Further research has confirmed the extent of medical errors. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement estimates there are 15 million incidents of medical harm each year. HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare rating organization, found that Medicare patients who experienced a patient-safety incident had a one-in-five chance of dying as a result.

Disappointing to most people we represent is the fact that these hospitals and doctors seek to avoid responsibility for their errors and the devastating harm they cause. However, with all the laws making it more difficult for patients to hold hospitals and doctors accountable, very few medical malpractice cases settle. Usually, the only way to hold those who commit medical malpractice accountable is to go to trial.

As Orlando medical malpractice lawyers, we have developed successful approaches to this complex area of law. Dr. Walter Ward is one of the few lawyers in Florida who is also a medical doctor. As a medical doctor and lawyer he brings unique training and experience to examination of the medical doctors and hospital personnel involved in our clients' malpractice.

Unfortunately, when medical malpractice strikes few people know where to turn. Even fewer people realize that there are lawyers who are also medical doctors who handle medical malpractice cases. Yet, what better advantage could a patient have than to have a lawyer who is licensed as a medical doctor. Dr. Walter Ward has a distinct advantage to be able to confront the doctors involved by going into the case with a complete understanding of the medical issues involved. Obviously, it is much more practical when a lawyer has first hand experience as a medical doctor who was educated and trained from the standpoint of the doctors who are responsible for the medical malpractice.

When selecting an Orlando medical malpractice lawyer hiring one that is a medical doctor/lawyer should bring a higher level of confidence. These cases are complex and can be lost if the patient's lawyer does not understand the medicine involved.

For these groups the limits on medical malpractice damages mean that many will never be fairly compensated for the harm caused by Orlando Regional Medical Center, Florida Hospital Orlando or other health care facilities. Sadly, the hospital and medical associations convinced law-makers that healthcare providers should be treated differently when they recklessly cause injury or death.

Joined by the medical malpractice insurance industry, the hospitals and medical associations have stripped away many rights of Florida patients. No longer can any patient be treated fairly when it comes to assessing the horrible losses caused by medical malpractice. How did this happen? It happened because few people think about this unfairness until medical malpractice hits home.

We must explain to our clients and to those that seek our help, that when it comes to medical malpractice, the field is not level. The medical associations, the hospitals and the malpractice insurers have stacked the deck against the patient and their family. Without a medical malpractice specialist or a medical doctor-lawyer, people may have little chance for a successful outcome.

Most MRSA infections occur in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. It's known as health care-associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at most risk of HA-MRSA. More recently, another type of MRSA has occurred among otherwise healthy people in the wider community. This form, community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, is responsible for serious skin and soft tissue infections and for a serious form of pneumonia.

Unfortunately, patients taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital Orlando do not always receive timely intervention. This may occur because the doctors or hospital staff fail to properly take a medical history from the patient or the patient's family. A medical history is the information surrounding the circumstances which caused the patient to go to the hospital. While this information is critical to a proper diagnosis, we have found that hospitals and doctors fail to take the time to do obtain a complete and accurate medical history. Sadly, the failure to ask simply questions has led to unnecessary injury and death.

Unless the patient has a medical malpractice lawyer with a long track record of success in dealing with these tactics, the patient may not even have a fighting chance for a just result. Indeed, we believe so strongly that the selection of a medical malpractice lawyer may lose the case years before it ever goes to trial that we have written a book to help consumers select the right lawyer. We continue to make the book, Seeking Justice: An Insider's Guide for the Injured, available at no charge.

According to Archives of Internal Medicine, patient errors are first recorded upon admission to the hospital. Medications taken and allergy history is frequently omitted from charts which result in drug therapy problems ranging from discomfort to deterioration of the patient’s condition. In one study conducted at two prestigious teaching hospitals, results showed that about two out of every 100 admissions experienced a preventable adverse drug event.

Not only do patients suffer from drug interactions but they also suffer from surgeries gone wrong. These tragedies include surgeons operating on the wrong side of the patient's brain, doctors amputating the wrong leg and patients going in to have a gall bladder removed and actually having their kidney removed instead. One poor man expected to have his cancerous testicle removed; instead his healthy one was removed. Sadly, a significant number of many patients later discover foreign objects left inside their abdomen.

Of course, when medical malpractice happens the doctors, hospitals and nurses involved usually keep silent. Few healthcare providers admit making mistakes. Even fewer doctors or hospitals ever voluntarily take responsibility for the harm they cause. That is usually when we are asked to assist the patient and the patient's family.

Is there any excuse for an obvious heart attack patient being neglected? Sadly, when even the most obvious cases of medical malpractice happen, the hospitals and doctors involved rarely admit fault. Instead, the hospitals and their teams of medical malpractice lawyers "circle the wagons" and tries to avoid being held responsible.

Whether the medical malpractice case involves a failure to diagnosis cancer or to promptly treat a heart attack, a medical doctor/lawyer has obvious advantages. In addition, our law firm has a board certified civil trial lawyer and a critical care registered nurse on our trial team. From more than 20 years of trial work in medical malpractice cases, we have learned to take on the giants in the Orlando area. Whether the medical malpractice occurred at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Florida Hospital Orlando or one of the many medical facilities, we understand the many challenging issues involved. Our clients trust us to deal with devastating injury and death caused by careless medical providers.

Sadly, we find that most incidents of medical malpractice could have been easily prevented. Medication errors, operating on the wrong extremity and striking unconscious patients with medical equipment should never happen. Yet, when even the most obvious medical malpractice occurs Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital Orlando may deny responsibility. Fortunately, these hospitals can only run for so long. No matter how much power and influence, even these giants will have to answer in court for their medical malpractice.

Most people who seek our help are decent, honest people who never thought about the fact that hospitals are in the business of making money. While many hospitals do many positive things, patient care is not the first priority. Hospital CEOs understand that profit is a priority.

While businesses are created to make money, when it comes to hospitals and other health care facilities, people's lives and safety should be the first priority. Sadly, when staffing is cut to improve profits, it is the patients who suffer. When injury or death occurs these hospitals should take responsibility for the harm done. Unfortunately, that rarely occurs. Hospitals understand that many patients will never realize that medical malpractice has occurred. Obviously, if a patient does not contact an Orlando medical malpractice lawyer when questions about the medical care and injury arise, the Orlando hospital will not be held accountable for its wrongdoing.

Walter Ward, MD, JD is both a medical doctor and a lawyer who has devoted his professional life to representing medical malpractice clients. As a medical doctor/lawyer Dr. Ward can quickly analyze the medical circumstances involved. Time is important since there is always the risk of hospital and medical records being changed or destroyed. While no one wants to believe that such tactics occur, obtaining complete and accurate hospital and medical records are crucial to a successful medical malpractice case.

As a medical doctor/lawyer, Dr. Ward is familiar with the record-keeping requirements and what is expected in a medical or hospital chart. That expertise helps to prevent hospitals from omitting important records necessary to prove a case. Having handled medical malpractice cases for more than thirty-five years, Dr. Ward has successfully brought claims against hospitals throughout Florida.

In addition, before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed it is necessary not only to gather the necessary medical and hospital records, but an independent, qualified medical expert must be located. This medical expert must be willing to review the medical records and sign a statement that supports the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit. All this takes time.

According to a study by The Institute of Medicine, conducted in 1999, preventable medical errors cause the deaths of 44,000-98,000 people each year. These deaths are the result of many preventable errors dealing with misdiagnosis, improper treatment, and inadequate preventative care.

Some of the medical malpractice that Medicaid will no longer pay for include (1)Incompatible blood transfusions, (2) Development of infections after certain surgeries,(3)A second operation to retrieve a sponge left from initial operation,(4) Serious bed sores, (5) Injuries from certain falls and (6) Urinary tract infections caused by catheters.

Surprisingly, this new enforcement offers little financial benefit to the insurance companies, according to a The New York Times report. Instead, the new rule is acting as a catalyst to move medical professionals in the direction of preventative care. This step is hoped to support the transition from focusing on quantity of care to focusing on the quality of medical care.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which advises Congress on medical issues, recently recommended that payments to some hospitals be reduced if those hospitals experience high readmission rates. Furthermore, Medicare is offering bonuses to hospitals that merely report their quality measures, yet another incentive for hospitals to become more accurate.

The approach Medicare is taking has been adopted by other insurance companies: both private and public and even by some state laws. Maine was the first state to ban payment for hospital error all together and at least 20 states have laws requiring hospitals to report to the public if they make a preventable mistake.

Perhaps, this new approach will help limit medical errors. Reportedly, some hospitals are taking initiative by collaborating with each other; trying to discover common problems they all face and discussing possible solutions to them. Certainly Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, like all hospitals, can do more to reduce medical errors and medical malpractice.