Massachusetts Hospital Infection Rate - CDC Progress Report

The CDC's HAI Progress Report provides both national and state-by-state summaries of healthcare-associated infections. On the national level, the report found:

• A 46 percent decrease in CLABSI between 2008 and 2013
• A 19 percent decrease in SSIs related to the 10 select procedures tracked in the report between 2008 and 2013
• A 6 percent increase in CAUTI between 2009 and 2013; although initial data from 2014 seem to indicate that these infections have started to decrease
• An 8 percent decrease in hospital-onset MRSA bacteremia between 2011 and 2013
• A 10 percent decrease in hospital-onset C. difficile infections between 2011 and 2013

Data from Massachusetts hospitals showed areas of concern in Catheter associated urinary tract infections as well as surgical site infections in colon surgeries.

To download specific reports by state, click here: CDC Progress Reports.

Get more information on tracking infections control in Massachusetts Hospitals.

Medical Malpractice Overlooked In Massachusetts?

This Channel 4 I-Team investigative report describes how medical malpractice lawsuits that settle for money before trial rarely lead to doctors being disciplined. See full article here: Hundreds Of Doctors Who Settle Malpractice Claims In Mass. Are Not Held Accountable

According to the report which examined

"records for more than 16,000 doctors and found 654 of them have settled one or more malpractice claims in the last decade. Out of those, only six doctors — less than 1 percent — have been disciplined by the state board."

These findings are similar to those of a national state by state analysis by Public Citizen: State Medical Boards Fail to Discipline Doctors with Hospital Actions Against Them, as reported in sister publication NH Medical Malpractice News.

Massachusetts General Hospital Named in Lawsuit for Medication Dosing Error

Channel 5 carries the news story of the family of a woman who died from a medication error at Mass General Hospital filing a medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit. Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. attorney for the family states in the item that "This was a systemic failure within the hospital, within the nursing practices of the hospital and with the doctor's oversight responsibility — clear negligence on behalf of the hospital and the doctors and nurses involved."

Big Tobacco Case Tops 2010's Largest Verdicts

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has published the annual largest verdicts round up in its January 20, 2011 4:38 pm Thu, January 20, 2011 issue:

"Two Boston trial lawyers took on Big Tobacco and won the largest jury verdict in the state last year in a wrongful death suit that exposed a disturbing campaign to distribute menthol cigarettes to inner-city children. The $152 million award in Evans v. Lorillard is nearly 10 times larger than 2009’s top verdict of $15.7 million ..."

Read the full article on Mass. Lawyers Weekly [login required].

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Snow Shovel — Slip and Fall Liability in MA

The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled this week in a historic decision regarding snow removal and slip and fall injuries. A Boston.com article reports on the ruling saying...

"...the state’s high court ruled yesterday that landowners must make sure their property is clear of any snow and ice that could cause injury to others, regardless of whether the snow came from Mother Nature or from a plow or other source."

Read the full article: SJC changes rule on snow removal.
The case is Papadopoulos v. Target Corp. You can read the full ruling here.

Best Lawyers in America Selects Three Attorneys from Boston Law Firm Lubin & Meyer

Boston, MA -- Lubin & Meyer PC is pleased to announce that three of its Boston trial attorneys have been named to the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Founder Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. has been named every year since Best Lawyers inception in 1995 in both Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation. Robert M. Higgins, has been named each year since 2008, and is selected in the category of Medical Malpractice Law. This year, William J. Thompson joins their select company, named to Best Lawyers® 2010 under the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation.

See full press release.

$6 Million Verdict Survives Judge's Error on Mid-Trial Jury Discussions

An article in the The National Law Journal and Law.com details key court opinion involving mid-trial jury deliberations. In the article by Sheri Qualters, the Massachusetts high court let stand a $6 million jury judgment in a personal injury case. As reported on Law.com:

"The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts' July 16 unanimous ruling in Kelly v. Foxboro Realty Associates LLC, heard by six of the court's seven justices, said that the trial judge committed an error by allowing jurors to talk about evidence by themselves during a trial despite one side's objection. But the opinion, authored by Associate Justice Robert J. Cordy, also upheld the judgment and said the judge's decision to allow the juror discussions didn't harm the defendant's case."

To read the entire article, click on: Mid-Trial Jury Discussions. The article is free, but may require registration.

Massachusetts Personal Injury Attorney to Lead Trial Lawyers Group

SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) July 31, 2009 -- Personal injury attorney Anthony Tarricone of Hamilton, Mass., has been eleced president of the trial lawyers group, American Association of Justice. Tarricone is a partner at the aviation law firm of Kreindler & Kreindler LLP. See full article here: Trial Lawyers

$6 Million Verdict Survives Judge's Error on Mid-Trial Jury Discussions

$6 Million Verdict Survives Judge's Error on Mid-Trial Jury Discussions

By Sheri Qualters
The National Law Journal
July 21, 2009

Here is a pointer to an important decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court regarding jury predeliberation discussions as found on Law.com ...

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts' July 16 unanimous ruling in Kelly v. Foxboro Realty Associates LLC, heard by six of the court's seven justices, said that the trial judge committed an error by allowing jurors to talk about evidence by themselves during a trial despite one side's objection. But the opinion, authored by Associate Justice Robert J. Cordy, also upheld the judgment and said the judge's decision to allow the juror discussions didn't harm the defendant's case.

Read the full article here...

Big Dig contractor pleads guilty - The Boston Globe

Big Dig contractor pleads guilty - The Boston Globe

"The largest contractor on the Big Dig [Modern Continental] pleaded guilty yesterday to 39 federal charges of overbilling and lying about construction defects on the project, but prosecutors dropped five other charges that had implicated the company in the fatal 2006 collapse of the ceiling of the Interstate 90 tunnel."

Click to read complete news article at Boston.com.

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Massachusetts Ranks Third in Avg. Size of Medical Malpractice Claims Paid

The average amount for a medical malpractice claim paid in Massachusetts for 2007 is $530,963. This is the third highest avg. claim paid in the nation according to statistics compiled by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, whose statehealthfacts.org web site. The two states ranking higher than Massachusetts in avg. size of claim paid are Wyoming and Illinois with $641,692 and $634,971 per claim avg.

The web site offers comparative statistics on medical malpractice claims paid in all 50 states. Leading the pack in total dollars paid is New York state with $674,683,750 (an average of $441,547 per claim paid). Massachusetts ranks 7th in total claim dollars paid with $148,669,500.

The table below offers data on the top ten state's in average amount of medical malpractice claims paid (2007)...
For more information, see the Kaiser web site, click on: med mal claims paid data.

Pfizer Settlement Restricts Drug Marketing

Law.com carries this article on the recent $60 million settlement between pharmaceutical company Pfizer with 33 states attorneys general: Pfizer Settlement Over Marketing of Celebrex Contains Far-Reaching Restrictions.

According to the article, the settlement over the company's alleged off-label marketing of pain medication Bextra and arthritis drug Celebrex "includes a sweeping list of new marketing and advertising restrictions for the pharmaceutical company."

"...Pfizer has agreed to stop the following activities: giving incentives to sales staff to promote off-label drug use and paying doctors to spend time with Pfizer sales representatives; using grant money to promote use of Pfizer's drugs; "ghost writing" articles and studies for a named author outside of the company; and giving doctors drug samples to encourage off-label prescribing."

Read the full article at: Pfizer settlement.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement:

"While we are pleased with the monetary payment and plan to use these funds to improve the health and welfare of Massachusetts residents, it is the comprehensive injunctive relief that will ensure that Pfizer, the world's largest drug manufacturer, can no longer deceptively promote its products."

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Massachusetts Personal Injury News

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