Month: April 2015

headlines

Are Treadmills Dangerous?

We normally think of exercise equipment as inherently healthy, but a CEO’s recent death has many wondering about the health risks of using treadmills. Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey and husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, died last week after falling and striking his head while using a treadmill. Goldberg’s death was a shock to Silicon Valley and a wake-up call to the 50 million Americans who use them that treadmills may be dangerous. Running a Risk According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), treadmill-related injuries led to 24,000 emergency room visits last year alone. The CPSC also reports there have been “30 reported deaths associated with treadmills for the ten year period from 2003-2012 or an average of about 3 per year (2012 is the …

headlines

Is a Petitioner in a Workers’ Compensation Claim Able to Obtain Copies of His or Her Authorized Treating Records?

Many people who have filed a Worker’s Compensation claim in New Jersey ask whether they are entitled to copies of their treating  medical records from the health providers authorized by their employer’s insurance carrier. The answer is yes. Under the Worker’s Compensation Act, specifically NJSA 34:15-128.4, it is unlawful for an employer, insurance carrier or treating physician to withhold medical information requested by the petitioner. In addition, the rules of the New Jersey Medical Society require the release of such medical records. The records from a physician directly must be supplied at a cost specified by the Board of Medical Examiners. However, as a practical matter, when a petitioner has a formal claim pending his or her attorney requests the treating records from the attorneys for the employer …

7 Steps to Give Proper Informed Consent

One thing you can always count on during a trip to the doctor’s office is signing some paperwork. There will probably be an intake document that provides or confirms your information as well as discloses the reason for your visit. You will also likely have a form explaining your HIPPA rights. Also among the forms you receive, you may find an informed consent form. An informed consent form gives a doctor your permission to proceed with a procedure or treatment. To be a truly informed patient you should wait and sign that form until you have had a chance to sit with your doctor and discuss what it allows the doctor to do, what the risks are, and what the alternatives are. While these forms are not …

headlines

Dividend bonanza for Admiral and Direct Line shareholders highlights myth of fraud crisis, 5th March 2015

Britain’s two leading car insurers have this week announced yet more bumper pay-outs to shareholders after continuing their profits bonanza in 2014.

headlines

3 Basic Steps in an Auto Accident Case

While each car accident case is unique and will have a range of varying issues involved and legal complications that must be tackled, there are three basic steps that must be taken when filing a claim or lawsuit. These include establishing the following key areas: Negligence Causation Damages By effectively laying the ground work for your case, you can ensure that you have the strongest chance possible of securing the maximum compensation you deserve for your accident. First Step: Establishing the Other Driver’s Negligence Under Texas law, all drivers have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care when behind the wheel. This is supposed to keep drivers from engaging in actions they know would likely cause injuries to themselves, another person or driver, or another’s property. …

Disabilities

People With ‘Invisible Disabilities’ Fight For Understanding

Some disabilities are more obvious than others. Many are immediately apparent, especially if someone relies on a wheelchair or cane. But others — known as “invisible” disabilities — are not. People who live with them face particular challenges in the workplace and in their communities…It is hard to pinpoint the number of Americans with an invisible disability, but it’s estimated there are millions. Their conditions may range from lupus to bipolar disorder or diabetes. The severity of each person’s condition varies, and the fear of stigma means that people often prefer not to talk about their illnesses. But in employment disability discrimination charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between 2005 and 2010, the most commonly cited conditions were invisible ones, according to analysis …

Social Security

MEGAHIT Working Well — But How Much Does It Matter?

     From a report by Social Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG): Despite challenges, SSA [Social Security Administration] continued expanding health IT [Information Technology] and partnered with 38 health care organizations, exchanged electronic records in 30 States and the District of Columbia, and identified ways of enhancing health IT case processing and data analytics.

Chinese parents of dead boy accuse clinic staff of medical negligence – South China Morning Post (subscription)

South China Morning Post (subscription)Chinese parents of dead boy accuse clinic staff of medical negligenceSouth China Morning Post (subscription)The grieving parents of a toddler who died after receiving an injection at a hospital clinic in Guangdong province last Thursday are demanding a forensic investigation into their son's death, which they say resulted from medical negligence. The parents …

Legal News

Obamacare’s Constitutionality and the Origination Clause: New Evidence

One of the constitutional disputes triggered by the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, is whether by substituting new material for the original House-passed bill (H.R. 3590), the Senate exceeded its constitutional power to amend the original measure. This, in turn, has provoked a debate over whether the Founders considered complete substitutes to be valid amendments. A recently-republished piece of evidence suggests that they did. The Constitution’s Origination Clause requires that “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.” Because the final version of Obamacare imposed a variety of taxes, it unquestionably was a “Bill for raising Revenue.” Obamacare’s taxes, appropriations, and health-care regulations did not …

NUI Galway allays asbestos fears on campus – Connacht Tribune Group

Connacht Tribune GroupNUI Galway allays asbestos fears on campusConnacht Tribune GroupNUI Galway has allayed fears of an asbestos problem on campus after confirmation that the highly toxic substance had been removed from the campus on thirteen separate occasions between March 2010 and June 2014. A Freedom of Information request …

Non-Profit Camp for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors

Head injures are among the most serious types of personal injuries suffered. Those who are fortunate to survive a traumatic brain injury may be left dealing with physical and mental disabilities, which may affect them for the rest of their lives. These victims will require years of treatment and rehabilitation. According to a recent article from the Washington Times Reporter, a non-profit group is working to raise funds to send head injury victims to a camp where they can have a more enjoyable time during the rehabilitation process. At noted in the article, head injuries are caused by a variety of different types of accident and injuries. At around 40 percent, the vast majority of head injury, including traumatic brain injury, is a result of a fall …

Medical Negligence

Reducing the cost of medical negligence claims – Lexology (registration)

Reducing the cost of medical negligence claimsLexology (registration)You have to admire those who represent the medical professions and the hospitals. They are constantly striving to reduce the level of compensation for patients and moaning about the outrageous cost of legal action, but are reluctant to settle cases …