OUR PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

 

2008 has developed into being quite the productive year thanks to so many members stepping up to the plate by volunteering their time and services!!  Thank you to ALL. 

May’s educational was truly a success.  First off, we exceeded our attendance goals thanks to all the hard work from Marilyn McDonald and her crew.  Secondly, our speakers were excellent and have agreed to speak at the AALNC’s educational in April of 2009.  Finally, since our 3 speakers were gracious enough to donate their honorarium back to our chapter, we have decided to present two $250 gift certificates that will be applied toward the admission fees for our National AALNC Conference in April, 2009.  Each gift certificate will be awarded during a drawing held at our annual Harvest Party in September.  In order to qualify for the drawing you must be a member of GSAC and be in attendance at our Harvest Party.  These two gift certificates will be in addition to sending our President Elect. 

Anne Noder continues to plan our Harvest Party, which will be at Scott’s Seafood on the river and is scheduled for September 27, 2008 – so set the date on your calendar.  This annual event has always proved to be a great event bringing us all together for gifts, wine and great food.

Thank you, Marilyn McDonald, for graciously accepting the President Elect position for 2009.  I am confident that she will do a great job.

There are many awesome updates to the website thanks to Oscar and Tracy, so check it out in preparation for the upcoming phone/internet educational that Oscar is going to provide.

 A great summer to everyone and I hope to see you all on September 10, 2008, our next board/general meeting at Denny’s in Elk Grove.

Ruth Swiggum

President, GSAC – AALNC

 

 

MEMBER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mariann Cosby, Melony Carlton and Teresa Cox gave an excellent presentation at the ADVANCE Job Fair & CE Event, April 24, 2008.  The speakers well organized presentation titled, Legal IQ, provided a unique look into the profession of Legal Nurse Consulting.  Each speaker used their own experiences from actual cases and they collaborated on indentifying issues, such as, malpractice vs. negligence, documentation, and the particular role required of the Legal Nurse Consultant in the process of working each case.  Included in each of their presentations was a discussion on whether or not the particular issues assisted or hindered in the final outcome of their individual case study and why.  The presentation was well attended and the audience participated with an excellent question and answer period. 

                    

    Ruth Swiggum gave an excellent presentation at our chapter’s General Meeting held on June 11, 2008.  Ruth’s presentation was on Independent Medical Examinations (IME) covering all aspects of these important exams from:  How to prepare for attending the exam, what tools you may need during the exam and what may occur during the exam from the doctor’s point of view to the client and even what could possibly occur with the doctor’s front office staff.  Ruth provided handouts of the current CA Code of Civil Procedures section 2016-2036 covering IME.  She wrapped up her presentation by giving an outline of writing the reports.  This presentation was well prepared and would have set up even a novice LNC for her first IME.  Thank you, Ruth.    

 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS – 2008

 Executive Committee:

President	Ruth Swiggium
President Elect	Melony Carlton
Past President	Marge Patzer
Secretary	Mary Migett
Treasurer	Muffy Ratto
Directors at Large	Mariann Cosby
	Karen Juncker
	Karen Orcutt
	Anne Noder
	Marilyn McDonald
Newsletter Editor	Teresa Cox

 

GSAC-AALNC COMMITTEES

 

Bylaws:
	Chairperson:	Marge Patzer
Finance:
	Chairperson:	Muffy Ratto
Holiday Party
	Chairperson:	Anne Noder
Nominations:
	Chairperson:	Marge Patzer
Policy and Procedure:
	Chairperson:	Melony Carlton
Public Relations
	Chairperson:	Teresa Cox
Publications:
	Newsletter Editor:	Teresa Cox
	Web Spinner:	Tracy Albee
Education
	Chairperson:	Marilyn McDonald

 

 

    elcome Newest Members!

Please feel free to go to our Members listing and learn more about all our members.  

http://www.gsac-aalnc.org/Pages/MembersListing.aspx

 

 

   PAST EVENTS:

By:  Marilyn McDonald RN BA CCM LNCC CNLCP

The Educational Conference ”Elder Law –Why the Other Side is Just Wrong”, Saturday May 3, 2008, was a smashing success with 61 attendees with a nice mixture of LNCs, Attorneys, DON’s and SNF administrators.  Our presenters, Judge Cecila Bond, Michael Le Vangie and Steve Garcia lived up to the billing for a lively and educational as well as entertaining presentation. They discussed the definition of Elder Abuse and went into the different strategies for bringing cases to trial both from the defense and the plaintiff perspectives as well as current law and needs for changes.  Judge Bond was also very knowledgeable regarding the viewpoints from the bench and did an excellent job of mediating the attorneys.  All in all it was a great program.  Some of the evaluation comments included: “The best elder seminar!”, “All instructors were excellent”, “Excellent and entertaining”, “The format was excellent!”, “Awesome!”, and “They were very open and willing to share strategies”. All three speakers have agreed to present at the AALNC National Conference in April 2009, and the application for the program has been submitted by our chapter for approval.  If you missed it you may have another opportunity to see them next year. Thanks goes out to all who helped with organizing and marketing the event.

              

Our presentation board stands out and provides wonderful information for all LNC’s and interested public.

 

       

Some of the helpful GSAC members getting the presentation put together.

 

       

Marilyn McDonald pulls it all together with a riveting introduction of the respected guests.  (From the left is Steve Garcia, defense attorney Cecila Bond, retired judge and Michael Le Vangie plaintiff attorney)

 

 

 

Steve Garcia, Cecilia Bond and Michael Le Vangie in action

 

 

A quick break!  What a great crowd!

 

 

An excellent luncheon was served for all guests as they continued to discuss the presentation and network with each other.

 

 

 

 

MINI EDUCATIONAL and BOARD MEETING:

JUNE 11, 2008

At work was our nominating Committee:  Marge Patzer, Muffy Ratto and Anne Noder

Current nominations the 2009 slate of officers for GSAC: 

Officers

Marilyn McDonald was unanimously elected president elect at the GSAC meeting last night.  Congratulations Marilyn, we know you will do a great job!

Mary Midgett has graciously accepted the nomination for secretary.

Treasurer position is pending – note that we now have a bookkeeper assisting with this position so the job is much easier!

Directors at Large (DAL) positions

Debi Turner, Teresa Cox and Anne Noder have accepted nominations.  We would like to have six (6) DAL positions.

 

Please respond by email if you are interested in serving in one of the openings. 

Thanks to all of you for keeping GSAC a vital and meaningful organization

 

 

 

UPCOMING GSAC  EVENTS:

 

September 10, 2008:	Board Meeting and mini educational
6:30 pm start time	Topic to be determined
	8707 Elk Grove Blvd
	Elk Grove, CA
	Phone:  (916)  686-2054
September 27, 2008:	Harvest Festival Celebration
Scott’s Seafood On The river  Watch for   All the details!
October 22, 2008:	Board Meeting and mini educational
6:30 pm start time	Speaker: Tim Balcom, attorney-at-law
	Topic:  Expert Witness
	Location TBA
November 12, 2008:
6:30 pm Board Meeting	Denny’s Banquet Room
7:30 -8:30 pm General Meeting:	8707 Elk Grove Blvd
ONC topic presentation/discussion	Elk Grove, CA
	(916) 686-2054

 

 

Reserve your calendar:

AALNC National Educational Conference

Renaissance Phoenix Glendale

April 22-25, 2009

 

 

 

 

UPDATE FROM NATIONAL:

By Tracy Albee, AALNC Board of Director

2008 Conference Wrap-Up

·        This year’s conference has come and gone and summer is here – but that doesn’t mean that AALNC will be taking a break!  We have some exciting new initiatives that we are currently working on and plan to roll out this year.  As the leaders of the AALNC local chapters, you will be the first to hear about these new programs! 

·         At the AALNC Annual Business Meeting, the Chapter Leader of the Year, Chapter of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Member of the Year were announced.  The Chapter Leader of the Year recognizes a member who has shown outstanding commitment and contributions to their Chapter and AALNC.  The Chapter of the Year recognizes the Chapter that consistently demonstrates career professionalism, a commitment to AALNC, and dedication to the legal nurse consulting profession.  The Volunteer of the Year is presented to an AALNC member who has gone above and beyond in their volunteer capacity with the organization, and the Member of the Year celebrates the member who has worked to give back to the legal nurse consulting profession as a whole.  These are intended for the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to help mentor new LNCs, work behind the scenes to help their local chapter, and advance the overall mission of AALNC.  This year we would like to congratulate each winner! 

• Chapter Leader of the Year – Jill Carr
• Chapter of the Year:  St. Louis
• Member of the Year:  Barbara Levin
• Volunteer of the Year:  Beth Diehl-Svrjcek

·         The 4^th Annual Chapter Night was a huge hit!  We would like to thank all of the Chapters that participated for their amazing enthusiasm.  Ten chapters participated in this wonderful opportunity for members to learn about other chapters’ programming.  The “Fun in the Sun” theme allowed the chapters to get really creative.  Participants had fun showing off their hometowns with creative decorations.  From surfing the waves of Florida to a Clam Back Cook-Off, this party had it all!  The 2008 winner for the Best Chapter Night Display was the Southern New England Chapter.  Congratulations, SNE-AALNC!

General Updates:

Ø       As you may know, work has begun on the 3^rd Edition of Legal Nurse Consulting: Principles and Practice.  However, we are still looking for additional authors for the following chapter subjects:

• ~Evaluating Medical Malpractice Claims.
• ~Access to Medical Records
• ~Informed Consent
• ~Communication with Client
• ~Literature Search
• ~Trial Preparation and the Trial Process
• ~Alternate Dispute Resolution: Settlement, Arbitration and Mediation
• ~Nursing home, rehabilitation and wound care cases
• ~The Expert Fact Witness: Non-economic Damages Testimony
• ~Independent LNC
• ~Role of LNC In Criminal Cases
• ~Health Care Claims Analysis
• ~LNC Role In Government Based Oversight Agency
• ~Acronyms

If you are interested in co-authoring any of the above chapters, please send your CV or resume and a writing sample to Emily Palmer at Emily.Palmer@aalnc.org. 

Ø       At the recent AACN (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses) Conference, Headquarters Staff and AALNC President-Elect, Suzanne Langroth exhibited to promote the profession and inform other nurses about the value of legal nurse consulting and the benefits of being a member and becoming certified.  By attending the May 6-8th conference in Chicago, Illinois, AALNC had direct contact with other nurses and companies looking into the field of legal nurse consulting.

 

   

What’s happening today:

IRS mileage rate:

The IRS mileage rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. This is an increase of eight (8) cents from the 50.5 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2008, as set forth in Rev. Proc. 2007-70.

 

State court overturns AZ law on expert witnesses

PHOENIX — An Arizona appellate court ruling says a state law on medical malpractice lawsuits is un-constitutional.  At issue is a law that sets qualifications required for expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases.
A three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals says the law is unconstitutional because it violates the doctrine of separation between the branches of government.  The ruling came in a Maricopa County case in which a trial judge dismissed a malpractice suit after ruling that a doctor that the plaintiff wanted to use as an expert witness was not qualified under the state law.
http://www.azstarne t.com/sn/ hourlyupdate/ 244148.php
The Associated Press | Published: 06.17.2008

 

 

http://www.verdictsearch.com/

Nursing Home - California

Family of resident who died from sepsis awarded $2M

A jury returned a $2 million verdict for the death of a 104-year-old nursing home resident caused by decubitis ulcers. Mary Adams died after eight weeks at Villa Valencia Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing facility in Laguna Hills. She was in the facility for physical therapy following hospitalization for a broken arm. While at Villa Valencia, she developed Stage IV decubitus ulcers on both heels. Her family sued the owner of the nursing home, claiming Adams was neglected there. The jury's award included $1 million in punitive damages. According to defense counsel, the award will be reduced to $1.25 million per MICRA.

 Adams v. Sunrise Senior Living Services Inc.

 

Medical Malpractice - Texas

Jury sides with doctor sued for missed diagnosis

A jury rejected a claim that a pulmonologist was to blame for missing a cancer diagnosis that would have saved the patient's life. In 2004, Dr. Howard Mintz found that Arthur McCoy, 55, had tuberculosis. A few months later, McCoy began coughing up blood, and another doctor diagnosed metastasized lung cancer. McCoy died six months later. Given McCoy's history as a heavy smoker, plaintiff's counsel argued that Mintz should have ordered tests to rule out lung cancer, claiming that an earlier diagnosis could have saved his life. Mintz pointed out that McCoy tested positive for tuberculosis and showed signs of it on an X-ray. And since fewer than 5 percent of smokers develop lung cancer, his diagnosis was proper. He also said that McCoy failed to follow medical advice.

McCoy v. Mintz

 

MORE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:

 

Bay Area Chapter

“Causation and Legal Principles of Medical Malpractice Cases”

Presented by J. Niley Dorit, Esq & Rita Kae Restrepo, RN, BS, CPAN

Saturday, September 20, 2008
11:00 AM Networking 11:30 PM Brunch
12:00-2:00 PM Presentation
Hotel 480 (formerly Crowne Plaza Union Square)
480 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 398-8900

$50.00 for BACNC members :: $60.00 for non-members**

RSVP required by 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2008

http://www.bacnc.org/meeting_info.htm

 

 

AALNC General Information

Tracy Albee, Director at Large for AALNC

·         Don’t forget that membership dues can be submitted online at any time for renewals.

 ·         The Attorney Awareness Campaign is increasing attorneys’ use of the LNCLocator, a free service available to the public.  Please maintain your member profile by logging in to www.aalnc.org and looking for the welcome box on the left of the page, with your membership options underneath.  To see your current profile, click the “Update Member Info” link.  To change any member information, click on the “Edit” button at the top of the page, make your edits in the appropriate section, and hit “Submit” at the bottom of the page.  The LNCLocator is connected to our membership database, so your information will automatically be updated at Headquarters and will be reflected immediately in the LNCLocator.  For assistance, email info@aalnc.org or call 877/402-2562.

 ·         e-Communities – hopefully you have already had the opportunity to view and utilize AALNC’s membership benefit, e-communities.  As an AALNC member, you have the ability to “subscribe” to the Members Only community and more.  Within these communities you will be able to participate in various Discussion Forums, such as AALNC Member Community; Becoming an LNC; LNCC Prep Package Group; and LNCCs Only, by posting and responding to messages and downloading information.  When you login to your e-Communities page on our website, it should be listed just below the Becoming An LNC community.  If you do not see this in your record, email info@aalnc.org and ask to be added to this community.

Bookstore

·         The AALNC Online Bookstore is an excellent source for legal nurse consulting publications.

·         Our product of the month is Growing Your Practice:  Resources & Tools for the Legal Nurse Consultant (Business Forms) and is just $45 for members only!  This business resource contains 55 samples of business forms, contracts, and guidelines used by successful LNCs and business owners.  Service contracts, interview forms, small business forms, case screening forms, and more.  The perfect complement for the LNC who is starting an independent business or business partnership!

(http://www.aalnc.org/edupro/profresources/landing.cfm)

The 2008 National Educational Conference Recordings CD-ROM will soon be available!  The highly successful 2008 conference has concluded, and you will soon have the opportunity to purchase the conference sessions with audio and fully synchronized Powerpoints!  Please check our homepage at www.aalnc.org for more information.   

Education

• ALL 8 MODULES of the Legal Nurse Consulting Online Course are available online for purchase.  For more information about the online course go to http://www.aalnc.org//onlinelearning/index.cfm. 
• Online Course Packages are Available!  AALNC is pleased to announce that online course packages are available!  AALNC offers several package choices, all designed to give you the most complete LNC education!

 

 

Educational opportunity for GSAC chapter members:

GSAC has available for continuing education credits a home study course courtesy of Medical Legal Adventures.  This legal case study is for use by GSAC members on an individual basis.  Contact Kim Digardi if interested @ ddigardi@sbcglobal.net

 

  

Miscellaneous

Helpful websites:

An interesting website with case studies, algorithms, cancer screening guidelines and more.

http://www.rmf. harvard.edu/ high-risk- areas/diagnosis/ case-studies/ index.aspx

 

JCAHO has released the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals. They can be found in their entirety at the following hyperlink:

http://www.jointcom mission.org/ PatientSafety/ NationalPatientS afetyGoals/

 

The Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting

 

Members are encouraged to submit articles to the Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting. 

(Submission Guidelines are posted in the back of this journal)

Archived issues of the journal can be downloaded from the Members Only section of the website. 

 

Past Newsletters:

All past issues of the newsletter are available in the Members Only section of the website.

To find out when chapter updates need to be submitted each quarter for inclusion in the newsletter go to: http://www.aalnc.org/about/chapter_leaders.cfm and scroll to the bottom of the chapter leader resource page. 

 

GSAC-BRN number

GSAC’s BRN number is available for $25.00 per class session for those who are in need of offering contact hours for their instructional event.  

Please remember our GSAC Members when you are in need for assistance with your cases, as many are just starting out and will appreciate the business.