Most of us have been through this scenario at some point in our lives: we’re in a meeting where it’s important to focus and pay attention to what’s being told to us. This could be, for example, a meeting with our boss, our banker, or our child’s teacher. And out of the blue, we’re given some unexpected information that’s hard to process and wrap our heads around. It’s no different when you’re meeting with your...

A delayed diagnosis involves a situation where a patient seeks medical assistance for symptoms that they are experiencing, but the medical condition that is causing those symptoms is not diagnosed within a reasonable amount of time.  Sadly, in some cases, a delayed diagnosis relating to cancer is the result of negligence by a medical professional. When there is this type of delay, by the time a patient learns about the actual diagnosis, there is a...

If you or a loved one have decided to pursue a medical malpractice case, you might be surprised to learn that while you are bringing a legal complaint against the medical provider – doctor, nurse, hospital, urgent care facility, etc. – you and your legal team will also be dealing with the medical provider’s insurance company. Let’s assume that you have a strong basis to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit. Perhaps you were a victim...

It is estimated that every year, thousands of people are injured in the United States due to surgical errors. A surgical error is defined as an unintentional, preventable injury that is not considered a known acceptable risk of surgery and could have been avoided by following the standard of care. Surgical errors can cause significant harm, including death, and result in overwhelming financial burdens on harmed patients. Surgical errors can include (but are not limited...

Medical malpractice is not an uncommon event. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a comprehensive eight-year study of medical errors in the U.S. and found that, on average, more than 250,000 people die in the U.S. because of medical mistakes each year. This makes medical malpractice the second leading cause of death in the United States, behind cancer and before chronic respiratory disease. The most common medical malpractice claims include misdiagnosis, birth injuries, medication errors,...

Avoiding misdiagnosis is a moral, professional, and public health imperative, according to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. However, estimates vary significantly regarding the full scope of harms related to medical misdiagnosis scenarios. The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence estimates that: 12 million Americans are affected each year by misdiagnosis situations, and perhaps one-third are harmed as a result. Misdiagnosis errors may account for 40,000 to 80,000 preventable deaths annually in U.S....

Emergency room staff are well prepared to deal with almost any emergency room problem that comes their way. They protect their patients while engaging in demanding work.  Unfortunately, each year in the United States, 7.4 million ER patients are misdiagnosed, resulting in 2.6 million patients experiencing preventable harm, and 370,000 patients suffering permanent disability or wrongful death, according to a 2023 report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Five conditions – stroke,...

When you go to the doctor’s office for a medical procedure or to a medical clinic or hospital for surgery, you just assume that things will go well. Doctors are generally well-trained in the United States and, in most cases, well-prepared to diagnose your condition and provide you with the proper treatment you need. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and medical malpractice is involved. In fact, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts believe that...