Page 40 - November 2015

TOM TUOHY
Our health care is really sick care
FOP BENEFITS PLAN
Western medicine, and in particular U.S. Heath Care, has become rooted in the treatment of disease at the expense of treating patient’s health, leading to numerous medical malpractice suits. We go to the doctor when we are not feeling well. We go to the doctor if we have been injured in a car acci- dent or if we have suffered injuries from a cata- strophic event. The consequences of our medical treatment can be severe and sometimes even fatal.
In today's disruptive and unreliable health-care environment, even good doctors can make bad mistakes.
The definition of medical negligence: Medical Malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health-care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving
medical error.
Medical malpractice cases are growing each year in the U.S. The
Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) seminal study of preventable medical errors estimated as many as 98,000 people die each year due to medical errors at a cost of $29 billion. If the Centers for Disease Control included preventable medical errors as a category, medical malpractice would be the sixth leading cause of death in America.
Our health care system needs reform. The best protection a doc-
tor can have against malpractice is treating a patient's health, rather than just disease. As patients, we deserve the right to build a con- sistent, long-term relationship with the same health- care providers. And to have their services covered under our health insurance.
Admittedly, we as patients must commit to being in charge of our health. And our health care. We must be informed and we must be proactive. How often do we simply listen to a health-care profes- sional without asking questions? How frequently do we just accept a doctor's advice without asking for a second opinion? We should trust our doctors. And they should welcome and encourage ques- tions and second opinions.
The next time you are faced with a medical condition consider how you can become healthy, rather than just how you can elimi- nate your disease. It is simply the exception rather than the rule for a doctor to consider a holistic approach to your disease. By not con- centrating on restoring your health, a medical professional opens the door to making a mistake which might worsen your condition.
Our healthy immune system is our best defense against disease, as well as our best agent to cure our condition and restore our health. Be certain your doctor considers your entire health profile and not just your baseline tests.
As we become more informed about our health and our health care, it stands to reason our medical professionals should do the same. As we become more insistent on rejecting yet another drug that masks our symptoms and compromises our health rather than restoring it, the standard of care for doctors will expand. Held to a higher standard of care will require every medical professional to treat our health and not just our sickness. And they should be, and will be, held accountable for their treatment.
The responsibility begins with the patient. Insist on true health care today. Ask questions. Hold your health-care providers account- able for their treatment of you and of your family members.
If your condition worsens it might have been unavoidable. How- ever, your health care providers may have made mistakes and pro- vided treatment that was below the acceptable standard of care. You have a right to know.
If you feel your health-care provider has committed medical mal- practice, contact an attorney that handles this area of the law. Keep in mind there are different types of attorneys who concentrate in vastly different areas. Your FOP Benefits Plan has highly experienced attorneys that have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for their clients who have suffered from malpractice. They will provide a free, expert review of your medical records and treat- ment.
Health insurance update
Chicago Lodge 7 is working hard on the health care insurance mess and we are close to providing a solution for our members. Stay tuned for news in the December issue of Lodge 7 Magazine. d
Tom Tuohy is the founder of Tuohy Law Offices and the FOP Benefits Plan. He has been a police lawyer for 33 years. His father was a CPD detective and his grandfather was CPD chief of Major Crimes. Tom can be reached at 312-559-8400.
40 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2015