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Study: Most Doctors Get Sued, But Few Pay
The American Medical News reported that although nearly all physicians "will be sued at least once during their career," most cases "will end in their favor," according to a study published Aug. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study authors estimated that by "age 65, 75% of physicians in low-risk specialties will have experienced a lawsuit, compared with 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties." The analysis of "claims data on about 41,000 physicians between 1991 and 2005" indicated less than "2% of those sued make payments to plaintiffs" and that neurosurgeons are "sued more often than any other specialists." Annually, an average "7.4% of physicians experienced a medical liability claim," of whom only "1.6% made payments to plaintiffs." |
NIH Changes Rules to Reduce Conflicts of Interest
The Washington Post reported that "the National Institutes of Health has finalized rules to reduce financial conflicts of interests among federally funded researchers who also receive payments or stock from drug and medical device companies." New regulations state that if a researcher receives at least $5,000 from a drug or device company they must disclose the funds, although institutions will not be required to post that information online, as originally proposed. The new rules were created following several cases where "federally funded researchers failed to disclose millions of dollars from companies with a financial interest in the outcome of their work." The Post said that NIH Director Francis Collins lauded "the 'vast majority of researchers' as ethical and sensitive to conflicts of interest," and "called the new rules 'an insurance plan against potential trouble downstream.'" |
Analysis Shows Gap Between Hospital Perception, Performance
 USA Today reported that its analysis of new Medicare data has found "more than 120 hospitals given top marks by patients for providing excellent care also have a darker distinction: high death rates for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia." USA Today added that experts say the analysis of data released by Medicare "offers a window into the relationship between patients' perceptions of the quality of their hospital care and more objective measures, such as hospitals' death and readmission rates. 'This is a very important finding,' says Donald Berwick, director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, adding that though patient-survey data offer critical insights into how it feels to be a patient at different hospitals, patients' perceptions don't tell the whole story."
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Egg Producers Fail to Meet Standards One Year After Huge Recall
 "One year after 1,900 people were sickened and a half-billion Iowa eggs were recalled, government inspectors continue to find unsanitary conditions and inadequate protections against salmonella on Iowa's egg farms. None of the violations have resulted in fines or penalties from state or federal agencies, and Iowa's egg producers still aren't required to tell state officials when they find salmonella on their farms." The paper called regulation of egg producers "a clumsy patchwork of state and federal laws," with significant enforcement gaps. It notes that inspections "are announced days in advance" and the FDA "says it has never fined or closed down any egg-production facilities in the United States." Read more. |
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Not a Good Thing: Hands, Fingers Injured by Martha Stewart Chairs
The AP reported that "Three people whose fingers were snipped off or injured by Martha Stewart patio chairs have won settlements against her company and Kmart, which sold the furniture, their attorney said Thursday." The victims' suits "claimed that the lounge chairs' legs are defective and snap forward, 'serving as a guillotine' for fingers and hands caught between the legs and the chair." Plaintiffs' attorney Guy Cook "said Kmart continued to sell the chairs after he filed the original 2008 lawsuit but that they were later redesigned to add another bolt to the legs, preventing the snapping motion. He said he is investigating and pursuing other possible claims related to injuries from the chairs." In 2009 Stewart denied any injuries had occurred when questioned by a New York reporter. |
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New App Prevents Distracted Driving
A new smartphone app by Illume Software called iZup Lite is designed to prevent distracted driving and ensure compliance with laws in 35 states that ban texting while driving. The app is GPS-enabled, so it doesn't have to be turned on or off. "When you're driving 5 miles an hour, the GPS satellite will recognize that speed and will invoke automatically," CEO Dan Ross said.
The app, now available for Android smartphones and, by fall, for BlackBerrys and other handsets, also has an auto reply feature that can be programmed to automatically respond to incoming texts with reply messages such as "Sorry, I'm driving at the moment. I'll give you a call/text when I get to my destination safely." Read more. |
Study: Automatic Braking Reduces Rear-End Crashes
 Systems to automatically brake a vehicle if it is about to slam into the car in front at low speeds are preventing one out of four rear-end collisions, the Highway Loss Data Institute reports. The study of insurance claims found that the Volvo XC60 outfitted with a standard collision avoidance feature called City Safety is 27% less likely to be involved in low-speed crashes than comparable vehicles without the system. "This is our first real-world look at an advanced crash-avoidance technology, and the findings are encouraging," says Adrian Lund, president of HLDI. City Safety uses an infrared laser sensor built into the windshield and works at speeds of about 2 to 19 miles per hour. It detects and reacts to other vehicles within 18 feet of the XC60's front bumper during both daytime and nighttime driving. The Volvo XC60 was the only vehicle type involved in the study. Read more. |
About Our Firm
At The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, justice is our mission. Our firm is well known and well respected for its ability to handle personal injury, wrongful death, and professional malpractice cases in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Call today or visit us on the web at www.stephenreck.com.
The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, LLC
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Newsletter Archive
New to our mailing list? To read our prior newsletters, click here. | | |
CDC: Protect Teen Drivers
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of teen deaths. The CDC encourages parents to Pledge to Protect Teen Drivers. |
Recall Central
To read about recent recalls and product safety news from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, click here.
Get the latest recall information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration here.
The Dept. of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service regulate meat, poultry products and processed eggs. Check their recalls here.
Click here for Food and Drug Administration recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts.
For updates on the peanut products recall click here. |
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Skechers Product Suits on the Rise
The Blog of LegalTimes reported Skechers USA Inc. faces a lawsuit from an Illinois woman alleging she was injured while wearing the company's Shape-up shoes. Theresa Croak claimed she "was touring Washington on foot in August 2009 when suddenly her shoe 'pronated inward and caused her left ankle to roll sideways resulting in excruciating pain.'" Croak's complaint is among "a growing number of similar suits filed across the country filed since February." Croaker further claimed she was "lulled into purchasing a dangerous product that the Defendant knew produced a substantial risk of causing chronic injuries and inducing falls because of Skechers' elevated and unstable, rocker-bottom sole." The claim echoes a pending class-action in California alleging deceptive marketing tactics.
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Study: Grandparents Safer Drivers Than Parents
A study based on State Farm Insurance claims from car crashes between 2003 and 2007 involving nearly 12,000 children 15 or younger, has found that grandparents are often safer drivers than the childrens' parents. The study looked at injuries rather than who had more crashes and found that children's risk for injury was 50% lower when riding with grandparents than with parents. The average age of grandparents in this study was 58. Read more. |
Don't Drive Distracted!
It Kills
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Proudly Serving Connecticut and Rhode Island
The trial attorneys at The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, LLC represent individuals in all types of personal injury cases throughout the state of Connecticut and the state of Rhode Island, including, in Connecticut: New London County, New Haven County, Middlesex County, Hartford County, Tolland County, and Windham County; and in Rhode Island: Bristol County, Kent County, Newport County, Providence County, and Washington County.
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