Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: Eastern Pines Convalescent Center

It is important for us, as nursing home abuse lawyers for New Jersey and the Philadelphia area, to review care facilities in the area for signs of nursing home abuse or neglect. We have recently been posting on some of the facilities with a high number of cited deficiencies. Today we will discuss the Eastern Pines Convalescent Center.

Eastern Pines Convalescent Center Puts Residents in Danger

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers eastern pines Convalescent CenterThis nursing home is a 141 long term care bed facility located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Between November, 2008 and October, 2010, it was routinely inspected twice. These inspections are performed by the Division of Health Care facilities Evaluation and Licensing for the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.

During these two inspections, 34 deficiencies were cited at the facility. Although there were a variety of deficiencies cited, some of the most severe had to do with abuse and neglect policies, patients’ rights to voice grievances without reprisal, infection control issues, and issues regarding sanitation. These deficiencies were found to be widespread, with a number of them alleged to cause immediate jeopardy to resident health and safety.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Phialdelphia

It is extremely important to be aware of a nursing home’s records and reputation before placing a loved one in it’s care. It is equally as important to be vigilant in your review of these health department reports to protect the safety of the patient from various forms of abuse and neglect. This Atlantic County nursing home has had many serious deficiencies cited in the past two years, and family members of residents must make extra efforts to ensure that proper treatment and care are being provided.

If your loved one is currently a resident at nursing home or long term care facility, and you feel that the care they are receiving is poor, negligent, sub par, or dangerous, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. The NJ and PA nursing home abuse lawyers at the Mininno Law Office are skilled and experienced in earning compensation for victims of nursing home abuse. You may also call for a free case evaluation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Don’t let abusive and inattentive nursing homes continue to diminish your loved one’s quality of life. Contact a nursing home abuse attorney today.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys: Suit Filed in Chester County, PA

In February of 2005, Lathenia Petty, mother of six, went to her doctor with concerns about a lump she felt on her breast. In February, 2009, after medical malpractice in boatloads, Lathenia Petty died of breast cancer. She was 30 years old.

Medical Negligence Leads to Tragic Death

new jersey philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers lathenia petty heidi westonLathenia Petty saw Dr. Heidi Weston, of Penn University Health System, about the lump she felt on her breast. Weston was concerned about the mass as well, and ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound. Lathenia then took her prescription to Pottstown Memorial Hospital. The radiologist report stated that the results of the tests were suspicious, and that a biopsy was necessary to check for cancer.

The Imaging department at Pottstown Memorial Hospital faxed the results to Weston’s office. Except, they didn’t fax the results to Weston’s office. They sent the fax to a wrong number. In fact, Thomas R. Kline, the Petty family’s attorney, identified 105 additional radiology reports for Weston’s patients that Pottstown Memorial also faxed to the wrong number. Tests included an x-ray of a 16 year-old’s knee from May of 2004, and a breast ultrasound from March of 2008.

Weston received no results from Pottstown regarding her patient. And despite a note in Lathenia’s record to follow up on the lump, Weston never once addressed it in seven office visits Lathenia made after the tests were ordered. Even when Lathenia brought it up again, her concerns mounting, Weston advised Lathenia to find someone to perform evaluations and surgery herself. Weston’s defense? She didn’t have enough time to locate a specialist that would accept Lathenia’s insurance. Lathenia was covered by Keystone Mercy Health Plan, this region’s largest Medicaid HMO.

Negligence at Every Turn

Lathenia Petty was surely failed by her health system. Pottstown Memorial had been faxing imagine results to the wrong number for at least a year, yet never once followed up with Weston on any suspicious findings. And why didn’t Weston find it suspicious that results were never coming in for patients sent to Pottstown Memorial? Since 2004, 105 of Weston’s patients had tests done that she never saw results for. Lathenia Petty had a sizeable lump that needed to be removed, yet Weston failed to follow up with the radiologist regarding the results of the tests she prescribed.

Had Lathenia’s cancer been diagnosed in it’s early stages, when she first felt the lump, she might be alive today to continue mothering her six children. Without a proper follow-up system on the part of physician and radiologist, lives will be lost to missed diagnoses.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

As a patient, you must take an active role in your care and follow up on your own test results. The expression “No news is good news” never applies when it comes to your health, and ultimately, your life. While it is the responsibility of your doctor to retrieve these results and alert you of your condition, you must be pro-active in making sure that your doctors are indeed doing what your insurance company pays them to do.

If you or a loved are victims of medical malpractice or negligence, 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 NJ and PA medical malpractice attorneys at the Mininno Law Office work to earn you the full and fair compensation that you need and deserve.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Reveal Abuse in South Jersey Nursing Homes

As New Jersey and Philadelphia area nursing home abuse lawyers, we continue posting about some of the long term care facilities that have troublesome levels of inspection summary deficiencies. All long term care facilities and nursing homes are inspected by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services. These reports are published so the public can have access to this very important information. Today we would like to highlight the record of a Mercer County facility with 215 long term care beds; Water’s Edge Healthcare & Rehabilitation.

Water’s Edge Acquires a Plethora of Citations

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers Waters Edge Healthcare RehabilitationThis Mercer County facility had 2 routine inspections and 8 complaint inspections from November 2008 through October 2010. During the routine inspections of Water’s Edge Healthcare & Rehabilitation, 20 deficiencies were cited. These included deficiencies related to the treatment and prevention of bed sores and pressure ulcers, medication errors of 5% or more, and one deficiency in the food procurement, storage, prep, and sanitary conditions. This last deficiency was found to be widespread as it was given a rating of F. An F rating means that although no actual harm was found, the widespread violation has the potential for more than minimal harm.

During this period, there were also 4 complaint inspections. The two most recent deficiencies that were cited occurred in August and October of 2010. One of these complaint inspections was for the prevention and treatment of bed sores. As indicated in some of our earlier posts, bed sore and pressure ulcers are considered clear signs of negligence and nursing home abuse. It is important to “keep tabs” on the long term facility or nursing home you plan on using both before you enter and during the patient’s stay. As nursing home abuse attorneys, we find a nursing home with this many citations one that must be watched carefully for any signs of patient neglect or abuse. You must always be vigilant to protect your loved ones when they are in any long term facilities care.

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home or rehab facility, 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.
Any doubts that you may have regrding the quality or safety of care they the home is providing should be immediately addressed. Don’t wait until irreversible damage is done.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Verdict of 19.2 Million Awarded in Florida

In Lee County, Florida, medical malpractice attorneys won a $19.2 million verdict in a medical malpractice suit regarding now 3.5 year-old Kiarra Smith.

Medical Malpractice at HealthPark Medical Center

new jersey philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers florida kiarra smithKiarra Smith was born 3 months pre-mature and weighed only one and half pounds. Life began as a struggle for the tiny infant. Fifteen days after her birth, Kiarra was given an extreme dosage of nutrients, over 100 times her prescribed dose. The error led to cardiac arrest and other severe complications, including blindness.

Kiarra is permanently injured as a result of the overdose, and will spend the rest of her life in need of constant care. The Lee Memorial Health System commented on the the tragedy, saying:

“We acknowledge that a serious error occurred. Medical experts who reviewed the matter at our request believe that the child’s condition is a result of complications related to her extreme prematurity because she was born three months early and weighed one-and-a-half pounds.”

A Lee County circuit court awarded the Smith family $19.2 million in damages, but due to current malpractice reform caps in Florida, as well as sovereign immunity, the award could be diminished to only $200,000.

Hopefully, Kiarra and her family will receive their due compensation and justice will ultimately be done. Kiarra’s life will surely be one involving special and expensive medical treatment; treatment that $200,000 is never going to cover.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a loved one have suffered at the hands of a negligent medical provider, 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 medical malpractice attorneys are dedicated to earning compensation for patients who have been seriousley injured by negligent medicine.

Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: Sterling Manor

As New Jersey and Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers, we have been randomly viewing the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services report cards for New Jersey nursing home. The State of New Jersey publishes these reports for each nursing home and long term residential facility in New Jersey. We have been reviewing the inspection summary reports for different nursing homes and reporting on those that have a large number of citations. It is important to review these reports to be aware of any signs of possible nursing home abuse.

Sterling Manor in Maple Shade, NJ

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers exposé sterling manorToday we are posting on Sterling Manor. Sterling Manor is a nursing home that has 124 long term patient beds under its care. It is located in Maple Shade, New Jersey in Burlington County. Sterling Manor had 3 routine inspections over the two year period from November 2008 until October 2010. It also had 14 complaint inspections during that same time period. The Sterling Manor nursing home was cited for physician visit issues relating to care/notes/orders etc., as well as residential record issues, life safety code violations, and bed sores. (As we have posted on many occasions, bed sores, themselves, are signs or nursing home abuse.)

Problems relating to the treatment and prevention of bed sores is also one of the reasons the facility received a complaint inspection as recently as July 2010. Another complaint inspection occurred due to food sanitation and preparation issues. These types of issues are what can lead to claims of nursing home abuse. It is important if you plan on having your loved one cared for in any nursing home, including Sterling Manor in Maple Shade, that you review these State of New Jersey Licensing and Evaluation inspections, to make sure it is a safe environment free from abuse.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home and you believe that the care they are receiving may be negligent or abusive, 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. Our team can work to earn you the compensation you deserve.

Medical Malpractice and Sleep Deprivation; Should Surgeons Disclose to Patients When They Haven’t Slept?

As a New Jersey and Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney, I found a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine quite interesting. It posed a question regarding surgeons and their often wearisome schedules; Should a surgeon who has been deprived sleep in the past 24 hours be obligated to do disclose such to his/her patient?

Surgeons and Surgery Schedules

new jersey philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers disclosure lack sleepSleep deprivation can affect a surgeon or physician’s clinical and physical performances as severely as alcohol intoxication, and therefore increase risk of medical malpractice. But for a hospital, the task of ensuring that it’s surgeons are not suffering from fatigue has proven quite a challenge. Hospitals are in need of 24/7 coverage of clinical procedures, and must provide continuous care. Hospital trainees currently have work regulations set forth by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education that restrict them to a maximum of 16 consecutive working hours followed by a minimum of 8 hours off-duty. These types of regulations do not currently exist for fully trained physicians, who work multiple on-call and overnight shifts a week, strategically placing elective surgical procedures in between.

Furthermore, continuous sleep deprivation can lead to more serious problems, creating a larger concern regarding it’s effect on patients. Surveys show that patients would be very concerned if they were told that their physicians had gone 24 hours without sleep, and 80% of those surveyed said they would request new providers. Considering how important this is to so many patients, it seems informed consent should be demanded in these situations.

The Sleep Research Society has proposed legislation that would require medical providers who have been awake for 22 of the last 24 hours to:

“inform their patients of the extent and potential safety impact of their sleep deprivation and to obtain consent from such patients prior to providing clinical care or performing any medical or surgical procedures.”

Patients should be informed of the impairments sleep deprivation and fatigue can cause, as well as the increased risk of complications associated with proceeding. Patients should then be given the opportunity to proceed, re-schedule, or proceed with a different physician. Until hospitals can staff their facilities accordingly, patients will have to play a more active role in their medical care in order to protect themselves from medical malpractice and negligence.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a loved one have suffered at the hands of a negligent medical provider, please 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. The medical malpractice lawyers at the Mininno Law Office are experienced and skilled in earning victims their full and fair compensation.

Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: ManorCare Health Services, West Deptford, NJ

Once again today we are here to discuss another local nursing home that has been cited with a number of deficiencies in the past two years. As nursing home abuse lawyers, it is important for us to educate the public on the need to investigate whether appropriate standards of care are being met in the New Jersey and Philadelphia nursing homes. Numerous violations can be a sign of nursing home abuse.

Gloucester County Nursing Home Cited With Violations

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers manorcare health servicesToday’s post takes a look at a nursing home facility in Gloucester County. The name of the facility is Manorcare Health Services. It is located on West Deptford and has 156 long term care beds.

The Manorcare facility was inspected two times from November 2008 through October 2010. During these two inspections, 25 different deficiencies were cited. The scope and severity of these citations ranged from isolated to widespread. One of the citations was for a level 3 offense, which is one considered to have caused actual harm to one or more residents. In this particular instance it referred to not maintaining the proper nutritional status. There were also instances of life safety code violations and violations regarding the sanitary and comfortable environment, as well as bed sore prevention and treatment failings.

Twenty-five violations in only two inspections over a two-year period seems to be quite a concern. These types of failings are the things that can lead to patient safety concerns, including the acquiring of bed sores. During this time period, four complaints were also inspected and detailed at ManorCare. One of these complaints did in fact concern bed sores, and although it was isolated in this case, it was found to have had a potential for more than minimal harm. Of course, both acquiring a bed sore and the improper treatment of that bedsore are indeed nursing home abuse. Any of these issues should be discussed with a New Jersey nursing home abuse lawyer immediately. It is important to be an advocate for your loved one, and when abuse has occurred it is important to have an attorney advocating with you.

New Jersey and Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home or long term care facility and you are seeing signs that you attribute to possible negligence or abuse, 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 Mininno Law Office team work hard to earn you the compensation you and your loved one deserve.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers Keep Debunking Tort Reform Myths!

new jersey philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers debunking tort reform myths A key issue in the tort reform debate involves “defensive medicine.” Supporters of medical malpractice litigation reform claim that “defensive medicine,” usually in the form unnecessary and preemptive testing, is largely due to a widespread physician fear of lawsuits. They claim that these tests drive up the costs of health care, and that reducing a doctor’s chances of being sued would simultaneously reduce the occurrences of defensive medicine, and thus reduce the costs of health care. However, a recent study performed out of the University of Iowa and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted to public health) found that in states where tort reform legislation was passed, defensive medicine is still being practiced and doctors are still just as fearful of being sued.

Study Finds that Tort Reform Allegations are Simply Propoganda

Researchers achieved their results by ranking lawsuit risk on a state-by-state basis by the amount of claims actually paid by medical malpractice insurance companies. Research found that doctors who practiced in low-risk states (states that have passed their own tort reform legislation) had essentially the same amount of anxiety about being sued as doctors in high risk states (states that have not passed any type of malpractice reform). Defensive medicine is still being practiced, and therefore tort reform did not lower health care costs. The study stated:

“Overall, the study suggests that current tort reform efforts aimed at reducing malpractice risk would be relatively ineffective in alleviating physicians’ concern about lawsuits and therefore may not alter defensive medicine practices.”

Tort Reformists Ignoring Real Issue

What is alarming is that recent studies have shown that medical malpractice is not decreasing, despite defensive medicine and other efforts. A study of 10 North Carolina hospitals published in the New England Journal of Medicine (read our blog regarding this study) assessed 2,300 random patient files. Of those 2,300 patients, 39%endured some sort of medical error or patient harm. Seventeen errors resulted in permanent injury, and fourteen resulted in death.

It seems that more time and effort should be spent on correcting the horrid rate of medical errors, rather than saving HMO’s and negligent medical providers money. While tort reformists and insurance lobbyists push to limit liability and cap damages for injured patients, doctors and hospitals continue to harm patients at an unacceptable rate. It looks like priorities in this matter have been seriously skewed.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a loved one have suffered at the hands of a negligent medical provider, please 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 need and deserve.

DePuy Hip Recall: What About the FDA?

As New Jersey and Pennsylvania Depuy hip recall attorneys, we have been posting various bits of information regarding the Depuy hip recall and its effect on recipients of the implant. We hope these posts have been helpful to not only patients who have experienced implant failure, but to all Depuy hip recall patients, regardless of whether or not they have experienced pain or symptoms associated with the DePuy hip implant failure.

Did the FDA Have Anything to Do With the Recall?

Recently a Depuy hip implant patient asked us, “What does the federal government have to say about the Depuy hip implant recall?” As many know, medical devices, such as artificial hips, prosthesis, knee joint replacements, and other implants, are supposed to be regulated by the Food and Drug administration (FDA). According to its website, the FDA is charged with responsibility for:

“protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.”

new jersey philadelphia depuy hip recall attorneys examine fda approach Despite this responsibility, the FDA has not done much regarding the recall since July 17, 2010, the date they posted information on specific recalled devices. The recall contained DePuy technical data that listed all of the various sized component parts of the DePuy ASR hip replacement system. As for the reason for the recall, the FDA quoted Depuy, stating that the recall was caused by “notification to clinicians of new revision rate data/information regarding use of the device.” What does that mean? It means that DePuy and the FDA were receiving complaints that the hip implant was failing at an alarming rate, causing the necessity for revision surgeries to rise to a new and unacceptable level. These complaints started coming in shortly after DePuy was granted approval to market their device in the United States in 2003.

DePuy Hip Recall Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

Unfortunately, the FDA has not provided any additional information to patients about what to do next. In fact, the FDA website refers all inquiries back to Depuy’s home office in Indiana. As New Jersey Depuy hip recall attorneys, we urge the FDA to be more diligent in its reporting of consumer complaints regarding medical devices. The device was approved for use in 2003, and was on the market for 7 years before it was finally recalled. Had the complaints been investigated sooner, perhaps surgeons and potential Depuy hip implant patients would have thought twice about using this defective hip replacement product.

If you are the recipient of a DePuy ASR XL Acetabular hip implant system, or an ASR XL Hip Resurfacing System, 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. Our defective product attorneys are skilled in earning full and fair compensation for victims of negligent and defective manufacturing.

Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: South Jersey Health Care Center

As New Jersey and Philadelphia attorneys with a focus on nursing home abuse, we are always concerned with the well being of nursing home patients housed in long term care facilities in New Jersey. We have recently been reviewing reports published by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services regarding the evaluation and licensing of nursing homes and other types of long term care facilities. It is a major concern of ours when we find reports that indicate various violations that are indicative of nursing home abuse.

South Jersey Health Care Center receives Unsatisfactory Ratings

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers south health care centerToday we are reporting about the South Jersey Health Care Center located in Camden, New Jersey. This is a nursing home that has 120 long term care patient beds. In a two year period, from November 2008 until October 2010, this nursing home was inspected on two separate occasions. During those inspections, the nursing home was cited for 16 separate violations. These violations included failure to meet proper safety code standards, lack of proper housekeeping and maintenance services, and food and nutritional issues. Many of the violations were found to occur often, and at least one of the violations was considered immediate jeopardy to residents’ health and safety.

One of the violations concerned the neglect that causes initial acquisition and later worsening of bed sores or pressure ulcers. As indicated in some of our earlier posts, the procurement of a bed sore is nursing home neglect and should not occur if the nursing home staff is properly trained and fulfilling their jobs at the proper level. In the case of the South Jersey Health Care Center located in Camden, there are enough violations to warrant a family’s close monitoring while a loved one remains in the home’s care. As always, it is important to review any nursing home that you may have in mind before your loved one is entered as a resident, and to monitor the nursing home for abuses during their residency.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is currently a resident at a nursing home or long term care facility and you feel that the care they are receiving may be negligent or abusive, 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. Don’t let your loved one become another victim of negligent and inadequate nursing homes.

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