Federal government scrutiny of dialysis administration some years back sadly revealed a high number of mistakes that routinely occur with this important care-delivery function. Indeed, and as noted on a website page at Dempsey Kingsland Osteen, discussing dialysis monitoring, “substantial deficiencies in the quality of care” were discovered by investigators from the Government Accounting Office at about 15 percent...
Read MoreMany Kansas City residents who enjoyed Joan Rivers’ no-holds-barred attitude and sharp wit were deeply saddened to hear of the comedienne’s passing in early September. However, following an investigation by federal officials, many of Rivers’ fans turned from sad to outraged. Last week, an investigative report from the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid...
Read MoreJust exactly how many people die as a result of mistakes in the hospital? It’s a hard figure to put your finger on. It seems to change every year — and not for the better. Back in 1999, the non-profit, non-government Institute of Medicine estimated that nearly 100,000 people were dying every year because of preventable errors in hospitals....
Read MoreAs much as we might want eliminate every risk of a deadly mistake being made in the delivery of medical care or the performance of a surgical operation, the fact is that medical professionals are only human. That does not mean that we can’t and shouldn’t do all we can to create systems aimed at reducing the chance of...
Read MoreMany doctors consider their profession an art. Medicine has its creative aspects to be sure, but it is more deeply rooted in science. Anatomy, biology, chemistry are all aspects of medical practice and discoveries mean diagnostic methods and standards of care are constantly being refined. Today, we are at a point where nearly every specialty has its own set...
Read MoreKansas City is a great place to live. That doesn’t mean it is without its issues. According to The Kansas City Star, the city has earned the dubious distinction in each of the past four years of being one of the most deadly cities in the United States. The basis of that tag is the number of homicides recorded....
Read MoreSeventeen states in this country allow consumers to go to medical board websites to find out about malpractice claims that have been made against doctors licensed in the states. That is not the case in Missouri or Kansas. Licensing boards in these two states don’t make such information available to the public. As a result, according to an investigation...
Read MoreWe’re getting into fishing season finally. There are a lot of people looking to drop a line and reel in a few. For many, the allure of water — any water — is huge. As most readers of this blog may appreciate, fishing is often a solitary pastime and some anglers are youngsters who may not have the experience...
Read MorePolice investigators have likely not had enough time to pull together all the information they need to reach solid conclusions about the cause of a deadly two-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of two Kansas City area men early Thursday morning. Officials say possible alcohol impairment has not been ruled out as a contributing factor. The Kansas Highway Patrol...
Read MoreOn Dec. 1, the Kansas City Chiefs were playing the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. Kyle Van Winkle was among those who went to the game. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old husband and father of a 7-week-old baby boy never made it home. He died after allegedly suffering a brutal beating at the hands of a man he didn’t even know....
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