Dan Frith

Outbreaks of the norovirus continue to spread in U. S. nursing homes. The gastrointestinal disease has already spread throughout Wisconsin with 534 food-borne cases and 215 non-food related cases. The disease has caused at least one death. Read the report here.A nursing home in Tacoma, Washington reports that one-third of…

I was shocked to learn the American Red Cross is facing another heavy fine over blood-safety violations. This most recent development brings the penalties levied against the organization to more than $15 million over the last few years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fined the organization $4.2 million in…

Omnicare, Inc, one of the nation’s leading suppliers of pharmaceutical services to the elderly will pay $49.5 million to settle large-scale Medicaid fraud claims. Lawsuits had been filed in U. S. District Court in Chicago by the federal government and two whistle-blowers, who were former employees of Omnicare, charging the…

Unlike years ago, it is estimated that one-half to three-quarters of all nursing home residents today keep their own teeth into old age – probably the result of greater health awareness and education as well as fluoridated water. This situation has created a predicament for the residents in nursing homes…

We don’t know who paid for this study but the results are something our mothers taught us long ago! The New England Journal of Medicine recently published the results of a Michigan study which concluded that common-sense safety and hygiene practices, often overlooked by doctors, can almost wipe out a…

We recently represented two families whose loved ones contracted serious and deadly infections in an assisted living facility. The facility had an outbreak of Group A Strep – the same bacterium which causes strep throat. Unfortunately it can also cause death, especially in the elderly and infirm. In our cases,…

The development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after surgery is common place. A DVT affects mainly the veins in the lower leg and the thigh. It involves the formation of a clot (thrombus) in the larger veins of the area. This clot may interfere with circulation and it may break…

Most of the nation’s hospital and nursing homes will have to teach their employees how to find fraud and report it to the government under a new federal law. Companies which do at least $5 million a year in Medicaid business must educate all employees and officers on how to…

An 87 year old was admitted to Hillview Nursing and Rehab (a Missouri nursing home) after falling several times at home. The nursing home staff, aware of the falls at home, recommended the use of a lap buddy at all times when the resident was using her wheelchair. A lap…

If legislators want to help patients make informed health care decisions, they should ensure that their state governments provide accurate, up-to-date information about doctors to the public on the Web.A report released in October by the advocacy group Public Citizen commends New Jersey for providing the most detailed information about…