Since we sue Florida doctor’s who make mistakes, our Miami medical malpractice law firm analyzes at least a dozen potential medical malpractice cases per week. The number one reason our clients come to us is to get answers–answers for a botched plastic surgery procedure –answers for when a loved one dies from medical neglect.
The Annals of Internal Medicine recently reported that full disclosure by physicians and hospitals with an open dialog and an apology may go a long way to discouraging patients or their families from filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. I applaud and encourage this process.
Instead, what I see time and time again are doctors who change or lose records or hospitals that turn a blind eye to grieving families. I encourage all hospitals to review these finding with the sincere hope patients get the answers they deserve, but so that others can learn from the mistakes to improve health-care for us all.
According to the Annals: After full implementation of a disclosure-with-offer program, the average monthly rate of new claims decreased from 7.03 to 4.52 per 100 000 patient encounters (rate ratio [RR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.44 to 0.95]). The average monthly rate of lawsuits decreased from 2.13 to 0.75 per 100 000 patient encounters (RR, 0.35 [CI, 0.22 to 0.58]). Median time from claim reporting to resolution decreased from 1.36 to 0.95 years. Average monthly cost rates decreased for total liability (RR, 0.41 [CI, 0.26 to 0.66]), patient compensation (RR, 0.41 [CI, 0.26 to 0.67]), and non-compensation-related legal costs (RR, 0.39 [CI, 0.22 to 0.67]).
