December 22, 2006

Action Grandmas and Lawsuit Experts Denied

GrandmaWe said, "don't resuscitate grandma." So now we're gonna sue. Read [Kaiser Network]
Who's at fault, here?

Pill pushing doc's patient overdoses, murder charges filed Read [Las Vegas Now]

'Soothing' ointment chafes grandma, payday ensues Read [Roanoke Times]

Chemo overload in San Mateo Read [San Mateo Daily Journal]

Oklahoma Supreme Court says experts don't need to sign off on med mal suits Read [Tulsa World]

 

November 15, 2006

Washington Special and Blowhards

Will Tort Reform Fade as New Priorities Emerge for Congress? Oh, and buh-bye hearings on gay marriage .  Read [Law.com]

Thank the Lord! Insurance commish says med-mal crisis is over. Biz is lucrative again. Read [WTRF-TV]

Seems the GOP, the party of limited govt., was telling states how to deal with med-mal lawsuits. There's a shift happening in US politics, ya' hear? Read [Stateline.org]

Dr. Jaimy Bensimon has been defending himself in one malpractice case FOR NINE YEARS! Read [Orlando Sun-Sentinel]

November 13, 2006

News of the Nation

News_20 Petition: Lower the insurance rates already! Read [Florida Today]

$20 mil Payout in Philly Suburb; Thought Only City Juries Paid Out Big Read [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Miffed Mom Pickets Outside Doc's Office Over Poor Treatment Read [The Roanoke Times]

Rx: Judge Orders Sides To Work Something Out Read [The West Virginia Record]

Corporations Trim Fat and Liability, Tell Plebes To Get Operations in India Read [Austin Chronicle]

Med-Mal Caps? Check. Insurer Profits Up? Check.  Read [Birmingham Business  Journal]

ER Wait Kills Mom; Hospital Quickens the Pace Read [Gwinett Daily Post]

October 13, 2006

News and Views From the US

 

September 13, 2006

Revenge (?), Docs on Retainer, and CPR-safe

News_16 Plastic Surgery Goes Wrong. Patient dies 'accidentally'. Or was it revenge for high school tears? Read [Herald Today]

Salt Lake Docs Practicing on Retainer Read [KSL-TV]

Texas Medical Liability Trust Declares Big Dividend, Cuts Docs A Break
Read [Yahoo Finance]

Thank someone! American Heart Association says no "lay rescuer has ever been successfully sued for performing CPR." Glad that's cleared up. Read 

In Good Hands: Florida politco tackling med-mal issues also a tort claims attorney, married to a physician.
Read [Times and Democrat]

September 11, 2006

Robin Williams Special: Patch Adams and Pet Lawyers

Patchadams 'Patch' Adams Recalls Practicing Sans Med-Mal Insurance Read [Centre Daily Times]

Blue Cross and Friends Say 'No Mas' to Covering Bariatric Operation for Biggies
Read [Delaware State News]

Veterinarians' New Fear: 'Suit Happy Pet Lawyers Read [The Providence Journal]

In 2004 the American Veterinary Medical Association formed a task force on animal law last year and came out squarely against redefining the legal status of pets. They're on top of the issue and its paws-itively nuts! Read

News Anchor Who Sued For Botched Op Nets $1.4 million Watch [KOIN-TV] ~Settlement Is First Since Med-Mal Caps Overturned in Oregon


July 21, 2006

Friday News Roundup

News_11 Language barriers plague hospitals Read [USA TODAY]

Georgia peaches don't have to give up privacy of their medical records when they sue Read [Access North Georgia]

Delivery Rooms Vanishing for Philadelphia Mothers Read [WPVI-TV]

Missouri state insurance director gets to veto medical mal rates that are excessive or "unfairly discriminatory." Read [Insurance Journal]

June 20, 2006

Georgia Malpractice Reforms Miss Mark

Images1_1 The politicos promised that rising medical malpractice insurance rates would be suppressed under new Georgia state laws—a $350,000 limit on jury awards for malpractice victims' pain and suffering, tougher standards for expert witnesses in malpractice trials, and new incentives for patients to settle out of court—BUT six of the state's top insurers of doctors and dentists have increased their liability rates since the reforms took effect in 2005. Where's the drawing board? Read [Houston Chronicle]

May 11, 2006

Senate Pleas, Docs Return and A Liability IPO

Medical Liability Linkage
News_31) The gloves of the perfectly parted-haired senators are off. In light of the Senate shooting down med-mal caps—the GOP controls the action by the way— Sen. Rick Santorum, R-PA, keeps up the pleas. “Do we serve the patients and the doctors who wish to help them or do we serve the trial lawyers? By preventing debate and an up-or-down vote on these bills Monday evening, the Senate Democrats made their choice abundantly clear.” Read [The Hill]

2) Mississippi Gov. Haley R. Barbour says doctors are coming back to the state because the state’s principal medical liability carrier cut rates 5 percent and gave a 10 percent rebate. Interesting. Read [The Neshoba Democrat]

3) About 40 percent of the medical malpractice cases filed in the United States are groundless, according to a new Harvard analysis. How do you come to such a conclusion, you might ask? Researchers reviewed 1,452 malpractice claims randomly selected from five insurance companies. The cases were resolved between 1984 and 2004. The claims resulted in a combined $449 million in verdicts and settlements. Many of the lawsuits contained no evidence that a medical error was committed or that the patient suffered any injury. The majority of those cases were dismissed without payout. Read [Mercury News]

4) When it rains…. An eye surgeon in Tucson, Arizona convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder now is facing several medical malpractice lawsuits. Read [KPHO]

5) Sound investment? There’s a coming IPO of Darwin Professional Underwriters—they specialize in liability insurance for docs and hospitals. Some 5,217,391 common shares for about $15 are up for grabs. Business must be good. Hedge your bets people. Read [Hartford Courant]

About TMMS

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What makes you sick?

  • We want to hear your thoughts and personal stories.

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    • Fretted over rising malpractice premiums?

    • Signed a truly unbelievable medical liability waiver?

    • Faced a frivolous lawsuit?

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    • Practiced defensive medicine?

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You don't say...

  • "This election destroyed a popular Karl Rove myth. The truth is that trial attorneys are winning, attacks on trial attorneys are backfiring and opponents of the civil justice system are losing."

    The CEO of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America said.

  • "We have discovered that virtually all patients are willing to sign a contract in which they agree not to sue their doctors on frivolous grounds."

    Jeffrey Segal, M.D, a board-certified neurosurgeon and the founder and president of Medical Justice Services, Inc., said.

  • "Low-risk obstetrics has been done here for 60 years, but not anymore."

    Carl Hanson, chief operating officer of the county-run Minidoka Memorial Hospital in southern Idaho hospital's, explained as they get out of the baby business. Read

  • "I have children, and I don't know where they're at."

    Rosalinda Elison, a former patient at the UC Irvine Medical Center’s fertility clinic, said after learning that that her eggs and embryos had been stolen and implanted in another woman who then gave birth to twins.

    Read more You Don't Say, here.

Crisis by numbers:

  • $4.6 million

    New York state grants available to expand the use of electronic medical records. Such initiatives have been hailed nationally as a way to cut medication errors, save money and improve patient safety. LINK

  • $700,000

    Amount raised by Fairness and Accountability in Insurance Reform to oppose malpractice limits in Arizona. LINK

  • $450,000

    Amount the Arizona Medical Association says Arizonans for Access to Health Care has raised to decide whether to push for montetary limits on lawsuits. LINK

    Read more CRISIS BY NUMBERS, here.

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