Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released a report stating that treatment mistakes occur in 1 in 7 hospitalized Medicare patients.  According to the report, the most common causes of the mistakes are incorrect medications, excessive post-surgical bleeding and urinary tract infections from catheters.

“While hospitals have made great strides in improving patient care, the report highlights that there is more we can do,” stated President and CEO of the American Hospital Association Rich Umbdenstock.

Medical researchers estimate that the treatment mistakes affecting hospitalized Medicare patients result in 180,000 patient deaths a year.  Officials suggest that to reduce the risk of suffering from a treatment mistake, always bring someone to the hospital with you, know what medications you are taking and be cautious of catheters.

To discuss filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, contact the experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 today.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced last week that since 2003 the state of Pennsylvania has seen a 61 percent decrease in medical malpractice claims and payouts.  Furthermore he stated, “The number of catastrophic malpractice cases being filed for more than half a million dollars in damages has been cut in half in the past eight years”.

In 2003, 700 medical malpractice claims received $378 million in payouts.  This year, there have been 329 claims receiving $146 million in payouts.  In addition, the Governor noted that this year 38,000 doctors in Pennsylvania filed for medical malpractice insurance compared to the 32,000 in 2003.  The increased number of doctors purchasing medical malpractice insurance indicates an ease in doctor shortages.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

A West Virginia doctor and her practice are being sued by a Proctorville, Ohio couple for medical malpractice that resulted in a non-functioning left kidney.  Sara and Kenneth Tschop allege that Dr. Linda Savoy and her practice, University Physicians & Surgeons in Huntington, West Virginia, failed to properly treat and monitor Sara’s kidney after coming in with a kidney stone.  In addition, they argue that Savoy failed to refer her to a urologist or endocrinologist in a timely manner.

Tschop went into UP&S with pain in her left side and back in May 2008.  Only after two follow-up appointments in May and June did Savoy recommend she see an endocrinologist.  After visiting a urologist in August, Sara underwent several procedures to try and treat her kidney stone.  However, seven months later in March 2009, test results revealed that Tschop’s left kidney was only functioning at 6.6 percent.  In May, Tschop had to have her non-functioning kidney removed.

If you or someone you know has suffered from medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 800-876-LAWYER to learn more about your rights.

The debate over medical malpractice caps has moved into Nevada in the case of a woman who died due to misdiagnosis.  Currently, there is a cap of $350,000 in damages per claim in the state, which doctors believe keep physicians from fleeing the state due to high insurance premiums.

The woman’s family is arguing that the cap applies to an individual claim and that all seven members could file separate claims against the doctor and hospital and receive up to $5.6 million in total damages for 16 total claims.

Over 30 states have caps similar to Nevada’s, but courts across the country are divided on whether or not caps are  constitutional or not.  A Georgia supreme court ruled against caps in the state in April with the court stating, “The very existence of the caps, in any amount is violative of the right to trial by jury”.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

In October 2007, then 31-year old Tina Holstein gave birth to her third child at Community General Hospital in Syracuse, New York.  After the delivery, Holstein felt ill and began to vomit.  A nurse at the hospital decided to administer an intramuscular injection to help Holstein feel better, however later she began to feel that the injection had caused permanent damage to her sciatic nerve.

Holstein pursed a lawsuit against the nurse who administered the injection and Community General Hospital for failing to correctly administer the injection causing permanent injury.  The suit against the nurse was dropped, but Holstein was awarded $1.69 million in damages from the hospital.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical negligence attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

A recent study in the medical journal Chest, showed that obese men and women going to the hospital for breathing troubles were four times more likely to be misdiagnosed with asthma.

Researchers found that 150 of 500 obese patients who say they were diagnosed with asthma found out they did not have  it after having objective lung-function testing.  That is a 30 percent chance of misdiagnosis.  Furthermore, researchers believe that one of the major reasons for the misdiagnosis is failing to use spirometry testing.  Spirometry is a standard lung function test that is often is not even executed before diagnosing asthma.  In addition, they believe that obese patients are more likely to have symptoms similar to asthma symptoms, like breathlessness and chest tightening.

Researchers suggest that patients follow up with a primary care physician to receive the appropriate testing.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of misdiagnosis, contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

The California Medical Board has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the fertility doctor who performed in vitro treatments on infamous “Octomom” Nadya Suleman.  The board is trying to have Dr. Michael Kamrava’s medical license revoked after implanting too high a number of embryos into another patient.

Dr. Kamrava implanted seven embryos into a 48-year old woman, which the board considers to have put her at “great risk”.  The woman already had three children when she started in vitro treatments with Dr. Kamrava.  Out of the seven embryos, four developed into fetuses, three were born, and one died in the womb.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

A West Virginia woman and her husband are suing a surgeon and medical device manufacturer involved in her pelvic organ prolapse surgery.

In 2007, Betty Adkins had surgery performed by Dr. Mitchell E. Nutt at St. Mary’s Medical Center for her pelvic organ prolapse.  Dr. Nutt inserted an Avaulta Plus Anterior and Posterior BioSynthetic Support System produced by C.R. Bard in Adkins.  Since the surgery, Adkins complains she has suffered serious mental and physical pain including permanent and substantial physical deformity and loss of a bodily organ.

Adkins and her husband believe C.R. Bard practiced negligence in the design, manufacturing, marketing, labeling, and packaging and selling of the medical device.  Furthermore, they believe Nutt was negligent in his advocation and use of the product.

If you or someone you love has suffered from post-surgical complications, contact the Philadelphia post-surgical complications lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

The Philadelphia VA Medical Center, the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Gary Kao are facing five medical malpractice lawsuits for botched radiation therapy in five veteran patients.

The veterans filing suit, Richard Mitchell, John Berry, James Armstrong, Barry Lackro, and Donald Pepper, were under Dr. Kao’s care at the cancer unit of Philadelphia VA Medical Center.  Philadelphia VA Medical Center treats U.S. military veterans in Southern Pennsylvania.  They believe that Dr. Kao improperly treated their cancer through a process called brachytherapy.

The U.S. Nuclear Radiation Commission investigated Dr. Kao and the hospital’s cancer unit and found that of 114 cancer patients seen, Dr. Kao only got the therapy right 16 times.  Dr. Kao was later terminated from his position and the cancer unit was shut down.

This past May, the NRC fined the hospital $227,500.

Since his treatment, Lacko’s cancer returned and is now incurable.

If your or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

An Iowa obstetrician, Dr. Tobin Jacks, has been ordered to quit practicing medicine and fined $10,000 by the Iowa Board of Medicine after mishandling a birth which caused permanent brain damage.

Tammy and Matt Heston sued Jacks for mishandling the birth of their son, Connor, in 2005.  The board agreed that Jacks failed to properly assess Tammy and as a result did not recognize the need for a C-section delivery.  Instead, Jacks improperly used forceps and vacuum extraction to deliver Connor Heston leaving him with permanent brain damage.  Connor is now 5 years old and unable to sit up, walk, talk, or swallow.

53-year old Jacks has had several run-ins with the Iowa Board of Medicine since 1987, mostly concerning drug use, and once admitting to using his children’s urine to pass drug tests.