Baltimore 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…
Read MoreCataract Surgery Malpractice Can Leave Patients with Permanent Vision Problems
Cataracts are cloudiness in eye lenses that cause vision loss over time. The exact cause of cataracts is not known but they are very common for people over 65 years of age. In cataract surgery, an ophthalmologist removes the defective lens and replaces it with an artificial lens. The two types of cataract surgeries are…
Read MoreThe Dangerous Consequences of Diagnostic Errors in Health Care
While not even doctors can be infallible, we still look to them to always have the right answers and to provide the perfect cure when we are sick. Sometimes, despite their best efforts, doctors make mistakes in diagnosing a disease or ailment, and sometimes those mistakes are honest ones and other times they are a…
Read MoreAre Stem Cell Treatment Centers the Newest “Snake Oil” Salespeople?
Stem cells hold abundant promise that one day, they will be able to repair and regenerate tissue and create seemingly miraculous therapies customized for an individual. The problem is that stem cell therapy is still in its infancy; unless a patient is undergoing hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, his or her treatment is an experimental…
Read MoreGo Big Before You Go Home: Nace Law Group Made Waves at This Year’s AAJ Conference
In July, the American Association for Justice held its annual convention in Boston. It was another well-attended meeting, filled with helpful seminars and panels, networking opportunities and excellent opportunities to make new friends and spend time with old ones. But the attorneys here at Nace Law Group kept pretty busy at this year’s convention, having…
Read MoreChristopher T. Nace and Barry J. Nace Named to The Best Lawyers in America©
Nace Law Group, is proud to announce that partner Christopher T. Nace and firm founder Barry J. Nace have both been selected for inclusion in the 24th edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. This is Chris’s 5th consecutive year being named to this exclusive list. He was selected for his work in the areas…
Read MoreA Victory for the Victims: D.C. Appeals Court Allows Class Action Lawsuit against CareFirst to Proceed
Back in 2014, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield was hacked, and the personal information of more than a million patients was potentially stolen. When the time came to file a class action lawsuit against CareFirst, those victims trusted Nace Law Group to fight for them in court. On August 1, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for…
Read MoreHoward University Hospital Is in Crisis
Howard University Hospital (HUH) has suffered a steady decline from its glory days as a grand hospital for the middle-class black patients of the city, to an institution that is leaking respected physicians, accreditation for five of its training programs, administrators and money. The Washington Post published an extensive expose revealing that the hospital has…
Read MoreSeven Emergency Surgical Procedures Account for 80% of Medical Complications and Deaths
Approximately 3 million Americans undergo surgery each year in the United States with some of those procedures being elective and others are emergencies. All surgeries carry varying degrees of risk, and every time a patient goes under the knife they open themselves up to the opportunity for a medical mistake. The Washington Post reported on…
Read MoreKiller Drug Fentanyl is Fueling the Opioid Epidemic Death Rate
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 to treat cancer breakthrough pain, but with additional safety measures. The dangerous drug was prescribed and dispensed in the form of transdermal patches and lozenges. Today, however, many of the cases of fentanyl-related injuries may be attributed to counterfeit fentanyl, which is sold on the black market…
Read MoreA Doctor’s Negligence Injured a Newborn, but Taxpayers Were Left with the Bill
When you think of medical malpractice, what comes to mind might include a doctor making an honest mistake, a miscalculation, or some confusion in communication among the medical team ended in an error that harmed a patient. But would you think that a doctor, who was in the process of delivering a baby who was…
Read MoreWhen Psychiatric Care Crosses the Line into Medical Malpractice
Most people associate medical malpractice with errors made by medical physicians in the care of their patients. However, just like medical doctors, psychiatrists have a duty to perform their professional duties with a reasonable standard of care. The personal nature of psychiatric treatment creates an extremely delicate relationship that can easily become inappropriate if the…
Read MoreBMW’s Parked Cars Are Spontaneously Combusting, and No One Seems to Know Why
There have been a number of vehicle recalls in the last three years that warranted serious investigation: Takata’s exploding airbags, Jeep’s defective gear shifters, Volkswagen’s faulty emissions testers. Not since the Ford Pinto, however, have we seen something as dangerous or as serious as this. BMW cars are spontaneously combusting even while they are turned…
Read MoreAnother Successful Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival This Year
On May 13, 2017, Washington, DC was alive with the sounds of strings. Guitars, banjos, cellos, fiddles – you name it, and you could hear it, drifting across the Anacostia River. It was the annual Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival, an event which helps support the Living Classrooms Foundation. It may have been a…
Read MoreAmtrak Engineer Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter Stemming from the 2015 Derailment
In May of 2015, eight people died and more than 200 sustained injuries after an Amtrak train derailed outside of Philadelphia. Now, two years later, the victims and their families may actually obtain the justice they seek; The New York Times reports that the engineer, Brandon Bostian, was charged with involuntary manslaughter on May 12,…
Read MoreThe TLA-DC’s Annual Gala Was Truly An Affair to Remember
On May 13, 2017, the Trial Lawyers Association of Washington, DC hosted its 62nd Annual Awards Dinner, themed An Affair to Remember at the historic Howard Theater. This year’s gala was put together by Nace Law Group’s own Christopher T. Nace, who was elevated to the position of President of the TLA-DC at the event. Chris…
Read MoreCan Prescribing Doctors be Liable for Medication Addictions?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that prescription drug abuse is a larger problem than ever before, with the rate of opioid pain medication overdose deaths tripling between 1990 and 2010. Opioids are the most addictive types of pain medications, affecting the brain in a manner similar to heroin or cocaine. Pain medication addiction…
Read MorePatients are Dying from Sepsis While Doctors Wait for a Study
The Virginian Pilot recently reported about Dr. Paul Marik, a physician at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, who is successfully treating sepsis patients with a surprisingly simple concoction. While treating a patient with severe sepsis, the chief of pulmonary and critical care at Virginia Eastern Medical School decided to order IV infusions of a combination of…
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