Up to 17 Babies Given Overdoses of Blood Thinner

A Corpus Christi, Texas, hospital is investigating how up to 17 babies in a neonatal intensive care unit received overdoses of the blood thinner heparin. One of the babies died. The infant was one of 17 who may have received a more concentrated form of heparin than was prescribed, Christus Spohn Hospital South said in a statement. Heparin is an anticoagulant often used to clean the IVs of patients and prevent blood clots from forming in the lines. It came into the public spotlight last year when newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid nearly died after receiving an overdose at a Los Angeles hospital. Nursing staff at the Corpus Christi hospital discovered the problem Sunday — two days after the medication is believed to have been first administered, according to Bruce Holstien, president and CEO of Christus Spohn Health System. The hospital said it took corrective measures after the discovery. A preliminary investigation concluded that “the medication error occurred during the mixing process within the hospital pharmacy,” Holstein said in a statement.

Please click on the link below to read the CNN.com article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/09/heparin.babies/index.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.

Hospitalists Fill In for General Practitioners

Change is just about the only constant in medicine, but some patients are surprised when an unfamiliar doctor stops by their room at Foote Hospital. Increasingly, it is not their general practitioner. Instead, it is a physician known as a hospitalist. “Our biggest challenge is explaining to patients what we do,” said Dr. Noel Lucas, director of Foote’s hospitalist program. Hospitalists are physicians who work regular shifts caring only for patients who are hospitalized. Their role can take the place of a patient’s general practitioner during a hospital stay, or supplement it. Foote, part of Allegiance Health, joined this rapidly growing national trend three years ago. Some call it a win-win situation. A win for patients because a physician is always available to handle everything from an emergency to talking to the patient’s family. A win for general practitioners who have more freedom outside regular work hours because they don’t have to make rounds or be on-call. On the other hand, some patients are startled, or even distraught, if their primary-care physician isn’t the one visiting them in the hospital, explaining test results and making plans for more treatment or discharge for home. “Initially it seemed strange not to have my family doctor visiting, but I realized the hospitalists are familiar with my case and my family doctor is probably double-booked at the office,” Foote patient Alexis Keppeler said.

Please click on the link below to read the Mlive.com article:

http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/2008/06/hospitalists_fill_in_for_gener.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.

Doctors Retiring Earlier – Trend Could Leave Thousands Without Medical Care

John Dircks is a doctor of pulmonary medicine in Kalamazoo and looks forward to celebrating his retirement. But for Dircks, retirement is about more than just enjoying his golden years. “It’s really just not feasible to keep doing what I’m doing,” Dircks said. “I pay the overhead for the office and computers and all the secretarial staff. I go through reams and reams of insurance and billing and transcripts. It doesn’t leave enough money for me and my wife.” Dircks, 65, is among the more than 6,000 Michigan physicians who will hang up their stethoscopes in the next 10 to 12 years. That mass retirement will leave thousands of patients without medical care, state health experts say. About 38 percent of the state’s physicians, particularly in the primary care, family and internal medicine fields, will retire by 2020, David Fox of the Michigan State Medical Society said. “It’s going to be a real problem,” Fox said. “The baby boomers are hitting retirement, too, and they’re going to need more health care. The physicians who are retiring are the ones those people are going to have to see first. “Physicians are tending to retire earlier,” Fox said. “It’s a little more difficult maintaining a medical practice now.” The escalating exodus of doctors is due to a number of factors, Fox said. Not only are physicians retiring, but others are leaving the state due to the poor economy. Between the declining income of patients, increased costs of staff, high medical malpractice insurance rates and more exposure to lawsuits, Fox said physicians are inclined to quit sooner.

Please click on the link below to read the Macomb Daily article:

http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/062308/loc_local03.shtml

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.