Paul O'Neil: "You should just forget about the idea of Medical Malpractice

[bif]

Lawsuits. Doctors don't try to harm people." That's what he said yesterday. Hmmm...so if a doctor is incompetent, there should be no repercussions for him harming or killing someone? Everyone knows hospitals cover for bad doctors.

[IrateCitizen]

1. My cousin's husband had to get a liver transplant due to a doctor...

... who was sauced up while performing a routine gall bladder operation. He rightfully sued and was awarded a significant sum (not millions) for his pain and suffering, along with having all future medical costs related to this covered.

Strangely enough, my aunt and uncle (his in-laws) would rail about John Edwards (they're from NC) being nothing but a no-good "ambulance chaser" getting rich off the suffering of others. My mom just about went nuts with this, because they just couldn't understand that their son-in-law would likely have been DEAD without one of those "ambulance-chasers".

:argh:

[Wright Patman]

2. Check this out

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3025145

[napi21]

3. I don't think they should be completely ignored, but I do

think there needs to be some adjustments to the laws. I agree, that Drs don't try to harm people, and it's called "practicing" medicine for a reason. No Dr. should be liable if, in good faith, he misdiagnosed or missed a serious problem. So much depends of things the patients says, or doesn't say, to give them insight into what might be wrong. However, when the wrong leg is amputated, the wrong blood-type heart is transplanted (as happened in NC a year ago), there is definately liability there!

I hate to admit it, but I do believe there are some people who look at malpractice, class action, etc, as a get rich quick scheme, and that's just wrong!

[Goblinmonger]

5. The judicial system

There are some (though not the ones usually cited) examples where people are sued, case goes to trial, and damages are awarded when they shouldn't. These are very rare, in my opinion. The judicial system does a good job of weeding out the crappy cases.

[borlis]

4. My next door neighbor who is around 70

had back surgery a few years ago. Well, she couldn't understand why she wasn't getting any better after a few months. It was then discovered that the doc fused the wrong vertebrae! She was in so much pain she could hardly walk. So she found new doctors, had to have the surgery AGAIN and now she is finally fine (or as fine as she will be.) I heard through the grapevine that her settlement was around $500,000. Word has it that the doc who did the first surgery was losing his wife to cancer at the time this happened. Sorry that's no excuse in my book. He shouldn't have been working if he was too upset to concentrate on what he was doing!