Medical Malpractice

• Video Games Make Better Surgeons

  Staff Writer | June 06, 2006 12:58 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  Who would have guessed that a prudent question to ask a potential surgeon was; "Have you played your video games today?" But a new study of 303 surgeons who perform laparoscopic procedures showed that surgeons who played video games immediately before a surgical training session performed better. A similar study in 2003 involving 5000 physicians also found the surgeons growing up with computer...

• Malpractice Is Never Frivolous

  Staff Writer | June 01, 2006 2:56 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  Every now and then bad things happen to good people who are related to a doctor, and when they do, doctors file Medical Malpractice Lawsuits just like every other victim deserves to do. Recently, in Tacoma, Washington, an anesthesiologist sued the hospital where he once worked, asserting that the staff failed to perform an emergency surgery which would have saved his wife's life. The suit...

• Don't Get Sick On July 4 Weekend

  Staff Writer | April 25, 2006 2:28 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  After telling us to be very worried about global warming, this week's Time Magazine scares the bejeebers out of us concerning our modern health care system. With insider information from physicians, the cover story provides several practical pointers how to avoid catastrophy - like avoiding new interns and residents who begin each training term on July 1. Another big decision for a patient is...

• Wrong Site Surgeries Increasing

  Staff Writer | April 20, 2006 1:28 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  Hard as it is to believe, surgeons are reportedly removing more wrong limbs or organs; slicing into the wrong sides of bodies; and perfoming surgeries on more wrong patients than ever before. So says the Joint Commission on Accreditation of health care organizations which sets patient safety requirements and guidelines. "It's getting worse", says Director Dennis O'Leary; "I can assure you...

• More Proof There Is No Medical Malpractice Crisis

  Staff Writer | April 19, 2006 11:41 AM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  According to amednews.com (The Newspaper For America's Physicians), liability issues are becoming a lesser factor in specialty choices by medical student's. The 2006 National Resident Matching Program held March 16 provided proof that medical students are more concerned with lifestyle concerns. The results established matches for 85.1% in Family Medicine; 97.9% in Internal Medicine; 97.9% in...

• U.S. HOSPITAL ERRORS KEEP RISING

  Staff Writer | April 14, 2006 10:41 AM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  A new study of healthcare ratings increases the number of medical errors leading to "patient safety incidents" from 1.14 million to 1.24 million over successive three year periods. The financial effect of these errors was calculated as $9.3 billion in excess costs. This HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals study also found that 250,246 (of the 304,702 deaths following at least one...

• Bad Faith Verdict and New Suits

  Staff Writer | March 29, 2006 11:58 AM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  Medical Health Insurance policyholders must be ever vigilant to get the benefits they've paid for these days, as we are reminded by two recent cases. In Marion County, a fomer hospital worker won a $1.5 Million Verdict against Lubermen's Mutual Casualty Co. for terminating her disability benefits in bad fath. Elsewhere, Blue Cross Of California has been sued by 10 former members whose health...

• Medical Malpractice "Crisis" That Wasn't Is Over

  Staff Writer | March 06, 2006 5:15 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  Just as Consumer Rights organizations predicted, the so-called "Medical Malpractice Insurance Crisis" has ended, not because of Tort "Reform", but because of the cyclical nature of insurance underwriting and investment returns.According to the American Inusrance Reform study, physician premiums increased 0% in 2005, after a modest 3%in 2004. Before that, in 2002, they had skyrocket 63%. The...

• Hawaii Jury Hears Screwball Defense from Screwdriver Surgeon

  Staff Writer | February 20, 2006 1:45 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  It should not be surprising that Dr. Robert Ricketson is acting as his own lawyer before a jury in Hilo, Hawaii; since no defense attorney could keep a straight face while telling his story as a Medical Malpractice Defendant. Dr. Ricketson chose to use a screwdriver to stabilize a patient's spine, when the titanium rods he should have used were missing from the O.R. Of course, the screwdriver...

• First Wisconsin Verdict Since Med Mal Caps Struck Down

  Staff Writer | February 08, 2006 3:42 PM | 0 CommentsChicago, IL

  A jury in Waupun, Wisconsin awarded $8 Million in total damages, of which $4 Million were non-economic (pain, suffering, and loss of consortium). Fortunately for the Plaintiff, this is the first verdict in a Medical Malpractice case since the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the Medical Malpractice Caps on Damages last July. Under the previous Caps on Damages Law, the plaintiff and her...