One plastic surgeon made $300,000 speaking to other doctors about cosmetic procedures and products such as breast implants. A cardiologist made an extra $100,000 from a medical device maker, a financial connection he never mentioned in a medical journal article which happened to discuss that medical device. According to the NY Times, “In just five […]
According to a front page article in the NY Times, the forty smaller military hospitals that provide medical care to 1.35 million service men and women are failing to provide quality healthcare. In some instances, the care is so sub-standard it may be characterized as dangerous. The authors of the Times’ article note, “The hospitals […]
Johnson & Johnson has asked hospitals to stop using one of their products in hysterectomy procedures over concern that the device may spread cancer to other parts of the body. According to USA Today, “In April, J&J suspended sales of the devices, known as laparoscopic power morcellators, after the Food and Drug Administration discouraged doctors […]
Physician Heal Thyself? Evidentiary Issues When a Physician is the Plaintiff In a Medical Malpractice Case By Mark A. Abramson and Holly B. Haines Our last article addressed the limited role of comparative fault in medical malpractice cases and the settled New Hampshire law on why the issue usually should not be presented to the […]
A recent NY Times’ investigation concerning healthcare provided to military personnel and their families revealed an appalling level of medical errors with little to no effort to fix the issues that lead to the mistakes in the first place. According to the Times, “Internal documents obtained by The Times depict a system in which scrutiny […]
According to a recent report on National Public Radio, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas Texas employs ten full-time pharmacists in their emergency room. NPR reports, “The pharmacists provide a vital safety net, according to , chief quality officer and a pediatric ER physician. “Every single order I put in,” Morse says, “is reviewed in real […]
Four medical malpractice suits filed against the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic in Pennsylvania have been settled for $1.4 million. The malpractice suits were filed after four military veterans died as a result of the medical malpractice. Those malpractice cases include: • Failure to monitor a patient; filed on June 26, 2003 and closed on […]
A woman who alleges that doctors at a Staten Island hospital forced her to have a cesarean section delivery in spite of her protests has filed a lawsuit against the physicians and the hospital. According to one media report, “However, when the much-anticipated day came for Rinat Dray’s baby to be born, those guidelines were […]
Leaving behind a surgical sponge after a procedure is a “never” event that happens with troubling frequency. According to the most recent data, there was approximately one “foreign object” case for every 5,500 operations from 2003 to 2006. Furthermore, an examination of malpractice settlements over a two-decade period found that sponge cases are common at […]
The United Kingdom is about to require mandatory reporting of all hospital errors. According to the Independent, “Peter Walsh, the chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said it represented “potentially the biggest advance in patients’ rights and safety since the creation of the NHS”. “For decades the NHS has frowned upon cover-ups but has […]
