Donahoe Kearney Patient and Worker Safety Blog

If a child, patient or family is harmed by the medical system, the last thing they want is misinformation, empty promises or boasting from a lawyer about how great he or she is.  Families and patients want information on what happened to their child or family member, whether it could have been prevented, and what could make it better.  Did the doctors and nurses put the patient's safety first?  Did they recognize signs and symptoms of an illness, disease or injury?  

Many times, the investigation reveals the medical treatment was appropriate, the injury was not preventable or the condition would have occurred anyway.  And those families understand what happened, because no one ever explained it to them. 

Sometimes the investigation shows medical errors that were preventable.  When families find that out, they don't want revenge.  Their only thoughts are "How will I get my child's wheelchair up the stairs when he's a teenager?" or  "Who will take care of my special needs child when I'm gone?" Those families need information about their rights, and they need lawyers who will give them the information - both good and bad about the benefits and limitations of the legal system.


Blog Category:

Medical Malpractice

2/17/2012

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The Disturbing Trends of Distracted Doctoring

Smarphones may cause medical providers to make dumb decisions, such as neglect their patients, due to distractions such as checking email or playing with apps.

Labels: D.C. hospital malpractice D.C. medical malpractice D.C. medical malpractice lawyer disabled child HMO malpractice hospital malpractice Maryland hospital malpractice Maryland medical malpractice medical malpractice medical malpractice case medical mistakes patient safety preventable medical errors special needs child
2/3/2012
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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D.C. Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Guilty Hospitals Recommend Attorneys to Patients in Medical Malpractice Cases

Maryland hospital corporations have lists of attorneys they refer patients to after they commit medical malpractice on the patient.

Labels: D.C. medical malpractice lawyer hospital malpractice medical malpractice medical malpractice case
11/14/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Special Needs Children: A Guide to Resources

As D.C. medical malpractice lawyers, we work with families who have a disabled child. And we are publishing a resource guide for special needs kids.

Labels: disabled child medical malpractice special needs child
6/15/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medical Malpractice - Hospitals, HMOs and doctors should disclose malpractice

D.C., Maryland and Virginia medical malpractice cases require extensive investigation. Many times hospitals and HMOs don't disclose malpractice to a patient.

Labels: D.C. hospital malpractice D.C. medical malpractice HMO malpractice medical malpractice
6/3/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medical Malpractice: Another study showing tort reform proposals don't help cost controls

Limits on recovery for patients (including children) severely injured due to medical malpractice don't help reduce medical care costs

Labels: D.C. hospital malpractice D.C. medical malpractice HMO malpractice Maryland medical malpractice
5/4/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medication Errors - patients given the wrong medication - increase dramatically

Patients prescribed or given the wrong medication or injured due to medication side effects.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes
4/13/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Hospitals not reporting medical malpractice mistakes

Medical malpractice in hospitals is severely underreported by hospitals according to one recent study of medical mistakes in hospitals.

Labels: D.C. hospital malpractice D.C. medical malpractice Maryland hospital malpractice Maryland medical malpractice
3/24/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medical Malpractice: Hospitals' Cultures of Silence undermine patient safety measures

A recent study of hospital nurses shows that silence about patient safety violations undermines patient safety measures designed to prevent medical errors.

Labels: HMO malpractice medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
3/15/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Breast cancer screening and mammograms

The American Cancer Society still recommends a baseline mammogram at age 40 and annual mammograms for women of average risk.

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3/2/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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As many as 75% of hospital tests are not followed up on according to a recent study.

Hospitals failure to follow up on medical tests can have serious consequences for patients, including delayed or mis diagnoses and death. And according to a recent study, 75% of hospital tests are not followed up on.

Labels: medical malpractice patient safety pulmonary embolism
1/26/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Overworked nurses and patient safety

Can medical mistakes be caused by fatigued, overworked nurses? A recent study indicates longer nurses' shifts may put hospital patients at risk.

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1/20/2011
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Doctor gets life threatening test result but doesn't tell patient

A doctor received a chest x-ray report confirming his patient had pneumonia, a life threatening condition, but no one told the patient who died from this medical error a few days later.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes patient safety pneumonia pulmonary embolism
12/1/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Study finds hospital medical errors persist.

New England Journal of Medicine Study shows harm to patients from medical care remains common.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
10/29/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Serious medical errors caused by lack of communication

A hospital oversight group indicates 80% of serious medical errors are caused by poor communication between health care providers.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
9/29/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Hospitals not reporting serious adverse events and medical mistakes

A construction worker suffered brain damage due to hypoxia - lack of oxygen - during surgery and a medication mistake. When he died 2 days later, the hospital didn't report it as a medical error.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
9/10/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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More ghostwriting in medical literature

Medical researcher says drugmaker used ghostwriters to play up the benefits and downplay the harm of hormone replacement therapy.

Labels: medical mistakes
7/2/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Preventable Medical Mistakes

Preventable medical mistakes happened nearly 1000 times over a two year period, based upon investigative reporting and analysis of hospital data from Las Vegas.

Labels: HMO malpractice medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
7/1/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medical Literature Ghostwriting

Health care decisions, insurance authorization of diagnostic tests and medical malpractice cases can all be impacted by medical literature that reports and publishes findings and studies on patient care, standards, the effectiveness of treatment, etc. But what if the articles aren't written by doctors or scientists, but are ghost written for drug and medical device companies?

Labels: HMO malpractice medical malpractice preventable medical errors
6/25/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Trying to instill a culture of safety in hospitals

Reducing medical malpractice should focus on patient safety. By reducing preventable medical errors and those choices by HMOs, hospitals and healthcare workers that don't put patient safety first, instances of medical malpractice will decline.

Labels: HMO malpractice medical malpractice medical mistakes patient safety preventable medical errors
6/18/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Patient Safety and Preventing Medical Malpractice

Ten years ago a government study showed nearly 100,000 people die annually due to preventable medical errors and malpractice. A recent patient safety conference showed hospitals still have a way to go to put patient safety first.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
6/2/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Hospital System Fails Heart Patients

Talk about an unsafe hospital practice. Over 4,000 echocardiograms (an ultrasound image of the heart used to detect abnormalities) performed at a New York hospital were never read by a cardiologist.

Labels: echocardiogram medical malpractice preventable medical errors
1/27/2010
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Never Events - Preventable Medical Errors

"Never Events" is a term for preventable medical errors or medical mistakes that should never happen.

Labels: medical malpractice medical mistakes preventable medical errors
12/29/2009
Frank R. Kearney, Esq.
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Medical Malpractice DC, Maryland, Virginia

Medical malpractice kills 98,000 people every year. That doesn't include patients who suffer brain damage, cerebral palsy or amputations because of medical errors.

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In D.C., Maryland and Virginia, we represent people and families - patients injured because of preventable medical mistakes, children with cerebral palsy, workers with on the job injuries and people injured in serious car accidents, and families who have lost a loved one due to medical malpractice, work and car accidents.