Harrell & Nowak moves forward to resolve a medical malpractice case against Abbeville General Hospital for removing a pregnant woman’s uterus.
On April 28, 2011, Shirin Harrell, a registered nurse and an attorney, will ask a Judge to approve a settlement with Abbeville General Hospital in a medical malpractice case in which a patient, who was actually pregnant but didn’t know it, had a hysterectomy. The lawsuit, filed against Dr. Fogleman and Abbeville General Hospital, alleged that the 16 week old fetus died when the uterus was removed. According to allegations in the lawsuit, by removing the uterus without first making sure the patient was not pregnant at the time, these health care providers committed medical malpractice. The patient sued both her gynecologist, Dr. Fogleman, who performed the hysterectomy, and Abbeville General Hospital where the surgery was performed. Her allegations against Dr. Fogleman included that he performed an unnecessary hysterectomy and also failed to order a pregnancy test before removing her uterus in order to make sure that his patient was not pregnant. The suit also alleged that Abbeville General Hospital committed medical malpractice when it failed to perform a pregnancy test on the patient before proceeding with the hysterectomy.
Medical errors and mistakes injure millions of patients. In response, the Health and Human Services department is launching a program designed to reduce medical mistakes, preventable injures and infections in American hospitals. In addition, under the new federal health care reform law, starting in 2014, hospitals will receive lower reimbursement from the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid patients who suffer medical mistakes, infections, or injuries. The initial focus will be on nine types of medical mistakes which cause harm. These include pressure ulcers, drug reactions, childbirth complications and surgical site infections. Until these mistakes stop happening, victims of medical malpractice will need to hold the health care providers accountable for the injuries they suffer.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a medical mistake, call Harrell & Nowak for a free case review. As a Louisiana registered nurse and a medical malpractice lawyer, Shirin Harrell is able to read and understand medical records. With her experience in both the legal and health care fields, she is uniquely qualified to represent victims of medical mistakes and malpractice.