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Christa R. Haggai, Attorney-at-Law
May 23, 2013 at 8:58 pm #MICRA #MedicalMalpractice - For 38 years the amount of compensation that can be received by a victim of preventable medical errors has been limited to $250,000 regardless of the severity of the injury or the degree of negligence. This is the result of a California law called MICRA that was passed nearly four decades ago and has never been adjusted for inflation. Efforts are beginning in Sacramento to correct this injustice and increase the amount of possible compensation to a level commensurate with today's dollars. Since 1975, the cost of everything has risen except for the value placed on the life of someone injured or killed by such preventable medical negligence.
The L.A. Business Journal is running a MICRA poll. If you click on this link http://www.labusinessjournal.com/ for the May 22 issue go to the bottom right hand side, and vote your conscience. The wording of the poll is below, but go to the link to vote..
Thank you for your few minutes and start getting the message out there that MICRA must be changed..
READER POLL: Should the cap on medical malpractice awards be changed?
( ) No, it keeps the cost of health care down.
( ) Yes, low awards aren't fair to those who have been harmed.
May 22, 2013 at 2:49 pm #SocialMedia #Facebook #twitter #judge #bias - when is a friend not a "friend"?
When are friends not really friends? Perhaps on Facebook, the Fifth District of Texas Court of Appeals recently ruled, in a matter involving a judge’s social media contacts and perceived biases. The appeal was brought by William Scott Youkers, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend and late...
May 18, 2013 at 12:48 am #Medicalmalpractice #healthcare #lawsuits #medical error #tortreform - Great article discussing how medical malpractice lawsuits can actually help improve patient care. The information was learned from interviews with hospital risk managers. We need to get to a point when we realize we all want the same goal, safer, affordable healthcare! Right now, "[e]ach year tens of thousands of people die, and hundreds of thousands more are injured, as a result of medical error." This needs to change and the courthouse doors need to be open to those who are harmed by medical errors!
May 15, 2013 at 9:11 pm The Haggai Law Firm shared 38 Is too Late's photo.
Shameful! The Seventh Amendment is supposed to protect this right to a trial by jury! Legislators have no right to take it away!
When a surgeon operated on the wrong side of a Missouri woman’s skull, her only recourse was the court system. So why are Missouri lawmakers trying to take away that right? http://bit.ly/132A8Fx
By: 38 Is too Late
May 14, 2013 at 8:30 pm The Haggai Law Firm shared 38 Is too Late's photo.
Clearly claims are not keeping rates high for doctor's insurance! We need a change in the law in California!
Think medical malpractice insurance rates are too high? You are not alone. While companies take premiums from doctors & hospitals, they don’t have to pay much out in claims due to CA’s outdated cap on malpractice awards. http://buswk.co/12dnwuh
By: 38 Is too Late
The bones that form the spine are called vertebrae, these bones protect the nerve roots. The bones that form the spine in your back are cushioned by small, spongy discs. When these discs are healthy, they act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible. But when a disc is damaged, it may bulge or break open. This is called a herniated disc. It may also be called a slipped or ruptured disc. If the herniated disc impinges on the nerve roots, it can cause significant, pain, tingling and numbness in your arms and legs. While a herniated disc can be caused by normal wear and tear on the back, it can also be caused by trauma, including trauma from falls or car accidents.
Symptoms
If you herniate a disc in your neck, or cervical spine, this may cause pain in the neck and shoulder area. If the nerve root is impinged by the herniated disc, this could also cause pain radiating down one or both arms into the fingers depending upon where the injury as occurred. The patient may also experience numbness, tingling and weakness in the upper extremities from the herniated disc. A herniated disc in the lower back can cause pain and numbness in the buttock and down the leg. This is radiating pain down either or both legs is called sciatica. Your doctor may suspect a herniated disc, but in most cases it is confirmed by either a CT or MRI scan to your neck or back area.
Treatment
Most people who have a herniated disc will not need surgery. Herniated disc can be treated with physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, anti-inflammatory medication and rest. However, some cases do require surgery. Discectomy is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord. It is also used for bulging discs or ruptured discs. Discectomy may be the most effective type of surgery for people who have tried nonsurgical treatment without success and who have severe, disabling pain. There are other types of surgical treatment including spinal fusion and artificial disc replacement surgery.
Spinal fusion can be implemented from the front, the back or both. It involves spinal instrumentation in the form of intervertebral cages and/or pedicle screws provide internal structural support while the bone fuses, and bone graft can either be harvested from the patient or one of a number of synthetic bone graft substitutes or extenders can be used.
An alternative to spinal fusion surgery, artificial disc replacement is a procedure that involves replacing a painful disc that is causing chronic back pain with an artificial disc that provides pain relief without compromising the spine’s natural anatomical structure. Artificial disc replacement surgery may be performed on the lower back or the neck. Artificial discs are structurally similar to the damaged discs that are replaced and share similar functions, including acting as shock absorbers in the back or neck. This surgery is often recommended in younger patients.
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