Advisen FPN

Even With Insurance, Risk of Being Sued Leads to Extra Tests That May Cost Billions	Medical Malpractice
bc-health-malpractice 09-01 1201 (wap) (ATTN: Health editors) //Even With Insurance, Risk of Being Sued Leads to Extra Tests That May Cost Billions// By Manoj Jain, Special to The Washington Post

Advisen Spotlight

Advisen Did You Know: Wage-and-Hour Suits: Must Read Labor Day Report! - 25% Discount

Did You Know

Advisen's 21-page report, The Threat of Wage-and-Hour Lawsuits, is essential reading for risk managers and human resource officers. It also is of interest to brokers and underwriters grappling with the insurability of this rapidly expanding exposure. The report examines the drivers of these suits, and explores recent developments in wage-and-hour litigation. Additionally, it includes a survey of insurers that provide coverage that may respond to these suits. This report is currently on sale at 25% off the standard price of $499m or $376. Purchase the report at The Advisen Corner Store.

Allergan to plead guilty, pay $600 million for Botox charges [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]	Liability
Sept. 01--Pharmaceutical manufacturer Allergan has reached a $600 million settlement with federal prosecutors in Atlanta and agreed to plead guilty for its off-label promotion of Botox. Under the agreement, Allergan will pay a criminal fine and forfeiture totaling $375 million and pay a civil settlement of $225 million.

WVU Hospitals sued over delivery of wrong remains	Liability
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Three men who expected to receive their mother's cremated remains are suing the West Virginia University School of Medicine and WVU Hospitals for sending them someone else's. Eileen Haislop died of cancer last year. In a lawsuit filed in Wood County Circuit Court, they say the box they got had a death certificate for a man named Darrell Shirley.

[SDS]-Study shines light on malpractice causes	Medical Malpractice
Study shines light on malpractice causes. Patient expectations often at the root of problems. A benchmarking report on some of the major causes of surgical malpractice cases has provided information that hospital quality managers and risk managers can use to improve performance and reduce adverse events.

UPDATE: FDA Warns On Increased Death Risk With Pfizer Antibiotic	Healthcare
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Pfizer Inc.'s antibiotic Tygacil was associated with an increased risk of death compared with other drugs when used to treat certain kinds of serious infections. The agency said the greatest increase in the death risk was seen when Tygacil was used to treat a type of hospital-acquired pneumonia known as ventilator- associated pneumonia.

LA ex-hospital exec gets 2 years for fraud scheme	Healthcare
LOS ANGELES -- A former Los Angeles hospital executive convicted of a Medicare fraud scheme involving phony patients has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam was sentenced Monday and must pay more than $4.1 million in restitution. Sabaratnam is the former co-owner and chief executive of City of Angels Medical Center.

The Story of University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics Data Breach	Business & Economy
The University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics is learning the hard way about losing control of patient records: UUHC has incurred nearly $3.4 million in costs, and damage to its reputation, after approximately 1.5 million patient billing records on computer tapes were stolen on June 2, 2008.

Jackson gave up billing claims [The Miami Herald]	Healthcare
Sept. 01--Every month, Jackson Health System gives a Pennsylvania company $10.4 million in uninsured patients' bills for which the public hospital has not tried to collect a penny. And it's not allowed to. The arbitration agreement -- revealed recently to The Miami Herald -- settled a lawsuit filed by International Portfolio that alleged Jackson had reneged on a 2006 contract.

Study Suggests New Way To Fight Staph Skin Infections	Healthcare
Researchers may have found a promising alternative to antibiotics when it comes to fighting skin damage caused by a certain strain of Staphylococcus aureus, or Staph. Instead of focusing on antibiotics, which can be a limiting treatment option due to drug-resistance issues, the new method would involve neutralizing a cell- killing toxin associated with the bacteria.

Audit: Mass. may be losing millions on MRI's	Healthcare
BOSTON -- State Auditor Joseph DeNucci has released a report saying Massachusetts may be losing millions in Medicaid dollars covering the cost of unneeded imaging services like MRIs. DeNucci said on Wednesday that the state lacks safeguards against possible conflicts of interest from doctors who refer patients to facilities where they have a financial interest.

FOCUS:Drug Makers Change Sales Rep Rewards To Focus On Service	Business & Economy
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES. Some large drug makers have changed the way they compensate sales representatives and the way they approach doctors who have grown tired of brazen sales pitches. GlaxoSmithKline PLC announced in July that beginning next year, bonuses for sales reps would be primarily based on customer service instead of individual achievement of sales targets.

ProAssurance To Acquire American Physicians Group In $225M Deal	Business & Economy
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES. ProAssurance Corp. agreed to acquire fellow medical-malpractice insurer American Physicians Service Group Inc. for nearly $225 million, giving the largest independent provider in the U.S. a strong market presence in Texas and complementing its business in neighboring Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Push for rules after fatal Ark. medevac crash	Business & Economy
An air ambulance helicopter crashed into a wooded area of Arkansas early Tuesday, killing all three crewmembers and raising the death toll in the industry to 22 in the past year. The Air Evac Lifeteam chopper was flying to pick up a victim of a traffic accident when it hit trees and crashed, bursting into flames about 4:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Women's study: Pre-emptive surgery reduces cancer risk [Trenton Times (NJ)]	Healthcare
Pre-emptive removal of breasts or ovaries in women with two common breast cancer genes can sharply reduce the risk of contracting cancer and dying, even if a woman has already been diagnosed with breast cancer, a new study confirms.

Patients take control of care	Healthcare
In the past, most patients placed their entire trust in the hands of their physician. Not so much anymore. Jeff Chappell of Montgomery, Ala., recalls a visit a couple of years ago to a Charlotte emergency room, near where the family used to live, with his wife, Jacqueline, who has adrenal failure.