Unneeded surgery (operation) incidents number in the tens of thousands every year in the United States, according to a study reported in 2013 by USA Today. Many of these unneeded surgical procedures cause severe and even permanent injuries to patients who receive them.
A physician (doctor or surgeon) who orders or performs an unnecessary surgery can be liable for medical malpractice. This form of medical negligence is often committed by predatory doctors who greedily milk the insurance system by ordering procedures with no legitimate medical purpose. Many who are aware of this activity caution patients to get a second opinion when a treating physician suggests a surgical procedure.
Data related to this fraudulent and harmful practice estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of cardiac, spinal, and knee replacement surgeries constitute procedures the patients did not need. Other all too common unneeded surgery instances include:
- hysterectomies
- Caesarians (C-Sections)
- hip replacements
- arthroscopic knee surgery
In many cases, the Hospital Corporation of America’s (HCA’s) knowledge of the rampant occurrence of unnecessary surgeries has failed to prompt any action by the organization. In addition, many—and possibly most—of these unneeded surgeries go unreported. This is due, in part, to the absence of federal and state record-keeping on unnecessary surgeries and their effects. It is also due to the inability of many patients to realize or even suspect that their surgical procedure was not needed.
Hospitals, themselves, are a big part of the problem. These generally for-profit institutions make money with every procedure performed and every complication treated.
Contact a Feldman & Pinto Unneeded Surgery Lawyer
If you have reason to believe that you were harmed by an unneeded surgery, consult a medical malpractice lawyer to learn about your legal options. Feldman & Pinto’s Philadelphia Unnecessary Surgery Lawyers will evaluate your case, free of charge