In an unsigned, unanimous ruling, the Texas Supreme Court ruled last week that the family of Sharon Boyd, a Fort Worth woman who died last year of colon cancer, can proceed with a malpractice lawsuit against three doctors who had diagnosed her ailment as hemorrhoids. The doctors had asked the court to void the lawsuit,…
I just came across an excellent article about damage caps for medical malpractice which explains why they won’t help lower premiums for Texas doctors. It’s sad to say, but the real effect of damage caps is to punish children, the elderly, the unemployed, and single people. Why do I say that? Because children, retired people,…
Drug errors affect 1 in 14 children, study says, more than was thought. Medicine mix-ups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm about one of 14 hospitalized children, according to the first scientific test of a new detection method. That figure is higher than earlier estimates and bolsters concerns that were already heightened by well-publicized…
Scrawl on the patient with a permanent marker to show where the surgeon should cut. Ask the person’s name to make sure you have the’ right patient. Count sponges to make sure you didn’t leave any in the body. Doctors worldwide who followed a checklist of such steps cut the death rate from surgery almost…
As much as 25 percent of drug errors—when someone gets the wrong prescription, say, or the wrong dosage—occur when the name of one drug looks or sounds like another. Poor penmanship, sloppy pronunciation, and look-alike labels make the problem worse. In a report released earlierthis year, U.S. Pharmacopeia, the official standards-setting body for medications in…
A Missouri doctor who relocated to Austin after a series of professional and legal tangles is seeking to practice medicine in Texas. Dr. Alexander Kalk — whose application to practice in Texas has been pending since May 31, according to the Texas Medical Board — faces disciplinary action before the Missouri Board of Healing Arts….
The state dental board gives the public “inaccurate, incomplete, and inconsistent data,” about Texas dentists and other dental profes sionals, a long-standing problem that a state audit released last week says weakens the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners’ ability to police dental professionals. The report by the State Auditor’s Office notes that unreliable and…
Three years ago, the maker of a surgical clip called the Hem-o-lok issued an urgent recall notice warning doctors to stop using the fasteners on living kidney donors. It said the clips could dislodge in their bodies, with “serious, even life-threatening consequences.” Experts say deaths resulting from missed recalls are the result of a major…