Illinois news

Walgreens Knew About Pharmacy Error Risks

Published on: March 5, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Reports Reveal That Walgreens Execs New of Prescription Error Risks

Although completely preventable, prescription drug mistakes are some of the most persistent and damaging medical errors that can happen and cause nearly 9,000 people to die as a result each year. And according to The New York Times in a report published on February 21, 2020, executives from a major U.S. drug store chain know all too well how those mistakes can happen but still did nothing to help. Walgreens executives knew of the complaints by pharmacy employees that “unreasonable” stress levels were leading to errors in filling prescriptions. Executives later removed the damaging remarks and “high level findings” from presentations created by a consulting service hired to examine the company’s computer system for filling prescriptions, the Times said.

Amy Bixler, the director of pharmacy and retail operations at Walgreens, told consultants to delete a bullet point that mentioned how employees “sometimes skirted or completely ignored” proper procedures to meet corporate metrics.

Dangerous Healthcare Gaps For Illinois Kids

Published on: February 24, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Delays in Treatment and Missing Medication Follow New Health Care Plan for Illinois Foster Kids on Medicaid

On February 1, 2020, nearly 2,500 children and young adults provided care through the Illinois foster care system lost their healthcare coverage due to what a Department of Healthcare and Family Services spokeswoman for the agency that runs the state Medicaid program, described as a “glitch” in a computer program. Although the state started transitioning its Medicaid program in 2011 from a traditional fee-for-service model to managed care, the move has remained troublesome for more an estimated 19,000 former foster children and approximately 17,000 more. The sensitive population in need of medical care through physician visits, therapies, and medication includes children who are victims of abuse and neglect, many of whom have highly complex physical, mental and behavioral health issues, but also those born with cognitive and physical disabilities.

According to several Illinois news reports:

$8.1M Awarded To Family Who Lost Mom To Cancer

Published on: January 16, 2020 | Levin & Perconti

Woman’s Estate Wins $8.1 Million For Failed Cancer Diagnosis and Wrongful Death, Represented by Levin & Perconti

In 2016, Levin & Perconti attorneys John J. Perconti, Michael F. Bonamarte IV and Daniel A. Goldfaden filed a lawsuit on behalf of the estate of a woman who should have been diagnosed with cancer when she was first X-rayed in 2013. It wasn’t until doctors at another hospital diagnosed her with stage 3 lung cancer in October 2014 that her illness was known. The delayed diagnosis caused Althea Wright’s disease to progress and go untreated. Sadly, she later died in 2015 at the age of 68. The suit was filed on behalf of Wright’s two children.

During a week-long trial in December 2019, a Cook County jury determined the estate of the deceased radiologist, Palmer Jane Blakley, MD, and the corporation tied to her closed practice must pay $8.125 million to remedy the missed cancer diagnosis. Blakley reviewed Wright’s scans, which showed a “rounded density” in her left lung, but she did not identify the mass or note any abnormality in Wright’s chart.

Nurses Need Education in Actual Clinical Settings

Published on: September 18, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

A New Generation of Nurses Will Require Clinical Teachings to Lessen Medical Error Rates

We carry no doubt that America’s nurses have devoted years to their education in the classroom by experienced instructors lecturing on how to identify illnesses, symptoms and diseases. And they are learning about how different treatments and medications can be used in case studies and textbooks authored by advanced clinical researchers. But unfortunately, most of these nurses will never acquire much situational teaching in clinical settings or practice the application of their learnings before starting their career. This is resulting in poor judgement calls on behalf of patients, and ultimately more malpractice lawsuits.

According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN):

A Deadly Breathing Tube Mistake Hospitals Make

Published on: September 11, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

breathing tubes

Breathing Tube Removal Mistakes Can Be Deadly for Hospital Patients

During sedation or illness, many hospital patients may require breathing assistance through intubation. The device used in this procedure is called an endotracheal tube (ET) which is placed through a patient’s mouth and then into the airway so that a breath can be delivered when used with a ventilator. The sensitive intervention can be especially necessary for patients with respiratory failure in both hospital intensive care units (ICU) and pediatric intensive care units (PICU).

Unplanned extubation (UE) is the uncontrolled and dangerous removal of this life-sustaining breathing tube. Sometimes the removal is self-induced by a patient, but healthcare providers also make deadly mistakes during the repair of a tube, suctioning, weighing, or replacing a ventilator circuit. Sadly, UE is a complication that occurs in more than 121,000 adult patients every year in the U.S. and kills 33,000 American adults, as noted in a recent article published in MedPage Today, authored by Art Kanowitz, MD, FACEP.

Injuries Caused By Common Sleep Medications

Published on: August 28, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

medication injuries

FDA Issues Boxed Warning for Popular Insomnia Drugs

Insomnia is a common complaint in hospitalized patients and elderly residents of nursing homes. The sleep condition is characterized by an imbalance of a person being able to fall asleep, stay asleep, or a general decline in sleep quality. Insomnia is a common condition that The Better Sleep Council’s studies say nearly 50 percent of patients report having. In the same survey, elderly patients, such as those that live in nursing homes, experience unique sleep disturbances, including:

21 percent reported new-onset insomnia

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:

Negligence Caused Wrong Man To Be Taken Off Life Support

Published on: June 20, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

medical malpractice lawsuit

Hospitalized Man’s Life Support Decision Made by the Wrong Family

On May 13, 2019, a social worker from Mercy Hospital was busy making calls and seeking relatives of a patient identified by Chicago police as Alfonso Bennet. The man had been hospitalized in the ICU after being severely beaten. He required a ventilator to breathe and was nearly unrecognizable to his supposed sisters, who soon came to visit and make critical medical decisions on his behalf, such as removing him from life support.

Soon after family members permitted doctors to perform a tracheotomy, the man did pass away, and his alleged sisters made funeral arrangements. It was then that the real Alfonso Bennet was found still alive and the now deceased man identified by police became a mystery.

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.

5 Chicago Hospitals Receive D Rating

Published on: May 19, 2019 | Levin & Perconti

chicago hospital ratings

Medical Mistakes, Deadly Infections, and Dangerous Safety Concerns Rise at Chicago’s Low-Ranking Hospitals

It is probably well assumed that if you visit a low-rated anything, whether it be a restaurant, hotel, or even law firm, your experience may not be the best. Unfortunately, the same goes for the one place you would expect experience ratings to always be high – your local hospital.

A new analysis based on data collected from about 2,600 U.S. hospitals since 2016 by non-profit Leapfrog, a group responsible for issuing letter grades to hospitals based on safety and quality, show patients are at considerable risk for personal injuries when receiving care from a poorly graded health system. Leapfrog provides public information graded on a scale of A thru F about things such as medical errors, infections, and injuries. The organization is often viewed tougher than the federal government’s hospital watchdogs.