A recent study published by the American Heart Association shows that mortality rates are higher for women in Ohio who have a heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI). The reason for this is that women are less likely than men to present with classic findings of chest pain. We have long known that physician bias [...]
A decrease in oxygen to an infant during labor and delivery can lead to catastrophic as well as fatal results. Oxygen deprivation (often described by the medical terms "anoxia" and "hypoxia") is caused when the supply of oxygen to an infant's brain is reduced. It can happen in all stages of pregnancy, labor and delivery. [...]
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common medical condition that accounts for many medical negligence claims. The American College of Physicians routinely publishes guidelines to assist physicians in treating and, better yet, preventing pulmonary embolism. PEs can be effectively prevented when patients who are at risk for the condition are "prophylaxed," or treated before developing a PE. The [...]
When it comes to medical errors, doctors are not likely to tell their patients the truth. Typically, a physician will keep his/her patient in the dark by using euphemistic medical-speak to explain an error, such as referring to an avoidable surgical injury as an "unanticipated complication of the procedure." But a recent study in the Journal of Health Affairs [...]
Medical errors and hospital-acquired infections kill or injure over 1 million patients each year. Don't be a victim. If you watch one video this holiday season, please make it this one. If you care about patient safety and awareness, watch this video. Please share this video with anyone that questions the importance of improving patient [...]
A bill currently before an Ohio Senate committee looks to give doctors more protection and patients less. Ohio Senate Bill 129 would take away patients' right to sue for medical errors when they receive emergency medical services under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). This civil immunity bill, if passed, would [...]
Tort reform is unsafe and unconstitutional, yet it seems to be the topic on every politician's agenda. This notion of frivolous lawsuits and juries awarding unjustified verdicts is simply untrue. This topic is popular because big business and insurance companies spend millions of dollars to convince everyone that the system is broken and that attorneys [...]
Tort Reform Legislation is unsafe, unfair and unnecessary. Limits on what can be awarded for non-economic damages have resulted in insurance companies profiting at the expense of injured patients. Doctors have also been misled by insurance companies to believe that medical malpractice attorneys are to blame for their skyrocketing insurance premiums. Not true! Tort reform [...]
Medical malpractice claims due to negligence in treating a possible heart attack are the subject of significant litigation. Degree of chest pain is not always a good indicator of whether a patient seen in the emergency department of a hospital has experienced a myocardial infarction - a heart attack, or how much damage to the [...]
There are many causes of nursing home malpractice, but one of the common causes is believed to be chronic understaffing at most nursing home and other long-term care facilities. According to a recent federal study, approximately 90 percent of U.S. nursing homes have insufficient staffing levels to provide the necessary care to their residents. Although [...]