Lauren Ellerman

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…

We had a series of cases last year, regarding infection and handwashing. The argument was – “we couldn’t have spread the infection to the patients, we use anti-bacteria hand sanitizer after every patient contact.” My response was – “yah – right.”Well, this morning, my response can be “So what?”Hand gels…

Told you – recalls everywhere!Syringe Recall:FDA has announced a nationwide recall of all lots of heparin and saline pre-filled flush syringes manufactured by AM2 PAT, Inc. under the brand names Sierra Pre-filled, Inc. and B. Braun. Two lots have been found to be contaminated with Serratia marcescens, a bacterium that…

One glance at the Wall Street Journal yesterday – recalls, recalls, recalls.Johnson & Johnson recalls a catheter; Baxter, drug company, recalls their anti-coagulation shot, Heparin over allergic reactions; Merck is denied application to sell their new “Mevacor” over the counter….There is a lesson here. Medicine is not exact. Drugs are…

Yesterday we were deeply saddened when we learned our friend Tom Farrell, was killed. Dan and I are plaintiff lawyers, Tom is a defense lawyer – this combination in Roanoke guarantees you will have cases against one-another, and we did. Tom was always kind, maintained a good sense of humor…

The WallStreet Journal Health Blog has a great point“The presidential candidates are fighting over who would do the most to increase the number of Americans with health insurance and expand access to care, BUT “their plans don’t ensure that there will be enough doctors and nurses will treat all those…

Sadly, we review more than a few pressure ulcer cases each year. A pressure ulcer is essentially a bedsore that can develop because too much pressure is placed on the skin. Often pressure ulcers form on heels, sacrums (buttocks) and other areas that non-walking long term care residents sit for…

If I had money to burn, I would create a public service announcement, based on the Visa “Priceless” adds..It would have some interesting statistics, like these:Cost of maintaining an elderly person in a nursing home – $7,000 a monthMoney the nursing home spends on care givers – $8.00 an hourMoney…