Valleywide Legal Blog

When Hospitals Choose Your Doctor For You

I have often written about the importance of doing some homework when choosing a new doctor.  There are a lot of resources out there and it is foolish not to take advantage of them.  A poorly-qualified doctor, or one who … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Fee for Service, Hospitals, Informed Consent, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice claims, medical mistakes, Secrecy |

The You Tube Trained Surgeon

You Tube and social media are recognized disrupters of almost everything.  Now you can add surgery to the list. Hernia is the general name given to the protrusion of something through a retaining structure into an area where it does … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Fee for Service, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Medical Costs, Medical Devices, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, Medicare, robotic surgery, Surgical Errors |

State Medical Boards Are Not Protecting The Public

In October I discussed the case of Dr. Christopher Dunstch, a Texas neurosurgeon, who was so incompetent that he injured or killed 33 of the 37 patients upon whom he performed spine surgery.  One of the surgeons who was called … Read More

Posted in Arizona Medical Board, Doctors, Hospitals, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, 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 Defensive Medicine Scam

One of the complaints doctors often make is that the existence of so many frivolous medical malpractice suits forces them to practice defensive medicine.  By this they mean that the worry of a potential lawsuit makes them order tests or … Read More

Posted in Defensive Medicine, Doctors, Fee for Service, Lawsuits, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, trial |

Where Are All The Malpractice Suits?

Study after study has shown that medical malpractice is a leading cause of deaths and injuries in the United States.  Some estimates place the number of annual deaths attributable to preventable medical errors at over 250,000.  This would make medical … Read More

Posted in arizona certified personal injury lawyers, Doctors, Finding a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Hospitals, Lawsuits, Malpractice caps, Malpractice costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice damages caps, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, tort reform, trial, Valuing Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases |

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 |

Country Living Can Be Bad For Your Health

Many Americans have an idealized view of country living.  Peace, quiet, nearby nature, a refuge from the stresses of the big city.  It sounds very inviting.  Many of those things do exist in the country, but there is a reason … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Fee for Service, General Health, health, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, Surgical Errors |