medical liability News

Special Report: A Tale of Superbugs’ Deadly Costs

With good reason, Dan Greulich’s doctors called him “the miracle man.” In the span of a decade, the insurance company executive engaged not once, but twice, in a race with death as he awaited replacements for failing organs. And twice, …

Making It Possible for Hospitals to Be Honest About Medical Errors

Medical errors in U.S. hospitals kill tens of thousands of patients each year, and even more suffer injury because of mistakes by doctors or nurses. Not every case of harm is avoidable—patients may get an infection even if doctors do …

Medical Liability Insurer NORCAL Mutual Names Stewart Chief Underwriter

Andre Stewart has been named chief underwriting officer for NORCAL Mutual Insurance Co. Stewart joined NORCAL in 2015 as senior vice president of underwriting for custom accounts, where he was responsible for new business growth with a focus on multi-state …

Long Hours for Surgeons Not Higher Risk to Patient Safety: Research

A new national study led by Northwestern Medicine showed allowing surgical residents the flexibility to work longer hours in order to stay with their patients through the end of an operation or stabilize them during a critical event did not …

U.S. Hospitals Improve Patient Safety: Report

Fewer patients are dying from conditions acquired while staying in the nation’s hospitals, according to a new federal report. Statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show that an estimated 87,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and …

Why Law Firms Like Facebook to Track Down Medical Victims

For ambulance chasers, persistence and a phone book just don’t cut it anymore. Law firms, which once relied on television commercials, billboards, and cold calling numbers in the white pages to find plaintiffs for medical lawsuits, have begun to embrace …

High Infection Rates Lead to Penalties for 11 Kansas Hospitals

Eleven Kansas hospitals are among more than 700 nationwide that have been penalized for having high rates of infections or patient injuries, leading to a 1 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements since the current fiscal year began in October. Medicare …

Number of Medical Errors Reported by Mass. Hospitals Spiked in 2013

The number of medical errors reported by Massachusetts acute-care hospitals has jumped 70 percent since the state expanded the type of incidents hospitals are required to report. Hospitals reported 753 serious medical errors and other patient injuries last year to …

Kentucky Senate Passes Bill Creating Medical Malpractice Panels

A panel of medical experts would review proposed medical malpractice claims against health care providers before they could be pursued in court under a bill the Kentucky Senate passed this week. The party-line vote in the Republican-led Senate followed a …

Washington Victim Of Botched Laser Surgery To Get $30M

A jury has recently awarded an additional $18 million to a woman whose botched surgery at a Wenatchee, Wash. hospital left her unable to speak. The Wenatchee World reported that Becky S. Anderson was having polyps removed from her vocal …