Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice

Much is said and written regarding medical malpractice lawsuits. To some, medical malpractice lawsuits are hurting the practice of medicine in New York. These people often note that New York had the highest number of medical malpractice claims paid out in the U.S. over the last decade. To many others who are familiar with medical malpractice lawsuits, recent laws have made it more difficult than ever for legitimately injured patients to get legal and financial help with their recovery. They argue that the overall number of medical malpractice claims has decreased steadily over the last decade.

For injured patients, however, the biggest concern is not the overall state of New York’s healthcare or insurance systems. The relationship between a doctor or surgeon and patient is an intimate, trusting one. And nothing is more important to patients than their health and the health of their families. Medical malpractice lawsuits are therefore very personal, and filed for very personal reasons. 

With that in mind, here are the top four reasons patients file medical malpractice lawsuits:

In our last post we discussed the first steps one must take in order to file a medical malpractice suit. After talking to the provider directly and then possibly the medical licensing board, you may decide to file a lawsuit. It’s important to work with your attorney in order to take the right steps.

Each state has a statute of limitations when it comes to civil cases. It’s important that you file the medical malpractice lawsuit within that timeframe. In New York, you have 2 and ½ years to file the lawsuit from the date of the incident or from the end of any continuous treatment provided by the party. This makes it very important to document everything that happens during and after the incident. Your attorney can help you figure out the best method to do so.

After filing the certificate of merit, you and your attorney will need to consider the unique aspects of the case in order to decide whether you want to seek a larger settlement by going to court or if you want to settle out of court. A lot of medical malpractice cases settle out of court, which can save you money and time. While this may be a great option, especially if an insurance company rejects a claim, if you have a very strong case, it may be worth your time to take the case to court. An attorney experienced in medical malpractice law can help you make that decision by taking a look at the facts of your case.

When someone suffers an injury or dies while under the care of a physician, they or their loved ones may wonder if medical negligence was involved. The key issue that needs to be addressed is whether another medical professional would have provided the same standard of care under similar circumstances. Although winning a medical malpractice lawsuit may seem extremely daunting, with the right representation, it can be done if medical negligence and the resulting injuries are proven.

So what do you do if you think you or your loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice? It can be wise to reach out to the medical professional from the start to see if the issue can be remedied in any way. Some providers may even provide services free of charge in order to fix the problem.

If that step does not give you the results you need, you may want to contact the medical licensing board to see if they are willing to do anything about the issue. While they usually can’t force the medical professional to compensate you, they may be able to discipline the provider or give you more information about what can be done.

Many surgeries performed across the country are truly lifesaving. One type of surgery that has helped many people in New York is known as bariatric surgery. This type of surgery, commonly known as weight loss surgery, helps a person lose weight and regain their health. Probably the most well-known of these surgeries is the gastric bypass, although there are quite a few others such as the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, the duodenal switch, and the sleeve gastrectomy. Some of these surgeries are purely restrictive, meaning the surgery physically limits the amount of food a person can eat, while others use malabsorption in order to lessen the amount of nutrients and calories that are absorbed by the body.

Although the benefits of these surgeries are plentiful, especially when you consider the risks associated with staying morbidly obese, the surgeries definitely have their share of risks as well. As is the case with many major surgeries, a patient could experience s such as blood clots, infections, excessive bleeding or leaks. In the worst case scenario, a patient may pass away due to these complications.

Bariatric surgeries also have a handful of long-term complications such as hernias, bowel obstructions, ulcers and stomach perforation. Because of these types of short-term and long-term complications, it’s vital that the surgeon is well-trained and understands the possible risks each patient may face. If a surgeon and his or her staff members fail to properly assess a patient before, during or after surgery, complications may occur. If a surgical error caused a complication for a bariatric patient, it may be wise to examine the possibility of filing a lawsuit in order to cover any expenses incurred.

Some? None? More?

When it comes to breast cancer screening for women in New York and across the United States, the accepted guideline seems, well, anything but accepted.

In fact, discussion simply seems to lead to more questions.

Generally we don’t think about medical care in New York’s prison system. It is not a common topic that we see on news reports; and because of this, it is like prisoners are out of sight and out of mind. Despite this, prison inmates can still be victims of medical malpractice just like people in our own communities.

The story of a former Pennsylvania prison inmate exemplifies this notion. The inmate had complained about bowel problems while in custody and underwent an upper GI tract diagnostic test by an outside company. The technicians reportedly misread the diagnostic report and they failed to identify an abnormal gastric mass lesion. 

This problem led to the inmate’s conditioning worsening, which then led to him needing to have blood transfusions to alleviate the problem. As such, the inmate has initiated a lawsuit against the company that performed the test, alleging that it willfully sent a technician who lacked the experience in conducting such diagnoses, and that the delayed (and ultimately incorrect) diagnosis led to the inmate’s further health problems. The inmate alleges that he suffered intense pain, emotional distress and increased risk of serious harm due to the misdiagnosis.

A recent article in Becker’s ASC Review took a look at a number of interesting facts surrounding medical malpractice litigation, including statistics on the incidence of medical malpractice claims, average payouts, which specialists are most at risk for litigation, and inconsistencies in settlement agreements.

One point in the article particularly caught our eye, and that was a reference to a 2003 article published in BUMC Proceedings looking at the most common reasons patients file medical malpractice lawsuits. According to that article, the top four motives for filing medical malpractice suits are: to prevent a something similar from happening again; to obtain an explanation of how the injury occurred; to gain financial compensation; and to hold a negligent physician accountable. 

Although the reasons for pursuing medical litigation largely break down to these four basic motives, there are a variety of specific reasons why an injured patient might do so. Having a good reason to pursue such litigation is not enough, though. One must also have a strong case and that is likely to result in a payout that outweighs the costs of pursuing litigation.

All patients hope they will have a good relationship with their physician. Unfortunately, problems can sometimes come up in a doctor-patient relationship. 

Recently, a Consumer Reports article pointed out some of the more common doctor-patient relationship problems that can arise. Here are the problems the article highlighted:

• A doctor ignoring patient input in their decision making.
• Disorganization at a doctor’s office.
• A doctor withholding relevant information.
• A doctor giving off the impression of not respecting a patient.
• Poor communication between a doctor and patient.
• A doctor discouraging second opinions. 

Problems with a doctor-patient relationship can be very damaging. They can seriously erode the relationship between a patient and their doctor, which can have major negative implications. It could lead to a patient not fully trusting a doctor and their recommendations. It could also result in a doctor not being as engaged in a patient’s care as they should be. A doctor not being properly engaged in a patient’s care could increase the chances of mistakes occurring in connection to the care. Thus, doctor-patient relationship problems could have serious patient safety ramifications.  

A physician who practices in Baldwinsville who has been accused of sexually assaulting a patient will reportedly not fight the state’s efforts to rescind his medical license. The doctor recently signed a consent agreement with the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct that calls for him to turn in his license to practice.

The Board had sought to terminate his license after accusing him of practicing with negligence on several occasions. In August, his license was suspended after he was found to pose an “imminent danger” to patients. The suspension came after he was charged with third degree rape after he allegedly tried to have sex with a female patient. 

The Board also found that the doctor had inappropriate contact with several other female patients between 2005 and 2015, including kissing and hugging unwitting patients, putting his tongue in their mouths and groping their clothed thighs and breasts.

The old business adage “if you are in business long enough, you are likely to be sued” may have some truth to it. Depending on the industry and complexity of the business, mistakes can and will be made. At the same time, the health industry has some of the same risks; especially when it comes to diagnosing ailments and conditions. According to a recent report, because of the sheer number diagnoses and the complexity of delivering care within the current system, it is only a matter of time before a critical mistake is made.

The Institute of Medicine’s report outlines a system wide problem, which includes surgical centers, outpatient facilities as well as doctors’ offices. This means that medical negligence is not confined to hospital errors and surgical mistakes; which is what is often reported in the media. 

Additionally, the exact number of mistakes with regard to diagnoses is unknown, but it is estimated that diagnostic mistakes affect more than 12 million adults each year. This likely contributes to the number of deaths experienced in hospitals each year as well. What’s worse, the data on diagnostic mistakes is quite sparse, which makes potential improvements to health care delivery problematic.