It’s that dirty little secret that hospitals don’t want you to know about… but it looks like we’re almost at the tipping point. Soon you may be able to find out what your local hospital’s infection rate is — and you can choose whether you want procedures to take place in that hospital or not. […]
MRSA Tipping Point – Almost There Read More »
My world as a patient advocacy consultant* exists in two camps, both of which influence each other constantly. Camp #1 is the world of medical errors and misdiagnosis. That’s the world where my career began — although not by choice, certainly. It’s the world the Institute of Medicine referred to when it reported that infamous
Medical Error Insurance? Read More »
During my post misdiagnosis anger phase, I read everything I could get my hands on about medical errors, their causes, and their consequences. I’m not sure why, except perhaps I wanted reassurance that I had not been the only one ever to have suffered in such a way. It was partially cathartic, and partially responsible
Wall of Silence = Profit Read More »
In 2000, then-9th grade student Lewis Blackman died at the hands of the medical personnel at MUSC – the Medical University of South Carolina. It didn’t have to happen. Lewis, a bright young man with many talents and incredible potential, died bleeding to death after a practically-routine surgery — a horrible medical error. You, nor
Turning Heartbreak into a Lifesaver for Others Read More »
Once again we find prescription drugs at the center of debate — and we patients are the ones who will be hurt by it. (so what else is new?) The AP, including the Washington Post, Forbes , TV news and others are reporting that three pharm drugs approved for anemia have been promoted and used
Pharma Profits Can Kill You Read More »
We received word yesterday that a dear family friend died while in the hospital. He was an 81-year-old gentleman who my parents (and therefore I) have known for decades. He was hospitalized a month ago with COPD. About a week after he arrived in the hospital, his wife called me, very upset, to tell me
Another Loss to MRSA Read More »
I’m visiting my parents for a week. They live in a retirement /transitional living center in Florida where my mother resides in the memory center (she is an Alzheimer’s patient) and my dad lives in the same building in a beautiful apartment. It allows them to spend time together each day, and it’s remarkable how
When is a doctor too old? Read More »
As announced here several weeks ago, my Every Patient’s Advocate columns can now be found in the Knoxville News Sentinel — and today is the debut. This is my official date of syndication! I now have two regular publications carrying my column — and hope to add many more. Find “Take Your Pills Seriously” in
Are you in Knoxville? Watch for EPA! Read More »
