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GEORGETOWN OFFICE 121 Screven Street Georgetown, SC 29440 • Medical Malpractice
• Workers’ Comp. • Dram Shop Liability • Nursing Home Abuse • Hospital Negligence • Jail Misconduct CHARLESTON OFFICE 635 East Bay Street, Suite F Charleston, SC 29403
• Car Accidents • Personal Injury • Truck Accidents • Wrongful Death
DECEMBER 2024/ JANUARY 2025
EVANSMOORELAW.COM · (843) 995-5000
The Reality of Modern Medicine WHY PATIENTS FEEL UNVALUED IN TODAY’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
This fall — just moments before closing arguments — a four-day medical malpractice trial involving wrongful death allegations against a South Carolina hospital concluded with a settlement at policy limits. The insurance carrier’s decision to offer the maximum coverage amount, which aligned with the statutory damages cap for the hospital, brought the proceedings to an unexpected but decisive close. The settlement guaranteed our client’s family the maximum compensation available under the law while eliminating any uncertainty in the outcome for both parties. How We Got Here The trial emphasized the degree to which hospital care has changed over the last 20–30 years. As late as the 1990s, it was common for family physicians to make a stop at the local hospital every morning to check up on and manage the care of their patients.
Over the ensuing years, hospitals have become considerably larger and more complex, and the days of family physicians coming into the hospital every morning before office hours to do rounds on patients of their practice are essentially over. It can take up to 90 days to get an appointment to see your personal physician, and family physicians have generally been replaced by hospitalists — internal medicine doctors who specialize in managing the course of a patient’s care within a hospital. In other instances, specialists such as cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and pulmonologists manage the entirety of their patient’s stay within a hospital. Lost in the Shuffle At our trial this fall, we emphasized that being hospitalized within a major hospital system is the equivalent of visiting a major city in a foreign country. We suggested that jurors think of being admitted into a modern hospital as the equivalent of being dropped into the city center of Tokyo. Like Tokyo, a hospital is bustling with individuals busy carrying out their individual and essential tasks in the same way doctors, respiratory therapists, laboratory technicians, radiology technicians, and a large variety of specialists are busy carrying out their important duties in different hospital divisions. Everyone speaks and writes in a foreign language — in
a hospital, the language of science and medicine. It is not uncommon for the medical chart associated with a one-week hospital stay to be in the neighborhood of 2,000–4,000 pages, most of it entirely indecipherable to people without extensive medical training. In a complex system like this, everyone needs a guide. When admitted into the modern hospital system, patients are assigned an attending physician whose job is to shepherd them through the complex and busy system. The admitting physician guides patients safely through the process because being left adrift in this system without a guide is terrifying. If you or a family member are hospitalized, maintaining daily communication with the admitting physician is critical. If you are attending to a loved one, find out when their admitting physician does rounds so you can serve as a second set of ears for the daily update. Take notes, and never be afraid to ask questions. No question is a bad question in the hospital. If you have experienced questionable medical care in our labyrinthine medical system and have questions about your rights, we’re here to help.
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Stuff Your Stocking With Timeless Sports Memories
Christmas is a time for tradition, family, and joy, but it’s also one of the best sports days of the year. The NBA has hosted games on Christmas Day since 1947, and this year’s lineup features five matchups between potential playoff contenders. If you’re more of a football fan, you’ll be pleased to hear the NFL has two games streaming on Christmas this year. In honor of this year’s Christmas Day games, let’s look back at some of the most monumental matchups in Christmas sports history. Chiefs vs. Dolphins, 1971 In 1971, the NFL scheduled games on Christmas for the first time. Not only was this game on Christmas, but it was also an AFC Divisional Playoff game. At the end of regulation, the game was tied 24– 24, sending these teams into the NFL’s first overtime game. The game was still
tied after another 15 minutes, leading to a second overtime period. The game finally ended after 82 minutes and 40 seconds of gameplay and has remained the longest game in NFL history. The Dolphins walked away victorious, 27–24, and lost Super Bowl VI against the Dallas Cowboys. While we’d probably be happy about extra football gameplay now, many fans were upset about the game’s length. Some speculate this is why the NFL didn’t schedule another Christmas Day game for another 18 years. Lakers vs. Heat, 2004 Many people consider the Los Angeles Lakers of the early 2000s one of the greatest NBA teams ever. Led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the team won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. However, tensions reached a boiling point between the two superstars, which led the Lakers to
trade Shaq to the Miami Heat in 2004. The two met as opponents for the first time in 2004’s Christmas Day matchup. The game was neck and neck, leading to a 104–102 overtime victory for the Heat. Kobe finished with 42 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Shaq had 24 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. This was the most-watched regular season game between 1998 and 2008.
THE RISE OF CONCIERGE MEDICINE
Personalized Care Is More Popular Than Ever
These days, it seems like every industry is embracing the subscription model. From streaming services like Netflix to the membership-based warehouse club Costco, a monthly or annual subscription is required to enjoy their products. Medicine, as it turns out, is also embracing this trend. Concierge medicine — also known as direct primary care — is members- only health care. Patients typically pay concierge providers an annual membership fee, usually around $2,000 per year, but can reach astronomically high rates of up to $50,000 per year for providers catering to select wealthy groups. While the price tag may seem daunting, concierge medicine is becoming
an increasingly popular source of personalized health care. Here are the advantages and drawbacks of concierge medicine. The Advantages Concierge medicine is a relatively recent invention, becoming an option only in the last 20 years (coincidentally, around the same time the subscription model took hold of the technology industry). Much like streaming services, concierge medicine offers patients easy access to health care, with the ability to schedule appointments when you want them. A smaller pool of patients means your doctor will be more available and have more time to spend with each patient to address their needs and answer their questions. It is precisely what is missing from mainstream medicine: personalized care provided at your convenience. The Drawbacks The increase in the popularity of concierge medicine, both for patients and providers, has significant drawbacks. More providers turning to a concierge model has exacerbated an already difficult provider shortage. Those who cannot afford the annual membership fees must take their business elsewhere, which means worse care for less wealthy patients in an increasingly busy and disconnected health care system. It can be of great benefit if you can afford it, but if not, the quality of your health care will be lower.
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KOREAN STEAK SLAW
Ingredients
Inspired by GoodHousekeeping.com
• 2 tbsp gochujang or sriracha hot sauce • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 3 tbsp sesame oil, divided • 2 sirloin steaks, about 1 lb total • 1 daikon radish
• 1 large carrot • 1/2 red cabbage • 5 green onions, divided • 2 tbsp rice vinegar • 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Directions
No Coverage for Long-Term Care When we are no longer able to care for ourselves, our options for long-term, full-time medical care are limited. Nursing home care, or custodial care, exists to help fill that gap and reduce the burden on families and loved ones needing special assistance. Many rely on nursing home care or expect it to be available to them when they are no longer able to care for themselves. They might also expect their insurance to cover custodial care costs, which helps preserve retirement funds they have saved up throughout their lives. However, the hard truth is that for millions of people on Medicare, custodial care is not covered. Here is what you can and cannot expect regarding coverage for your long-term medical costs on Medicare. What Medicare Does and Does Not Cover In most cases, Medicare does not cover nursing home care, as they consider it medically unnecessary. Instead, even in the most severe cases, Medicare only pays for short-term stints at nursing homes and the services of a personalized nurse when absolutely necessary. This means that even if a physician determines you require full-time care on a daily basis, your custodial care will still not be covered. Instead, you will need to dip into your savings to pay for long-term care. A room at a nursing home can cost upward of $9,000 per month, which can quickly and brutally eat into your lifetime savings and the value of your estate. The hard reality is that aging adults have fewer options than ever to avoid spending all the money they have saved up over the years on custodial care. Medicare only satisfies your short-term medical needs. Even most trusts and methods to prevent nursing homes or home care agencies from devouring assets have become untenable. If you or a loved one needs long-term care, it is time to have a serious conversation about what that looks like and how you will pay for it. THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDICARE
1. In a large bowl, mix gochujang, soy sauce, and 2 tbsp sesame oil. Set aside 1 tbsp of mixture to use for dressing. Place steaks in bowl with the remaining marinade and coat. 2. Julienne radish and carrot into strips. Shred red cabbage and slice 3 green onions. Mix the reserved marinade with the remaining sesame oil and rice vinegar, then toss with vegetables in a large bowl to coat. 3. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Fry steaks for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, brushing with the marinade as they cook. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into thin strips. Slice the remaining green onions and add to the slaw. 4. Serve sliced steak over the slaw and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. TAKE A BREAK!
SOLUTION ON PAGE 4
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GEORGETOWN OFFICE 121 Screven Street Georgetown, SC 29440 (843) 995-5000
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SOLUTION TO SUDOKU
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2. 1. How Health Care Is Losing Its Humanity The Greatest Christmas Sports Moments of All Time
These Providers Offer Personalized Care
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Does Medicare Leave You Unprotected From Nursing Home Costs?
Korean Steak Slaw
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Unravel the Myth of the 16th- Century Rocket Cat
CAT-APULTING INTO HISTORY The Feline-Flying Military Tactic That Never Took Off
Throughout military history, you’ll find strategic experiments ranging from the genius to the downright bizarre. But few can top the zany brainchild of Franz Helm, a 16th-century German artillery aficionado whose bright idea left historians — and cat lovers — utterly bewildered. Let’s set the scene with Helm’s magnum opus, the “Feuer Buech,” published in 1584, a treasure trove of ( literally ) explosive innovations in warfare. Imagine this: a battlefield in the Renaissance, not just filled with the clang of swords and the thunder of cannons, but also — wait for it — flying, flaming cats. Yes, you read that right. Franz Helm’s groundbreaking military tactic involved jetpacks for cats. Picture a kitty, strapped with a sack of gunpowder, zipping through the air like a furry missile aimed at enemy strongholds. The hope? These feline projectiles would scamper back to their homes — presumably in enemy territory — and start a blazing inferno. One can only wonder about how they would train cats to become arsonists. The method was straightforward: kidnap an enemy cat, strap it into a gunpowder-laden backpack, light the fuse, and hope Mr. Whiskers doesn’t get cold paws about blowing up its evil overlords.
Preserved for posterity at the University of Pennsylvania, the “Feuer Buech” reminds us of the lengths human creativity can go — especially when combined with a profound misunderstanding of cat behavior. As any cat owner will tell you, cats have their own agendas. The chances of a cat completing its fiery mission are about as high as it bringing you the morning newspaper.
Thankfully, we have no evidence that this pyrotechnic plan ever came to pass. Considering cats’ notorious independence, we can rest assured that no self-respecting felines took part in these explosive escapades. So, next time you’re cuddling with your cat, be thankful its biggest inclination is to knock pens off your table rather than infiltrate enemy castles with fire.
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