Kentucky updates in category: Medical Malpractice

The family of John Ritter brought suit against his cardiologist and radiologist for medical malpractice. Actor Ritter died in 2003 of a torn aorta. A jury cleared both the cardiologist and radiologist of any negligence. The family had previously settled with eight other medical providers. The family argued that the cardiologist should have ordered a chest x-ray which may have revealed a torn...

How common are medical mistakes that occur at hospitals across the U.S.? Unfortunately, more common than most of us realize. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Dennis Quaid recounted how his twins almost died due to a medical mistake. The twins almost died last November when nurses at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles mistakenly gave them an adult version of a blood thinner causing a drug...

Unlike every other citizen in the United States, active-duty military personnel and their families cannot sue the federal government for medical malpractice. If you serve in the military and a military doctor commits malpractice, you have no legal rights to pursue. Yesterday, CBS Evening News published a story highlighting the injustice that occurs when active-duty military suffer from...

Have you ever known anyone admitted to the hospital and while a patient they develop an infection? An infection like MRSA can turn into a life-threatening situation. If you or a family member is facing surgery, I suggest reading the article, "15 Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Risk of a Hospital Infection." It provides good tips on how to protect yourself against infections while a patient...

The actor, Dennis Quaid, and his wife, Kimberly Buffington, sued the makers of Heparin for allegedly giving their twin babies an overdose of the drug. The twins were only two weeks old when they were given 10,000 units of Heparin at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. They were supposed to receive 10 units of the blood thinner given in an IV to avoid blood clots. Heparin is an injectable...

Two elderly women recently died at Parkway Medical Center due to a reaction to an insulin injection. The women did not have diabetes. Parkway Medical Center is a long-term nursing care facility. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services reported that Parkway believes it was error or "purposeful malicious administration of insulin." The Attorney General's office is investigating. Insulin is...

A Brockton family won a $26.5 million jury verdict for the birth injury their son sustained that left him brain damaged. He will never walk or talk due to the botched delivery at a Boston teaching hospital.The family finally feels some relief now that they know what caused their 10-year-old son to suffer from cerebral palsy that requires around the clock care for the rest of his life.Prior to...

Kentucky Attorney General, Greg Stumbo, announced the filing of a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Oxycontin, a commonly abused narcotic for medical negligence amongst other claims.The lawsuit alleges the manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, misrepresented the risks associated with OxyContin use and seeks to recover damages suffered county and state governments related to widespread addiction in...

Until recently, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure kept statistics on the number of physicians practicing in Kentucky on its website. For some reason, you can no longer obtain stats on the number of licensed doctors in Kentucky. For years, some politicians and the insurance industry have pushed for caps on damages and other tort reform methods. They have claimed that tort reform is...

In a major policy change, Medicare will no longer pay hospitals for costs due to medical errors. Check out the list of the items Medicare won't pay for any longer under the fact sheet, "Eliminating Serious, Preventable, and Costly Medical Errors - Never Events" on Medicare's website. This decision is a great start to force hospitals to take responsibility for medical errors such as infections...

The leading cause of brain injury in Kentucky is motor vehicle crashes. Our teenagers (ages 15 to 24) are at great risk for sustaining a brain injury as a result of a car accident. Prevention is the only cure; however, sometimes things are out of our control. If your child, spouse, or loved one is a victim of a car crash or truck crash and sustains a brain injury, you may consider seeking the...