IT'S TIME FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

there are now lawyers that specialize in "pharmacy malpractice " !

Quote:

Prescription Error

Prescription errors are tragic and entirely preventable mistakes that can cost lives. They may be caused by doctors or pharmacists, and it has been estimated that as many as 7,000 deaths occur annually in the United States from incorrect prescriptions.

Prescription errors may occur when the wrong drug is prescribed, the wrong drug is given, an incorrect dose is provided, or drug interactions are not taken into account. Pharmacists and other medical professionals have a responsibility to prevent malpractice and exercise extra care and caution when prescribing drugs and filling prescriptions. When these priorities are overlooked the health of the patient is put into question.

If you are a victim of a prescription error it is important that you understand your rights. You do not deserve to receive poor medical attention, and if you act quickly, you may be able to collect compensation for your pain and suffering. Let an understanding pharmacy malpractice lawyer help you get the justice you deserve. Contact a pharmacy malpractice lawyer today.

source :
PRESCRIPTION MISTAKES

Some here have raised the inference that many doctors do not accept Medicare patients. I think that a large percentage do, probably because the insurance companies are not paying much more than does Medicare. Further, the med schools are besieged by top-quality applicants.

It would be very easy to essentially extent Medicare to everyone.

Hokie wrote: "merit" can be manufactured in many of these cases. medicine is not an exact science. doctors often have different opinions on the same thing. one can manufacture the "merit" by finding a doctor that disagrees with the treating physician's choice.

How does one "manufacture" merit? Please be precise, because I'd like to learn about how different doctors can "manufacture" merit.[/color]

cicerone imposter wrote:

Hokie wrote: "merit" can be manufactured in many of these cases. medicine is not an exact science. doctors often have different opinions on the same thing. one can manufacture the "merit" by finding a doctor that disagrees with the treating physician's choice.

How does one "manufacture" merit? Please be precise, because I'd like to learn about how different doctors can "manufacture" merit.[/color]

read the stuff right about what you wrote. it explains it pretty clearly. if you would like, i'm sure i can find a physician to explain the exact same thing to you.

USAFHokie80 wrote:

cicerone imposter wrote:

Hokie wrote: "merit" can be manufactured in many of these cases. medicine is not an exact science. doctors often have different opinions on the same thing. one can manufacture the "merit" by finding a doctor that disagrees with the treating physician's choice.

How does one "manufacture" merit? Please be precise, because I'd like to learn about how different doctors can "manufacture" merit.[/color]

read the stuff right about what you wrote. it explains it pretty clearly. if you would like, i'm sure i can find a physician to explain the exact same thing to you.

You are not answering my question. How does a doctor "manufacture" merit of a diagnosis?

Miller wrote:

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

Quote:

they view doctors as some sort of infallible super-person that is not allowed to screw up.

That's how pharmacists are viewed today, by the general public in the USA, so why not the MDs?
That's also why registered pharmacists carry no less than $3 million in liability insurance.

i'd say there is a huge difference between a pharmacist and a physician. pharmacists do not diagnose, treat or prescribe. the do not operate or perform procedures. doctors have a lot more on their plate. i personally cannot even think of a scenario in which a pharmacist can be sued except if he filled the prescription with the wrong dose or wrong med altogether.

It appears that you're a new comer to the REAL WORLD!

why? do pharmacists perform procedures and diagnose illness in your world?

Miller wrote:

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

Quote:

dward Amsler, of the Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Co., says most of the blame lies with the tens of millions of dollars New York juries award families of disabled children.

NYPost

The blame? Shouldn't the blame be directed towards the physicians who make the mistakes, that cause the disabilities of the children and others?

Why blame the Jury?

that is VERY subjective. physicians are people too, and they make mistakes. have you ever thought about how much stress they are under? to expect them to never make a mistake is crazy. that being said, i imagine a lot of these cases are not that a physician actually caused an issue but that the parent didn't like the outcome or took a chance and it turned out badly. nothing is medicine is guaranteed. for ABSOLUTELY ANY procedure, there is a risk, and sometimes that risk includes death. that is why before any of that, patients are provided with information on what is going to be done and made aware of the risk. they are made to sign an acknowledgment of the risk prior to. a lot of these people took the gamble and lost. that is not the fault of the physician. now, i realize there have been serious mistakes made and for those i offer no defense. however, in many of these cases, i'm not sure that having a trial by jury is a good thing. a jury will almost always side with the plaintiff because they feel sorry for them or because they view doctors as some sort of infallible super-person that is not allowed to screw up.

How would you like to support a disabled child, the result of a "mistake" by an MD, over the span of the child's life for a cost of minimally $10 million?

do you have a source providing the cost estimate as a *minimum* of $10M for a disabled child?

by the way, the theme of that post was that there is risk inherent in ALL medicine and that even if a doctor does everything right with respect to what we know in medical science, there still exists the possibility that it could end badly for the patient. if that is the case, the doctor should not be sued.

You should be able to calculate this estimate on your own, but I'll give you a little help. If a baby is born severly disabled, needs round the clock nursing care from an NA ( cost of $25/hr not factoring in inflation ) and the time element is figured at 90-95 years post birth, the total amount just for nursing care ( minimally ) is $2,268,000.
Now factor in for a period of 90 years: physical therapy, education expense,
medication expense, supplies expense, medical care not covered by heath insurance, health insurance, nutrition expense of infusions from registered pharmacist ( in home), specialized diet epense,ongoing rehab expense as child matures to adulthood, special vehicle expense for patient transport, modification of household to accomodate developing child/adult...etc. Include now legal fees . financial fees and cost of household and extraneous medical expenses>

Factor in the effect of inflation and you'll come up with a total of at least $10 million.

So now you're saying that the baby was "born disabled" and that was the doctor's fault? I'd think it's more likely that the mom smoked pot or drank while she was preggers. What kinda of severely diabled kid is going to survive 90 years? From the way you're describing this diability, the kid must be a veggie since he needs an army of professionals. You're trying to attribute every possible defect to a single child and blame it on the doc that delivered him?

You've got to be kidding.

Hokie wrote: "merit" can be manufactured in many of these cases. medicine is not an exact science. doctors often have different opinions on the same thing. one can manufacture the "merit" by finding a doctor that disagrees with the treating physician's choice.

How does one "manufacture" merit? Please be precise, because I'd like to learn about how different doctors can "manufacture" merit.[/color]

Miller wrote:

georgeob1 wrote:

Perhaps true as well. However, the life expectency of a healthy, non-disabled person born at the same time is a good deal less than 90 years.

These are calculations a lawyer, who is attempting to maximize the unjustifiable return to his plaintif client (and the share of them he will collect) might make. However they are laughably indefensible from a rational economic or demographic viewpoint. Sadly however, this kind of foolishness does indeed sometimes prevail among juries and even judges in our very litigious system.

No...these are calulations based on the reality of medical cost
of rearing a disabled baby to adulthood. Why deny it?

And where is the basis for this estimation?

there are now lawyers that specialize in "pharmacy malpractice " !

Quote:

Prescription Error

Prescription errors are tragic and entirely preventable mistakes that can cost lives. They may be caused by doctors or pharmacists, and it has been estimated that as many as 7,000 deaths occur annually in the United States from incorrect prescriptions.

Prescription errors may occur when the wrong drug is prescribed, the wrong drug is given, an incorrect dose is provided, or drug interactions are not taken into account. Pharmacists and other medical professionals have a responsibility to prevent malpractice and exercise extra care and caution when prescribing drugs and filling prescriptions. When these priorities are overlooked the health of the patient is put into question.

If you are a victim of a prescription error it is important that you understand your rights. You do not deserve to receive poor medical attention, and if you act quickly, you may be able to collect compensation for your pain and suffering. Let an understanding pharmacy malpractice lawyer help you get the justice you deserve. Contact a pharmacy malpractice lawyer today.

source :
PRESCRIPTION MISTAKES

It would be very easy to essentially extent Medicare to everyone.

hbg, It's not restricted to doctors and pharmacists; it's also nurses.

When you are in a hospital, make sure you question the nurse about the medicine they are giving you; ask what they are for and who prescribed it./

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

Quote:

they view doctors as some sort of infallible super-person that is not allowed to screw up.

That's how pharmacists are viewed today, by the general public in the USA, so why not the MDs?
That's also why registered pharmacists carry no less than $3 million in liability insurance.

i'd say there is a huge difference between a pharmacist and a physician. pharmacists do not diagnose, treat or prescribe. the do not operate or perform procedures. doctors have a lot more on their plate. i personally cannot even think of a scenario in which a pharmacist can be sued except if he filled the prescription with the wrong dose or wrong med altogether.

It appears that you're a new comer to the REAL WORLD!

why? do pharmacists perform procedures and diagnose illness in your world?

Yes

According to the following link, one in ten patients are given the wrong meds in the hospital.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070814/

medical_errors_070814/20070814/

USAFHokie80 wrote:

Miller wrote:

georgeob1 wrote:

Perhaps true as well. However, the life expectency of a healthy, non-disabled person born at the same time is a good deal less than 90 years.

These are calculations a lawyer, who is attempting to maximize the unjustifiable return to his plaintif client (and the share of them he will collect) might make. However they are laughably indefensible from a rational economic or demographic viewpoint. Sadly however, this kind of foolishness does indeed sometimes prevail among juries and even judges in our very litigious system.

No...these are calulations based on the reality of medical cost
of rearing a disabled baby to adulthood. Why deny it?

And where is the basis for this estimation?

In the REAL WORLD, this is called Medical Economics.