Articles Tagged With:
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New Jersey Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Complaint After Failure to Offer an Affidavit of Merit in Both Specialties of Treating Physician
Recently, a New Jersey appellate court affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a medical malpractice plaintiff’s complaint for lacking an affidavit of merit, which often is a requirement in malpractice suits. The appeal of the trial court’s decision revolved around the sufficiency of an affidavit of merit in a situation where a defendant physician’s answer to the medical negligence complaint stated involvement in two specialties, but the plaintiff provided an affidavit of merit from a physician board-certified in only one of those specialties.
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Is Text Messaging Ever HIPAA-Compliant?
Text messaging is so convenient and common that it is tempting to use it for communicating with patients. But HIPAA applies, and the use of text messaging is allowed only when meeting some strict requirements.
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Patient Termination Requires Right Steps, Good Documentation
Terminating a relationship with a patient or banning someone from a hospital is never done lightly, and, fortunately, it does not happen often. But when it is necessary, healthcare organizations must tread carefully to ensure that the patient is afforded other opportunities and that the potential liabilities are minimized.
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Patient Advocacy System Shown to Lower Malpractice Costs
A patient advocacy reporting program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was associated with a significant decrease in malpractice claim costs for high-risk clinicians in an orthopedic practice network, suggesting a strategy that other hospitals can employ.
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HITECH Audits Return: OCR Promises Enforcement Changes for HIPAA
The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) has reopened the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) audit program and will begin audits of HIPAA-regulated entities later in 2024. The audits will focus on the Security Rule, particularly the requirements for security risk analyses and risk management.
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Disorders of Immunity Are a Risk Factor for Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis
The current study of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis demonstrated an association of encephalitis with preexisting autoimmune disease and/or exposure to immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory medications. The findings underscore the potential underestimation of antecedent immune-related dysregulation in HSV encephalitis cases to date.
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Efgartigimod for Seronegative Myasthenia Gravis
In an uncontrolled, open-label series of patients with myasthenia gravis, double antibody-negative patients responded to immunosuppressive therapies in a similar manner as do those with antibodies to acetylcholine receptors (AChR) or muscle-specific tyrosine kinase. However, when treating myasthenia patients with a specific agent (efgartigimod) that blocks AChR antibodies at the level of endothelial cells, double antibody-negative patients do not respond as well.
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Usefulness of the Physical Examination in the Concussed Patient
This article suggests that certain specific physical examination findings may be helpful in evaluating and monitoring patients with sports-related concussion using oculovestibular responses and balance tests.
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Intensive Lifestyle Interventions May Prevent and Ameliorate the Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Recent clinical studies support the benefit of intensive lifestyle interventions, which should include a plant-based diet, exercise, stress management, and avoidance of smoking and alcohol, for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Non-Marine Envenomations in the United States
Envenomations can be caused by many different species, both marine and non-marine. The presentation can range from minor skin irritation to anaphylaxis, systemic illness, organ failure, and even death. Knowing which species are endemic to the area, and what the presentations of medically important envenomations will look like, can aid in recognition and timely treatment, especially when the bite or sting was unwitnessed. This article will give an overview of medically important non-marine envenomations in the United States, including their clinical manifestations, treatment, and disposition.