On the Pulse...Other Notable Achievements

John Hare (Philadelphia, PA) has been appointed to an advisory committee at Duquesne University Law School that will develop and implement an appellate practice curriculum focusing on written and oral advocacy in the state and federal appellate courts. John will be joined on the committee by former Pennsylvania Superior Court President Judge Joseph Del Sole.

Matthew Keris (Scranton, PA) was elected Secretary of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute at its annual meeting on September 25. 2009.

In addition, Matthew Keris (Scranton, PA) was invited to return to the national headquarters of the American College of Obstetrician Gynecologists in Washington, DC on June 8, 2009, to brief their Risk Management Committee on the latest litigation issues pertaining to electronic medical records in follow up to his presentation on the same topic in 2007. In addition to summarizing the latest EMR developments, the program was expanded to include the participation and perspective of Frank Brier, Counsel for Geisinger Health System, who co-presented their lecture Electronic Medical Records: Where We've Been & Where We Are Going.

Matthew Keris, John Aponick, and James Pocius (Scranton, PA) recently participated in the Pennsylvania Defense Institute and Northeast Trial Lawyers Association's 2009 CLE Civil Litigation Developments at Mohegan Sun Casino in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. John presented Ethical Considerations in the Insurance Relations with two other members of the legal community while Matt acted as a moderator during the group discussion. Jim spoke later on Avoiding Medicare Disasters When Settling Your Case.

Jeffrey Rapattoni (Cherry Hill, NJ) was asked by the New Jersey State Bar Association to serve on its Special Committee on Insurance Defense.

James Pocius (Scranton, PA) and Lisa Eldridge (Philadelphia, PA) spoke at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Workers' Compensation Law Section 25th Annual Fall Section Meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Jim spoke regarding Medicare Set-Asides: Practical Issues. Lisa spoke regarding Recent Developments.

At the request of Dave Harman at the County Commissioner's Association of Pennsylvania, William Banton and Rasheen Davis (Philadelphia, PA) prepared a training seminar/medical update regarding "Never Events" And Medicare/Medicaid Reporting And Its Effects On Medical Record Documentation, which was presented to four nursing homes throughout Pennsylvania.

Defense Digest, Vol. 15, No. 4, December 2009