Medical Malpractice

• Doctor Must Pay $5M to Patient

  Christina Cole | December 19, 2006 8:59 PM | 0 CommentsTucson, AZ

  An Albany woman has been awarded $5M in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The lawsuit involved Albany gynecologist, William Sewell over a surgical procedure performed back in 1998.Thursday, a Dougherty County State Court returned a verdict in her favor. The Doctor's layers are appealing the hefty verdict. Benita Davis Parker, 27, went to her gynecologist Dr. William Sewell, for a tubal ligation six...

• Medication Errors Cause Patient Harm

  Staff Writer | July 21, 2006 11:38 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Yesterday the Institute of Medicine issued a press-release concerning its report on medication errors. According to the Institute of Medicine, Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The extra medical costs of treating drug-related injuries occurring...

• Experts Not Allowed to Testify to the Percentage of Fault

  Geoff Trachtenberg | September 06, 2007 4:41 PM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  Division One just handed down Webb v. Omni Block, Inc., a clearly written opinion which decisively eliminates an expert's ability to testify as to the "percentage of fault" for any party or non-party.In Webb, defendant, Omni Block, hired an expert who testified as to the specific percentage of fault (or lack thereof) for various parties and non-parties. Judge Jones allowed this testimony and...

• The Medical Malpractice Myth: Legal Analysis Finds That Patients Fare Poorly in Court

  Geoff Trachtenberg | May 12, 2007 9:23 PM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  As any medical malpractice attorney worth their salt will tell you, there is absolutely no epidemic of plaintiffs' medical malpractice verdicts. As these attorneys know, very,very few medical malpractice cases are worth pursuing and fewer still result in a monetary award or settlement. Indeed, it is somewhat laughable that so-called tort reformers advance medical malpractice caps of $250,000...

• Certificate of Merit Legislation: Arizona's Unconstitutional Barriers to Justice

  Geoff Trachtenberg | April 01, 2007 6:09 PM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  Like a number of other states, the Arizona Legislature recently caved to special-interests and adopted a so-called "certificate of merit" procedure for medical malpractice cases, ARS 12-2303. This procedure sets forth a somewhat complicated series of requirements for people filing medical malpractice claims. As a practical matter, however, the statute discriminates against those injured by a...

• The Medical Malpractice Reform Debate in Arizona

  Staff Writer | January 17, 2006 12:45 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  With the medical malpractice reform debate gearing up this legislative session in Arizona, I thought I'd reflect on this highly emotionally charged issue. Doctors say that they cannot continue to practice medicine when insurance premiums continue to skyrocket. Patients want access to quality medical care and want accountability in case something goes wrong with their medical care. Is...

• Three Trial Courts Hold Medical Malpractice Statute Unconstitutional

  Geoff Trachtenberg | August 31, 2007 8:54 AM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  In last few years, many states adopted protectionist legislation in favor of the medical industry. The legislation essentially puts up various barriers to bringing medical malpractice cases by, among other things, attempting to impose expensive and burdensome constraints on the way these types of cases are litigated.The medical lobbyists, of course, claim that the legislation is necessary to...

• Child Cancer Patients and Medication Errors

  Staff Writer | May 27, 2007 9:00 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  As if struggling with and battling cancer is not enough, according to a researcher at Johns Hopkins Children Center, children often must also face the additional battle of having to overcome problems relating to medication errors. Children with cancer often get the wrong dose of chemotherapy or are given the drug at the wrong time, and many require treatment because of the errors, U.S....

• World Health Organization Reports that Medical Errors Affect One in Ten Patients

  Staff Writer | May 02, 2007 7:30 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  According to the World Health Organization, healthcare errors affect one out of every ten patients worldwide. Based on this alarming trend, the World Health Organization prepared patient safety checklists to help professional healthcare providers avoid simple medical mistakes. By following the "Nine Patient Safety Solutions," the organization hopes to see substantial medical error rate...

• Surgical Mishaps Prompt Crackdown on Office Surgeries

  Christina Cole | March 09, 2007 11:57 PM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  Several surgical disasters - including the death of a Tucson attorney- has now prompted the state to crackdown on Doctor's performing surgeries in their offices.For the first time, doctors will need to have specific monitoring and emergency equipment, specialized staff training and inform patients of the potential risks of having surgery in an office - if the proposed rules from the Arizona...