Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Encourage Patient Safety Improvements
6June2013
Every year, thousands of people are seriously injured or killed by surgical errors and other medical mistakes, which can lead to malpractice lawsuits. Writing recently in the New York Times, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, made a compelling case that malpractice lawsuits are playing a role in improving patient safety.
Professor Joanna C. Schwartz surveyed more than 400 personnel involved in hospital claims management and quality improvement. The survey confirmed that in recent years, many hospitals have begun to revise their attitude towards medical errors and the resulting malpractice lawsuits.
Many hospitals have begun to move toward greater transparency about errors, Schwartz writes. More than 80 percent of the hospitals in the study have an official policy of apologizing to patients after medical errors occurred. In fact, Schwartz writes, many hospitals use information revealed in lawsuits in their efforts to reduce errors and improve patient safety.
Her findings strongly rebut claims that the threat of malpractice lawsuits prevents the transparency needed to spot and learn from medical errors.
As hospitals institute new programs supporting apologies and early settlement offers, patients should keep in mind that they are not represented in this process unless they retain outside counsel. Risk Managers and hospital “Patient Advocates” may imply that they are on the side of the patient in the negotiation process, but they are, nonetheless, employees of the hospital. In many cases, the lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC encourage patients to consult an attorney with experience representing plaintiffs, before agreeing to a direct settlement with a hospital.
The medical negligence lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC represent victims of medical malpractice by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.
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