What You Should Know About Umbilical Cord Injuries
Babies in the womb receive all of their nutrients and oxygen from the blood of the mother through the umbilical cord. However, if this crucial connection becomes compromised, the infant can suffer serious health complications, including a deprivation of oxygen and a disruption of proper growth. These issues can lead to additional birth injuries for…
Read More5 Anesthesia Errors and the Injuries They Cause
Anesthesia is given to patients in various types of medical care situations (including dental care) in order to help them remain as calm, comfortable, and as safe as possible. Administering anesthesia places the individual into a state of either semi-consciousness or total unconsciousness. It allows medical professionals to perform procedures that would otherwise bring significant…
Read MoreWhy Using a Surgical Checklist Helps Doctors Provide Better and Safer Treatments
Harvard Business Review (HBR) recently profiled how surgical checklists are making a difference in reducing mistakes and improving medical outcomes. The HBR report profiled a surgical team at a South Carolina medical facility which reduced its mortality rate by a third, increased productivity, and saved more than $4 million a year since instituting the use…
Read MoreCan a Judge’s Ruling on Stem Cell Treatments Really Put a Stop to Them?
In 2015, a Miami woman with macular degeneration, an incurable disease leading to permanent vision loss, visited a clinic which promised the extraordinary: a treatment designed to slow down, or even stop, the progression of the disease. The treatment would use stem cells from the patient’s own belly fat. Instead of gaining her vision back,…
Read MoreCongratulations, Matthew Nace, on Being Elected Treasurer-Elect of the D.C. Bar and President of Counselors
Nace Law Group is proud to announce that attorney Matthew Nace has recently been elected Treasurer-Elect of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Mr. Nace was sworn in on June 19, 2019, along with the new members of the Executive Committee. Nace Law Group would like to commend Allen Grunes who served as…
Read MoreElectronic Health Records and Medical Malpractice Claims
In May 2019, Medical Economics reported that there is a rise in medical liability claims involving electronic heath records (EHR). An EHR system should help keep patients’ information current and readily accessible, thus helping to avoid mistakes. While these databases have numerous benefits, electronic health record systems only work as well as the software that…
Read MoreDelivery Room Dangers: Unnecessary Episiotomy Procedures
A major USA TODAY study found that hospitals are performing much too may episiotomies despite nationwide guidelines that call for the procedure to only be used in the case of emergencies. Since 2006, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advised performing the procedure sparingly. “Mothers who receive episiotomies – an incision at the…
Read MoreNew Proposal Would Allow Military Personnel to File Medical Malpractice Claims
California Congresswoman Jackie Speier has proposed a new bill that would give soldiers the right to sue the federal government for medical malpractice. Currently, federal law prohibits servicepeople from suing the federal government for medical malpractice. The “SFC Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability” bill is named after Army Sgt. First Class Richard Stavaskal, who is…
Read MoreWhy Do So Many Wrong-Site Surgeries Occur?
It seems simple enough: take diagnostic images and an oral history. Conduct a physical exam. Read the reports of the treating doctors and nurses. There shouldn’t be any reason then for operating on the wrong part of someone’s body, removing an incorrect organ, or even operating on the wrong patient. And yet, this particularly egregious…
Read MoreFDA Exemption for Medical Device Defects is Harming Patients and Thwarting Doctors
Most doctors and the public think that the FDA’s database on defective medical devices should be current and complete. If a product malfunctions, the reasonable expectation is that the doctor can research the device to learn what complaints have been filed and whether it is safe for future surgeries. What doctors also expect is that…
Read MoreWashington, DC Area Hospitals Are Failing to Prevent Infections
It is no secret that the hospitals in D.C. need some work. According to Hospital Safety Grade, an initiative launched by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, out of the six hospitals located in Washington, D.C. proper, half have earned a “D” rating. The hospitals were evaluated in the following categories: Infections Problems with surgery Practice to…
Read MoreNew Study Reveals Many Veterans Are Suffering Spinal Surgery Errors
A recent study by Clinical Spine Surgery disclosed an alarming and tragic finding. VA surgeons, all too often, are operating on the wrong part of the spines of our veterans. This study revealed that the major causes for this inexcusable type of medical malpractice were mistakes in standard imaging studies. Common errors include mistakes when…
Read MoreMedical Malpractice and Older Patients
As we age, we spend more time with doctors. Maybe we need blood pressure medication. Perhaps we’ll develop arthritis in our fingers. Maybe there’s an increased risk of cancer, or stroke, or any of the many, many conditions and illnesses that seem to affect the elderly population a bit more. We have every right to…
Read MoreCatastrophic Truck Collision Presents More Difficulties Than A Traditional Collision
Tractor trailers have sometimes been referred to as “trains on wheels.” They are large; they are fast; and they pose an extremely hazardous risk to those on the road. Sadly, this week a horrendous collision was caught on film, and demonstrates the destruction that these vehicles can cause. While this collision may appear to…
Read MoreNew Law Makes It Easier to Sue for E-Scooter Injuries in Washington, DC
Electric scooters are known to be a danger to riders and pedestrians. Many teens and young adults ride them on the sidewalks where they can hurt pedestrians. When e-scooters strike a car, the scooter offers no protection to the rider. There have been instances where the brakes and throttles have malfunctioned. Hitting a bump can…
Read MorePregnancy Complications Increase Depending on the Time of Delivery
The New York Times reported recently reported on a Risk Analysis study which showed that maternal delivery difficulties increase on weekends, at nights, and during the holidays. The study analyzed pregnancy complications in Texas, from 2005 to 2010. More than two million births occurred in that time period. Per the Times, the study specifically reviews…
Read MoreAmbulance Diversion and the Problem of Hospital Overcrowding
In August 2014, Tiffany Tate was working in the Medical College of Wisconsin cafeteria at a Milwaukee hospital when she suffered a stroke. At that moment she was only a few hundred yards away from Froedtert Hospital’s emergency department which includes a premier stroke center. However, she was not transported there due to the fact…
Read MoreHospitals Are Now Required to Post Price Lists Online
As consumers, we routinely compare prices online for various types of products and services, whether it’s a pair of shoes, a car, a hotel room, or a flight to or from Washington D.C or West Virginia. However, up until now (and some argue even now) it has been difficult if not impossible to find prices…
Read MoreGoogle Forced to Remove “Blacklist” of Doctors on the Internet
A court in the country of Amsterdam has issued a ruling that directs Google to remove a list of unofficially “blacklisted” doctors from a discussion group online. The case is noted as the first involving the legal concept of “right to be forgotten” that pertains to the alleged medical negligence of a doctor. The judgment…
Read MoreNew Investigation Asserts Johnson & Johnson Knew Its Baby Powder Contained Cancer-Causing Asbestos
Baby Powder has been a staple in most American households since late 1800s. We use to soothe babies’ bottoms, to freshen our shoes, and for a hundred different reasons. Baby Powder is made of talc, a naturally occurring mineral known for its absorption. For the last few years, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has been…
Read MorePlastic Surgeons Are Committing Medical Malpractice All Over the Country
There are a lot of stories out there (and you have probably heard a few in your time) about horrific plastic surgeries gone wrong. It makes a popular theme for movies and TV shows, and stories about bad surgical procedures tend to make the news. Often, these stories involve some rogue doctor using dangerous drugs…
Read MoreMedical Malpractice for Failure to Diagnose Septic Arthritis
Septic arthritis is an infection in a joint which, if not caught and treated right away, can have devastating consequences. When a patient presents with a fever and swollen, red, painful joints, septic arthritis should be one of the first conditions that comes to mind. Even if the medical professional does not think it could…
Read MoreHas Your Doctor Been Banned from Practicing Medicine in Another State?
If you sustain a serious injury from your doctor or another medical professional and you file a lawsuit against them, you may recover a settlement. But what happens to the doctors? Are they allowed to continue practicing medicine? What does it take to get a doctor banned from practicing medicine in your state? How can…
Read MoreMedical Negligence Claims for Injuries in Rehabilitation Centers
After undergoing surgery, or recovering from an injury, patients may be prescribed a stay at a rehabilitation hospital so that their recovery can be supervised, and their medical needs attended to. You trust that these types of facilities are staffed with competent, well-trained people who have the patients’ needs in mind. Sometimes, however, this is…
Read MoreSurgeons Remove a Lot of Functioning Kidneys
Surgical errors accounted for about 22% of medical malpractice claims last year in the United States according to a major medical malpractice services provider. A number of those errors, it appears, involve the kidneys. An Iowa woman, Dena Knapp, is suing her surgeon, Dr. Scott Baker, after he allegedly removed her kidney, when he was…
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