Florida updates in category: Medical Malpractice

The FDA has issued a warning stemming from improperly maintained electrical dental equipment. The poorly maintained equipment can result in third degree burns. In fact, some of the patients even needed to undergo plastic surgery as a result. One of the main reason for the alert directed at dental professionals was that the burns may become apparent only after tissue damage has occurred...

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Recently, Dennis Quaid's new born twins were mistakenly given 1,000 times the normal dose of the blood-thinning medication Heparin while under treatment for a staph infection. The twins have apparently recovered fully but the Quaid's want Baxter Healthcare Corporation, the maker of Heparin, to fix the packaging so this never happens again and have filed suit to help effectuate that change. ...

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According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, which surveyed more than 1,600 physicians in 2003 and 2004 for their recently published report, 46% of physicians admitted to not reporting serious medical errors that had been made. "There is a measurable disconnect between what physicians say they think is the right thing to do and what they actually do," said Eric Campbell of Massachusetts...

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The reuse of syringes by a physician was kept from the public and the potentially infected patients even when known by the authorities. The state health departments and even officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were aware of the risk of infection but delayed reporting the problem. Incredibly the number of patients potentially infected may run in the thousands. ...

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The reuse of syringes by a physician was kept from the public and the potentially infected patients even when known by the authorities. The state health departments and even officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were aware of the risk of infection but delayed reporting the problem. Incredibly the number of patients potentially infected may run in the thousands. ...

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In yet another study of the medical malpractice problem in the United States a recent study revealed that almost half of physicians in the United States admitted they knew of a serious medical error that had been made but did not tell authorities about it. The report stated that most of the physicians knew that they should report the problem but did not. Imagine if half all pilots refused to...

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Drastic caps on medical malpractice damages awards enacted by the Florida Legislature were supposed to result in far lower insurance premiums for doctors. In fact, Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reports that rates dropped by a mere 3% last year. Where is the money going?To the insurance companies, of course. Credit rating organization A.M Best found in May that malpractice insurers...

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Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, of Long Island, New York, has been allegedly misusing syringes which have led to another confirmed report of Hepatitis C in one of his patients. Despite 10 prior medical malpractice settlements and a 34 month investigation following the initial discovery of these safety procedure lapses, letters finally went out to 628 of his patients advising them of this serious health...

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Despite a 68% increase in profits for Medical Malpractice insurance companies in Florida, up to $2.2 Billion from $700 Million in just one year, there was only a 3% rate reduction for doctors. The number of Medical Malpractice lawsuits have fallen since 2003 when the legislature voted to capped pain and suffering type damages. The only ones who continue to rake in more money than ever are the...

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On Friday, Merck Corporation, the makers of the anti-inflammatory drug known as Vioxx, settled 45,000- 50,000 outstanding personal injury lawsuits for it's defective and deadly medication. The settlement, after thousands of hours of negotiations with attorneys representing family members of deceased or permanently injured patients from every state in the country, totalled $4.8 billion. It's...

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In recent years we have heard certain lawmakers rail against evil trial lawyers and advocate for bans or strict caps on medical malpractice cases. Now, one of the leading lawmakers for "tort reform" has, so to speak, gotten a taste of his own medicine. According to an article in the Jacksonville Times-Union: It has been a staple of Stephen Wise's political career. As a state representative and...

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Here are the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.They tell us that Floridians are increasingly opting to go without health insurance. The latest count -- one in four residents, under age 65, did not have health insurance coverage last year. In terms of numbers, that translates to almost four million Floridians. Back in 2002, one in five Floridians lacked health coverage. Those numbers...

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These are not stories we report every day, but they are stories that happen every day, unfortunately.In this case the wife of Senator Stephen Wise of Jacksonville, and her sister are suing a nursing home claiming negligence killed their 89-year old father, Glenn Beeman in 2005.The place in question - West Jacksonville Health and Rehabilitation Center.What's fascinating are the comments that...

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If an apology would be forthcoming when a hospital does wrong- I'd have less business. And that would be okay because it's the right thing for a hospital to do. When UF Shands gave medication to a 3-year-old that was ten times stronger that what was originally prescribed, the boy died. This happened October 10, 2007.Instead of running for cover, getting their ducks in a row, hiring lawyers and...

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Thousands of Americans lose their lives each year because of medication errors. Some hospitals are trying to prevent medical neglect in the administration of medications through electronic verification systems. With this system a patient wears a bar-coded armband. The nurse scans the patient's armband before giving a medication and pulls up the patient's records to verify the medications. The...

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