Medical Malpractice

• How safe is an emergency room?

  Don Jacobs | July 10, 2009 9:30 PM | 1 CommentVancouver, WA

  Every year medical errors kill over 98,000 people in the United States. Not injure, kill. That is an alarming number. I wonder how many are just seriously injured instead? Over a million lives...

• The cost of health care and malpractice

  Don Jacobs | June 03, 2009 6:11 PM | 1 CommentVancouver, WA

  As we debate how to fix the health care mess, one thing is clear. America’s health care is far and above the most expensive care in the world. The debate in the nation’s capitol has two...

• Malpractice rates drop in Oregon

  Don Jacobs | May 06, 2009 5:35 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  Oregon public broadcasting recently announced that medical malpractice insurance rates are dropping in Oregon. Based upon statistics from the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services,...

• Fixing the health care mess

  Don Jacobs | April 10, 2009 7:03 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  As the nation sets out on the path to change the health care system, the usual players at the table are demanding we change medical malpractice laws as part of the fix. The same tired ideas...

• Oregon legislature set to increase Oregon cap on lawsuit damages

  Don Jacobs | February 27, 2009 2:00 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  The Oregonian newspaper recently reported a compromise concerning a recent Supreme Court holding striking down an outdated Oregon law limiting damages for any damage caused by a public agency to...

• Surgical checklist shown to reduce hospital deaths

  Don Jacobs | January 17, 2009 5:47 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  An interesting article in the Oregonian newspaper Thursday morning discussed a study concerning the use of simple surgical checklists. The study was conducted by the World Health Organization and...

• Professional malpractice

  Don Jacobs | July 01, 2008 8:03 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  Lawyers, like doctors, architects, accountants or any other professional, are responsible for the damage created when they make an error. Often referred to as professional malpractice, these errors...

• Hospitals say they’re sorry and lawsuits drop

  Don Jacobs | May 30, 2008 12:38 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  A May 18th article in the New York Times described a new program at several prominent hospitals across the nation. When a medical mistake was made, the doctor met with the patient and explained what...

• Medicine mix-ups hurt many children

  Don Jacobs | April 13, 2008 3:43 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  The above headline highlighted an article in the Vancouver Washington paper this week. The article went on to say 1 in 15 children admitted to hospitals were harmed by drug mix-ups or accidental...

• Doctors Let Skills Slide

  Glenn Phillips | December 04, 2007 10:12 AM | 0 CommentsEverett, WA

  While most of the doctors agreed they needed to keep up with changes in the profession and have their competence reviewed, only 31 percent had undergone a competency review in the past three years. Dr. James Thompson, chief executive officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards, said one problem may be that doctors know there is not much that can be done to help doctors who are struggling...