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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that across the country, “hospitals either aren’t disciplining doctors who have had problems, or are finding ways to avoid federal reporting rules.” The Post-Dispatch discusses the case of Dr. Surendra Chaganti of St. Anthony’s Medical Center in Missouri. Despite his involvement in a patient’s death, he was able to keep a clean record.
This report is not surprising, although it is troubling. For many years, studies have shown that a small percentage of doctors are repeat offenders, committing medical errors and engaging in self-destructive behavior that puts patients at risk. The renowned Institute of Medicine has proven that approximately 98,000 Americans are killed every year as a result of medical errors. If problem doctors are disciplined appropriately, lives will be saved and health will be preserved.
I hope this additional study spurs hospitals to better screen, supervise, and train physicians. We can’t have nearly 100,000 Americans dying needlessly.
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About the author:
Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. He has been acknowledged by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all of the more than 80,000 lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also acknowledges him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in medical malpractice matters, product liability claims, and serious automobile accident claims. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics magazine–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.
Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to present seminars to lawyers and doctors, as well as both medical and law students concerning medication errors, medical malpractice litigation, and safety improvements.
If you have any questions about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected] or call him at 202-822-1899.
