Courthouse News
A federal judge awarded a man $3.75 million after ruling a Veterans Administration hospital was negligent in failing to treat the man’s penis cancer that result in a partial loss of the organ.
U.S. Senior District Judge Roslyn Silver awarded the judgment after a six-day bench trial at the federal courthouse in Phoenix, Arizona, concluding the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center doctors’ failure to adequately treat Lawrence Cherry’s penis cancer resulted in a preventable penectomy in 2013.
“As a result of Dr. Papoff’s failure to perform a timely cystoscopy, Mr. Cherry underwent a partial penectomy and lost approximately three-fourths of his penis,” Sliver wrote in the 23-page ruling. “For Mr. Cherry, the loss of a significant portion of his penis represented a loss of his manhood and dignity.” read more here
My tax dollars at work.. I am sorry Mr. Cherry’s case and penis were mishandled but unless guilty individuals can be charged and personally sued these cases stink. Why do we (taxpayers) get robbed for other’s malfeasance?
“Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act.” Geo. Orwell
This is called not having a good malpractice attorney. I have seen a number of penis cancers, the procedure is to remove the cancer and a portion of the penis. The attorneys that service the VA are terrible. Also note that VA hospitals are almost all associated with teaching hospitals. I can assure you that a Urology resident would have this guy on the table as fast as possible so that he could get the count for the surgery.
That story ended up a little shorter than I anticipated.
That poor soul! After dealing with local md.s for months, with multiple problems, with wrong diagnoses and nearly 20K in charges to my insurance, an unnecessary CT scan with barium and iodine contrast, scripts for 2 more unnecessary scans with contrast, I fortunately found UroGynecologists at a teaching hospital downstate who knew what they were doing. The locals refuse to look into what I suspect because, as the teaching hospital docs said, I was being sucked into the testing vortex. One of the multiple problems which I am sure is an ear infection is still flairing, but local docs won’t consider that because testing for lymphoma is more lucrative. Sorry for the ramble, but I’m totally p1$$ed. My, now former PC was useless and went tribal when I went out of network. New NP of Integrated Med checked thyroid…now have upcoming appt with Endocrinologist.
Damn! I’d gladly sell my penis for $3.75 million, especially since I don’t use it anymore.
Billy beat me to it. Figuratively speaking of course.
The patient got the shaft at the VA.
PJ,
The excess testing is likely not due to anticipation of monetary reward, the sad fact is that your average doctor does not know how to make a dx. without the use of multiple test. I used to teach young doctors and was shocked to see how little interest they had in their craft compared to when I was in training (yes old doctor saying the usual old doctor things). It is just about impossible to get students to read and this is not encouraged in the least. Then there is the ever present concept of trying to determine what the lawyer desires in the malpractice case, called defensive medicine.
David, I’m sure you are correct. Thank you, but the local situation is scary.
I had 4 major issues hit me all in one month. The two docs that I’m upset about stepped completely out of their fields and what I went to them about, pushed CT scans on me, by scaring me and DH. They were totally wrong because they relied on an inaccurate urine test that indicated blood in urine. So glad I got to the head of the UroGynecology dept of the teaching hospital.
There is huge competition here between two different networks. The network that my former PC is in is overreaching in their construction and in their advertisements. He had literally yelled at DH and me for going out of network to the teaching hospital. (Where they determined, in a few minutes that there was no blood in urine and no fistula. ) It was hellish. The colorectal guy literally was dead wrong and hurt me during exam. Then, because I wound up with swollen neck glands after the ct with iodine, he told me I had lymphoma and ordered more ct s. Am still wondering if I got iodine mumps. Or perhaps it is the thyroid. Will find out.hopefully from the Endo.
For the past 5 years the PC has been a concierge, sending us to specialists in the network after ordering tests that the specialist didn’t need for a dx. All the shoulder doc needed was a simple X-ray. I think these poor docs are being pushed by management to sell tests, immunization injections and what not.
Hell the Six Million Dollar Man wuz made in 1973.
Time has not been kind!
PJ,
All I can say is DAMN. Move.
David,
LOL. Yep.
Not moving. I can get to Chicago or Indianapolis although either is a 6 to 8 hour round trip depending which place. Some good docs either place. 🙂 I just miss my old, dead doc and our kid’s old dead Pediatrician. Both had common sense and were exceptional docs. I’m sure you are also. It’s obvious you have the common sense part. I assume good doctoring goes hand in hand with that.