Medical Malpractice

Last year, less than 30 medical professionals in Illinois were disciplined by the state’s regulatory agency according to a Chicago Tribune article. However, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), disciplined more than triple that number of physicians when responding to investigations beginning in other states. This leads to the unsettling conclusion that the IDFPR may not be allotting enough resources to the task of investigating and punishing doctors with a track record…

More than 210,000 patients die each year from preventable causes while in hospitals or under physicians’ care. This number actually indicates a larger issue of an “epidemic of patient harm”, according to a study by the Journal of Patient Safety. People go to hospitals when they are in dire need of medical care or have limited options, but patient trust may be wrongly placed in these institutions’ hands. Multiple causes began this trend of declining…

November 22, 2013 Clifford Law Offices obtained a $15.55 million verdict today (Friday, Nov. 22, 2013) in a wrongful death lawsuit against the University of Chicago Hospital and two doctors. Keith A. Hebeisen, partner at the firm, received the verdict in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of the husband of a woman who died at childbirth after the defendants failed to diagnose and properly treat Karen Lopez of Westchester for a high-risk complication. Lopez,…

November 20, 2013 Attorneys at Clifford Law Offices late yesterday (Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013) obtained an $885,193 verdict on behalf of a man who was the victim of medical malpractice at a medical clinic in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood. Bradley Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices, obtained the verdict following a week-long trial before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Gregory J. Wojkowski at the Daley Center. The case at Clifford Law Offices was one of…

In any profession, mistakes are made. But when it comes to practicing medicine, there can be very little room or allowance for a code of silence that protects those who have erred. Doctors must be encouraged, and allowed, to speak out against their fellow practitioners without fear of reprisal or repercussion. Transparency would increase the quality of care, and restore some of the faith the medical profession has lost among laymen. Malpractice must be addressed…

Advancements in medicine have led to some miraculous discoveries and treatments, but even the latest technology can have devastating side effects. In a recent medical malpractice case involving robotic-assisted surgery, a 65-year-old male patient experienced a tragic outcome. Robotic Procedures for Prostate Cancer Laparoscopic prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate gland) is a common treatment for prostate cancer, and the da Vinci prostatectomy is one of the latest procedures being offered to these patients. Its…

Question: What are the costs and attorneys’ fees associated with a medical malpractice lawsuit? Susan: Medical malpractice cases can be very costly to prosecute. We are talking tens of thousands of dollars. And the attorney will pay these costs and be reimbursed at the end of the lawsuit if we are successful. But the biggest cost I think in any medical malpractice case is expert witnesses. A doctor to simply review medical records can charge…

Question: What will happen after the medical malpractice lawsuit is filed? Susan: A process called discovery occurs. And basically what discovery is, it’s where the attorneys will engage in various practices to determine the facts of the case that will be presented at trial. The attorneys will exchange written questions; those are called Interrogatories. And the client will have to answer some written questions under oath. There is also something called a Request to Produce,…

Question: How do I choose an attorney to investigation a potential malpractice claim? Susan: That’s a good question. Medical malpractice is a very distinct and specialized type of law. You want to choose an experienced medical malpractice attorney — an attorney who deals with these types of cases and who has handled these cases in the past. Most law firms now have websites and you can go to the website of the law firm and…