Over the last few days, news reports have surfaced that a gynecologist / obstetrician who worked for Johns Hopkins, Dr. Nikita Levy, was improperly taking photographs and videos of patients. Apparently, a co-worked reported Dr. Levy to a supervisor at Hopkins on 2/4/13 which resulted in Dr. Levy being fired…
In Maryland, the doctrine of informed consent requires a physician, before a patient undergoes a non-emergency medical procedure, to explain the proposed medical procedure to the patient including warning the patient of the benefits, risks and alternatives. The District Court for the District of Maryland recently had the occasion to…
When most hear about complications during childbirth most immediately think of the child. Obviously the birthing process is a delicate one, and infants are quite vulnerable to long-term harm that results from prolonged oxygen deprivation, the applications of excess force, and other incidents. However, it is important not to forget…
Popular movies and television shows involving lawyers and lawsuits sometimes create misperceptions about how the justice system actually works. For one thing, while courtroom drama makes the most riveting entertainment, in reality the vast majority of cases end with amicable agreements between the parties involved. Actual trials are certainly more…
The most well-known patient safety research project ever released is the “To Err is Human” report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine. You can download your own free copy of the report here. One statistic in particular from the study is often shared by patient safety advocates. The report noted…
The birth of a child is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in the life of a family. Unfortunately, for some the memorable occasions turns into a nightmare. That is because, at rates far higher than many suspect, childbirth can result in complications and injuries to the mother…
It is every medical patient’s worst nightmare. You go to the doctor to have routine tests performed. To your relief, everything comes back negative. You are in the clear. But, a few months later you begin to experience some health problems. Another doctor’s visit is scheduled, and more tests are…
The Post-Gazette reported recently on serious allegations of malpractice against a pathologist for misreading Pap smear slides and missing the presence of cancer in a patient. According to the story, a young woman was shocked when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer shortly after giving birth to her son. She…
In an opinion reported on November 27, 2012, the Court of Appeals of Maryland held that a settlement agreement executed in a Maryland medical malpractice case involving Mercy Medical Center was not effective to end the hospital’s liability. A copy of the Court of Appeals opinion can be found here.…
Johns Hopkins Hospital researchers recently uncovered a startling figure regarding hospital medical malpractice: 40,500 intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients die each year as a result of misdiagnosis, as opposed to life threatening conditions that cannot be treated. The study, released September 26, 2012, found that patients in the ICU are…
Numerous Maryland hospitals are currently in the process of testing almost 2,000 patients who may have been exposed to hepatitis C, a viral disease that typically affects the liver. David Kwiatkowski, an employee at as many as eleven hospitals nationwide, was arrested in July 2012 after authorities learned he had…
After pushing hospitals to replace paper records with electronic ones, many policymakers now believe the next step in improving the quality of medical care is to reduce the number of errors made by doctors. One study recently found that putting a child’s photo in their electronic hospital chart reduced one…
In late June, one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in Maryland was handed down by a Baltimore City jury against Johns Hopkins Hospital along with Johns Hopkins Health Systems Corp. The jury awarded the family of a child born with cerebral palsy and seizure disorder $55 Million. The case…
In May, following a one week medical malpractice trial in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, a jury returned a verdict of One Million Dollars in favor of the two sons of a woman who died as a result of an allergic reaction to dye used during a medical procedure.…
In a decision handed down by the Court of Special Appeals on June 6, 2012, Maryland’s intermediate appellate court clarified section 3-2A-02(c)(2)(ii)1B of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, which sets forth the requirement that, if the defendant in a medical malpractice action is…