Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Malpractice Settlements and Judgments Top $91 Million in 2012
The department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paid more than $91 million in settlements and verdicts from medical malpractice in 2012. This amount is the highest amount in a dozen years and raises significant concerns about patient safety issues at VA hospitals. These payments came in the form of court judgments and administrative settlements. The lawsuits against the VA include claims for misdiagnoses, delayed diagnosis, failure to monitor, and even wrong body part surgery.
For instance, Christopher Ellison underwent a routine procedure at the VA hospital in Philadelphia to have eight teeth extracted. During the surgery, his blood pressure fell to an extremely low levels and he later suffered a massive stroke. Ellison was only forty-nine (49) at the time he is now dependent on 24-hour-a-day medical care. A judge ruled that Ellison and his family were entitled to $17.5 million in compensation to cover past and future medical needs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
The increasing amount of preventable medical errors occurring at VA facilities is very disturbing, especially considering that many veterans are reaching older age and will require much more medical care in the future. Also, many younger veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (as many as 1.2 million) will become veterans in the next four years. These factors will put an increased strain on the already overworked and underfunded health care system for our nation’s veterans.
Perhaps most troubling is that the Veteran Affairs Department has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses to hospital administrators who run facilities with serious patient safety problems. CBS news reported that a VA hospital in Pittsburgh was aware of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak for more than a year but kept the information private until five (5) patients died and twenty-one (21) others were injured. Just a few days after the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak became public, Michael Moreland, the administrator who oversaw this troubled facility, was awarded a $62,895 bonus for saving the United States money on a construction project at the hospital.
There are many other examples of bonuses being paid to administrators who oversee failing hospitals, including facilities in Upstate New York and Atlanta, Georgia. Our nation’s veterans deserve the highest level of medical care and steps should be taken to address these apparent systemic problems within the VA health care system. Clearly more emphasis should be placed on patient safety, rather than cost saving projects. Moreover, the administrators of these dangerous facilities should be held accountable and should not be allowed to profit from saving money for the government at the expense of the health and safety of our veterans.
If you or a loved one was injured at VA hospital in Tennessee, contact us today at 901-680-9777 for a free consultation. Our Tennessee medical malpractice attorneys have the experience and resources to pursue cases against the government. We even have a full-time registered nurse standing by to assist in fully evaluating and preparing your case.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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