Hospital Infections As A Compensable Event
Posted by WhiteCoat on August 14, 2008
Just got done ranting about “never events” and then I read an OpEd piece in the Wall Street Journal by Betsy McCaughey titled “Hospital Infections: Preventable and Unacceptable.”
In her article, Ms. McCaughey states “No wonder Medicare calls these infections “never events.” Why should jurors reach a different conclusion in a lawsuit?”
I agree with her. They shouldn’t. Now I just have to pick out my new vacation villa in Antigua. Soon I’ll be rich.
Here’s the comment that I left on the WSJ web site (that probably won’t be published because I didn’t use my “FULL NAME” in order to be considered for posting).
A disruption in the homeostasis of the flora in the human body is now a compensable event. Brilliant.
I just created a post about this same topic and Medicare “never events” on my blog today.
This article gave me a great idea, though.
Soon I will file a class action lawsuit against my child’s daycare center for causing her strep throat, her ear infections, and all those stinking head colds. I lose thousands of dollars per year staying home from work to care for her, you know. Look out Montessori!
Then I’ll create a class action lawsuit against the airlines when they don’t screen their passengers for drug resistant TB and Legionnaire’s Disease. If United Airlines’ stock wasn’t headed into bankruptcy before now, it will be when I am finished with my lawsuit.
THEN I’ll sue the government for not creating an immunization for every single microbe on the face of the EARTH!
I’ll be rich!
Mwuuuuuuuhahahahaha
I’m putting all of you anti-vaccinationists on notice, too. Your kid gives my kid any kind of preventable disease and I’ll OWN you.
Help us, Overlawyered.com.
Help usssssss.
Evil HR Lady said
I am so suing my child’s daycare center. I hadn’t had any sort of stomach bug for almost 20 years. I enrolled the offspring in daycare and within a week I was tossing my cookies like never before. Rich, I’ll be rich!
mottsapplesauce said
OOhhhhh please count me in. My husband gets at least 2 UTI’s a year, sometimes causing septicema & possible SVT. Frigging cranberry juice isn’t doing it’s job. Cha-CHING baby! SHOW…ME…THE…MONEEEEEEY!
exi said
God, I hate people sometimes. I’d post over there, but… haha, yeah. Righto.
I’m just a lowly premedical kid myself – one who’s anxiously awaiting MCAT scores and interviews this cycle (remember those days?) – but my God, it’s frustrating to see people preach about things as if they know best what needs to be done. It’s the media-borne equivalent of the people who think that the internet awarded them an honorary MD, I swear.
ladyk73 said
I love it when you rant.
Christine said
I’m gonna sue the hospital I work at too. If my patients can’t pick up infections there (despite their WBC’s of <0.1) why should I- with my normal white count- ever pick up anything there? Damnit, I’m suing next time I get sick.
Really? said
Betsy is a nut case. While there is something to a few hospital infections (negligent sterilization, reuse of already used surgical tools, improper cleansing of a wound prior to closure, etc.) for the most part hospital infections are not 100% preventable. The patient has to take responsibility for their contributions to the risk including personal modifiable conditions (weight, some diabetes) and those that are inherent to their person (sex and age).
Health news - The next big thing in lawsuits said
[...] Source:Kevin, M.D. – Medical Weblog Hospital “never” events are the next big thing in litigation. From a WSJ op-ed:Hospital infections will cause the next wave of class-action lawsuits, bigger than the litigation over asbestos. There’s discussion over at Buckeye Surgeon and WhiteCoat. [...]
Health Care BS - INFECTIONS, LAWSUITS & YOUR HOSPITAL said
[...] a pretext for pillaging hospitals would be both destructive and dumb. Yes, dumb. Here’s how WhiteCoat puts it: Soon I will file a class action lawsuit against my child’s daycare center for causing [...]