Serratia marcescens outbreaks are rare. When they happen, it is a big deal. Here are the eight things you want to know about these infections that often end in medical malpractice cases. What is Serratia marcescens? Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen. This bacterial pathogen has been isolated from…
On our website, we have put up pages that provide information about bringing medical malpractice claims against hospitals in Maryland, including these four Baltimore City hospitals: Harbor Hospital Johns Hopkins University of Maryland Franklin Square (technically not in the City but right on the line) We provide information on who…
One obvious malpractice claim in some hospital cases is negligent credentialing. These claims typically allege the hospital should have suspended or revoked the doctor’s privileges or should have monitored and supervised the doctor more closely. This is also known by its legal term, “Why did you let this idiot in…
Tragic story here about a lieutenant from a Sheriff’s Department who was severely incapacitated after he underwent bariatric surgery in 2007. The details of his care and treatment are appalling. After being told that a weight-loss surgery would be “less risky” than continuing to live in his physical state (he…
One frequent emergency room complaint is abdominal pain of unknown origin. The challenge for the ER doctor is to diagnose the source of the problem, or at least narrow the problem, and rule out life-threatening aliments. Three big potentials for problems are appendicitis, volvulus, and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and…
Most hospitals have three categories of doctors practicing medicine in their hospital: (1) a doctor who has privileges at that hospital; (2) salaried employees and (3) independent contractors. In emergency rooms in Maryland, most of the doctors that are providing treatment are independent contractors. Of course, patients don’t know this.…
Medical malpractice is largely a zero-sum game. If it helps the defendant’s lawyer, it helps the plaintiff’s lawyer. We all pretend from time to time this is not so. But it is almost invariably true. The question of whether to name doctors in a hospital malpractice case is one of…
This is not a space to praise the virtues of malpractice insurance companies. But let’s give credit to Crico/RMF a malpractice insurance company which insures Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Crico/RMF, according to the Wall Street Journal, put on an emergency medicine leadership summit to identify the critical factors that cause missed or…
I’m a big fan of the law of unintended consequences. Here’s one: better medical care because of a bad economy. Why? I’m glad you asked. The economic downturn has helped the quality of nursing. During good times, every nurse (and their mother) was selling real estate on the side or…
In Maryland hospital malpractice lawsuits, the Court of Appeals has followed the apparent authority theory of agency. Under this theory, if a Maryland hospital represents that a doctor is its servant or agent and thereby causes a patient to justifiably rely upon the care or skill of that doctor, the…