Comments on: NY malpractice crisis: Passing the buck

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:01:00 +0000

"But actual malpractice? As when a doctor wilfully or recklessly injures the patient instead of trying to heal him? When the doctor wilfully or recklessly does less than the best of his ability?

No, that's a rare phenomenon."

How rare? Based on your long distance study of US malpractice claims, and then errors that don't result in claims?

By: Michael Rack, MD

Michael Rack, MD — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:39:00 +0000

“A hard part of referring high risk patients is finding someone to take them!!!!”
Some doctors refer high risk patients to the nearest medical school/university.

By: Samson Isberg

Samson Isberg — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Anon 6:11, I am working in a country that has no-fault compensation for assumed medical malpractice, and have had so for twenty-five years now. It is nothing to wish for, believe me. It is a government institution doling out the tax-payers money to gold-diggers and their shysters by the million. As it is quite free for everyone to apply, they don’t risk a nickel. The whole racket has turned out to be the nation’s largest free lottery, where the only price of the ticket is that you at some time or other must have been in contact with a hospital (here, all hospital treatment is free) and in some way be dissatisfied.

As for incompetent doctors, they should never be admitted to medical school in the first place. We have quite sufficient ways to weed out the psychopaths and minus-variants before admittance, and send their applications over to law school – they don’t mind those traits over there.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:11:00 +0000

I'm sorry Samson but you are wrong and so is the doc in this Times Union article.

The problem is that there is a need for a no fault type of med/mal insurance. There are inadequate docs who should not be in medicine and they are spoiling it for the rest of you. You need to police your own and report them. Physicians need to be reviewed, critiqued and disciplined just like everyone else.

I live in NYS and the problem is the injustice that harmed patients receive. You only hear about large awards. No one is reporting on the rest of the story because the hospitals "pay off" the newspapers with full page adds of their greatness and of their ills. Put healthcare in the same boat with education where you can't advertise and you will see a truer picture of what really happens.

You may want to question the author why physcians in his "group" are expert witnesses for area lawfirms. Attorneys deny assistance to patients because they "need" them for more profitable cases. Someone is making money here and it's not a patient that was harmed.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:57:00 +0000

I’m just pointing out that when there’s a problem anywhere else it’s always a failure of a system, whereas when there’s a problem in the US it’s always a problem of liability …

No. liability is an intergral part of the “system,” therefore the diffrence is symantic. Any distinction you might make is in your own mind.

By: Samson Isberg

Samson Isberg — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:51:00 +0000

Anon 1:16 - malpractice claims exist because of greed, not because of malpractice. Greed is a deadly sin, and is the same motivator that lies behind highway robbery, insurance fraud and pocket picking. Malpractice suits cause more damage to society and the individual, though.

There is an exception: some of the claims are motivated by hate, which is a sin also. These claims are thus moral relatives of murder, they aim to destroy another human being.

But actual malpractice? As when a doctor wilfully or recklessly injures the patient instead of trying to heal him? When the doctor wilfully or recklessly does less than the best of his ability?

No, that's a rare phenomenon.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 06:16:00 +0000

On the other hand though, the reason there are malpractice claims, is that there is…malpractice. How best to resolve this?

By: OB Doctor

OB Doctor — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:49:00 +0000

Kevin–

The placement of google ads for malpractice attorneys on your site just doesn’t seem right.

By: OB Doctor

OB Doctor — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:47:00 +0000

Yet one more example of how the malpractice crisis driving our healthcare system/providers into the ground.

By: Evan

Evan — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:52:00 +0000

Anon 7:16, I did read the article. I’m just pointing out that when there’s a problem anywhere else it’s always a failure of a system, whereas when there’s a problem in the US it’s always a problem of liability … you do see that that seems quite predictable on this blog right?