Latest Legal News | Norfolk Legal Examiner

VA Hospitals Have Work to Do on Preventing Patients’ Death From Medical Errors

An analysis of case records performed by reporters for the Washington Free Beacon revealed that between 2010 and 2014, 526 former members of the U.S. military died after a doctor, surgeon nurse or pharmacist working at U.S. Veterans Affairs medical center made a mistake. Each…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 26 Dec 2014

Medical Malpractice Victims Must Report Incidents, But Not to Receive Compensation

Every day, according to one of the latest and most carefully calculated estimates, thousands of Americans suffer injuries or die as a direct result of preventable medical mistakes. Errors made by doctors, surgeons, nurses and pharmacists range from misdiagnosing life-threatening illnesses and perfor

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 23 Dec 2014

How Safe Are Home-Based Child Day Cares in Virginia?

As a Virginia Beach-based personal injury and wrongful death attorney, I primary help victims of workplace accidents and car crashes. My specialty is actually railroad safety, in particular representing individuals who contract life-threatening diseases from on-the-job exposure to chemicals and canc

By Richard Shapiro

/ 24 Oct 2014

Bringing Transparency Back? CMS will Resume Reporting on Dropped HACs but not for Hospital Compare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides insurance coverage to 100 million people and has been a vital source for information about hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) for years. HACs include a variety of hospital mistakes from preventable infections to medical instruments left in

By Patrick Austin

/ 11 Sep 2014

Legendary Comedienne Joan Rivers’ Death Leads to Medical Safety Questions at Outpatient Facilities

The world lost iconic comedienne Joan Rivers today following a complication with what should have been a routine outpatient procedure performed on August 28. Now, the question everyone is asking is “What went wrong?” and the New York State Department of Health has announced it…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 4 Sep 2014

A New Concern in the Cause of Hospital Errors: Cognitive Bias

A doctor’s preventable mistake at Tufts Medical Center spotlights a lesser-known cause of potential deadly hospital errors: cognitive bias. The Boston Globe recently reported the story of a woman who died at Tufts after a procedure to relieve pain from back injury. A report filed…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 3 Sep 2014

Spectrum Health Enters Into Confidential Settlement Over Newborn’s Brain Injury

On August 4, Spectrum Health entered into a confidential settlement with a family whose child suffered brain damage as a result of a negligently performed blood transfusion. The settlement put an end to a two-year legal battle and the family’s four-year struggle to make the…

By Jim Lewis

/ 15 Aug 2014

Study Estimates Incidence of Preventable Patient Death in Hospitals at 210,000-400,000 Annually

Until last year, no one had issued a comprehensive assessment of the risk of patient harms associated with hospital care since a 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) study that used data from 1984. After 30 years, we finally have new information about how many deadly…

By Jim Lewis

/ 24 Jul 2014

Doctor Develops “Black Box” for Operating Room in Hopes of Reducing Laparoscopic Surgery Mistakes

The term “black box” is commonly associated with the aviation industry; indeed, when a plane crash occurs, an expert team immediately sets out to retrieve the black box to determine the cause of the crash. A “black box” is just a device that records and…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 10 Jul 2014

Wisconsin’s Medical Malpractice Cases Drop 50%; Is Virginia Headed in the Same Direction?

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report found that medical malpractice lawsuits in Wisconsin have plummeted while the state’s malpractice insurance fund ballooned. Medical malpractice filings have decreased more than 50% since 1999, but the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, into which he

By Richard Shapiro

/ 7 Jul 2014

Three Signs Your Loved One May Be the Victim of Nursing Home Abuse

Families looking for a nursing home for an elderly loved one have a difficult challenge. They often rely on the appearance of the facility and the friendliness of the staff to gauge the quality of a nursing home. When a facility is clean and well-kept…

By Jim Lewis

/ 7 Jul 2014

The Virginia Cap on Medical Malpractice Damages

Tort reform has been a major buzz word in the past decade for its supposed impact on medical costs. While many studies have shown jury awards in medical malpractice suits have no impact on medical costs, the push for tort reform continues. One approach toward…

By Jim Lewis

/ 1 Jul 2014