Yearly Archives: 2012
The Four “Not So” Essential Criteria
In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics (“AAP”), along with the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology (“ACOG”), published Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy: Defining the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology (“NEACP”). The NEACP (or Green Book) sought to identify four “essential” criteria necessary to attribute the events of labor and delivery to neonatal encephalopathy and… Read More »
Informed Consent – What Should Your Doctors Tell You Prior to Treatment?
Medical malpractice cases are not limited to those involving a doctor deviating from the standard of care in his treatment of a patient and as a result causing significant injuries or even death to the patient. Medical malpractice may occur when a doctor fails to obtain “informed consent” from the patient prior to rendering… Read More »
Hospital Infections Are a Serious Threat to Patient Safety
Nosocomial infections, also known as hospital- acquired infections, occur at alarming rates causing millions of patients to become sick and, in many instances, die. Not to mention that treatment of patients who get a hospital born infection increase the costs of medical care exponentially. MRSA, or Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus has been of particular… Read More »
State Cites St. Luke’s Hospital for Failing to Protect its Patients
According to a State Department of Health report, nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital on three occasions in 2010 and 2011 improperly programmed patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps. A PCA pump is a computerized pump that contains pain medication that is connected directly to a patient’s intravenous (IV) line. Typically, the pump is set to… Read More »
Caps on Medical Malpractice Damages, Bad For Patients
Approximately half of the states currently have caps on payments in malpractice cases. These states have passed laws that typically limit the amount that a victim of medical malpractice can be awarded for non-economic (pain and suffering) damages; however, some states have limited both non-economic and economic damages (medical expenses and lost wages). And… Read More »
Not All Doctors Want to Help You
After a Maryland personal injury claim has been filed by a plaintiff, the other side will have the right to have their own doctor perform a physical examination of the injured plaintiff. Maryland Rule 2-423 permits such examinations. The defense bar has dubbed this physical examination “independent” in an attempt to convince the jury… Read More »
The Truth About Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Look at any phone book or do a Google search looking to find a medical malpractice lawyer in Philadelphia and you are bound to be bombarded with countless firms offering their “medical malpractice services.” The truth, however, is that many of the firms who advertise for medical malpractice cases actually do not litigate those… Read More »
Ophthalmology Malpractice
Last week a Baltimore County jury awarded $1 million dollars in a medical malpractice claim alleging that the Plaintiff had lost nearly all her vision under the Defendant ophthalmologist’s care. This is a great result in what is considered to be a difficult venue for malpractice claims. What makes the case even more interesting… Read More »
Watch Hot Coffee
Most people have heard of the “Stella Awards,” which are “awarded” to people who file outrageous and frivolous lawsuits, named after Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in the famous McDonald’s case who, in 1992, was severely burned by a cup of McDonald’s coffee ordered at a drive thru. This case, as well as the decades… Read More »
Breast Cancer Study
The women of this world are fighting an epidemic with the surging rates of Breast Cancer. This horrible disease strikes the young and old, and while certain women are more susceptible than others to develop this disease – it can strike any women at any time. Male Breast cancer is also on the rise… Read More »