Lauren Ellerman

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112900128.htmlMy friends at the Washington Post recently published an article on how Medicare costs were below projected rates this year. Really? As the baby-boomers age – as life expectancy in the United States increases annually – as elderly pinch pennies in order to have enough to pay for food, health…

If you have a family member or loved one in a nursing home / rehab or assisted living facility, you may need to watch them A LITTLE CLOSER during the holidays.Watch the resident for depression, sadness and as a result, nutrition etc. If someone leaves and comes home with you…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120400029.htmlA group of pediatricians have called for a change in advertising to kids. Their motivation – all the fast food, tobacco, beer ads (etc.) are harming children and shaping the way they act, choices they make. Well good job doctors – I agree. Although I am all for the free…

You know the old saying – “the wheel that squeaks the loudest, gets the oil?” Well – in our health care system – the wheel that squeaks the loudest – helps everyone. Read this article in the Washington Post today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400985.html So many times people will call our office and…

Well – I heard an interesting story today. A nursing home refusing to take a patient back into their care (re-admission) unless the family signed an arbitration agreement. Do you know what an arbitration agreement is? It is a binding contract wherein one party agrees to waive their right to…

I didn’t make that up. Read this article from The Boston Globe–The State of New York recently performed an in house audit of State Medicaid payments – who received them, why, etc. The audit found the agency had paid MILLIONS for services, to those who had already been deceased. How…

Hey – check this article out:http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-11-14T222155Z_01_N14293203_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-INFECTIONS.XML“WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – More than 19,000 patients came down with an infection in 2005 in Pennsylvania hospitals, the state reported on Tuesday as it became the first in the United States to divulge infection data for individual hospitals.”The article continues – stating“Consumer advocates…

4 weeks ago – DON’T EAT THE SPINACH appearred on grocery shelves across the country. Then there was a rumor about E Coli in lettuce as well. This week – pain killers are the subject of scrutiny. A manufacturer of generic acetaminophen recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills…

I voted today, did you? Today’s elections have caused a stir across the nation – and have you ever wondered why most people vote the way they do?This week – the Kaiser Family Foundation published a very interesting and timely article on TODAY’S ELECTION, and HEALTH CARE ISSUES. Link to…

I often read the Washington Post’s website – and came across this article, or discussion rather, on end of life issues: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/10/06/DI2006100601119.htmlIt is not an easy discussion, that is for sure – but it is even more difficult when your loved one is ill and perhaps facing terminal illness, etc.Our…