Dennis Quaid's Weird Legal Non-Move

46. I know a lot of you kids have cow dung for brains and grew up in a culture where you believe you can get rich by suing people, but you need to prove damages if you expect to win a big prize, I mean award.

Posted at 7:33PM on Mar 16th 2008 by Biker 1957

47. Charitable immunity is reserved for cases where free medical treatment is delivered to the poor and indigent. Moron.

Posted at 7:38PM on Mar 16th 2008 by Is everybody stupid?

48. Sorry folks, as long as there are humans involved, there will be mistakes. Nurses are overworked, overextended and underpaid. You think you're perfect, try walking on water.

Posted at 7:36PM on Mar 16th 2008 by FlBiker

49. Well, if he doesn't sue the hospital, they'd be more likely to be cooperative in disclosing hospital routines, other instances of mistakes, etc and help him make the case against the manufacturer. There are no guarantees about life and death, it's true, but if this mistake happens all the time and the manufacturer could avoid it my simply changing the labels. He's doing the right thing. Many more people would sue everyone they could because they were angry or they needed the money, but the Quaids are obviously past that and just fighting to make a change.

Posted at 11:16AM on Mar 17th 2008 by redsongia

50. sueing.......would make a better statement.......if you dont do anything.....then the hospital will just do that to someone else.....

at least in britneys case....i think they had to investigate...because tmz's reporting of getting info...from their inside sources...when she was in the hospital....

and that is good....because it is getting some results....

Posted at 8:36PM on Mar 16th 2008 by cat

51. The Institute for Safe Medical Practice and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have been looking at medical errors for quite a while. You people who are so quick to judge the nurse: Do you have any idea how many links there are in the chain before a medication gets to the patient? All along the way from the time that med is delivered to the pharmacy, there is always a double check in place. Unfortunately, the nurse is the last link in the chain and there is NOBODY looking over her shoulder in most cases. Obviously, a lot of people did not follow the procedures we all know will help keep our patients safe. Heparin is a medication that is supposed to be double-checked by two licensed nurses prior to administration. Cedar is a Magnet Hospital which means they are supposed to have met all sorts of standards of excellence regarding their nursing care. Hmmm, my hospital has a policy to fully disclose medical errors. I wonder where the hospital CNO and Risk Manager were for this incident. There should have been full disclosure to the parents IMMEDIATELY upon discovery of the error. To the Baxter employee: you must be aware of the fact that the Institute for Safe Medical Practice and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have been trying to get Baxter to make more of a distinction in their Heparin labels for quite a while now. No wonder Quaid is going after Baxter's deep pockets.

Posted at 9:05PM on Mar 16th 2008 by A Nurse Who Can Read

52. From the beginning, I thought it bizarre that he's going after Baxter and not Cedars. It's the hospital's employee who screwed up, and who clearly didn't follow the procedures designed to prevent this kind of mistake. That the packing is confusing is subjective at best, but what is conclusive is that the dosing is clearly labeled on the package (I work for another local hospital). The hospital employee clearly didn't do his/her job correctly, and the hospital is liable for that, not the manufacturer.

Why is Quaid protecting Cedars when they didn't show the same consideration to his newborn infants?

Posted at 9:46PM on Mar 16th 2008 by LA

53. I am with Mr. Quaid--the manufacturer was the root of the problem, and should pay. Safety should be the primary goal of all people in the medical field, and when they have received multiple requests for a change of the labels from the people who use them, they are not doing their part! And I am certain that the poor nurse has been counseled and made to work with a proctor, and to prove that she double checks her dangerous drugs, and lost a lot of sleep, And may never be the same person again. I am certain that , however privately they did so, the hospital would have fired the nurse if any thing permanent had happened to those children. I imagine that the pharmacy tech and the pharmacist involved have been through some sort of review process. And, just so it gets said, it is not only the nurses being asked to do more work in less time than is safe--every employee group in a hospital these days is overworked and underpaid, except those who do not provide direct patient services, and there is usually too many of them in proportion to the working staff!!!

Posted at 11:36PM on Mar 17th 2008 by KathySue

54. The Heparin was clearly marked. All that the nurse had to do was read it. It wasn't Baxter's fault. Unless the nurse was blind!!!

Posted at 10:33PM on Mar 16th 2008 by JoJo

55. To: #43-FIBIker: Those issues need to be addressed by the hospitals; then, maybe, a lot of these mistakes would be prevented. Being overworked, overextended, or underpaid doesn't negate your responsibility in doing your job correctly, especially when a mistake that can cost a person his life or create permanent/temporary hardship.

43. Sorry folks, as long as there are humans involved, there will be mistakes. Nurses are overworked, overextended and underpaid. You think you're perfect, try walking on water.

Posted at 7:36PM on Mar 16th 2008 by FlBiker

Posted at 10:40PM on Mar 16th 2008 by Sabrina

56. He is not saying that the hospital was not responsible for their part but ulitmately the SOLUTION lies with the drug companies and the lableling... to go after the hospital would be a temporary solution to a permanent issue, until these labels are changed the risk is too high and senseless , and for what to save the Drug Co.'s the money it would cost to change it ? Tough **** Change it ....then it would fall solely on human error.. I think he is absolutely taking the right avenue. Kudos!! Thank Goodness The twins are fine others were not so lucky, and what a horror for a parent ,on the brighter side it takes a Big Dog, to take on the the Big Dogs -The Drug Companies Bravo and Good Luck to the Quaids

Posted at 2:46AM on Mar 17th 2008 by the forest for the trees

57. Should sue and donate whatever they feel like to charity if they think their baby is fine. Hospital has to be held liable for it when they were not telling them what was going on. I agree people do make mistake but certain profession, one mistake can cost a human life. To all those who are taking this topic as a joke, just imagine if it was your own kid or someone close to you then you might feel differently.

Posted at 3:44AM on Mar 17th 2008 by rct408

58. It was my understanding from past stories about this that the drug was not mislabeled, but the labels for the 2 different doses were very similar. It was a nurse who didn't notice the different label & administered the higher dose. Hell yes I'd sue the hospital as I think they are more negligent than the drug maker. Technically, the drug maker did nothing wrong except make one label similar to another. I feel the hospital is the most negligent party and it's curious why they aren't being sued...

Posted at 8:58AM on Mar 17th 2008 by pr

59. Sue a health care provider and you just might end up on the list of folks who have sued their health care provider. Next time you go to a health care provider they may not be very interested in seeing you.

Posted at 10:51AM on Mar 17th 2008 by arebtuntz

60. He didn't sue Cedars because of the MICRA limits. I though a real lawyer ran this site. Oh, now I remember, Harvey Levin is only a pretend lawyer on TV.

Posted at 7:56PM on Mar 27th 2008 by bfd lawyer