"According to a medical malpractice claim, the medical staff at Maricopa Medical Center failed to offer Estela Cruz a Cesarean section in May 2003 despite ultrasound scans that depicted a baby of 'enormous size.'
As a result, the claim says her son Jose was delivered vaginally, causing severe damage to his right shoulder as well as injuries to the mother."
See the full article: Maricopa County Settles Medical Malpractice Claim
"The cost of the medical malpractice liability system — if measured broadly by adding all malpractice insurance premiums — fell to less than 0.6 percent of the $2.1 trillion in total national health care costs in 2006, the most recent year for which the necessary data to make such comparisons are available. The cost of actual malpractice payments fell to 0.18 percent - one-fifth of 1 percent - of all health care costs in 2006. Annual malpractice payments have subsequently fallen from $3.9 billion in 2006 to $3.6 billion in 2008, but comparative data on total health care costs are not available."You can download the full study here: The 0.6 Percent Bogeyman — Medical Malpractice Payments Fall to All-Time Low as Health Care Costs Continue to Rise
"The federal data show 2,000 to 2,400 malpractice payments in New York each of the past 15 years. Total payments were $515 million in 1993. Horner said after adjusting for inflation, the cost has held relatively stable."This in light of consumer advocates pushing to extend statute of limitations. See previous post.
The jury awarded "$1.5 million for physical pain, $1.5 million for mental suffering, $500,000 for disfigurement and $500,000 for lost wages..." related to a case of misdiagnosed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, a chronic neurological disorder that causes severe pain.
Read full article at: Rhode Island verdict.
Wisconsin's medical malpractice fund will pay a $17.3 million settlement to the family of a girl who was injured during a spleen removal surgery. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the surgeon, used a procedure using small holes in the abdomen as opposed to a large incision.
"To retrieve the fist-sized spleen through one of the holes, he encased the organ in a bag and used a blender-like device called a morcellator to chop it up inside the girl’s body.... The device punctured the bag, cut major blood vessels and severed part of her bowel, causing serious blood loss and permanent brain damage, according to allegations in the lawsuit that the state fund confirmed."
It’s one of the largest payments by the fund, supported by fees from health care providers. Read full article here.
"The jury said the hospital was at fault when it assigned a nurse trainee to monitor a woman, who arrived three days before her scheduled induction with nausea and vomiting. The nurse misread fetal heart monitoring data showing the baby was in dire distress and needed emergency intervention, according to the plaintiffs."
"Nevada caps malpractice lawsuit awards at $350,000 for pain and suffering. In this case, the jury awarded at least $2 million in "economic losses," or future lost wages."See full article here. The verdict was reported to be the largest medical malpractice verdict in District Court since 2004, but a correction was printed later indicating a 2007 Clark County jury awarded $20.5 million to a woman whose husband died of lung cancer.
"No medical malpractice jury verdict in the seven counties of Northeast Pennsylvania has exceeded $10 million from 2000 to 2007, according to statistics compiled by the state Supreme Court."For more information, please click on the link: Pennsylvania jury award.
According to an article in the Arkansas Times, Fewer medical malpractice suits, tort reform legislation in Act 649 has reduced the number of medical malpractice suits filed in the state. But says the article, the effect of Act 649 on insurance premiums is less clear.
"The state insurance commissioner is required by law to file an annual report with the legislature on malpractice insurance rates. Those reports have generally said that it's still too early to evaluate the effect on rates of Act 649.... The report says there were nine medical malpractice rate filings in Arkansas in the most recent 12-month reporting period. Three of those were by new companies entering the state or for new products offered by companies already here, and thus couldn't be compared to previous rates, the report says. Of the other six filings, 'One filing provided for an overall decrease in rates of 39.5 percent. Five contained overall increased rates, none above 14.4 percent.'"
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