Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice

There is a new medical malpractice insurer in the state of Maryland called the Maryland Healthcare Providers Insurance Exchange. The Maryland Exchange plans to work with its insured doctors to identify causes of claims and find ways to avoid or mitigate them. The new insurer also wants hospitals and doctors to work together when handling patient safety, risk management, and claims management.

Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, which insures more than 75% of the private practice physicians announced last summer that it would not be increasing medical malpractice insurance premiums after two years of double-digit increases.

According to Medical Mutual, their payouts in medical malpractice cases had risen from $47 million in 2000 to $93 million in 2003. But 2004 was only at $78.5 million, and 2005 was expected to be similar.

Interesting that they did not reduce rates even though the payouts went down. It is possible that this new entry into the market by Maryland Healthcare Providers Insurance Exchange indicates that there is money to be made from doctors by insurance companies selling medical malpractice insurance.

New Medical Malpractice Insurer in Md. Washington Business Journal, May 1, 2006
Remission On Medical Malpractice Washington Post, August 19, 2005

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Bausch and Lomb has announced a worldwide recall of its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens cleaner solution. This recall comes following reports from Asia and the US that most of the contact lens wearers who were infected with a potentially blinding infection called Fusarium keratitis used the solution. Bausch and Lomb is urging MoistureLoc users to switch to its other ReNu brand products. Approximately 5 million people have used MoistureLoc since late 2004.

On April 13, 2006 Bausch and Lomb asked US customers to stop using the product and recalled the product from American stores. The worldwide recall follows this announcement. A number of law firms in the US have filed lawsuits again Bausch & Lomb on behalf of clients who have been diagnosed with Fusarium keratitis after using ReNu with MoistureLoc solution.

Fusarium keratitis is a rare but serious corneal infection caused by Fusarium, a type of fungus. While Fusarium keratitis can be a serious infection, it is a rare disease. Fusarium is commonly found in organic matter such as soil and plants. This infection cannot be transmitted from person to person. People who have trauma to the eye, certain eye diseases, and problems with their immune system may be at increased risk for this type of infection.