standard of care

Mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, worker safety has consistently been in the news during 2020. For example, in late August, the United Federation of Teachers almost went on strike over coronavirus health concerns. Coronavirus is just the latest in a string of deadly occupational diseases which often affect area workers. Other issues which are…Read the article

Largely as a result of poor decisions and chronic understaffing, two workers at a Massachusetts soldiers’ home might spend the next thirteen years in prison because of criminal charges. A grand jury indicted Bennett Walsh and Dr. David Clinton, two members of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home’s leadership team nursing home, on multiple charges. According to prosecutors,…Read the article

Earlier this year, Alaska dentist Dr. Seth Lookhart was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and other wrongdoing, including extracting a tooth while he rode a Hoverboard. In September 2020, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison. In 2017, prosecutors charged Lookhart with over a dozen infractions, including the aforementioned Hoverboard extraction. Lookhart jokingly…Read the article

In the spring and summer of 2020, virtual healthcare visits increased over 4,000 percent, mostly due to the coronavirus outbreak. The number of healthcare facilities offering such services also increased significantly, mostly due to supply and demand. Previously, many facilities hesitated to offer such services, typically because of high implementation costs. Virtual healthcare contacts do…Read the article

Almost all Primary Care Physicians claim that they listen closely to their patients when they discuss their symptoms. Yet in these circumstances, most doctors only tune in for about eleven seconds. That brief interaction, along with some physician’s “I already know what’s wrong with you” attitude, often sets the stage for medical negligence. Doctors hear…Read the article

In a nutshell, the great outdoors (such as camping) are still pretty great, even during coronavirus pandemic, as long as you follow basic safe guidelines. A group of public health physicians rated outdoor camping as a relatively-low 3 on a 10-point risk scale. For comparison, they rated a gym as an 8 and a round…Read the article

In some ways, the three types of hospitals are quite different. In other ways, they are very much the same. For one thing, they all have a duty to treat patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Additionally, they all have the same legal responsibilities in terms of patient safety. The first incorporated hospital in…Read the article

The legal actions include one from the family of a 78-year-old man in Brooklyn and another 78-year-old-man in Harlem. According to court documents, Linden Center For Nursing and Rehabilitation failed to protect a resident from contracting coronavirus. He suffered “excruciating pain and agony, including fear of imminent death,” according to these documents. In a separate…Read the article

Healthcare policy has quickly shifted to a central focal point in our world, and more people are facing obstacles in care that have been commonly unknown. Patient abandonment is far too real to those that have experienced it, and incidents are growing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Knowing what patient abandonment is, what role the…Read the article

Nebraska Republican Ben Sasse recently introduced the Facilitating Innovation to Fight Coronavirus Act. The coronavirus stimulus package already gives limited immunity to some volunteer healthcare workers. Now, a GOP senator wants to take things a step further. This provision would eliminate civil and criminal liability for health care providers who, while combating COVID-19, practice outside…Read the article