I watched CBS This Morning earlier today, and the hot topic discussed by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Nora O’Donnell was the Joan Rivers medical malpractice case brought by Melissa Rivers on behalf of her late mother.
As you may recall, Joan Rivers, went to Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic in Manhattan on August 28, 2014 for a simple vocal cord procedure. During the procedure, numerous instances of negligence occurred and were reported by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services including failure to:
- “identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention”
- “record Rivers’ weight, prior to the administration of medication for sedation”
- “consistently document the dose of Propofol administered”
- “get Rivers’ informed consent for each procedure performed”
- “ensure that she was cared for only by physicians granted privilege in accordance with the clinic’s bylaws”
These reported medical errors resulted in a lack of oxygen, causing brain damage and ultimately the death of Joan Rivers.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Serve to Prevent Future Medical Errors
Melissa Rivers was quoted as saying the reason she is bringing this case is because she does not want this to happen to anyone else.
What Melissa said is entirely true. In my 34 years of representing victims of medical malpractice, I can tell you that in each and every case, the sole motivating factor for my client to bring a claim was to ensure the tragedy that befell their family, would never happen to anyone ever again.
By bringing a medical malpractice claim, we change the way healthcare providers do business. We expose their shortcomings, and the medical professionals change policy.
It is my job to hold accountable those who expose us to unnecessary harm and danger. I do that by “Making Them Pay!” Representing families victimized by medical malpractice, I have learned that we all have a social responsibility to bring medical errors to light and demand change.
