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Get to Know Your Doc

Mon, 5 May 2008 14:05:35 -0700

Ever wonder about the new doctor with whom you just scheduled an appointment? Or perhaps you are curious about the specialist chosen by another physician or hospital to make a critical review of your records? Most people agree that it would be helpful for the public to have access to information regarding their doctor's professional history, but the information is not always forthcoming. There are private services, such as Health Grades which provide the information for a fee, but no universal public system of providing the background information to consumers.

Now you can find out at least basic information as to a Colorado physician's complaint history. During the 2007 Colorado legislative session, House Bill 1331 was passed, making physicians' criminal and malpractice records available to the public. The bill was signed into law by Governor Ritter on May 24, 2007. The new law appears in the state statutes at C.R.S. §12-36-111.5.

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:39:55 -0700

By now, most folks have been handed a form at their doctor's office asking that they sign a statement that the privacy policies of the office and the rights of the patient have been explained to them. This is required by the federal law known as HIPPA, see HIPPA - What It Means To You.

Avoid Getting Nailed

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:15:13 -0700

The air-powered nail gun has become a mainstay at construction sites across the nation. As the tool's popularity surged during the building boom of the 2000s, nail gun injuries also took off despite decades of warnings from researchers and doctors that the guns are dangerous, especially those equipped with a mechanism that allowed automatic firing, in "contact trip" mode.

Justice for Sale

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:58:55 -0700

For 40 years, no incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court justice ever lost an election - not, that is, until this month, when a business-backed circuit judge narrowly defeated the first African-American to serve on the state's highest court.

But the victory of Michael Gableman over Louis Butler was stands out because the race came with such cost, partisanship, and confrontation-hardball trends that are expected to appear in judicial races nationwide. At an estimated $5 million, the cost of the Wisconsin race set records, and its campaign ads-largely sponsored by outside groups-were so negative and in some cases so misleading that they were criticized by a state watchdog group. One of Gableman's ads falsely implied that Butler had gotten out of jail a convicted rapist who then committed a second sexual assault. (In fact, the second assault occurred after the man served his full sentence.) Another ad by the pro-Butler teachers union accused Gableman of sentencing child sex offenders far below the maximum, but it used the example of an offender who received a higher sentence than the one the prosecutor recommended.

Wheels of Justice Move Very Slowly

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 13:34:29 -0700

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will pay $20 million to settle the last in a series of lawsuits that claimed it was responsible for poisoning water in the Mojave Desert town of Hinkley, as depicted in the movie "Erin Brockovich."