A review conducted by USA TODAY reveals how each year there are over 100,000 medical workers who are addicted to or are abusing prescription narcotics. This means that doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and other health care aides working in hospitals and nursing homes could be putting patients’ lives at risk.

Prescription drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions in this county. According to the review, that epidemic is now also deeply embedded in the medical community, with oxycodone and fentanyl as two of the most common drugs abused by medical workers. Because of the medical knowledge these worker have, they are often able to hide their addictions better than an addict who is not in the medical community.

The publication used data collected from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. According to the agency, in 2007 there were approximately 103,000 medical workers abusing prescription drugs every year. However, other studies have indicated that that number could actually be much higher. This suggests that one in ten medical workers will struggle with addiction at some point.

Part of the problem is that many states lack safeguards which would require a medical facility to report to law enforcement when a medical employee has been fired for stealing or abusing narcotics. This allows the abuser to go from facility to facility for employment. And when a medical worker is stealing drugs for his or her own use, they are putting thousands of lives in danger.

It is also rare for hospitals and medical boards to seek disciplinary actions. In fact, USA TODAY analysis reports that between 2010 and 2013, only less than 750 physicians nationwide “lost hospital privileges or had their licenses revoked or restricted for being unable to practice safely because of drug or alcohol abuse.” One recommendation to help improve this situation, however, is through education and teaching ways to identify drug use to both prevent and treat addiction.

If you believe a loved one in nursing care has suffered from complications caused by negligent medical care, please contact a Westport medical malpractice attorney to discuss compensations he or she may be entitled to for pain and loss.

Connecticut law requires that all licensed insurance companies report any medical professional liability claims or lawsuits to the state, as an effort to keep track of where medical malpractice occurs, the rates of medical malpractice, and to determine if they are disproportionately reported in one hospital or treatment center.

There are three possible payouts in a medical malpractice case:

1. Indemnity – the amount of settlement dollars paid by the insurance company;
2. Defense counsel payments; and
3. Adjusting and other expenses – commonly the amount incurred by the actual insurance company to settle the claim.

Data collected by the State of Connecticut Insurance Department shows that the frequency of medical malpractice claims has decreased, even as the value of indemnity either awarded or settled has increased. As a whole, the Department reports that “claim values have increased at an average rate of approximately seven percent per year since 1992.”  The Department predicts that the number of cases will continue to increase as the state and the nation continues to recover from the 2008 economic downturn.

This has not led to a great change in the cost of medical malpractice insurance for licensed physicians in Connecticut in any significant way, though Connecticut’s average cost per claim is, according to the state’s Insurance Department, still among the highest in the nation.

There are three different types of insurance underwriters that may insure a medical professional: commercial insurers, excess and surplus lines insurers, ad captives, risk attention groups, and self-insured hospital. The latter accounts for 53 percent of the medical insurance market. No matter what type of insurance your physician or hospital carries, you are eligible for the same rights when it comes to a medical malpractice claim.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of medical malpractice, the most important step is to seek the counsel of a medical malpractice attorney. Contact Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law today for a free initial consultation.

An article in AARP the Magazine listed several common surgeries that studies have shown to not only be ineffective as treatments, but may actually put a patient at risk.

According to the article, there are several reasons these procedures are performed on a routine basis. Most are “moneymakers” for the physicians who perform them and for the hospitals where they take place. Some of the procedures appear to work in the short-term, but have very little benefits for the long-term outlook of the patient and may actually cause more harm.

Stents for Stable Angina: If a person is having a heart attack, a stent may actually save their life. However, if the person is having chest pains that have been caused by stress or exertion (called stable angina), inserting a stent offers the same value of treatment as exercise or eating a diet that will lower cholesterol. But even though stents have been shown to be an ineffective treatment for this particular heart disease, there are almost half a million stents implanted in stable angina patients annually.

Complex Spinal Fusion for Stenosis: Spinal Stenosis is a very painful condition where soft tissue between vertebrae becomes flat, offering no buffer and creating pressure on the spinal cord and nerves running from it to the neck, shoulder, and extremities. The number one treatment for this condition is to fuse vertebrae together to limit mobility and decrease pain. The surgery can be dangerous. Studies have shown that patients who have a spinal fusion have triple the risk of developing serious complications than other surgeries. And most patients do not get any pain relief from the surgery. Yet in a five year period, there was a 1,400 percent increase in Medicaid patients having the procedure.

Hysterectomy for Uterine Fibroids: Every year, 600,000 women have hysterectomies. Most of those procedures are unnecessary. When a diagnosis of cancer has been made, a hysterectomy should be performed. However, many doctors are performing this procedure in women who have complications from uterine fibroids, which are benign. Complications from this surgery are common and include perforations of the colon or bowel, due to the location of the uterus.

If you have suffered injury or other medical side effects from a medical procedure, contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.