While many New York City residents are likely familiar with medical malpractice in the context of a negligent diagnosis by a doctor or negligent and fatal mistake during a surgical procedure, fewer are likely aware that doctors sometimes make the mistake of performing surgeries that were never necessary to begin with. This is called “unnecessary surgery medical malpractice”, and just like any other malpractice claim, it begins with a negligent doctor, and ends with a patient who has been seriously injured or has even died.
Take the example of 22-year-old Jonathan Stelly, a man whose story was featured in a USA Today article warning of the thousands of unnecessary surgeries doctors perform each year in the country. Mr. Stelly was a former semi-pro baseball player who had dreams of playing in the big leagues until he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Mr. Stelly’s doctors told him that they would need to perform surgery to implant a pacemaker, if Mr. Stelly wanted to live to the age of 30. However, after the surgery, Mr. Stelly became aware that the doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Mehmood Patel, was under fire for performing unnecessary surgeries. After having his case reviewed by multiple doctors, it became clear to Mr. Stelly that he never needed the pacemaker in the first place, and could have been simply prescribed blood pressure medication for his condition. Of the decision to get the unnecessary surgical procedure, Mr. Stelly said, “I did what the doctor said…I trusted him.” Dr. Patel is now in prison, after being criminally convicted of billing Medicare for unnecessary heart procedures. Of the impacts of Dr. Patel’s malpractice, Mr. Stelly noted, “Baseball was my life, and he took that away…for nothing.”
Terrifying Unnecessary Surgery Statistics Revealed
Unfortunately, Mr. Stelly is not the only patient who has undergone an unnecessary surgery and has felt the devastating impacts. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of patents undergo unnecessary surgeries. In fact, according to USA Today, a whopping 10-20% of all surgeries and operations are performed by doctors “more often than needed”. In addition, since 2005 alone, over 1,000 doctors have paid out medical malpractice claims alleging unnecessary or inappropriate medical procedures. Half of these settlements, tragically, involved a case in which a patient died or was permanently injured, and many others involved multiple patient-victims.
Legal Help for Victims of Unnecessary Surgery Medical Malpractice in New York City
If you or a loved one were injured due to an unnecessary surgery by your doctor, contact the experienced New York City unnecessary surgery lawyers at the law firm of Michael Gunzburg, P.C. The experienced New York City unnecessary surgery lawyers at the law firm of Michael Gunzburg, P.C. offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help get you justice due for your injuries and losses under New York City medical malpractice laws. Contact the experienced New York City unnecessary surgery lawyers at the law firm of Michael Gunzburg, P.C. and speak to a lawyer about your case for free.
Source:
usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/18/unnecessary-surgery-usa-today-investigation/2435009/