As with almost everything else these days, medical records have gone digital, with electronic health records (EHR) becoming an industry fixture. However, while electronic medical records provide several positives, they also come with some drawbacks. Recently, The Doctors Company, which is the largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurance company in the US, published a study that showed that EHR-related medical malpractice lawsuits are on the rise.
Why Are EHR-Related Medical Malpractice Lawsuits on the Rise?
Per The Doctors Company study, from 2007 to 2010, electronic health records were only a factor in 2 medical malpractice lawsuits. However, from 2011 to 2016, EHRs were involved in 161 medical malpractice cases. Both user errors and system errors have led to the rise in EHR-related medical malpractice lawsuits.
System errors include technology and design flaws, failure of hospitals to integrate their EHR systems and failing to have alarms set up to alert users to problems with the EHR system or an individual patient’s record. User errors include ignoring alerts, data entry mistakes and copy and paste errors. In most cases, EHR errors are not the primary reason that the medical malpractice suit was filed, but instead are a contributing factor to the claim.
The Mitchell Leeds, LLP has been helping medical malpractice victims and their families to fight back against negligent doctors and hospitals for the pain and suffering they caused them. This includes helping medical malpractice victims secure financial help for hospital bills, lost income, physical therapy and funeral expenses.
