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Blog: Medical Malpractice
- Simple checklists may be the key to improving patient safety
Feb 8, 2012
Imagine going to the hospital for a routine surgery and having the wrong organ removed or dying from an infection that you acquired while under a doctor's supervision. It seems almost impossible in today's high tech culture, doesn't it? However, similar instances of medical malpractice seem to be prevalent in Pennsylvania, as well as throughout the rest of the nation. Doctors and health officials started to take notice of the sheer volume of negligent mistakes...Read More - Pennsylvania court OKs suing doctor for emotional distress only
Feb 3, 2012
When a person sustains a physical injury as the result of negligence on the part of a medical provider, most residents of Pennsylvania are aware that it is possible to try to hold the person or entity responsible via a medical malpractice lawsuit. A recent court ruling in Pennsylvania now makes it possible for a patient to sue a doctor for emotional distress regardless of whether there is any evidence of physical negligence. The case...Read More - Too many suffer from too little or overly aggressive health care
Feb 1, 2012
Residents of Pennsylvania concerned with medical malpractice might be shocked by a recent column written for CNN.com by Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. In his column, Brawley describes the book he has recently written, "How We Do Harm," which describes the challenges that U.S. residents sometimes face when trying to obtain quality health care. The column starts with the shocking tale of a 50-year-old woman diagnosed with early...Read More - Many hospital errors not being reported
Jan 27, 2012
A recent report on hospital errors relating to Medicare patients reveals information many Pennsylvania residents probably do not want to hear. The investigation, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, indicates that for every seven errors that occur in a hospital setting, only one is reported. This is contrary to one of the conditions hospitals must follow in order to be paid under Medicare. Under that condition, all medical mistakes are supposed to...Read More - Young patient’s death revives wisdom teeth debate
Jan 6, 2012
Medical professionals in Pennsylvania should pay close attention to a medical malpractice case currently taking place in Maryland. According to ABC News, the parents of a teen in that state have sued an oral surgeon and anesthesiologist for medical malpractice after the young patient died during surgery to remove her wisdom teeth. The 17-year-old died from complications during the outpatient surgery. This is a surprising case largely because so many people undergo surgery to remove...Read More - Ventilator errors to blame in death of at least 100
Dec 23, 2011
Throughout the United States, over 100 patients, who were dependant on ventilators to breathe, have died since 2005. It is possible that some of these deaths occurred in Pennsylvania. Though reasons for these tragedies vary, the most common denominator appears to be the alarm warnings issued by ventilators, the volume of alert beeps or the failure of caregivers to respond in a timely fashion to these signals. In some situations these incidents can lead to...Read More - Medical errors on the part of EMS higher when fatigued
Dec 14, 2011
Emergency medical services workers who are tired are more likely to take actions that are errors or lead to injuries in patients. This correlation between sleep and medical errors may not come as a surprise to many but now research conducted by individuals in the U.S. supports it. The lead author of the study is from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The data collected that provides these numbers is based on questionnaire completed...Read More - UMPC ordered to pay $12.5 million in death of accountant
Dec 11, 2011
The first Allegheny County, Pennsylvania jury verdict award of over $10 million on record was recently handed down to the family of a man who died eight years ago at UPMC Shadyside. In total, the family was awarded $12.5 million. Of that amount, $10 million was for how much he would have made in his lifetime had he lived. The additional $2.5 million was awarded earlier, in 2008, when a different jury determined that negligence...Read More - Man dies after accidentally receiving execution drug at hospital
Nov 30, 2011
Pennsylvania residents fighting their own medical malpractice lawsuits should take particular interest in a recent case in Florida. The family of a deceased man is suing a Miami hospital, claiming that the hospital accidentally gave him a drug used in executions, a mistake that cost the man his life. This story provides yet more evidence that even the best medical centers can make deadly errors. According to a feature story by the Huffington Post, a...Read More - Pennsylvania man awarded $2 million for colon perforation
Nov 18, 2011
Colonoscopies are recommended for all individuals once they reach a certain age. The idea behind the test is to identify colon cancer at an early stage so that treatment can be initiated that will prolong the person's life. While the procedure is a common one that is performed on people every day, mistakes causing injuries still occur. A 62-year-old Pennsylvania man knows this all too well. During the course of a colonoscopy in 2008 his...Read More