Upper Marlboro Personal Injury Law Blog

Each day, numerous medical patients in Maryland rely on their health care provider to give them the kind of high-quality care that will enable them to have access to a treatment plan that meets their personal needs. However, there are times when for various reasons from poor communication to deliberate ignorance, that doctors are unable to protect their patients. 

An example of one such incident comes out of Houston, Texas where an entire level of upper management was replaced at a hospital after numerous allegations of poor operating practices. The hospital's missteps were really brought to light after an emergency room patient received a blood transfusion that was not a correct match. The error ultimately led to the patient's death. Additional complaints revealed common concerns about the hospital's nursing care, as well as complaints from several patients about complications they had experienced after bypass surgery. 

Maryland doctors are only human, and just like every other human, they too are susceptible to errors. However, whereas some errors are harmless and the result of a moment of fatigue or a slight oversight, others are so significant that they are often fatal. Many of these errors are the result of negligence, and the healthcare industry dubs many of them "Never Events."

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Former CEO of the National Qualify Forum coined the term "Never Event" in 2001 in the hopes of making sense of particularly appalling medical errors. Since then, the list has grown to include 29 events, which the industry groups into seven categories. Each of these events are serious (meaning they result in disability or death), easily identifiable and quantifiable and preventable—hence the term, "Never Event." The seven categories in which a Never Event may fall are product or device events; care management events; surgical or procedural events; environmental events; criminal events; radiologic events; and patient protection events.

While marijuana for recreational use is not yet legal in Maryland, it is not too far-fetched to believe that it will be in the near future. With that in mind, there are things to learn from states where it already is completely legalized. One such learning experience states have is how marijuana affects the number of car accidents occurring.

CNN explains that there is a link between the legalization of marijuana and an increase in car accidents. In states that have legalized the drug, car accident rates have risen. However, there are conflicting reports. One study said marijuana legalization does not impact car accidents, while other studies say it does. It is a little confusing until you look at the statistics.

One of the most debated topics in Maryland these days is the price of healthcare. The costs seem to keep rising, and no matter what lawmakers do, it does not seem to help. Despite claims that there is nothing insurance companies can do to lower costs, there are things that they can do that may help bring down the costs.

According to Forbes, it is mainly communication that will help to lower costs and make healthcare more affordable for everyone. It starts with you being able to understand your bill and your coverage better. Insurance companies need to be clear about pricing and make it easy to see how much you will spend on premiums, deductibles and services. Billing also needs to be clearer. You should be able to look at a healthcare bill and understand it clearly without having to call someone and get it explained to you.