Recognizing that staff may lack training in certain areas essential to patient care, many nursing homes have begun to implement training programs at their facilities to help teach proper protocols– and hopefully improve patient care. While the training can be quite effective in terms of improving the satisfaction of patients and prevention of medical errors,… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: medical errors
Medical Errors, Such As Pressure Ulcers, Costing U.S. $20 Billion Per Year
Posted in Bed Sores, Pressure Sores, Decubitus Ulcers & Pressure Ulcers, Hospital Bed Sores, Medical MalpracticePutting aside the human toll medical errors impose on individuals, the financial impact of medical errors can be downright daunting. According to a study commissioned by the Society of Actuaries, our country (and economy) is hobbled by a daunting $80 billion in medical errors every year! An estimated 25% of those expenses, $19.5 billion, were… Continue Reading
New Medicare Report On Medical Errors In Hospitals Reinforces Ongoing Problems
Posted in Medical MalpracticeThere’s some saying that has been jumbled back-and-forth about how many patients were feeling fine until they went to the hospital and got sick. Well, as corny as the saying may be, a trip to the hospital may be one of that last places you want to go— particularly when you look at data released… Continue Reading
Lawyers Provide The Best Protection For Our Seniors Living In Nursing Homes
Posted in National Nursing Home IssuesThe American Association for Justice (AAJ) recently published “Standing Up for Seniors: How the Civil Justice System Protects Elderly Americans” which does a tremendous job personalizing many of the common problems facing elderly in nursing homes: Chemical Restraints Forced Arbitration Insurance Denials Neglect Bed Rail Deaths Scams Abuse Medical Errors Unfortunately, as our population ages,… Continue Reading
Wait A While & Bad Nurses May Just Migrate To Your State To Care For Your Loved One
Posted in Medication Errors, Neglect, Nursing Home StaffLoopholes in a reciprocity program amongst 24 states that allows nurses from one state to transfer to another may be putting a tremendous number of nursing home and hospital patients at risk for receiving poor care– or perhaps more accurately downright dangerous care. A recent USA Today article "Bad nurses able to keep working in… Continue Reading
States Move To More Transparency Regarding Medical Malpractice & Hospital Errors
Posted in Medical MalpracticeWhen a family member is hurt, injured, or sick, you want to know that their hospital has a good reputation with few serious medical errors. You expect doctors and nurses to treat your loved ones with the respect, care, and caution that is owed to them to ensure that they get better, not worse. The… Continue Reading
Is It Time For Nursing Homes To Embrace Electronic Medical Records?
Posted in National Nursing Home IssuesIn a January 2009 speech, President Obama supported creating electronic health records for all Americans within five years, lowering the cost of health care, making the system more efficient, preventing medical errors, and saving money and jobs. The term “electronic health records” does not refer to any specific system and could refer to sophisticated system… Continue Reading
As Congress Debates Health Reform Measures, Some Still Want To Strip Injured People Of Their Legal Rights
Posted in Medical MalpracticeThis is a great clip showing extreme efforts conservative members of congress will go to promote their big-business agenda. Here you can see Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) constantly getting interrupted by his Republican colleagues chanting ‘trial lawyer’ as Braley champions patient safety in health care. In his closing arguments, Congressman Braley states: “During this entire… Continue Reading
Bad Nursing Home Records. Scribble, Slop, Scribble.
Posted in National Nursing Home IssuesDavid Cohen at the Nursing Home Lawyer Blog recently wrote how sloppy medical records have a disastrous impact on patient care— I couldn’t agree more. In nursing home litigation, records play a crucial role in determining who did what, when. As lawyers we must work backward to determine why happened to our clients. Perhaps a better… Continue Reading
High Staff Turnover Rates Plague Most Nursing Homes
Posted in Medication Errors, Nursing Home StaffThis article from Hutchinson News Online, details the high rate of nursing home staff turnover at most facilities. Most nursing homes have annual staff turnover rates that exceed 100%. The lack of continuity of care is problematic for both the nursing home and residents. For the nursing home it means an exertion of time and… Continue Reading
Medicare No Longer To Pay For ‘Reasonably Prevenatable’ Medical Errors
Posted in Medical Malpractice, MedicareAs of October 1, 2008 Medicare is no longer reimbursing hospitals for reasonably preventable medical errors. The medical facilities will similarly no longer be able to charge patients directly for medical care resulting in errors. Called ‘never events’–because the medical errors were never intended to occur, the below is a list of the never events… Continue Reading
Indiana Hospital Errors Increase 24% In The Past Year
Posted in Medical MalpracticeAccording to the Indiana Department of Health, the number of reported hospital errors rose from 85 in 2006 to 105 in 2007. Indiana hospitals and surgury centers must report any of the 27 avoidable medical errors from a list compiled by National Quality Forum, a non-profit group dedicated to improving health care. Some of the… Continue Reading