North Carolina Medical Board takes a Great Step towards Safety and Choice.
December 24, 2009
In an unusual move towards openness, the North Carolina Medical Board recently decided that doctors should be required to tell their patients of their practice history. North Carolina has been criticized over the past few years for failing to protect its residents from habitually negligent doctors. The Board now requires its 35,000 physicians practicing or licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina to submit medical malpractice claims as well as criminal activity for publication. Consumers can go to www.ncmedboard.org and view malpractice payments, misdemeanor and felony convictions, hospital suspensions and even discipline by medical boards in other states. While a national database of malpractice payments has long existed, the public in general has not had access to the information stored there.
This new website is an extremely helpful tool for patients looking for a new doctor and also for those waiting to check the repot card, in a sense, of his/her current doctor. Careless doctors, at least in North Carolina, now have to take responsibility for their actions.
As St. Louis medical malpractice and injury lawyers, we believe that each state should have a law similar to this. You can learn more about our firm at http://farrislaw.net. You can also contact The S.E. Farris Law Firm for a Free consultation. You may reach us at 314-A-LAWYER (314.252.9937) or by clicking here.
Have a Safe Halloween!
October 30, 2009
The S.E. Farris Law Firm and the Consumer Product Safety Commission hope your holiday is a safe one. Here is an advisory message from the CPSC:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Soon the ghouls and goblins of Halloween night will prowl neighborhood streets in search of treats. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants to ensure that candle flames from jack-o-lanterns, decorative obstacles on the porch or lawn, and sharp edges on costumes and accessories don’t keep kids from enjoying this annual tradition of trick-or-treating.
Incidents involving burns from flammable costumes and lacerations related to pumpkin carving lead the list of Halloween-related injuries.
“Using inherently flame-resistant fabrics in home-made costumes and using battery-operated candles when decorating the house for Halloween can help keep children safe,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.
Make this year’s holiday a safe one by following a few simple safety tips:
Costumes
When purchasing costumes, masks, beards and wigs, look for flame-resistant fabrics such as nylon or polyester, or look for the label “Flame Resistant.” Flame-resistant fabrics will resist burning and should extinguish quickly. To minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
• Purchase or make costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists.
• For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Bags or sacks also should be light-colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle and sporting goods stores.
• Children should carry flashlights to see and be seen.
• Costumes should fit well and not drag on the ground to guard against trips and falls.
• Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Oversized high heels are not a good idea.
• Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over children’s eyes and obstructing their vision.
• If your child wears a mask, make sure it fits securely, provides adequate ventilation, and has eye holes large enough to allow full vision.
• Swords, knives and similar costume accessories should be made of soft, flexible material.
Treats
Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering. Carefully examine any toys or novelty items received by trick-or-treaters under three years of age. Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use and present a choking hazard.
Decorations
Keep candles and jack-o’-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.
• Remove obstacles from lawns, steps and porches when expecting trick-or-treaters.
• Indoors, keep candles and jack-o’-lanterns away from curtains, decorations and other items that could ignite. Do not leave burning candles unattended.
• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets.
• Don’t overload extension cords!
Lawsuit Caps Don’t Save Lives- a Doctor Speaks.
October 29, 2009
Evidently, the entire medical community hasn’t bought the company line and drunk the Kool Aid- a doctor published on Salon Magazine had this to say about Malpractice lawsuit Caps:
“Tort reformers neglect the fact that malpractice reform won’t save one extra life. To make that difference, insurers, doctors and their lobbyists like the AMA need to find ways to improve patient safety. So for those who push tort reform as a panacea for a sick healthcare system, working to prevent injuries is a much more noble pursuit than writing up baseless arguments for the back pages of a newspaper. ”
Dr. Parikh is a columnist and more importantly, practicing M.D., hits the nail on the head- the notion of a flood of frivolous lawsuits is mythical. Doctors usually require research to be convinced of a point, but when the insurance companies and Chamberpot of Commerce screams ” too many lawsuits,” they are quick to pound the drum as well. Kudos to brave doctors like Parikh who actually look to facts, instead of practicing voodoo.