Lauren Ellerman

Health Management Associates, Naples, Fla., has agreed to sell 133-bed Mountain View Regional Medical Center, Norton, Va., and 50-bed Lee Regional Medical Center, Pennington Gap, Va., to Wellmont Health System, of Kingsport, Tenn.Although the terms were not disclosed, I imagine there is a pretty big pricetag.Read more – modernhealthcare.com.The purpose?…

Want to check on a certain nursing home? See how they have been doing?You can go to medicare’s website to look for citations – www.medicare.govYou can make a Freedom of Information Act request to your local state health authority (in Va. call 1-800-955-1819) and ask for the most recent state…

Wow! $1.3 million dollar sanction ordered against a hospital for misconduct in a pending malpractice lawsuit. Failing to answer discovery truthfully, tell the plaintiff’s family who individuals with knowledge were — and even after the $6 million dollar plaintiff’s verdict, now the hospital must pay $1.3 million in sanctions. Read…

This morning I read an abstract in the Journal of the American Geriactrics Society – June 2007 publication. While you cannot access the entire study without a subscription, it seems recent studies reflect older women with depression, have higher bone loss than woman who are not depressed. AND the study…

Grandma is in the local nursing home for rehab after she broke her hip. A pressure ulcer develops, or she gets a UTI, diabetes is uncontrolled or something else happens. Who is looking after her? WHO IS THE BOSS?Well, the Medical Director of the nursing home is – right? Maybe.…

A neat article on www.alternativemedicine.com talks about the 15 ways to live longer – so here it is, a little Holiday weekend advice:FIND HAPPINESS AND PASSIONSome of Dr. Mitch Carroll’s patients are still going strong at more than 100 years old. Here are his tips based on observations of his…

Type II, Type I – there is no good kind of diabetes. Nor is there an easy treatment. Diabetics struggle daily with controlling their sugar, and in order to do so, must watch what they eat – excercise, medication etc.How do many diabetics control their sugar? With insulin, and others…

A surgical group in Penn. has received a great deal of press this week – a 90 day post surgery warranty. Yup. Any “repair ” work you need post surgery, “corrections” or fixing required, its covered! No additional charges or bills to the insurance company. A guarantee, like your kitchen…

A black or blue mark on the skin – what is that called? A bruise? An abrasion? A scratch? A pressure ulcer? What does it mean for your loved one in an acute care, hospital or nursing home setting, that he has abrasions, bruises, scratches or pressure ulcers?Each term means…

A study conducted by a Johns Hopkins University researcher found that uninsured patients often pay much higher prices for hospital care. According to the study, uninsured patients are billed 2.5 times more than their counterparts under healthcare plans. Hospitals have faced criticism and lawsuits for alleged price gouging and aggressive…