Maryland Medical Malpractice Attorney Blog

There is a good post on defensive medicine on the New York Personal Injury Law Blog offering an obvious reason for defensive medicine that beyond the fear of lawsuits: padding the doctor's bill.

Interview with Michael Kubik, vice president of marketing ProMutual Group, a Boston-based malpractice insurer that sells medical malpractice insurance throughout New England, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to 18,000 doctors, clinics and hospitals.

Interview summary: these are good times for medical malpractice insurance companies in Pennsylvania.

The Illinois Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday from malpractice lawyers in three cases challenging the Illinois limit on caps in medical malpractice cases. Earlier this year, a trial court ruled that the law violates the separation clause of the Constitution. The Maryland Court of Appeals is also expected to soon hear arguments as to whether Maryland cap on non economic damages is valid under Maryland's constitution.

Related Posts

• Maryland Lawyer Appeals Non Economic Damages Cap Case


• Maryland High Court to Hear Cap Appeal


• Illinois Cap Appeal

Interesting blog post I found via KevinMD on the discussions between specialists and primary care doctors over the disparity in income between the two. Specialist make more money and they should is the gist of the post. But the disparity in income between specialist and primary care doctors is ridiculous, according to the author.

Hospital infections are becoming more of an issue both within hospitals and in the media in recent years. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta makes clear the reason: infections at hospitals cause 90,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. Infections result in an estimated 205,000 additional hospital days for infected patients and $2 billion in hospital charges.

Most infections are not the result of hospital malpractice. But consider these facts. In Central New York, University Hospital had, according to one study, an infection rate of 0.669 percent. Other New York Hospitals had lower rates: St. Joseph's and Crouse had infection rates of 0.405 percent and 0.364 percent, respectively. But Community General's infection rate was 0.017 percent and Oswego’s rate was absolutely zero.

Now, hospital quality data is not standardized and there are different reports that measure hospitals in different ways. But can this degree of variance in hospital infection rates be the product of mere probability or the way the hospitals report the data? I don't think so.

Many states, most notably Pennsylvania, are taking great steps to collect and report data on hospital-acquired infections. These are just steps in the right direction. Hospital patients have a right to know whether a hospital in which they might receive care and treatment is diligent in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections.

The Edmond Sun in Oklahoma provides an editorial from Jeff Raymond about medical malpractice tort reform in Texas. The editorial notes that prior to malpractice tort reform that included a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages, 152 Texas counties had no obstetrician. Four years? The number is unchanged.

The idea behind medical malpractice tort reform in Texas was that doctors would flock to Texas to take advantage of lower medical malpractice premiums. That has not happened.