3 Examples of Medical Malpractice

Some patients fail to recognize a case of medical malpractice until the statute of limitations has run out. In states like California, legal action for an injury or family member’s death must occur within one year from the date of the negligence but no more than three years from the date of the injury.

While the legal jargon is best suited to medical malpractice Southern California attorneys, here are three examples of malpractices you may not even be aware of:

Failure to Diagnose Cancer
For women, this could occur have discovered a lump on the breast. If the doctor fails to properly test for a malignancy, the cancer will not be diagnosed. This could result in significant spreading of the cancer, forced chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and even death. The doctor who failed to diagnose the cancer could be held liable and forced to pay for all resulting medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering retributions.

Failure to Treat Appendicitis
A patient suffers severe abdominal pain and visits the emergency room for answers. After seeing the patient, the doctor assumes the condition is gastroenteritis and sends the patient home. Suffering from appendicitis, the patient goes into shock and dies from the ruptured appendix. If the doctor failed to recognize the signs of appendicitis the family can file a medical malpractice claim against the physician.

Mistakes During Childbirth
If a doctor fails to take timely action (such as performing an immediate surgery to deliver the infant), a baby may suffer brain damage during the delivery. Legal counsel should be sought to discuss medical malpractice advice.

 

Finding The Best Hospitals In The Area

IF you are interested in getting the best health care humanly possible then it begins and ends with the right hospital. You must decide that you have to have the best health care if you are going to be taking your health as a top priority. You have to decide that the hospitals that you choose can have a serious impact on the kind of care that you get. While all hospitals from the outside look the same, the truth is that there are plenty of differences in the inside of the hospitals that you are going to have to know if you expect to get the best health care possible.

The first thing you want to look for is a hospital that is a teaching hospital. This doesn’t, in itself, make for really good health care, but it does speak to the kind of money that is out there for the hospitals these days.  When a hospital is dealing with a teaching hospital they tend to have more money and spend a lot more of their time to the research aspect of the hospital.

You want to find out just what they are specializing in. This won’t matter to your specific needs in most cases but it does matter over all. You can’t just expect that you can go to a hospital and it will be good. Finding out the kind of awards that they have. This will let you know if the hospital you are going to is a specialist. This should at least give you the indication that there is one area of the hospital that they excel in.

If you take the time to tour the hospital or check around with your families and friends you can find that you are probably not far off from the type of hospital you want. There are plenty to choose from. Just take your time and make the right choice.

The Internet Helps Medical Records

It’s happened to so many people before: you are out of state. You get ill and it forces you to go into the hospital. You just want to be treated but there is a massive holdup. You have told them that you take medication and that you have had previous hospital stays before. But you, like so many others, only have vague memories and ideas of what you take or why you were hospitalized. Now you are forced to wait hours on end so that you can have you doctor tracked down and your medical records forwarded. It’s important to get it right, but now the government is going to make it so that you don’t have to wait anymore.

If you haven’t heard the government is creating a national system so that hospitals and medical personnel can access the records of patients all over the country. This means that the next time that you go to a hospital that isn’t your own you will be treated for your condition in far less time because they will know everything about you as soon as you go forward. It’s the best part of what the government is doing.

However, just because the government is doing this doesn’t mean it is all for your benefit. As the government is gearing up to take a more active role in the administration part of health care they are also looking at ways to reduce costs. This is nothing short of a god send to those who are fearing more malpractice lawsuits. These are measures to make sure things are more uniformed right from the start. This will reduce costs and also give people an extra level of care. That is key to the future of quality health care. This is just another way that the Internet is helping everyone.

New Study Debunks Italian MS Theory

PhotonQ-Georges Charpak le curieux
Image by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE via Flickr

According to Italian-based research published in a series of papers, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a condition in which venous overflow deviates from the normal flow. This means the flow through veins could go backward or flow slower than normal. Based on the study, test subjects underwent surgery to correct the venous flow, resulting in two fatalities. So far, additional research fails to support the Italian theory, and two studies debunk it.

A German study published results stating the flow of blood to and from the brain doesn’t contribute to MS. To test the theory, researchers used the same ultrasound and technique as the Italian research team. According the data from the German study, there isn’t a difference in venous blood flow for MS patients when compared to a control group of non-MS participants.

A Swedish study by researchers at the Umea University confirms the German findings and claims the flow of spinal fluid in the brain is also not a contributing factor. The information from both the German and Swedish studies calls into question a common hypothesis that MS is the result of vein constrictions, referred to as chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency.

For the Swedish study, researchers worked with colleagues at the Department of Radiation Sciences and the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. The group examined blood flow from the brain to the internal jugular vein by using a magnetic camera and evaluated the flow of spinal fluid to the brain in participants who have MS. Some doctors and researchers aren’t surprised by the latest data. Dr. Peter Sundstrom with the University Hospital of Umea’s Neurology Clinic provided reasons why the Italian theory didn’t make sense. He said patients who have impaired venous outflow because of certain conditions have not developed MS. Many MS patients have testing done with magnetic camera technology, but physicians haven’t noticed a trend of changes in the venous flow.

While it may seem like debunking theories isn’t helpful, the new information can help researchers focus on other areas that might contribute more beneficial information about MS rather than following an incorrect hypothesis.

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Find Out the Best Hospitals for Your Care

Billings Building, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Image via Wikipedia

When you’re struggling with a serious illness like cancer, you need to know the best hospital for treatment. While not everyone can pack up and move, for some people it’s worth it to have access to nationally recognized hospitals and doctors. This is especially true if you haven’t responded to traditional treatments. Top-rated hospitals have research trials and offer experimental treatments.

There are several sources that rank hospital and wellness facilities in the U.S., but one of the most trusted is U.S. News and World Report. Every year it evaluates hospitals based on criteria, including reputation, death rates, and safety for patients. In 2010, it evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals encompassing 16 specialties. 14 hospitals landed in the top three places for at least six categories.

Out of those 14 hospitals, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland ranked in the top three for eleven categories, making it the number-one-rated hospital in the U.S. It ranked first for ear, nose, and throat; gynecology; neurology and neurosurgery; rheumatology; and urology. It ranked second for kidney disorders and psychiatry and third for diabetes and endocrinology, heart and heart surgery, gastroenterology, and geriatrics. The first-place rank is the 20th consecutive year for Johns Hopkins to come in first. Johns Hopkins Hospital followed its opening in 1889 with the addition of its school of medicine in 1893. The school combined teaching and research with patient care. Today, the hospital continues to lead the way in health care through a complex network of health professionals and facilities.

The Mayo Clinic, located in Rochester, Minnesota, ranked in the top three places for ten categories. It placed first for diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, and kidney disorders; second for gynecology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, and pulmonology; and third for cancer and urology. The Mayo Clinic is a non-profit medical practice with locations in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida. While the clinic offers the same services at each facility, the Rochester one ranked the highest in the evaluation. Like Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic blends patient care with medical research and education.