Test Case Linking Vaccines and Autism Reaches Federal Court
June 28, 2007
'Words alone cannot explain the trauma of watching your only child's health deteriorate to such a degree before your eyes,' Theresa Cedillo of Arizona wrotes in an e-mail to Legal Times, a sister publication of this newsletter. On June 11, the case of Michelle Cedillo, Theresa's daughter, will go before an extraordinary tribunal assembled by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Its goal is to determine, for the first time in a judicial proceeding, whether the combination of certain vaccines and thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, can cause autism ' a set of disorders that is gaining attention as more and more children are diagnosed; as many as one in 150 children born in the United States. The government has long denied such a link exists.
Advance Directives for Health Care
June 28, 2007
The trend among states to create a single legally recognizable form for advance directives and for the appointment of the health care guardian to make decisions is certainly a step in the right direction for many patients. Often, individuals do not have an advance directive, and health-care providers have the sometimes challenging task of determining who is the most appropriate decision-maker from among the patient's family or friends. Additionally, when an individual is in a life-threatening situation or becomes terminally ill and unable to communicate his or her own preferences, health-care providers, family and friends must decide whether or not to engage in life sustaining acts that may have been contrary to the individual's wishes. Completion of an advance directive may eliminate some of the confusion and stress that families and health-care providers face when trying to make these difficult health-care decisions.
Life and Disability Insurance
June 28, 2007
The tort system is designed to determine negligent actions and to make harmed individuals whole. A fair system would be predictable and would compensate every injured patient in an equitable way for lost earnings, medical expenses, and suffering. It would also impact all negligent health care providers in a similar way, in spite of the identity of the injured patient. Unfortunately, our current system is an inadequate means for achieving these goals.
Verdicts
May 31, 2007
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
Med Mal News
May 31, 2007
All the latest news that you need to know.
FDA's Failure-to-Warn Pre-emption
May 31, 2007
Nearly one year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a pre-emption on filing failure-to-warn actions over federally approved drugs, rulings across the nation show a clear division over the issue.
Medicaid Liens on Settlements After Ahlborn
May 31, 2007
Last May's U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ark. Dep't of Human Servs. v. Ahlborn, 547 U.S. 268 (2006) ' which held that when a Medicaid benefits recipient settles with a tortfeasor, states seeking recoupment of funds for monies expended on their medical care may do so only from that part of a settlement that was designated as being for past medical expenses ' has so far led to very few reported decisions on the subject. However, two recent cases in New York have applied the teachings of the decision to find that some malpractice claimants who are also Medicaid benefits recipients and who settle with those who allegedly injured them must be allowed to keep for themselves more of the proceeds of their claims.
