A group of malpractice victims who met with White House officials last year have just sent this new letter to the President: January 28, 2011 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama: On March 1, 2010, the undersigned five survivors of medical negligence and family members….
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Panel rejects universal use of pain contracts
A panel of experts set up to probe the effectiveness of opioid treatment agreements has decided not to support the universal utilization of these arrangements, also known as pain agreements or pain contracts. Pain agreements outline the risks and benefits of opioid therapy, explain what is expected of the patient, educate the patient about how….
Continue ReadingJury awards $250,000 for erroneous cutting of hepatic duct
A woman in Napa, Ca., has been awarded $250,000 in a malpractice suit against the surgeon who removed her gallbladder and erroneously cut her hepatic duct. The verdict includes $70,393 for past medical expenses and $179,607 for pain and suffering. According to court documents, while performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), the surgeon cut….
Continue ReadingHype Busters: Helping You Get Better Health Care
An overdose of news media hype has long been a problem for consumers who want high quality health care but don’t want to bounce from health fad to health fad. Naive and uncritical journalists who write about health care issues are a huge source of the hype overdose. So it’s great to learn about a….
Continue ReadingPatients ask judge to bar equipment maker from selling to back surgeon
Former patients of an orthopedic surgeon in Dayton, Ohio, have petitioned a federal court to force a medical device company to stop selling him medical equipment. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court against Roswell, Ga.-based Mylotec Inc., also seeks damages for 19 former patients of Dr. Lawrence Rothstein. According to the complaint, Mylotec allegedly….
Continue Reading“Awake” Liposuction: Malpractice Tragedy Just Waiting to Happen
A new style of cosmetic liposuction leaves patients fully awake with only local injections of lidocaine to control their pain at the site where the doctor is suctioning their body fat. It’s a bad idea all around — dangerous, painful, and a potential tragedy to boot. The “Awake” treatment is touted as a way for….
Continue ReadingFDA sets new limits for prescription combination products with acetaminophen
To avoid the risk of “severe liver injury,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants manufacturers of prescription combination products containing acetaminophen to limit the amount of acetaminophen to no more than 325 milligrams (mg) in each tablet or capsule. Manufacturers also will have to update warning labels on these products to alert consumers about….
Continue ReadingCouple challenges West Virginia malpractice award caps
A West Virginia couple who had been awarded more than $1.5 million in damages in a medical malpractice case only to have the award cut by two-thirds is challenging the state law that caps medical malpractice payouts to victims. The husband developed rhabdomyolysis after being given a combination of medications at a West Virginia hospital…..
Continue ReadingVancouver pain clinic accused of medical malpractice for excessive opiate prescribing
A wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against a Vancouver, Wa., pain clinic by four plaintiffs who allege the clinic prescribed excessive amounts of pain medications, causing overdose deaths and addictions. The estates of two patients who died of opiate overdoses are suing Vancouver Payette Clinic in Clark County, Wa., circuit court,….
Continue ReadingSurgeons’ Sleep Deprivation and Patient Safety
Research shows that a surgeon who has been working for 24 hours is impaired as much as a drunk person in thinking and motor function. So should patients have a right to know if their doctor has been up all night? Yes, say a group of sleep researchers, who argued for full disclosure of sleep….
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