Safety experts and researchers say wrong site surgeries may be on the rise based on data compiled by the Joint Commission, an organization that accredits hospitals and other health care institutions, The Washington Post reports. Wrong site surgeries include operating on the wrong limb, the wrong organ or the wrong […]
Author: Martin & Jones
Workers’ Comp: Court of Appeals Restores Common Sense to Notice Requirements
N.C.G.S. 97-22 requires an injured employee to provide the employer ‘written notice of the accident’ within 30 days (emphasis added). In Gregory v. W.A. Brown & Sons (Gregory II), the Court of Appeals has concluded that an employer who had actual notice of an accident was not prejudiced by the […]
Dementia Patients Receive Potentially Lethal Antipsychotic Drugs
“Government, taxpayers, nursing home residents as well as their families and caregivers should be outraged and seek solutions,” says Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, in announcing the result of a DHHS audit which found that nearly one in seven elderly nursing home […]
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 Would Protect Rights in Employment and Consumer Settings
A bill was recently introduced in the Senate which would prohibit corporations from including arbitration clauses in their standard contracts with consumers and non-union employees. Though the Federal Arbitration Act, passed in 1925, was originally intended to cover only certain types of disputes, such as those between merchants and where […]
Federal Trade Commission Attempts To Rein In Mortgage Relief Scams
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a Final Rule aimed at protecting struggling homeowners from mortgage relief scams. The new rule outlaws advance fees and false claims, while also requiring clear and accurate disclosures from companies providing such services. The FTC recently announced the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) […]
Supreme Court Rules Against Consumers in High Stakes Arbitration Decision
In a much-anticipated decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled against consumers in AT&T v. Concepcion. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that corporations may use arbitration clauses to cut off consumers and employees’ right to join their claims together through class actions to hold corporations accountable. The […]
CitiBank Agrees to Change Overdraft Policy
CitiBank recently announced a change to its overdraft policies. Beginning July 25, 2011, CitiBank will process checks from smallest to largest. Currently, most banks process checks from largest to smallest, which means that if a large check overdraws an account, then each smaller check will do so also, resulting in […]
One in Three Hospital Patients Will Be Injured by a Medical Mistake
No one wants to believe this frightening fact. One in three? That’s right. Studies now show that one out of every three hospital admissions includes an injury to a patient due to a medical mistake. If everyone knew how dangerous hospitals are, I wouldn’t have to explain my job at […]
House Bill 709: A Radical Attack on Injured Workers in North Carolina
Big business and insurance company lobbyists have pressured some of our legislators to file a bill, House Bill 709, that is a radical attack on the rights of injured workers. The bill has many objectionable provisions, but here are some of the worst: With few exceptions, the bill limits both […]
FDA’s Abbreviated Process for Approving Medical Devices Puts Dangerous Devices on the Market
In a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine the authors found that 71 percent of medical devices were approved through the FDA’s less-rigorous 510(k) process. Most of the medical devices recalled in the FDA’s highest-risk recall category (a risk of serious injury or death) were cleared for […]