Lauren Ellerman

NEW FLASH TODAY –SAN FRANCISCO- Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center has received the state’s most severe citation and fine after the California Department of Health Services determined that the poor care of an 82-year-old resident led to her death.State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton announced Monday that the…

Have you seen you tube? Are you worried you will end up on it someday? Well here is a new one, you may end up on your physician’s blog. YES, you read it right, many physicians acrosss the country have started blogging about patients, situations, etc. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031602097.html What kind of…

A new report out on Alzheimer’s Disease, estimates that at least 5 million Americans are living with the disease. Well, if that calculation is correct – then there are likely 20 million Americans battling Alzheimer’s disease. What do I mean? Well for each patient, there is a family, a group…

We have heard about class action litigation in a variety of areas – from big tobacco, to breast implants and telephone lines – as long as a certain number of people have the same or similar complaint or injury, and the damages are a certain amount – you can seek…

A record breaking $217 million dollar lawsuit last year against a group of Emergency Room Physicians for failing to diagnose a stroke. Over $100,000,000 of that was punitive, meaning, the jury meant to punish the physicians for their negligence. Imagine being the physician – and learning (or knowing) that the…

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/01/State/Last_insurance__fix__.shtmlWow – Now I understand the concern that lawsuits cause increase insurance premiums for physicians. I believe the real reason insurance rates increase are because insurance companies want to keep their profit margins high, but that is irrelevant to a new trend in Florida. Doctors ask their patients to sign…

The New York Times published an article today on the increasing popularity of programs where non health care providers are hired to provide care for declining loved ones. Sure, I could have helped my grandmother turn over in bed, take her medications, and made her meals and kept her company…

Every few days while the Virginia General Assembly is in Session, I check up on my elected officials to see what exciting new laws have been passed. Generally, I am not in favor of greater governmental control that often comes as a result of the “purse strings”… but there are…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602260.html This article will upset you. Woman wakes up after surgey to realize part of her uterus has been removed. Did she know she was going in for a hysteroctomy? YES… but didn’t have the reading ability to read the papers she signed regarding the surgery.If you are reading this…

This week has been very enlightening, and not in a good way. I have learned a great deal about some aspects of the healthcare profession. Now, I preface my comments with the following statement: I know that not all health care providers operate this way, and that many, go to…