A 2019 report from The Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety revealed startling patient statistics. The Center found that more than 60,000 patients in Massachusetts had suffered from medical errors. Misdiagnosis can lead to harm or even death for patients. Claims of...
Medical Malpractice
Never events are serious and preventable medical errors
Never events are medical errors made in hospitals in Massachusetts and around the country that are extremely serious and usually preventable. The term "never event" was first used in 2001, which was two years after the Institute of Medicine released a report that drew...
Medical malpractice and the failed treatment of chronic disease
Regardless of the many well-trained and caring healthcare professionals in Massachusetts and across the nation, medical errors still occur. Unfortunately, a deep-rooted healthcare system promoting treatment over prevention often fails to prevent avoidable chronic...
Does pernicious medical culture lead to malpractice?
Without competent doctors and medical advances, most people wouldn't experience the health benefits they have. Yet, have you ever felt that your doctor in Massachusetts didn't listen to your needs? Did not listening to your concerns lead to serious medical...
Medical malpractice claims against the military
Massachusetts residents who serve in the military often seek medical treatment from a military hospital. While past legal precedents denied servicemembers the right to sue for medical malpractice, the National Defense Authorization Act changed the longstanding...
Operating room errors and malpractice
In Massachusetts and across the United States, surgeons sometimes perform wrong procedures, operate on wrong body parts or even perform surgeries on the wrong patients. These "wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors" (WSPEs) constitute ample reasons for most...
The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program
When you go into a Massachusetts hospital for treatment, you don't expect to acquire an infection or a secondary condition. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have identified specific conditions that should not occur to patients receiving hospital...
Identifying and reducing medication dispensing errors
Making medication dispensing errors is one of the leading causes of serious injury or death among healthcare patients. In Massachusetts, healthcare professionals follow strict standards and procedures to keep their patients safe. They use a number of strategies to...
What is wrong-site surgery, and why does it happen?
Patients in Massachusetts and around the country expect their doctors to be highly skilled at their craft. Unfortunately, medical malpractice still happens. Wrong-site surgery is one of the worst forms. What is wrong-site surgery? Wrong-site surgery is a type of...
The symptoms of summer flu could be Lyme disease
Contracting Lyme disease and trying to obtain a correct diagnosis is often difficult. The disease shares symptoms that are common with flus and fevers. In Massachusetts, flu-like symptoms could lead to a medical misdiagnosis and incorrect treatments. Mistaking common...