Posts by Crandall & Pera Law, LLC

Up to 35 percent of all college kids report using prescription ADHD pills like Adderall and Ritalin as a study tool, a staggering statistic that needs to be cracked down on immediately, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY).  Colleges are urged to implement new standards for diagnosing and monitoring students seeking these kinds of stimulants,…

Naturally-occurring human genes, including the breast cancer predisposition gene (BRCA), can no longer be patented by companies thanks to a recent decision by the Supreme Court. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for almost 30 years, but the court has now said that laws of nature, natural phenomena…

Many Americans, particularly those over the age of 60, are taking prescription drugs which harm more than help them, according to a recent review of the book Are Your Prescriptions Killing You? in The Courier-Journal.  The book demonstrates how blind faith in the benefits of medication can often lead to a fatal outcome. Rather than…

Patient abuse and neglect caught on surveillance cameras will shut down a Zanesville, Ohio nursing home as part of a statewide initiative to better the industry. Investigators installed cameras at Autumn Health Care without the knowledge of the staff and administration, but with the permission of the residents or their guardians, to record what state…

Mistreatment among senior citizens continues to be a nationwide crisis with an estimated three to five million older adults being victim of some form of abuse in 2011, according to the Elder Maltreatment Alliance.  Among a random sample of 452 adults with relatives 65 or older in nursing home care in Michigan, nearly one quarter…

While medical mistakes may be difficult for doctors to admit, more hospitals are wisely writing error disclosures into their facilities’ policies to avoid similar lapses in the future.  From 2002 to 2005 the proportion of hospitals with disclosure policies doubled to 70 percent, according to a 2007 New England Journal of Medicine article. In 2006,…

A Cincinnati-area nursing home has been placed on a federal “Special Focus Facility” list, ranking it among the worst facilities in the country due to a history of serious quality issues.  East Galbraith Health Care Center in Deer Park, Ohio, owned by Provider Services Holdings Co. of Cleveland, was rated much below average in health inspections…

Families and survivors of truck crash fatalities and injuries have joined with the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) to limit commercial truck size and weight limits by law. The safety advocates are pushing support for the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA), which would freeze current federal truck size and weight limits, close existing loopholes…

Patients with underlying heart disease should not use antibiotics commonly prescribed for bronchitis and sinus infections as they may dramatically increase the risk of death from heart problems, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Use of the antibiotic azithromycin (sold under the brand name Zithromax) was linked with nearly…

The U.S. has the highest first-day death rate in the industrialized world, worse than 68 other countries, and the highest teenage birth rate of any industrialized country, according to a report released by Save the Children.  An estimated 11,300 American newborns die every year on the same day they were born – amounting to 50…