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A Rapid City neurosurgeon who said he had been sued more than 30 times for malpractice lost two appeals on August 21 in the South Dakota Supreme Court.The court upheld a jury verdict awarding a woman nearly $552,000 in damages from Dr. Steven B. Schwartz because of mistakes in surgery on her spine. In the second case, the Supreme Court overturned the verdict of a jury that had found Schwartz did not commit malpractice in performing surgery on another woman. The high court said the trial was flawed because the jury did not learn that a state board had put… Read More »Malpractice Appeals Lost Again in SD

We have decided to continue doctor’s topic… Ordering the wrong test, missing results and forgetting to notify patients are among the many testing mistakes that occur routinely at the offices of family doctors, a new study shows. The report, published in the journal Quality & Safety in Health Care, looked at testing procedures and mistakes that were reported anonymously by 243 doctors, nurses and staff members in eight small and large family physician practices in seven states. During an eight-month period, researchers from the University of Chicago analyzed the error reports related to medical testing, including ones they observed “should… Read More »Testing Mistakes at the Family Doctor

Health care providers all over Oregon say they’ll have to drop workers’ compensation cases, after a change in how they are paid to care for those injured on the job. The temporary rule, imposed July 7, 2008, allows insurance companies to pay doctors less than the state-mandated schedule of fees historically used in such cases. Administrators with the workers’ compensation division at the Bureau of Labor and Industries have acknowledged that the new rule underwent a “fast analysis.” But division administrator John Shilts told The Oregonian that state actuaries had warned him that without the rule, employers would see insurance… Read More »Change in Workers’ Comp Rules in Oreg.

New forms of private-public partnerships are needed, particularly for developing nations, to deal with risks and costs related to climate change, Swiss Reinsurance Co.’s chairman said in a presentation Monday. Speaking at the International Disaster and Risk Conference in Davos, Switzerland, Peter Forstmoser said the impact of hazardous events continues to rise, driven by interacting forces, including global warming, population growth, density of assets and aging infrastructure. Developing countries likely will bear the highest share of the costs needed to adapt to climate change, he said. By 2030, it is estimated that these costs will amount to 49 billion Swiss… Read More »Climate Change Price List

Automakers are improving the crashworthiness of their vehicles and quickly installing side airbags and electronic stability control, an important crash avoidance feature, on more models, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Institute recently completed front, side, and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUV models. For the first time, every model the Institute tested comes equipped with electronic stability control as standard equipment. Institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor are based on results of front and side crash tests plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash injury in rear crashes. The best… Read More »Four Small SUVs Earn Top Safety Pick

Eighteen hospitals in California were fined for state health code violations, including leaving surgical instruments inside patients and causing the death of one patient by improperly inserting an intravenous catheter.The fines follow investigations from the California Department of Public Health that found several instances in which shoddy care either killed or endangered people. The hospitals were each fined $25,000 — the latest of dozens of penalties the state has issued in recent years to more than 40 hospitals.The report found some patients experienced surgical awareness during their procedures due to improper anesthesia. In other cases, patients had surgical instruments or… Read More »California Fines 18 Hospitals for Care Problems

The number of workplace fatalities in the United States fell in 2007, but the number of workplace homicides increased. Sme 5,488 people, or 3.7 out of every 100,000 workers, died from injuries on the job last year, according to the Washington-based bureau’s “National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2007.” The figure represents the lowest number of worker deaths since the department began keeping track in 1992, and a 6% decrease from 2006. “This is continued evidence that the initiatives and programs to protect workers’ safety and health, designed by and implemented in this administration, are indeed working,” Labor Secretary… Read More »On-the-job fatalities decreased in 2007

As technology improves, we increasingly rely on our cell phones for more than just making calls; we’re using them to send e-mails, schedule meetings and surf the Internet. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that the downside of having a little computer in your pocket is that (like the computer on your desk) there are people out there ready, willing and able to exploit it. More and more cell phones are reported lost or stolen each year. If your phone lands in the wrong hands, you’re not only saying goodbye to all your contacts but also potentially facing a very… Read More »Tips for Keeping your Cell Phone Safe from Hackers and Thieves

Protecting your special event with the Wedding Protector Plan (by Travelers) can be the start of a lifelong relationship. Did you know there are more than 2.3 million weddings each year with an average price tag of $27,000? Consider the opportunity… 80% of brides will discuss merging auto insurance policies with their fiancés prior to/during their engagements 1.6 million brides will purchase or change insurance policies Engaged couples will need to ensure their engagement ring is properly insured.