There are thousands of instances of medical malpractice each year, some in states such as Mississippi. It is an important reason for medical providers to buy insurance and properly train their employees. In some situations, providers must be transparent, honest, and direct about what happened. A recent case from North Carolina shows the potential damage in reputation and customer trust that can result from not admitting such actions.
The case
There was a recent medical malpractice case that illustrated the importance of provider responsibility and being proactive. A North Carolina man, Jerry Bilinski, was under sedation during a cataract operation when he was cut on the forehead. The cut eventually opened up and started bleeding. This mistake was not admitted to at any point by the medical provider. Eventually, Mr. Bilinski’s health insurance and Medicare were billed thousands of dollars for the procedure. The provider was unwilling and unable to comment or admit their wrongdoing before the publication of a highly critical NPR article.
Guidance for medical professionals
The clearest lesson of Bilinski’s medical malpractice claim is the importance of honesty and transparency in the medical profession. Some victims of medical malpractice will push the system as hard as they possibly can in order to secure a large payout. But many more people simply do not want to be lied to by their medical provider. They want any mistakes admitted and rectified as quickly as possible.
In the case described above, the victim would have been happy with a refund of his copay and the Medicare/insurance payments associated with his case. Instead, the provider seems to have lied to him in several different situations. These lies led to a public relations problem. Simple honesty could have stopped this situation in its tracks.
