Medical Malpractice

Michigan Doctor of Oncology Charged in $35 Million Medicare Fraud Case

A government press release reports the arrest of the owner of the Michigan Hematology Centers with charges of widespread Medicare fraud. In the past two years, these centers billed Medicare for a total of $35 million. The doctor allegedly prescribed unnecessary treatments and chemotherapy to patients who either did not need it or could not benefit from it.

Putting patients at risk of chemotherapy side effects, the doctor has reportedly falsely diagnosed cancer and began treatment for those that ...

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Deaths From Hospital Mistakes More Than Two Times Higher Than Prior Estimate

hospital errors are killing more patients than previously thoughtA new study published in the current edition of the Journal of Patient Safety drastically increases the estimated number of people who die each year due to hospital error. The authors estimate that each year between 210,000 and 440,000 patients suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death. They estimate that the rate of serious errors not resulting in death is 10 or ...

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Experts Say Heart Stents Used More Often Than Necessary

The New York Times recently reported about studies show that heart stent placement, called an angioplasty, is among the most overused medical interventions. The insertion of a heart stent, a small metal mesh tube that is used to open a narrowed artery, can be lifesaving in emergency situations. However, studies by the American Medical Association and the Joint Commission reported that stents are often implanted in those who gain little, if any, benefit.

Heart stents are sometimes used for ...

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CDC: Decontamination Procedures Not Followed After Creutzfeldt-Jakob Patient Treated

CNN reports that several patients who underwent surgery at a Massachusetts Hospital may have been exposed to rare and dangerous disease due to improper sterilization of medical equipment from another facility in New Hampshire.

The medical equipment, rented by Medtronic Inc., was initially used on a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. After that initial procedure, the equipment was sterilized with heat, which is known to not be effective in eliminating Creutzfeldt-Jakob contamination. ...

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Couple gets $55 million award over brain-damaged infant

A Baltimore jury awarded a couple $55 million damages, over their claims that Johns Hopkins Hospital’s negligence resulted in their son being born with severe mental and physical disabilities.

A story in the Baltimore Sun says it was one of the largest malpractice judgments in Maryland history.

The mother, Rebecca Fielding, had wanted to deliver her baby at home with the assistance of a midwife, the story ...

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Parents of brain-damaged baby file lawsuit

An article from Pacific News Center concerns a lawsuit that parents of a baby born with severe brain damage filed in District Court of Guam. The parents claim that negligence on the part of the doctor overseeing the birth cause their baby’s disabilities.

The baby’s mother, Shamaralynn Terlaje, alleges in the lawsuit that she experienced prolonged bradycardia – or slowing of the heart rate – three times during her labor.

The lawsuit claims that condition indicated her ...

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