Law Firm Resources & News

I know, not a topic you want to research, hear about or blog about… but it happens, and more than you think. Sadly, with elderly patients there is a very low level of reporting and subsequently, few criminal charges filed. Why is that, you may ask? If the individual has Alzheimers or Dementia, they may…

There is some new technology on the horizon for women. For many years the gold standard for breast screening has been the mammogram. However, while many doctors believe the mammogram has saved lives the biggest problem has been the discomfort which results from the required compression of breast tissue. A new technology called digital breast…

Today I read about an Oklahoma Nursing Home who received a new resident from the state penal system when he was found incompetent to stand trial. Not a joke, a younger man charged with 4 homicides is now living on the Alzheimer’s unit of a nursing home facility with someone’s grandmother. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6416844. Are you shocked?I…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in 1998 that nursing homes repeatedly harm residents without facing sanctions. Unfortunately, a new report due out next week reaches the same conclusion. The Bush administration rarely uses its authority to deny payment to homes with a history of compliance problems and typically imposes fines far less than the…

What is a restraint? Well, I am certainly not going to try to define what a restraint is as facilities and health care providers may disagree on a clinical definition – but, I can tell you the purpose of a restraint in a skilled care setting like a Nursing Home or Hospital. A restraint is…

According to an article in USA Today, one in three adults over 65 fall each year and half of people over 80 fall each year. These falls typically occur when the person is doing an everyday activity. They may trip over a loose rug, take a misstep on the stairs, or slip on an icy…

The corporate owners of America’s nursing homes complain loudly that they are losing money! The CEOs say that the Medicaid payments, which pay for about two-thirds of their residents, are not enough to cover operating costs. Is this claim true or false? I don’t have the answer but do find it curious that these corporations…

We all worry about the rampant infections in hospitals. The concern is heightened when surgery is involved. A common surgery with today’s aging population is the elective total hip arthroplasty – or hip replacement surgery. Should patients undergoing elective hip surgery be given antibiotics before surgery? A recent study indicates the answer is “no.” According…

A former St. Louis nursing home executive will spend two months in prison and two months in a halfway house for his part in a Medicaid and Medicare fraud scheme. Charles B. Kaiser III, former president of American Healthcare Management, pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor charge of making false statements. He was recently…