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Recent Blog Posts
The High Cost of Spinal Cord Injury Treatment: How to Prevent It
According to the United Spinal Association, medical treatment for a spinal cord injury can cost between $200,000 and $700,000 in the first year alone. Annual costs for each following year range from $14,000 for less severe cases to up to $127,000 for more severe injuries. These costs are hard for the injured to cope with not only because the costs themselves are high, but also because those living with spinal cord injuries are less likely to be employed.
Spinal Injuries Can Come With A Lifetime of Financial Hardship
In the lifetime of a person suffering from a spinal cord injury, their individualized needs will create medical and cost-of-living debt anywhere between $600,000 and $2.8 million dollars. These costs are incurred not only through emergency treatment, such as surgery and immobilization, but also in various forms of therapy.
For instance:
- Many SCI sufferers need increased medication to cope with the symptoms of their disability.
What Happens When a Hospital is Negligent
If you or a loved one has been hurt by hospital negligence, then you are likely wondering what happens next. What can you do to address the physical pain and financial hardships caused by the hospital's negligence?While the negligent act that caused you harm was out of your control, you do have control over your recovery. When you first suspect that something is not right, you should:
- Seek the care of a medical doctor whom you trust. This doctor does not need to be affiliated with the hospital which caused you harm. After an examination, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendations about follow up care to maximum your chances of recovering.
- Seek the expertise of an experienced Washington D.C. and Virginia hospital malpractice lawyer. Your lawyer will evaluate your case and fight hard for your just recovery.
For decades, the dedicated medical malpractice lawyers of Shevlin Smith have been fighting for the fair recoveries for the victims of Washington D.C. and Virginia medical malpractice. Attorneys in our firm understand how significant your injuries are and will do everything that we can to help you.If you've been injured in a hospital, we encourage you to read our free e-book, Do I Have a Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law, and contact us today at 703-591-0067 for a free consultation.
Clean Medical Malpractice Record No Guarantee Of Safety
On Monday September 13 the results of a RAND study were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study found that while many patients spend time researching a physician's medical malpractice history, the history that is publicly available is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Specifically, the researchers found that there was no consistent correlation between malpractice payments and disciplinary actions against doctors and the quality of care that those doctors provided.Prior Medical Malpractice Claims, Experience and Board Certification are Not Always Relevant to Future CareYears of practice, like previous medical malpractice claims, were also not a reliable measure of future quality of care. Board certification showed only a small correlation to future quality care and was not deemed to be significant by the study authors.What Can Be Done?One of the study's authors, says that the conclusions reached in this study should lead to more information being made public. She claims that the detailed information made available to health plans could provide patients with more reliable information about their prospective doctors.Patients are reminded that medical malpractice can be committed by any doctor. If you have been the victim of medical malpractice in Virginia or Washington D.C. then contact a Northern Virginia medical injury lawyer today for a free consultation.
How Do Northern Virginia & Washington D.C. Drivers Compare To Others?
Not well, according to a recent study released by Allstate Insurance Company. Earlier this month, Allstate released its sixth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report." The study ranked the 200 largest cities according to which city had the best drivers and the comparison was not favorable to Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.According to the Allstate study, Washington D.C. ranked at the very bottom of the cities studied. Allstate estimates that Washington D.C. drivers only average 5.1 years between accidents and have a 95.5% chance of having an accident relative to the national average.Two large Northern Virginia cities didn't fare much better. Both Alexandria, VA and Arlington, VA ranked in the bottom 10% of the cities studied. Alexandria drivers average 7.2 years between accidents and have a 38% chance of having an accident relative to the national average. Arlington drivers scored similarly to their Alexandria counterparts. In Arlington, drivers average an accident every 7.4 years and have a 35.3% chance of having an accident relative to the national average.No Virginia cities ranked in the top 25% of safe driving cities according to the Allstate Study. Allstate encourages all drivers, in all cities, to drive safely, to minimize distractions, to be aware of road conditions, and to leave a safe distance between vehicles to prevent accidents.
Did Lou Gehrig Actually Have Lou Gehrig’s Disease?
A recent study published in the August 2010 Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology suggests that some people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, may not actually have that condition. Instead, the study suggests that some professional athletes, soldiers, and others who are diagnosed with ALS instead have brain injuries that eroded the central nervous system in ways similar to ALS and were incorrectly diagnosed with ALS.While Lou Gehrig's case was not looked at specifically in the study, he may be exactly the type of individual who was misdiagnosed. The famed Yankee suffered many concussions in his professional baseball career and in his high school and college football career and he continued to play despite his brain injuries.The study does not suggest that all cases of ALS are a result of brain trauma, only that some cases of significant brain damage are misdiagnosed as ALS. In order for patients to get the best possible treatment for brain injuries and for ALS it is important that the correct condition be diagnosed and that researchers take a better look at the clinical standards for making diagnoses and treating patients who present with similar symptoms to very different, and dangerous, medical conditions.
Who is Responsible for My Child’s Birth Injury?
As Northern Virginia birth injury attorneys, we are often contacted by clients for the answer to one simple question. They want to know who is responsible for their child's birth injury, and with good reason. As a parent, it is agonizing to watch your child suffer, it is torturous to consider that your child's injury could've been prevented, and it is expensive to provide the treatment that your child requires as a result of his or her injury.
You Need to Know Who Caused a Preventable Birth Injury
At Shevlin Smith, our experienced childbirth injury lawyers will examine your case from every angle. We will consider how the hospital, the doctor, the nurse, the midwife or anyone else involved in the birth of your child acted and whether they exercised reasonable care toward you and your child.
If we find that any medical professional or entity was negligent we will advise you about your options for recovery. We will represent you in settlement negotiations and any necessary litigation and we will zealously advocate for your recovery.
Six Symptoms of Heart Attacks Every Woman Should Know
Women are at greater risk of the serious, often fatal, consequences of a doctor's failure to diagnose a heart attack than are men. Part of the reason for the increased risk is that heart attacks often present different symptoms in women than in men.
Common Signs of a Heart Attack in Women
It is therefore important for women to understand that the following symptoms may be signs of a heart attack:
- Indigestion
- Powerful and extreme fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fainting
- Chest discomfort or tightness
- Neck, shoulder, and jaw pain
What is missing from the list of female heart-attack symptoms is as important as what is included on the list. Many women-in fact up to about half of all women-never experience the acute, chest-clutching pain that we have all come to recognize as the classic sign of a heart attack.
If you exhibit any of these symptoms then it is important to seek immediate medical attention and to insist that your doctor conduct appropriate tests to determine whether you have suffered a heart attack. Your knowledge, and your insistence, may just save your life.
Recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury
The aftermath of a traumatic brain injury can be a long and extraordinarily arduous road to recovery. Many traumatic brain injury victims require extensive and expensive therapies in order to maximize their potential physical recovery.
Traumatic Brain Injury Physical Recoveries
The extent of a patient's physical recovery depends on the area of the brain that was injured and the severity of the injury. Many traumatic brain injury patients require:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Counseling
- Speech therapy
- Medical treatment
While medical treatment and recommended therapies may not cure a brain injury, they can maximize a brain injury victim's potential recovery and teach the patient how to live with the injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury Financial Recoveries
In our experience as Washington D.C. and Virginia brain injury attorneys, we know these therapies to be expensive, and we recognize the financial hardship they cause brain injury victims and their families.
Recovering Damages for Hospital Acquired Infections
Hospital-acquired infections create serious problems for patients. Data indicate that approximately 100,000 people acquire preventable infections each year while in the hospital. For many patients, these infections are fatal. For others, the infections require extensive and expensive medical treatment.If you have suffered a hospital-acquired infection, or if you have lost a loved one to such an infection, then you may have the right to recover damages if the infection was caused by the negligence of hospital personnel.Damages for a hospital-acquired infection may include financial compensation for past and future:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of the infection (such as household assistance that you did not previously need)
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering
Hospitals Will Fight Your Just Recovery
Although you are legally entitled to the damages described above if your injuries were caused by a hospital's negligence, a hospital is likely to fight your recovery. In order to be successful in your quest for damages, you need an experienced Washington D.C. and Virginia medical malpractice lawyer to represent you.
Your Doctor May be Liable for Your Child’s Birth Injury
Mothers whose big babies suffer birth injuries often have one question. What could have been done differently to protect my child? The Fairfax birth injury attorneys of Shevlin Smith are committed to helping you find the answer to your question, and we will fight to hold the appropriate parties responsible for your child's injuries.
Tips to Prevent Birth Injuries
There is a lot that doctors can do to predict the size of babies, and there are appropriate precautions they can take in order to deliver a big baby safely. For example, obstetricians can:
- Screen for gestational diabetes
- Treat gestational diabetes
- Monitor the size of the baby
- Recommend a C-Section when a safe vaginal delivery is not possible
Unlike other types of birth injuries, injuries incurred because a baby is too large for a safe vaginal birth can often be avoided when the mother and child receive appropriate prenatal care. If your child has been injured during birth, then your family may be entitled to damages. A Fairfax birth injury lawyer will thoroughly investigate the cause of your child's injury and recommend appropriate legal action against the parties responsible for the injury.
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
