Being involved in any motor vehicle accident is frightening, but being pregnant and involved in a car crash can be even more distressing. Car accidents pose unique threats to pregnant women that may not be present for other drivers and passengers. As a result, if you are pregnant and involved…
Category: Madison Wisconsin Attorneys
Most SNF Residents Eligible for Palliative Care Don’t Receive It
Palliative care is specialized medical care for individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious illness, with the goal of providing them with a better quality of life. According to a study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF), almost 70% of nursing home residents are eligible for palliative…
The Dangers of Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving, which is also commonly referred to as road rage, encompasses driving behaviors that are motivated by anger, regardless of safety concerns. Some typical kinds of aggressive driving behaviors include tailgating, speeding, failing to use turn signals, flashing headlights, weaving through traffic, and cutting off other drivers. Aggressive drivers…
FMCSA Withdraws Proposed Rule to Prevent Sleepy Truck Drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has spent over two years working on a proposed rule that would address the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among truck drivers, which is a significant cause of preventable truck accidents each year. This proposed rule is in line with FMCSA’s mission, which…
OPTIMISTIC Project Cuts 1 in 3 Preventable Hospitalizations
In 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the OPTIMISTIC project, or “Optimizing Patient Transfers, Impacting Medical Quality and Improving Symptoms Transforming Institutional Care.” The purpose of this federally-funded program is to reduce rehospitalizations among nursing home residents. Under the OPTIMISTIC project, nurses and nurse practitioners were…
Social Isolation Increases Risk of Medical Problems
A new study by the AARP Public Policy Institute, Stanford University, and Harvard University reveals that socially isolated adults are more likely to get sicker and die sooner, and have higher health care expenses. Overall, the researchers estimate that Medicare spends $6.7 billion per year on seniors who are socially…
Waiting on Hospice Care Worsens Outcomes
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society recently published the results of a study about the end of life and hospice care. The results of the study indicated that people toward the end of their lives tend to put off hospice care too long, which can add to their pain…
CMS Hospice Compare Full of Incorrect Information
We previously reported about the launch of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospice Compare website in August, 2017. Experts were concerned about the contents and reliability of the website, as it seemed to give unnaturally high ratings to most hospice providers; more than three quarters of the…
Flu Can Lead to Additional Health Problems in Older Adults
The flu can be dangerous for any individual, but in older adults, its effects can be particularly severe. In fact, after a senior citizen has the flu, he or she will be more susceptible to having a heart attack, stroke, or disability. This increased risk of serious medical conditions can…
Medication Overload in Older Americans
For decades, American doctors have warned older patients about the risks of polypharmacy, which occurs when these patients take too many drugs prescribed by too many different doctors, which can produce unwanted and unanticipated side effects. Research indicates that 25% of people between the ages of 65 and 69 take…