New York Medical Malpractice

If you have been treated at the Life Care Dialysis Center in New York City, you may be at risk for contracting hepatitis and HIV. The New York State Department of Health recently examined the center and found gross violations of treatment protocol that has already lead to one case of hepatitis C.

The New York State Department of Health conducted an extensive investigation of the Life Care Dialysis Center, located at 221 West 61st Street, New York City, after receiving reports about the possible transmission of hepatitis C at this facility. During the investigation, State Health Department staff identified numerous breaches in appropriate infection control practices, including blood on the treatment chairs and dialysis machines, lack of proper hand hygiene, and inadequate disinfection of equipment. In addition, the investigation found strong evidence that at least one patient contracted hepatitis C after receiving dialysis at the facility.

In response to the above findings, the State Health Department has concluded that patients who received any type of dialysis treatment, even a single treatment, through Life Care Dialysis Center after January 23, 2004, may be at risk for hepatitis C virus and other bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis B virus and HIV. This risk may also extend to any patient receiving training at Life Care Dialysis Center to perform at-home peritoneal or hemodialysis.

If you are seeking more information, please call the Department of Health at 1-800-278-2965.

Are medical malpractice rates in New York state and elsewhere driving doctors out of practice? Texas has recently implemented limits to medical malpractice lawsuit payouts, and doctors are flocking there seeking lower malpractice premiums.

The state medical board now is backlogged with applications from doctors seeking to practice in the state, with 2,500 applications pending at last count. The number of licenses issued jumped 30% in the last fiscal year, and there has been an overall increase of 18% since 2003, according to Donald Patrick, executive director of the Texas Medical Board, a neurosurgeon and lawyer. "Doctors are coming to Texas because they sense a friendlier malpractice climate," Patrick said.

According to many, the medical malpractice crisis in New York state is reaching fevered pitch. In today’s Staten Island Advance, Dr. Joseph DeSena Richmond writes a letter to the editor on the subject urging citizens of the state to write to their local representatives and ask them to help with with problem.

As with most issues, however, a clear illustration of the facts is often needed to prove a point. Sadly, the latest illustration involves one of our finest young OB/GYN physicians, someone with whom I have worked on countless occasions and who I and many others consider to be one of the best the OB/GYN world has to offer.

Unfortunately, because of the incredibly high malpractice insurance premiums he has been faced with over the last few years, he has made the difficult decision to drastically pare down his practice. As of January, 2009, Dr. Alex Giannakakos will no longer be practicing obstetrics, nor will he perform any more GYN surgeries, limiting his practice to office-based GYN and related procedures.