Medical Malpractice Tag Archives

Back Surgery Fraud

July 9, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Since the widespread use of the internet, it’s become easier and easier for patients to research their own doctors and surgeons. This better prepares them for any major surgeries and encourages trust between doctors and patients. Because medical records and medical malpractice information is a matter of public record, patients now have the power to pick the best surgeons for their health needs/

But what happens when a doctor is moving around the country and uses different aliases? This was the case of Birmingham doctor Aria Sabit, who been accused of performing bad spinal surgeries and sending in fraudulent bills to several healthcare programs. Sabit’s work has crossed state borders many times and stretched from California to Michigan to Alabama. Now the case is in the hands of federal prosecutors, and they’re expecting a guilty verdict to come down.

The case surrounding Sabit stems from the lumbar spinal fusions he performed. During these procedures, he was known to not use the correct medical devices to perform the surgery safely on the spinal columns of his patients. After the surgery was complete, Sabit would allegedly bill the healthcare providers of his patients for many different services – most of which he did not actually perform. His patients believed he had performed the surgery correctly, but the truth eventually came out.

Brain Shunt Complications – What You Need To Know To Protect Yourself

June 1, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect in the medical field including medical providers, medications, medical devices and medical treatments. While medical providers and manufacturers of medical devices strive to provide the best services and products to patients, there will be complications and negligence in the medical field.

Brain-Shunt-Complications Brain shunts are commonly used to treat hydrocephalus. When the brain shunt fails or develops complications, it can be terrifying for the patient and his or her family. Our medical malpractice attorneys have extensive experience helping clients determine if the brain shunt complications were due to a preventable and unavoidable malfunction or failure of the brain shunt.

Common Signs that a Brain Shunt is Malfunctioning

Arroyo Grande California Nursing Home Sued

May 15, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

An Arroyo Grande nursing home, Casa Rosa Elder Care, is being sued after a 91 year old patient, Claire Trubo, fell and called for help for nearly three hours as she lay battered, bruised and bleeding, before the nursing home attendant woke from a nap and came to her assistance. The suit claims the nursing home is understaffed due to their placing money above patient care in their priority list.

Arroyo Grande-California-Nursing-Home-Sued The trouble started in October of 2013 when Ms. Trubo was first admitted to the elder care facility. The staff was made aware at that time of the patients need to be assisted to and from the bathroom. In an instance prior to the fall, the nursing home neglect lawsuit cites she was escorted to the bathroom, only to be left for over 20 minutes before being escorted back. When she brought the matter to the attention of authority, she was told to use the bathroom, i.e. defecate and urinate, in her bed and wait to be cleaned up. Administration was involved at that point and Ms. Rosa’s family was assured the behavior was unacceptable and would not happen again.

On a separate occasion, two days later, Ms. Trubo rang her buzzer but received no assistance. She waited an additional 20 minutes before walking to the bathroom alone, making it without incident. She used the bathroom and then pulled the assistance chain next to the toilet. Again, she waited 20 minutes without assistance or recognition. She attempted to walk back to her bed without assistance when she fell. With no handrail to grasp and too far from the assistance chain, she yelled for assistance. It was three hours before assistance arrived.

How Do I Know How Much My Medical Malpractice Case Is Worth?

August 14, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

As patients, we expect that we will receive the best care possible from our medical providers. It is hard to believe that a medical provider would be negligent, careless or reckless in the manner in which he or she treats a patient. It is even more difficult to believe that patients in Sacramento and across California suffer injuries every day due to the mistakes medical professionals (i.e. doctors, lab technicians, nurses, etc.)

When someone is injured or someone dies because of medical malpractice, the patient or his or her family is entitled to receive compensation for his or her losses. This compensation can be for damages such as medical expenses, funeral costs, pain and suffering and lost wages. However, it is difficult for a medical malpractice attorney to accurately determine the value of a case, especially at the beginning of the case, because there are so many factors that may or may not influence the value of the claim as the case goes forward.

An experienced California medical malpractice attorney can often provide an estimate of what he or she believes to be the value of a medical malpractice claim based on his years of experience and the hundreds of cases he has handled. Typical, the value of the case is equal to the economic damages and the noneconomic damages.

Eight California Hospitals Fined for Safety Violations

August 7, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

Hospitals are often named as a party in medical malpractice cases. Whether it is the medical staff that made a mistake or the hospital who failed to provide a safe environment, hospitals are often the subject of medical malpractice lawsuits. Just this week, The California Department of Public Health issued fines in the amount of $775,000 to eight California hospitals.

According to the CDPH, the fines were issued due to serious licensing violations. The CDHP stated that the hospital’s failure to comply with licensing requirements caused or was likely to cause serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities to patients. The following violations were cited:

Failure to follow surgical procedures and policies

What Are The Differences Between An MCO, HMO And PPO?

July 19, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

Health insurance can be a very complicated subject when you factor in the different types of insurance policies that are available to the public. Understanding the differences of the various insurance policies available is essential to choosing the right insurance policy for you.

Managed Care Organization

A Managed Care Organization (MCO) is part of a Family Care Program that coordinates services from different existing programs and combines them into a single long-term plan of support and services based upon the needs and preferences of the members. MCOs improve the quality of services received by consumers.