Valleywide Legal Blog

Your Medical Records Access Is Changing

You have a right to see your medical records.  Recent changes in the law and in federal regulations are increasing your rights in this area.  Know your rights and take advantage of them. If you have received medical treatment in … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, health, Hospitals, medical charts, medical errors, medical mistakes |

The Electronic Medical Record.

One of the requirements of federal law is that hospital records be recorded electronically.  The requirement for electronic medical records (“EMR”) has a number of justifications, including portability.  Patients are entitled to have a copy of their medical records.  When … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical charts, Medical Costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medication Errors, Nurses, Prescription Errors |

Lots of Malpractice Out There.

I have spoken to or reviewed records for thousands of patients over the years I have been representing people injured by medical malpractice.  I have also read a lot of articles about the incidence of medical malpractice.  I can say … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical charts, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Nurses |

Telephone, Anyone?

I am sure most of you remember the children’s game of Telephone.  You get a group of people and the first tells a secret to the second.  The second repeats the secret to the third person, who tells it to … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, health, Lawsuits, medical charts, medical ethics, plaintiff |

Medical Record Confidentiality.

As patients, we have an expectation that our medical records will remain confidential. After all, there are few records more personal than our medical records, which may describe the most intimate details of our personal lives. Confidentiality is important to … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, Fraud, Health Insurers, Hospitals, medical charts, medical ethics, Nurses, Secrecy | Tagged , |

Another Perspective on Healthcare Consolidation

Here is a piece that a friend of mine sent me.  It appeared in a healthcare blog.  It recounts a probably fictional event in which a doctor saw a briefing paper intended for a hospital executive but accidentally left behind … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, Fee for Service, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, medical charts, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Secrecy |

You Have a Right to Your Medical Records.

With rare exceptions, there can be no claim for medical malpractice without the medical records.  Juries give a lot of weight to the medical records.  Pretty much, if it is in the medical records, the jury will believe it no … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, electronic medical records, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical charts, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice claims, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Nurses, plaintiff, Secrecy |

Computer Problems Cause Medical Errors

Banner Health is big.  Not only is it the largest health care system in the state of Arizona, it is our largest employer as well.  When it has computer problems, many patients are likely to be affected.  This was the … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, electronic medical records, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical charts, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, plaintiff |

Computers and Patient Safety

While there is no question that computers have been of great value in improving the ability to deliver medical care, they are anything but an unalloyed blessing.  Among the problems they bring computer systems and automated devices are expensive and … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, Health Care Costs, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical charts, Medical Costs, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Nurses |

The Algorithms Are Coming

The Stanford University School of Medicine and Google have teamed up to improve medical care.  At least in part this is the result of the belief of the dean of the school that the greatest innovations in medicine going forward … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, General Health, genetic testing, health, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, Infection, medical charts, Medical Costs |