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Blog: Medical Malpractice
- UPMC on probation after botched transplant surgery
Nov 16, 2011
We have written several posts on the kidney transplant that led to an organ recipient developing hepatitis C. The donor was is the man’s significant other and mother of their 18-year-old son. She did not know that she had the disease at the time of the surgery. This is despite several blood tests having been completed to check for various diseases including hepatitis C prior to the surgery. It is unclear how the results were...Read More - Online medical malpractice database reinstated with conditions
Nov 11, 2011
Earlier this fall we wrote about the removal of the National Practitioner Data Bank which contains information regarding the medical malpractice records of doctors throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation. The Health Resources and Services Administration, which is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, took the site down after it was feared that a journalist had accessed more than just the "public use file." This file was commonly used...Read More - Medicare trying to keep track of serious medical errors
Nov 2, 2011
Workers inevitably make mistakes while at work regardless of one's profession. Most would agree however that those made by individuals working in the medical field are particularly dangerous. Due to their very nature they may result in serious injury or death. While it is often impossible to undo a medical mistake, one can learn from it so as to not make it again. Medicare's Inspector General released a report this week on how well hospitals...Read More - Pennsylvania lawmakers debating ‘benevolent gesture’ legislation
Oct 28, 2011
Throughout the United States so far 35 states have passed what is known as "benevolent gesture" legislation. These laws disallow the use of apologies and like statements made by medical providers from being used against them in a civil lawsuit, potentially making it more difficult for an injured party to recover in a medical malpractice case. In Pennsylvania a bill containing this type of legislation was passed by the House of Representatives last spring. It...Read More - Should ERs regularly staff pharmacists?
Oct 19, 2011
While no medical provider makes a medication error on purpose, they occur on a regular basis in emergency rooms throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. Because those in the medical profession do not want to harm their patients, improvements to processes that may help lower the occurrence of things such as a medication errors, are constantly being made. A recently study conducted in the emergency department at the University of New Mexico in...Read More - Criminal charges stemming from medical malpractice not common
Oct 7, 2011
The top story on many news outlets these days is the Conrad Murray trial for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. Though according to a professor of sociology and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania such cases against doctors are rare, the cardiologist is being prosecuted by the state of California for allegedly providing negligent medical care that ultimately resulted in the death of the famous pop singer. Most cases involving the...Read More - Pennsylvania woman awarded $23M after amputation of limbs
Sep 28, 2011
Often when one thinks about medical malpractice actions, it is assumed the source of the action occurred in a setting directly related to a medical provider such as a doctor's office or hospital. While it is true that these settings are often the home to negligent acts, actions or lack of actions that constitute medical malpractice can occur anywhere a medical professional is providing care. As a woman from Lehighton learned firsthand, this includes one's...Read More - More physicians facing criminal medical negligence charges
Sep 16, 2011
When people in Pennsylvania seek the help of a doctor for medical issues, it's only fair to expect the physician will know which medication to prescribe, and how much. Sadly, medication errors are not all that uncommon. People often file medical malpractice lawsuits after prescription errors cause severe injury or the death of a loved one. Criminal charges can be filed against doctors in some states, too, and statistics point to a rise in such...Read More - Possible medical malpractice: doctor operates on wrong eye of 4-year-old
Apr 29, 2011
In a case of possible medical malpractice a surgeon operated on the wrong eye of a 4-year-old boy who was supposed to undergo corrective surgery. The parents and young boy will have to wait at least five weeks before the effects of the incorrect procedure are known. The mother of the 4-year-old says hospital staff were not immediately truthful about the incident and believe no child or parent should have to experience what they did...Read More - Audit of Excela Health finds patients received medically unnecessary stents
Mar 16, 2011
Conducted to prevent medical malpractice exposure, an audit of the Excela Health hospital system revealed that 141 patients in 2010 received 149 coronary stent implants that may not have been medically necessary. As a result, the hospital system is providing free assistance to patients who were affected and is also providing advice to those who have concerns about their heart health. Two cardiologists who performed the unnecessary procedures have been released from the staff of...Read More