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How to Find a Good Doctor (in Virginia)

How to Find a Good Doctor (in Virginia) 150 150 Dan Frith

I am sometimes amazed how people find and choose their doctors.  You do want a good and competent doctor don’t you?  Sometimes you have no options…you are admitted to the hospital with stomach pain, diagnosed with appendicitis and need emergency surgery.  In those cases you agree to take whichever general…

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Leapfrog Report Cards for Local Hospitals

Leapfrog Report Cards for Local Hospitals 150 150 Dan Frith

On Wednesday I shared a summary of Leapfrog’s report cards on several hospitals in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.  Here are the report cards published by the Leapfrog Group for two additional hospitals in our area of Virginia:1.  Memorial Hospital of Martinsville received a “C.” Infection problems included higher…

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US News & World Reports Hospital Surveys: An Update on Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

US News & World Reports Hospital Surveys: An Update on Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital 150 150 Dan Frith

I recently shared some of the ratings for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH) as reported by the U.S News 2017 – 2018 hospital survey.  You can read that blog post here.My local newspaper, the Roanoke Times, ran an article today on those same survey results titled, “Roanoke Memorial Ranked No.…

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Medical Errors: How do you know when it happens to you?

Medical Errors: How do you know when it happens to you? 150 150 Dan Frith

Most of the time you (or your family if you are no longer around) know if medical negligence has occurred because the unanticipated injury is obvious or the patient has unexpectedly died.  However, this is not always the case which brings me to a recent article in the Roanoke Times…

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What is the cost of nursing home care in Virginia and how do you know?

What is the cost of nursing home care in Virginia and how do you know? 150 150 Lauren Ellerman

Can you imagine walking into Kroger and there are three prices on a jug of milk. What if the tag said:$2.00 if you are a single Mom$3.50 if you are 65 or older$6.00 if you have a job and or retirement accountWouldn’t you be surprised? Upset? Bothered by this?Well, in…

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Doctors Instructed to Go Light on Sedatives and Pain Meds to Move Patients Along?

Doctors Instructed to Go Light on Sedatives and Pain Meds to Move Patients Along? 150 150 Dan Frith

Are you kidding me? A hospital taking short cuts to discharge patients too early in order to increase revenue?Erik Franck, MD, an anesthesiologist practicing at the Kaiser Permanente hospitals in the Portland, Oregon has filed a lawsuit against Northwest Permanente (a division of Kaiser Permanente) making these very allegations.  Dr. Franck believes Kaiser…

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Watch out for medical mistakes while in the hospital

Watch out for medical mistakes while in the hospital 150 150 Dan Frith

I didn’t write the title to today’s post but I certainly agree with it.  The title to today’s post comes from The People’s Pharmacy and was written by Joe and Teresa Graedon.  The article was re-published by my local paper, The Roanoke Times, and presents some pretty sobering statistics:  1. …

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5 Ways to Make Hospitals Safer

5 Ways to Make Hospitals Safer 150 150 Dan Frith

I read with interest an op-ed letter in this week’s Wall Street Journal (May 18, 2016). The letter was written by James Lieber, a lawyer in Pittsburgh.  He noted the recently released studies revealing an astonishingly high number of Americans lose their lives each year due to preventable medical negligence.  His suggestions…

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A hard conversation worth having: Dementia + Pain

A hard conversation worth having: Dementia + Pain 150 150 Lauren Ellerman

In about four weeks I will be leaving on a jet plane to Music City, to participate in the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Damages Seminar. Yes, I plan to attend the event but also have been asked to speak about Dementia patients, and pain. It isn’t the easiest topic to…

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Let’s Move to the United Kingdom

Let’s Move to the United Kingdom 150 150 Dan Frith

Let’s go.  Right now!The British government is investigating banning or severely restricting the use of non-compete clauses that specify where and how employees can work when they leave a business.  A government official is quoted as saying, “I am clear that I want to see more enterprising start-ups and greater productivity…

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