Tag: philadelphia

Medical Malpractice in Baltimore; Medically Unnecessary Heart Stents

Dr. Mark Midei was a highly sought after cardiologist at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson, Maryland. Today, Dr. Midei faces countelss medical malpractice lawsuits, and possibly the end of his career, after allegations surfaced that he has implanted over 500 unnecessary stents in patients from 2007 to 2009.

Medical Malpractice for Money

medical malpractice attorneys new jersey philadelphia unnecessary heart stentsMedicare and Medicaid paid $3.8 million out of the $6.6 million dollars charged for 585 stent procedures performed by Dr. Midei that may not have been medically necessary. Hospitals like St. Joseph’s stand to make up to $10,000 per procedure. Abbott Laboratories, the pharmaceutical distributor of the stents that Dr. Midei used, stood to make even more money. Perhaps thats why part of their 2008 business plan included supplying the doctor with research money and VIP trips! Doctors are offered kickbacks to prescribe medications or provide referrals on an unfortunately regular basis, but to earn those kickbacks at the expense of patient safety is surely corrupt.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys vs. Negligent Medical Providers

Dr. Steve Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said:

“What was going on in Baltimore is going on right now in every city in America. We’re spending a fortune as a country on procedures that people don’t need.”

Why? So doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical giants can watch the money roll in. Stent procedures can be very dangerous and cause life threatening side effects that clinicians, like Dr. Midei, seem to callously overlook while recommending their patients undergo them. Stent patients face the risk of blood clot, heart attack, or stroke, once a stent is implanted. To decrease these risks, patients are put on blood thinners, which bring with them a wholr new list of risks and possible complications.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a loved one feel that you’ve been wronged by a medical provider, please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. Our NJ and PA medical malpractice attorneys are experienced and prepared in medical malpractice cases, and can fight to earn you fair and necessary compensation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Let the Mininno Law Office team work for you!

Nursing Home Abuse – What Should You Do?

You have recently discovered that your loved has been victimized by nursing home abuse. You feel angry, shocked, confused, deceived. You entrusted an expensive facility to care for your family member because you no longer could, and now they are worse off than before. What should you do?

Nursing Home Abuse Attorney – Step 1

You must contact a nursing home abuse attorney. An attorney is going to review the facts of your case and tell you if there is enough there to file suit. If so, there are more steps you will have to take in order to present a valid case.

Nursing Home Abuse Records – Step 2

nursing home abuse attorneys new jersey philadlephiaAfter calling an attorney, the next step is often to obtain the medical records. It is often best for the family to initially request the medical records without the help of an attorney. This ensures less of a chance the nursing home would remove documents from the chart, or even re-write them. In order to request a resident’s medical records, you need to have authority to do so. What gives you that authority?

Nursing homes have the right to require a HIPAA authorization in exchange for producing the medical records. This authorization can be signed by the individual. However, often times in a nursing home setting, the resident is unable to make these decisions, and has arranged for one or more family members to act as power of attorney. When properly written, a power of attorney would give members of the resident’s family the right to sign the HIPAA authorization and request the records for themselves.

In the event that the resident were to die, the power of attorney would now have no legal force or effect. What should you do now?

Nursing Home Abuse Short Certificate – Step 3

In New Jersey, once an individual dies, the family must make an application for a “short certificate” to continue to represent the estate. The short certificate is a document that is created and provided by each county’s Surrogate’s office. Luckily, the employees at the Surrogate’s office are some of the most helpful State employees you will ever come across. Usually in one or two days, the family can obtain the short certificate. Just as a power of attorney gives the family the authority to execute the HIPAA authorization and to obtain the client’s records when they are alive, the short certificate gives them that ability when their loved one is deceased. Below is a link to the contact information for all 21 New Jersey county Surrogates.

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys at the Mininno Law Office

Although this is a general road map as to how you would obtain records and to begin to investigate whether there is a claim for injuries against the nursing home, in the event that you feel you may have a viable lawsuit for injuries suffered by your family member, please do not hesitate to contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation.
You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Let the team at the Mininno Law Office earn you the compensation you deserve.

Birth Defects and Depakote Could be Linked

birth defects depakote new jersey philadelphia attorneysThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in December 2009, informed Health Care professionals about the increased risk of neural tube defects and other major birth defects associated with the use of Depakote during the first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors typically warn women who are looking to become pregnant of the correlation between Depakote and birth defects in the first trimester of pregnancy. They should also warn women who are not planning pregnancy but are sexually active of the risks. By the time these woman know they are pregnant, it may be too late to prevent the many birth defects that can occur as a result as Depakote use in the first trimester of pregnancy.

What Birth Defects can Depakote Cause?

Depakote (Divalproex Sodium) is a drug marketed by Abbott Laboratories used to treat bipolar disorder, migraine headaches, and seizures associated with epilepsy. Side effects of Depakote that pertain to birth defects include Spina Bifida (a neural tube defect), craniosynostosis (abnormal skull development), cleft pallet, arterial septal defect (holes in the heart), and polydactyly (extra fingers or toes).

Spina Bifida is perhaps the most significant birth defect tied to Depakote use. It is a developmental birth defect caused by the incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube. Spina bifida occurs when some of the vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. Spina Bifida malformations fall into four categories: Spina Bifida occulta, Spina Bifida cystica (myelomeningocele), meningocele, and lipomenengocele. The most significant form of Spina Bifida is myelomeningocele, which leads to disability in most affected individuals.

Birth Defects in New Jersey

According to the Spina Bifida Association, there are an estimated 2.7 million women of childbearing age that live in New Jersey. Approximately 1,710 people with Spina Bifida live in New Jersey and 1.97 babies are born with Spina Bifida per 10,000 births in New Jersey. The Spina Bifida Association said, “If women were to consume 400 micrograms of the B-vitamin folic acid every day before pregnancy, the risk of Spina Bifida and other serious birth defects could be reduced up to 70%.” If you need resources to learn more about Spina Bifida, there are four clinics in New Jersey located in Mountainside, Edison, Summit, and West Orange.

Birth Defect Attorneys at the Mininno Law Office

If you or a loved are dealing with the tribulations of a child with birth defects, and you believe those defects were caused by the negligence of another, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. Our team is eager and prepared to earn you the compensation you need and deserve. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Resident Dies in Hospital After Ingesting Dishwashing Detergent in Nursing Home

nursing home negligence new jersey philadelphia attorneys homewood residenceIn a tragic case of nursing home abuse and negligence, an assisted living facility in Delray Beach, Florida will be paying a $7,500 fine after the death of 93 year old resident Michael Gruen. Gruen suffered from advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and died after drinking dishwashing liquid.

Homewood Residence (a Brookdale Assisted Living Facility), which has until now neither accepted or denied responsibility for Gruen’s death, received warnings in 2008 regarding insecure areas of their facility. Dangerous chemicals were accessible to the number of dementia patients living within the nursing home. Apparently, the appropriate changes were not made.
Michael Gruen accessed the detergent in the early morning hours of December 28, 2009, while caretakers were busy with another patient. A staff member found Gruen standing over the liquid, and asked him if he swallowed it. Gruen did not answer. He was rushed to the emergency room at Delray Medical Center but died 18 hours later as a result of severe burns to his esophagus.

NJ and PA Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse Attorneys

The 2008 citations were not the only warnings Brookdale’s Homewood Residence had received. In February 2009, Homewood Residence paid a $3,000 fine when 10 residents became sick with norovirus. And in April 2009, a $1,500 fine was given after questions arose during an inspection regarding the treatment of bedsores. The treatment and care this nursing home was providing was inadequate and negligent then, and continues to be now.
State health agencies investigate these homes and hand out citations and fines, but these small amounts don’t seem to instill any fear or sense of responsibility into those that are running these nursing homes and long term care facilities. Perhaps the only way to truly make owners and administrators aware is to take them to court and let a jury decide their penalties.

If you or a loved one have been victimized by nursing home negligence, please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Our elder abuse attorneys are here to earn you the compensation you deserve.

Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence Send Resident to Freezer

On October 28, 2010, 94 year old Molly Fischer was found inside the walk-in freezer of her California nursing home. An organized search within the home found her alive and standing inside the freezer. She was immediately taken to the hospital and has since been returned to her residency at the Silverado Senior Living Center in Calabasas, California.

Nursing Home Negligence at the Silverado Senior Living Center

While Molly was found alive and returned to her home in restored health, can it be determined that she is, in fact, safe? Molly, like many of the other residents at Silverado, suffers from dimentia. It is likely that she wandered off and ended up inside the freezer without knowing where she was going. Where was the staff when Molly wandered off? Will they abe able to prevent this from happening again, to Molly or any other resident?
new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse attorneys molly fischer silverado senior living centerIt is this same kind of nursing home abuse and negligence that killed Ruby Larson in Molalla, Orgeon. Ruby, falling out of the sight of a negligent staff, wandered off and was found dead three years later.

Silverado Senior Living Center can cost upwards of $70,000 a year. Molly Fischer’s family paid 70k to a facility that lost her, and were fortunate enough to find her in enough time to save her life. Had they taken any longer, Molly could have died. Silverado remains a bit quiet about Molly’s condition now, but a spokesman for the home, Mark Mostow, released this statement:

We immediately conducted an investigation, and took appropriate corrective action against two employees. It’s an unfortunate incident, and we’re very sorry that it happened, and we’ll do everything in our power to ensure this does not happen again.

NJ and PA Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Negligence Attorneys

If your loved one has been the victim of negligence or nursing home abuse, you must seek the counsel of an elder abuse attorney. Nursing homes and long term care facilities can not continue to get away with their subpar, negligent, and often deadly care.
Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. Let our team earn you the compensation you deserve.

DePuy Hip Implant Claims – Is Time Ticking?

depuy hip implant recall attorneys new jersey philadelphia estatute limitationsIf you are one of the unfortunate patients who received the recently recalled DePuy Orthopaedics ASR hip implants, you are probably wondering if there are any time limits to make a claim?
Many people believe it is okay to wait until you have symptoms before making any type of claim for a defective hip implant. After all, why should you make a claim if your DePuy hip implant seems to be working and you are not experiencing hip symptoms?

In fact, most orthopaedists are advising patients to wait until they have symptoms before deciding to undergo a hip implant revision surgery. While that may or may not be sound medical advice, it is not sound legal advice for a defective DePuy hip implant claim.

Why Should I Rush to File My DePuy Hip Implant Claim?

Because you may lose your hip implant claim if you wait too long to bring it.
All states have what is known as a “statute of limitations,” which is a law that may bar any claims not brought within a certain period of time. For example, in New Jersey and Philadelphia, the statute of limitations is ordinarily two years from when a patient knew or should have known of a potential claim. If you have a Depuy hip implant, and you are not noticing any symptoms at this time, the statute of limitations may still be running on your claim as DePuy has already issued the recall notice. DePuy may try use the date of the recall notice as a statute of limitations defense.

The recall date was August 26, 2010, so DePuy may argue that any claim that has not been filed in a Court of law may be barred by the statute of limitations. What’s worse, if you began experiencing hip pain, discomfort or any other symptoms related to the defective hip implant BEFORE the recall date, DePuy may argue that your statute of limitations began running on the date you first experienced hip symptons.

DePuy Hip Implant Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

Since it is often difficult to determine when a judge or a court would decide when you “knew or should have known” that you had a defective hip implant claim or lawsuit, you should consult with a lawyer now, before time expires on your claim. Remember, the medical advice regarding a defective hip implant, re-implantation surgery, and appropriate testing for potential toxins in your blood stream will be very different than the legal advice you should be given regarding when and how to present your claim.

Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. A DePuy hip implant recall lawyer will take the time and give you important information about your legal rights. You may also call us for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Nursing Home Outbreak of Hepatitis B Kills 5

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse attorneys negligence outbreak hepatitis mount oliveAn extreme case of nursing home abuse and negligence ends in five deaths in Mount Olive, North Carolina.
The Glencare Assisted Living Facility is under fire after an alarming spread of Hepatitis B within the facility (Hepatitis B is a blood born disease typically transmitted by exchange of blood or bodily fluids). Eight residents of the facility contracted the disease and, so far, five have died.

Currently, it seems that the disease was spread by the re-use of a diabetes pen used to check patient blood-sugar levels. This information comes from a Health Department representative who alerted Glencare’s owner that one or more of his staff was reusing the needles. His staff denied the allegations and began pointing fingers elsewhere.
Glencare Vice President, Ann Kornegay, released the following statement:

These patients live here and they enjoy the same social entertainment that you do out there in the community. They have sex. They have the right. They can go down to the store where often times drug dealers are and they can get illegal drugs. They can get alcohol. We don’t allow alcohol to be consumed on our property.

Investigation continues, and the health department has initiated a corrective plan that Glencare will be forced to employ.

New Jersey and Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

Many nursing home deaths arise from the spread of infection or disease. Nursing homes should be employing nearly full-proof programs to prevent the spread of infection. In this case, the outbreak was allegedly caused by an infraction of one of the most basic rules of disease prevention: Don’t reuse needles. Five people have lost their lives to this horrid negligence.

If you or a loved one are the victim of nursing home abuse or negligence, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Our elder abuse attorneys are experienced and want to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Medical Malpractice and Fraud May Put Doctor in Jail

new jersey philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys negligence mark weinberger fraud jailMark Weinberger, also known as the “nose doctor,” was an otolaryngologist in Meriville, Indiana.
On the outside, his practice was very attractive, posh and glamorous, but also modern and convenient. In reality, while Weinberger promised modern medicine and charged modern prices, he was performing outdated and somewhat ineffective procedures. He regularly made surgical mistakes, and, as some of his patients claim, missed cancer diagnoses.

He disappeared for almost five years while fraud charges and medical malpractice and negligence claims mounted against him. He was on vacation with his wife in the Greek Isles, and was declared missing when his wife woke up one morning to find him gone. The Dr. was found 5 years later living in a tent on a mountain in Northern Italy.

Consequences of Medical Malpractice for Mark Weinberger

Now, Mark Weinberger is looking for a plea bargain with the court regarding the 22 counts of insurance fraud he has against him. His side of the bargain would include four years in prison and $366,000 to patients who either overpaid for procedures they did receive, or paid for procedures they didn’t receive at all. If Weinberger is convicted, he could face up to ten years in jail and $5.5 million in restitution.

Victims of Weinberger’s deceptions and greed are hopeful that they will be able to receive the compensation they deserve. Most of them feel that while he definitely deserves jail time, 4 years isn’t long enough.
For Peggy Hood, no amount of time can be long enough. Peggy lost her sister, a patient of Dr. Weinberger, to throat cancer, after the doctor failed to diagnose it. Peggy just hopes for closure for her family, and for the doctor to be held accountable for what he did.

NJ and PA Medical Malpractice Attorneys

The medical malpractice attorneys at the Mininno Law Office are experienced in handling some of the toughest cases. Doctors and hospitals that act negligently should be held accountable for their acts, and our team is poised to make sure that happens.
If you or a loved one have suffered due to medical malpractice, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2382 in Philadelphia. Let us fight for you, and earn you the recoveries you are due.

Are You Seeking Legal Representation Against DePuy Orthopaedics?

new jersey philadelphia depuy orthopaedics hip implant recall attorneys
Everday, the Consumer Product Safety Commision issues information about defective products that are being recalled. Many people are wondering, “Are these types of defective product recalls the same as the DePuy Orhtopaedics hip implant recall?” The simple answer is no.
Ordinarily, if you purchase a defective product and it is recalled, you simply have to stop using the product and return it for a refund. Although it is inconvenient, it is a very simple issue to resolve. However, a recall involving a defective hip implant is not quite so simple. These are some of the steps that must be taken.

  • Determine if your surgery was before or after July, 2003. If your surgery was before this date, you do not have a DePuy hip implant as they were only available after this date.

  • Contact the orthopaedic surgeon who performed your replacement or the hospital where the hip implant surgery took place. Ask them, “Did I receive a DePuy Orthopaedics ASR XL Hip Implant System?” If not, your implant is not part of the recall. If, however, your doctor tells you yes, you must locate the surgeon who performed your hip replacement procedure. If that surgeon is unreachable, you can request your records from the hospital where the procedure took place. Hospitals are required to keep records of any and all implants they place in patients, and there likely will be a record of the hip implant you received.

My Hip Implant was Manufactured by DePuy; What Now?

If you have determined that your hip implant is part of the DePuy hip implant recall, you can do one of two things:

1. You can contact DePuy directly about compensation. However, you will be speaking to trained claims adjustors whose jobs are designed to settle your case at the lowest possible cost to DePuy. This course of action is not recommended.

new jersey philadelphia depuy orthopaedics hip recall attorneys defective replacement
Pictured is the ball and socket portion of the artificial hip joint that is realeasing metal particles in the bloodstream after wear and tear to the implant.

2. You can contact the Mininno Law Office regarding the recall. Here, we can ensure that a fair and reasonable claim can be presented to DePuy. It will include a claim for:

– Any additional testing and treatment;
– Medical treatment for any problems associated with the defective implant;
– Revision surgery for the explantation of the defective implant, and re-implantation of a non defective hip implant;
– Out-of-pocket medical expenses;
– Additional compensation such as lost work, time, and travel expenses; and
– Money damages to the full extent of the losses and harms caused by the defective hip implant.

NJ and PA DePuy Recall Attorneys at the Mininno Law Office

Our system of civil justice demands that people who have been injured becasue of a wrongdoer’s negligence must be compensated. If you or someone you know has a DePuy hip implant, please call us for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
We can offer you more information regarding the full compensation to which you may be entitled.

DePuy Hip Implants RECALLED

new jersey philadelphia defective products attorneys depuy hip replacements implantsDePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, has recently recalled it’s line of ASR hip implant systems used in hip replacement surgeries.
It seems the implants are defective products, malfunctioning in a few different ways.

Sometimes, the DePuy Hip Replacements are loosening, meaning that the implant is no longer attached to the bone in the right position. In other instances, the implants are dislocating, and the two parts of the system that move together are no longer aligned.
Metal particles are wearing off of the ball socket components of the implants that rub together, and, over time, can cause fluid build-up in the muscles surrounding the joint. These metal particles could potentially cause significant harm the muscles, bones, and nerves around the hip.

Have you Recently Undergone Hip Replacement Surgery?

If you have recently received a hip implant, and find that you are suffering through pain that exceeds the expected recovery period, you may have received a defective implant from DePuy Orthopaedics.
Contact your orthopaedic surgeon to find out who manufactured your implant, and then contact a defective products attorney at the Mininno Law Office: we will work hard to fight for you, and earn you the compensation you deserve.

Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.