The nation's health care system for military veterans continues to be racked by problems. Last year, politicians promised that the billions of dollars to be spent on a digital medical records system would deliver "faster, better and far better quality care."
Texas Supreme Court OKs expert report in medical malpractice case
The Texas Supreme Court has reversed an appeals court dismissal of a medical malpractive lawsuit. The high court ruled that an expert's report cited in the dismissal is good enough for the case to go to trial. The suit over a botched eye surgery was filed by Barbara Baty against certified registered nurse anesthetist Olga Futrelle.
Veteran receives $1.93 million after medical malpractice trial
He served our nation as a Marine during the Vietnam War and then came how to deliver the mail for more than three decades. So he has put in his time for Uncle Sam, and then some.
VA hospitals and Never Events: These are the most common types of errors and injuries
Some medical errors are so egregious that they have been termed "Never Events," as in they should never happen. But, unfortunately, each year Never Events occur in medical settings across the country, often with devastating consequences for patients.
VA hospital accused of leaving scalpel inside Army vet
An Army veteran went to a Veterans Affairs hospital complaining of dizziness. An MRI of the vet's head did not locate the source of the problem. When he was later being examined, he experienced severe abdominal pain. This time, doctors ordered an X-ray of his midsection. The problem was evident in the images: the 61-year-old had “an abandoned surgical instrument" in his gut.
Members of Congress demand answers from VA
There are 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and another 100 U.S. Senators. Some political observers were disappointed that only 31 members of Congress signed on to a recent statement urging the VA to stop hiring doctors who have had medical licenses revoked and who have histories of medical malpractice or other professional misconduct.
VA hospitals hired doctors with malpractice histories, convictions
He had settled more than two dozen medical malpractice claims and settlements across a pair of states. The allegations against the neurosurgeon included claims that his surgical errors left one patient paralyzed from the waist down after improper placement of a device in the man's spinal canal. In another case, he reportedly inserted spinal screws incorrectly and left the patient without bladder or bowel control.
Medical mistakes continue to kill Americans
Eighteen years ago, the Institute of Medicine shocked the nation with a report titled "To Err Is Human." The IOM said medical errors were a bigger problem than the health care industry acknowledged and that as many as 98,000 people died in U.S. hospitals per year because of mistakes by doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Lawsuit: Over-prescription of opioids led to death at VA medical facility
Efforts are ongoing to hold doctors and pharmaceutical companies accountable for their respective roles in the opioid crisis in the United States.
VA pledges to upgrade reporting of shoddy care, medical errors
Will the Department of Veterans Affairs finally get it right? Will the federal agency finally stop covering up medical mistakes and poor care? We don't yet know the answer to those questions, but the VA is pledging an overhaul of its reporting policies; an effort it says will weed out health care workers who deliver substandard care.
