The Baltimore Sun continues to push the idea of medical malpractice cases being placed into some sort of health court. Naturally, as is their practice, the Sun offers no real details and no balance to the editorial besides blaming trial lawyers for everything but the Blizzard of 2010. More problematically, they support a solution without really identifying a problem. What is the evidence of a problem with the judges that are currently handling medical malpractice lawsuits in Maryland? This would seem to be a prerequisite to offering a solution.

The Sun thinks that the governors of this state have nominated judges that cannot understand how to administer medical malpractice lawsuits. Either this is nonsense or we have a gubernatorial malpractice claim against Governors Mandel, Hughes, Schaefer, Glendening, Ehrlich, and O'Malley. I'm going with the nonsense theory myself. It is also silly to suggest that doctors are so vested in this idea. Even if trained malpractice judges are better malpractice judges, I don't think anyone has any idea of whether having malpractice specific judges is going to help plaintiffs or the doctors' lawyers in discovery or at trial.

The Sun goes on to tout the importance of a new "I'm sorry" law so doctors can admit they screwed up. On its face, it sounds okay. There is evidence that patients and their families benefit when doctors disclose medical errors and apologize. But did we do a study as to how these same patients feel when these apologetic doctors admit to their patients what they did but then can make a farce of that admission by denying it publicly later? Will this make a mockery of the victims and the court who sanctions what is going to approach or reach perjury?

The reality is a sympathetic "I'm sorry" when any professional (or even the other driver in a car accident) makes a mistake is going to make it less likely that the victim is going to bring a claim. Doctors should say they are sorry because it helps the patient, themselves and because it is the right thing to do, not because they are given immunity for the apology.

I also don't think the law is going to make much difference. Good, decent doctors (the vast, vast majority) will apologize if they think they make a mistake. Doctors that won't because they fear malpractice probably wouldn't apologize anyway.

http://www.insiderexclusive.com/show-titles/120-medical-malpractice-case-the-emma-mejias-story-

Emma Mejias died a horrible and painful death, on her very first Christmas Eve in 2004, at the hands of 25 doctors and nurses, another victim of medical malpractice. All 25 of them systematically and willfully ordered and administered the wrong drugs for her life-threatening condition called SLOS (Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome). SLOS is a congenital abnormality, which requires treatment strategies on supplying supplemental cholesterol. Emma was given the Wrong Drug, Questran, not once, but 92 times – yes, 92 times in one month. All of the doctors and nurses knew better.  They were trained to know better. They were some of the world’s leading authorities at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. And her doctors had the unmitigated gall to blame Emma’s death on the new resident doctors, rather than take responsibility themselves. Emma remained hospitalized at various hospitals from the date she was born to the day she died, because of the outrageous medical malpractice perpetrated on her by 25 so-called health care professionals, none of whom cared enough to give her the potentially life-saving medical treatment she desperately needed. She suffered enormous physical pain and suffering prior to her death. Today, for the very first time ever on TV, The Insider Exclusive will visit with both Jason and Adrienne Mejais and their lawyer John Hammons, Partner at Nelson & Hammons, who for 30 years has been standing up for people like Emma, a little innocent baby, who never had the chance to stand up for herself.

John Hammons is one of Louisiana’s leading medical malpractice and nursing home negligence lawyers, and is often called upon by individuals as well as by other lawyers to assist them in the most difficult of cases. He has served on the Governor’s Commission on Medical Malpractice, which provided him with significant insight in this area of developing law. John was also among the first lawyers in Louisiana emphasizing the handling of medical malpractice cases three decades ago. He has been at the forefront of precedent-setting cases, and is often invited to speak before legal and medical groups. John holds an undergraduate degree from Northeast Louisiana University and a law degree from Louisiana State University.

Nelson & Hammons has championed the rights of victims of medical malpractice since 1980, having successfully represented hundreds of such patients or their families. With its office in Shreveport, Nelson & Hammons remains committed to quality medical care for its clients and their families as well as obtaining just compensation for those patients who have been seriously injured as a result of substandard medical care. With two attorneys specializing in the handling of medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and related matters, Nelson & Hammons is uniquely positioned to effectively and thoroughly investigate and prosecute such cases.

You can contact John Hammons at 318-227-2401, or www.nelsonhammonslaw.com