The state Medical Examining Board on Tuesday imposed no disciplinary action against a Greenwich Hospital anesthesiologist who in 2010 administered a nerve block on the wrong arm of a patient who was about to undergo a wrist arthroscopy. Continue Reading →
Recent stories
Marine: Military Sex Abuse Has Deep Cultural Roots
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When former Marine Maureen Gard goes running, the flashbacks come: riding in the platoon leader’s car, the jokes about her bra size, the fondling, and the pinning her down. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Veterans' Health, assaults in the military, Jennifer Norris, Marines, Maureen Gard, Military Rape Crisis Center, military sexual assaults, U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Seniors Sue Medicare To Close Nursing Home Coverage Gap
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Roberta Baxter, a 78-year-old retired instructional assistant for the Killingly school system, dislocated her kneecap after a fall in her bathroom last September. Following treatment at a local hospital, she spent seven weeks at a nursing home for rehab so that she could walk again. While she was recovering, she and her husband Bill received the first of several bills from the nursing home. That’s when the couple learned Medicare wouldn’t cover the $16,000 cost because Roberta didn’t spend at least three consecutive days in the hospital as admitted patient, or inpatient, as Medicare requires. Instead, the four days she spent in the hospital was for “observation care.”
“I thought it was surely a mistake,” she said. “Nobody ever said I wasn’t admitted.”
Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, 'observation care' Judith Stein, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal lawsuit, Lee Barrows, Mary T. Berthelot, Medicare
Shinseki: Hartford VA ‘Top Performer’ In Reducing Backlog On Disability Claims
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After U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki Thursday praised the VA’s Hartford regional office as a top performer in reducing disability claims backlogs, U.S Sen. Richard Blumenthal stood next to him and strongly criticized the entire VA, saying “we owe our veterans better than they are now getting from the VA.”
Filed under: Veterans' Health, backlog of veterans' disability benefits, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
Classroom Teaches A Lesson In Mental Health Treatment
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As a “classroom interventionist,” Stephanie Galluzo’s job is to help students who act out in class to settle down and refocus. Teachers find this new classroom management tool a huge benefit for them, as they concentrate on the whole class and aren’t distracted by one child. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Disparities, Andrea Livolsi, Church Street School, classroom interventionist, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Dr. Eric Arzubi, Educational Care Collaborative, Howard Hornreich
Unhealthy Mercury Levels Persist In Our Waterways And Fish
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Wethersfield resident Patrice Gilbert knew that compact fluorescent bulbs contained mercury, so as they burned out, she put them aside until she could find out where to properly dispose of them. One day, she accidently knocked one off the counter and it broke. “I scooped that broken one up, put the other three in a paper bag, put that in a plastic bag and put it in my recycling bin,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with them.”
Gilbert’s action is typical. Nationally, only an estimated 2 percent of household CFLs are recycled properly, the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers says. In Connecticut, only 4 percent of households participate in hazardous waste collection days – where mercury-containing CFLs, thermostats and thermometers should be recycled. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Environmental Health, I-Team In-Depth, Amos Lake, Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, Bashan Lake, Beach Pond, Dr. Mark Mitchell, Environmental Health Task Force
Med Board Modifies License Restriction Placed On Psychiatrist
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The State Medical Examining Board on Tuesday voted to allow a Trumbull psychiatrist, who was disciplined eight years ago in an unusual case, to practice in a health care facility on a limited basis. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Fines & Sanctions, Dr. Jeffrey Lane, Dr. Liane Leedom, Dr. Ralph V. Tremaglio, Dr. Thomas Kucharchik, state Medical Examining Board
Five Nursing Homes Fined For Care Lapses
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Five nursing homes were fined by the state Department of Public Health for lapses in care. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Fines & Sanctions, Bishop Wicke Health & Rehabilitation Center Inc., Chesterfields Health Care Center, Golden Hill Health Care Center, Pope John Paul II Care and Rehabilitation Center, Portland Care and Rehabilitation Center, state Department of Public Health
Report: Seniors Saw Big Savings On Prescription Drugs Under Health Care Law
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Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted three years ago this week, Connecticut seniors have saved a total of $84 million on prescription drugs, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday. Continue Reading →
Filed under: AARP, Affordable Care Act, Frances Padilla, Jennifer Millea, Kathleen Sebelius, Medicare Advantage, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Universal Health Care Foundation
Hospitals Mobilize To Tackle Alarm Fatigue
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At Bridgeport Hospital, “talking bed rails” programmed to speak to patients in the geriatric psychiatric unit are helping to reduce the number of alarms that sound when a patient at risk for falling tries to get out of bed. At the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, health care professionals are adopting techniques from aviation safety experts to reduce the chances of a catastrophic event happening before a clinical alarm goes off. These are among the many ways Connecticut hospitals are tackling a phenomenon known industry-wide as alarm fatigue. Continue Reading →