Medical Malpractice Attorneys

PICU Nurse Distractions Can Cause Medication Errors

Published on: January 27, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Report Shows PICU Nurse Distractions from Work Phones Could Be Cause of Medication Errors

A late 2019 research study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that not only are pediatric nurses multitasking and overworked in intensive care units (ICU), they are receiving too many distracting calls on their work phones that may lead to mistakes in administering medications to young patients.

An overview of the report titled Association Between Mobile Telephone Interruptions and Medication Administration Errors in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit includes:

Funding Pulled From Chicago Lakeshore Hospital

Published on: January 23, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Department of Public Health Plans to Remove License from Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, Federal Funding Revoked

Without federal funding from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and a facility license provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Chicago Lakeshore Hospital may finally pay for its continued failures in compliance by jeopardizing patient health and safety. CMS recently announced it would terminate a Medicare agreement, which provides accompanying federal funding to the psychiatric hospital formerly known as Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, and IDPH released plans to revoke the facility’s license. Both agencies cited ongoing allegations of abuse, safety violations, and deficiencies that threaten the overall wellbeing of patients as the cause.

Chicago Lakeshore Hospital is a private psychiatric facility located in the northside of the city.

Failure To Comply With MRI Recommendations

Published on: January 6, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

MRI Recommendations

Lack of Physician Compliance Identified After Radiologist Suggests Secondary Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive test used to diagnose and detect medical conditions, especially those that impact the joints, spine and soft tissues such as muscles and tendons. Once the imaging is complete, a radiologist, a doctor who is trained to review the exam images, will send a signed report to the patient’s primary care or referring physician with recommendations for diagnosis or treatment. The treating physician will then share the results with their patient and explain if a follow-up exam or further evaluation is required.

Common use for MRI is to diagnose or evaluate musculoskeletal injuries or diseases:

12 Medical Malpractice Facts That Support a Lawsuit

Published on: November 1, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

medical malpractice facts
According to a study by Johns Hopkins University, medical malpractice is now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, and on average, 250,000 people die from medical malpractice, surgical errors and mistakes each year and the numbers continue to rise.

Data from 2009 to 2018 collected by the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), an exhaustive government database of all medical malpractice reports and payments in the United States, concludes these alarming facts.

The average payout for a medical malpractice lawsuit in the past ten years was $309,908

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Published on: October 24, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

L&P - Breast Cancer Month

What If A Doctor Failed to Diagnose Your Breast Cancer?

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers estimate that medical error, including failure to diagnose, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. And in many cases, medical conditions such as breast cancer are treatable when caught early but failing to diagnose or treat can often lead to further injury or death. With today’s greater awareness of one of the biggest killers to American women, as well as technological and diagnostic advancements, doctors should be able to detect breast cancer based on symptoms, standard age-based tests, or readily available screening methods. In many types of breast cancers, an early and correct diagnosis can make a significant difference in prognosis.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, some of the more common breast cancer diagnoses include:

Hospitals Should Be Prepared For Cyber Attacks

Published on: October 7, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

med mal attorney

URGENT/11: Medical Products Are Vulnerable to Cybersecurity Threats

Healthcare organizations, IT professionals, device manufacturers and patients are being warned of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety communication alert on October 1 explaining the serious safety and security risks due to URGENT/11 and a third-party software system called IPnet.

“Security researchers, manufacturers and the FDA are aware that the following operating systems are affected, but the vulnerability may not be included in all versions of these operating systems,” said FDA officials in a released statement which included a warning involving six different operating systems.

How To File A Malpractice Claim In Illinois

Published on: September 26, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

illinois med mal lawyer

3 Things to Know Before Filing a Medical Malpractice Claim in Illinois

Medical negligence or malpractice is often the result of a professional or an institution breaching the standard of care. Illinois health systems, doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, dentists, chiropractors, and clinicians of all kinds can be responsible for a negligent act that provides the basis of a medical malpractice lawsuit. Examples of malpractice may stem from:

A hospital choosing to reduce staffing or hours of monitoring at medical facilities

Latest Statistics on Medical Malpractice

Published on: July 17, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

As Malpractice Laws Changes, Patient Safety Concerns Grow

The 12^th edition of Medical Malpractice: By The Numbers is now open for review and examines the latest statistics, facts, and research concerning unsafe hospitals, preventable patient injuries, negligent clinicians, and medical errors. Authored by the Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School (CJ&D) researchers say the 172-page volume includes over 500 linked footnotes and sources and was released at a time when laws are making it harder for patients and their families to place accountability on wrong-doing hospitals and incompetent physicians.

Briefing book statistics are shared for topics such as:

Levin & Perconti: One of Chicago’s Top Medical Malpractice Law Firms

Published on: June 10, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

chicago med mal lawyers

Levin & Perconti Recognized for Work on Medical Malpractice Cases

Levin & Perconti has been selected as a finalist by The National Law Journal’s 2019 Elite Trial Lawyers Award for their work on medical malpractice cases.

NLJ’s editors and reporters reviewed more than 300 submissions from lawyers and law firms from across more than 20 categories, seeking those who demonstrated repeated success in cutting-edge work on behalf of plaintiffs over the last 18 months. The selection committee was also looking for legal services with a solid track record of client wins over the past three to five years.

Physician Misuse Of Fentanyl Was Deadly

Published on: May 13, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

medical malpractice

6 Wrongful Death Lawsuits Settled for Ohio Families Impacted in Deadly Pain Medication Scandal

Several news outlets from Columbus, including WBNS-10TV, are reporting two additional families representing Ohio patients who died from fentanyl overdoses at Mount Carmel West have reached separate wrongful death settlement agreements totaling $700,000.

Court records reveal one of the settlements involves patient Peggy Francies who died in October of 2017. Her family will receive $500,000 in compensation.