Valleywide Legal Blog

The Medical Malpractice System Favors Doctors.

Here is more evidence, if more evidence is needed, that the medical malpractice system favors doctors.  It is in the form of a report published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a publication by and for doctors.  The … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Malpractice costs, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice claims, medical malpractice damages caps, medical malpractice lawsuits, plaintiff, tort reform |

Arizona Hospitals Busted by Medicare for Patient Safety Lapses.

I am not the only one who believes that there are patient safety problems at Arizona hospitals.  Medicare has announced that it is penalizing 15 Arizona hospitals for high rates of infection and patient safety issues.  The Arizona 15 are … Read More

Posted in General Health, health, Health Care Costs, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Infection, Medical Costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medicare, Sepsis |

Medical Malpractice Case Evaluation – A Primer for Lawyers

Below is an article I wrote for the Advocate, the monthly  journal of the Arizona Association for Justice, a professional association of plaintiffs personal injury lawyers.  It provides advice to lawyers thinking about taking on a medical malpractice case.  It has been edited … Read More

Posted in Uncategorized |

The Surgical “Black Box” Revisited.

A little over four years ago, I wrote about a Canadian surgeon who had developed a “black box” to monitor events in the operating room and warn surgeons and nurses if they were deviating from best practices.  The goal was … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, medical research, Nurses, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |

To Sue Or Not to Sue?

In the course of my work as a medical malpractice attorney here in Phoenix, I meet and speak to many people who want to know if they have a malpractice case or not.  Despite the fact that many of these … Read More

Posted in Defensive Medicine, disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice claims, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Secrecy |

Jury Awards $14 Million in Malpractice Case.

Here is another large malpractice award that sounds excessive but is probably not.  The facts, as they almost always are in these cases, are sad. A twelve-year-old girl underwent a heart transplant in 2007 at a Seattle children’s hospital.  In … Read More

Posted in Blood Clots, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, Medical Costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, Medical Malpractice Case Value, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Secrecy, Stroke, Surgical Errors, Valuing Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases, Verdicts |

Incidence of Malpractice in Long-Term-Care Hospitals.

Unbiased information about medical malpractice is often hard to come by.  As I have discussed from time to time, there is a veil of secrecy that surrounds malpractice events and claims.  Doctors and hospitals don’t want to admit they make … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, health, Health Care Costs, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Medical Costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medicare, Medication Errors, Nurses, Secrecy |