Marshall Allen

Story Archive

Brothel wants to add men to lineup, awaits state approval: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009; The Shady Lady Ranch, near Beatty, bills itself as a brothel for the working man. Pretty soon it might put some men to work. If state regulators give the go-ahead Friday, male prostitutes may be working at the brothel as soon as New Year's Day.
Patients at risk of identity theft may wait 60 days to find out: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009; Kathy Silver, CEO of University Medical Center, learned three weeks ago that names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for at least 21 patients were leaked from the hospital — a crime being investigated by the FBI.
UMC chief: Leak of patient information a 'serious situation': Kathy Silver outlines concerns of legislative health committee; Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009; The chief executive of Clark County’s only public hospital assured legislators Wednesday morning that she takes seriously the recent leak of private patient information that is now being investigated by the FBI.
Chronic offenses may close facility: License revoked after further neglect of residents revealed; Friday, Dec. 4, 2009; State health authorities are revoking the license of Chancellor Gardens of the Lakes after a third investigation in two months revealed that residents were still not receiving proper medications.
Wonder drug for men no success story: Pharmacist’s now-defunct creation — Vegas Mixx — and its suggestive ad campaign coming under scrutiny; Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009; Pharmacist Scot Silber thought he was sitting on a gold mine when he developed a drug compound to help men suffering from sexual dysfunction. Silber, part-owner of Green Valley Drugs, combined Valium and Viagra and called it Vegas Mixx.
Treatment of elderly could be criminal: Report on workers at assisted-living facility confirms neglect; Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; Employees at a Las Vegas assisted-living and Alzheimer’s facility may face criminal neglect charges in connection with an ongoing investigation into the horrific care of elderly residents — some hospitalized because they did not receive their medication.
FBI to probe UMC leak of patient information: Authorities say hospital, FBI working together on 'possible breach'; Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009; The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into the leak of confidential patient information at University Medical Center, the agency announced today. In a press release, the FBI said it's investigating allegations that an employee or employees of the public hospital have improperly released private patient information.
At UMC, audits show privacy lapses are not new: Past county audits found shortcomings in HIPAA compliance; Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009; University Medical Center, facing a possible FBI investigation for allowing confidential patient information to be leaked to outsiders, has a spotty record of adhering to patient privacy laws, Clark County auditors have previously found.
FBI looking at UMC records leak: Agent says ‘multiple federal laws’ might have been violated; Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009; The FBI said it may investigate a breach of patient privacy laws at University Medical Center, where hospital officials are reeling with the realization that at least one of their employees has leaked confidential names, birth dates and Social Security numbers.
Hospital privacy leak could harm patients: Without authorization from families, accident victims’ info allegedly sent to attorneys’ offices; Friday, Nov. 20, 2009; Private information about accident victims treated at University Medical Center has apparently been leaking for months, the Sun has learned, allegedly so ambulance-chasing attorneys could mine for clients.
Foreign doctors’ sponsor investigated for alleged mistreatment: Allegations include that pediatricians working for him were forced to see up to 75 patients in one day; Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009; When Congress created a program to allow foreign doctors to work in medically needy parts of the country, nobody in Las Vegas took advantage of it more than Dr. Rachakonda D. Prabhu.
Shanghai’s maglev: Flying with both feet on the ground: A reporter’s first-person account of speeding through Shanghai’s outskirts on an adrenaline-laced maglev ride; Friday, Nov. 13, 2009; There’s something about 267 mph that gets the adrenaline pumping. I’m speeding through the outskirts of Shanghai on a maglev train and watching a digital speedometer — measuring kilometers per hour — tick rapidly upward: 146, 147, 148 ... I’m in the maglev’s front car with six Japanese tourists. It’s climbing faster than I can take notes and is now up to 225.
Man says care of his mother at facility left her hospitalized: Chancellor Gardens of the Lakes slapped with admissions suspension; Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009; When David Bornstein checked his elderly mother into Chancellor Gardens of the Lakes, she was able to carry on a conversation, walk with assistance and go on day trips.
State faults facility for care of seniors: It could take over the assisted-living, Alzheimer’s home where 139 elderly live, top inspector says; Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009; All 139 elderly patients at an assisted-living and Alzheimer’s facility may have gone without their medications for weeks, according to a Nevada State Health Division report obtained by the Sun.
Health authorities reached this conclusion after randomly inspecting the case files of 23 residents at Chancellor Gardens of the Lakes. In every instance caregivers either did not have the drugs available, or did not have the time to administer them and threw away the medications, according to a report delivered to the facility Tuesday by inspectors from the state’s Bureau of Health Care Quality & Compliance.
Regulation in need of a checkup: Public missteps, sluggish response to complaints, crises continue to bring criticism on Nevada’s medical board; Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners is required by law to protect patients. But critics — doctors and lawmakers among them — say the board is hampered by conflicts of interest, lacks the will to discipline physicians and is accountable to no one.
Health care bill’s word count turns Gibbons off: He’s against it for his usual reasons, too, he tells execs; Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; Gov. Jim Gibbons was both predictable and perplexing during a speech Tuesday to health care executives at the second annual Nevada Health Care Forum.
Widows: Doctor prescribed narcotics that led to addictions, deaths: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009; In the last year of his life, Robert Reynolds was prescribed narcotics by two local physicians who were supposed to be collaborating to improve his condition. Reynolds’ family physician, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter, referred him to specialist Dr. Albert Yun Yeh in 2007 for help with his lower back pain. But even after sending Reynolds to the pain specialist, Buckwalter didn’t stop prescribing him narcotics.
Fatigue disorder discovery a ‘milestone’: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been stigmatized as a yuppie disease, women's disease or psychological disorder — in part because its cause was unknown and its inconsistent symptoms made it difficult to diagnose. But a discovery by a medical research center based at the University of Nevada, Reno may change the world’s view of the disease.
Medical board won’t act in alleged fraud case: Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners has closed its case and will not discipline two doctors accused of billing for a patient they did not treat, according to correspondence with the woman who filed the complaint.
Capt. Matthew Taranto, aerospace and operational physiologist: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009; Air Force jets soar faster than the speed of sound during training exercises above Southern Nevada, banking, accelerating and rolling to avoid simulated fire.
Chris Stones' story: A life defined by epilepsy: How a Las Vegas doctor has given him hope of living seizure-free.; Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009; Chris Stones accelerated his Mazda from a stoplight, faded to the right, bounced off a curb and sideswiped a car in the center lane, causing it to bump into another vehicle. And he didn’t know it. When his brain finally kicked in, he noticed that his car was swaying and the front fender was bent. He wondered if he had been the victim of a hit and run.
Brain institute’s linking with Cleveland Clinic revives some locals’ resentment: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009; Local medical providers who grouse about the Cleveland Clinic’s burgeoning presence in Las Vegas should remember: They had their chance.
The city's budding love affair with the Cleveland Clinic: Clinic’s chief talks health care overhaul and, along with mayor, plays it coy on expanding local operations; Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009; Discussions between the Cleveland Clinic and Las Vegas City Hall about developing a larger medical presence in town are moving forward — if the code spoken Wednesday is any indication. Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, president and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, said during a Sun interview while sitting next to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman that their two institutions are “holding hands.”
Desperate for insurance, residents share health care woes: Inquiries to Sun about free coverage put reform debate in human terms; Friday, Sept. 18, 2009; Laurel Levine turned 63 this week but that’s still not old enough to suit her.
“I’m counting the days until I turn 65,” she said. “I don’t have insurance and my COBRA ran out.”
At 65, people are eligible for Medicare, the federal government’s health insurance. And it doesn’t come soon enough for people who don’t have health insurance where they work — or who don’t work and can’t afford health insurance — at a time when their bodies are starting to break down.
Grant to aid 400 waiting for Medicare: Federal money will buy health insurance for Nevadans aged 60 to 64; Monday, Sept. 14, 2009; Older adults will receive health insurance and other benefits as the result of a $20 million federal grant to the State Health Division.
Doctors part with cash, habits to go paperless: They hope records switch saves time, money, lives; Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009; Dr. Tony Alamo grips a patient’s file — three inches of notes, lab results and pages of vital signs crammed into a manila folder — and compares it to the computer monitor in one of his exam rooms.
Book explains cancer so that patients can understand: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009; When patients hear the words “You have cancer” from their doctors, they’re often in such shock that they can’t process all the information that follows.
Doctor’s win in defamation case a hollow victory: Monday, Aug. 31, 2009; Five years ago, Dr. Navneet Sharda sued a fellow cancer specialist, saying the other doctor had defamed him by criticizing his character and medical expertise.
Six Questions for Tracy Puckett: UMC's director of infection control and critical care; Friday, Aug. 28, 2009; If you really want to make Tracy Puckett happy, try washing your hands.
Why some American values are obstacles to insurance system overhaul: Reformers must overcome attachments to individualism, capitalism, experts say; Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009; In the frontier days, Nevada’s economy revolved around mining. The resulting abundance of single men and the high rate of transience contributed to a cultural ethic of independence.
Former exec: Company lacked needed licenses: He says Sierra subsidiary operated for 15 years without proper authority; company denies it; Monday, Aug. 3, 2009; State regulators are investigating whether a subsidiary of Sierra Health Services, the state’s largest health insurance company, operated for up to 15 years without the proper licenses. The focus of the scrutiny, Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., is one of several companies under the umbrella of Sierra, which insures about 525,000 Nevadans.
Dr. Larry Sands: Chief Health Officer with the Southern Nevada Health District: Monday, Aug. 3, 2009; Public health observers have taken mostly a maintenance approach to the swine flu, even though it has been declared a global pandemic and is taking lives.
State bars physician from J-1 visa waiver program: Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009; State authorities who oversee a program that brings foreign doctors to medically needy communities have taken their first drastic enforcement action, revoking a Las Vegas doctor’s participation because he repeatedly did not comply with the rules.
Desai may be fit to proceed, but other holdups remain: Wednesday, July 29, 2009; Dr. Dipak Desai, whose clinic caused a massive hepatitis C outbreak because of unsafe injection practices, has recovered sufficiently from a stroke to answer charges by the Nevada State Medical Examiners Board, but other legal entanglements are still slowing the case.
Medical board pulls doctor’s license: State questions Sean Su’s ‘competence and ability’ before probe concludes; Wednesday, July 29, 2009; Medical authorities took the uncharacteristically aggressive tack Tuesday of suspending the license of Dr. Sean Su before concluding their investigation of him, citing the immediate danger he posed after two botched procedures and an ongoing refusal to participate in its investigation.
Doctor tied to hepatitis C outbreak deemed fit for hearing: Tuesday, July 28, 2009; Dr. Dipak Desai, whose clinic caused a massive hepatitis C outbreak because of unsafe injection practices, has recovered sufficiently from a stroke to answer charges by the Nevada State Medical Examiners Board, but other legal entanglements are still slowing the case.
Medical board suspends license of Vegas doctor: Tuesday, July 28, 2009; Medical authorities took the uncharacteristically aggressive tack Tuesday of suspending the license of Dr. Sean Su before concluding their investigation of him, citing the immediate danger he posed after two botched procedures and an ongoing refusal to participate in its investigation.
Local scientists may have found way to outsmart brain’s built-in defense: Doctors now lack satisfactory method of treating cancer tumors behind protective barrier; Tuesday, July 28, 2009; Brain cancer has been difficult to treat, in part, because the mind has an incredible defense system.
The sluggish pace of medical regulation: Doctors keep licenses weeks after unsafe practices documented; Sunday, July 26, 2009; Three weeks ago, state medical authorities ordered Dr. Sean Su of Las Vegas to stop performing surgeries in his clinic after investigators — called in because he allegedly harmed a patient — discovered gross violations of safety standards. Su is still practicing medicine, however. He still has a medical license, despite the ban on surgeries at his clinic.
Pro-union nurses point to fired peer: Her experience shows MountainView workers need advocate, they say; Wednesday, July 22, 2009; Nurses at MountainView Hospital are poised to vote on union representation and some cite Judy Loftman’s story as a reason they want protection from management. Administrators terminated Loftman in September after more than a decade of service and a record of mostly excellent performance evaluations.
Alleged illegal surgery is basis for woman’s arrest: Tuesday, July 21, 2009; Metro police arrested a woman on multiple counts of practicing medicine without a license, harming a patient and possessing dangerous drugs without a prescription in connection with a botched surgery that allegedly took place in the back of a drug store.
MountainView using threats to deter nurses, union alleges: Saturday, July 18, 2009; MountainView Hospital administrators are accused of intimidation, making threats and using religion in their fight against a nurses union attempt to organize, according to a federal complaint filed by the union.
Brain institute's first patient 'the end of the beginning': Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health looks to the next phase; Tuesday, July 14, 2009; Monday morning offered a bittersweet moment as Randy Capurro, a fixture in Las Vegas business and Republican political circles, became the first Alzheimer’s patient to be treated at the new Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Capurro is a close friend of Larry Ruvo, who founded the brain institute in honor of his late father, Lou. Ruvo held the door and a small gathering of doctors and staff watched as Capurro and his wife entered the $100 million building.
The hidden cost of obesity: With excessive weight gain, costly medical conditions often arise, but gastric surgery can ease, even eliminate, them. Meet Vincent Daswell.; Sunday, July 12, 2009; Before you read this story, please suspend any biases you may have about fat people.
Now consider this question: If it saved you money for morbidly obese people to have weight loss surgery, would you suggest they do it?
Endoscopy Center doctor to testify against colleagues: Saturday, July 4, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners is relying on the help of one of the minority partners of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in disciplining Dr. Dipak Desai and another physician believed to be responsible for last year’s hepatitis C outbreak.
Reform debate fought on many fronts: Doctors and patients aren’t the only parties of interest in conversation on coverage; Thursday, July 2, 2009; A young boy falls off his bike, hits his head and briefly blacks out.
Board gives doctor light punishment in exchange for testimony: Wednesday, July 1, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners agreed to a settlement Wednesday that will lightly punish a doctor in exchange for his testimony against two other physicians, including Dr. Dipak Desai, majority owner of the clinic that caused last year's Hepatitis C outbreak.
Berkley on health care: ‘We need to change our paradigm’: Tuesday, June 30, 2009; Perhaps no proposed legislation would affect more Americans than health care reform.
Authorities raid store where surgeries were performed in back room: Officials alerted after botched surgery; Friday, June 26, 2009; Health authorities today raided two retail stores in Las Vegas catering to Spanish-speaking immigrants after learning of illegal surgeries being performed at one of them, with bloody rags and used needles being tossed into a trash bin out back. The raids, and a cease-and-desist order, were prompted after authorities learned of a woman who was bleeding uncontrollably because of a botched gynecological surgery performed in a back room at Botanica Maya, which sells over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbs at 5347 E. Lake Mead Blvd. in Las Vegas.
Police release incident report, 911 call in Danny Gans death: Thursday, June 25, 2009; Julia Gans, the wife of Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans, awoke early on the morning of May 1 to realize that her husband was no longer snoring, according to an incident report released this morning from the Henderson Police Department. At about 6 p.m. the night before she had asked her son to get the entertainer for dinner, but he heard his father snoring and decided not to wake him up. Four hours later she went to the master bedroom and found Gans asleep in bed on his back with his feet slightly elevated, the report indicated.