Although regulations and standards could vary by state, medical malpractice laws in Louisiana and elsewhere entitle patients to seek recovery of damages caused by harm suffered due to substandard medical treatment. The harm could involve medical errors in diagnosis,...
Never-events: Medical errors that should simply not ever occur
Although preventable surgical errors are not that common, it would not be unusual for patients in Louisiana who are scheduled for surgery to feel anxious. Occasional reports of WSPEs -- wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors -- are enough to create fear of...
Who failed to spot your cancer?
Think about any sports team. There are usually a couple of star players who take the credit when things go well and the blame when they don’t. The performance of others gets less attention. Hospitals are similar. The doctors are the stars of the show. They are the...
Telemedicine and the risks of diagnostic errors
Have you ever had a phone or video call with your doctor? So-called telemedicine has been an option offered for a number of years, but its popularity has gone way up since the beginning of 2020 (when Covid-19 reached U.S. shores). Now, it seems that many people...
Medical malpractice and diabetes
Diabetes is the seventh biggest cause of death in the U.S. It can also increase the propensity to dying from a stroke or heart attack and can damage the body in many other ways. It is the primary cause of blindness in adults, amputation of a leg or kidney failure,...
Is that skin condition actually cancer?
Skin cancer is very common and, for most forms of it, very treatable when caught early. Treatment often entails simply cutting out the cancerous cells and then letting the body heal. In some cases, this can be done during a 30-minute visit to the dermatologist. The...
Can you sue over a hospital-acquired infection?
Are infections just “one of those things” that sometimes happen? Maybe, but hospital-acquired infections are often preventable and an indication that malpractice occurred. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) has been a long-standing problem inside many...
An inaccurate or missed diagnosis can haunt a patient for years
Accurately identifying a medical condition is one of the most important services that a doctor provides to their patients. Much of the training that physicians receive during medical school relates to the proper process for establishing a diagnosis when a patient...
Bad emergency room care could worsen your prognosis
Emergency rooms serve as an entry point into a hospital. Those suffering from serious injuries or illnesses who need immediate care will go directly to the emergency room for processing and intake. The staff working in emergency departments in hospitals have to apply...
Women are at increased risk for misdiagnosed conditions
Many different factors influence how accurately a physician can diagnose a patient. The way in which an individual communicates their symptoms, their embarrassment over certain medical issues and even the doctor's internal biases can all play a role in someone going...