Without a doubt, childbirth is one of life’s most amazing miracles.  It can also be a time full of worry and anxiety.  Many people are aware that there is a litany of things that can go wrong during New Mexico pregnancies, but there are also things to look out for during a newborn’s first few months.

Many New Mexico newborns contract, or at risk of developing group B streptococcal infections (GBI).  Such streptococcal infections are a fairly common condition that many newborns and infants are at risk of developing.  Group B streptococcal infections can pass without leaving much of an impact, or, in more serious situations, they can result in brain damage, pneumonia, meningitis, and even death.

Although it may not be a New Mexico medical malpractice case every time an infant contracts a group B streptococcal infection, an experienced Albuquerque birth injury lawyer, familiar with New Mexico medical malpractice law, may be able to inform you if there is an actionable case.  It is important to know the risk factors that trigger a higher level of caution in medical providers and when a newborn must be monitored more closely to ensure adequate health.  When left untreated, group B streptococcal infections can result in some of the most profound losses.  This makes it all the more troubling when sometimes simple measures can be taken to prevent this from happening.

As the information age continues to expand, states, including New Mexico, have begun providing more and more information regarding doctors and physician assistants.  Just as New Mexico medical malpractice clients may want to research their malpractice attorneys, so too do some patients wish to research their physicians either before or after treatment.

Many sates including New Mexico make such information available through their state medical boards.  In the New Mexico, the medical board provides information on New Mexico licensed doctors and physician assistants here.  One issue that states have had to deal with is how much information to provide on these sites.  The goal is to balance the public’s interest in learning about their doctors, and fairness to the doctor’s.  Clearly it would not be fair for the New Mexico medical board to post information about every disgruntled patient as this would create many unwarranted blemishes on New Mexico doctors’ records.  Similarly, it may not be transparent enough to only include records of when New Mexico doctors and physician assistants have been found by a jury to have committed malpractice.  Many states debate this issue, but in the meantime, it is nice to be aware of the New Mexico medical malpractice resources currently available.

The widow in an out of state medical malpractice claim recently settled her case involving the death of her husband for $1 million. The story is unique because, in addition to a standard medical negligence claim, the woman also alleged that the hospital was negligent for hiring the surgeon in the first place. The surgeon, who is also a defendant in the case, had lost his license in Massachusetts prior to being hired by the VA hospital where he was allowed to perform operations. During his previous disciplinary proceedings, his practice of medicine was described as, “grossly substandard care.”

This case is important to any New Mexico medical malpractice lawyer because it highlights the ability to, and unique situations, pursue a claim directly against the hospital for what amounts to be a negligent hiring theory of liability. Although the facts that would allow such a claim are unique, and hopefully not often repeated, it is nonetheless it possible claim that is available in certain situations.