Bausch & Lomb, the maker of ReNu contact lens solution, didn't bother to notify the FDA or the American public about infections Hong Kong officials found in the product in November 2005. This is important because the product sold in Hong Kong is manufactured at the same Carolina plant that supplies the contact lens solution to stores in the United States.
Thanks to Michael Kaplen's braininjury blog for these observations regarding Tom Baker's insightful book on how the insurance industry continues to contribute to a reduction in the quality of health care in America:In a new book entitled, The Medical Malpractice Myth,Tom Baker, Connecticut Mutual Professor of Law and director of the Insurance Center at the University of Connecticut, uses...
The following is an editorial published on April 20, 2006 in USA Today: "Whose side are they on? The thought of a surgeon taking a scalpel to the wrong limb, organ or patient sends chills down the spine of anyone who has been in a hospital.Eighty-four cases of what's known in the business as "wrong-site surgery" were reported in the USA last year. But that's just the "tip of the iceberg,"...
More and more, we're hearing stories about people who are engaging in unusual behaviors while on Ambien, an anti-insomnia medication made by Sanofi-Aventis. Many people are reporting short-term memory loss as well. Both MSNBC.com and the New York Times have reported behaviors that are even more bizarre and disturbing, involving Ambien users who drank and drove in their sleep and remembered...
Accidents happen all around us. Some people get hurt, some do not. Some people have claims, some do not. Everyone has an interest in trying to eliminate accidents from happening. We all need to timely report accidents, whenever and wherever they happen, so these accidents don't keep repeating themselves, causing harm to others. Most accidents are required to be reported. If you get into a...
As I indicated a blog or two ago, cases that are appealed from arbitration or fail in mediation may proceed into Nevada's Short Trial Program. Here's an overview of that program:-A presiding judge is appointed and hears all motions. -The parties exchange document and witness lists and meet for a pretrial conference to chart out the course of the case.-The case is calendared and set for trial...
A class of drugs, called bisphosphonates, has been linked to a serious, painful and possibly disfiguring condition called osteonecrosis (ONJ or "dead jaw"). This condition involves decay and death of the jawbone. Oral bisphosphonates, including Fosamax, which is manufactured by Merck, are often prescribed to treat osteoperosis in post-menopausal women. Injectable bisphosphonates, including...
A California Blue Cross employee testified in secret last year that the state's largest health-plan company routinely canceled policies of sick members after looking for inconsistencies - not fraud - in their applications. Experts say, however, that state law allows only deliberate omissions or misstatements as grounds for canceling health coverage.The testimony, given in a lawsuit against Blue...
I sat with a client this morning who reminded me once again of a simple concept that's almost always overlooked by doctors: the concept of accepting responsibility. How many malpractice cases would be averted if a doctor simply accepted responsibility and apologized?Doctors might answer that no cases would be averted. They might say that our legal system has created an atmosphere in which...
Have you ever been a victim of a crime in Arizona? If you have been a crime victim and the police arrested the criminal, have you asserted your victim's rights protected under the Arizona Constitution? Beyond what happens in the criminal proceedings, are you familiar with what civil remedies may be available to you? Each of these questions raise important issues. Fortunately, several...