Category: Medical Malpractice

All acute-care hospital in Louisville, Kentucky and those in Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana will see reduced Medicare payments during the federal fiscal 2019.

The reductions are happening because the hospitals did not meet the performance standards established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (VBP).

The VBP Program was implemented in 2012. It is designed to make the quality of care better for hospital patients and make hospital stays a better experience for patients. This program reduces all Medicare payments to participating hospitals by two percent and that money then gets redistributed to hospitals depending on their performance in a number of areas:

• Mortality and complications
• Healthcare-associated infections
• Patient safety
• Patient experience
• Process
• Efficiency and cost reduction

There are a number of breast implant patients who have developed a rare blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigating reports that link breast implants with cancer. There are currently more than 400 reports about patients who developed ALCL after getting implants, including nine who died.

Women may choose to get breast implants for breast reconstruction after mastectomy or for cosmetic reasons. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 400,000 breast implant procedures took place in 2017.

Two hospitals in the Louisville area have received low scores from a nonprofit that grades hospital safety ratings. Jewish Hospital and University of Louisville Hospital, or U of L Hospital, both received D grades from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

Both hospitals weren’t able to raise their scores this year, having maintained the D grade from 2016. This is unfortunate, because the medical care centers are trying to make their facility safer for their patients.

Before looking into the hospitals, let’s get a better understanding of Leapfrog and what they look into.

You may never expect that you could get injured in a hospital because you’re surrounded by people trained to make you feel better. But mistakes can happen in a hospital. There could be a miscommunication error, a mistake on a patient’s chart, or a doctor could misinterpret a patient’s test. Hospital mistakes can be dangerous and sometimes fatal. If you’ve been a victim of medical malpractice, a Louisville medical malpractice lawyer from Thomas Law Offices can help you with your claim.

Medical malpractice can cause devastating injuries that keep you from living your life. Some injuries could possibly have permanent consequences. When you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you deserve justice. The lawyers at Thomas Law Offices will carefully investigate your case to determine how the malpractice occurred, who is at fault, and how you can proceed.

People usually trust healthcare providers like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to provide excellent care and help them feel better. It’s not common for people to think those individuals will make a mistake that hurts them. But medical malpractice cases do occur. Something like a missed detail on a patient’s record could mean a healthcare provider doesn’t have all the information about how to treat their patient.

Medical malpractice cases need an expert and skilled attorney to get a favorable outcome. A Louisville medical malpractice lawyer from Thomas Law Offices will fight for your rights and help you get compensation for your injuries.