Hollywood's Dennis Quaid recently spoke to Congress regarding drug overdoses and patient's rights. He advocates for the patient's right to sue pharmaceutical companies. Heparin, a commonly administered blood thinner, has been placed on the hot seat because the packaging for different dosages is very similar. In some cases, infants have been given 1,000 times the recommended dosage! In 2006, three Indianapolis infants died because of this mistake. Each year, 7,000 people die in the U.S. Because of medication errors. (Yost, www.newsday.com, 5/14/08)

A Tucson family was awarded $6 million recently because their mother died of a morphine overdose. Upon hospitalization, she was prescribed one dosage of morphine. Then several days later the dosage was increased replacing the prior dosage. However, when she was transferred to a nursing home, both prescriptions were given to her twice a day causing her to die from acute morphine intoxication. (Flick, www.tucsoncitizen.com, 5/14/08)

Accidental overdoses and drug interactions can cause health complications or death. Inform your doctor and pharmacist of all medications, prescription and over-the-counter, you are taking to insure your personal safety. Always ask questions if you are concerned about anything relating to your prescriptions and treatment. Read all of the information provided with your prescription and all warning labels. And finally, constantly check your prescription refills to verify you have received the correct dosage and pill.

100,000 American patients die each year because of medical errors! Medical errors don't always result in death. Medical malpractice affects the patient and their family and can result in various physical and mental obstacles. It is important to know that doctors and medical staff are fallible. Mistakes occur because of incorrect prescription dosages, medical personnel's action or inaction and, in some cases, their failure to respond.

An infant, born in 2001, of Charlottesville, VA suffers from cerebral palsy and brain damage because of physician's negligence at his birth. During labor and delivery, doctors at University of Virginia Medical Center failed to respond to the infant's condition which caused him to asphyxiate. The infants's parents were relieved last week when a settlement allotted them $1.35 million dollars. While this seems like an astounding amount of money, the infant's long term care will cost approximately $9 million! However, the state of Virginia caps all medical malpractice awards at $1.6 million. This coming summer that cap will increase to $2 million. (McKelway, inRich.com, 5/1/2008)

One way to combat being a medical malpractice casualty is to have a patient advocate with you when entering the hospital for routine or emergency situations. Patient advocates can be family members, friends, or even hired consultants. An advocate should "monitor the medications, review the treatment plan, know the detailed medical history, alert overworked nurses when vital signs go bad, battle for timely attention in a jammed ER, coordinate care as nurses and doctors change shifts, and look out for the comfort, hygiene and mobility (McClain, Arizona Daily Star, 4/27/2008)." While you can't predict an emergency, it is important to arm your patient advocate with your personal vital information, medical history, prescription list, and health concerns so they might speak on your behalf if necessary.

A hospital in Vermont has agreed to pay 4 million dollars to a former surgeon to settle claims that the surgeon made regarding the manner in which he left his employment with the hospital. Specifically, the surgeon claims that the hospital tried to force him out after he criticized patient safety standards. The surgeon claimed that the hospital intentionally contaminated the surgical fluids for a few of his patients. The doctor then claimed that the hospital accused him of mental instability to try and discredit him.

Burlington Free PRess 1/29/08

An Illinois jury has rendered a record setting verdict to the family of a woman who died after problems during childbirth. The jury awarded $22 million to the family of the deceased woman. In ruling for the Plaintiffs, the jury found that the hospital and its staff were negligent in their failure to treat a high blood pressure condition that ended up causing a massive brain hemmorrhage. The verdict is one of the largest awards involving the death of a woman in Illinois

Chicago Tribune 1/17/08

An Illinios resident has filed a lawsuit that accuses a Georgia based company of providing contaminated donor tissue for a knee operation. According to the lawsuit, the tissue provided caused permanent injuries to the man and will require him to take pain medication for the remainder of his life. The lawsuit also alleges permanent loss of earning capacity as a result of the negligence.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1/12/08

An appeals court in Oklahoma struck down a statute designed to limit medical malpractice litigation. The court found that the statute placed a larger burden on the plaintiffs/injured parties than that which was placed on other plainitffs.

Tulsa World 1/12/2008

An investigation of hospitals owned by physicians has revealed that a majority of these facilities are under-equipped to address medical emergencies. According to the federal report, of the 60 hospitals that were surveyed, 7 percent failed to meet Medicare staffing requirements while 34 percent relied upon 911 services for emergency medical situations. The report raised serious questions and concerns over the safety of these facilities.

The Washington Post 1/10/2008