Defective Medical Device

FDA Proposes New System To Battle Problem Of Defective Medical Devices

by Staff Blogger | September 24th, 2012

September 24, 2012 With thousands of lawsuits and claims being filed because of serious or permanent injuries stemming from defective medical devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has submitted a new plan to help keep track of products on the market and reports of their adverse effects. According to the press release, the FDA hopes to one day have every medical device issued a unique code that would not only give information about the product and what it is used for, but also when and where it was manufactured. The agency hopes to accomplish this goal by implementing four major steps, including:
  • Establish and promote the incorporation of a Unique Device Identification (UDI) system into the health industry.
  • Create national and international registries for products selected to go to market in the United States.
  • Update the Adverse Event Reporting and Analysis systems.
  • Develop and utilize new methods for evidence generation, synthesis, and appraisal.
The FDA hopes the program will make gathering information about certain medical devices easier to find, as well as creating a more detailed and efficient reporting system for when a problem is discovered. The agency has already begun to introduce the system, which includes certain hip implant and transvaginal mesh models. The California personal injury lawyers with Berg Injury Lawyers hope that the system will help to better protect patients from the dangers of defective medical devices and the injuries that they can inflict.

California Database Tracks Deadbeat Doctors

by Staff Blogger | January 23rd, 2012

January 23, 2012 The state of California has created a database of information that has offered residents a way to monitor which doctors in the state have been reprimanded for crimes or malpractice. The database was created in order to make information about doctors who do not properly care for patients public knowledge so that others are not hurt by their mistakes. The database can be accessed by anyone via the Medical Board of California website and can show users information regarding a doctors educational history, license information, and public records of any complaints or charges filed against the individual doctor. Doctors are searchable by name and license number and type. If you are having trouble finding your doctor in the system, it could be good or a bad. Doctors who have not ever been disciplined are not listed in the system; however, the database in only current through 2010, so if action has been taken against the doctor in recent years, it will not be listed either. A quick search of the city of Alameda, California, turned up the names of nine doctors who had been disciplined as far back as eighteen years ago, and as recently as two. Several were for notices to surrender a license, while another showed information regarding a $2,000,000 medical malpractice lawsuit. The California medical malpractice attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers would encourage all California residents to check their doctor’s names against the system to ensure the person you get your medical advice from has not made a costly, and sometimes fatal, mistake in the past.