MedMal Insider
by CRICO
Latest episode
No Note About Patient Refusal of Test Before Missed Cancer
No Note About Patient Refusal of Test Before Missed Cancer
About this podcast
For more than 20 years, CRICO has analyzed claims and suits from the Harvard medical community to understand causes of error. We have learned that 67% of claims fall into four high risk areas: Diagnosis, Obstetrics, Surgery and Medication.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 59 episodes
- No Note About Patient Refusal of Test Before Missed Cancer · 1 minA delay in following a patient’s right kidney mass was complicated by the patient’s refusal of a CT scan and the providers’ incomplete and conflicting documentation of patient…
- Fatal Team Failure to Widen the Diagnostic Focus for OB Patient · 11 minExpert review concluded that a more aggressive response to non-reassuring fetal heart rate tracings, such as a conversion to cesarean delivery, would have been appropriate…
- Missed Protocols, Medication Mix-up, Patient Death · 8 minA patient died following a medication mixup in an understaffed medical ICU. A large settlement was reached on behalf of the RN who administered the wrong dose of the wrong…
- Timing of Conversation Influences Settlement in Age Discrimination Claim · 15 minAfter an employee alleges age discrimination, conversations with their supervisor could be perceived as retaliation. An attorney at CRICO describes the pitfalls in these…
- Communication Post-op Blamed in Large Settlement · 15 minA cholecystectomy patient alleged that mishandling of her post-operative calls to the surgical practice and lack of follow-up caused her post-operative complications. Like many…
- Battery in Toddler’s Nose Missed at First · 15 minParents alleged that a delayed diagnosis of a foreign body in their child’s nose caused preventable nosebleeds, nasal infection, nasal septal perforation, and the need for…
- Bad Finger, Good Documentation · 8 minA patient sued her hand surgeon, claiming the surgical approach increased the chance that their finger wouldn’t fully heal from a prior fracture. The defense leaned on…
- A Pending Test at Discharge and a Return with Sepsis · 11 minA 68-year-old male was admitted to the hospital after falling on ice and feeling short of breath. Two days after discharge, the patient arrived by ambulance at another hospital…
- Med Error Leads to Change in L&D Policy · 7 minA 30-year-old woman experiencing her first pregnancy, presented to the Labor and Delivery unit. She was given the wrong drug and required an emergent C-section. The “five rights”…
- Incidental Lung Nodule Overlooked, No Follow-up, Fatal Cancer Advances · 13 minA patient was imaged for abdominal pain, but the radiologist saw and reported an incidental finding of a nodule on the lower lung that was not pursued or revealed to the patient…
- Overdose or Poor Documentation? · 10 minThe patient’s family alleged that improper management of the patient under anesthesia resulted in cardiorespiratory arrest, permanent brain damage, and a persistent vegetative…
- Response to Charges of Discrimination can Help or Hurt a Hospital, Any Employer · 14 minWhen hospitals and medical practices face charges of discrimination from employees, the consequences can include litigation, large payments, morale problems, and less quality…
- Slow to Diagnose Endocarditis After Repeat Visits · 11 minOne thing that seemed to be missing in this particular evaluation was a formal differential diagnosis that may have been present in the physician’s brain, but wasn’t documented…
- Signs of Bias in Rejected Request for Accommodation · 12 minBoston Attorney Megan Kures explains how a hospital should respond to a request for accommodation. Tip: it shouldn’t be a knee-jerk no, and be sure to involve HR from the start.
- Health Payment Reform Act: Rules to Protect Providers · 8 minAfter a state medical error disclosure and apology law went into effect in November 2012, health providers in Massachusetts have protections and rules to follow.
- Cardiac Event Mismanaged in ED · 12 minAn otherwise healthy 50-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department with atypical chest pain. Discharge the next morning was followed by death.
- Woman’s Stroke Progressed in ED without Intervention · 9 minThe patient needed to be evaluated by a stroke team and a neurologist promptly to decide whether any treatment was indicated or possible. Triage should be the same whether the ER…
- Surgery Change Needed Better Consent · 11 minThe goal was to treat uncontrolled pain from tumors but the patient was left with unexpected hearing loss. The patient sued when she claimed the surgeon changed the side of the…
- Lack of Preparation, Safety Culture, Contributed to Loss of Baby · 10 minThis OB patient’s risk factors were not adequately considered, and the team’s failure to follow protocols and secure back-up contributed to a lawsuit and a settlement of over $1…
- Unclear Discharge Instructions, Patient Loses Foot · 10 minIn a lawsuit naming the Emergency Medicine physician and a nurse, the patient alleged that a dressing was applied too tightly, compromising the circulation and resulting in a…
