Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice

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NYSTLA will hold a meeting of the Medical Malpractice Committee on April 19th at 6:00 p.m. and should last until 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at NYSTLA Headquarters at 132 Nassau Street Suite 200.

Red Alert!

As you probably know by now, federal legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 1215 would impose severe restrictions on medical malpractice actions and actions against nursing homes throughout the country including a $250,000 cap on awards for non-economic damages as well as other toxic limitations. The bill has already passed committees in the House. It was scheduled to be brought to the House floor on March 29th, 2017, but that has been delayed. It is anticipated, however, that it will still be brought to the floor, and that it has a good chance of passing.

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Patient wristbandPatient identification error may be medical malpractice that can result in serious injury and sometimes death of a patient. This type of medical error can happen at any step of a medical process from lab testing to medication administration and even billing.

A special report published by the ECRI Institute reviewed 160 recent scientific searches and publications written on this type of medical malpractice to provide a snapshot of the status of this prevalent occurrence.

The report found patient  identification errors at each of the following clinical contexts:

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Patient safetyAs healthcare providers implement new technologies and therapies every year, they also create unanticipated risks of medical malpractice. The ECRI Institute just published a report highlighting their main patient safety concerns. Below is a list of the top 10 medical situations where patients have the highest risk to be harmed in 2017.

  1. Management of Electronic Health Records (EHR)

    Here are some of the most common risks related to EHR:

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New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Marijo AdimeyGair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is proud to announce that our partner New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Marijo C. Adimey obtained a $2.5 million unanimous verdict in an Upper Endoscopy case in Queens, New York.

The plaintiff, Elsa Garzon (57), went to Dr. Steven Batash on June 29, 2015 for a diagnostic EGD (also known as an upper endoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy).  Ms. Garzon, of Columbian decent, emigrated to the United States in 2005 to provide a better life for her two children.  While raising her two small children, she learned English, became a resident, and started working as a helper in a local Queens deli.  She eventually became a U.S. Citizen and has continued to work at the same deli for over 12 years, where she is now the head cook.

Dr. Batash recommended an upper endoscopy, followed by a colonoscopy, to address her frequent complaints of abdominal pain.  An upper endoscopy is a screening and diagnostic tool used by gastroenterologists to evaluate the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.  Upper endoscopy is used to identify ulcers, colon polyps, tumors, and areas of inflammation or bleeding.  Performed under a mild form of anesthesia, a thin, flexible tube with a camera at the tip is used to examine the inner lining of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum (part of the small intestine).  The scope is inserted into the mouth, down the esophagus, into the stomach and then passed through the upper part of the duodenum.   Passage of the endoscope through the duodenum is incredibly important, as improper handling of the scope could cause injury to intestine and to the abdominal cavity outside the intestine.

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Rubinowitz-Ben-B_12d7428b-27a7-4195-bebc-7788dce430881Ben Rubinowitz, a partner at our firm, has been asked by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to deliver a Grand Rounds lecture to its radiologists. This talk will specifically focus on medical malpractice and communication issues that lead to medical negligence. Throughout his 30 years as a trial lawyer, Ben has been lecturing to doctors, lawyers and patients concerning all areas of medical malpractice and personal injury. Ben’s lecture will take place on February 8, 2017.

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Hospital watch list 2017As healthcare evolves so does medical malpractice. The ECRI Institute just published its 2017 Top 10 Hospital C-suite Watch List. Here are the top 10 issues and technical challenges faced by hospitals in 2017.

  1. LIQUID BIOPSIES

    Liquid biopsies are tests using patients liquids such as patients’ blood, urine or plasma rather than tissues. They are easier, cheaper and less risky than needle or surgical biopsy of tissues. Mostly used for patients with cancer, these types of biopsies are the new trend but they are so new that their reliability  is still questionable.Hospitals using these tests need to set up a solid genetic test clinical utilization process to  mitigate diagnosis error.

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Failure to provide adequate cyber security in a healthcare facility can be medical malpractice. Last year, healthcare became the most frequently hacked industry in the US. According to a recent ECRI analysis, 90% of healthcare providers suffered security breaches in the past. With attackers spending an average of 200 days in a network it is estimated that 1 in 3 Americans will have his or her health records compromised by hackers in 2016. Every patient breached record costs an average of $363. Cyber attacks cost the healthcare industry yearly an average $6 billion. Last year hackers stole $88.4 million by hacking health records.

Quest Diagnostic, a medical laboratory based in New Jersey but handling tests for many New York City Healthcare facilities just announced that it was hacked. 34’000 patients had their data exposed according to the New York Times.

Health records are the main targets of cyber attacks but medial devices are also being hijacked putting patients at risk of dangerous health incidents. To make sure patients are safe and to avoid negligence lawsuits the healthcare industry has to fight back. Equipment needs to be proprely managed and security patches need to be timely implemented. Network security needs to be reviewed on a regular basis. Vulnerable medical devices must be identified. When reusing an electronic medical device on a new patient, the medical staff must make sure that all previous data are erased.  Requests for Proposals to manufacturers or consultants must be exchanged in a cyber safe manner. New devices or patches that are added to the network must be tested before being released.

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medical malpracticeMedical Malpractice cases in New York are often very complex. Because the cases are too complex for a non-doctor to determine if the patients was the victim of a medical malpractice, the testimony of a medical expert is required for almost every medical malpractice case to go to the jury. However in some very rare cases in which the medical malpractice is “obvious”  medical expert testimony may not be necessary.

In a recent NYC medical malpractice case, a patient won his medical malpractice case without presenting  medical expert testimony. The patient sustained burns after his orthopedic surgeon inadvertently left a hot mallet on his left thigh and abdomen during an arthroscopic surgery. The patient sued the surgeon and his practice group for medical malpractice. After the surgeon admitted in his deposition that he had committed an error, the patient moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability. The surgeon submitted an affidavit that attempted to explain that despite his deposition, the operating room staff was ultimately responsible for the error. The court found the surgeon’s argument unavailing and partial summary judgement was granted to the plaintiff by the Bronx Supreme Court as to the surgeon only.

In Legakis v. New York Westchester Square Medical Center,et.el., 2016 NY Slip Op 07843, the Appellate Division, First Department, modified by also granting partial summary judgment on the issue of liability against the orthopedic surgeon’s practice group, and affirmed. The court held that the trial court did not err in granting partial summary judgment on the issue of liability against the orthopedic surgeon and partial summary judgment on the issue of liability should also be granted against the orthopedic surgeon’s practice group. The plaintiffs did not rely on res ipsa loquitur relying on the defendant’s deposition testimony and medical records. The Court held “…this is the rare case in which the ‘prima facie proof is so convincing that the inference of negligence arising therefrom is inescapable and unrebutted,’ so that summary judgment on liability is proper (Thomas v New York Univ. Med. Ctr., 283 AD2d 316, 317 [1st Dept 2001] [internal quotation marks omitted]).”

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New York Medical Malpractice Attorney Mariojo AdimeyOur firm is proud to announce that New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Marijo C. Adimey obtained a $1.27 million verdict in a colonoscopy case in Brooklyn, New York City.

The plaintiff, Lola Heifetz (63), went to Dr. Robin Baradarian and The Brooklyn Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, PLLC on September 26, 2010 for a routine screening colonoscopy. Ms. Heifetz, of Ukraine descent, emigrated to the United States over thirty (30) years ago. She learned English, became a U.S. citizen, obtained her lab technician certificate, and started working as a lab technician at Maimonidies Medical Center. She worked at Maimonidies Medical Center for almost thirty (30) years until the day of the colonoscopy.

A colonoscopy is a screening and diagnostic tool used by gastroenterologists to evaluate the inside of the colon and identify ulcers, colon polyps, tumors, and areas of inflammation or bleeding. Performed under a mild form of anesthesia, a thin, flexible tube is used to examine the inner lining of the large intestine, i.e. the rectum and colon. The scope is inserted into the anus, through the rectum and then passed through the entire large intestine to the cecum. Passage of the colonoscope through the intestine is incredibly important, as improper handling of the scope could cause injury to not only the bowel itself, but vital organs outside the bowel including the spleen.

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Pictures of our partner Jeffrey Bloom speaking on “Cross Examination of an Expert Witness in a Medical Malpractice Case” last week in New York City at the New York State Bar Association “Bridging the Gap Winter 2016” program. Jeff stated that not only was the seminar very successful but “I found it to be particularly rewarding to share my knowledge of over 35 years with newly admitted lawyers to help them to bridge the gap between law school and the reality of practicing law in New York State. I feel it is an obligation to give back to our legal community, especially to newly admitted attorneys.”Jeffery Bloom Lecture 2

Jeffrey Bloom Lecture

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