Important News Updates

In July, new residents physicians arrive at the nation's teaching hospitals and the assumption has been that incidents of medical malpractice rise with the new inexperienced arrivals. Researchers from the University of California at San Diego and UCLA have investigated this phenomenon. Read their conclusions as reported by the Wall Street Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/06/03/study-the-july-effect-may-hold-for-fatal-medication-errors/tab/print/

» Select Specialty Hospitals Scrutinized for Record of Poor Care in New York Times

Select Specialty Hospitals, which has eight (8) facilities in Florida, and others nationwide, was the subject of a detailed analysis of its record of poor care. The article states that lawsuits, state inspection reports and statistics deep in federal reports paint a troubling picture of the care offered at some Select hospitals, and at long-term care hospitals in general.

In 2007 and 2008, Select's hospitals were cited at a rate almost four times that of regular hospitals for serious violations of Medicare rules, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Other long-term care hospitals were cited at a rate about twice that of regular hospitals. Long-term care hospitals also had a higher incidence of bedsores and infections than regular hospitals in 2006, the most recent year for which federal data is available.

In the last three years, inspectors have found 22 violations of care standards at 12 Select hospitals so serious that, if uncorrected, could lead Medicare to ban those hospitals from admitting Medicare patients. The 22 violations represent an estimated 2 percent of the serious violations Medicare found nationally, even though Select operates less than half a percent of the nation's hospital beds. Put another way, on a per bed basis, Select hospitals were cited about four times as often as the average.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of poor care at Select Specialty Hospital, or other long-term care hospital, please call or e-mail us with your concern to see if Needle & Ellenberg can be of assistance. See the full NYTimes article and the list of Select Specialty Hospitals by following this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010
/02/10/health/policy/10care.html

Honda is recalling 378,000 additional vehicles because the driver's side air bag may deploy too forcefully, causing an injury or death. The company had announced the recall of 440,000 vehicles for that reason last year.

The expanded recall affects 2001-2 Accord, Civic, Odyssey and CR-V models, and some 2002 Acura TLs.

The automaker said it was aware of 12 accidents that resulted in 11 injuries and one fatality.

Honda's first move to address the problem came in November 2008, when it recalled 3,900 Civics and Accords from the 2001 model year.

Needle & Ellenberg are experienced claims arising from similar airbag problems and are available to consult if you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as a result of this or similar defective products. Please call or e-mail us with your inquiry. See the full NYTimes article by following this link: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/honda-expands-air-bag-recall-to-378000-more-cars/

» Toyota has recalled over 2 million vehicles for problems related to sudden acceleration and "sticking" accelerator pedals.
Added to this is now an announcement that they will recall over 200,000 hybrid vehicles for brake "problems". The United States government is beginning to look into the problem. If you or a family member have been seriously injured in an incident related to these Toyota issues, please contact Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. to find out about your rights.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/global/05toyota.html?scp=3&sq=Toyota%20recalls&st=cse

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/agency-takes-a-fresh-look-at-electronics-in-toyota-recall/?scp=8&sq=Toyota%20recalls&st=cse

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_toyota_prius

» Legionella Bacteria causing the rare and often fatal "Legionare's Disease", a pneumonia, has been found in Miami Buildings.
Health Department officials have reported that buildings with certain water filtration systems that strip all chlorine from the water, leave them susceptible to bacteria like the one that causes Legionnaires' disease. Culligan, the Chicago water equipment firm was reported to have supplied the filters to the buildings. If you have contracted "Legionare's Disease" or "Legionella Bacteria", please contact Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. for further information about your rights.  

» Lawsuits being brought for PoliGrip and Fixodent denture adhesive causing neurological problems from zinc buildup in the body
Plaintiff's law firms across the country are investigating and filing product liability lawsuits over neurological problems attributed to zinc buildup in the body from denture cream products. The cases are pending across the country and allege that long term use of PoliGrip and Fixodent denture adhesive leads to zinc buildup and neurological problems because copper and zinc compete to bind to neuro receptors and the body expels the copper that is not absorbed. If you reside in Florida and have been a long term user of the product and are suffering from these problems, Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. are investigating these claims.  

» Consumers should "immediately stop" using Hydroxycut weight-loss products amid concerns they may cause jaundice and liver failure, the FDA said.

» Medicare and Medicaid Will Not Pay for Certain Hospital Caused Injuries and Illnesses
In an effort to crack down on rising costs associated with or resulting from poor hospital care, Medicare and Medicaid will no longer pay for ten (10) categories of Hospital Acquired Conditions (HAC) - injuries or illnesses which a patient did not have on admission to a hospital. If you, or a family member, acquired one or more of these injuries or illnesses, you or they may have been a victim of malpractice and the hospital may not charge you or Medicare and/or Medicaid for associated care, treatment or service... read more »

» Cases Being Investigated for Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults
In Florida, a Vulnerable Adult means a person 18 years of age or older whose ability to perform the normal activities of daily living, or to provide for his or her own care or protection, is impaired due to a mental, emotional, long-term physical, or developmental disability or dysfunctioning, or brain damage, or the infirmities of aging... read more »

» Andrew Needle Recognized in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Editions of the Best Lawyers in America read more »

» Andrew Ellenberg Recognized in the 2009 Edition of the Best Lawyers in America... read more »

» Andrew Needle & Andrew Ellenberg Recognized in the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Editions of the Florida Super Lawyers.

» Needle & Ellenberg Named "Top Law Firm" and Firm's Partners Again Named "Top Lawyers" in 2009 Edition of the South Florida Legal Guide... read more »

» Medication Errors Litigation
Extensive National Study Finds Widespread, Costly Mistakes in Giving and Taking Medicine. Read more on our Medication Errors Resource Center.