http://mamedicallaw.com Just another weblog Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:28:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en My son’s check-up at the pediatrician last week started the same as it usually does. Dr. M. measured and weighed Brett, listened to his chest, checked his eyes and looked in his throat. Thankfully, all was well. “You have a great kid,” he said. It’s the next part I hadn’t planned on. ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/03/09/the-importance-of-what-you-say/ Doctors hoping to obtain a share of an estimated $27 billion in federal incentive bonuses for implementing electronic health records would have to meet a wide range of new “meaningful use” requirements under proposed regulations released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The two dozen benchmarks – which include ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/03/09/physicians-must-prepare-for-new-ehr-regulations/ A Suffolk County Superior Court jury in Boston has awarded $15 million to the parents of a young child who died following a series of complications from a catheterization procedure. Jurors found that two doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston, Dr. James A. DiNardo, an anesthesiologist, and Dr. James Lock, the hospital’s ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/03/01/family-wins-15m-suit-against-children%e2%80%99s-hospital-physicians/ For physicians, Scott P. Brown’s surprise election to the U.S. Senate on Jan. 19 was a reminder: You can’t count on anything in health care. “I think overall, health care reform is in a really dicey position right now,” said Kevin Pho, a Nashua, N.H., primary care physician who ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/02/26/few-sure-things-for-doctors-in-health-care-reform-plan/ Following months of hearings and testimony, the Massachusetts OxyContin and Heroin Commission issued its report and recommendations in November. The commission, created by the state legislature to assess the drug problem, was blunt in its description. "The Commonwealth is in the midst of a serious and dangerous epidemic. ... Prescription drug use ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/a-closer-look-at-health-care-solutions-for-the-drug-epidemic/ In August 2003, a patient, then 34, was expecting the birth of her first baby. All indications were for a normal vaginal delivery of a baby boy. When the patient arrived at the hospital, her contractions had begun; a vaginal exam indicated that she was 4 to 5 centimeters dilated but ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/second-shift-doctor-puts-off-preapproved-caesarean-section/ The patient, a 39-year old husband and father of three, was experiencing symptoms including shortness of breath, fatigue and dizziness. An echocardiogram on Nov. 21, 2001 revealed 3+ aortic insufficiency. A cardiac catheterization showed normal coronary arteries. He was seen in cardiac surgical consultation on Jan. 9, 2002. A composite root ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/patient-suffers-fatal-brain-injury-during-heart-surgery/ On Feb. 2, 2007, a patient, 54, was taken by ambulance from a walk-in clinic to the ER. He had a two-day history of increasing shortness of breath, fever and non-productive cough. The patient's medical history included insulin-dependent diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and pneumonia, for which he had been ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/man-may-have-been-discharged-during-heart-attack/ A female neurosurgeon who specializes in spinal surgery was employed at Brigham and Women's Hospital for six years. She was born in India. The surgeon alleged that the hospital discriminated against her by failing to promote her, support her research or pay her a salary commensurate with her male counterparts. She ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/neurosurgeon-wins-harassment-suit-against-hospital/ On May 18, 2005, a 71-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease was being transported by an ambulance company from her dialysis center to her home. As the ambulance employees were wheeling her on a stretcher through the parking lot, the wheels of the stretcher became stuck in a large rut in ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2010/01/13/woman-ejected-from-stretcher-sustains-fatal-head-wound/