Illinois Injury Attorney Blog

A Medical Malpractice presentation at the annual American Roentgen Ray Society meeting in Chicago, Illinois showed the absolute number of Medical Malpractice and Medical Negligence lawsuits filed seems to be getting smaller. However, these lawsuits still do exist in high numbers. Chicago's Doctor Leonard Berlin, vice chair of radiology at Northshore University Hospital, detailed causes of medical malpractice among radiologists. Berlin said failure to diagnose breast and lung cancer are most often the causes of medical malpractice cases in his field.

According to www.cmio.net in the article, "AARS: Malpractice Suits Decline, Challenges Persist," Berlin found that about 60 years ago, the cause of medical malpractice lawsuits began to change from apparent acts of commission to apparent acts of failing to diagnose. He says as that change was happening, the number of medical malpractice claims per malpractice insurance policy began to decline. The article states radiologists are often considered key players in medical malpractice cases because they are often at the center of a diagnosis or missed diagnosis.

Of course, reducing medical errors is a key objective for doctors. Berlin suggested radiologists review the pertinent clinical data. He says they should examine the image again with a colleague or the attending doctor.