Lauren Ellerman

Breaking news –After initially resisting their disclosure, the Bush administration on Tuesday published the names of 131 nursing homes with poor inspection records and said some were already showing signs of improvement. Want to see the full list?http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CertificationandComplianc/Downloads/SFFList.pdfSadly – people know these facilies provide sub-standard care, but residents remain –…

Heparin can be scary stuff….Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that the maker of Heparin, Baxter International Inc., has temporarily stopped productions. This is the company’s response to 350 possible reactions to the drug which has caused death, kindey failure etc.. (or so they say).Heparin is most often used in cardiac…

I am hoping our office will get power back – and the phones and email will be back online today… but our local power company is not as hopeful. If you are trying to reach our office, please try again this afternoon or tomorrow – sadly, we do not have…

I ran across this December 2007 NC Blog Post, and was disappointed, but not surprised:http://www.northcarolinainjurylawyerblog.com/2007/12/north_carolina_care_operator_s.html“Ron Burrell, the North Carolina care operator who has been ordered to pay some $5 million to two families whose loved ones died because of negligence at two of his facilities, still owns and operates the…

Congressional Inquiry Focuses on Drug AdsAdvertisements for the cholesterol drug Lipitor, which feature artificial heart pioneer Dr. Robert Jarvik, are drawing congressional scrutiny. The House Committee on Energy in Commerce wants to know how Dr. Jarvik became involved in ads for Lipitor and whether his involvement may be misleading to…

EVEN FAMOUS PEOPLE CAN GET BAD MEDICAL CARE:“A civil trial into whether doctors erred in diagnosing a heart abnormality that led to the death of actor John Ritter is set to begin this week in Los Angeles. Ritter’s family contends that the actor would have survived if doctors had properly…

Yes Nancy, I know that is your phrase… but I think it can be applied to pharmaceuticals as well.Merck loses a patent for Fosomax today – which means now the generic can be made. Is that good for the average 45 year old woman concerned about bone density? Not sure.Full…

Nursing homes will say to us “we didn’t have to provide that kind of care for Mrs. Smith – look at the contract she signed,” or “you can’t sue us – look where you agreed to arbitration.”Well we have done a great deal to expose the dangers of nursing home…