Despite propaganda from the insurance lobby and medical societies of a “medical malpractice lawsuit crisis,” the truth is that the vast majority (over 95%) of cases of medical malpractice never result in lawsuits or claims against the negligent doctor or medical institution. Although a person may clearly have received substandard medical care resulting in an injury,… Read More
Breast Cancer – Current Statistics and Screening Techniques
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we will discuss the latest statistics, screening and diagnosis techniques: The Numbers Tell (Some of) the Story Currently, 1 out of 8 women living in the United States will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer sometime in their lives1. While those statistics seem grim, the bright side is… Read More
Surgical Errors as Actionable Medical Malpractice
An interesting article came out today in Medscape, a news service for physicians linked to WebMD. The article discussed what surgeons call “never events.” Basically, these are events that should never happen in surgery, and yet it was reported that over 4,000 of these events happen every year — that equates to over 80 “never… Read More
Diagnostic Errors
Over a period of 25 years (1986-2010), approximately 38.8 billion dollars were paid out by physicians and their insurance companies as a result of diagnostic errors. These errors were not only “wrong diagnoses,” but also included failure to diagnose or delay in diagnosis of a medical condition. Surprisingly, diagnostic errors are more common than surgical… Read More
Overtired Doctors Still Putting Patients at Risk
The experienced medical malpractice attorneys of Passen & Powell have previously written on the problem of overtired residents – doctors who have completed medical school but are still in training – and the increased numbers of medical errors which they cause. In fact, several significant studies have demonstrated that when residents, particularly surgical residents, work… Read More
Doctors Fail to Advise Young Cancer Patients on Fertility
There is no denying that the various forms of treatment for cancer are essential, and often lifesaving. Yet these treatments also often have very serious side effects – including reduced or lost fertility. This is particularly true of treatments such as chemotherapy, and radiation to the woman’s pelvic area. Physicians treating cancer patients are obligated… Read More
Point-of-Care Testing and Medical Malpractice
Over the course of the last decade, there has been a fundamental shift in the way hospital medical tests are performed. In the past, most tests were sent to a laboratory, while the doctor and patient waited hours or days for test results. Now, however, many or most tests are done right in the patient’s… Read More
Medical Malpractice and the Failure to Diagnose Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are usually a low-risk problem which can resolve on its own. At times, however, cysts can turn cancerous or otherwise cause serious, permanent damage to a woman’s life, health, and reproductive system. As such, physicians often fail to diagnose ovarian cysts promptly, and often fail to treat the problem promptly even when diagnosed…. Read More
Hypertension Medicine Can Prevent Glaucoma
In good news for preventative medicine, a new study in the journal “Archives of Ophthamology” has found that certain medicines currently used to treat ocular hypertension can, in fact, prevent one of the most common forms of glaucoma. Glaucoma is any one of several conditions that damage a victim’s optic nerve, which transmits visual information… Read More
Most Hospital Errors Go Undetected and Unreported
The families of the victims of hospital errors are often told that these type of problems and complications “just happen” or are unfortunate but “we did all we could do”. Perhaps for this reason, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released a new report finding that over 80… Read More
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