As unfortunate as it may be, getting sick is a fact of life. But, when an illness strikes – especially a serious one – the average person does not have the skills or experience necessary to understand why it happened or how to treat it. Instead, we rely on medical professionals to make these decisions for us. However, while...
Read MoreCaps on medical malpractice awards were part of an aggressive tort reform platform in the mid-2000’s. One rationale behind the damage cap legislation was to lower insurance premiums in an effort to attract and keep physicians. Unfortunately, even after states passed damage caps, liability insurance premiums did not decrease and the caps have harsh unintended consequences for some injured...
Read MoreRecently a study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that when it comes to patient safety, little progress has been made. Although safety has been a recent area of focus for many hospitals, the study found that nearly one in five patients were injured during their stay by doctors, nurses or hospital staff. This was the first...
Read MoreThere likely isn’t anyone who would disagree that substance abuse of any kind has a deleterious effect on people. You don’t function with as much clarity and speed when you are impaired by drugs or alcohol. That’s why random drug testing is becoming so common in so many areas of society. Pro and college athletes face such tests. So...
Read MoreLast month, a Missouri jury awarded $6.4 million to a husband and wife from St. Louis County after the man suffered a massive stroke that could have been avoided had he received proper medical treatment. The 59-year-old man now needs life-long care as he suffers from restricted use of the right side of his body and is unable to...
Read MoreA physician in a recent New York Times article lamented the current lack of more intimate doctor-patient relationships, and their replacement by technology-driven diagnoses. Our medical facilities might have the latest imaging devices and computer programs, but the human element is sometimes lost, and patients may be suffering as a result. American hospitals and physicians are among the best in the...
Read MoreInjured by side effects of an MRI contrast dye containing gadolinium? In May of 2007, the FDA required a Black Box Warning for all MRI contrast dyes containing gadolinium. Reports have identified a possible link between Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) and the use of injected MRI contrast dyes containing gadolinium. Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) is a connective tissue disorder...
Read MoreIn a hospital emergency department, doctors treat a wide variety of health conditions. Emergency medicine physicians will treat patients for conditions that range from routine health problems to life threatening health crises. Upon entering the emergency department of a hospital, a patient is assessed by a triage nurse, who determines the level of seriousness of the patient’s condition, prioritizing...
Read MoreCommercial vehicles are the largest vehicles on the road. The only other vehicles coming close are newer recreational vehicles. 18-wheelers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When that amount of weigh is involved in an accident, catastrophic injuries can easily occur to drivers and occupants of smaller passenger vehicles. In an effort to reduce the number of trucking accidents...
Read MoreIn Kansas, the Health Care Stabilization Fund provides healthcare providers with liability insurance. As such, it is a rich source of information on trends in the world of Kansas medical malpractice. On October 16, the Health Care Stabilization Fund Oversight Committee released data pertaining to medical malpractice claims within Kansas during Fiscal Year 2013. According to the report, the...
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