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Consumer Reports 2015 rankings is considered a place to start when looking at hospital safety. Recently, the publication released its rankings of what it considers to be the safest hospitals in the state. Consumer Reports uses data from various state and federal sources to rate patient safety at Illinois’ 176 hospitals; however, for some, insufficient data existed. The safety scores are on a 100-point scale for key measures regarding patient safety such as hospital-acquired infections,…

Slate.com reports that researchers have found a trend that there is a spike in hospital deaths over the summer when new doctors have just started practicing. Is it real and can it be attributed to this cause? Certainly, America has been witness to many mistakes in hospitals over holidays and weekends when less experienced, less tenured staff and medical personnel are on duty. At Clifford Law Offices, we have seen even the most experienced doctor…

Wrongful Death: When a person’s death is caused by the negligent act of a wrongdoer or reckless conduct. Unlike personal injury cases where the injured person is one of the plaintiffs, in a wrongful death action or suit, the family members bring the lawsuit for the wrongful actions or negligence of a wrongdoer. Typically, the victim’s surviving spouse, children, beneficiaries or dependents who are the plaintiffs and are entitled to monetary damages that result from the…

You Should Know Newsletter Routine Surgical Device May Spread Cancer Many surgeons use a device called a morcellator as a way to do noninvasive hysterectomy surgery. Amy Reed, a doctor herself, says the morcellator used in her 2013 hysterectomy spread cancer all over her stomach. View video. Large Portion of FDA-Approved Devices Lack Safety Evidence A recent study from the Wall Street Journal  shows the majority of moderate- to high-risk medical devices approved by the…

You Should Know Newsletter $133 Billion The size of the United States medical device market is expected to surpass $133 billion by 2016. At $110 billion, it is currently the largest medical device market in the world. 71% Failed A 2011 study found that 71 percent of Class I medical device recalls (those deemed most likely to cause serious adverse outcomes or death) were cleared through the FDA’s 510(k) fast-track approval process. 1,190 Recalls According…

The United States is the largest medical device market in the world with sales expected to reach $133 billion by 2016. In most cases, medical devices save and improve lives. Unfortunately, not all devices undergo the same rigorous review process before hitting the market. A number of new medical devices can and do bypass scrutiny by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through a fast-track approval process called the 510(k) program. If a manufacturer…

Robert A. Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, traveled to London as part of an American Bar Association (ABA) trip commemorating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede. Clifford participated as moderator of a panel discussion entitled, “Where Would You Try a Case? A Live Action Primer on Trial Skills in the U.S. and the U.K.” focusing on the different approaches taken in the two countries’ courts to critical…

Robert A. Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, was interviewed by Dane Placko, reporter for Fox News Chicago, on the important issue of safety of bus drivers in Chicago. The story became the top of the news when earlier this month a speeding Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) accordion-style bus crashed through a crosswalk and jumped a curb at the crowded intersection of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street during evening rush hour. A 51-year-old mother…

The American Medical Association (AMA) is reportedly developing a plan to help decide when it’s time for aging doctors to retire. With one out of four U.S. doctors being older than age 65 numbering now 240,000, the nation’s largest organization of physicians agreed to spearhead an effort to create competency guidelines for assessing whether older physicians can continue to provide safe and effective care for their patients. According to a story by Lindsey Tanner, Association…