Recent cases against Kaiser Permanente
As one of the largest healthcare providers in the country, Kaiser Permanente is often the subject of legal issues involving medical malpractice. Over the years hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers within the Kaiser system have been the focus of a wide range of complaints from patients and/or their loved ones who were injured or died as a result of medical negligence.
Recent cases against Kaiser Permanente include the case of a 54 year old resident of Northern, CA who died in March 2018, days after he tried to make a doctor’s appointment with severe symptoms that turned out to be the result of pneumonia plus MRSA.
The arbitrator ruling in the case found that the Kaiser Permanente nurse and doctor named in the lawsuit improperly handled the calls from the patient and his wife about the severity of his symptoms. Instead of sending the patient to an ER or in-person visit with a GP, he was advised to take OTC medications and call back if there was a worsening of his symptoms.
By the time the victim was admitted to an area ER the following morning and started taking multiple antibiotics, the infection had progressed too far, and the man died on March 12, 2018. Subsequently, his widow and children were awarded nearly $3 million in their medical malpractice lawsuit against the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group.
If you are a member of Kaiser and believe you have been a victim of medical negligence on the part of a Kaiser doctor and/or hospital, you are required to settle through their arbitration process instead of a traditional lawsuit where a jury hears the case and renders a verdict.
Scott S. Harris, San Diego medical malpractice attorney, is experienced with the complexities of the Kaiser Arbitration process. For more than 30 years he has been successfully fighting for the rights of malpractice victims from Kaiser Permanente as well as other hospitals in the San Diego area.
A range of cases
Recent malpractice cases against Kaiser Permanente have involved negligence on the part of surgeons, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. The causes of medical malpractice are wide-ranging including (but not limited to):
- Delayed diagnosis
- Misdiagnosis
- Pregnancy complications
- Obstetrical errors
- Medication errors
- Surgical errors
- Anesthesia errors
Unfortunately, some cases of negligence involve wrongful death of the patient, as in the case of a 25-year old man who died from testicular cancer in February 2016. Two Kaiser doctors neglected to perform standard tests after the patient first complained about a mass on his left testicle as well as pain in his lower abdomen and back in the summer of 2015.
Taking action of your own
If you believe that you have been a victim of medical malpractice, you must file a lawsuit in civil court within a year of discovering that you were harmed due to negligence as per the medical malpractice statute of limitations in California.
Contact the office of Scott S. Harris to schedule a free consultation in order to discuss case details as well as Kaiser’s arbitration process.