http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news_index/malpractice.html News of medical malpractice lawsuits, reports and studies from ConsumerAffairs.Com en-us Copyright 2004 ConsumerAffairs.Com azieger@consumeraffairs.com (Anne Zieger) jhood@consumeraffairs.com (Jim Hood) http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/medical_errors.html Not only do Americans pay much more for medical treatment than anyone else in the world, they also bear the brunt of the most medical errors, according to a survey covering the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Almost 7,000 patients were consulted. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/hospital_keyboards.html As computers spread throughout hospitals, so do nesting spots for potentially dead bacteria, a new study finds. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/patient_safety.html Health regulators are calling for far-reaching changes to improve patient safety. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) says proposals to limit medical malpractice liability should be expanded to pursue long-term changes that truly improve safety, not just limit liability. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/medmal_weiss.html New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has filed a malpractice suit against five Massachusetts General surgeons who performed a gastric bypass operation that went awry in 2002. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/baycol.html New studies indicate Bayer AG was too slow to pull Baycol from the market in 2001, when some patients taking the drug developed a severe and sometimes fatal muscle disorder. In a related development, a prestigious medical journal is calling for a new independent agency to monitor drug safety. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/vioxx_fda.html Congress has taken up the probe of how an FDA-approved drug like Vioxx could turn out to be harmful to the people who take it. The trail appears to be leading to the FDA's door. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/fda_depo_provera.html The Food and Drug Administration is adding a black box warning to Depo-Provera labels, warning that prolonged use may result in the loss of bone density. The injectable drug is used to prevent pregnancy. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/vioxx_bextra2.html A University of Pennsylvania researcher says patients taking Pfizer's Bextra may double their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. The company called the claim unsubstantiated and said a recent analysis found no cardiovascular problems among arthritis patients taking Bextra. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/hospital_charges.html Director and several staff arrested at G.B. Cooley Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded in West Monroe, Louisiana. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/nj_anesthesia.html The New Jersey Appellate Division has upheld tighter state regulations governing the use of anesthesia during procedures performed in a doctor's office. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/medmal_hegarty.html The family of a Milwaukee high-school athlete who died in 1998 due to intestinal complications was awarded $17.4 million on Oct. 21, 2004 in a medical malpractice case. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/medmal_gann.html The family of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman who died after she was given a drug against doctor's orders reached a pre-trial financial settlement with Harris Methodist HEB Hospital. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/malpractice_ge.html Do caps on medical malpractice damage awards hold down doctors' liability insurance premiums? The nation's largest medical malpractice insurer says they don't. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/medmal_carey.html A Rockland County, New York couple received a settlement of $2.5 million on the ninth day of a medical malpractice trial. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/medmal_holm.html A jury in Harris County, Texas rejected a woman's claim that a vaginal delivery caused nerve damage to her newborn daughter.