New Law Aims To Prevent Diagnosis Errors In Newborn Babies

January 7, 2014
One of the most common types of medical malpractice reported today is when a doctor gives a misdiagnosis of a patient’s condition. Too often, these errors result in serious injury or death. The St. Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyers with Cofman Townsley Injury Lawyers explain that such an error made at a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, hospital has led to the passing of a new law aimed at preventing a misdiagnosis.

An article from Action 41 News stated that five years ago, a baby girl was born with four very serious congenital heart defects. However, hospital staff did not discover the problems after birth. Instead, the mother’s instincts drove her to force hospital staff to further examine the child to determine if anything was wrong. Only then were the problems discovered.
Since that time, the woman has worked vigorously to pass legislation that would protect children, parents, and other patients from experiencing such errors. That hard work has finally paid off with the passing of “Chloe’s Law”.

This new legislation requires that all newborns delivered in the state undergo a pulse oximetry screen, which is used to measure oxygen levels in the blood. Certain results are often indicative of congenital heart defects.
Cofman Townsley’s team of St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyers applaud the actions taken to prevent doctors from properly diagnosing a patient’s condition and are hopeful that the efforts are a success!