Category Archives: Medical malpractice

Medical Mafia and Howard Awand

A Las Vegas man, named as a former medical consultant, refused to testify before a grand jury about his role in a scheme that involved personal injury, medical malpractice and medical liens. Awand, 66, who is already incarcerated for income … Continue reading

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Do 44,000-98,000 people really die each year from medical errors?

You may have heard the statistic that 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year from medical errors. An often used comparison: this is the equivalent of one jumbo jet crashing every 2 days for a year. Did you know those … Continue reading

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New study identifies lack of improvement in health care

Temporal Trends in Rates of Patient Harm Resulting from Medical Care”, New England Journal of Medicine, 11/25/2010. Read at http://tinyurl.com/297884t This new study reviewed 2,341 patients’ records from stays at 10 North Carolina hospitals from 2002 to 2007. The reviewers … Continue reading

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Plaintiff winner #3: Dropped during transfer

The sound of a body hitting the floor can bring healthcare providers running. When the sound occurs when a nurse or aide drops a patient during transfer, the next sound may be, “Oh no.” This type of fall may occur … Continue reading

Posted in CMS never events, Damages, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Nursing home, Nursing malpractice, Pain and suffering, Patient safety, Tampering with evidence | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Plaintiff winner #2: Suicide in the Hospital

Suicide in hospitals is more common than you think. The Joint Commission reports it is the second most commonly reported sentinel event with 816 events reported as of June 30, 2010. Most of these suicides occur in psychiatric hospitals, followed … Continue reading

Posted in Communication skills, Damages, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Nursing malpractice, Patient safety, Tampering with evidence | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Plaintiff winner #1: Wrong patient/wrong site surgery

Operate on the wrong patient or wrong side of the body? Unthinkable, you say? According to a new study, surgeons do this 40 times a week! A study of more than 27,370 adverse events self-reported by Colorado physicians was published … Continue reading

Posted in CMS never events, Damages, Expert witness, Joint Commission, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Nursing malpractice, Patient safety | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Nurse as Patient Advocate by Pat Iyer

A New Jersey plaintiff attorney lost a $19 million verdict when a state appeals court found multiple trial errors. Med League supplied one of the expert witnesses for this case. The case involved an alleged delay in ordering a cesarean … Continue reading

Posted in Communication skills, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Patient safety | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Nurse Practitioners: Risks for Nursing Malpractice by Pat Iyer and Pat Goode

New roles and responsibilities, expansion of practice areas and changes in insurance patterns have meant increasing professional liability risks for nurse practitioners, one of the four major types of advanced practice nurses. Others include nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and clinical … Continue reading

Posted in Expert witness, Legal nurse consulting, Medical malpractice, Nursing malpractice | Tagged , | 2 Comments

When should nursing staff call a rapid response team? by Pat Iyer

A sudden deterioration in a patient’s condition should stimulate activation of emergency efforts. The goal of a rapid response team (RRT) is to avert a cardiac arrest – to take action before the patient stops breathing. Here are some generally … Continue reading

Posted in Healthcare Risk Management, Legal nurse consulting, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Nursing malpractice, Patient safety | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

What’s a medical error? Part 1 by Pat Iyer

I was talking to my son and his girlfriend about medical errors and he asked me to define them. Here are some cases we have handled. * the hospitalized patient who was alert, oriented, and ambulatory until the nurse administered … Continue reading

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Posted in Legal nurse consulting, Medical errors, Medical malpractice, Nursing malpractice | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment