Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a holistic method for treating medical conditions, often involving natural remedies and herbal medicines. Naturopaths, bearing either the credential Naturopathic Doctor (N.D.) or Naturopathic Medical Doctor (N.M.D.), have sought greater recognition among other practitioners of the medical arts. In particular, they seek status under Medicare regulations to obtain reimbursements under [...]
Patient safety is the paramount consideration in any medical treatment. The universal standard of care is that no physician or other caregiver should ever put a patient at unnecessary risk of harm. The corollary to this rule is that if a treatment carries certain necessary risks, the caregiver has a duty to disclose those to [...]
Making healthcare safe sounds like a reasonable idea, doesn't it? Of course it does! Why in the world is it so hard to make healthcare safe to begin with? We have all heard about the Institute of Medicine report that says that medical mistakes are a serious problem in our healthcare system. The real question [...]
Patient safety is the most important aspect of any medical encounter. We expect world class care from our hospitals and doctors that hold themselves out as experts. What we often receive in terms of our healthcare is a far cry from what is advertised. If more money was spent on implementing and enforcing patient safety [...]
Patient Safety. What does it truly mean? Why are so many errors being made by doctors and hospitals? What is the solution and how can we be facing such an epidemic of mishaps in our medical care? After all, aren't we the greatest nation in the world with the best hospitals and doctors available? These [...]
For patients, negotiating an increasingly complicated and fractured medical system can be overwhelming. Add to the current confusion pre-packaged misinformation touting a variety of technological advances that are not ready for prime time, such as robotic surgery and the electronic medical record. Along those lines, I have read a number of articles lately heralding the dawn of [...]
"Empathy" is defined by Merriam-Webster, in part, as "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, ... the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another..." Why would a plaintiff's personal injury and medical malpractice attorney write about empathy? Well, the answer is easy for so many reasons. In this blog, part 1, I will [...]
For patients injured by medical negligence, there is often a burning sense of betrayal by the doctor with whom they entrusted their health and well-being. This sense of betrayal is stoked when a physician who has caused harm skulks off into the shadows without acknowledging that mistakes were made or that unnecessary harm was caused. Betrayal and suspicion lead many [...]
For patients in a hospital setting, unfettered nursing care is the key to a successful outcome. However, there are many forces present today that constrain nurses from doing their job properly. This puts patients at risk. National Nurses Week is a great opportunity to make patients aware of the importance of nursing care and the challenges that nurses [...]
For patients, trusting your physician to put your interests first is taken for granted. But what happens when the physician is influenced by gifts from pharmaceutical companies to push a patient toward a particular medication irrespective of the patient's best interests? We see the influence of pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers on physicians' practices growing all the time. [...]
