On February 2, 2022, a federal grand jury in Grand Rapids returned an indictment charging Dr. Daniel Castro with defrauding health care insurers and creating false medical records. Dr. Castro was employed by Bronson Hospital in Battle Creek from February…
Many Advocates Feel Medical Boards Are Protecting Doctors, Not Patients
We trust doctors to diagnose correctly; we trust surgeons to perform procedures to the best of their ability; we trust nurses and hospitals to protect us if something goes wrong. And most often, they do. But numerous respected studies over…
Michigan Supreme Court Bryant v Oakpointe Villa Ruling and the Unsteady Future of Medical Malpractice Cases
Following the Michigan Supreme Court’s 2004 opinion in Bryant v Oakpointe Villa Nursing Ctr, Inc, it has been suggested that it is possible for allegations against an unlicensed employee or agent of a licensed health facility or agency to sound in…
Soldiers Can File Malpractice Claims, But Still No Day in Court
The Feres Doctrine is a little-known Supreme court judgment handed down in 1950 that has caused suffering for thousands of service members and their families. Intended to protect mistakes made by medics during combat, the ruling has since been applied to…
Best Practices in Determining Whether a Claim Sounds in Ordinary Negligence or Medical Malpractice
Best Practices in Determining Whether a Claim Sounds in Ordinary Negligence or Medical Malpractice by Donna MacKenzie and Jules Olsman Medical errors are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Medical malpractice tort reform in Michigan, however,…
Servicemen and Women Are Vulnerable to Scams, Sickness and Subpar Healthcare
There are over two million active and reserve members of the Unites States armed forces. Their situation is unique; Many are young and financially inexperienced, they are often and frequently relocated or deployed, and they sometimes face difficultly accessing phones or the…
Defective Medical Devices Can Hurt More Than Help
According to the United States Census Bureau, the U.S. population will reach a turning point in 2030, when every surviving member of the baby boomer generation will be 65 or older. Seniors will outnumber children for the first time in…
Surgical Team Fails to Remove Foreign Body from Patient, Leading to Numerous Complications
On a fall morning in September, Mr. S arrived at a local hospital for surgery to remove a mass on his colon. Several healthcare professionals were present during the surgery, including the surgeon, nurses, scrub technicians, and members of the…
Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act of 2014 – Safe Harbor for Physicians from Medical Malpractice Liability
If a doctor injured you, would you want a jury of your peers to hear and decide your medical malpractice case? Or would you rather a panel of doctors determine whether you had the legal right to pursue a case?…
Complications Arise from a Surgical Sponge Left in a Man’s Body
Mr. R suffered from a condition known as nocturia. Nocturia causes a person to wake frequently due to irregular bladder functions, or because the body produces an excess of urine. After three years of unsuccessful treatment, Mr. R’s urologist, Dr….