Image by minifig via Flickr

This past weekend I was interviewed by Steve Brawner of Arkansas Medical News.  He is working on a story regarding Arkansas medical bloggers.  Arkansas’ own stitcher extraordinaire, Dr. Ramona Bates was the first.  Her blog, Suture for a Living, focuses on her occupation as a plastic surgeon as well as her stitching past time as a quilter.  Other Arkansas bloggers include Elizabeth Schneider, a pathologist at Baptist Health, who writes Methodical Madness and John House whose runs Health By Dr. House.  I was surprised to be …

As someone who worked on Medicare Set Aside allocations for some Fen-Phen cases, I found this disturbing to say the least.
Fen-Phen Plaintiff Files Suite Against Law Firm
A former plaintiff in the fen-phen diet drug class action has filed a lawsuit accusing the law firm that represented her of legal malpractice. In the complaint, Patricia Fulkerson alleges that she was encouraged to exaggerate the seriousness of a heart condition in order to collect a larger award. The lawsuit also claims sexual harassment against an attorney of the firm. The case is …

Below are articles which may be of interest to those with amputation issues.

Tibia Vara Deformity After Below Knee Amputation and Synostosis Formation in Children. Segal, Lee S. MD; Crandall, Robin C. MD Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. 29(2):120-123, March 2009.
Tibiofibular Bone-Bridging in Transtibial Amputation. Pinzur, Michael S MD; Beck, Jennifer MD; Himes, Ryan BS; Callaci, John PhD Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery – American Volume. 90(12):2682-2687, December 2008.
Effects of Skin Grafting on Successful Prosthetic Use in Children With Lower Extremity Amputation. Parry, Ingrid S. MS, PT; Mooney, Kate Nelson RN; …

Arkansas Specific Resources~check back soon for the national level resources
Arkansas Area Agencies on Aging (AAA): AAAs offer aging services, including:
• Information and assistance
• Care management
• Nutrition services (i.e., Meals on Wheels)
• Legal assistance
• Services for family caregivers through the Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP)
Anyone age 60 or older (866) 801-3435
http://www.arkansas.gov/dhs/aging/aaamap.html
Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs: Provides aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential and medical care and services. The VA also helps veterans and their families to present claims for veterans’ benefits to the federal government and offers veterans …