Malpractice Settlement Data Could Go Online in North Carolina

The North Carolina Medical Board is considering a plan to post information on medical malpractice lawsuit settlements on its Web site beginning in 2009, the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports. The information on the settlements would contain the physician’s name, when the case was settled and an optional box where physicians can provide details on the reasons for the settlement. Settlements from the previous seven years would be included as part of physician profiles that the board publishes online. The Web site would not contain information on the dollar amount of the settlement, according to Thomas Mansfield, director of the medical board’s legal department. The state General Assembly passed a law last year giving the medical board the authority to obtain information on physician lawsuits, hospital privileges and criminal convictions, Mansfield said. He also said the legislation did not provide guidance on what information the board could publish online. The proposed rule for disclosing the settlements online will remain open for public comment until June 30.

Please click on the link below to read the iHealthBeat article:

http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2008/5/5/Malpractice-Settlement-Data-Could-Go-Online-in-North-Carolina.aspx?topicID=55

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

New Study Suggests: Vitamin D May Curb Breast Cancer

Breast-cancer patients with low levels of Vitamin D were more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than were patients who got enough of the nutrient, researchers reported. Although not conclusive, the findings add to evidence that the “sunshine vitamin” has anticancer benefits – and are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing. The skin makes Vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sun can raise the risk of skin cancer, but many doctors also believe that small amounts – 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen – may be beneficial. While the vitamin is found in certain foods and supplements, most do not contain the best form, D-3, and have only a modest effect on levels of the nutrient in the blood. That is what matters, the Canadian study found. Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of Vitamin D when they were first found to have breast cancer. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease. “It’s the first time that Vitamin D has been linked to breast-cancer progression,” said the study’s leader, Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. But she warned people not to start downing supplements. Experts disagree on how much Vitamin D people need or the best way to get it – and too much can be harmful. They also don’t know whether getting more Vitamin D can help when someone already has cancer. “We have no idea whether correcting a Vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes,” said Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle. The study, released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, will be presented at the group’s annual meeting later this month.

Please click on the link below to read the Philadelphia Inquirer article:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20080516_Vitamin_D_may_curb_breast_cancer.html

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.