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Getting Clinicians in Lawsuits to Care for Themselves is Hard Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

How a clinician is coping with the impact of being sued can be a significant factor in how effective he or she is as a defendant. But getting clinicians to accept help is often a challenge.

Woman Dies from Post-op Stroke When Anticoagulant Not Restarted Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Restarting heparin was not in the post-op instructions. In a lawsuit naming four physicians, the patient's estate alleged negligent failure to restart anticoagulation, resulting in a stroke and ultimately, her death. The case was settled for more than a million.

Young Patient, Flawed Test, Fatal Delay in Colon CA Diagnosis Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Despite multiple visits to her PCP with similar complaints over years, this young patient did not get a timely diagnosis of colon cancer and died. Dr. Carla Ford looks at the testing, communication among providers, and some diagnostic insights for the next patient.

“What Else Might This Be?” Might Have Saved PE Patient Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

A fatal PE misdiagnosis may have gone wrong from the very beginning. With analysis based on closed claims in the Harvard medical system, urgent care specialist Jonathan Einbinder explores ways an ordinary case with a tragic outcome might be prevented in the future.

A Forgotten Stent and Unclear Responsibility for Follow Up Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

The patient sued his oncologist and the hospital, claiming they mismanaged his post-op recovery when a stent was left behind for a year, leading to complications that required additional surgery.

Nothing is “Routine” for an Anxious Patient or Family Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

In this case, a pediatric practice struggled to satisfy the family of a boy after two years of appropriate primary care. What did they learn about communicating with patients and their families over routine medical matters?

Status Change Missed, Consultation Flawed, and the Patient Loses Baby Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

In this case, communication between the primary provider and a phone consultant needed more clarity. Changes in the patient’s status needed a stronger response if a tragic outcome had any chance of being averted.

Radiology Didn’t Know Risk Status Before Patient Fall, Head Injury May 16, 2019

Show notes

In this closed Harvard malpractice case, a patient fell during a radiology study because her risk status wasn’t communicated from the unit effectively. Hospitalist Adam Schaffer, MD, MPH, analyzes what went wrong and suggests some effective practices to prevent severe injury in places you don’t expect, with eyes on the patient.

Fatal Misplaced Tube Casts Light on Supervision, Competence Assessment Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

In this case, a 75-year-old female was admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure. A misplaced feeding tube led to her death. ICU intensivist Dr. Laura Myers discusses lessons from this case about supervision and assessing a provider's competence with a new procedure.

Doctors Lose Their Own Malpractice Case Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

The defendant’s role in a successful defense against a claim of malpractice is critical, but it isn’t easy. Clinician have to be able to follow advice from lawyers, cope with their own emotions, which often include anger or fear, and project competence and likability to potential jurors. These things—none of which are taught in medical school—can be a challenge to a medical professional. Sometimes malpractice cases have to be settled because the defendant clinician cannot adapt to the legal system.

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