Valleywide Legal Blog

Medical Malpractice or Criminal Conduct?

Last week I wrote about an ICU doctor in Ohio, who was accused of deliberately overdosing 11 of his critically ill patients with a powerful painkiller and thereby shortening their lives.  After nearly a week of deliberations, the jury acquitted … Read More

Posted in Arizona Medical Board, disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Nurses, Prescription Errors, Secrecy |

Traveling Nurses: An Increasingly Common Phenomenon

It is no secret that nurses are the backbone of the health care system.  They are generally caring and compassionate.  They are the health care professionals who interact most often with patients in both doctors’ offices and in hospitals.  Right … Read More

Posted in Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Nurses |

The “Just World” Phenomenon and the Malpractice Jury.

The “just world” phenomenon is the name given to the tendency of human beings to believe that the world is just and that people get what they deserve.  It is a form of cognitive bias.  We all have this tendency … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Finding a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, trial, Verdicts |

Wrong Site Surgeries.

Wrong site surgeries are in the news again.  Wrong site surgery occurs when a surgeon operates on a part of the body that was not intended to be the target of the surgery.  While most cases of wrong site surgery … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Hip Replacement, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, joint replacement, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, never events, Nurses, Surgical Errors |

Practice Makes Perfect

“Practice makes perfect.”  How often have we heard that old bromide?  Perhaps the main reason it has lasted so long is that there is a lot of truth to it.  There certainly is when the subject is medical procedures. When … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Hip Replacement, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Informed Consent, medical errors, Nurses, Surgical Errors |

The Important Doctor You Never See

There is a doctor whose work is very important to your health.  Her decisions may be the difference between life and death for you.  Her decisions may determine if you undergo surgery.  Her decisions may determine what drugs you receive.  … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Fraud, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, prostate cancer testing, Secrecy |

Damages: The Third and Final Element of a Medical Malpractice Case

Over the past two weeks, I have written about the first two required elements of a medical malpractice case:  Standard of Care and Causation.  There is a final requirement.  It is that the breach of the standard of care must … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Health Care Costs, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, Malpractice caps, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice damages caps, medical malpractice lawsuits, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, tort reform |

The Role of Causation in Medical Malpractice Cases

Last week I wrote about the standard of care.  Standard of care is the first element a patient must prove to win a medical malpractice case.  The second element of proof is that the breach of the standard of care … Read More

Posted in Autopsy, Blood Clots, Cancer, Doctors, heart attack, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Informed Consent, Lawsuits, Lung Cancer, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Misdiagnosis, plaintiff, Surgical Errors, trial |

What Exactly Is Medical Malpractice?

Everybody talks about medical malpractice but when you ask them about it, you find people have different ideas about what it really is.  Given its legal definition, this difference of opinion is not surprising.  Depending on whom you ask, you … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, trial, Verdicts |

The Never Event.

In 2001, the concept of “never events” was introduced.  The idea was that a never event was one which was identifiable, caused serious injury or death and was almost always preventable.  The original list has grown and there are now … Read More

Posted in Birth Injuries, blood infections, disclosure of medical mistakes, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Medical Devices, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medicare, Medication Errors, never events, Nurses, Pharmacy Malpractice, Prescription Errors, retained surgical instruments, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |