New Federal Guidelines Could Trigger Malpractice Lawsuits Against Doctors
New regulations suggest a dramatic increase in medical malpractice. PR Inside reports:
New federal guidelines issued Wednesday for doctors treating smokers could trigger a wave of wrongful death medical malpractice legal actions, suggests Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), which serves as the legal action arm of the antismoking community.
Indeed, says ASH, there are over 40,000 potential plaintiffs yearly.
The guidelines require physicians not only to thoroughly warn smoking patients about the dangers of smoking, but also mandate that the clinicians provide one of more of the treatments which have been proven effective in helping people quit.
Yet most physicians reportedly fail to do this, and as a direct result a major study shows, more than 40,000 smokers die needlessly. ASH notes that hundreds of thousands more become disabled annually, and could also bring malpractice actions.
For clarification of these new regulations, seek legal counsel.