Nursing Home Neglect and Medical Malpractice
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, a study found that 44% of nursing home residents report abuse and 95% report neglect of themselves or other residents within the past year. Of the abuse that is being reported in nursing homes – 29% is physical abuse; 21% is psychological abuse; 14% is gross neglect; 7% is sexual abuse; 7% is financial exploitation; and 22% is resident-to-resident abuse. Another study found that more than 50% of nursing home staff report mistreating residents within the past year.
Pursuing a Psychiatric Malpractice Claim
Like anywhere else, America has its fair share of people who seek mental medical help. Thousands and thousands of people across the nation seek treatment each year.
Cataract Surgery Complications and Medical Malpractice
According to statistics, there are over 24.4 million people in the United States over the age of 40 who are affected by cataracts. 50% of people over the age of 80 have cataracts. The federal government spends $3.4 billion annually for the treatment of this condition through Medicare.
Medical errors, IT problems and the role of apologies
While New York is not one of the states that gives protection to medical professionals who apologize for a medical error, some facilities and practitioners around the country have noted that saying “I’m sorry” often reduces the risk of a lawsuit. In the past, the more common practice has been denial, but apologizing is becoming more common.
Hospital operator pays out millions for malpractice
NYC Health + Hospitals, a public benefit corporation that operates several clinics and public hospitals in New York City, paid out $124 million to plaintiffs in medical malpractice complaints in 2015. The total amount that it paid was a drop from the $133 million that it paid to injured patients in 2014. However, medical malpractice claims against the organization rose from 536 to 552 in 2015.
5 Important Things to Know about Medical Malpractice
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the third leading cause of death in the United States is medical negligence, right behind heart disease and cancer. In 2012, more than $3 billion was spent in medical malpractice payouts, meaning that there is an average of one payout every 43 minutes. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 patients are killed each year as a result of medical errors.
Doctors more likely to misdiagnose difficult patients
New York residents might be surprised to learn that patients who are deemed “difficult” by doctors are at increased risk for a misdiagnosis, according to two new studies published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety. Researchers say the reason is that physicians faced with difficult patients are more likely to be distracted from their clinical work, particularly when dealing with complex medical cases.
Ectopic Pregnancy and Medical Negligence
In 2014, statistics showed that the rate of ectopic pregnancy was 19.7 cases per 1,000 pregnancies in North America and it is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the first trimester. 9% of all pregnancy deaths are caused by an ectopic pregnancy.
Malpractice Liability for Bariatric Surgery Errors
An estimated 440,000 people in the United States are killed every year by hospital, physician, or nurse errors. Medical errors rank third among the most common causes of death in the country. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 50% of all the medical malpractice cases that are pursued by patients are against their surgeons.
Failure to Diagnose Cancer and Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Cancer is one of the major causes of death in the United States as well as across the globe. In 2012, there were 14 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. Statistics reveal that there will be an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer in the United States and 595,690 deaths caused by the disease in 2016. Within the next two decades, the number of new cancer cases will rise to 22 million.