In 2019, Medicare penalized 800 U.S. hospitals for the high number of injuries and infections suffered by their patients. The penalties were enacted through a program in the Affordable Care Act where the federal government cuts Medicare reimbursements for hospitals with high rates of patient infections and injuries. The idea being that if hospitals suffer
Medical Malpractice
The recent news is full of reports of hospitals purchasing million dollar robots for surgeons to use when they perform operations. The robots are used in all kinds of surgeries including bariatric procedures, hernia repairs, gall bladder removal, appendectomies, and a host of other surgeries. NBC News presented an informative report titled, The da Vinci surgical robot: A
Sadly, in our office, when someone says – “That’s a good case,” some awful unspeakable tragedy has occurred to someone in Western Virginia. The list of tragedies is unfortunately very long: someone lost a loved one a child has died or suffered a life changing injury a professional lost his or her job because they
Physicians and hospitals commit malpractice every hour of every day. Don’t believe me? Check out this trailer for an HBO special set to air tomorrow – BLEED OUT.
In America, thousands of mothers suffer significant injuries or die during childbirth. Each year more than 50,000 American women suffer severe injuries from childbirth. About 700 American women die each year from childbirth. A recent study from the USA Today demonstrates half of the deaths and injuries can be prevented by implementing safety practices mostly
Last week I spoke to a woman who in my experience, likely has a malpractice case against a Virginia surgeon. She asked if there had been prior lawsuits against the surgeon and I told her that in fact I personally knew of four. She was shocked. She had spent significant time researching the doctor’s reputation
I have spent the last 36+ hours in hospital waiting rooms, the ICU and various stages of pre and post op care with a member of my family. (Thankfully she is doing well). I have seen some extraordinary surgical care and most compassionate nursing care. I am also painfully aware of what COULD have happened
No American between 40 and 80 is unaware of the recommendation for screening colonoscopies. The American Cancer Society recommends that people at “average risk” of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. This can be done either with a test that looks for signs of cancer in a person’s stool, or with an exam that
One of the most important decisions a person can make is which doctor to trust with his or her medical care. A recent blog post[1] on our website discusses factors to consider when selecting your doctor, including the number of times a doctor has performed the specific operation you will undergo. If you are planning
I am sometimes amazed how people find and choose their doctors. You do want a good and competent doctor don’t you? Sometimes you have no options…you are admitted to the hospital with stomach pain, diagnosed with appendicitis and need emergency surgery. In those cases you agree to take whichever general surgeon is offered by the