a statement, “For far too long, questions have been raised about the conduct of Dr. Gandhi, his associates, and Community Hospital. As we allege, more and more families throughout northwestern Indiana now know they or their family members were subjected to cardiac surgeries and other procedures that were unnecessary and dangerous.”<br />
<br />
Barry Rooth, of Theodoros & Rooth, PC, said in a statement, “The evidence we have developed in our investigation and the litigation – and the persistent silence of Community Hospital – raises troubling questions about Dr. Gandhi and his associates and why the hospital did not heed internal warnings they received for nearly a decade.” A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/minneapolis-mn-medical-malpractice-lawyer/robert-p-christensen-pa-minneapolis-minnesota-mn.html" target="_blank">Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
In May, two other former Gandhi patients, Raymond Kammer and Gloria Sargent sued the three defendants, alleging unnecessary surgeries and complications, according to the press release.<br />
<br />
Sargent alleges that complications from an unnecessary “upgrade” of an implant cardiac defibrillator (ICD) in 2006 required her to later undergo a heart transplant. In both cases, three-doctor Medical Review Panels unanimously found that Dr. Gandhi committed medical malpractice.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-40472040771398747022016-09-30T13:17:00.003-04:002016-09-30T13:17:55.376-04:00SPORTS TEAM DOCTORS WANT MEDICAL MALPRACTICE PROTECTION WHEN TRAVELING OUT OF STATE<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: insurancejournal.com</span><br />
<br />
Congress has advanced legislation to clarify that sports doctors’ medical malpractice insurance should follow them when they travel out of state with their teams.<br />
<br />
The House of Representatives this week approved the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act (US HR 921), which had 190 sponsors and was co-sponsored by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky) and Cedric Richmond (D-La). A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/minneapolis-mn-medical-malpractice-lawyer/robert-p-christensen-pa-minneapolis-minnesota-mn.html" target="_blank">Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer</a> represents clients in medical negligence cases.<br />
<br />
The bill will now be sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration (US S 689).<br />
<br />
The measure aims to protects team physicians and athletic trainers when they travel across state lines with their teams to treat the athletes under their care.<br />
<br />
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) backs the bill and says it has worked for four years with other groups including the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons to gain support.<br />
<br />
The bill stipulates that health care services provided by a covered sports medicine professional to an athlete, athletic team, or team staff member in a secondary state outside that professional’s state of licensure will be covered by the appropriate medical malpractice insurance provider.<br />
<br />
Currently, AMSSM says sports medicine professionals who travel outside of their state to provide care for athletes are often not covered by their medical malpractice insurance – largely because of jurisdictional issues. Supporters say the federal bill would allow sport medicine providers to engage in the treatment of injured athletes across state lines without taking on unnecessary professional and financial risk. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/baltimore-md-medical-malpractice-lawyer/dugan-babij-tolley-llc-baltimore-maryland-md.html" target="_blank">Baltimore medical malpractice attorney</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
“This commonsense bill will bring certainty to the health professionals tasked with taking care of our athletes,” said Rep. Guthrie in a statement. “It’s a win for everyone involved and ensures those that know our athletes best are responsible for their care, even when playing and traveling out of state.”Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-71679421268087343422016-09-30T13:14:00.001-04:002016-09-30T13:14:43.911-04:00DOCTOR CONFESSES: I LIED TO PROTECT COLLEAGUE IN MALPRACTICE SUIT<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: npr.org</span><br />
<br />
Almost two decades ago, Dr. Lars Aanning sat on the witness stand in a medical malpractice trial and faced a dilemma.<br />
<br />
The South Dakota surgeon had been called to vouch for the expertise of one of his partners whose patient had suffered a stroke and permanent disability after an operation. The problem was that Aanning had, in his own mind, questioned his colleague's skill. His partner's patients had suffered injuries related to his procedures. But Aanning understood why his partner's attorney had called him as a witness: Doctors don't squeal on doctors. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html">Chicago medical malpractice lawyer</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
The attorney asked the key question: Did Aanning know of any time his partner's work had been substandard?<br />
<br />
"No, never," Aanning said.<br />
<br />
Now, Aanning, in a stunning admission for a medical professional, has a blunter answer: "I lied."<br />
<br />
While it's impossible to know to what extent Aanning's testimony influenced the outcome, the jury sided in favor of his colleague — and, ever since, Aanning said, he has felt haunted by his decision.<br />
<br />
Now, 77 and retired, he decided to write about his choice and why he made it in a recent column for his local newspaper, The Yankton County Observer. He also posted the article in the ProPublica Patient Safety Facebook group. Aanning, who is a member, called it "A Surgeon's Belated Confession." A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/hackensack-nj-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lesnevich-marzano-lesnevich-llc-hackensack-new-jersey-nj.html">Hackensack medical malpractice attorney</a> represents clients injured due to the negligence of a medical professional.<br />
<br />
"From that very moment I knew I had lied — lied under oath — and violated all my pledges of professionalism that came with the Doctor of Medicine degree and membership in the [American Medical Association]," Aanning wrote.<br />
<br />
Aanning, who has become an outspoken patient advocate, now assists the medical malpractice attorney who represented the patient in the case in which he lied for his partner.<br />
<br />
There's no way to tell how often doctors lie to protect their colleagues, but ProPublica has found that patients frequently aren't told the truth when they are harmed. Studies also show that many physicians do not have a favorable view of informing patients about mistakes and that health care workers are afraid to speak up if things don't seem right. Many doctors and nurses have told ProPublica that they fear retaliation if they speak out about patient safety problems.<br />
<br />
ProPublica spoke to Aanning about his unusual column and why he decided to confess all these years later. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. A W<a href="http://www.primerus.com/washington-dc-medical-malpractice-lawyer/price-benowitz-llp-washington-district-of-columbia-dc.html">ashington D.C. medical malpractice lawyer</a> is reviewing the details of this case.<br />
<br />
Why did you tell the lie?<br />
<br />
I did it as a matter of course. And I did it because there was a cultural attitude I was immersed in: You viewed all attorneys as a threat, and anything that you did was OK to thwart their efforts to sue your colleagues. I just accepted that as normal. It wasn't like, "I'm going to lie." It was, "I'm going to support my colleague."<br />
<br />
Did you feel pressure from your peers to never criticize a colleague?<br />
<br />
Pressure is the prevailing attitude of the medical profession. The professional societies like the AMA and the American College of Surgeons say you should be a patient advocate at all times. But that goes out the window because here you are, banding together with your peers. Because if you don't, you'll be like a man without a country.<br />
<br />
Why are you telling the truth now?<br />
<br />
I'm retired now. The big benefit is they can't hurt me, but I can't go to the clinic for any help. All my doctors are out of town. I came to America from Norway in '47 and grew up in New York. I've always been a rabble-rouser. This testifying falsely at this trial was not like me, so it stands out. It's not how I do stuff.<br />
<br />
I also told the truth about my lie because I have been helping some of these plaintiffs' lawyers with their cases. It seems that the courtroom is not the arena for adjudication of medical right or wrong. I shared my story to give an explicit example of why you can't always rely on physician testimony in court. I think that's the big reason. There's got to be a different way to help people who have been medically harmed. Looking to the legal system is like mixing oil and water.<br />
<br />
Do you feel like it's your fault the patient lost the case?<br />
<br />
I haven't touched on that question. It would make it painful for me. I would be moved to tears if that whole case revolved around just my testimony. I was on the stand so briefly. But cumulatively between what I said and the other testimony — it was never a level playing field for the plaintiff. People don't recognize it. How the judges don't recognize it and the system doesn't recognize it is beyond me. It's something I'm coming to grips with.<br />
<br />
Have you thought about talking to the patient's family?<br />
<br />
The attorney said something about meeting the patient's widow in his office, or something like that. I worry about whether my testimony weighed on the final verdict or not. It's something that you just have to face up to. It's too late to deflect it.<br />
<br />
Do you feel any better or worse now that you've gone public with your moral failure?<br />
<br />
I'm not altruistic. I'm not a crusader. I got into writing this column accidentally, so I just kind of find myself in this position. I get a great satisfaction out of defining what I see and writing about it. I hope nobody's going to come back at me and accuse me of bad conduct. Although that's what it was. I felt bad about it.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-83610282323375673542016-07-18T10:49:00.002-04:002016-07-18T10:59:00.529-04:00LAPD Motor Officer Airlifted After Crash on 60 Fwy in Chino Area<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: ktla.com</span><br />
<br />
A
Los Angeles police motorcycle officer was struck by an SUV on the 60
Freeway in the Chino area and airlifted with major injuries on
Wednesday, according to CHP which may lead to him needing a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-motorcycle-accidents-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html">Los Angeles motorcycle accident lawyer</a> if he does not get his medical needs covered.<br />
<br />
The
collision occurred just after 11 a.m. on the westbound freeway near
Mountain Avenue, according to Officer D. Boatman of the California
Highway Patrol’s Inland Division.<br />
<br />
The Los Angeles Police Department officer was believed to have suffered major injuries, Boatman said.<br />
<br />
The
veteran LAPD Central Traffic Division officer was on his way to work
when a collision occurred, LAPD Officer Liliana Preciado said.<br />
<br />
His
condition is not known but he is expected to survive, LAPD Officer Tony
Im said. The officer was being treated at Loma Linda University Medical
Center, where other motor officers were seen arriving for visits.<br />
<br />
<br />
A
witness said the SUV swerved into the carpool lane after the vehicle
had failed to slow for stopping traffic, CHP Officer Jesus Garcia said
on scene. The SUV struck the LAPD officer, who was traveling in the
carpool lane, Garcia said. This driver may need a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-truck-accidents-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles truck accident lawyer</a> if the injuries are substantial.<br />
<br />
The SUV's driver was hospitalized as a precaution.<br />
<br />
Just
before 11:30 a.m., Caltrans District 8 said the westbound 60 Freeway
was closed for an unknown duration and life-flight was on the ground.<br />
<br />
The location of the crash, as provided by CHP's traffic incident log, is near the border of Chino and Ontario. It is unclear is the officer will need <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> repair.<br />
<br />
A SigAlert was issued at 11:19 a.m. All lanes reopened by 2 p.m.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-56245100956484769552016-07-18T10:44:00.000-04:002016-07-18T10:44:34.685-04:00Chemical smell at Lynden storage facility closes street<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: bellinghamherald.com</span><br />
<br />
Fire officials said they could not determine the source of a chemical smell at a <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical storage tank</a> locker that caused minor respiratory symptoms for three people and closed 19th Street for several hours Tuesday, July 12.<br /><br />Three
people were treated for sore throats and chest tightness in the
incident at K Mini Storage & Mail, 413 19th St., said Lynden Fire
Chief Gary Baar. None of the affected people required further
examination, he said, but the street was closed for several hours to
allow fire crews access to the building.<br /><br />Whatcom County’s multi-agency hazardous materials team was summoned as a precaution.<br /><br />“We searched every storage unit,” Baar said. “One unit seemed a little bit suspicious, but it happened to be nothing serious.”<br /><br />Baar
was among the first firefighters at the scene and described the odor as
akin to bleach or insecticide. He and other firefighters immediately
donned their protective clothing, face masks and air packs, he said.<br /><br />Haz-mat
team members wore full protective “moon suits” to conduct their search.
Some 30 firefighters and others worked at the scene. They were going to
search <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical holding tanks</a> for leaks.<br /><br />Crews
from Lynden Fire Department and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue responded
to reports of a strange chemical smell at 12:35 p.m. Tuesday, said
Lynden Fire Assistant Chief Robert Spinner.<br /><br />Firefighters could
not determine what caused the smell after an initial inspection, Spinner
said, and detectors did not alert them to any dangerous materials.
Officials didn’t evacuate besides the building itself, but 19th Street
between Main and Front streets remain closed until the investigation was
complete about 7 p.m.., Spinner said.Firefighters and haz-mat crews
staged their vehicles across the street at Farmers Equipment Co. and the
street was closed so crews could move back and forth freely, Baar said.<br />Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-23747917747092398992016-07-18T10:17:00.001-04:002016-07-18T10:17:44.989-04:00Patient accuses health providers of medical malpracticeOriginal Story: cookcountyrecord.com<br />
<br />
A patient is suing Chicago health providers, alleging their negligence caused her injuries during surgery. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago medical malpractice lawyer</a> would have like to have assisted with the case.<br /><br />Sharrone M. Travis filed a lawsuit June 9 in Cook County Circuit Court against Dr. Florence Mussat, Presence St. Joseph Hospital-Chicago and Presence Chicago Hospitals Network, alleging negligence and medical malpractice in failing to properly perform a surgical procedure on the plaintiff.<br /><br />According to the complaint, on July 3, 2014, Travis experienced severe pain from a necrotizing infection caused by improperly performed liposuction on her buttocks. The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to properly perform the operation as well as failing to check on the plaintiff after the procedure.<br /><br />Travis seeks judgment of at least $50,000 in an amount to satisfy the jurisdictional limitation of the court, plus court costs. She is represented by attorneys Julie L. Pustilnik and Marc A. Taxman of Anesi, Ozmon, Rodin, Novak & Kohen, Ltd. in Chicago.<br /><br />Cook County Circuit Court Case number 16L005754Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-4821336080655216512016-07-15T16:18:00.001-04:002016-07-18T12:07:08.473-04:00Jury hits U. of C. hospital with $53 million malpractice verdict<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: chicagotribune.com</span><br />
<br />
A Cook County jury has awarded $53 million to a 12-year-old Hickory Hills boy and his mother in a 2013 lawsuit filed against the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was born with a serious brain injury. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago medical malpractice lawyer</a> said this will help to pay for the boy's future healthcare.<br />
<br />
The jury's award to Lisa and Isaiah Ewing includes $28.8 million for future caretaking expenses, according to a copy of the jury verdict form provided by their lawyers, Geoffrey Fieger of suburban Detroit and Jack Beam of Chicago. Isaiah has severe cerebral palsy, is in a wheelchair, and needs his mother to feed and clothe him.<br />
<br />
It was the biggest birth injury verdict ever in Cook County, said John Kirkton, editor of Jury Verdict Reporter in Chicago.<br />
<br />
Their lawsuit outlined about 20 alleged missteps by doctors and nurses after Ewing arrived about 40 weeks pregnant at the hospital and was experiencing less movement by her baby. The mistakes, the lawsuit alleged, included the failures to carefully monitor mother and baby, perform a timely cesarean section, follow a chain of command, obtain accurate cord blood gases, and be aware of abnormal fetal heart rate patterns that indicated distress to the baby, including hypoxia, or a drop in the supply of oxygen. "The University of Chicago has been, for the last 12 years, completely unapologetic, and even though the evidence was overwhelming that they caused Isaiah's brain damage, they refused to accept responsibility," Fieger said at the news conference Thursday. Ewing hadn't had any problems during her pregnancy, he added.<br />
<br />
Before the case went to the jury, the hospital filed for a mistrial.<br />
<br />
Fieger's "closing argument shattered the line between zealous advocacy and improper prejudicial comments, rendering it impossible for defendant to receive a fair trial," the hospital's lawyer said in a court filing. "He also prejudicially argued that the defendant's case was built on a falsehood and proceeded to equate defendant's conduct and testimony of its witnesses with the propaganda techniques notoriously and unmistakably associated with Nazi Germany."<br />
<br />
Hospital spokeswoman Lorna Wong said the hospital had "great sympathy" for the family but "strongly" disagrees with the jury's verdict.<br />
<br />
"Judge Kirby declined to enter judgment on the verdict, as there are pending motions for mistrial based on assertions of Mr. Fieger's improper conduct," she said, noting that it wouldn't be the first overturned verdict involving Fieger.<br />
<br />
She said Isaiah and his mother were treated for infection, which can cause cerebral palsy. "Isaiah was born with normal oxygen blood levels," and the "injury occurred before the care Mr. Fieger criticized."<br />
<br />
After the news conference, Fieger said he expected the judge to confirm the verdict. "The jury has spoken," he said. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-brain-injury-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer</a> said this is usually how this procedure occurs.<br />
<br />
The jury decided the case in four hours, Fieger said. A list of the damages also includes $7.2 million for future medical expenses. The document was signed by 12 jurors.<br />
<br />
Fieger disputed that Isaiah had an infection.<br />
<br />
"All of the medical records at the University of Chicago neonatal clinic showed that Isaiah had been suffocated at birth, that he had suffered hypoxia, lack of oxygen, yet the University of Chicago and its lawyers came to court and tried to tell the jury that their own records were false, that their own records were mistaken and that Isaiah really had a phantom infection that infected his brain that they could never have known about," Fieger said during the news conference.<br />
<br />
Ewing said at the news conference that she has to bathe Isaiah and help him go to the bathroom. She lives in a two-story town home, so she must carry him up and down the stairs.<br />
<br />
She said the verdict will help ensure that Isaiah is taken care of after she dies.<br />
<br />
<br />Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-35977868632709844172016-07-05T11:08:00.004-04:002016-07-05T11:08:27.955-04:00Hernia Hill Half Marathon slated for Sunday in VallecitoOriginal Story: calaverasenterprise.com<br />
<br />
The 29th annual <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">Hernia</a> Hill Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday at Twisted Oak Winery in Vallecito. On Your Mark Events produces the race, which draws runners from both the immediate region and throughout California and Nevada.<br /><br />The Hernia Hill event also provides a 10K run and 5K run/walk. In addition, there is the Rubber Chicken 5K Relay, in which teams of four people will hand off a special rubber chicken as the baton.<br /><br />Twisted Oak Winery is at 4280 Red Hill Road, Vallecito, between Angels Camp and Murphys off of Highway 4. The three courses feature a combination of hilly paved surfaces and packed gravel roads. Runners can expect views of the crest of the Sierra and nearby vineyards. All four courses finish up dashing through the Twisted Oak cardiac cave, the winery’s barrel-aging cave.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-7978976395686211902016-07-01T15:18:00.003-04:002016-07-01T15:18:40.464-04:00Hernias and how to know the signs and symptomsOriginal Story: mydaytondailynews.com<br />
<br />
<br />
As you bend down to pick up the groceries, all of the sudden you feel a pop and have shooting pain in the abdomen — or worse yet, in the groin. Maybe that pain is where you have a scar from surgery. Could these be the first signs that you are dealing with a <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a>?<br /><br />As a very common surgical problem, hernias can cause pain and discomfort that can make even day-to-day activities difficult. Sometimes a bulge or a lump appears where the hernia has occurred, accompanying symptoms of pain. Whether or not a bulge is visible, you may be dealing with a hernia, and surgery may be necessary.<br /><br />“A hernia is a hole in the muscle or abdomen where there should not be one,” says Christopher Schneider, MD, a Kettering Physician Network surgeon and co-director of the Hernia Center at Soin Medical Center in Beavercreek. “Hernias can occur anywhere in the body including in areas that are not easily seen. Most often the <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> is located in one of the groin regions or at the belly button. Previous surgeries can weaken the abdominal wall, making hernias more likely to occur along an existing scar.”<br /><br />In adults, after a hernia forms, it will never go away. The discomfort (and usually pain) that comes from the hernia is a result of other structures of the body (like the bowel or fat) pushing through that hole. “If the lump does not go away or if the pain continues to increase, this could indicate a bigger problem,” says Dr. Schneider. “The bowel or fat could twist on itself and then die off. A hernia in that situation becomes an emergency and could be life threatening.”<br /><br />Recognizing the symptoms of a hernia early and being examined by a doctor are important. Signs and symptoms include a new bulge that comes on suddenly and pain that does not go away.<br /><br />Even after a hernia has already been repaired there is still always the possibility that it will return. “Activity too soon after surgery, smoking, significant coughing, obesity and uncontrolled diabetes can all cause difficulty healing and lead to another hernia,” says Dr. Schneider. “Sometimes, even though a person has done nothing to aggravate it, a hernia can still come back.”<br /><br />Other risk factors of a <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> include chronic constipation, difficult bowel movements and a family history of hernias.<br /><br />Dr. Schneider recommends that your doctor examine any new lump, bump, or bulge. Not all hernias need surgery, but all of them should be looked at and discussed in order to prevent emergency situations from happening and to assure long term health.<br /><br />Kettering Health Network is a faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare system that improves quality of life through healthcare and education. The Network has eight hospitals: Grandview, Kettering, Sycamore, Southview, Greene Memorial, Fort Hamilton, Kettering Behavioral Health and Soin. The network’s 10 emergency departments and four trauma centers make up one of the largest and most advanced networks of emergency care in the state of Ohio.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-35677797120320104362016-07-01T15:15:00.001-04:002016-07-01T15:15:53.112-04:002 Injured in Accident on Downtown Los Angeles Film Set<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
Original Story: ktla.com </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
Two
people at a downtown Los Angeles film set were injured Thursday when
equipment fell on them, authorities said. This will be a case for a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-personal-injury-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html">Los Angeles personal injury lawyer</a>.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
The
incident occurred about 8:40 p.m. near 7th and Spring streets,
according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
One person had head trauma and the other person suffered a leg injury, Humphrey said.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
The equipment that fell onto the people may have been a ventilation fan, he added.</div>
Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-61392703991967419302016-07-01T14:54:00.000-04:002016-07-01T14:54:06.268-04:00Hanford workers report illnesses linked to chemical vaporsOriginal Story: tri-cityherald.com<br />
<br />
Dave Klug walked out of a Hanford tank farm control room on a cold, calm night in January 2010 into air that took his breath away.<br /><br />“Immediately, I had tightness in my chest. I lost feeling in my face. My heart rate was going crazy,” he said.<br /><br />Klug, a longtime Hanford tank farm worker, was one of several workers who talked about their experiences with chemical vapors at a forum Wednesday night in Pasco. Was this coming from a <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical storage tank</a> nearby?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br /><br />Klug was off work for 11 months after that night and now has 30 percent permanent, partial disability for reactive airway disease and occupational asthma, he said.<br /><br />Those who talked at the forum kept coming back to two types of illnesses they believe are caused by chemical vapors — breathing problems, as Klug described, and neurological issues, including a brain disease called toxic encephalopathy. This could involve a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/baton-rouge-la-toxic-torts-lawyer/degan-blanchard-nash-plc-baton-rouge-louisiana-la.html" target="_blank">Baton Rouge toxic torts lawyer</a> for assistance.<br /><br />Toxic encephalopathy is what Barbara Sall said led to the dementia and death of her husband, a Hanford carpenter who died at the age of 57. This could have been solved by a good <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical holding tanks</a> with proper seals.<br /><br />The forum — organized by Hanford Challenge, union Local 598 and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson — drew about 200 people. The two agencies and the state of Washington have filed a federal lawsuit seeking better protection from chemical vapors for Hanford workers.<br /><br />The Department of Energy, the target of the lawsuit along with its tank farm contractor, has said that all air samples analyzed from the breathing zones of workers since 2005 have not found chemicals in concentrations above the occupational limits set to protect workers.<br /><br />In recent months, about 53 workers have received medical checks for possible exposure to chemical vapors at Hanford, but all have been cleared to return to work when no symptoms were detected, according to DOE. Blood tests also have come back clear.<br /><br />But such statements have been met with skepticism.<br /><br />One worker at the meeting said it seemed that the tank farm contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, did not care about sick workers when it recently pointed out that it had the second-best safety record in the nationwide DOE cleanup complex. Will these workers need a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/new-orleans-la-toxic-torts-lawyer/degan-blanchard-nash-plc-new-orleans-louisiana-la.html" target="_blank">New Orleans toxic torts lawyer</a> for help?<br /><br />“They are going to eat those words” when they lose the lawsuit, said James Hart, national president of the Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.<br /><br />Mike Lawrence, the DOE Hanford manager from 1984-90, said he has been following the issue closely.<br /><br />A significant number of workers have experienced health effects or symptoms, Lawrence said. There could be a correlation between the illnesses and toxic fumes from chemicals in <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical storage tanks</a>.<br /><br />But DOE says it cannot measure chemicals in vapors at levels that current occupational standards say would cause a problem.<br /><br />“Obviously people are hurting, people are sick and something needs to be done,” Lawrence said.<br /><br />He proposed that an independent, experienced and qualified third party, chosen jointly by DOE and the state of Washington, collect data.<br /><br />Although a team of experts led by the Savannah River National Laboratory prepared the latest report on Hanford tank vapors, the report has no credibility to some because the lab is part of the DOE system, Lawrence said. This story has caught the attention of a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/jackson-wy-personal-injury-lawyer/gary-l-shockey-pc-jackson-wyoming-wy.html" target="_blank">Jackson toxic exposure lawyer</a>.<br /><br />He suggested the University of Washington School of Public Health as a possible independent agency for the work.<br /><br />Unless DOE can prove that workers are not being exposed to chemical vapors, protective gear should be worn, he said.<br /><br />Supplied air respirators are required if Hanford officials suspect conditions that could cause the release of chemical vapors. The Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council has demanded that supplied air respirators be mandatory for any worker in the tank farms, and in some cases workers near the farms.<br /><br />Klug said the tank farm contractor just needs to fix the problem. Work to raise discharge stacks from the tanks so they are farther from worker’s noses is not enough, he said.<br /><br />It has to be DOE’s responsibility to keep workers safe, said Steven Gilbert, director of the nonprofit Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders in Seattle and a Hanford Challenge board member.<br /><br />“It’s a witches brew of chemical in the tanks,” he said.<br /><br />Exactly which chemicals workers are exposed to is not known, Gilbert said. But he can say that inhaled chemicals can cause problems. The chemicals can go from the lungs to the brain quickly. They wonder if there was proper use of a <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical holding tank</a>.<br /><br />People have different sensitivities to chemical vapors, said Rick Jansons, a former Hanford worker who is running for the state Legislature. Incumbent Brad Klippert also was at the meeting.<br /><br />Jansons has been exposed three times and has developed no symptoms, but it is obvious that other people are getting sick, he said.<br /><br />Diana Gegg, a former heavy equipment operator at Hanford, said she was 600 yards away from a reported vapor cloud in 2007 when she was exposed. Within a week she developed flu-like symptoms, plus vision problems diagnosed as muscle dysfunction.<br /><br />She eventually had to stop driving and has been diagnosed with toxic encephalopathy and neurotoxicity, she said. Hanford officials have denied she was injured.<br /><br />“My life ended that day as I knew it,” she said.<br /><br />Hart, the national union official, said he has looked at the cause of death for Hanford workers represented by Local 598 back to 1988 and sees a pattern of deaths caused by cancer and respiratory illness for workers not yet 65 years old. This is the type of research that a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/jackson-wy-personal-injury-lawyer/gary-l-shockey-pc-jackson-wyoming-wy.html" target="_blank">Jacksonville toxic torts lawyer</a> would have to do.<br /><br />Younger workers at the tank farms are afraid to speak up about their concerns, Klug said.<br /><br />Any worker under the union umbrella of the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council who raises tank vapor concerns will have the full protection of the AFL-CIO’s national Metal Trades Council, Hart said.<br /><br />“We are all fighting for the people in this room,” he told the crowd.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-76216567633312988572016-06-30T17:25:00.001-04:002016-06-30T17:25:42.530-04:00Orland Park Man Finds Relief After Complex Robotic Hernia Surgery<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: theherald-news.com</span><br />
<br />
Years ago Orland Park resident John Jawor was diagnosed with a benign tumor on his pancreas. After the growth was surgically removed, scar tissue developed and the abdominal tissue was weakened, developing a painful tear over time that progressively enlarged. A lump became visible, growing larger than a walnut.<br /><br />Jawor consulted his primary care doctor, who referred him to see general surgeon Dr. Thomas Vasdekas. Dr. Vasdekas recommended robotic <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> surgery at the Midwest Institute of Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital. More robotic surgeries are performed at Silver Cross than any other hospital or surgery center in the Chicago metropolitan area.<br /><br />Jawor is now pain free and the hernia is gone. “I am so grateful to Dr.Vasdekas for repairing my hernia and the great nursing staff at Silver Cross for making my entire experience so pleasant,” said the 63-year old. “Not only was my recovery quick, I was able to return to work much sooner.”<br /><br />A hernia occurs when an organ or scar tissue pushes through an opening in the muscle or tissue that holds it in place. Hernia surgery is one of the most common general surgical procedures performed in the U.S.<br /><br />“In John’s case, his prior surgery made his abdomen wall weak causing scar tissue that eventually created a very large <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a>, which was actually comprised of five small hernias,” said Dr.Vasdekas, board certified general surgeon on staff at Silver Cross. “By completing the surgery using the da Vinci robot, a less invasive technique was used to insert a large piece of mesh to repair the hernia. In addition, robotic surgery far surpasses any other surgical approach because it greatly enhances the surgeon’s ability to visualize tissue allowing for more flexibility to make repairs in tighter spaces.<br /><br />“Robotic surgery offers complex cases, like John’s, many potential benefits over traditional open surgery, including minimal blood loss, less scarring, shorter hospital stay, low risk of complications and a faster recovery,” said Dr. Vasdekas.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-5513310072664038032016-06-28T10:34:00.000-04:002016-06-28T10:34:18.489-04:00Hundreds Arrested For $900 Million Worth Of Health Care Fraud<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: cnn.com </span><br />
<br />
The Justice Department announced Wednesday it's charging hundreds of individuals across the country with committing Medicare fraud worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> doctor said it is the largest he has ever seen.<br /><br />It's the largest takedown in history -- both in terms of the number of people charged and the loss amount, according to the Justice Department.<br />The majority of the cases being prosecuted involve separate fraudulent billings to Medicare, Medicaid or both for treatments that were never provided. <br />In one case, a Detroit clinic that was actually a front for a narcotics diversion scheme billed Medicare for more than $36 million, the Justice Department said. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/fairfield-county-ct-medicare-and-medicaid-lawyer/brody-wilkinson-pc-fairfield-county-connecticut-ct.html" target="_blank">Connecticut medicare lawyer</a> may be contacted.<br /><br />A doctor in Texas has been charged with participating in schemes to bill Medicare for "medically unnecessary home health services that were often not provided."<br />And in Florida, the owner of several infusion clinics is accused by the federal government of defrauding medicare out of over $8 million for a scheme involving the reimbursement for expensive intravenous drugs that were never actually purchased and never given to patients.<br />"Health care fraud is not an abstract violation or benign offense. It is a serious crime," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. "They target real people -- many of them in need of significant medical care. They promise effective cures and therapies, but they provide none. Above all, they abuse basic bonds of trust -- between doctor and patient; between pharmacist and doctor; between taxpayer and government -- and pervert them to their own ends."<br /><br />The defendants are charged with a numerous crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.<br />The numbers from the case are staggering.<br />The Justice Department says that 301 people across the country have been charged with about $900 million in false billing -- both records for the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which carried out the "unprecedented nationwide sweep."<br />"These criminals target the most vulnerable in our society by taking money away from the care of the elderly, children and disabled," said FBI Associate Deputy Director David Bowdich.<br />Defendants in Florida are charged with carrying out more than $200 million worth of fraud, while individuals in California, Texas and Michigan are charged with committing more than $100 million worth of fraud in each state. Many of a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/san-diego-ca-health-care-lawyer/neil-dymott-frank-mcfall-trexler-aplc-san-diego-california-ca.html" target="_blank">San Diego health care fraud lawyer</a> are reviewing these cases.<br /><br />The strike force, part of a joint initiative between the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Service, was formed in 2007. To date it has carried out takedowns resulting in more than 1,000 people being charged with committing over $3.5 billion in health care fraud.<br /><br />Home health fraud<br />Much of the fraud involved home health care agencies -- and those types of services have been identified as particularly vulnerable to fraud, according to the HHS Department's inspector general.<br />Medicare home health benefit covers skilled nursing care, home-based assistance and therapeutic services for qualifying individuals who are home-bound.<br />In conjunction with the arrests, the HHS inspector general released a study saying that more than $10 billion was made in improper payments in home health care in the 2015 financial year.<br />"Home health has long been recognized as a program area vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse," it said. "Home health fraud in Medicare continues to warrant scrutiny and attention."<br />It also identified 27 so-called "hotspots" in 12 places where it believes home health care fraud is committed more often. With more than one <a href="http://www.primerus.com/novato-san-francisco-ca-health-care-lawyer/brayton-purcell-llp-novato-san-francisco-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles health care lawyer</a> staying on top of the story it is no wonder why this is getting so much publicity.<br /><br />Part D fraud<br />Lynch said one of the new trends law enforcement noticed was fraud involving the Medicare Part D, the prescription drug program.<br />"We saw new evidence of identity theft, including the use of stolen doctors' IDs to prepare fake prescriptions," she said.<br />More than 60 of those who were arrested were charged with fraud related to Part D, according to the Justice Department.<br />The HHS inspector general's office said that one in three Part D beneficiaries received commonly abused opioids last year, a trend it called concerning.<br />"Misuse of opioids not only has serious financial costs but also human costs, including deaths from overdoses," HHS said. "These continuing high rates provide further evidence of this crisis facing our Nation."Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-57711793566837510562016-06-28T10:20:00.001-04:002016-06-28T10:20:23.346-04:00Nation's biggest healthcare fraud probe nets 301 people, including 22 in Southern California<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: latimes.com</span><br /><br />Several doctors, a psychiatrist and a pharmacist were among 22 people in Southern California charged as part of a nationwide investigation into federal healthcare fraud schemes that frequently targeted military families and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday. A <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia.html" target="_blank">hernia</a> doctor was not believed to be part of the case.<br /><br />The investigation resulted in the largest such enforcement action in U.S. history, netting more than 300 people nationwide and involving more than $900 million in fraudulent billings, officials said.<br /><br />In Southern California, five physicians were among those arrested in cases involving $125 million in elaborate fraud schemes that targeted Medicare and the military’s medical plan and involved medical billing, unnecessary procedures and high-priced specialized compound medications. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/st-louis-mo-medicare-and-medicaid-defense-lawyer/wuestling-james-lc-st-louis-missouri-mo.html" target="_blank">St Louis medical malpractice defense lawyer</a> may need to be consulted.<br /><br />The charges in 13 criminals cases filed in federal courts in Los Angeles and Santa Ana include conspiracy, money laundering, kickback schemes and identity theft, according to several federal indictments.<br /><br />“Those charged in cases unsealed this week include one doctor who allegedly performed medically unnecessary procedures at his offices in Temecula and Mira Loma. And he submitted nearly $12 million in bills to Medicare,” U.S. Atty. Eileen M. Decker said. <br /><br />That physician was named in the federal charges as Dr. Donald Woo Lee. The 50-year-old physician is accused of performing unnecessary vein procedures on patients even when they had no signs of varicose veins. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-medical-malpractice-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago medical malpractice lawyer</a> said this is a clear case of wrongdoing.<br /><br />The other doctors charged are David Michael Jensen, 65, of Whittier; Kain Kumar, 52, of Encino; Sang Kim, 67, of Porter Ranch and Samuel Albert, 81, of Laguna Beach.<br /><br />None of the physicians could be reached for comment.<br />Most losses in Southern California are tied to five cases involving compounding pharmacies, which combine different medications into one drug, Decker said. The scams are orchestrated by marketers known as “cappers,” who recruit patients and sometimes use their identity to obtain government medical funding. <br /><br />Decker said compounding pharmacies were provided with scores of prescriptions, generally for pain medications, that carried huge reimbursements, often more than $15,000 for each prescription.<br /><br />The prescriptions were written for “patients” who, in many cases, did not want the medicines, had never met the prescribing doctors or had no idea why they were receiving the medications, Decker said.<br /><br />Tricare, the military’s managed care program, was the primary target of schemes involving the compounding pharmacies, Decker said. “Prescriptions were written for profit rather than to treat the patient,” Decker said. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/charlotte-nc-medical-malpractice-lawyer/charles-g-monnett-iii-associates-charlotte-north-carolina-nc.html" target="_blank">Charlotte medical malpractice lawyer</a> would not comment on the case.<br /><br /><br />One marketer John Garbino, 46, of Dana Point, was charged with receiving illegal kickbacks. A Palmdale pharmacy working with Garbino allegedly received more than $46 million from Tricare in a six-month period ending in May 2015, court records show.<br /><br />In another scheme, Dr. David Michael Jensen, 65, of Whittier, owner a La Mirada pharmacy Valley View Drugs Inc., was indicted along with two marketers on charges of paying and receiving illegal kickbacks.<br /><br />Health insurers paid the pharmacy more than $20 million, and the pharmacy paid nearly half of that to companies associated with the marketers, according to the indictment.<br /><br />“Patients were pawns in an alleged pay-for-play fraud scheme,” California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/knoxville-tn-medical-malpractice-defense-lawyer/kennerly-montgomery-finley-pc-knoxville-tennessee-tn.html" target="_blank">Knoxville medical malpractice defense lawyer</a> was ready to take on new clients.<br /><br />Anthony J. Orlando, acting special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation unit, said in one scheme the proceeds were laundered using a carwash, a plumbing business and an escrow company.<br /><br />Most of those charged in Southern California were arrested Monday and Tuesday. Several turned themselves in to authorities.<br /><br />Two others remain at large and are believed to be overseas, officials said. Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-2776083061082591472016-06-21T17:59:00.001-04:002016-06-21T17:59:59.111-04:00Persian Gulf War Veterans Still Suffering Serious Health Problems<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: huffingtonpost.com</span><br />
<br />
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War.<br /><br />It
was fought in late 1990 through early 1991 by a U.S.-led coalition of
34 countries against Iraq in response to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of
Kuwait. Was there a problem with a <a href="http://www.augustafiberglass.com/chemical-holding-storage-tanks.html" target="_blank">chemical storage tank</a> leaking?<br /><br />It also was the first U.S. war to be waged after the advent of the 24-hour cable television news cycle.<br /><br />The conflict was accompanied by memorably intense and round-the-clock coverage on CNN.<br /><br />But
there’ve been few recognitions of the war’s 25-year milestone on the
cable news networks, let alone in broadcast or print media.<br /><br />For
David Winnett, a Gulf War combat veteran who climbed the ranks from
private to captain during his 20-year career in the U.S. Marines, it’s
just the latest in a succession of insults to the men and women who
served in this largely forgotten war. This may need the services of a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-toxic-torts-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles Toxic Torts Lawyer</a>.<br /><br />“It’s
no surprise that many people could easily forget ‘our war.’ It was far
too fast by any historical measure,” Winnett told Healthline. “Perhaps
things would be different had we continued our advance all the way to
Baghdad, but the fact is, we didn’t. So regardless of whether or not we
think our war has been unfairly set aside in the history books, it is
what it is.”<br /><br />Toxic Aftermath<br /><br />While ground combat in the
Persian Gulf War only lasted days, Winnett said, the toxic legacy of the
war has been just as devastating for the postwar health of Gulf War
veterans as the defoliant Agent Orange has been for those who served in
Vietnam.<br /><br />Winnett is just one of hundreds of thousands of Gulf War
vets who suffer from Gulf War Illness (GWI), also known as Gulf War
Syndrome, the panoply of chronic and often debilitating symptoms
reported by veterans of that conflict.<br /><br />The acute symptoms, which
for many veterans never go away, include extreme fatigue, neurological
issues, insomnia, migraines, joint pain, persistent coughing,
gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and constipation, skin
problems, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems.<br /><br />The
National Academy of Sciences estimates that as many as 250,000 of the
700,000 U.S. troops who served in the Persian Gulf War have been
affected by GWI, which studies have shown is the result of a litany of
toxic exposures that troops like Winnett endured while serving.<br /><br />Troops
were exposed to toxic smoke from the fires of thousands of military
burn pits in the war zone. The fires involved tires and other things
that contain harmful chemicals.<br /><br />There was also sarin and other toxic chemicals dropped on U.S. troops.<br /><br />Two
peer reviewed scientific research studies released in 2012 concluded
that weather patterns carried massive toxic chemical cloud that fell on
U.S. troops. The cloud was created by the U.S. bombing of Iraqi chemical
weapon storage facilities<br /><br />The first study concluded that nerve
and blister agents, which were supplied to Iraq by the U.S. before the
Gulf War when Hussein was an uncomfortable ally, were bombed by U.S.
forces. The toxic substances were swept into the atmosphere and
subsequently dropped on U.S. troops.<br /><br />The second study confirmed the number of GWI reports was in fact higher at the places where the sarin fell.<br /><br />“Our
peer reviewed scientific findings bring us full circle by confirming
what most soldiers believed when they heard the nerve gas alarms. The
alarms were caused by sarin fallout from our bombing of Iraqi weapons
sites,” James Tuite, who led the first study, said in a statement.<br /><br />The VA’s Position<br /><br />Despite
the scientific evidence and a mandate from Congress that Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) recognize several of the symptoms as connected to
service in the Gulf War, the VA maintains that there are no definitive
scientific studies that link symptoms and diseases associated with GWI
to toxic exposures during the war.<br /><br />According to a 2015 report,
about 80 percent of Gulf War veterans who file disability claims citing
presumptive chronic multisymptom illnesses connected to toxic exposures
are denied by the VA.<br /><br />A written statement from the VA’s
Post-Deployment Health Services team to Healthline stated that in the
past few years the VA has “ramped up educational efforts to VA providers
on Gulf War Illness.” However, the statement read, “there are times
when referral to a psychiatrist is indicated due to a co-morbid
condition such as severe depression or another severe mental health
condition.”<br /><br />In another email to Healthline, VA officials said a
claim could be denied for a number of reasons, including the belief an
ailment was caused by something other than military service or the
ailment could be “less than 10 percent disabling.”<br /><br />Most often,
say multiple sources for this story, veterans who say they have these
symptoms are sent to the psychiatric departments of VA centers, where
they are typically given psychotropic drugs that don’t help them, and in
many cases make things worse.<br /><br />The VA acknowledges the following
in a statement on its website: “Rockets filled with sarin and
cyclosporine mixes were found at a munitions storage depot in
Khamisiyah, Iraq, that had been demolished by U.S. service members
following the 1991 Gulf War cease-fire. An undetermined amount of these
chemicals was released into the atmosphere. The Department of Defense
concluded about 100,000 Gulf War Veterans could have been exposed to low
levels of these nerve agents.”<br /><br />The VA also adds that “research
doesn’t show long-term neurological problems from exposure to low levels
of sarin. A low level of sarin is an amount that doesn’t cause
noticeable symptoms during the exposure.”<br /><br />Regarding the burn
pits, a VA statement on its burn pits registry page reads, “At this
time, research does not show evidence of long-term health problems from
exposure to burn pits.”<br /><br />Did the Gulf War Cause Cancer, Too?<br /><br />Benjamin
Krause is a Gulf War veteran who went to law school after he retired
from the military, and dedicates his practice to helping his fellow
veterans.<br /><br />He told Healthline that burn pit exposures are associated with an increasing number of diseases, including cancer.<br /><br />“There’s
growing evidence showing a link between burn pits and certain cancers
like pancreatic cancer, for example,” Krause said. “VA is working to
create a registry to help with service connection and health benefits
for these veterans, but history has shown us that such initiatives take
much longer to perfect while sick veterans die.”<br /><br />Compounding the
problem, Krause said, are non-VA healthcare providers who are simply
unaware of the health risks of military service.<br /><br />“They don’t ask
the right questions and risk deadly misdiagnosis of symptoms because of a
lack of awareness of the harms of burn pits, among other things,”
Krause noted. “Veterans are getting sick and dying now. We need our VA
to pick up the pace before more veterans get sick and die from burn pit
exposure related illnesses.”<br /><br />Congress Steps In<br /><br />Anthony
Hardie, a staff sergeant in the Army who served in combat deployments in
the Gulf War and Somalia, has worked for years to get laws passed that
set the framework for Gulf War veterans’ healthcare, research, and
disability benefits.<br /><br />The director of Veterans for Common Sense
and chair of the programmatic panel of directors for the Gulf War
Illness Research Program, Hardie’s work with fellow veteran advocates on
both sides of the aisle led to the passage of the Persian Gulf War
Veterans Act of 1998 and the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998.<br /><br />Hardie
told Healthline that these laws gave Gulf War veterans hope for new
treatments and recognition by the VA that their persistent symptoms were
related to their service.<br /><br />“But when veterans suffering from Gulf
War Illness walk through the door at VA centers and clinics in 2016,”
he said, “there are still no evidence-based treatments for them. And
most of them are just shuffled off to psychiatric care.”<br /><br />Winnett
added that while Congress deemed three symptoms to be “presumptive” to
service in the Gulf War, the VA continues to largely ignore that.<br /><br />“The
most widely reported symptoms of Gulf War Illness are profound fatigue,
excruciating bodywide muscle pain, and chronic GI problems,” said
Winnett. “The VA, despite its own regulations that are supposed to give
the benefit of the doubt to veterans with symptoms considered
‘presumptive’ to service in the Persian Gulf War, instead continue as an
organization to view Gulf War Illness as a psychosomatic illness.”<br /><br />Winnett
explained that if a veteran can’t get their symptoms rated as
service-connected, “their chance of receiving medical care relative to
their symptoms is slim to none. This is a national tragedy of the
highest order.”<br /><br />Reasons for Optimism<br /><br />Despite the frustrations, every veteran advocate interviewed for this story said there is reason for optimism.<br /><br />For one thing, Congress recently decided to continue funding GWI treatment research at $20 million for the next year.<br /><br />“[This]
is just what we asked for,” said Hardie. “It shows that Congress
continues to take Gulf War veterans’ health issues far more seriously
than the Department of Defense or the VA.”<br />In addition to the two House hearings earlier this year, the Senate has also taken up the GWI issue.<br /><br />Last
month, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, announced that
reforms and investments she fought for to improve veterans’ care were
passed by the Senate as a part of the fiscal year 2017 Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill.<br /><br />Among Baldwin’s priorities stated in the bill is “better treatment for veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness.”<br /><br />Baldwin’s
provisions, which have received virtually no media coverage, would
“improve the approval rates of veterans’ disability claims; enhance
ongoing studies and research into the causes of and treatments for Gulf
War Illness; and strengthen the membership and work of the Research
Advisory Committee, which oversees the government’s research agenda.”<br /><br />A
spokesperson for the VA told Healthline, “The Department of Veterans
Affairs is currently working on responding directly to Senator Baldwin,
and will include relevant post-deployment health information.”<br /><br />Promising New Science<br /><br />The science surrounding GWI also continues to progress.<br /><br />Two
major, four-year, $5 million treatment development research projects at
Nova Southeastern University and Boston University are about halfway
completed and are expected to break new ground for possible GWI
treatment recommendations.<br /><br />And while there are no evidence-based
treatments yet for GWI, some natural supplements have been shown in
studies to effectively lessen some of the symptoms.<br /><br />Researchers
at the University of California, San Diego, concluded a few years ago
that 19 of the most common GWI symptoms improved after taking
supplements.<br /><br />“We found in our research that there was significant
benefit to the veterans’ physical function,” Beatrice Golomb, professor
of medicine at the school and principal investigator on the study, told
the Bergmann & Moore veterans law firm. “And that is a huge issue
with these veterans, whose physical functions often decline. Some of
them used to run 20 miles. Now they can’t jog a couple of blocks.”<br /><br />About
80 percent of veterans with GWI who took coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) saw
improved physical function, and the improvement correlated to higher
levels of CoQ10 found in the blood, according to research published in
Neural Computation.<br /><br />“This is not a cure, but we think maybe if we
give the veterans more of a mitochondrial cocktail they will see an
even greater benefit,” Golomb said.<br /><br />Forgotten After 9/11<br /><br />Winnett
said he felt a “moral obligation” to help his fellow vets after making a
2008 trip to Washington for a VA hearing on Gulf War veterans’ health.<br /><br />“I
was taken aback by the physical condition of the veterans I saw there,”
Winnett recalled. “I was older than most Gulf War veterans because I
had 16 years of service under my belt when the war began. In Washington,
I saw veterans in their 40s who couldn’t walk without assistance. Some
were in wheelchairs.”<br /><br />Winnett said that after 9/11, many people
in America, including legislators, just forgot about the fact that many
thousands of 1991 veterans were sick.<br /><br />“We moved on as a country
following 9/11 to more pressing matters,” he said. “I would guess that
Korean War veterans experienced a similar phenomenon as the Vietnam War
ramped up in the mid 1960s. There comes a time when you’re no longer the
flavor of the day.”<br /><br />Thomas Bandzul, an attorney and veterans
advocate who’s testified numerous times before Congress on Gulf War
health issues, said the American public to this day simply does not have
a good understanding of the effects the Gulf War had on the troops.<br /><br />“The
VA has downplayed the significance of Gulf War Illness and has
successfully delayed the research that help veterans with their physical
ailments,” Bandzul said. “VA still refuses to treat or allow these
veterans a disability claim. The unspecific term of ‘general illness’ is
still applied to most Gulf War veterans, and their claims are usually
denied. This callous and capricious manner in dealing with veterans is a
shame.”<br /><br />Veterans Have Each Other’s Backs<br /><br />But what stands
out most among the Gulf War veterans who agreed to talk to Healthline
for this piece is their relentless support of each other.<br /><br />Last
year, Larry Cockrell, a combat veteran who served with the 7th Marines
in Task Force Ripper during the first Gulf War, was rated 100 percent
disabled by the VA and retired from a successful career as an
investigator for several Fortune 500 companies.<br /><br />Cockrell has
several serious health issues as a result of his service, but he’s
dedicated his life to assisting his fellow combat veterans as well as
their families on their ranch in Lake Mathews in Southern California.<br /><br />“We
assist combat veterans with file claims or file disagreements with VA,”
he told Healthline. “Honestly, the Gulf War was forgotten when the
parades ended. We fought the largest tank battles, birched the largest
minefields, and injected our troops with experimental vaccines, all
while fighting on the most contaminated battlefield in the history of
warfare.”<br /><br />Cockrell said “everyone dropped the ball” when Gulf War
veterans came home and could not get the healthcare they needed. But he
said he has gotten new strength and has never felt a stronger sense of
purpose than he does now by helping his fellow veterans on his ranch.<br /><br />“We
love having the spouses and partners here enjoying the ambience and
horses and giving their kids rides,” he said. “Ironically, I’ve only had
a few veterans jump on a horse and ride. But as Winston Churchill once
said, ‘the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.’ Just
being around them assists veterans. It’s a given that our health issues
are not going to get better as we get older. It’s time to give these
combat veterans a 100 percent disability rating and a chance to manage
their disabilities.”Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-78760608935063096532016-06-13T13:51:00.001-04:002016-06-13T13:51:31.348-04:00Healthcare Cloud Security Concerns Not Impediment to Usage<span style="color: #999999;">Original Story: healthitsecurity.com</span><br />
<br />
A
recent study found that 77 percent of healthcare organizations plan to
increase the use of public cloud services despite significant healthcare
cloud security concerns.<br />Public and private cloud solutions are
gaining popularity in the healthcare industry, especially for data
storage and network usage, despite issues surrounding healthcare cloud
security and PHI data breaches. <a href="http://secanthealthcare.com/">Secant Healthcare</a> is looking into these options.<br /><br />Researchers
at HyTrust recently published a study that revealed 77 percent of
healthcare organizations plan to move more workloads onto a public cloud
service even though healthcare data security was a major concern with
cloud usage.<br /><br />“Without much fanfare, this critical technology
advance has become woven into the basic fabric of businesses large and
small,” said HyTrust President Eric Chiu. “The potential of
virtualization and the cloud was always undeniable, but there was
genuine concern over security and skepticism regarding the processes
required.”<br /><br />While organizations across all industries reported
security challenges with cloud services, many companies are still
migrating additional workloads to private and public clouds, added Chui.<br /><br />The
study found that the healthcare industry is no exception to increased
cloud usage and virtualization. Approximately 55 percent of healthcare
organizations stated that they have already moved mission critical
workloads, such as sensitive patient information, to a cloud or
software-defined data center.<br /><br />Healthcare organizations are also
virtualizing other aspects of their infrastructure, reported the study.
Fifty-two percent of healthcare organizations have migrated test and
development server workloads to a cloud service and 61 percent use a
cloud product for storage.<br /><br />Despite increased cloud usage,
healthcare-related participants still said that their organization faced
significant healthcare cloud security challenges. About 58 percent of
respondents admitted that data security and breach concerns were the
biggest worry once migration began.<br /><br />In addition to data breach
concerns, other security challenges across all industries included
infrastructure-wide security and control as well as effective monitoring
and visibility into cloud infrastructure. <a href="http://secanthealthcare.com/">Secant Health</a> is watching their IT closely for data breaches.<br /><br />Additionally,
previous healthcare data breaches have not discouraged organizations
from implementing cloud services. An estimated 29 percent of respondents
from healthcare organizations said that they have experienced a
personal data breach.<br /><br />“The large-scale migrations are
particularly interesting in light of the many obstacles that have
previously impeded planned moves to virtualized infrastructures,”
explained the press release. “In fact, the survey reveals that not all
concerns have been eliminated.”<br /><br />To discover more about
implementing healthcare cloud security, researchers asked participants
in the industry what types of information needed to be secured in public
and private clouds.<br /><br />For public cloud security requirements,
healthcare organizations said that all production data should be
encrypted (32 percent), the entire workload should be encrypted (16
percent), and only personally identifiable information should be
encrypted (13 percent).<br /><br />In terms of private cloud services, about
one-third of healthcare respondents favored encrypting all production
data in a workload.<br /><br />Software defined-data centers and cloud
services are becoming staples in the healthcare industry as more
providers transition to value-based care models. These models rely on
large volumes of data and meaningful health IT use to increase quality
of care and reduce healthcare costs.<br /><br />While cloud products allow
healthcare providers are useful to value-based care delivery, HIPAA
rules still apply to data in the cloud.<br /><br />“Cloud computing
outsources technical infrastructure to another entity that essentially
focuses all its time on maintaining software, platforms, or
infrastructure,” The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) stated in
a paper. “But a covered entity… still remains responsible for
protecting PHI in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules,
even in circumstances where the entity has outsourced the performance of
core PHI functions.”<br /><br />However, healthcare organizations have
struggled to maintain comprehensive healthcare cloud security. According
to the Fall 2015 Netskope Cloud Report, healthcare cloud data loss
prevention violations were the most common data loss prevention offenses
across all industries studied, accounting for 76.2 percent of all cloud
violations.<br /><br />The report also discussed how healthcare and life
sciences averaged 1,017 cloud applications per organization, which was
the second highest number of apps behind the technology and IT sector.
Yet, PHI was involved in 68.5 percent of violations in cloud
applications.<br /><br />Securing patient and production data can be more
difficult when it is managed up in a cloud, but healthcare providers
should be aware of several healthcare cloud security measures.<br /><br />Healthcare
organizations should partner with cloud vendors that design
healthcare-specific products and can anticipate unique data security
requirements, such as HIPAA and HITECH rules.<br /><br />Regardless of
vendor selection, providers should also develop contextual visibility
and auditing capabilities. Healthcare cloud security policies should
include monitoring alerts, lock-down capabilities, and geo-fencing of
users. Intelligent security tools can be helpful for implementing these
policies. <a href="http://secanthealthcare.com/">Secant Healthcare</a> plans on being careful of their vendor selection.<br /><br />Technology
and healthcare are both evolving quickly, but healthcare cloud security
concerns could hold back providers from advancing care if they can’t
also secure PHI and production data. While the HyTrust study showed
healthcare organizations pushing ahead with cloud services despite
security challenges, many of these providers may need to review
healthcare cloud security measures.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-37028503319996602232016-05-27T13:12:00.000-04:002016-05-27T13:12:34.613-04:00Theranos Sued Over Faulty Blood Tests<span style="color: #cccccc;">Original Story: siliconbeat.com</span><br /><br />Things keep getting worse for Theranos.<br /><br />A new lawsuit accuses Thernos of misleading customers about the accuracy of its blood tests, a week after the embattled Palo Alto company reportedly admitted to voiding two years of results.<br /><br />The class-action lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court on Wednesday claims Theranos’ breakthrough product, which was supposed to provide a revolutionary way to conduct tests with just a few drops of blood taken from a patient’s finger, didn’t work. Contact a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-products-liability-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles product liability lawyer</a> if you need assistance with a case.<br /><br />“As a result, tens of thousands of patients may have been given incorrect blood-test results, been subject to unnecessary or potentially harmful treatments, and/or been denied the opportunity to seek treatment for a treatable condition,” the complaint states.<br /><br />The Edison machines, used at Walgreens Pharmacies in California and Arizona to conduct the finger-prick tests, have caused Theranos significant headaches. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the company told federal regulators it threw out all Edison test results for 2014 and 2015. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services are considering pulling Theranos’ licenses and banning founder Elizabeth Holmes from the industry.<br /><br />The lawsuit, brought on behalf of an Arizona man, claims Theranos told patients its tests were accurate and validated by the FDA and other bodies, when in reality the company was in hot water with regulators over its lack of compliance. In February 2015, an Edison device testing hormone levels failed 87 percent of quality-control checks, according to the complaint.<br /><br />The suit also claims Theranos misled the public by claiming it was using the Edison devices for certain tests, when it really wasn’t.<br /><br />The suit seeks to represent thousands of people who purchased Edison blood tests.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-16203163140751916622016-05-25T14:23:00.000-04:002016-05-25T14:23:00.998-04:00Melissa Gilbert 'Devastated' Over Doctor's Orders to Withdraw from Michigan Congressional Race Due to Spinal Injury Original Story: yahoo.com<br />
<br />
Melissa Gilbert is ending her campaign for Congress in Michigan’s 8th district due to a spinal injury that will require surgery. A <a href="http://www.buchananfirm.com/grand-rapids-spinal-cord-injury-sci-lawyer-attorney-michigan.html" target="_blank">Michigan spinal cord injury lawyer</a> says these injuries are more common than you think.<br /><br />The 52-year-old actress who rose to fame playing Laura Ingalls Wilder in Little House on the Prairie says she’s “devastated” that her doctors advised her to withdraw from the race.<br /><br />“My doctors said there’s no way for me to continue to deal with the incredibly rigorous demands of a congressional campaign without continuing to do harm to my body,” Gilbert tells PEOPLE. <br /><br />Gilbert says she is facing two herniated discs in her spine as the result of two head and neck injuries she sustained in 2012. First, she suffered whiplash and a concussion after a fall on Dancing with the Stars in April and months later the balcony of a house she was renting in Studio City, California collapsed over her head. <br /><br />“I was standing under the back balcony talking to my kids and it detached from the house and it collapsed on my head,” she recalls. “I ended up with a concussion and stitches in my head and it compressed two healthy discs in my neck.” <br /><br />These issues are compounded by what she calls a “long history” of neck and spine issues, beginning with a surgery to fuse a herniated disc in 2003. Contact a <a href="http://www.buchananfirm.com/grand-rapids-spinal-cord-injury-sci-lawyer-attorney-michigan.html" target="_blank">Grand Rapids SCI lawyer</a> if you are looking for compensation for an injury.<br /><br />Over the past four years, Gilbert says the nerve damage resulting from her injuries has become unbearable. <br /><br />“I have numbness in my right hand, shooting pains in my right arm and numbness in my neck,” she says. “So, after years of care, my neurologists are sending me to a neurosurgeon because I need to have another spinal surgery.” <br /><br />The surgery has not yet been scheduled and the recovery will take at least three months, making Gilbert’s dream of becoming the district’s first Democratic representative since the 1990s impossible. <br /><br />“It’s indescribable to have to make this decision because I had my sights set on my opponent and a lot of people around me felt that I could win,” Gilbert says. <br /><br />The actress who served as president of the Screen Actors Guild for four years adds that she won’t rule out another political run in the future. <br /><br />“I’m too engaged at this point. I know too much and there is so much that needs to be done in this district and this state and this country,” she says. “That’s why I jumped into the race in the first place.” <br /><br />“I will continue on this road of being of service,” she continues. “I wont know where that will take me but I’m not going to rule anything out.”Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-74659694254298463452016-05-25T12:11:00.000-04:002016-05-25T12:11:43.605-04:00Lapses In Infection Control Found At Two Los Angeles HospitalsOriginal Story: modernhealthcare.com<br />
<br />
California health inspectors dispatched to two Los Angeles hospitals following "superbug" outbreaks involving a hard-to-clean medical scope found numerous safety violations that appeared to put more patients at risk, according to a newspaper report. This means past patients may be contacting a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-personal-injury-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles personal injury lawyer</a>.<br /><br />The state declared an "immediate jeopardy" — meaning lives were at imminent risk — on March 4, 2015 at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Inspectors found staff using contaminated water and a tainted liquid cleaner dispenser being used to ready colonoscopes and other devices for the next patients.<br /><br />The rare "immediate jeopardy" ruling was used again three weeks later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. There inspectors found a "widespread pattern of potential ineffective sterilization and storage of surgical instruments" as well as problems with the disinfection of scopes.<br /><br />Both hospitals quickly fixed the problems, according to the Department of Public Health. The "immediate jeopardy" was lifted after just three hours at UCLA and a day at Cedars. On follow-up visits, the state found the problems had not continued. This doesn't mean that people may not contact a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-medical-malpractice-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles medical malpractice lawyer</a> for assistance.<br /><br />UCLA and Cedars officials said Friday they were not aware of any patients who were sickened by the sterilization problems the state regulators found during the March 2015 inspections.<br /><br />Yet patient advocates said that the reports showed how infection control practices can lag even at top hospitals that had recently responded to bacteria outbreaks.<br /><br />"You would think these very sophisticated leading facilities would have been on a hospital-wide alert," said Lisa McGiffert, who leads the safe patient project at Consumers Union, told the Times. "Hospital leadership is not putting enough resources into infection control."<br /><br />At the time of the superbug outbreaks, which both began in late 2014 and extended into early 2015, officials at the hospitals said they had stepped up cleaning of duodenoscopes — the device made by Olympus linked to the infections.<br /><br />Contamination of the scopes, lightweight tubes threaded through the mouth into the top of the small intestine, has been linked to bacterial outbreaks that sickened dozens of patients in hospitals around the country. In an outbreak at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, officials confirmed that patients had died. Contact a <a href="http://www.primerus.com/los-angeles-ca-wrongful-death-lawyer/law-offices-of-lawrence-s-eisenberg-associates-los-angeles-california-ca.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer</a> if you feel you have lost a loved one due to the fault of another.<br /><br />Olympus recalled one of its duodeonscope models in January. An outside expert had told the company in 2012 that the design of the device could allow bacteria to remain trapped after cleaning.<br />Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-11573602537931690732016-03-14T12:23:00.001-04:002016-03-28T11:14:42.760-04:00WAYNE STATE MEDICAL SCHOOL TOLD IT COULD BE PLACED ON ACCREDITATION PROBATION<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: crainsdetroit.com</span><br />
<br />
The Wayne State University School of Medicine has been notified that it could be placed on accreditation probation by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education if its appeal of the decision is not reversed by the LCME in an October reconsideration hearing, university officials confirmed to Crain’s this morning. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/baltimore-md-health-care-lawyer/dugan-babij-tolley-llc-baltimore-maryland-md.html" target="_blank">Baltimore health care lawyer</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
The LCME is the accrediting body for 134 American medical schools, four in Puerto Rico and 17 in Canada. From 2005 to 2014, it has placed nearly one-third of the schools it reviews on probation for various violations.<br />
<br />
The 1,200-student medical school in Midtown Detroit — the largest single medical school campus in America — was cited for 12 violations of LCME accreditation standards, including a lack of student diversity and lack of independent and active teaching in the school curriculum, said Roy Wilson, Wayne State’s president.<br />
<br />
“The LCME came in and found a series of issues in which we were noncompliant with the standards,” Wilson said. “They are very fixable.”<br />
<br />
Wilson said school graduation rates, student licensing tests and residency placement rates have been “extraordinary and above national averages.”<br />
<br />
But, he said, “there is no question we dropped the ball on (diversity recruiting) the last 10 years. We didn’t respond well to Proposition 2.” A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/chicago-il-health-care-lawyer/lane-lane-llc-chicago-illinois-il.html" target="_blank">Chicago health care attorney</a> is reviewing the details of this case.<br />
<br />
In 2006, Michigan voters approved Prop 2, which banned preferences based on gender or race for public employment, contracting or education. The effect was to eliminate affirmative action programs for student admissions at public colleges and universities.<br />
<br />
“We didn’t respond well to that by going above and beyond to recruit and attract and retain underrepresented minority students,” said Wilson, noting that the University of Colorado went through the same issue in 2008 when he was there.<br />
<br />
Since the LCME inspection visit three months ago, Jack Sobel, M.D., Wayne’s newly appointed medical school dean, said Wayne State has already begun taking steps to come into compliance with LCME standards.<br />
<br />
Last November, Sobel, an infectious-disease specialist, was appointed interim dean. He replaced Valerie Parisi, who became vice dean for faculty affairs at the University of South Florida.<br />
<br />
“We already had an effective task force that identified weaknesses in the recruiting program” for potential medical school applicants, said Sobel, who Wilson last week named dean for a two-year term as the school works through various problems.<br />
<br />
Over the next several weeks, Sobel said Wayne State medical school will hire additional staff to boost diversity recruitment and beef up its teaching methods.<br />
<br />
For example, Herbert Smitherman Jr., M.D., has been hired as interim vice dean for diversity. Smitherman is an assistant professor of internal medicine at Wayne State and CEO of Health Centers Detroit Foundation, a health center in Detroit. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/houston-tx-health-care-lawyer/o-donnell-ferebee-medley-frazer-pc-houston-texas-tx.html" target="_blank">Houston health care lawyer</a> provides professional legal counsel and extensive experience in many aspects of healthcare law.<br />
<br />
Wayne State also will recruit a new assistant dean for admissions, Sobel said.<br />
<br />
To conform with LCME regulations, Wilson estimated it would cost a little more than $550,000 to expand diversity and transform the curriculum to add smaller classrooms and make other teaching changes.<br />
<br />
“We have set aside the funds in the budget for next year,” Wilson said.<br />
<br />
Wayne State has appealed the probation decision and now awaits a reconsideration hearing scheduled to begin Oct. 13, said Wilson, noting that Wayne State is not disputing the LCME’s action.<br />
<br />
“There is really no downside to appealing,” he said. “We don’t expect it to be overturned. We buy more time, an extra three to four months, for them to come back and see how we are doing.”<br />
<br />
In effect, Wilson said Wayne State is officially not on probation until the reconsideration hearing process is complete. If upheld, Wayne State could be placed on probation for at least two years, he said. An <a href="http://khlawfirm.com/html/atlanta-college-university-litigation-attorney-lawyer-atlanta-georgia.html" target="_blank">Atlanta university lawyer</a> is reviewing the details of this case.<br />
<br />
“We are still a fully accredited medical school,” Sobel said. “There is no impact on outcome of students who graduate. They will continue to graduate with licensure results above the national average.”<br />
<br />
To read more about the LCME accreditation process, visit LCME's website.<br />
<br />
Wilson said the LCME didn’t directly criticize Wayne State’s medical school curriculum.<br />
<br />
“It is the way we teach,” he said. “Social things like Twitter didn’t exist eight years ago. They want us to update the whole process” to reflect new standards and social media technology.<br />
<br />
Other areas of noncompliance with LCME standards include inadequate numbers of students’ lockers and lack of space in cafeteria, lounge and auditorium areas, Wilson said.<br />
<br />
But Sobel said LCME ignored Wayne State’s large gymnasium, meditation room and recreation room for students.<br />
<br />
“(LCME) noted one student complained we only had one pingpong table,” he said.<br />
<br />
If the Wayne State medical school is placed on LCME probation, it will join an increasing number of schools cited the past several years.<br />
<br />
From 1993 to 2000, the LCME placed about 15 percent of medical schools on probation that it reviewed during that period. However, from 2005 and 2014, LCME placed 31 percent of the 159 schools on probation that it reviewed for reaccreditation, LCME said. A <a href="http://www.ferris.edu/bachelor-degree-nursing-professional.htm" target="_blank">Nursing Degree</a> prepares students to lead nursing and health care teams, coordinate and plan nursing care for a variety of clients, collaborate with other health professionals, and make confident, independent nursing professional decisions.<br />
<br />
Recently, LCME has placed several medical schools on probation, including George Washington University, the University of Texas-San Antonio and McGill University in Montreal.<br />
<br />
There are currently four medical schools on probation. They are Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin; University of Louisville School of Medicine; San Juan Bautista School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine.Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-42943919685064162192015-12-29T12:32:00.001-05:002015-12-29T12:32:06.000-05:00SURGEON CUSTOM-FITS LUNGS TO SUIT TRANSPLANT PATIENTS<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: freep.com</span><br />
<br />
Waiting for a lung transplant is hard enough but waiting for one that fits could take even longer.<br />
<br />
"Many of the patients on the waiting list have small lung sizes because of their disease," said Dr. Martin Strueber, a transplant specialist with Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. "Especially, children have a hard time waiting for a suitable donor graft because of size issues. The organ donors have average lung sizes." A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/grand-rapids-mi-health-care-lawyer/buchanan-buchanan-plc-grand-rapids-michigan-mi.html" target="_blank">Grand Rapids health care lawye</a>r is reviewing the details of this story.<br />
<br />
The answer, Strueber has found, is a custom fitting of lungs to recipients.<br />
<br />
"It's a the technique we learned from adult lung surgery," Strueber said. "It's a technique for reducing the size of patient lungs that have the disease of emphysema. We just modified this technique to use it to reduce oversized lungs for lung transplant patients."<br />
<br />
The results have been shorter wait times for patients who risk death if they are delayed. This year, the Richard DeVos Heart and Lung Transplant Program at Spectrum, where Strueber works, performed 28 lung transplants and had just eight people on the waiting list. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/detroit-mi-health-care-lawyer/mckeen-associates-pc-detroit-michigan-mi.html" target="_blank">Detroit health care attorney</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
"We want our waiting list to be very short and we want our patients to be transplanted as fast as we can so that we have no mortality on the waiting list," Strueber said. "That's the goal."<br />
<br />
The center logged a 93% survival rate for recipients one year after their transplants. One successful recipient was Sidney Whitaker, 66, of Hart. In April 2014, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition where scar tissue forms in the lungs, causing them to thicken to the point that they can't move oxygen into the bloodstream properly.<br />
<br />
"They didn't say it was it a death sentence," Whitaker said. "They weren't real sure initially what it was."<br />
<br />
But after a lung biopsy, Whitaker learned how serious it was.<br />
<br />
"You do nothing and you die or you get a transplant," Whitaker said.<br />
<br />
On Dec. 31, 2014, he was officially listed on the transplant list and told to keep his phone charged to receive a call and to be ready to get to the hospital within three hours. On Jan. 31, he receive a new lung. But it didn't take. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/grand-rapids-mi-hospital-lawyer/buchanan-buchanan-plc-grand-rapids-michigan-mi.html" target="_blank">Grand Rapids hospital lawyer</a> has experience with hospital and health care related cases.<br />
<br />
"The lung just wasn't working," said Dr. Reda Girgis, medical director for the lung transplant program at Spectrum. "That's why it was urgent to get that donor."<br />
<br />
About a week later, Whitaker received a new, modified lung that took almost immediately.<br />
<br />
"He got through it fairly well," Girgis said. "He's going to have his one-year anniversary in February. He's doing extremely well. He can do basically what he wants."<br />
<br />
Whitaker's wife, Jill, was stunned by how quickly her husband responded.<br />
<br />
"He was off oxygen in 24 hours," she said. Two months after his last surgery, he went home.<br />
<br />
"I have zero restrictions," said Whitaker, who continues to pick garlic, corn, asparagus, and potatoes that he grows on his 10-acre farm and sells at his Many Blessings Market.<br />
<br />
His wife, Jill, said she and her husband have become big advocates of the program.<br />
<br />
"We got to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary in July," Jill Whitaker said. "I wasn't sure we'd have that."<br />
<br />
Strueber said the lungs can be modified in one of two ways to make them fit. One is known as a lobectomy, the removal of an entire lobe of a lung before transplanting. The other is what's known as lung shaving, surgically removing portions of a lobe.<br />
<br />
"If the lung is really too big, it's usually a combination of a lobectomy and the lung shaving procedure," Strueber said. "You can take like 40% to 50% of it off. We have like donors being a huge male and then we transplant a small female, 100 pounds or less. It is all doable. It needs to be customized to the chest of the organ recipient."<br />
<br />
In addition to being an expert in lung shaving, Strueber is a pioneer in what's known as minimally invasive lung transplants.<br />
<br />
"The incisions are just in between the ribs," he said. "The chest bone stays intact."<br />
<br />
Strueber was born and trained in Germany and was courted to Grand Rapids two years ago to be part of a growing transplant program in Grand Rapids.<br />
<br />
"You have a community that needs the research. There is a lot of opportunity," he said. "I found that very interesting and challenging."Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-82935178480226708862015-11-20T11:39:00.000-05:002015-11-20T11:39:20.017-05:00UNITEDHEALTH MAY DUMP OBAMACARE PLANS, PUTTING CALIFORNIA EXPANSION IN DOUBT<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: latimes.com</span><br />
<br />
Industry giant UnitedHealth has warned it may quit selling Obamacare coverage across the country, raising questions about an expansion in California.<br />
<br />
The nation's largest health insurer cut its earnings forecast Thursday, citing slower growth on public exchanges under the Affordable Care Act and higher-than-expected claims for those individual policies. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/san-diego-ca-health-care-lawyer/neil-dymott-frank-mcfall-trexler-aplc-san-diego-california-ca.html" target="_blank">San Diego health care lawyer</a> have experience with multiple industry types and implications of detrimental health care practices or incidents.<br />
<br />
The company said it was pulling back on its marketing of health-law coverage just a few weeks after open enrollment began Nov. 1. UnitedHealth said it will decide in the first half of next year “to what extent it can continue to serve the public exchange markets in 2017.”<br />
<br />
UnitedHealth Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley told analysts and investors that “we cannot sustain these losses.... We can't really subsidize a marketplace that doesn't appear at the moment to be sustaining itself.”<br />
<br />
The announcement comes as UnitedHealth is seeking a toehold in California’s Obamacare market — after snubbing the state two years ago. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/cleveland-oh-health-care-lawyer/schneider-smeltz-ranney-lafond-pll-cleveland-ohio-oh.html" target="_blank">Cleveland health care attorney</a> is following this story closely.<br />
<br />
Nationwide, UnitedHealth has more than 500,000 people enrolled on government exchanges out of about 10 million Americans who have signed up. Rivals Anthem and Aetna both have a bigger presence with a combined enrollment of about 1.6 million people.<br />
<br />
Analysts said the exchanges can continue to function without UnitedHealth, but stagnant enrollment is a concern industrywide.<br />
<br />
UnitedHealth’s exit “would be a blow to multiple exchange markets, but not a death knell,” said Bill Melville, a senior analyst for Decision Resources Group, a research firm in Burlington, Mass. “All insurers in the exchanges are facing similarly rough head winds.”<br />
<br />
Enrollment growth has slowed as many of the uninsured balk at buying high-deductible health plans, even with federal subsidies available. It's crucial for insurers to sign up enough healthy people to help pay for sicker policyholders who eagerly seek out coverage.<br />
<br />
Federal officials estimate that about 10.5 million uninsured Americans are eligible to sign up for coverage through the marketplaces but have not enrolled.<br />
<br />
“The policies are still too expensive, and the deductibles and co-pays are too high for other than the poorest,” said Robert Laszewski, a healthcare consultant in Virginia who has closely tracked the overhaul.<br />
<br />
He noted that much of the reduction in the ranks of the uninsured has come from expanding Medicaid, the government health program for the poor.<br />
<br />
The Obama administration said the number of health plans offering exchange policies has increased since the 2014 launch, and it expects the individual market will stabilize as adjustments are made. A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/houston-tx-health-care-lawyer/talaska-law-firm-pllc-the-houston-texas-tx.html" target="_blank">Houston health care lawyer</a> is reviewing the details of this story.<br />
<br />
“The health insurance marketplace is entering its third year and continues to grow, giving millions of Americans access to quality affordable insurance,” said Ben Wakana, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Today’s statement by one issuer is not indicative of the marketplace’s strength and viability.”<br />
<br />
UnitedHealth just joined the Covered California exchange this month after sitting out the first two years. The company sought permission in January to sell statewide, but California officials limited the insurer to several smaller markets for 2016.<br />
<br />
Those areas are predominantly rural counties in Northern California, but they also include Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.<br />
<br />
Covered California imposed that restriction because UnitedHealth left the state's individual market at the end of 2013 and spurned the launch of the exchange.<br />
<br />
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, said he spoke with UnitedHealth officials Thursday and remains confident about the company’s continued expansion in the state.<br />
<br />
"We have every indication they are all in for 2016 and 2017," Lee said in an interview. "The fact United did badly in other parts of the country, like many health plans did, is exactly why they want to be in California." A <a href="http://www.primerus.com/coral-gables-fl-health-care-lawyer/nicklaus-associates-pa-coral-gables-florida-fl.html" target="_blank">Coral Gables health care lawyer</a> provides professional legal counsel and extensive experience in many aspects of health care law.<br />
<br />
A spokesman for UnitedHealth said no decision has been made on its future participation in Covered California. “We will make an assessment of 2017 markets in the first quarter of 2016,” spokesman Tyler Mason said.<br />
<br />
Many consumer groups welcomed UnitedHealth's arrival in Covered California in order to give people more choice and inject more competition into the market. The top four insurers in the exchange, led by Anthem and Blue Shield of California, control about 94% of Covered California enrollment.<br />
<br />
The state has about 1.3 million people enrolled, and nearly 90% of them receive federal premium subsidies.<br />
<br />
Covered California fell short of its enrollment goal during the second sign-up period, and it has acknowledged that reaching the remaining uninsured is difficult.<br />
<br />
This week, the state said 34,000 new enrollees had picked out a health plan since Nov. 1. That's behind last year's pace but within state projections, officials said.<br />
<br />
The announcement Thursday marked a sudden shift for UnitedHealth, which had sounded bullish about the health law in recent months. The company initially sold coverage on only four government-run exchanges before expanding to 23 this year. It will be selling in 34 states for 2016.<br />
<br />
UnitedHealth said it cut its profit forecast to account for $425 million in losses it expects on individual policies this year and in 2016. The company expects 2015 earnings of about $6 a share, down from its previous estimate for $6.25 to $6.35 a share.<br />
<br />
Shares of UnitedHealth slid $6.62, or 5.7%, to $110.63 in Thursday trading. Other health stocks took a beating after the company’s warning. Shares of Anthem, the nation’s second-largest health insurer, fell 7%, and hospital chain Tenet Healthcare dropped 8%.<br />
<br />
After the news from UnitedHealth, HMO giant Kaiser Permanente reiterated its support for health-law exchanges.<br />
<br />
“American healthcare is undergoing significant change and evolution, and the health exchanges are part of that disruption,” said Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson. “While there have been challenges at times, we believe at the end of the day they are causing healthy disruption.”Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400782533471348019.post-66072488696477546932015-11-02T10:58:00.003-05:002015-11-02T10:58:55.029-05:00THE NARRATIVE FRAYS FOR THERANOS AND ELIZABETH HOLMES<span style="color: #666666;">Original Story: nytimes.com</span><br />
<br />
Few people, let alone those just 31 years old, have amassed the accolades and riches bestowed on Elizabeth Holmes, founder and chief executive of the blood-testing start-up Theranos.<br />
<br />
This year President Obama named her a United States ambassador for global entrepreneurship. She gave the commencement address at Pepperdine University. She was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Horatio Alger Award in recognition of “remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity.” She is on the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School. <a href="http://www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb/macomb-county-mi-elder-senior-home-care-skilled-visiting-nursing-services/" target="_blank">Macomb elder care</a> provides family respite care and adult and senior assistance.<br />
<br />
She has been showered with rapturous media attention. Time named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World this year. She was the subject of lengthy profiles in The New Yorker and Fortune. Over the last week, she appeared on the cover of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and Glamour anointed her one of its eight Women of the Year. She has been on “Charlie Rose,” as well as on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative, the World Economic Forum at Davos and the Aspen Ideas Festival, among numerous other conferences.<br />
<br />
Theranos, which she started after dropping out of Stanford at age 19, has raised more than $400 million in venture capital and has been valued at $9 billion, which makes Ms. Holmes’s 50 percent stake worth $4.5 billion. Forbes put her on the cover of its Forbes 400 issue, ranking her No. 121 on the list of wealthiest Americans. <a href="http://www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb/" target="_blank">Senior care in Grosse Pointe</a> offers the highest quality of in-home care.<br />
<br />
Her wealth and fame rest almost entirely on a simple but nonetheless “revolutionary” and “disruptive” technology: Theranos’s ability to run a wide range of lab tests from a tiny sample of blood from a finger prick, in that way eliminating the need for intravenous blood draws. (Ms. Holmes has said that her inspiration was a personal aversion to needles.)<br />
<br />
Thanks to an investigative article in The Wall Street Journal this month by John Carreyrou, one of the company’s central claims, and the one most exciting to many investors and doctors, is being called into question. Theranos has acknowledged it was only running a limited number of tests on a microsample of blood using its finger-prick technology. Since then, it said it had stopped using its proprietary methods on all but one relatively simple test for herpes.<br />
<br />
Theranos has denied many elements of the Journal article on its website.<br />
<br />
For most of its tests, Theranos said that it uses conventional equipment on samples drawn intravenously by needle, which makes its approach pretty much like that of its big competitors, Quest Diagnostics and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, whose stocks have gyrated on the start-up’s perceived threat. <a href="http://www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb/madison-heights-mi-elder-senior-home-care-skilled-visiting-nursing-services/" target="_blank">Elderly care in Madison Heights</a> provides medical and non-medical support for catastrophic care patients.<br />
<br />
This week the Food and Drug Administration released reports based on inspections of Theranos facilities this summer. It concluded that the company’s miniature blood containers — called “nanotainers” — were “unapproved” medical devices for tests beyond herpes.<br />
<br />
“While we work with the F.D.A. on clearance of our nanotainer tubes,” said Tilden Katz, a Theranos spokesman, “we have chosen to conduct our tests through venous draws.” He added: “Our proprietary devices are making it possible to run finger-stick samples for tests that could never be run on finger-stick before.”<br />
<br />
Amid the controversy, Walgreens said it would not open new Theranos blood testing centers while it sought answers about the company’s technology.<br />
<br />
“This isn’t how you introduce technology that claims to be groundbreaking and revolutionary in the health care field,” said Michael Cherny, an analyst at the investment bank Evercore Partners who was an early and vocal skeptic about many of Theranos’s claims.<br />
<br />
“Every other person goes through some level of peer review,” Mr. Cherny told me this week. Theranos “decided to shun that approach.”<br />
<br />
“In my view,” he said, “that calls into question what’s under the hood of the platform.”<br />
<br />
Others raised questions about Theranos and what now appear to have been some pretty bold claims, in some cases long before The Journal’s exposé. Kevin Loria, a reporter on the Business Insider science team, wrote several pointed articles and produced a number of prominent skeptics among clinical pathologists and the broader medical community. The New Yorker and Fortune articles also were skeptical about the lack of peer review for Theranos’s technology. And Eleftherios Diamandis, the head of clinical biochemistry at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, raised numerous issues in a June medical journal article.<br />
<br />
“The constant was that nobody had any idea how this works or even if it works,” Mr. Loria told me this week. “People in medicine couldn’t understand why the media and technology worlds were so in thrall to her.”<br />
<br />
The attention lavished on Ms. Holmes has been effusive. Her goal of facilitating the early detection and prevention of disease by making blood testing easier and convenient is laudable. And the relatively young company may still work through its current difficulties.<br />
<br />
But that so many eminent authorities — from Henry Kissinger, who had served on the company’s board; to prominent investors like the Oracle founder Larry Ellison; to the Cleveland Clinic — appear to have embraced Theranos with minimal scrutiny is a testament to the ageless power of a great story.<br />
<br />
“It all fit together perfectly: the college dropout, the fear of needles, the humanitarian mission,” Mr. Cherny said. “She checked all the boxes.” <a href="http://www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb/warren-mi-elder-senior-home-care-skilled-visiting-nursing-services/" target="_blank">Warren elder care</a> provides high tech nursing services, including assistance with medical equipment.<br />
<br />
Indeed, Ms. Holmes seems to have perfectly executed the current Silicon Valley playbook: Drop out of a prestigious college to pursue an entrepreneurial vision; adopt an iconic uniform; embrace an extreme diet; and champion a humanitarian mission, preferably one that can be summed up in one catchy phrase.<br />
<br />
Like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, Ms. Holmes dropped out of college. Like Steve Jobs, she wears a uniform of black turtlenecks, suggesting she has loftier things to think about than what to wear. “I probably have 150 of these,” she told Glamour. Like Mr. Jobs, she’s picky about her diet. (She’s a vegan who shuns coffee and drinks green vegetable juices.)<br />
<br />
And like Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (“Don’t Be Evil”), and Mark Zuckerberg (“Connect the World”), her mission is lofty. As she has repeatedly said, Ms. Holmes envisions “a world in which no one ever has to say goodbye too soon,” brought about through improved health care. Theranos also has a slogan: “One tiny drop changes everything.”<br />
<br />
She stays relentlessly on message, as a review of her numerous conference and TV appearances make clear, while at the same time saying little of scientific substance.<br />
<br />
The natural human tendency to fit complex facts into a simple, compelling narrative has grown stronger in the digital age of 24/7 news and social media, said Frank Partnoy, professor of law and finance at the University of San Diego, and author of “Wait: The Art and Science of Delay,” which explores the perils of hasty decision-making.<br />
<br />
“We’re deluged with information even as pressure has grown to make snap decisions,” Professor Partnoy said. “People see a TED talk. They hear this amazing story of a 30-something-year-old woman with a wonder procedure. They see the Cleveland Clinic is on board. A switch goes off and they make an instant decision that everything is fine. You see this over and over: Really smart and wealthy people start to believe completely implausible things with 100 percent certainty.”<br />
<br />
Ms. Holmes’s story also fits into a broader narrative underway in medicine, in which new health care entrepreneurs are upending ossified hospital practices with the goal of delivering more effective and patient-oriented care.<br />
<br />
Two proponents of the approach, Dr. Delos Cosgrove, chief executive of the Cleveland Clinic, and Mark R. Laret, chief executive of the UCSF Medical Center, have enthusiastically endorsed Theranos’s potential to upend conventional medicine.<br />
<br />
A Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman, Eileen Sheil, told me that the clinic’s “strategic partnership” with Theranos had not really gotten off the ground and that the clinic had yet to employ any Theranos technology. She said that a statement on the clinic’s website — “Theranos offers a full spectrum of laboratory tests, from the most common panels to highly specialized tests, on blood samples as small as a few drops” — is “their language, not ours, and we can’t verify that.”<br />
<br />
Mr. Laret said he had “no information” about Theranos’s technology, but had great respect for Ms. Holmes and the company’s board.<br />
<br />
While hot Silicon Valley start-ups like Uber and Airbnb have run into regulatory hurdles, as a medical technology company, Theranos has bumped up against something else: the scientific method, which puts a premium on verification over narrative.<br />
<br />
“I don’t know if she’s another Steve Jobs,” said Jerry Yeo, professor of pathology at the University of Chicago and director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratories there. “You have to subject yourself to peer review. You can’t just go in a stealthy mode and then announce one day that you’ve got technology that’s going to disrupt the world.”<br />
<br />
Professor Yeo said that he and his colleagues wanted to see data and testing in independent labs. “We have a small army of people ready and willing to test Theranos’s products if they’d ask us,” he said. “And that can be done without revealing any trade secrets.”<br />
<br />
Ms. Holmes said this week that Theranos would disclose data on the reliability and accuracy of its tests. “Data is a powerful thing because it speaks for itself,” she said at a conference at the Cleveland Clinic. “We were never against that.”<br />
<br />
Whether that will satisfy Theranos’s growing number of critics will depend on the nature and quality of the data.<br />
<br />
“Every other company in this field has gone through peer review,” said Mr. Cherny of Evercore. “Why hold back so much of the platform if your goal is the greater good of humanity?”Blog Depothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310878002526034822noreply@blogger.com0