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Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries

• 7 Biggest Mistakes of Medical Malpractice
• Report on Contingent Fees In Medical Malpractice Litigation
• More states shred bills for awful medical errors: Patients in 23 states will no longer pay for certain mistakes, hospitals say

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Washington Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Seattle, Bellevue and Renton

Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which care provided deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient.  It is the failure of a medical professional (doctor, a nurse, a medical technician) or a medical facility to provide a minimum standard of care in the areas in which the medical professional or medical facility specializes.

A medical facility may be a hospital (such as Swedish Medical Center, Group Health Co-operative, Virginia Mason Hospital, Harbor View Medical Center, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center), birthing center (such as Puget Sound Birthing Center, Community Birthing Center), nursing home, or clinic. If the medical attention fails to meet the standard of good medical practice and harm results to a patient, the medical professional or medical facility may be liable for any resulting damages.

Common Medical Mistakes and Surgical Errors

• Leaving surgical sponges, instruments or other objects in patient
• Operating on the wrong body part or on the wrong side of the body
• Medication errors, including anesthesia errors
• Post-surgical infections, including the failure to diagnose or properly treat infections at the incision site, sepsis, or other infections

Medical Malpractice Statistics

A study released in October 2005 by Aon and American Society of Healthcare Risk Management reported on the frequency and severity of medical malpractice claims. Key findings of the study included:

• Overall the frequency of claims against healthcare facilities is decreasing. In 2004, there were 3 claims for each 100 acute care bed equivalents, down from 3.3 percent in 1999. The analysts hypothesize that self-insured healthcare systems have a greater financial incentive to reduce the cost of risk, make investments to improve the quality of care, and reduce medical errors. Consumer attitudes may also be changing as result of the enormous media attention given to the physician insurance crisis and how it relates to availability of healthcare at the local level.
• The frequency of claims against physicians was also declining, based on data from the National Practitioner Data Bank. The frequency of claims against physicians had dropped from 9.3 percent in 1999 to 8.1 percent in 2004.
• The severity of institutional claims continues to grow from a low of 102,000 to $172,000 in 2004. (This data excludes settlements or awards yielding more than $2 million.
• Using ten years of data, public hospitals were found to have the highest percentage of claims of more than $1 million, with 39 percent of the exposure and 43.4 percent of the total number of large loss counts. Specialty hospitals had the least number of large loss claims.

FREE Medical Malpractice Legal Case Review

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Medical Malpractice Attorneys in the State of Washington 


We can help whether you live in Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bremerton, Cascade, Edmonds, Everett, Federal Way, Kennewick, Kent, Kirkland, Lakewood, Longview, Olympia, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Yakima or the greater Seattle area. Having substantial experience with medical malpractice claims and often trying these kinds of cases in court, the Davis Law Group has the skill and expertise necessary to help you.

Blog for Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries

• Medical Malpractice Attorney In Seattle - How to prove malpractice

  Description: Each year, Seattle-area hospital patients suffer from medical mistakes which result in serious injuries. Nationally, a Harvard Medical Practice Study estimates that, each year, more than 180,000 people die because of medical mistakes. Public Citizen, non-profit organization which advocates the rights of consumers, estimates that, each year, 1.3 million injuries are caused by negligence, and that more than two-thirds of these injuries are preventable.

• Grieving Mother Sues Seattle Children's Hospital for the Wrongful Death of her Son
• New Report on Contingent Fees In Medical Malpractice Litigation - Seattle Attorney
• Medical Malpractice: Leaving Surgical Sponge or Other Foreign Objects In Patients
• Local Doctors Admit To Illegally Obtaining Painkillers - Is Drug Abuse Linked To Some Medical Mistakes?
• Addicted doctors still treat patients
• Medical Mistakes What Ever Happended To "Do No Harm"?
• Medical Mistakes And Children
• Hospital association changes position on reporting medical errors

Library for Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries:

• 7 Biggest Mistakes of Medical Malpractice [PDF]
  Description: 7 Biggest Mistakes MD’S Make in Their Medical Malpractice Insurance Coverage
• Report on Contingent Fees In Medical Malpractice Litigation
  Description: Medical professionals and allied organizations have focused on attorney contingent fees as a way to address medical liability issues. These efforts focus on attorneys fees in successful medical malpractice claims and actions. The medical establishment has been using courtrooms. legislative bodies, and the media to spread the belief that is excessive medical malpractice litigation which is driving up medical costs. In fact, medical malpractice litigation is relatively uncommon. Only about one of fifty valid medical malpractice events in the US is every the subject of a an injury claim.
• More states shred bills for awful medical errors: Patients in 23 states will no longer pay for certain mistakes, hospitals say
  Description: Hospitals in nearly half the states in the nation now say they won’t bill patients for the worst kind of medical mistakes, including operating on the wrong body part or the wrong person, or giving someone the wrong blood.
• Dangerous bug spreads fast at local hospitals
  Description: A dangerous intestinal bug that is on the upswing across the country has also become more prevalent in Washington. The bacterium, which most frequently strikes people in hospitals and nursing homes, contributed to 4,100 hospitalizations in the state in 2006, more than twice the number in 2000. That mirrors a nationwide trend, which saw infection rates double at the same time a deadlier strain of the germ emerged.
• Medical Mistakes: What ever happened to "do no harm"?
  Description: Every doctor makes the promise to “do no harm.” But doctors, nurses, physicians’ assistants, nursing homes, and hospitals do make mistakes. And a shocking report from the Institute of Medicine shows medical mistakes are a common occurrence and pose potentially life-threatening risks for patients. If medical mistakes were counted among the leading causes of death in America, they would be eighth on the list.
• Patients score Washington state's hospitals
  Description: The ratings were based on surveys of patients admitted to hospitals between October 2006 and June 2007. The results, which come from new, uniform questionnaires required by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, have been publicly available since March 28. The Washington State Hospital Association repackaged the data to make them easier to use.
• ARTICLE: New Medical Protocol Aimed at Eliminating Surgical Mistakes
  Description: An estimated 98,000 Americans lose their lives because of medical mistakes each year.
• ARTICLE: Report: Medical mistakes kill thousands each year
  Description: Medical mistakes kill anywhere from 44,000 to 98,000 hospitalized Americans a year, says a new report that calls the errors stunning and demands major changes in the nation's health- care system to protect patients.
• ARTICLE: ENT docs admit to medical mistakes
  Description: A physician-led survey indicates that nearly half of ear, nose and throat specialists have made a recent medical mistake or are aware of one firsthand.
• ARTICLE: Mitigating medical mistakes
  Description: Health care organizations are calling for immediate action to make health delivery safer in light of a recent revelation that medical errors kill 98,000 U.S. citizens each year.
• ARTICLE: The Real Cost of Medical Mistakes
  Description: Mistakes by health care providers have a tremendous impact on insurance premiums, absentee rates, and workers' comp costs. With one-third of all premium dollars wasted paying for medical errors, employers are joining forces.
• ARTICLE: Medical Mistakes
  Description: At least 44,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors and "near misses" in doctors' offices, hospitals and pharmacies.
• ARTICLE: Study: Doctors Not Reporting All Medical Errors
  Description: Researchers from the University of Iowa concluded that medical practitioners fail to report all medical mistakes, with the number being much lower considering the number of instances physicians think should be made known.
• ARTICLE: Physicians Want to Learn from Medical Mistakes
  Description: The perception that U.S. doctors are unwilling to report medical errors and learn how to prevent them is untrue, according to a new study funded by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
• ARTICLE: Medicare, Medicaid not paying for medical mistakes
  Description: As of October 2008, Medicare and Medicaid will no longer pay for medical mistakes and conditions patients acquire in hospitals, like infections.
• ARTICLE: Preventing Medical Mistakes
  Description: The Institute of Medicine estimates that 98,000 U.S. patients die each year in health care settings due to medical mistakes; others estimate the numbers may be as high as 145,000.
• State tallies incidents disclosed by hospitals
  Description: The report looks only at the very worst medical errors, in which clear-cut mistakes caused serious injury or death to hospital patients.
• Study Finds Doctors Not Reporting Medical Mistakes
  Description: Almost two-thirds of doctors say they are willing to report medical errors, but many of them just don't do it, a new study finds.
• Medical Mistakes: 'It's never just one thing' that leads to serious error
  Description: The mistake calls attention to how far hospitals have to go in preventing medical errors and in learning from the mistakes of others, even though many have made progress in protecting patients within their own institutions.
• FACTS & FIGURES: Medical malpractice statistics for Surgical errors/complications
  Description: General medical malpractice statistics related to surgery malpractice. Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for surgery malpractice. Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for surgery malpractice. Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for surgery malpractice and nurses.

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Frequent Questions for Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries:

• What should I do if I feel I might have a medical malpractice case?
• What damages can I recover through a medical malpractice lawsuit?
• What do I have to prove in my medical malpractice case?
• Who can be sued for medical malpractice?
• Who can file a medical malpractice claim?
• How common is medical malpractice?
• What are some examples of medical malpractice?
• What is medical malpractice?

Case Results for Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries:

• $1.6 Million Settlement

Awarded: $1,600,000 Settlement

• $700,000 Settlement for Infant Burned by Hospital

Awarded: $700,000 Settlement

• $125,000 Settlement for Hospital Fall

Awarded: $125,000 Settlement

• $100,000 for Fall at Hospital

Awarded: $100,000 Settlement

Videos about Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries:

• Who can file a medical malpractice claim?
• What is medical malpractice?
• What do I have to prove in my medical malpractice case?
• What damages can I recover through a medical malpractice lawsuit in Washington state?
• How common is medical malpractice in Seattle hospitals?
• Seattle Children's Admits To Medical Malpractice

Web Resources for Medical Malpractice, Surgery Errors & Hospital Injuries:

• Auburn Regional Medical Center
• Stevens Hospital
• Capital Medical Center
• Multicare- Good Samaritan Hospital
• St. Francis Heart Center
• Regional Hospital
• Highline Medical Center
• Valley Medical Center
• Benaroya Research Institute
• Evergreen Hospital

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