Governor Patterson freezes medical malpractice rates

Former Governor Spitzer formed a statewide task force - to define the main causes of medical malpractice and find out what contributes to the high cost of insurance against such claims.

Washington, D. C. (JusticeNewsFlash.com – medical malpractice news Report) – A bill- proposed to give relief to doctors who have experienced extremely high premiums; suspend an anticipated surcharge until next June and give the state more time to find a long-term solution to the medical malpractice problems – was signed by Governor Patterson of New York. This was part of $1 billion cuts to state spending. Various lawmakers stated in Congress this week that without the freeze, physicians would have seen a 30 percent rise in rates.
According to the New York Public Interest Research Group, ‘the freeze shouldn’t affect patient care and that time is needed to work out the difficult problem of high rates,’ because it has been noted that many physicians are claiming that high insurance rates are driving them out of the state and reducing the availability of care. When really it is about careless doctors making mistakes and insurance companies rating the insurance risk of physicians.

Richard F. Daines, M.D., Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, said: “This temporary freeze demonstrates the Governor’s and Legislature’s commitment to assuring that New Yorkers have uninterrupted access to the full range of health care services. At the same time, it will foster an environment in which the stakeholders can come together to continue the hard work we began last year to reach an agreement on real reform. I call upon the physicians who will benefit from this freeze to join the Department of Health in our continuing effort to increase patient safety and eliminate preventable medical errors.”

By: Justice News Flash - Medical Malpractice news correspondent

Smiles all around

Lindsey Johns went to Brooklyn Elementary School Friday morning to enroll her son in kindergarten.
But she also left with two free dental screenings for both her sons, Jayc, 5, and Jaden, 2, who have not yet seen a dentist because they are without insurance.


Lindsey Johns went to Brooklyn Elementary School Friday morning to enroll her son in kindergarten.

But she also left with two free dental screenings for both her sons, Jayc, 5, and Jaden, 2, who have not yet seen a dentist because they are without insurance.

"This is wonderful," Johns, 26, said while filling out paperwork. "I probably still would not have taken him to the dentist if this hadn't been here."

Two dental hygienists, Kim Crabtree and Betsy Southern, co-founded the nonprofit program called Smiles on Wheels, which turned an ordinary classroom into a dental office Friday to provide free treatment for Head Start and elementary children who do not have dentists.

"They're very happy, very thankful," Southern said. "We came out here because transportation is a problem."

The mobile dental program provides preventative oral screenings, including cleanings, fluoride treatments and X-rays, to anyone who is not under the care of a dentist.

The idea, both hygienists said, is to get those people back into the dental health system. Oftentimes, people stop going to the dentist after life changes, such as depression or job loss, and need help getting reacquainted, said Crabtree of Napoleon.

"Our main goal is to find each patient a dental home," she said.

Many of the patients the women serve have visited a dentist few times, if at all, in their lives. And they range in age from 100 to zero, Southern said.

Reese Pawlowski, 4, was a little uneasy about his first screening Friday but was showing off his teeth to Crabtree in no time. She applied a fluoride treatment to his teeth with a small, yellow paint brush.

"Boy, buddy, your teeth are looking good," Crabtree said.

"Uh-huh," he responded.

At the end of the appointment, Southern, of Jackson, gave Reese's mother, Lynn, a list of offices they could go to for a dental checkup, including the Center for Family Health, which takes all children and asks for payment based on income, Southern said.

"It's great to provide some intervention for the kids," Brooklyn Principal Debra Powell said. "Especially now that people are losing jobs and don't have dental or medical coverage."

Smiles on Wheels will also provide free sealant, which protects molars from decay, to all second-graders in Jackson County again this year as part of a two-year grant it received through the state Department of Community Health and Delta Dental.

This year, it will also give the same treatment through a grant to all sixth-graders because they will be getting their second set of molars.

Medication for Huntington's Disease Approved by FDA

Among the classic signs of Huntington's disease is the development of chorea, involuntary, rapid, irregular, jerky movements that may include the face, arms, legs or trunk. The disease is hereditary and includes progressive neurodegenerative symptoms including emotional, behavioral and psychiatric abnormalities. The condition was originally described in 1872 by Dr. George Huntington, who studied a Long Island family with a high percentage of affected members. Symptoms of the disease are usually not apparent until the individual is in their late forties to early fifties.

Since the disease was first discovered 136 years ago there has been little effective treatment and no hope for those affected with the disease. The neuron loss, which is the root of the disease, is not fatal but the complications reduce life expectancy. Since it is a dominant trait in the genetic inheritance sequence it can be inherited when only one parent carries the gene.

In 1993, the gene which causes HD was found and, with the cause of the disorder known, an accurate test became possible. The disease is not widespread, with only about 30,000 patients in this country currently living with HD. With a relatively low patient base, drug companies would have problems providing an affordable drug for the population and meeting their own need for profitability in research and production.

Under an FDA policy known as the "orphan products program," aimed at developing treatments for conditions which affect fewer than 200,000 people, a medication named Xenazine has been approved. The orphan products program gives financial assistance to the company who is developing the product and also gives the company exclusive sales rights to the product for a specific number of years.

Xenazine is the trade name of tetrabenazine and has been previously approved for treatment in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark and UK. It has been used in the treatment of Tourrette's syndrome which is also characterized by uncontrollable movements.

Dr. Frederick J. Marshall, a University of Rochester Medical Center neurologist who led the clinical study presented to the FDA said, "A lot of patients won't go out because they are embarrassed by those movements; suppressing the movement means a lot to people with Huntington's disease." Xenazine will not cure the condition, but it provides relief for the major disabling symptom of chorea. This is the first time that any kind of treatment has been available in the United States.

Xenazine does have the possibility of serious side effects and the patients treated with the drug will be monitored by a special risk management program for increase of psychiatric symptoms.

According to Marshall many patients with Huntington's have gone untreated, others have experimented with anti-psychotic drugs or imported Xenazine from abroad in violation of U.S. law. Approval of the drug means that patient's medication should now be approved by Medicare and other insurance programs.

Marathon swim will raise money for water projects

Cambridge businesswoman Jenny Kartupelis has taken on the challenge of swimming 4.5km across the Hellespont - the crossroads from Europe to Asia, arguably the most iconic swim in the world - later this month. She wants to raise money to support Christian Aid water projects, and hopes local companies and individuals will dig deep to sponsor her.


Clean water is something we all take for granted – even in the dry climes of East Anglia. It’s hard to imagine waking up thirsty in the night with nothing to drink, or trudging miles in the hot sun to collect a bucket of muddy water that might make you ill rather than better. But millions of people have to do this every day, many of them young children.

Christian Aid water projects can change their lives, giving them improved health and opening up new life chances by freeing their time for education, and Elements PR partner Jenny Kartupelis has taken on the challenge of swimming across the Hellespont at the end of this month to raise money to support this charity. The exciting news is, that if she can reach her fundraising target, then the EU will put in £3 for every £1 raised!

The Hellespont is the crossroads from Europe to Asia, and arguably the most iconic swim in the world. For one day a year, the Turkish government closes it to shipping for one and a half hours, and hundreds take part in the race across a distance of 4.5 km, following in the footsteps of Leander and Byron.

Jenny is training as hard as she can in between her business commitments as Director of the East of England Faiths Council and her work at Elements PR, and says: ‘I’ll be doing breaststroke, so it will be a real challenge to complete it in time - and I’ve been told that if you don’t, the Turkish Navy picks you out of the water!’

NW Brown, a leading Investment and Financial Services provider, is the primary sponsor for Jenny in her demanding challenge. NW Brown Insurance Brokers, a subsidiary of the Group, is adding to the financial sponsorship by providing Jenny’s medical cover up to £5million.

But she still needs sponsorship to help her reach the target that releases the EU funding – do please visit her web site www.justgiving.com/jennykartupelis and support her efforts as generously as you can. Alternatively, give Jenny a call on 01223 421606 to find out more.

Medical personnel offer helping hand in Cleveland

By: Randall Higgins

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Hundreds of people were in line by 6:30 a.m. here Saturday seeking free medical, dental and eye care because they can’t pay, have inadequate insurance or none at all.

Scores of volunteer doctors, dentists and ophthalmologists expected to treat nearly 500 people Saturday. Others were given numbers for their turn in line when the clinic resumes today.

The clinic is provided by Knoxville-based Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps, founded by Stan Brock, best known for his role in television’s “Wild Kingdom.” The St. Therese Parish Health Ministry organized the RAM clinic here, as it did in 2005.

Tia Triplett and two friends drove from the Atlanta area Friday evening and spent the night here.

“I have a job but there’s no dental coverage,” Ms. Triplett said. “We got here Friday evening and spent some time in several restaurants. It was like an eat-athon around Cleveland.”

For complete coverage see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.