except for sarahW, cathy, RL and CJD, why is everyone ANONYMOUS? I would love to see a cat fight with names and IPs on it! Is it possible in blogging?

I’ll post next time, I enjoy reading this.

ANONYMOUS TOO

Anonymous 11:01, I have been sued once. Well, twice if you count small claims by a tenant.

CJD

“If I insist, they will go for the test but I’d better be right about the need for the test !”

You sound kind of clueless…a physician can almost always justify the need for a test…the insurance companies just put up these hurdles, like you have to call “1-800-dildo” or whatever, and press a whole lot of numbers in succession, then you get to some high school graduate who asks you asks you questions off a computer template for whatever test you’re ordering. If you say the patient has chest pain, you think they won’t allow a stress test? Or if you say rule out appendicitis, you think a cat scan wouldn’t be approved? Every test I have ever ordered has been approved, you just have to put up with the nonsense of wasting time on the call.

Litigiousness is part of America, because we grant more individual rights than any other country. It’s how we settle our disputes, as opposed to barrel of a gun. We believe that the responsible party should pay for harm they cause, and we have put this system together as the most fair way we can think of to apportion harm and preserve these rights.
Unfortunately, this is not the only reason for lawsuits in the US. A few lawsuits are legitimate, more are driven by greed, most malpractice lawsuits are probably driven by pain, anger and ignorance.
In fact, I believe ignorance drives most malpractice lawsuits – patients truly believe they were wronged because of what they saw on TV or heard on the radio or what their “expert” doctor told them. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases this is not the case. A lot of us don’t realize that tests are not risk-free, even fewer understand how ambiguous the results of biopsy may be and how difficult a diagnosis often is. I only understood it recently, and I don’t believe I am stupid.

Another reason for lawsuits that I think is specific to America is that many people don’t take responsibility for their own actions. If I didn’t get test results in the mail, it is my responsibility to call and to check. Even if somebody promised to call. I might be upset that they didn’t do as promised, but it shouldn’t be grounds for lawsuit IMHO because I know how to use the phone. If I refused a test/prescription it is my responsibility to live with consequences. Just like if I decided to swim far in the ocean and drowned. It’s great if a lifeguard saves me, but if not it is my fault. But for some reason here in America people don’t like to blame themselves. Not all Americans, maybe even the minority, but enough to make life worse for all of us.

My cancer was not diagnosed, despite alot of symptoms, including 35 pound weight loss – tumor that was present throughout the weight loss was ignored, then when I finally got them to biopsy– the node was misread as benign. The doctors, who granted did lots of tests, missed what was going on–but– the mailman in my office was spreading rumors that I had cancer because of the drastic weightloss and how awful I looked. It was obvious to the mailman that something big time was wrong.

I did not sue when I was finally diagnossed several years later, at a later stage. I was less angry at the pathologist, who made a flagrant error, than the internist who decided I was a hypochondriac and treated me as such, although prior to the these symptoms, Id been rather doctor avoidant. Had I sued, she would have been my target. Better to say “we dont know” and treat the patient with respect, than to blame the patient for failure to diagnose.

And, supposedly, I didnt go to bad Drs– all were on the so called “best of” lists”

All physican’s are human just like the patient. Rad Doc’s read over 100 to 150 films a day. It’s bad that in this life bad things happen to good people. My husbands been a Rad Doc for 14 years. He has felt bad when he’s missed something. The problem is the money can never replace what was lost on both ends. Most Doctor’s that I know don’t get up in the morning and say to themselves let’s miss diagnose someone today. They have families and the government doesn’t make it easy for the patient or the doctor anymore. Patient’s some of the times have grave news and it’s bad. They get angry and up set at the out come. I’ve personally been missed diagnosed and so has my husband. Requirements are getting harder and more patients come in that need more help. It’s said but lawyers don’t care. I’ve seen them laugh and know they were going to get a Doctor for everything. I’ve seen lawyers that think it’s funny that they run the country. Look at capitol Hill. Both the patient and the Doctor loss.