The report uses the case of a 56-year-old woman, Sharon Yacketta who has had to undergo 19 surgeries in the past 4 years – one to correct her original problem of urinary incontinence, and the remaining 18 to correct the horrific errors that resulted from that first surgery.   Since that first botched operation when surgeons at University Hospital managed to rupture her right ureter, Yacketta has battled infections, and watched helplessly as her urinary incontinence ballooned into a vastly more complicated condition.  

In New Jersey, we have seen the number of preventable hospital errors increase steadily over the past three years. Like University Hospital which has faced more than a few medical malpractice lawsuits in the past , we have our own facilities in New Jersey where patients are more likely to return in worse condition than they were in when they arrived. So, the next time people whine about medical malpractice lawyers and malpractice insurance contributing to the skyrocketing healthcare costs in this country, it might be appropriate to point them towards this report.

In 2007, according to the third Patient Safety report by the state Department of Health and Senior Services, a total of 72 people died as a result of preventable hospital errors. The report takes into account all types of preventable mistakes in a hospital environment, from surgical and medical mistakes, to bed sores and falls that occur as a result of negligence. The 72 deaths were an increase by 30 from the previous year. There were a total of 456 hospital errors reported for 2007, which was also higher than in 2006. In fact, the rate of errors has grown every year since the Patient Safety Act regulations involving the reporting of hospital errors, came into force. The Patient Safety Act requires all preventable hospital errors committed by hospital staff, including nurses, doctors, surgeons, and others to be reported  to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

As far as I am concerned, 72 totally preventable deaths in a hospital setting are still 72 more than we should have. We must remember we're not talking about people dying of cancer or other illnesses, or succumbing to wounds from an accident here.  We're talking about mistakes made by surgeons, and errors in prescribing and dispensing medication to patients. We're talking about the presence of bed sores that only result when a bedridden patient hasn't been turned in several hours. These are all entirely preventable mistakes, and until we start seeing a reverse trend in statistics every time the Patient Safety report comes out, there's no reason for a pat on the back and a self satisfied smirk. As I pointed out in this post on the concealing of hospital error information in New Jersey, the need for New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers is increased when we  continue to have cases like the 456 reported preventable errors that were committed in our hospitals last year.  

The survey, contained in a report by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, says that an overwhelming majority of hospitals nationwide have begun the practice of collecting information of serious medical mistakes that occur in their facilities. However, the statistics of the number of hospitals where this information is actually shared by key personnel, including managers, is a dismal one in five hospitals. What this means is that most of this useful information, which could actually reduce the incidence of medical errors, and decrease the number of medical malpractice lawsuits, goes to waste, since very little of it is acted upon.

In New Jersey, where state law requires medical errors to be reported to the DHSS, the state currently does not provide the names of hospitals and doctors who are responsible for the mistake. State officials say that this is done to encourage hospital staff participation in reporting errors, and it does seem to reflect in the statistics of facilities reporting errors, which have jumped by about 20 percent over the past couple of years. Clearly, the ability to remain anonymous is encouraging hospitals to report mistakes. However, that may change in some measure with a new law that Governor Jon Corzine signed last year , which requires hospitals to post details of hospital-acquired infections on their websites. Patients will soon be able to compare hospitals based on their in-patient safety records, and make a decision on the facility they want to use.

Greater Transparency is Necessary to Reduce Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

For long, medical malpractice lawyers have been blamed for everything, from the defensive treatment methods pursued by doctors, to the liability insurance premiums that they pay. The path to avoiding a medical practice lawsuit is actually quite simple – increase transparency in the manner in which hospitals choose to note and rectify their errors, and make sure that these mistakes don’t occur again. That's all that's really needed to make sure that patients' rights are protected. When medical error data is hidden and filed away to gather dust, we can continue to expect more mistakes to be made, and more medical malpractice lawsuits showing up.

Building a Malpractice Lawsuit 

Pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit against a well funded and large hospital can require extensive resources. It's important that you hire an experienced medical malpractice attorney to build you a wining case. Contact a medical malpractice lawyer at the Law offices of Scott Grossman LLC.

According to the report, all too often, nurses who play such an important part in the doctor-patient relationship are humiliated, berated and even abused by physicians, so much so that it creates problems in communication. The Times uses some real life incidents to signify how sometimes, fear of approaching a doctor who's known to have a short fuse, can actually deter the nurse from approaching him when a patient's condition is worsening, or when there is an important life-and-death decision to be made about a patient. This lack of communication resulting out of fear of the doctor has led in too many instances, to serious complications, the need for additional surgery to repair the damage, and in some cases, even death. 

These "Doctors Gone Wild" scenarios have terrible implications for patient safety. An abrasive temperament can lead to dangerous physician errors, and it causes delays in giving patients the emergency treatment they require when nurses are too afraid to make a call to the physician in question. There's no doubt that the medical profession is an extremely stressful one, but there's probably no other field that demands better control over your emotions. Some hospitals do ask their doctors to sign up for anger management classes after one scalpel thrown across the operating room too many, but it still continues to be a problem, and is no doubt, contributing to at least some instances of medical malpractice.

Stress comes with the territory when you decide to take up a career in medicine, and if you have a natural tendency to react badly to stress or take it out on others, you should probably reconsider the professional path you are about to choose. Once you're outfitted in a white coat, there are simply too many patients whose lives depend on you keeping a cool head at all times, for you to have the luxury of blowing steam in the work place.

Doctors who are stressed out, or simply have a tendency to react viciously are just one reason why medical mistakes can occur. These mistakes can have serious and even fatal consequences. If you have been injured by a mistake committed by a physician, you should know that you have ways to obtain compensation for your suffering and trauma. Get in touch with me at my New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers office for an evaluation of your case.

The company in question is CVS, which has the highest number of stores – 285 of them - in the state out of all the nationwide chains. According to the report, the distinction with other chains doesn't quite end there. CVS also has the highest number of citations from  the North Carolina Pharmacy Board for prescription errors. In fact, the Board has repeatedly cited the chain for creating a work environment in which employees are likely to make mistakes.

Regular customers who get their prescriptions filled at CVS are noticing the difference in service, the report says. Staff members often seem to be in a hurry to rush through prescriptions. It's not simply a desire to squeeze more out of their workday that's behind this high speed work environment. As the report points out, the company has incentive systems in place that reward employees based on the volume of prescriptions they fill. In fact, CVS pharmacists routinely receive updates on the amount of extra cash they stand to make depending on how quickly they can fill bottles with pills.

The extent to which CVS has been able to continue this practice unchecked, is shocking. Consider these statistics – the Board of Pharmacy stipulates 150 as the number of prescriptions that can safely be filled by a pharmacist in a single day. At CVS, some former employees have gone on record to claim that on a busy day, it's not unusual for pharmacists to fill as many as 500 prescriptions.  

In one complaint of pharmacy error against CVS that was filed with the Board, a pregnant woman took home what she thought was anti-morning sickness medication from her local Salisbury CVS store.   Only, it turned out to be a drug that's prescribed for patients with spinal injuries. When the Board investigated the number of prescriptions that were filled on the day of the potentially tragic mistake – a common practice when pharmacy errors are reported – it was found that the pharmacist responsible had filled 513 prescriptions on that particular day.

CVS itself sees nothing wrong with the speed at which prescriptions are filled at its stores. According to a spokesperson, certain speed is necessary in "specific defined circumstances."   The blasé attitude at CVS towards the concerns of the Board and the public, as well as the company's focus on volume and profits at the cost of patient safety, is appalling. But it's far from an isolated case. The push for profits over safety is common to most of the major nationwide pharmacies. The kind of prescription errors that result when pharmacists are counting the dollars that will be chalked up on their incentive sheets, instead of focusing on the name of the medication they are filling out, should be a cause for worry, not only for pharmacy error lawyers, but also consumers.

According to an article from the American Medical News, a shocking 11% of child patients have adverse drug events during hospital stays. Most of the results came from children staying in adult hospitals and given adult sized doses instead of the pediatric size. Dr. Sharek, chief clinical patient safety officer at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. said “We are so used to writing pediatric, weight-based doses and when children are being cared for at adult hospitals staffed by adult-based nurses and adult-based pharmacists, that's a type of error that could theoretically occur a lot more frequently." The American Medical News goes on to say “The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies more than 15,000 U.S. health care organizations and programs, said in its sentinel event alert that children are at greater risk for adverse drug events. That's because most medications are formulated and packaged for adults, and most hospitals and emergency departments are geared toward caring for adults.” The Joint Commission is further investigating these problems and suggests that hospitals identify and administer pediatric medications. Frank Federico, RPh, said "Medication should be delivered to the nursing unit or available in ready-to-administer fashion. That way, there is less that nurses have to do and less chance for error.”

Ms. Brandy Fanning, 31, of Syracuse, New York, said that as a result of the injuries she sustained by the dentist's actions, she had to undergo emergency surgery. According to court papers, Ms. Fanning is seeking $600,000 for her medical expenses, pain and suffering in the lawsuit she filed against Dr. Trusty in U.S. District Court in Syracuse last month.

The couple alleges in their complaint that she began to feel ill and began vomiting about a month into her pregnancy and assumed it was morning sickness, all the while taking what she thought were the prenatal vitamins.  About a month later, she miscarried her baby. It is alleged that her unborn child was killed due to the ingesting of the potent chemotherapy drug.  After her miscarriage, she continued to take the chemotherapy drugs (still thinking they were prenatal vitamins) because she believed that the vitamins would prepare her for a subsequent pregnancy. It wasn't until she telephoned Walgreens for a refill that the pharmacist realized the mistake.  Please read the full article.  I implore you to write in about your own personal stories pertaining to pharmacy mistakes and errors and your opinions about what has happened to this couple.