Author: Michael C. Ksiazek

On March 24, 2021, Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub arrested Dr. Richard Kondan for violating multiple components of the Drug Act. Dr. Kondan, 58, works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kondan was charged with illegally prescribing highly addictive opioid medications to at least 14 of his patients. In addition, the investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and Bucks County Detectives revealed that, for 16 years, Dr. Kondan failed to keep patient medical records up-to-date, increased dosages to inappropriate amounts, prescribed dangerous combinations of medications, and authorized refills without prior examinations. He has been officially charged with 14 counts of Unlawful Prescription of a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner.

Read More about Bucks County, PA Doctor Charged for Running Illegal “Pill Mill”

A new study published by the medical journal The Lancet, has revealed that sepsis accounts for 1 in 5 deaths globally. Additionally, sepsis is the most common cause of deaths in the hospital in the United States. According to the study, it is estimated that there were 48.9 million cases of sepsis in 2017, resulting in 11 million deaths. The study also found that highest incidence of sepsis occurred in children and the elderly. This is concerning because sepsis is most dangerous for these populations.

Read More about Sepsis Accounts for 1 in 5 Deaths, Leading Cause of Death in Hospitals

Hospital safety grades have been released for Pennsylvania Hospitals. The grades are handed out by The Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog Group is a national non-profit organization that collects and reports hospital performance data. The organization’s mission is to improve safety, quality, and affordability of health care in the U.S.

The Leapfrog grading system rates hospitals based on incidence of infections, problems with surgeries, incidence of falls, incidence of bed sores, quality of medical staff, among other safety issues.

Read More about Safety Grades Released for Pennsylvania Hospitals

Stated simply, medical malpractice, or medical negligence, is medical care or treatment that falls below the accepted standard of care and causes actual harm to a patient. In a medical malpractice lawsuit, the law places the burden on the patient to prove that a medical provider deviated from the standard of care and caused harm. The first part of the test, establishing the medical provider deviated from the acceptable standard of care, can be fairly straightforward and is often the easier question to analyze and answer.

Read More about In Medical Malpractice, “Causation” is Often the Most Difficult Element to Prove

Currently in Pennsylvania, a medical malpractice lawsuit may only be filed in the county where the alleged malpractice occurred. This more restrictive than the venue rule for other types of civil cases, which provides more flexibility and gives plaintiffs more control over where their lawsuit is filed.

Read More about Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Committee Considers Change to Med Mal Venue Rule

The June 2017 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control included a report from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) which described 23 infants in their intensive care unit (ICU) who contracted eye infections after eye examinations. In the report, CHOP attributed the cause of the outbreak to some medical staff not wearing gloves, and a “lack of standard cleaning practices” of equipment used in the exams.

This outbreak occurred in August 2016, and a recent lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a family who alleges their premature baby died as a result of her contracted infection at CHOP in September 2016. The premature infant had been transferred to CHOP in July, and by mid-August had tested positive for infection with an adenovirus and was suffering from respiratory symptoms. She eventually developed a bacterial infection on top of the viral illness, and died on September 11, 2016.

Read More about 23 Infants Contracted Infections at CHOP

“Telemedicine” or “Telehealth” are the terms most often used when referring to clinical diagnosis and monitoring that is delivered by technology. Telemedicine encompasses healthcare provided via real time two-way video conferencing; file sharing, including transmission of health history, x-rays, films, or photos; remote patient monitoring; and consumer mobile health apps on smart phones, tablets, and devices that collect data and transmit it to a healthcare provider. Telemedicine is increasingly being used for everything from diagnosing common viruses to monitoring patients with serious long-term health issues.

The American Telemedicine Association reports that majority of hospitals now use some form of telemedicine. Two years ago, there were approximately 20 million telemedicine video consultations; that number is expected to increase to about 160 million by 2020. An estimated one-third of employer group plans already cover some type of telehealth.

Read More about Telemedicine – Are There Increased Risks With Virtual Doctor Visits?