Headlines for the Week of January 14-21, 2009:

Here are links to the current news in life, legal and healthcare.  If you find stories that you think should be included please email me at epeterson@mediconnect.net, or leave a comment on the blog. If you would like to receive this as an RSS Feed, click on the “subscribe link” at the top of this page.

Thanks.

01/21/09 Newsinferno.com: Chemicals in Some Meds Risky for Preemies
01/21/09 Newsinferno.com: Stuffed Chicken Recalled for Foreign Objects
01/20/09 Newsinferno.com: Peanut Butter Salmonella Lawsuit Filed in Vermont
01/20/09 Newsinferno.com: Rubber Chemical Linked to Cancer
01/19/09 Newsinferno.com: Lidocaine, Other Skin Numbing Drugs Linked to Life Threatening Side Effects
01/19/09 Newsinferno.com: Florida Drywall Class action Lawsuit in the Works
01/16/09 Cnn.com: Lawsuits Filed Over Bush Rule on Health Care Workers
01/16/09 Cnn.com: Downadup Virus Exposes Millions of PC’s to Hijack
01/16/09 Newsinferno.com: Coca Cola Faces Lawsuit Over Vitamin Water Claims
01/16/09 Newsinferno.com: United Health Settles Class Action Lawsuit with Doctor Group
01/15/09 USAToday.com: Studies:Surgeons could save lives, $20B by using a checklist
01/15/08 USAToday.com: Kellogg pulls crackers over salmonella concerns
01/15/09 USAToday.com: Kids’ Vaccine slashes Meningitis

Headlines For the Week of Jan 6-14, 2009:

Here are links to the current news in life, legal and healthcare.  If you find stories that you think should be included please email me at epeterson@mediconnect.net, or leave a comment on the blog. If you would like to receive this as an RSS Feed, click on the “subscribe link” at the top of this page.

Thanks.

 
01/14/09 Newsinferno.com: Internal Emails Confirm Glaxo Avandia Cover-Up

01/14/09 WSJ.com: Apple CEO Jobs to take a Medical Leave of Absence

01/14/09 Newsinferno.com: Salmonella Outbreak tied to 3 Deaths

01/14/09 Newsinferno.com: One Million Stork Craft Cribs Recalled 

01/14/09 Newsinferno.com: Brain Shrinkage Seen with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

01/13/09 Newsinferno.com: UnitedHealth Group to Pay $50 Million to Settle Claims it Over Charged Millions

01/12/09 Reuters.com: U.S. Advisers back 1st drug from DNA- Altered Animals

01/12/09Cnn.com: Obama’s Big Idea: Digital Health Records

01/09/09 Newsinferno.com: Quest Diagnostic Testing Errors Reported

01/08/09 Newsinferno.com: CDC: Poor Infection Control Put Patients at Risk for Hepatitis B,C

01/06/09 Newsinferno.com: Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft to be Named in Another Lawsuit

01/06/09 Abcnews.com: Third-Hand Smoke—the Dust Finally Settles

What are the chances that your identity could be stolen? ChoicePoint Data Solutions proved that possibility a few years ago; when tens of thousands of American’s personal information was stolen.
But what are the chances your medical records could be stolen?

Well the University of Utah Hospital proved that possibility a few months ago, when a Perpetual Storage courier picked up tapes containing medical billing files, and instead of transporting them to the storage facility, he drove home and parked his car.  His car was broken into sometime during the night and the tapes were gone. (See University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics Stolen Backup tape contained 2.2 million billing records.)

What are the chances?

Well lucky for the 2.2 million patients who visited the hospital over the past 16 years, the tapes were found, and didn’t appear to be accessed.  (See Great News: University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics Billing Records Recovered)

But what is the message here?  What if you were one of those patients, and your files had been accessed. What if it wasn’t just billing information but was your actual medical records?  Someone could erase your medical history, or delete medicines you’re taking or worse-those you’re allergic to.  What if they went in and played around with vital health information, like: changing surgeries and the dates you had them, or switching your doctors, not to mention putting procedures down that you have never had done?

One more reason to have a personal copy of your medical record.

The implications are huge, and if it can happen to Choicepoint and to the University of Utah Hospital, who’s to say it won’t happen again and that it won’t be your records?

What are the chances? Is playing Russian roulette with your records a chance worth taking?

The Supreme Court Wednesday sided with medical device manufacturers in an 8 to 1 ruling protecting medical device manufacturers “that have passed the most rigorous federal review standards from lawsuits by consumers who allege that the devices caused them harm.”

This decision could make it more difficult for product liability litigation, but it is important to remember that the decision only applies to Class III medical devices, which is based on the highest level of FDA scrutiny. The decision also refers to medical devices approved by the FDA and does not include drugs.

In January, we pointed out that a New England Journal of Medicine report concluded that drug-eluting stents were not associated with an increased risk of death, and that the FDA a month before that said they expected to issue new testing requirements for drug-coated stents. (See Drug-coated Stents Considered Safe)

Devices and drugs, such as these stents, may not be covered by this decision unless they fall within the Class III medical device category.

Washington Post