Law Firm Resources & News

The gallbladder is a small sac under the liver that stores and concentrates bile, a fluid that helps the body digest fats. After a meal, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile through the common bile duct into the small intestine. A common but major problem with the gallbladder occurs when a gallstone becomes stuck in…

Ever wonder why states don’t enact tougher laws to protect the infirm and elderly in nursing homes? Like minimum staffing ratios which require a sufficient number of nurses and aides to take care of the residents. One reason may be that politicians don’t want to pass laws that might “bite the hand that feeds them.”…

Everyone is talking about – national and local news, radio, tv…. The American Cancer Society has published new guidelines that require a select group of women, to get mammorgrams and MRIs for early breast cancer detection. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702326.html. What women should fall into this select group? Women at high risk because of a family history of…

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 skilled nursing facility in San…

Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Danville, Virginia serves the cities of Martinsville and Danville, along with most of Southside Virginia. This once proud and accomplished hospital has a total of 350 staffed beds and gross revenue in excess of $375 Million Dollars. A couple of years ago the hospital was purchased by LifePoint Hospitals,…

What is a thromboembolism? Just a fancy medical term for “blood clots” and they can be life threatening if they make their way to your lungs or brain. There are basically two types: DVT’s and PE’s. A DVT is a deep venous thrombosis and is a blood clot embedded in one of the major veins…

This statement should not surprise anyone but does serve as confirmation for what we all know. In a study involving over 15,000 cognitively impaired nursing home patients, researchers from the International Research Consortium on Wandering found that one in five were prone to aimless wandering through nursing home facilities, putting themselves at increased health risk.…

Doctors receive money in return for delivering lectures about drugs to other doctors. Some of the doctors receiving the most money sit on committees that prepare guidelines instructing doctors nationwide about when to use medicines. Dr. Allan Collins may be the most influential kidney specialist in the country. In 2004, the year he was chosen…

Each state regulates nursing homes differently. For example, some require minimum staffing ratios and some do not (unfortunately most do not, including my state of Virginia). How well does your state regulate nursing homes? Check all 50 states laws governing the operation and licensure of nursing homes.

The average price paid per bed for skilled nursing facilities hit a record $47,400 in 2006, according to the latest edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report. The figure marks a nearly 10% increase over the 2005 average sale price and 50% premium over the 2003 mark. Why so expensive? The increasing number of elderly…