New Protections for Veterans Passed by the Senate

For many years, significant problems have lingered at the Veterans Administration regarding a lack of prompt, reliable, and quality care provided to our wounded warriors. These concerns have led to investigations and subsequent actions to resolve these issues. Just recently, on a unanimous basis, the U.S. Senate passed the VA Provider Accountability Act, which was…

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Psychiatric Wards May Leave Patients Vulnerable to Harm

Having a loved one with a mental health condition can be hard on caretakers. Some mental illnesses have the potential to result in harm to others or self-inflicted harm that may end in severe disability or death. As a concerned family member, you do everything in your power to get him or her the best…

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Life Line Screening Misdiagnosis May Risk Your Health

Preventative health screening offers flash across television screens and show up in mailboxes across the country on a regular basis. They claim that they can head off serious medical issues in about an hour for a couple hundred bucks through performing a series of tests heavily marketed to detect heart disease and stroke. Surely your…

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Can a Coma be Caused by Medical Malpractice?

The coma is a medical condition in which the patient is nonresponsive to light, pain, or sound in a normal manner, and cannot be awakened. It is a deep and often prolonged form of unconsciousness. Individuals in comas are nonresponsive to external stimuli such as a prick on the hand, light shined in their eyes,…

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Preeclampsia v. Eclampsia: What Are the Differences?

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening condition that develops during a woman’s pregnancy. If the condition is left untreated or undiagnosed, preeclampsia may lead to eclampsia, condition causing seizures. Both preeclampsia and eclampsia are very serious health conditions for the mother. Other than the safe delivery of the baby, there is no medical cure for preeclampsia or…

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It’s Time to Tackle Never Events

According to a recently published analysis, approximately 25% of hospitals fall short of the Leapfrog Group’s standards when it comes to addressing and responding to patient harm events, often referred to as never events. The report revealed that 74.5% of 2,000+ hospitals that provided feedback on the 2018 Hospital Survey issued by Leapfrog adhered to…

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Allergan Breast Implant Recall Issued Due to Cancer Risk

CNN reported on July 25, 2019, that Allergan “issued a worldwide recall of Biocell textured breast implants and tissue expanders that have been linked to a rare cancer. The move came after the US Food and Drug Administration requested the manufacturer voluntarily recall the products.” Allergan claimed the recall was in response to global information…

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Suing for Failure to Diagnose Cancer

Cases that involve a failure to diagnose cancer can include various forms of negligence. In some cases, a doctor may fail to conduct the tests necessary to detect cancer such as a biopsy or mammogram. In other instances, a pathologist or radiologist may act negligently by mishandling the patient’s medical file. For example, a radiologist…

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Electronic Health Records and Medical Malpractice Claims

In May 2019, Medical Economics reported that there is a rise in medical liability claims involving electronic heath records (EHR). An EHR system should help keep patients’ information current and readily accessible, thus helping to avoid mistakes. While these databases have numerous benefits, electronic health record systems only work as well as the software that…

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Delivery Room Dangers: Unnecessary Episiotomy Procedures

A major USA TODAY study found that hospitals are performing much too may episiotomies despite nationwide guidelines that call for the procedure to only be used in the case of emergencies. Since 2006, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advised performing the procedure sparingly. “Mothers who receive episiotomies – an incision at the…

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Why Do So Many Wrong-Site Surgeries Occur?

It seems simple enough: take diagnostic images and an oral history. Conduct a physical exam. Read the reports of the treating doctors and nurses. There shouldn’t be any reason then for operating on the wrong part of someone’s body, removing an incorrect organ, or even operating on the wrong patient. And yet, this particularly egregious…

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Washington, DC Area Hospitals Are Failing to Prevent Infections

It is no secret that the hospitals in D.C. need some work. According to Hospital Safety Grade, an initiative launched by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, out of the six hospitals located in Washington, D.C. proper, half have earned a “D” rating. The hospitals were evaluated in the following categories: Infections Problems with surgery Practice to…

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New Study Reveals Many Veterans Are Suffering Spinal Surgery Errors

A recent study by Clinical Spine Surgery disclosed an alarming and tragic finding. VA surgeons, all too often, are operating on the wrong part of the spines of our veterans. This study revealed that the major causes for this inexcusable type of medical malpractice were mistakes in standard imaging studies. Common errors include mistakes when…

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Medical Malpractice and Older Patients

As we age, we spend more time with doctors. Maybe we need blood pressure medication. Perhaps we’ll develop arthritis in our fingers. Maybe there’s an increased risk of cancer, or stroke, or any of the many, many conditions and illnesses that seem to affect the elderly population a bit more. We have every right to…

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Pregnancy Complications Increase Depending on the Time of Delivery

The New York Times reported recently reported on a Risk Analysis study which showed that maternal delivery difficulties increase on weekends, at nights, and during the holidays. The study analyzed pregnancy complications in Texas, from 2005 to 2010. More than two million births occurred in that time period. Per the Times, the study specifically reviews…

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Hospitals Are Now Required to Post Price Lists Online

As consumers, we routinely compare prices online for various types of products and services, whether it’s a pair of shoes, a car, a hotel room, or a flight to or from Washington D.C or West Virginia. However, up until now (and some argue even now) it has been difficult if not impossible to find prices…

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Medical Negligence Claims for Injuries in Rehabilitation Centers

After undergoing surgery, or recovering from an injury, patients may be prescribed a stay at a rehabilitation hospital so that their recovery can be supervised, and their medical needs attended to. You trust that these types of facilities are staffed with competent, well-trained people who have the patients’ needs in mind. Sometimes, however, this is…

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