Lincoln Personal Injury Lawyer - Medical Malpractice

Pending Bill Would Allow Doctors to Say Sorry

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:19:43 GMT

The Nebraska Legislature is working to allow doctors to apologize to their patients and families without worrying that it is an admission of guilt that could be used against them later in a medical malpractice case.

Sorry Works! is an apology advocacy group trying to bring bill LB373 to reality in Nebraska. Their spokesman Dennis Wojcieszak says that in the 29 states that have a similar law, it has reduced the number of malpractice cases filed.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Study finds bad nursing home care is common

Dan Friedman — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:59:06 GMT

Consumer reports recently conducted a study which found that only 2% of for-profit nursing homes were likely to provide good care. Non-profit nursing homes were likely to provide good care 7.3% of the time.

In the report, several suggestions are made for people looking to get quality nursing home care:

--Get a list of local facilities from your nearest agency on aging, as well as contact information for the local ombudsman, a government official whose job is to investigate nursing home complaints and advocate for residents.
--Check the ownership. A resident's chances of getting good care are better at an independent, not-for-profit home.
--Don't depend on the federal Web site at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "Our comparison of the information on that site and the state inspection reports on which it is based show that you'll probably get an incomplete and possibly misleading picture."
--Visit the homes under consideration unannounced. Drop in between 9:30 and 10 a.m., for example, to see how many people are still in bed. Homes with too few staff members don't get people out of bed until later in the day, if at all. Also visit at dinner time. If 75 percent of the residents are eating in their rooms, that's not a good sign.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Friedman

Hospitals blamed for recycling single-use devices

Dan Friedman — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:24:51 GMT

An associated press article has detailed the problems that have arisen from hospitals around the country recycling products that were intended to be used only once. Although the practice is seemingly not widespread, injuries and deaths have allegedly been caused by reconditioned medical devices. Congress is planning hearings in the fall.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Friedman