GCA Can Lead to Blindness, Legal Liability: The risks of giant cell arteritis
Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) can lead to permanent vision impairment if not promptly treated with high-dose steroids. GCA can also result in medical negligence claims because the outcome – sometimes total bilateral blindness – is so devastating.
When a Doctor’s Malpractice Prevents Proving Causation
It is not uncommon that victims of medical negligence cannot prove a crucial element of their case – causation – precisely because of the negligence of the health care provider.
Urgent Care Clinics – Attempting to Fill a Gap in Healthcare, But Can Patients Fall Through the Cracks?
There are dozens of Urgent/Immediate/Express/Convenient Care Clinics in Washington State. Such clinics attempt to fill a perceived gap in healthcare, available for folks who have healthcare needs that don’t rise to the level (in both time and cost) of an emergency room visit, or when it is inconvenient (or impossible) to see their primary care doctor (if they have one).
Controversial New "Sepsis-3" Guidelines May Make Claims Harder When Patients Are Not Timely Diagnosed and Treated
New "Sepsis-3" Guidelines are intended to improve definitions used in the diagnosis of sepsis. However, such changes have the potential to complicate the jobs of health care providers, and complicate a plaintiff attorney’s ability to bring a case alleging a failure to diagnose and/or treat sepsis.
2016 Medical Negligence Section Update
It was a very busy year for the Medical Negligence Section, primarily due to the completion of the Washington Medical Negligence Deskbook. What started as a vague idea is now a tangible resource, with eighteen chapters ranging from the time limits that apply to medical negligence actions to the appeals process. The finished product is […]
An Introduction to Midwifery and Out-of-Hospital Birth for Lawyers
While many of the same principles apply regardless of whether a birth takes place in or out of a hospital setting, out-of-hospital birth cases require a specialized knowledge of relevant regulations, midwife culture, and the red flags that should prompt midwives to consult, transfer, or take emergency action.
Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring – Growing Pains of a New Medical Technology
Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM) is a growing field with associated benefits to the patient, and potential pitfalls for practitioners to avoid.
Tenth Anniversary of the I-330 Victory
November 2015 marks ten years since the voters of this state rejected an initiative, I-330, that would have severely restricted the rights of injured patients to seek recourse in our civil justice system.
Sepsis – A Serious and Growing Threat to Patient Safety
Sepsis is a potentially catastrophic disease that can kill or maim even with appropriate care. However, health care providers may be liable if they had sufficient chance to find and treat the source of the infection, while also treating the patient’s symptoms, and failed to do so.
Medical Negligence Section Chairs’ Report
Medical negligence claims are lightning rods for this divisive thinking. On a macroscopic level, we all know the battle positions by heart; there is no need to rehash the tort reform debate for the audience of this publication.