Consumer Awareness

This post was written by Keith A. Hebeisen & Shannon M. McNulty, Partners at Clifford Law Offices. Northwestern Medicine, one of the largest hospital networks in the Chicago area, announced that patients who wish to communicate with their doctors online or utilize its digital services for appointments, test results, medication refills, and other health-care related activities will be limited to arbitration as a remedy. That means that by agreeing to be a patient of a…

Drones have been popular holiday gifts, but many people may not know that purchasing insurance is a good idea for your unmanned aircraft. Stories appear after the holidays about anxious recipients of the gift immediately opening their drones and setting them in flight in the living room, only to have them get caught in ceiling sprinklers, tangled in daughters’ hair and crashing into the Christmas tree. Even more hazardous were national news stories reporting that…

With more than three times as many drones operating in the U.S. than manned aircraft, commercial applications of the unmanned aircraft – from package deliveries to video applications – still await airborne-identification rules from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). And, according to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, those regulations may not be coming as quickly as once expected. In “Rule Delay Slows Drone Industry,” Nov. 23, 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported…

The Wall Street Journal recently reported (Friday, Nov. 23, 2018) that the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play inclined sleeper has caused at least 30 infant deaths and more than 700 injuries since 2005 because of the angle of the baby’s head when napping. The newspaper reported that more than half of those 30 deaths – 16 – occurred since September, 2016. Although the padded inclined sleeper product has helped parents with babies who may be fussy…

A new survey suggests that very few smokers know there is sugar added to cigarettes to reduce the harshness of the smoke, and that the added sugar also increases toxins in cigarette smoke. This is according to a study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. “Knowledge is power and there is a clear gap in awareness,” said lead researcher Andrew Seidenberg, a public health doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at…

Pfizer Inc. settled last week a case brought by New York’s attorney general based on the world’s largest pharmaceutical company misleading consumers with its drug co-payment coupon program. The global giant initiated a coupon program that led consumers into thinking they would be paying far less to fill prescriptions but then they ended up having to pay more from 2015-18. Pfizer agreed to pay $500,000 in fines and costs and to issue more than $200,000…

With summer upon us, that means that amusement park rides are in full swing. But with that sometimes comes word of horrible incidents that injure or even kill unsuspecting ride goers who went to the park for some fun. That just occurred in mid-June when a roller coaster derailed in Daytona Beach, Florida, leaving six people injured. Two riders reportedly fell about 34 feet and four more who were dangling following the malfunction were sent…

Tesla, the leading electric automaker, announced in October that it is equipping all of its vehicles, including the Model 3, its first affordably priced car, with the hardware needed for fully autonomous driving. Tesla’s president announced that its software will allow these cars to navigate even the most complex city streets and that by the end of 2017 all new Tesla vehicles will be able to drive coast to coast without anyone ever having touch…

For decades, members of the medical and scientific communities have published studies linking talcum powder use and an increased risk of ovarian cancer. While the exact reason for this link is the subject of ongoing research, many believe talc particles enter the vagina and migrate to the ovaries. While some scientists do not believe this connection has been proven conclusively, others believe there is a strong link between talc usage and a heightened ovarian cancer…