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Claims Lessons

The experience of others is often the best teacher. In medicine, as in life, we often learn the most from the insights of those who have ‘been there’. That’s why claims lessons are the training tool of choice.

Our claim files are packed with scenarios to avoid and lessons to learn. The claims lessons below all come from real claims that we’ve seen and defended (though some facts have been altered to protect the confidentiality of the parties). Each claims lesson is presented in a brief, simple format that concludes with practical “learning points” that nearly every practice can relate to.

Policyholders and staff alike are invited to learn from our experiences.

These claims lessons are presented for educational purposes only and are not intended as legal advice. Readers should consult qualified legal counsel to address specific legal issues.

Specialty		Title
Anesthesiology		Patient succumbs to a preventable anesthesia respiratory event
		Risk of high spinal anesthesia following failed epidural block for cesarean delivery
Cardiology		Medication Risk/Benefit Analysis
		Patient Suffers Fatal Arrhythmia Linked to Outpatient BETAPACE Prescription
Cardiology/ Primary Care		Weak On-Call Handoff and Discharge Instructions Botch Patient's Coumadin Therapy.
Multispecialty		Wrongful Death Suit Alleges Abnormal X-Ray Results Never Reported - NEW
		Concierge Medicine-No Guarantee against Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer
		From Chronic Problems to an Acute Dilemma
		Patient Monitoring/Medication Management
		Black Box Warning + Inadequate informed Consent = Indefensible Claim
		Multiple Providers Named in Failure to Diagnose Case
OB/Gyn		Lack of Midlevel Supervision Contributes to Shoulder Dystocia Claim.
Orthopedics		Compartment Syndrome Case Study, the Sequelae of a Delayed Diagnosis
Pediatrics		Delayed Diagnosis of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in a small child results in Catastrophic Injury
Primary Care		Copy and Paste Documentation Creates A Problematic Defense - NEW
		Delay in Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer Results in Advanced Metastatic Disease and Ultimate Death of the Patient