Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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A new trend in emergency rooms may reduce misdiagnosis of elderly patients. A few new hospitals are opening ERs specially designed for seniors, without all the confusion and clamor and with a little more comfort. But the real question is whether they'll truly improve care.
Misdiagnosis is when the physician doesn't realize that the patient has a particular medical problem and sends them home with the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment plan. Sometimes, the patient may die or suffer some other catastrophic injury like the loss of fingers or other amputation because they did not get the necessary medical treatment in a timely fashion.
Some emergency rooms currently don't take enough time to properly diagnose the multiple ailments with which older people tend have. Those patients may not even have the same symptoms as younger people. They're less likely to report chest pain with a heart attack, for instance, complaining instead of vague symptoms such as dizziness or nausea. Urinary tract infections sometimes cause enough confusion to be mistaken for dementia.
A study published in January called delirium and dementia an "invisible hazard" for many older patients because ERs don't routinely check for not-too-obvious cognitive problems - yet such patients can't accurately describe their symptoms or understand what they're supposed to do at home. The safe method of diagnosis for an emergency room physician doesn't change just because his or her waiting room is busy or crowded. The standard method for diagnosis is called differential diagnosis.
Seniors already make 17 million ER visits a year, and 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older by 2030. As a medical malpractice lawyer I hope this new change shows an improved trend on taking the time to properly diagnosis a patient even if it takes a little longer.
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Our Virginia personal injury lawyers have been selected for many accolades.
Two of the VA injury attorneys with our firm, James Lewis and Rick Shapiro, have been named among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Lewis and Shapiro have also selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Leiws and Shappiro, along with attorney John C. have been recognized as Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010.
Ours was the first personal injury firm in Virginia invited to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Rick Shapiro was named as one of the Top 100 Injury Lawyers in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association.
In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained what was then the largest verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person. Our brain-damaged client received an initial award of $46 million that increased to $60 million with interest compounded while the defendant pursued a failed appeal, and was confidentially settled during the appeal.
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Our lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern United States and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.
In Virginia, we are prepared to counsel and represent injury and wrongful death victims in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond, Petersburg, Roanoke, Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Ashland, Big Stone Gap and all of the Eastern Shore, including the towns of Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague and Wallops Island.
For clients in West Virginia (WV), we are happy to consider personal injury claims from residents of Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling and any other town or county.
Attorneys with Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton hold licenses to practice in VA, WV, North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC.
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