In Virginia, dozens of former patients have been told they may have been exposed to scabies at a hospital in Norfolk. According to The Virginian-Pilot, a patient with scabies was admitted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in early August, which caused an employee to contract scabies. Due to the hospital’s negligence, eight other workers and...
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Medication Side Effects Causing More Hospitalizations
Last month, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a report indicating that the number of hospitalizations from medication side effects increased by more than half between 2004 and 2008. Antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, insulin and blood thinners attributed to more than 2.7 million hospital stays and emergency room trips in 2008. In...
Read MoreVirginia Jury Awards Plaintiff $212 Million in Botox Case
In one of the biggest Botox-related litigation awards yet, a U.S. District Court jury awarded a Virginia man $212 million late last month. The award represents $12 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages for the plaintiff. The 67-year-old plaintiff filed the lawsuit against Allergan, Inc., the maker of Botox, alleging...
Read MoreStudy Sheds Light on the Effectiveness of Medical Liability Reform
The New England Journal of Medicine released a study on the effectiveness of medical liability reform. The study examined both the perceptions and realities of traditional approaches toward safe and high-quality health care. Doctors and insurers think malpractice claims are excessive. However, estimates indicate that only two to three percent of patients injured by
Read MoreFederal Government Releases Data on Medical Malpractice
Earlier this month, the federal government released data on how often patients suffer injuries from eight specific medical errors. A spokesperson from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said officials were not ready to discuss the data, however. The data comes on the heels on a report from the Office of Inspector...
Read MoreConsumer Advocacy Group Public Citizen Reports on State Discipline of Doctors
The nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen released its report on state medical boards and their failure to discipline doctors. The results may shock you. The results showed that 32 states let more than half the doctors off without any reprimand after hospitals revoked or restricted their privileges. The study examined the National Practitioner Data...
Read MoreWashington DC Doctor Suspended by Delaware for Role in Young Woman’s Death
Delaware’s medical disciplinary board suspended a doctor, who was also licensed in Washington, D.C., for six months for medical incompetence. A 19-year-old patient died after receiving a pain-relief injection from the doctor. She had been receiving treatment from the doctor for months after a car accident left her with lingering pain. One day in...
Read MoreMaryland Hospital Settles Federal Claims for a Decade of Unnecessary Procedures
Maryland’s St. Joseph Medical Center agreed to repay $22 million to the federal government to settle claims that federal prosecutors brought regarding unnecessary medical procedures. Prosecutors alleged that, over the course of a decade, the Medical Center had a kickback scheme in place with a group of cardiologists to perform the procedures. A...
Read MoreMedical Malpractice Reform Advocates Target Washington DC, Other Plaintiff-Friendly States
Health care professionals and insurance companies often lobby states to impose limits on jury awards that people can receive if they sue for medical malpractice. California and Texas, for example, instituted a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. Advocates for reform claim that caps lower doctors’ insurance premiums and overall insurance...
Read MoreFamily Sues DC Fire and EMS After Paramedics Refuse to Take 2-Year-Old to Hospital
The family of a two-year-old girl has filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS. The girl died in February after she experienced trouble breathing. The family alleges that after they called 911, paramedics came to their home for only 10 minutes where they inadequately examined the girl and then refused to take her...
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