In our last post, we began looking at a recent study which found that found anesthesiologists may be significantly underreporting medication errors. The problem is particularly prevalent with respect to antibiotic and opioid errors. Failure to self-report errors is,...
Detroit Medical Malpractice Law Blog
Study looks at low reporting rate of medication errors among anesthesiologists
Medication errors are a common type of medical error observed in the health care industry. In many cases, medication errors are preventable. These errors can be traced back to physicians, of course, in the prescription of medications, but also to pharmacists who...
A bit about medical malpractice claims based on failure to obtain informed consent
In our last post, we noted both the importance of informed consent in health care, as well as the fact that informed consent is not necessarily always sufficient. Under Michigan law, negligence can occur with informed consent when a physician fails to reasonably...
Why do doctors refuse to admit or apologize for mistakes?
According to research conducted by John Hopkins University, medical errors kill approximately 251,000 patients each year across America. Countless other patients are injured by medical malpractice.While these numbers are staggering, the number of families that receive...
Noneconomic damages cap is one among several federal tort reform proposals
Last time, we looked briefly at a federal measure being proposed by Republicans in the House of Representatives which would put a cap of $250,000 on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. That measure, as some readers may know, is one of a number of...
House lawmakers contemplate federal med mal damages cap
As we mentioned in our last post, law makers in the House of Representatives are reportedly considering a measure that would establish a federal cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases.The legislation, which has been approved by the House Judiciary...
Med Mal damages caps highlight importance of building strong damages case
Michigan readers may know that there is a cap in Michigan on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. Non-economic damages refer to damages which are not readily measurable in monetary terms, and include things like pain and suffering, loss of consortium and...
Study suggests change in standard surgical practice may be appropriate
We have written before on this blog on the topic of medical standard of care. As we’ve noted, the medical standard of care can vary from one state to another and even from one community to another, depending on state law.Standard of care can come from a variety...
When routine medical, surgical procedures result in serious harm to patients, P.2
Previously, we began looking at the issue of medical mishaps which occur in the context of routine medical procedures. As we noted, routine medical procedures, such as tonsillectomies, are by and large successful and occur without serious incident. In some cases,...
When routine medical, surgical procedures result in serious harm to patients, P.1
One important point that every patient needs to be aware of is that every medical and surgical procedure presents risks to the patient. The nature and seriousness of the risks depends, of course, on various factors, including the patient's condition, the proposed...