Eye Dynamics Inc. co-founder and Chairman Ronald A. Waldorf has returned as chief executive. Torrance-based Eye Dynamics sells equipment that monitors eye movement to assess medical conditions.

- Medical condition may have led to crash — A man was taken to the hospital in critical condition Sunday night after he apparently suffered a medical condition and his car crashed into a light pole near S.W. 10th and Topeka Boulevard, authorities said.

The accident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Police said the driver hit a light pole near Walgreens. Authorities hadn’t determined the cause of the crash, but because the vehicle suffered only minor front-end damage, ambulance personnel said it appeared that the driver suffered some sort of medical condition.

Medical personnel said the man had a heartbeat when first- responders arrived but that his heart stopped right before the ambulance arrived. The victim, whose age and identity weren’t available, was taken to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center.

NSSF recently helped sponsors raise $110,000 for an organization that provides hunting experiences for kids with medical conditions making it difficult for them to get outdoors. Read about it at www.nssf.org.

A new run of a series that examines with compassion socially unspeakable medical conditions. A 20-year-old woman who has inverted nipples and a man with chronic flatulence are among the case studies.

Gill is referring to the sort of healthcare “reform” passed last year by the Oregon legislature, which “rations” Medicaid benefits. As originally drafted, the Oregon plan ranked several hundred medical conditions and drew a line below which a condition would not be covered. The placement of the line was to be determined by estimates of what a year’s state Medicaid budget would be.

State bureaucrats would prioritize conditions by, among other things, a telephone survey of 1,001 Oregonians who would be asked their perceptions of the quality of life of a person with those conditions. Treatment decisions would be driven not by what was medically necessary but by other people’s perceptions of life with a chronic medical condition or a permanent disability.

The plan was criticized by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan because its provisions violate the rights of people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Bob Griss, an official of the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Disability and Health, agrees. “It’s important that access to health care be viewed as a Federal civilrights issue,” he says. “Otherwise we’re all going to be politically vulnerable.”

When it comes to rationing schemes, he says, no ground should be given without a fight, because such schemes reduce the complexity of health-care delivery to a question of “Who gets thrown out of the lifeboat?” Proponents of rationing justify it as a way to face up to inevitable tough choices, when they’re really just taking the easy way out.

While no one involved in the national health-care debacle seriously proposed a plan like Oregon’s, both the House and Senate considered a form of fluctuating coverage that weighed the costs of treatments against their effect on the Federal deficit.

However, when the Oregon plan, in revised form thanks to lobbying by Griss and other activists, did become state law, U.S. Senator Bob Packwood said, “Sooner or later, the rest of America is going to come to what Oregon is trying.”

And that’s exactly what disability activists are worried about. There’s ample recent precedent for them to fear the disabled will be the “dead weight” that gets tossed overboard. The more the desire for supported, dignified death a la Dr. Kevorkian is seen as the logical emotional response to the prospect of life with a disability, the more the desire for supported, dignified life will seem radical and unreasonable.

It has happened before. “Permitting the Destruction of Unworthy Life” is the title of a 1920 essay by Alfred Hoche, M.D., in which he made his case for the elimination through euthanasia of the “dead weight existences” of “incurables” in Germany.

“Our situation resembles that of participants in a difficult expedition,” Hoche wrote. “The greatest possible fitness of everyone is the inescapable condition of our endeavor’s success, and there is no room for half-strength, quarter-strength, or eighth-strength members…. Eliminating those who are completely mentally dead is no crime, no immoral act, no emotional cruelty, but is rather a permissible and useful act.”

By “incurables,” Hoche meant mentally retarded people or people with emotional disabilities who are “empty human shells” who “stand on an intellectual plane we first discover only far down in the animal kingdom.”

Skip to 1977, to the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma, where children born with spina bifida were used in a secret “quality-of-life” experiment conducted there between 1977 and 1982. Many were left untreated until they died.

Some doctors at the hospital had invented the eugenicist’s dream–a mathematical formula for determining whose life was worth living and whose wasn’t. The miracle formula was: QL = NE x (H + S)–that is, Quality of Life is: one’s Natural Endowment, multiplied by Home contribution plus Society’s contribution.

“Natural Endowment” was a euphemism for ability–or, actually, disability, so the more severe a person’s potential disability, the lower his or her natural endowment. “Home” contribution basically meant the financial resources and education level of the parents–the more the better. “Society” contribution was an estimation of how much public support the child was likely to need to be able to live–the less the better.

Just last year, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear, and thus killed, a lawsuit filed by the parents of children the Oklahoma hospital allowed to die.

Babies born with spina bifida need immediate surgery to survive, surgery that often renders them paraplegic. So doctors, using the QL formula, gave poorer, lesseducated parents, who were therefore more dependent on public resources, a more pessimistic prognosis than they gave more affluent parents of babies with the same disability.

In all, twenty-four of the twenty-five babies whose parents, on doctors’ advice, elected not to have them treated died. All thirty-six of those who were fully treated in this experiment lived.

The parents who filed the lawsuit dismissed in 1993 all said they had known nothing about the formula or the experiment. But it took no muckraking or legal coercion to reveal what had happened: The doctors reported the experiment in detail–and bragged about it–in an article published in the October 1983 edition of Pediatrics, a prestigious medical journal.

Medical malpractice happens when medical practitioner or a health care specialist acts in a negligent or misbehaving manner while performing medical treatments. Malpractice can occur either from taking an inappropriate action or by the failure of taking a medical action properly. Examples of medical malpractice include: failure to diagnose a disease, failure to provide proper treatment for a medical condition, and unreasonable delay in treating a diagnosis.

The laws and rules governing malpractice lawsuits vary significantly in each state. In Washington D.C., the following are medical malpractice rules and laws:

Malpractice damages limitation. The District of Columbia is not limited with regards to the damages in malpractice actions.

Collateral source rule. Even if the plaintiff has compensation from his insurance or other sources, this cannot reduce the liability of the defendant.

Expert witnesses rule. To establish the governing standard of care in the states’ medical malpractice cases, there should be a testimony of expert witnesses.

Joint and several liability. Under this rule of joint and several liability of the District of Columbia, if more than one individual is responsible for another person’s injury, each defendant is individually liable for the whole judgment amount. If one of them lacks the capabilities to pay, the others are the ones obligated to pay for the entire judgment amount.

Laws of limitations. Only within three years of the date of injury must medical malpractice actions be commenced. In the District of Columbia, the limitations period starts to apply on the minor’s legal age, eighteen.

The burgeoning advancement in technology has guaranteed efficiency in all spheres of life; and that includes the world of medicine. Today, there are several software programs to ensure that all runs smoothly in the medical fraternity. It is estimated that the correct medical software can increase medical office revenues by about 30%.

The importance of medical software cannot be underestimated. Today, success and failure of medical practices hinge on them. A major bane in healthcare offices today is inefficiency. Buying, installing and using the correct medical software suite eliminate inadequacies.

Medical software programs increase management proficiency in virtually every facet of the contemporary medical office. Claims processing, patient scheduling, auditing, accounts receivables and collection problems can be greatly abated through proper medical software use. Most software programs, like RealTime Medical Solutions, e-MDs and NueMD can assist healthcare offices to administer patient care from the moment they come in to the time of the check out. Concomitant to that, a competent medical software suite augments the effectiveness of the staff, brings in profit, raises output and decreases costs.

Medical software is helping the contemporary doctor to run an office smoothly. These software programs help the medical professional to administer r every feature of medical practice, from records to appointments to finances.

Medical software can include medical office software (that facilitates quicker and more efficient office work); medical practice software (used extensively by medical students and residents); medical billing software (that looks after the accounting and financial aspect of the medical office or hospital); medical records software (that helps in looking after patients’ records); and palm medical software (used by doctors and nurses on a portable computing device that fits on a palm, for quicker reference to patients’ files and records).

Medical malpractice can occur whenever a patient is in the care of a healthcare professional. This can involve the failure or delay in properly diagnosing or treating an illness or injury so that it causes new or aggravated injuries.

Medical malpractice attorneys like Ken Lewis at Bush Lewis P.L.L.C. in Beaumont, Texas, help thousands of people every year who have been the victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence.

Many people don’t realize how frequently medical malpractice occurs. In fact, thousands of people every year are either injured from medical malpractice or medical negligence, or die from injuries or illnesses that could have been prevented or treated with proper medical care.

If you or a loved one has been injured or if a loved one has died as a result of medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Medical malpractice claims can be difficult because health records must be researched and rules and regulations must be followed in order to prove that injuries were sustained or aggravated as a result of the medical malpractice or medical negligence.

“I investigate the victim’s medical history,” says, Ken Lewis in Beaumont, Texas, “this way, I can show that their injuries or illness is the result of the breach of standards from a healthcare professional, healthcare facility, or hospital.”

Since medical malpractice can occur in many different situations, medical malpractice claims can take many different forms, for many different reasons. Some of the common medical malpractice claims are:

· Birth Injury – when an infant is born, it is a very delicate situation, and medical malpractice can arise because of errors made in the delivery or care of the infant.

· Cerebral Palsy – is a medical condition that is caused by brain damage from a number of reasons. Many times, cerebral palsy is caused by medical malpractice or medical errors, such as birth injury.

· Failure to Diagnose – if your healthcare provider fails to diagnose you for an illness, they could be held liable for medical malpractice because they did not prescribe a treatment, and thus allowed the illness to progress.

· Medication Errors – if you are prescribed the wrong medication it is medical malpractice, and the results can be disastrous. If you are allergic to certain substances, the wrong medication can even cause death.

· Defective Medical Devices – if you are injured or suffer medical problems because you are prescribed or given a defective medical device, the healthcare provider can be held responsible for the resulting injury.

· Wrongful Death – Thousands of people die every year from medical malpractice. If you believe your loved one died due to medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Medical malpractice can cause serious health problems. If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you are entitled to compensation for the resulting medical bills, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages.

Medical costs around the world are skyrocketing, due mostly to the advances in specialized equipment and the cost of advanced medicines and training specialists in various fields. An international traveler, expatriate or businessman needs to be very careful about the medical costs that he may be faced with.

There are international medical insurance schemes available with a range of costs and benefits, and with different conditions available through many insurance companies. The technique is to first assess the requirements, the risks involved, the costs and various options available, and then make a happy compromise. This obviously involves taking some risks, but people who are willing to do this are rewarded quite handsomely, as the cost of insurance also becomes cheaper.

There are group insurance plans that are relatively cheap, and if you are with a tourist group or a visiting business delegation you would save money with group medical insurance. Excluding a medical condition that is pre-existing can lower your insurance costs. But you must be sure that the condition will not worsen and cost you heavily.

Another way of lowering costs is to agree to pay a small initial medical cost and make a claim from the insurance company only when the amount exceeds that amount. For example, you may agree to pay the first 200 dollars of medical expenses and make a claim only when the cost of treatment goes above that amount.

Most international insurance companies cost less than American companies, because their overhead is low and the cost of health care is much lower in other countries than in United States. Schemes like ‘Inbound USA’ meet American visa requirements for temporary visits to the USA at an affordable cost.

Whatever compromise you choose to make between risks and costs, shop around not only for cheap insurance plans, but also for a reputed company that gives you total information, has transparent functioning and does not evade your questions.

If you unfortunately have a chronic health condition, you’re used to having live with more stringent rules the most. You’re often more careful what activities you do, where you go, and what you eat. Everything you do is done to ensure you don’t aggravate your condition. Of course there is the possibility you’re required to take medication at regular intervals to maintain your symptoms. If this is the case it’s important that health care professionals know about your condition and medications should anything happen to you. This is why it’s important to have medical alert jewelry,

A very simple engraved bracelet or necklace is all medical alert jewelry consists of. Most times it is personalized listing your medical conditions, medications, and any allergies you might have. This ensure that any emergency workers helping you are educated with what they need to know right away even if you are unable to communicate with them. Medical alert jewelry ensure the proper treatment is provided to you, and reduces the risk that any other medications or treatments given to you will not react with other drugs or health conditions you have.

Shopping for medical alert jewelry is an easy task. If you’re looking for a couple of items there are two easy ways to go about it. The first of course is to visit your local department store such as Wal Mart. While they will have a limited selection to choose from the purchase will be immediate. The other option is to visit some of the online retailers of medical alert jewelry. Most times they will have a vast selection, and they will ship the jewelry personalized if you provide the required information. While you don’t receive the items right away, they are sent via the mail rather quickly, and your selection will be a lot more. These benefits along with likely a lower cost then purchasing from a local department store make shopping online better.

No matter where you decide to purchase your medical alert jewelry the most important thing is that your health conditions are at the forefront. You’re willing to take the required steps to ensure you’re kept safe should anything happen to you. You’ll experience greater piece of mind, and your loved ones will know you’ll be treated correctly should they not be around to assist emergency medical staff in an emergency situation. So don’t procrastinate on this, start today and search for some medical alert jewelry, it could be the purchase that saves your life.