Medical Malpractice

Being a doctor remains one of the most prestigious professions in America. In many cases, the prestige is justified because of the difficulty of the job and the skill and professionalism which many doctors display. Unfortunately, there are plenty of doctors who behave in ways that are unprofessional and even childish. A recent article in […]

Over the past few weeks, several important documents related to patient safety in America have been released. These documents should help to give lawmakers, medical professionals and the public a clearer sense of which patient safety issues remain pressing. Unfortunately, the most recent documentation released indicates that many patient safety issues still need to be […]

A few days ago, the Missouri Senate gave its initial approval to a compromise bill that would reinstate caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims. Malpractice award limits were overturned three years ago by our state’s highest court. Now, however, it appears that Republican and Democrat lawmakers might have forged a bipartisan deal that […]

Medical malpractice is one of the most difficult areas of law. Not only are the medical issues extremely complex, but so are the legal issues. You might remember this attention-grabbing line from Forbes a couple of years ago: “According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), medical negligence is the third leading cause […]

It wasn’t that long ago that we here in Missouri had a cap on compensation for damages in medical malpractice cases. You undoubtedly recall that our state’s Supreme Court struck down the cap in 2012. Unfortunately, there have since then been multiple attempts to reinstate the caps that benefited big insurance corporations at the expense […]

Sometimes when people see a headline about a medical malpractice case in which the victim of a doctor’s negligence receives substantial compensation, they think it’s like the victim won the lottery. The problem with this line of thinking is that it overlooks the fact that victims of medical malpractice have been injured by a doctor. […]

For those of a certain age, Perry Mason was a riveting TV attorney character who brilliantly represented clients at trial, often prevailing as the result of a last-second revelation or confession by a key witness. An attorney who represented a client in a dental malpractice case said he recently went through a Perry Mason moment […]

It has long been claimed in Joplin and across the nation that our healthcare costs are soaring because doctors are forced to order expensive tests that patients don’t need. Doctors claim that they order the unneeded tests – often referred to as “defensive medicine” – to guard against medical malpractice claims. That’s what physicians have […]

The statement is a shock to our national pride, but according to studies, it’s true: medical negligence and preventable error is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It trails only cancer and heart disease. According to a study published last year in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical negligence kills at […]