As an interesting article explains, many patients’ rights advocate groups are up in arms after the General Assembly passed a measure to clarify a section of the landmark 2010 Nursing Home Care Act that now will require 10% of care in nursing homes to be provided by registered nurses (RN’s). The debate that led to…
A recent article explained that the federal government is stepping up efforts to regulate the administration of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes across America. In conjunction, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has also announced a goal of reducing the overall use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes by 15% by the end…
Another unique factor involved in workers compensation cases that differs significantly from your typical personal injury lawsuit is that workers comp claims are occasionally “accepted,” which is essentially where the employer’s insurance company admits that there has been a valid work injury and agrees to pay benefits — something to the effect of a first…
As we recently discussed, studies on the rates of repeat offenders in drunk driving incidents are leading many states to consider mandating interlock devices that, in theory, prevent drunk drivers from being able to operate their vehicles. Behind these reports, however, is the unfortunate admission that those inclined to make destructive decisions will do so…
Preventing dangerous and potentially fatal injuries that result from falls in nursing homes, quite simply, should be at the top of every nursing home’s priority list. Unfortunately, nursing home residents are, in general, at a high risk for falls, be it from physical injuries, illness, or otherwise, and the consequences of what might seem like…
We recently discussed the important story from Colorado where a jury awarded $3.2 million dollars to the family of a man that died after a fist-sized bed sore on his back. Another story reporting on this case brings up an additional point on “bed sores” that truly underscores just how preventable they are. For patients…
Earlier this year, the AARP joined a very unique class action lawsuit against a nursing home in Ventura, California facing charges that it administered antipsychotic drugs to its residents without informed consent from the patients and/or their representatives . The lawsuit, which also targets a doctor, alleges, in part, that residents of the facility were…
An interesting story recently unfolded in West Virginia, where the State Supreme Court prepared to undertake a review of potential caps on punitive damages against nursing homes following a trial where a jury awarded $91.5 million after a nursing home resident allegedly died of complications from dehydration and neglect. The report indicates that the jury…
In an investigative study that feels eerily similar to a Hollywood screenplay, NBC recently released the details into their investigation claimed ground water contamination in North Carolina that the state allegedly did not notify residents of for over six years. As the article details, the Environmental Protection Agency began calling residents in the area this past summer…
One of the interesting things about workers compensation law is that, unlike certain areas of civil law such as auto accidents or medical malpractice, for instance, that come down to case-by-case factual determinations, it seems as though a great majority of the facets, nuances, and “ins and outs” of this area is regulated and spelled…