Five Potential Causes of Physician Group Medical Malpractice

A variety of scenarios exist in a doctor’s office with the potential to lead to medical malpractice. And while such situations can occur in any medical setting — and there may be benefits to having more than one physician know an individual’s medical history and status — physician groups may carry additional risk due to a combination of typical time constraints and a “merry-go-round” approach.

Here are five potential causes of physician group medical malpractice, which may be likelier to occur in physician groups due to multiple physicians being involved with each patient:

1. Simple Misspellings or Numerical Errors

Although such errors can occur in numerous scenarios, misspellings and numerical mistakes (including those related to medication dosage) that lead to physician group medical malpractice may be likelier to happen in situations in which a doctor is less familiar with patients and their medical histories.

2. Improper Pronunciation or Documentation of Medication, Treatments, Patient Names

Improper pronunciation of a medication, treatment, or patient name, whether due to dialects, language-barrier issues, or a lack of knowledge on proper pronunciation of the medication, treatment, or patient name involved, can lead to physician group medical malpractice.

3. Errors Involving Patients Who Have Identical or Similar Last Names

Common names such as Smith and Gonzalez abound, which can lead to file mix-ups due to time constraints and a lack of focus. Further, similar names, such as Gonzalez/Gonzales, fall into the same category. Either issue can lead to physician group medical malpractice.

4. Listening, But Not Hearing

When patients and caregivers describe nuances involving the care of themselves, their loved ones, or their assignees, putting into motion the skill of actually hearing what is being said is crucial. For example, when a patient explains that a rash occurred when he or she took a particular medication, the potential for a serious, and possibly deadly, anaphylactic reaction could happen if the medication is taken again. Telling the patient not to worry about it and not confirming the exact drug may not safeguard the individual’s health. An additional example is when a patient or caregiver makes it clear that their family member has breathing issues that sound abrupt but are not related to aspiration and a doctor decides to immediately order numerous unnecessary tests that have already been recently performed anyway (or worse yet, insists on immediate surgery). The doctor is not hearing. Ironically, this can even occur in medical settings where wall signs state that the patient knows best. When three, four, or five different doctors are involved in patients’ care in a physician group and each has his or her own perspective, hearing may be less focused on.

5. Improper Re-Assessment

When different doctors assess a patient for the first time in a physician group, there are often differing views on diagnosis and treatment. Further, those re-assessments may be incorrect and lead to physician group medical malpractice in the form of serious injury or death to a patient.

Mallard & Sharp, P.A. is dedicated to providing its clients with the path to justice and financial recovery through fair compensation. The firm, along with noted Miami Medical Malpractice Lawyers Vidian Mallard and Bo Sharp, handles an extensive array of cases that involve medical malpractice, birth injuries, and negligent security in addition to negligence acts that cause catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.

For more information or to inquire about expert legal representation for a potential physician group medical malpractice case, contact Mallard & Sharp, P.A. at 305-461-4800.