Patient Safety Archives - The Thompson Law Firm

Jury Awards $30M To Family Of 23-Year-Old Who Died From Ulcer

Bill Thompson Feb 20, 2024 Courtroom, Daily, Damages, Hospitals, Insurance Companies, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Personal Injury Trial Lawyer, Verdicts Comments Off

You don’t often hear about the frivolous and stubborn defenses that anger juries. David Dickey, who represents Hannah Waite’s parents, told Law360 on Friday that he proposed settlements of $250,000 to each doctor, but the defense refused and made no offers of their own. Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1803831?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2024-02-20&read_main=1&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=0?copied=1

Who’s In Charge?

Bill Thompson Dec 21, 2023 Daily, Hospitals, Juries, Medical Error, Medical Records, Patient Safety, Verdicts Comments Off

In every investigation involving medical malpractice issues, in addition to the medical research and deep dive into the medical records, I endeavor to find out everything I can about the background of the health care providers involved at every level in my client’s care and treatment. For this very reason: Lee’s family successfully argued that […]

United Health Is Using AI to Deny Insurance Claims

Bill Thompson Nov 16, 2023 Daily, Insurance, Insurance Companies, News, Patient Safety, Quality Fraud Comments Off

Insurance carriers have already begun using artificial intelligence to deny health insurance claims. A new lawsuit in Minnesota identifies United Health as using algorithms to deny the health insurance claims of elderly and disabled insureds, When claims are denied, necessary treatment is delayed – increasing the likelihood of serious injuries and death. The lawsuit, filed […]

Med Mal Presuit Rules Can Be A Trap

Bill Thompson Sep 19, 2023 Access to Courts, Appeals, Daily, Hospitals, Insurance Companies, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Statutes Comments Off

Many states, like Florida, have presuit rules for medical malpractice cases, passed at the urging of lobbies that represent insurance companies and hospital systems. These rules differ from state to state but generally make filing suit more difficult by setting up a series of procedures your lawyer has to follow. Unsurprisingly, almost every case involves […]

Discovery of Hospital Incident Reporting and Peer Review Privilege

Bill Thompson Sep 15, 2023 Appeals, Daily, Evidence, Hospitals, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Peer Review Comments Off

I have had cases like the one below with both anonymous and signed reports removed from medical charts. In one case, a doctor met me in a restaurant across the street from the hospital and delivered to me his copy of a report that had been removed from the patient’s chart. I have also been […]

Sackler Immunity and the Purdue Pharma Settlement

Bill Thompson Sep 1, 2023 Access to Courts, Daily, Dopesick, News, Patient Safety, Pharma, Procedure, SCOTUS Comments Off

SCOTUS court watchers were a little shocked that the Court blocked the Purdue Pharma / Sackler settlement – even if temporarily – and there is a lot of buzz about how they will answer this question: whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve, as part of a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 […]

Physicians Assistants Are Not Doctors

Bill Thompson Aug 25, 2023 Daily, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Physicians Comments Off

You might assume that a physicians’ assistant is working under the close supervision of a physician. In my experience, you would be mistaken. The nurse practitioner will see you now. It’s not the phrase most people are accustomed to hearing, but it’s increasingly the case, with patients more likely than ever to see providers with […]

The Endless Courthouse Drama When Hospitals Are Determined To Hide Their Policies And Procedures

Bill Thompson Jul 14, 2023 Appeals, Courts, Daily, Ethics, Hospitals, Insurance Companies, Law, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Procedure Comments Off

I posted recently about frivolous defenses and appeals raised by defendants, often because their insurance carriers have the resources to waste time and the incentive to hold on to the money that will eventually be paid to satisfy the claim. When we hear about frivolous claims, it is usually from insurance interests complaining that non-meritorious […]

Missouri Hospital Keeps Trial Win In Shaken Baby Case

Bill Thompson Jun 14, 2023 Children, Daily, Hospitals, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Negligence, News, Patient Safety Comments Off

Duty to warn cases are important but the proof can be tricky. At issue on appeal is a jury instruction stating that jurors were to find in favor of the hospital if they determined that Lane’s then-boyfriend, Ben Andrews, had abused Hollis. Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1688549?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2023-06-14&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=4?copied=1

AI In Medicine and Law

Bill Thompson Jun 8, 2023 Daily, Ethics, Medical Error, Medical Malpractice, Patient Safety, Technology Comments Off

As lawyers look forward to patient safety advances that AI may make available in medicine, it is important to keep an eye on the dangers as they appear in our own profession. Levidow Levidow & Oberman PC and its attorney Steven Schwartz told a New York federal court that they are “truly mortified” over submitting […]

Category: Patient Safety