Valleywide Legal Blog

The Impaired Physician

Doctors are only human.  They are prey to the same frailties that plague the rest of us.  Like the rest of us, some of them become addicted to alcohol or use narcotics or other substances that can affect their judgment … Read More

Posted in Arizona Medical Board, disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, health, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Nurses, Secrecy |

Hospital Secrecy Hurts Us All

Hospitals are complex business and healthcare organizations.  In large hospitals in metropolitan areas, there are teams of healthcare providers working around the clock and communicating with each other through the patient’s medical chart.  The wonder is not that errors in … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, electronic medical records, Fee for Service, Health Care Costs, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical charts, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, never events, Nurses, Secrecy |

Emergency Rooms Can Be Hazardous To Your Child’s Health

When your child has an emergency condition and needs treatment right now, you don’t have time to research the local emergency rooms to find those which are experienced with and ready to handle pediatric emergencies.  Even if you know that … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medication Errors, Misdiagnosis, Secrecy |

Hospital Puts Money and Prestige Ahead of Patients

Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire had a problem.  Its star cardiothoracic surgeon was killing people.  What to do?  It could protect patients or it could protect itself and its star surgeon.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, it chose the money and … Read More

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

The Medical Profession’s Dirty Little Secret

The medical profession in the United States is highly respected and highly compensated.  Members of the profession pride themselves on adhering to a Code of Ethics, in which the needs of the patient are paramount and those of the doctor … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Lawsuits, Malpractice caps, medical errors, medical ethics, tort reform |

The Statute of Limitations Can Kill Your Malpractice Case

Every state has a statute of limitations for civil claims.  The statute, which may actually be a series of statutes, sets deadlines by which a claim must be filed or the right to sue is lost.  There are usually different … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical charts, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, plaintiff, retained surgical instruments, Statute of Limitations |

A Complete and Total Failure – Part Three

The final betrayal of the public, and specifically the victims of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, actually took place years before his surgical rampage through the Dallas area.  In 2003, the Texas legislature, responding to what it claimed was … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Finding a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, Lawsuits, Malpractice caps, Malpractice costs, Medical Costs, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice damages caps, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, Secrecy, tort reform |

A Complete and Total Failure – Part Two

This is the second part of my discussion of the system failures that allowed Dr. Christopher Duntsch to become a Dallas area neurosurgeon and to damage patient after patient. Having resigned his staff privileges with his first hospital after negotiating … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, never events, plaintiff, Secrecy, Surgical Errors, tort reform |

A Complete and Total Failure – Part One

I recently finished listening to a podcast about a Texas neurosurgeon, who was so incompetent and injured so many people that he is now serving a life term for elder abuse and assault as a result of a surgery gone … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, never events, Secrecy, Surgical Errors, tort reform |

State Medical Boards Continue To Fail The Public – Part 2

I always advise people looking for a doctor or getting ready to have surgery to check the web site of the state medical board to see if the doctor has been disciplined and, if so, for what reason.  Unfortunately, this … Read More

Posted in Arizona Medical Board, disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |