Surgical Malpractice – “Never Events” That Occur Too Often
Even the most simple of surgeries can elicit concern for patients. While surgeons and other medical professionals are highly trained in their craft, human error is always a possibility. Beyond simple errors, there is also the potential for acute carelessness and negligence that can result in serious complications or injury. Surgical malpractice can produce long-term…
Read MoreVideomicroscope Technology Making Surgery More Efficient and Precise
For many decades, Olympus has developed and manufactured some of the top high-technology photography equipment in the industry. Over the years, the company has expanded its product portfolio, offering innovative equipment solutions for the medical field, and specifically for surgical procedures. In late 2017 the company unveiled its new 4K-3D Video Microscope, ORBEYE. The new…
Read MoreLimbrel Capsules Deemed by the FDA as an Unapproved Drug
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested that use of the product known as Limbrel may inflict a life-threatening injury to the liver in addition to promoting the development of pancreatitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. In November 2017, the FDA issued a warning concerning Limbrel, which Primus Pharmaceuticals, the company that markets the product, designates…
Read MoreChicago Tribune Covers the Myths About Opiods
There is no question that the opioid epidemic is one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes. The record is deep with stories of tragic overdoses and towns that have been decimated by opioid abuse. In fact, the epidemic has even been blamed for lowering life-expectancy in the United States. This Chicago Tribune…
Read MoreFerguson v. United States Government: A Case Review
The caption of this case was originally Ferguson v. United States Government, Anonymous Hospital and Anonymous Physician. The Hospital and Physician both settled. The Government, however, who was effectively representing the pediatrician, would not engage in meaningful negotiations. The case was tried in the Northern District for West Virginia, “non-jury” because of the Federal Tort Claims…
Read MoreCan Couples Sue Fertility Clinics for Reproductive Negligence?
As technological advances in medicine make it possible for older people and those with fertility challenges to become pregnant and give birth, increasing numbers of people are using fertility clinics. Just as in any other medical field, fertility specialists and their staff make preventable mistakes. However, with reproductive negligence or malpractice, the stakes are incredibly…
Read MoreThe FDA Takes on Pharmacy Errors and Medication Errors by Changing Drug Packaging
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking on medication errors by changing drug packaging and labeling. Medication errors are a massive problem in the healthcare systems of the United States. The Institute of Medicine reports that as many as 98,000 Americans die each year because of medical errors, and up to 7,000 of…
Read MoreMedication Errors Caused by Negligent Bar Code Medication Administration
Medication errors in a health care setting are rampant despite efforts to solve the problem. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines an adverse drug event (ADE) as harm experienced by a patient because of exposure to a medication. ADEs account for approximately 700,000 emergency room visits and 100,000 hospitalizations each year. The AHQR…
Read MoreMedical Negligence from the Misinterpretation of Genetic Testing Results
Genetic testing is one of the miracles of modern medicine, but it can also become somewhat of a double-edged sword. That is because the technology is so new and evolving every day. A genetic test can tell you if you are at risk for certain diseases, reveal the disease that is causing your symptoms, and…
Read MoreThousands Die from Medical Negligence Every Year. So Why Aren’t They Filing Lawsuits?
On December 10, 2017, the Center for Justice & Democracy released the “Medical Malpractice: By the Numbers” briefing book. The 178-page document delves deeply into what types of cases are being filed and why, but also addresses the reasons behind why so few victims of medical errors actually file lawsuits. Their information is based on…
Read MoreRemembering Peter
More than thirty years ago, I was asked to become involved in a case in which a husband and father of two small children in his 30’s went to a hospital for a heart attack. He had been mowing his lawn. When he eventually came back to his home, he had lost a portion of…
Read MoreDr. Charles Akoda Is Not a Real Person, But That Didn’t Stop Him from Practicing Medicine
At least 100 women have come forward claiming to be patients of Dr. Charles Akoda at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Maryland. The problem is that Dr. Charles Akoda is not a real person; he’s an identity thief who managed to fool both hospital administrators and patients for eight years, as he practiced as an…
Read MoreThe VA Willingly Hires Doctors with Malpractice Claims Against Them
Back in October, USA TODAY published a piece about their investigation into allegations of medical malpractice at the VA hospital in Togus, Maine. They discovered that a podiatrist named Thomas Franchini was responsible for mistakes that harmed veterans in 88 different cases. Instead of firing Franchini outright, the VA “let him quietly resign and move…
Read MoreGestational Diabetes Linked to Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Gestational diabetes is blood sugar condition affecting pregnant women. Unlike Type I or Type II diabetes, gestational diabetes is not permanent, though mothers who develop it may be at a greater risk of developing Type II later on in life. A recent study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, aimed to discover if there was a…
Read MoreThe Vulnerability of Medical Devices to Cybersecurity Breaches
You have likely heard of, and may well have been a victim of, a cyber security breach where sensitive, personal information was hacked from the servers of a bank, a credit bureau or even a major health care insurer. Medical devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps are now connected to wireless networks so that…
Read MoreNurse “Burnout” Leads to Dangerous Medical Mistakes
Nurses are often the unsung heroes of health care. They work long, grueling hours carrying out the doctor’s orders, they interact with doctors, patients and peers in often chaotic and emotionally exhausting environments and they often do this difficult work exhausted. Fatigue, burnout, exhaustion, overworked: regardless of how you describe it, due to their often…
Read MoreFailing Pacemakers Show Us the High Cost of Replacing Defective Medical Devices
When medical devices that have been implanted into a human body (like a pacemaker or an IUD, for example) fail, Medicare often covers the surgery to replace them. The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report that said Medicare has paid at least $1.5 billion over a decade…
Read MoreBaltimore Family Awarded Millions after a Medication Error Led to the Death of Their Loved One
Medication errors are a significant problem in modern health care. Also called adverse drug events (ADE), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that ADE’s account for nearly 700,000 emergency department visits and 100,000 hospitalizations each year. The AHRQ also reports that approximately 5% of hospitalized patients will experience an ADE making them…
Read MoreWhy the Obstetrics Ward Ordered to be Shutdown at Washington D.C.’s United Medical Center
Back in August, regulators from the Washington, D.C. Department of Health closed the Obstetrics Department at the United Medical Center, the only full-service hospital in Southeast Washington. The Washington Post obtained a letter to Luis A. Hernandez, CEO of UMC, from the D.C. Department of Health, advising him that they were restricting the hospital’s license,…
Read MoreBarry Nace Speaks with KALW about Medical Malpractice
On October 11th, Barry Nace spoke with KALW in San Francisco, an affiliate of NPR, about what medical malpractice is, and what it takes to file a successful claim. We invite you to access that interview here, through this link.
Read MoreWhy Are Children Dying in the Dentist’s Chair?
A story on the TV program “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly” highlighted the recent string of deaths of children in dentist’s chairs across the United States. Many adults are afraid and anxiety about going to the dentist for a dental procedure, but we go, and we sit through it with just Novocain as a local…
Read MoreMedical Negligence and Hazards at Urgent Care Centers
If there is a strip mall near you, chances are good that it includes an Urgent Care facility. These are free-standing medical centers that operate as a hybrid between an emergency room and health clinic. Designed to treat patients with acute medical conditions and minor traumas. They do not serve patients with serious, life-threatening conditions.…
Read MoreWhen Plastic Surgery Errors Lead to Medical Malpractice
Plastic surgeries are usually elective procedures women and men undergo to improve their personal appearance. Sometimes they are necessary to correct the consequences from a serious accident, such as a fire that caused disfiguring burns. When you go under the knife, you expect your surgeon to be competent and professional. A simple mistake before, during,…
Read MoreA Defective Pacemaker Can Cause More Harm Than Good
A pacemaker is a medical device, first used in Sweden in the 1950s, for patients with heart problems. The device sends electrical impulses that help stabilize patients who have irregular heartbeats. Implanting a pacemaker is usually performed by a cardiologist or a surgeon. Unfortunately, some pacemakers have flaws which can cause death, heart attacks, or…
Read MoreHow Cerebral Palsy Affects Patients as They Age
Cerebral palsy, often caused by medical malpractice at birth, affects the brain and the nervous system of newborns. The condition lasts a lifetime. It often requires extensive physical and emotional therapy. Cerebral palsy is not considered a degenerative disease—meaning that the condition itself generally does not worsen with aging. Having said that, though, as many…
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