New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

A stay in the hospital can be an emotional and traumatic experience for most anyone. This is especially true when you or someone you love must be continually monitored due to an illness or injury. A New York Medical Malpractice Attorney also claims that their very lives often depend on the monitoring equipment being fully functional, and on hospital staff paying close attention to any indications that something may be happening that will require their attention to be focused on the patient.
All have learned that the best-case scenario of when an alarm sounds from a medical monitoring device, it may by ignored by medical personnel. There are also cases that have been reported of these life-saving alarms may not be sounded at all. Some recent reports in the investigative media have specified more than a few problems with this life-saving system--Problems that have cost some people their lives, and has forever altered others.
Sources have told a NY Medical Malpractice Attorney that when these alarms are ignored by hospital staff, it may be referred to as “alarm fatigue.” Medical personnel are confronted by as many as 1,000 alarms a day, in some cases. That is an astounding number, and while there are many of the alarms that indicate that a patient is in distress, there are also many more of these alarms that are false. Medical personnel are people too, and people tend to become conditioned or desensitized to external stimuli when that stimulus is persistent in its duration. Just to note that some medical equipment emits constant beeps in addition to alarms, which further adds to this desensitization. Hospitals in Westchester County and Staten Island would do well to study this case and make sure they don't suffer the same fate.
Human error is not the only contributing factors to alarm fatigue, however. Medical equipment manufacturers must also bear responsibility and should constantly strive to improve their products in order to reduce, or even better to eliminate, these false alarms.
When medical personnel allow alarm fatigue to set in, thereby allowing them to ignore these kinds of alarms, they are negligent in the performance of their duties and should be held accountable. These persons are charged with the safety and well-being of those who are at least temporarily unable to care for themselves, and are held to a higher standard of ethical and legal conduct.

Continue reading "When Hospital Alarms Are Ignored" »

America's healthcare system is under continuous reform and improvement. There have been many debates over the years about reforms which could be used to make the healthcare system much better and more effective.

One of the most controversial issues is that malpractice suits could be increasing our annual healthcare costs, explains a New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer. The debate has to consider the dangers to patient safety, and the doctors wellbeing.

Many people who are trying to reform the medical malpractice lawsuit procedure argue that they are pushing qualified doctors away. Many of these people will also suggest that medical malpractice cases are the main reason why health insurance is rising so steeply. However, this certainly isn't true.

The NYC Medical Malpractice Lawyer explains that the cost of medical malpractice cases only affects a very small proportion of health care costs. This is mainly because these malpractice costs are much less common than many people assume. In 2004 the cost of malpractice cases was under 2% of the total spending on healthcare. This means that the costs of malpractice cases are unlikely to push up insurance costs.

Other people have looked at the topic of medical negligence in more detail. They have suggested that this is costing more because doctors are over-cautious. They order more tests than they require so that they are not liable. Again, this only pushes up health care costs by a very small amount.

Although many hospitals have to deal with a few malpractice cases every year, their profits are always rising. This means that the malpractice claims are not damaging the industry. The profits rose by 56% during 2009. Health insurance companies also made more profit than before, and many Americans found their monthly payments for health insurance actually fell.

Health care is something that is very important to everyone in America. This is why the debates will continue to rage on forever. When looking at the reform topics, it is important to fully understand both sides of the story. This will give you an understanding of the real costs of malpractice cases.

Continue reading "Malpractice Suits are not Increasing Health Care Cots as Much as Some People Imagine" »

A new television ad which has recently started airing on the internet sees a doctor speaking out about a bill which is planned to limit the rights of patients who are injured. The New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer states that this is designed to promote the awareness of medical malpractice claims.

The doctor featured in the ad talks of his wife and how she was disfigured as a result of an operating room fire which could have been prevented. He criticizes senate bill 33 which as the NY City Medical Malpractice Lawyer explains puts a limit on how much people can claim. This is because it treats every malpractice case the same and applies the same limit on all of them.

One version of the ad can be seen on the internet and has also been shown on TV throughout the state. The doctor keeps saying that operating room fires are avoidable. His wife was undergoing a simple outpatient procedure but the fire caused disfigurement. He argues that if the hospital maintained the operating room correctly that these fires should never happen. The senate voted to cut the levels of damages awarded to people who had been disfigured as a result of malpractice.

The doctor gives this story a very emotional and real feel that most people don't experience. Nobody can put a cap on the pain a person experiences and so there should be no level on the amount of compensation that they can receive. Doctors in Westchester and Long island have presented the same case for patients.

There have also been a few other doctors which have spoken negatively about Senate Bill 33. It is suggested by some that the cap will reduce the medical care quality which is given to people in North Carolina.

Both of these doctors show that every case is different and should not be treated the same. Everybody's injuries are unique and they will need to learn the facts about each case and decide the compensation accordingly.

There is a lot of opposition against Senate Bill 33 as it is correctly argued by many people that no two medical malpractice cases are the same. The arbitrary cap which applies to all cases is unfair. People have also shown that the same levels of compensation should not be used for cases which lead to death, disfigurement and emotional distress.

Continue reading "Doctor Speaks Out Against Medical Malpractice Bill" »