National Association of Injured and Disabled Workers

We've featured many websites on this blog and we love doing it. Sharing something great we have found is just the way we do things here at the Hardison & Cochran blog. Today, we have another great find with the National Association of Injured and Disabled Workers (NAIDW) website.

From the NAIDW website:
NAIDW is a nationally recognized 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable foundation where injured and disabled workers and their families find the resources and support they need to reclaim their lives. We use grant-based funding and charitable donations to improve the lives of injured & disabled workers and their families.

NAIDW’s purpose is to provide short-term financial assistance to injured & disabled workers and their families as a result of injury, illness or disability. Best of all, an NAIDW membership is absolutely free for all injured & disabled workers and their families. 100% of all donation funds are put directly to work for those who need it most.


In our practice, we see many families' lives turned upside down because of a work related injury or disabilities. It is great to see a cause like this one helping those people out who have been affected by injuries and disabilities. Along with a great cause, the NAIDW website is full of information and we recommend you spend a couple minutes surfing through all the info.

You can also check out NAIDW on Social Media sites:
Twitter: @NAIDW
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/naidw
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/naidwonutube

Friday Feed #70

Things are getting busy around Raleigh with the NHL All-Star Game festivities this weekend. If you take it to the streets of downtown or you take it on down to the RBC Center this weekend, just remember to be safe and have an awesome time. Now we bring you the Friday Feed.

The Roll
Earl Boykins has some amazing touch when it comes to his 15 foot jump-shot. Check out the video for evidence.

Classic games coming to Facebook
"Oregon Trail" and "Where In The World Is Carmen San Diego?" are making a come back via Facebook.

Dakar 2011
Some amazing pictures of 2011 Dakar Rally from Boston.com's Big Picture blog.

Top 10 Most Significant Vehicles at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show
Check out some new cars that Warren Clark feels will most likely to make a name for themselves in the years ahead.

1910 time capsule opened at Cleveland Elementary
A blast from the past.

Hardison & Cochran Pass It On! E-Newsletter (January - February)

Click here to view the January - February edition of our Pass It On! Firm Newsletter.

50 Things to Look For When Visiting A Nursing Home (26-50)

Yesterday, we covered number 1-25 in the list of "50 Things to Look For When Visiting a Nursing Home" from our consumer guide, North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence. Let's take a look at 26-50. Again, all of these points should be answered with a yes or no along with comments when you visit. This ensures that you will remember everything about your visit and can come home and weigh the options of one nursing home as opposed to another.

26. The nursing home’s management team has worked together for at least 1 year.

27. Residents may have personal belongings and/ or furniture in their rooms.
28. Each resident has storage space (closet and drawers) in his or her room.
29. Each resident has a window in his or her bedroom.
30. Residents have access to a personal phone and television.
31. Residents have a choice of roommates.
33. Water pitchers can be reached by residents.
34. There are policies and procedures to protect residents’ possessions.
35. Exits are clearly marked.
36. There are quiet areas where residents can visit with friends and family
37. The nursing home has smoke detectors and sprinklers
38. All common areas, resident rooms and doorways are designed for wheelchair use.
39. There are handrails in the hallways and grab bars in the bathrooms.
40. Residents have a choice of food items at each meal.
41. Nutritious snacks are available upon request.
42. Staff help residents eat and drink at mealtimes if help is needed.
43. Residents, including those who are unable to leave their rooms, may choose to take part in a variety of activities.

44. The nursing home has outdoor areas for resident use and staff help residents go outside.
45.The nursing home has an active volunteer program.
46. The nursing home has an emergency evacuation plan and holds regular fire drills (bed-bound residents included).
47. Residents get preventive care, like a yearly flu shot, to help keep them healthy.
48.Residents may still see their personal doctors.
49.The nursing home has an arrangement with a nearby hospital for emergencies.
50. The nursing home has corrected all deficiencies (failure to meet one or more Federal or state requirements) on its last inspection report.

Hardison & Cochran Motorcycle E-Newsletter (January 25th, 2011)

Click here to view the first Hardison & Cochran Motorcycle E-Newsletter of the New Year. To get this in your inbox each week, just sign up for the e-mail up-dates in the sidebar to the right.

Benjamin Cochran Included in North Carolina Super Lawyers' Rising Star List For 2011

For the second year in a row Hardison & Cochran's Managing Partner, Benjamin Cochran has been included in the North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star list. Along with being a two time North Carolina Super Lawyer, Mr. Cochran is a Board Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law.

The selections for this esteemed list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters, Legal division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

Benjamin Cochran's Super Lawyer Profile

50 Things to Look For When Visiting A Nursing Home (1-25)

In our published consumer guide, North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence, there is a checklist in the last pages that can be taken and completed when you or a loved on tours the facilities of a North Carolina nursing home. Over the next two days we will be sharing some of the information listed in this checklist. If you would like a free copy of the guide, please call our offices at 1-800-600-7969 or just click here to request one via our website.

Today we will go over the first 25 on the checklist. All of these should be answered with either a yes or no as to the conditions in the nursing home you visit. Also, make sure to add comments to remember your visit in the best detail possible:

1. The nursing home is Medicare-certified
2. The nursing home is Medicaid-certified
3. The nursing home has the level of care you need (e.g. skilled, custodial), and bed is available.
4. The nursing home has special services if needed in a separate unit (e.g. dementia, ventilator or rehabilitation), and a bed is available.
5. The nursing home is located close enough for friends and family to visit.
6. Residents are clean, appropriately dressed for the season or time of day, and well-groomed.
7. The nursing home is free from overwhelming unpleasant odors.
8. The nursing home appears clean and well kept.
9. The temperature in the nursing home is comfortable for residents.
10. The nursing home has good lighting.
11. Noise levels in the dining room and other commons areas are comfortable.
12. Smoking isn’t allowed or may be restricted to certain areas of the nursing home.
13. Furnishings are sturdy, yet comfortable and attractive
14. The relationship between the staff and the residents appears to be warm, polite and respectful.
15. All staff wear name tags.
16. Staff knock on the door before entering a resident’s room and refer to residents by name.
17. The nursing home offers training and continuing education for all staff.
18. The nursing home does background checks on all staff.
19. The guide on your tour knows the residents by name and is recognized by them.
20. There are licensed nursing staff 24 hours a day, including a Registered Nurse (RN) present at least 8 hours per day, 7 days a week.
21. The same team of nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) work with the same resident 4 to 5 days a week.
22. CNAs work with a reasonable number of residents.
23. CNAs are involved in care plan meetings.
24. There is a full time social worker on staff.
25. There is a licensed doctor on staff who is there daily and can be reached at all times.

Friday Feed #69

Bringing you the best (and oddest, weird, interesting, etc.) the Internet has to offer this week. Once again, the Friday Feed will tend to its purpose.

Jersey error makes Roosevelt High team the Rough "Ryders"
So let us get this straight: The company that produced the uniforms went on their own accord and made the uniforms the "cool way", but they can't be replaced until they get the old ones back. Does that make sense to anyone? This is like us ordering 20,000 pieces of letterhead and the printer saying, "We put Harrison instead of Hardison because it is a more common name. So you return that and go without for a week or two and we'll send the right one even though we deliberately went against your order." But, hey, the team is 13-2 in the unis, so "the cool way" might not be too bad.

The World's 10 Happiest Countries
See who's smiling around the world. Brought to you by Forbes.

Too Cold For Recess?
The USA Today looks at some school policies across the, you guessed it, USA.

The Safest Cars of 2011
Forbes takes a look at the safest cars coming out this year.

Weekend NFL Playoff Picks
ESPN's "Iron" Mike Ditka, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Carter and Tom Jackson break out their picks for the playoff football this weekend.

DePuy Hip Replacement: Women More Likely To Need Revision Surgery Than Men According to Joint Registry

Recent data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales suggest that women are more likely to need a revision surgery after receiving a DePuy hip replacement. This finding is mostly due the hip size of the patient. The University of Adelaide in Australia found that the need for revision was highest in patients who required a femoral head that is below 50 millimeters in diameter. These sizes of femoral heads are more commonly found in women rather than men.

Below are two stories from ladies overseas speaking on their troubles with the DePuy Hip Replacement via The Independent:

Lucy, 49: The former community dance educator, from south London, had the ASR fitted in June 2005

"Everything seemed to be okay until the pain started in January 2008. Six months later I was in A&E, as I couldn't even put weight on it, but it wasn't dislocated and no one could find the cause. I spent the next two years in and out of hospital but it wasn't until I got a second opinion that a product defect was mentioned. I then had a second operation and needed a bone graft, several screws and my femur cracked during the op, so needed wiring – the tissue damage makes me a classic ASR case. I think the company and the regulator have been negligent."

Barbara Gannon, 61: A retired GP practice manager from Teeside, Barbara has been in constant pain and unable to walk independently since her first hip replacement in October 2008

"My osteoarthritis progressed very quickly in my fifties so my surgeon recommended the ASR resurfacing implant.

Almost straight away, I could feel it moving. It hurt every time I moved. When they opened me up in March this year, the metal-on-metal corrosion meant most of my pelvis and surrounding tissue had been eaten away; this was nothing to do with the surgery, just the ASR implant.

Despite the new hip, I've never been pain free and may have to have more surgery, possibly a third hip in two years. I still have residual ALVAL (aseptic lymphocytic vasculitic and associated lesions) and just don't feel well: I'm sure it's the high levels of cobalt and chromium in my blood but no one can tell me the long-term affects of this.

In the house I walk with crutches but need a wheelchair when I go out. I can't push my granddaughter in her pram, garden, go out, any of the things I wanted to do in retirement. The company should have recalled it straight away, rather than blaming the surgeons and pushing it as the next best thing."

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2011

"I have a dream that one day this country will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truth the be self evident: that all men are created equal."

- Martin Luther King Jr., 1963

Friday Feed #68

Let's take a look at some of the more interesting articles, pictures, videos, etc., so on, so forth on the Internet this week. It's your Friday Feed. Back once again.

Texas High School Football Field
You may have read the above and said, "So?" Well, a word of caution, you might want to squint your eyes before you click on the link. While we all know everything is bigger in Texas (just ask Bob Kraft), we didn't know everything was redder too.

The Economics of Pizza
$14 billion a year on cheese. $3.7 billion a year on pepperonis. No stats on sardines though.

Ron Rivera Hired as Panthers' Head Coach
The Panthers get a new head man. 

Idaho woman has 1/11/11 baby at 11:11 a.m.
Pretty easy to remember his birthday.

New Hardison & Cochran Commercials: The 30 Day Guarantee Before and After

In December, we posted a blog about our new commercials being taped. During the shoot, we filmed a behind the scenes look at one of the commercials being made. At the first of 2011, we received the batch of edited commercials and thought it would be cool to put them both up to see how they were made, then the final product. Enjoy.

First, we have the behind the scenes video...


and now the final edition:

Alternate Heating Safety

This winter has been cold (see: very cold) around the state of North Carolina. Due to the costs associated with keeping a house warm, some have turned to alternate sources of heat to keep cozy. Kerosene heaters, electric heaters and fireplaces are all great sources for staying warm in these winter months, but all come with dangers. If you plan to set up any of these alternate sources of heat, please check out this document from the St. Louis, Missouri Fire Department on staying safe while staying warm.

Friday Feed #67

Been some time since we broke out the Friday Feed. Let's welcome back an old friend with a look at some stories, events, etc. from around the Internet. Enjoy and have a great weekend. The Raleigh news stations are calling for some snow on Monday. If you don't have to get out, don't, but if you must, be sure to check out this article about driving in the snow and ice. Have a great weekend!

25 of the Weirdest Interview Questions of 2010
If you want to take a shot at this question, "If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?" we'd love to hear your answer. Don't be shy. E-mail us wsc@lawyernc.com

10 Foods That Can Help You Sleep
Here's a list of 10 foods that will help you get a little shut eye. Turkey is not on the list. All those 3 hour naps on the couch after Thanksgiving lunch must just be from Holiday exhaustion.

8 sci-fi inspired advances that became real in 2010
Interesting.

You Can't Fake The Funk on a Nasty Dunk
That's just the way it is. We take it back to the 90's with Shaq.


NFL Wild Card Playoffs
The NFL Playoffs (......Playoffs? You're kidding me? Playoffs?) start this week. See what the crew from ESPN Sunday Countdown has to say and check out their picks.

Homeless Man's Golden Voice Prompts Job Offers

This is an awesome story from Ohio. Is it law related? No, but we love great stories around here at Hardison & Cochran and wanted to share this one with everyone who reads the blog. (Side Note: If you love great stories too, check out our Twitter Feed. We try to post positive stories from around North Carolina each day) On to the story:

Ted Williams is a homeless man in Ohio. For funds, Mr. Williams would stand near an exit ramp and hold a cardboard sign touting his golden voice.  One day, someone from the Columbus Dispatch decided to stop by and see just how good of a voice Mr. Williams possessed. Check out the video below:

After this video blasted across the Internet, Mr. Williams has received job offers from NFL Films and the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. For the full story check it out at the News & Observer.

5 Social Security Disability Hearing Questions Answered

North Carolina Board Certified Specialist, Blair Biser, answers five questions concerning Social Security disability hearings.

1. Will I have to go to court if I request a hearing?

You will not be going into a formal courtroom setting. Your hearing will most likely be at your regional Office of Hearings and Appeals. These offices have several rather small hearing rooms.

2. Who will be at the hearing?

There will always be at least two other people besides you and your representative at a hearing. The judge will of course be present to hear your testimony. In addition, a clerk will be in the hearing room to make a recording of the hearing and to deal with any evidence that you may need to submit.

In some cases, a judge will ask a vocational expert and/or a medical expert to testify

3. What will the judge ask me at a hearing?

Different judges ask different questions at hearings. Each judge has his or her own style of asking questions. However, most judges are trying to get the same information. The judges want to know how your impairment affects your ability to work. He or she will ask you about your daily activities, how much pain you experience and generally how your impairment affects you.

4. What sort of evidence will I present at the hearing?

Besides testifying for the judge, you should present any medical evidence that Social Security has not already gotten on its own. Typically, the hearings offices prefer that any new and additional evidence be submitted at least a week before the date of the hearing.

5. Can I have a witness testify on my behalf?

Yes. However, if someone testifies about your condition, it is best if that person is not a close friend or family member since a judge would expect such a person to be biased. However, if your condition is such that you are unable to describe the effects (for example, seizures during which you black out), then a family member would be the best witness to describe the condition.

Social Security Administration Approves of C32 Continuity of Care Document

The following is a press release from EHR Doctors Inc.  EHR Doctors, Inc. has a contract to deliver Electronic Health Records in CCD format to the Social Security Administration over the Nationwide Health Information Network. We have touched on this subject before on the blog. Please see the links following the press release to view additional stories about the SSA and their commitment to streamline the disability process by way of technology.

EHR Doctors announced today that The Social Security Administration (SSA) approved their C32 Continuity of Care Document (CCD). EHR Doctors, Inc. has a contract to deliver Electronic Health Records in CCD format to the Social Security Administration over the Nationwide Health Information Network.

The capability to generate CCDs is a critical piece of technology that hospitals need to meet the Meaningful Use requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The technology enables an interoperable health record that can be shared between organizations for purposes ranging from transitions in care to adjudication of insurance claims. EHR Doctors CCD technology is certified for Meaningful Use under the ONC-ATB program.

EHR Doctors' contract with the Social Security Administration enables SSA to use EHR Doctor's Medibridge Health Information Exchange to electronically gather health records in support of disability claims, and get them rapidly into the hands of SSA adjudicators. This technology, “will improve our disability programs and provide better service to the public,” said Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue. "The use of health IT will dramatically improve the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of this process, reducing the cost of making a disability decision for both the medical community and the American taxpayer,” he added.

The CCD is a standard developed by HL7, a health information technology standards body. The document consists of textual information which ensures human interpretation of the document contents and structured parts which allows for software processing. The structured part is based on the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM) and provides a framework for referring to concepts from coding systems from medical vocabularies such as ICD9, SNOMED, CPT, and LOINC.

EHR Doctors was pleased with the announcement. “Our unique approach to Health IT and Health Information Exchange will provide our partner hospitals with a valuable system for a fraction of the cost,” said Gerard Reeder, President of EHR Doctors. "This contract with Social Security is a remarkable opportunity to demonstrate the power of Health IT to transform health care at every level," he added.

Additional Information:
Two North Carolina Health Care Systems to Test North Carolina Health Exchange
Social Security Administration Shows Benefits to Electronic File Transfer