Medical Malpractice Blog Bellingham

Birth Injury Caused by OB/GYN Negligence

Pregnancy and birth happen every day all around the world. While most pregnancies and deliveries go smoothly and result in the birth of health babies and mothers; tragic birth injuries do happen. Data from the birthinjuryguide.org shows that of every 1,000 infants born in the United States, six to eight will suffer a birth injury that occurred during gestation or the delivery process. The sad reality is that the United States is the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth (except for California). The maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the U.S. over the last 30 years, despite medical advances in other fields and decreasing maternal mortality rates in other developed countries. In 2015, the U.S. maternal birth injury rate was 26.4 per 100,000 births. In 2006 alone, 157,700 mothers and infants were injured during birth and experts estimate that about 50 percent of these birth injuries could have been avoided with better obstetrical care.

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Steps to Take If Your Valid Health Insurance Claim is Denied

Most insured Americans have frustrations with their health insurance company. If we haven’t been denied care ourselves, we may have heard stories about people who are gravely ill being denied prescription drugs or necessary tests, procedures or medical treatments. Even Medicare sometimes denies legitimate claims. In the worst cases, people who were denied coverage have died as a result.

If your valid health insurance claim was denied and the lack of care caused your illness to progress or your loved one’s claim was denied and they died as a result; then you may be able to recover damages with the help of a personal injury lawyer.

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Can a Nurse be Held Responsible for Birth Injuries?

According to the birthinjuryguide.org, between 6 and 8 per 1,000 babies born each year endure a birth injury in the United States and the majority of these injuries are preventable with proper medical care.

A birth injury is any form of injury endured by an infant during pregnancy or delivery. There are many ways that a birth injury can happen. Common causes of birth injuries include the use of prescription or illegal drugs during pregnancy, aggressive birthing tactics, delayed birth, or oxygen deprivation due to a failure to recognize signs of fetal distress during delivery. When a medical professional fails to act within generally accepted guidelines for a medical professional under similar circumstances, they may have acted negligently. If an injury happens as a result of negligence, a medical malpractice claim may be an appropriate way to recover damages. Medical professionals include doctors, pharmacists and nurses.

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Can I Sue My Health Insurance Company Under the Insurance Bad Faith Law?

Each of us has a right to expect that our health insurance companies will act in good faith when handling health insurance claims or a request for care that is covered under our policies. When legitimate health care is denied, there can be terrible consequences to patients including the progression of an illness or even the death of a loved one. When a health insurer acts in bad faith, the insured may be able to recover damages through a civil lawsuit.

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Doctors Found Negligent in Wrongful Death Case Involving Florida Woman Who Died After Childbirth

As reported by the Miami Herald, doctors who delayed a scheduled C-section for a Florida mom for over 14 hours have been found negligent in her death. The woman bled to death after giving birth to her last child, Lillian, in July 2015 at Broward General Hospital. A Broward County jury awarded $24.5 million to the family of the mom who was 34-years-old at the time of her death.

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Dozens of Medical Professionals Charged in Federal Opioid Sting

As reported by NPR, On Wednesday, April 17, Federal prosecutors announced that they are charging 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, seven other licensed medical professionals and eight nurse practitioners for alleged opioid pushing and health care fraud involving 350,000 prescriptions for controlled substances. The charges are a result of work by the Justice Department’s newly formed Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force. Fourteen health care fraud prosecutors were sent to regions of Appalachia known for rampant opioid abuse, overdoses and deaths in order to build cases. The work began in January, 2019 when they used data analysis to find outliers in opioid prescriptions. From there prosecutors issued search warrants.

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Canadian Women Bring Medical Malpractice Lawsuit For Improper Use of Labor Inducing Drug

As reported by Global News, New Brunswick’s largest health authority and one of their now former obstetrics nurses are named as defendants in a proposed class action lawsuit. The lawsuit, brought by two of at least a dozen women who were affected by this behavior, alleges that the nurse improperly administered labor-inducing drugs by adding the drug to IV saline bags hooked up to pregnant women. The drug oxycontin was allegedly administered without the knowledge or consent of the mothers. The women allege that the Moncton Hospital either knew or should have known that their nurse was allegedly improperly administering the drugs. They also argue that the health authority could have done more to prevent this from happening by acting on their knowledge that “the hospital…performed an unusually high number of emergency c-section and instrument-assisted deliveries.”

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Massachusetts Sues the Maker of Oxycontin for Role in Opioid Crisis

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50 and the numbers have been getting worse every year. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 52,404 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2015, 64,000 died in 2016, and 72,000 died in 2017. In fact, 2017 was the worst year ever for drug overdose deaths in America with almost 200 people dying of drug overdoses every day. Clearly opioids have caused a crisis in this country.

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Medical Malpractice Lawsuits: Alleged Deadly Dosing by Mount Carmel Doctor

Medical Malpractice Attorney Gerald Leeseberg was hired by the family of Janet Kavanaugh who was 79 years old and near death when she was transferred from an assisted care facility to Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus, Ohio. According to an article on WOSU Radio, her family asked that lifesaving measures be stopped, and that Kavanaugh be comfortable for her remaining time. Kavanaugh died Dec. 11, 2017. As Leeseberg began to review records from the assisted care facility and Mount Carmel he noticed a concerning pattern. Mount Carmel has now identified 25 patients under the care of William Husel – including Kavanaugh – who received an “excessive and potentially fatal” dose of the opioid fentanyl, which is used as a painkiller. All 27 patients later died, according to a statement by the hospital.

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Medical Malpractice: FDA Issues Warning that Certain Antibiotics May Cause Aortic Aneurism

On Thursday, December 20 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned that the benefits of fluoroquinolone antibiotics do not outweigh the risks for certain patients. This warning came after a review of studies on patient problems published between 2015 and 2018 concluded that these antibiotics double the risk of a deadly aortic aneurysm for patients with certain symptoms or characteristics.

The patients with the highest risk of aortic aneurism from taking these antibiotics are the elderly, people with high blood pressure and/or who have a history of blockages of the aorta or other blood vessels, and patients who have certain genetic syndromes. The FDA advises physicians treating patients with these risk factors to consider an alternate source of treatment.

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