On Tuesday, April 30, lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow service members to sue the government when they’re a victim of military medical malpractice. Introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the bill included sponsors and support on both sides of the aisle. The bill, called the Sergeant First Class Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability Act of 2019, arrived in front of legislators on [...]

To win a medical malpractice case, a patient must be able to prove that the health provider failed to provide a duty of care that a “reasonable and prudent” health provider would have provided. When doctors, hospitals, and other health providers fail to make a correct diagnosis, botch a surgery, fail to obtain an informed consent, fail to provide the right treatments, or make mistakes that cause harm – they should be held accountable for [...]

Medical teams throughout Mississippi and across the nation have commonly used adrenaline, also called epinephrine, for many decades to treat emergency cardiac arrest victims in an attempt to save their lives. Traditionally, adrenaline is use when CPR and electric shocks have failed to start the heart and restore breathing. New information available, however, provides evidence that the use of epinephrine in these cases only increases the survival odds of patients to slight degree, while at [...]

Recently, superstar performer Beyoncé gave an interview to Vogue magazine where she spoke about her experience with preeclampsia while pregnant with her twins Rumi and Sir, and subsequent emergency C-section. Preeclampsia (previously known as “toxemia”) is a complication of pregnancy that can cause high blood pressure, kidney damage, and other serious health problems. This condition can be life-threatening to both the mother and baby, and typically develops during the last trimester, but can develop earlier. [...]

A spinal cord abscess—also called an epidural abscess—is a rare yet potentially deadly infection in the skull or spinal cord. This infection can be easily missed or misdiagnosed by some doctors, which can lead to long-lasting or catastrophic effects on the patient. If this has happened to you or a loved one, read on to find out more about this condition and learn about your legal options. What is an epidural abscess? An epidural abscess [...]

According to a 2016 New York Daily News story, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has tripled the number of legal settlements it’s made since 2011 due to medical error and faulty construction projects. Yearly payments of $338 million were made by the VA in 2015 alone. Medical providers who fail to follow standard medical procedures should be held responsible, if they work in the private sector or if they work for the Veterans Administration. [...]

Many people consider hospitals and major medical centers breeding grounds for infections; a place where superbugs flourish just waiting to claim their victims. In particular, medical treatment requiring invasive surgery can enhance the risk of infection to patients. On the other hand, our homes and workplaces are generally supposed to be free from this type of acute health danger. One particular type of hospital acquired infection that is highly dangerous and life-threatening is sepsis. According [...]

Our military personnel have the right to expect that the medical treatment they receive will be just as competent as the care civilians receive in private hospitals. When the VA hospitals, doctors, and medical staff make mistakes that cost veterans their lives or cause physical harm, the victims have the right to file medical malpractice claims against the wrongdoers. The laws and procedures for bringing malpractice claims against the VA differ, though, from the way [...]

Hospitals are supposed to be safe, but sometimes they pose dangers of their own. The possibility that a hospital patient may die due to an infection he or she developed at a medical facility is well known. These types of infections are called healthcare-associated infections (sometimes hospital-acquired infections). Hospitals should be prepared to: Identify the various types of infections patients might obtain while receiving any type of care including ER, surgical, or rehabilitative care. Identify [...]

Medical professionals – including surgeons, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other hospital workers – have an obligation to provide the utmost quality care to medical patients. Failure to fulfill this obligation can leave patients in jeopardy and result in acts of medical malpractice or negligence. This requirement is given great priority in the medical community and is signified by the fact that medical professionals take the Hippocratic Oath – a promise to do no harm to [...]