Author Archives: Kathleen
Medical Negligence – A Cause of Nosocomial Infection
Hand-washing is widely recognized as the single most effective hospital practice to prevent nosocomial infections. The most common way infections are spread by hospital staff is cross-contamination –omission of washing hands between patients. Studies support doctors are the biggest offenders … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged damages, doctor, guidelines, healthcare, hospital, hosptial-acquired, law, liability, medical malpractice, medical negligence, medical professional, nosocomial infection, omission, patient, patient safety., personal injury, registered nurse, standard of care
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Honor Roll – Best Children’s Hospitals 2012-13
The 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals features 80 different hospitals that ranked among the top 50 in at least one of 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. … Continue reading
The Honor Roll – Best Hospitals 2012-13
U.S. News published its annual report of the best hospitals for 2012-13. The list recognizes 17 medical centers, less than 0.4 percent of the 5,000 hospitals nationwide that excel across a broad spectrum of patient standard of care and standout as experts in … Continue reading
Leapfrog’s Report – Half of U.S Hospitals Graded C or Below for Patient Safety
The Leapfrog Group, the nation’s leading non-profit promoting transparency and patient safety in hospitals, released its first-ever alarming report highlighting the country’s best hospitals and warning against the worst. The report is a bold step forward to educate consumers by … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged bloodborne infections, charting, electronic medical records, falls, hand washing, hospital acquired pressure ulcers, hospital error, medical, medical-surgical care, Medicare, medication errors, patient safety., preventable hospital error occurrences, retained surgical foreign bodies, safety, serious injury, standard of care, surgical, trauma, unreported hospital errors, worst hospital
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Clinical Practice Guidelines – Physician Non-Compliance
Physicians are expected to adhere to certain standards of treatment in their medical practices. These clinical practice guidelines of appropriate treatment are developed by health care experts and professional organizations and are typically understood to set the minimum standard of … Continue reading
The Medical Expert Witness – A Legal Nurse Consultant’s Role in Litigation
A medical expert witness is a professional who has a specialized background and expertise that qualifies them to credibly testify on legal cases which include medical-related cases such as personal injury, medical malpractice and workers’ compensation. Medical experts are qualified according … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged advocate, attorney, board-certifed physician, court, discovery, lawsuit, legal, legal nurse consultant, litigation, medical expert witness, medical malpractice, medical negligence, medicine, merit, personal injury, plaintiff, screening, standard of care, succeed, success, workers' compensation
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5 Reasons ICU Nurses Make Preeminent Legal Nurse Consultants
ICU Nurses are trained to care for patients in critical condition. An ICU nurses’ expertise; training and skills make for a preeminent LNC. ICU Nurses are responsible for evaluating and monitoring readings, communications between all healthcare professionals and a patients’ … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged advocate, clinical expertise, healthcare professional, hospital, icu nurse, legal nurse consultant, litigation, medical record, medicaltion, negative outcome, patient rights, plaintiff attorney, preeminent, quality care, standard of care, timeline, work ethic
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What Substantiates a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Medical malpractice at its simplest definition is the substandard care or treatment of a patient by a medical professional. Medical malpractice usually means that some sort of negligence, error or breach in standard of care has occurred. This can mean … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged applicable standard of care, damages, deviation from standard of care, health care, improper charting, Journal of American Medical Association, legal nurse consultant, medical malpractice, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical negligence, medical professional, medical record review, medical standard of care, medical surgical anesthesia errors, merit, misdiagnosis, patient death, patient injury, physicians duty, plaintiff attorney, prescription errors, standard of care, standard of care breaches, substandard care, surgical error, unnecessary surgery
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5 Medical Record Charting Errors & Their Impact on a Medical Malpractice Case
Proper charting of medical records is imperative in providing safety and proper standard of care for patients. Often improper charting leads to adverse consequences for the defense in medical malpractice litigation. The medical record serves as the basis of argument … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Nurse Consulting
Tagged adverse drug reactions, angered jurors, attorney, careless handwriting, charting errors, defense, drug allergies, inadequate documentation, lawsuits, legal nurse consultant, litigation, medical malpractice, medical records, merit, plaintiff, settlement, standard of care
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Digital Medical Records | Pro’s & Con’s of EMR’s From an LNC
Digital Medical Records or Electronic Medical Records [EMR] are electronic health record systems that are employed by hospitals, insurance companies and other medical institutions to keep track of patient information. Of course when implementing any new system or technology there will … Continue reading