Miscellaneous | InjuryBoard Bergen County

SAN FRANCISCO (Thomson Financial) - The New York Attorney General'sOffice said Wednesday it plans to file suit against Ingenix Inc., itsparent UnitedHealth Group (nyse: UNH - news - people ), and threeadditional subsidiaries, as part of an investigation into a 'scheme byhealth insurers to defraud consumers by manipulating reimbursementrates.'In addition, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo...

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Legislature Considers Payment Cap for Bridge Victims Minnesota lawmakers met Tuesday to decide whether to cap awards to victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse or leave the size of the payments to neutral party. A $400,000 ceiling for lost income, medical expenses and mental anguish garnered support from both Democrats and Republicans. Federal law has further complicated matters because...

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Some insurance carriers, including Aetna Insurance Company, have decided that they will not provide payment for treatment of conditions that were caused by medical negligence. Such restriction on payment include foreign objects left in patients during surgeries and procedures (instruments, packing, sponges); bedsores arising during admissions; incorrect blood transfusions; patient falls;...

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Coumadin is a commonly used medication to prevent blood clots from forming. It is often prescribed to patients with heart arrhythmias; however, coumadin can be a dangerous medication because it increases the risk of hemorrhage and, therefore, requires careful monitoring. Blood testing should be done frequently to measure the level of anticoagulation. Patients should also know that changes in...

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A blood test for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a routine screening measure for prostate cancer. Prostate cells produce a protein called PSA, and a high PSA level in the blood can be a sign of prostate cancer. The normal range of PSA is 0-4 ng/ml. A PSA greater than 4 may indicate cancer or it may indicate more benign conditions such as enlargement of the prostate or infection. However, the...

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Bile duct injury is a risk of laparoscopic gall bladder surgery; however, the risk of injury can be minimized if the surgeon follows accepted standards of surgical procedure. A patient with acute choleycystitis is at an increased risk of bile duct injury during surgery; therefore, an intra operative cholangiogram should be performed in every case because it helps clarify anatomy. Similarly, an...

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Shoulder dystocia can cause injury to the nerves in the brachial plexus, resulting in impaired function of the arm and shoulder. The injury is the result of improper delivery technique by the obstetrician. The shoulders become "stuck" in the birth canal and traction on the brachial plexus to effect delivery may result in permanent nerve damage. Brachial plexus injury has often been assumed to be...

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Merck recalled its flu vaccine when inspectors found bacterial contamination in its manufacturing process. The vaccine protects against infection with a bacteria that causes meningitis and pneumonia. The public has been assured that it was the manufacturing equipment which was found to be contaminated, not the vaccine itself, and that Merck decided to recall the vaccine only as a precaution....

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New Jersey has mandated that pre school children receive vaccines against both influenza and pneumonia, a mandate which has alarmed those parents who worry that vaccines pose a risk of harm to their children. Vaccines do pose a risk, albeit small, which is why the government has a Vaccine Injury Compensation Act to provide treatment for children injured by vaccines. The problem is that common...

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A Wrongful Death Bill (S-176) was voted out of the New Jersey State Senate Judiciary Committee on December 10, with a vote of 7 in favor and 4 in opposition. This bill which is long overdue in New Jersey, would permit survivors of those wronfully killed in automobile accidents, by dangerous products or as a result of medical malpractice to recover for grief and suffering. Justice Alan Handler,...

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The New England Journal of Medicine reports that heart disease is expected to rise from 5% to 15%, primarily due to an epidemic of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity developed in the 1970's and has resulted in an increased occurrence of childhood Diabetes. Childhood obesity will cause a 15% increased incidence in coronary heart disease by 2035 and will produce a strain on our health care...

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The family of a Seton Hall University student abducted outside the school gates and murdered by her former boyfriend can pursue a wongful death claim against the city of Newark baed on a bungled 9-1-1 call.A 9-1-1 caller reported seeing a man pull a woman into a car and drive off as she screamed and beat on the windows. The 9-1-1 operator reported the incident but failed to note the direction...

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New Jersey U.S. attorney Christopher Christie had accused several manufacturers of orthopedic appliances of using financial rewards to ensure use of their products by surgeons. In an agreement to avoid prosecution, the companies paid $311 million in fines and revealed the names of surgeons they paid, documenting large amounts of money paid to surgeons for exclusive use of a particular...

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Breslin & Breslin was founded circa 1936 by John Breslin, former Bergen County Prosecutor and Roger Breslin, former New Jersey Superior Court Judge. This combination of leading trial attorneys in New Jersey created a firm that has fought for clients rights for almost seventy years.As our firm matured and expanded, our original principles of integrity, honesty, and of the pursuit of our clients'...

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