Maine Injury, Accident, & Disability Law Blog : Maine Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Joe Bornstein Law Firm : Portland Bangor Maine

Complaints to the Maine state medical board are on the rise. In the last ten years, the board has seen an increase in complaints of nearly 50 percent with the current pace expected to reach a record high in 2010. In 2009, 224 formal medical complaints were made to the state board.

Patient complaints of physician negligence have grown steadily recently partly due to the relative ease of filing a complaint. Patients can now submit complaints online, over the phone or via mail. Online, patients can easily research information about physicians, disciplines, and licenses. According to the Federation of State Medical Boards, the rate of complaints has increased on average by double digits nationally.

Common complaints to the medical board include drug abuse, incompetence, and doctors developing sexual relationships patients. But as the number of formal complaints rises, the number of people reviewing the complaints has remained the same.

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On May 6, the Maine Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) celebrated their 42nd anniversary with their annual Justice Louis Scolnick Award Dinner. Each year at the dinner, the MCLU honors an outstanding member of Maine’s legal community. This year’s event celebrated Nan Heald for her work with disadvantaged Mainers including Native Americans and young people.

Founded in 1968, the MCLU works to advance and preserve the civil liberties of Maine residents. The organization is the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), whose mission is to assure that the Bill of Rights is preserved for people of all races, colors, and backgrounds. Today, nearly ninety years after being formed, the ACLU defends one’s right to express his or her opinion in nearly 6,000 cases annually.

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St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston is offering a unique service to residents of greater Androscoggin County. Those in need of medical equipment and unable to afford it are able to borrow various home healthcare equipment for free.

Medical Equipment To Go, or METGO, is a service provided by the hospital to area residents who are unable to buy or rent their own medical equipment. The equipment in stock covers many of the basic needs for home healthcare including crutches, canes, commodes, shower chairs, walkers, IV poles and wheelchairs.

Now in its second year, the program helps patients who are uninsured and those who Medicare denies covering the cost of equipment. The borrowing process is simple, as St. Mary’s asks those in need to fill out a form and will loan the equipment for an unidentified period of time. Some patients borrow equipment for a few weeks while they recover from an injury or illness, others use the equipment upwards of six months to a year.

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