Medical Malpractice

October 1st, 2014

Over the years, many in the medical profession have pushed for so-called tort reform measures, which would alter the country’s civil justice system so that it is tilted in its favor. Lobbyists have made efforts to limit liability for medical negligence claims. But when it …

September 10th, 2014

It often has been said that hospitals are the most dangerous places for sick people. Hospital acquired infections–also known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)–present a genuine health risk to patients, leading to prolonged hospitalizations and higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Working from data in a …

August 13th, 2014

Although this blog spends a lot of time detailing medical malpractice cases and the jury awards or settlements that come with them. Forbes contributor Steve Cohen reminded us recently (and accurately) that “Malpractice Lawsuits Aren’t Just About Money.” Besides writing about compensation, many of the …

May 28th, 2014

This blog began covering Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robot in July of 2012, but we have not followed up on the outcomes of lawsuits against the manufacturer since last year. A year ago, we reported on the first case to result in a verdict. The …

May 14th, 2014

In a post published last week, this blog detailed a fledgling platform called Leapfrog, which assigns over 2,000 American hospitals letter grades based upon safety records and patient reviews. The goal of this system is to increase hospital transparency by publicizing and hopefully preventing recurring …

May 6th, 2014

All too often, news about medical safety is relegated to academic journals and other industry publications. So when a mainstream news organization publishes an article stating the sobering fact that medical errors kill about half a million patients every year in the United States (that’s …

February 26th, 2014

We have commented in previous blogs about the inadequacy of the self-regulation of physicians by the medical community. Apparently, only in the most egregious cases will medical boards step in to breach to revoke a physician’s medical license. Earlier this month, an anesthesiologist in Pompton …

February 5th, 2014

A new pamphlet published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) called “How Safe Is Your Hospital for Workers?” includes some startling facts about the dangers that hospitals present not only to patients, but to their employees as well. For example, in terms of …

October 30th, 2013

Back in October 2012, this blog published an article called “A Surgeon’s Five Tips for Improving Hospital Safety.” The list was culled from an article written by Johns Hopkins surgeon and professor Marty Makary in The Wall Street Journal, and several of his arguments revolve …