I am a member of both groups involved in the Medical Malpractice Crises, that is the Victims and the Providers. I understand the emotions and perceptions of both groups. It is from this vantage point as an “insider” that I offer these thoughts about a future direction in the search for safe health care. American physicians like to pride themselves as being practitioners of the world’s leading health care system. In many respects this is true. The discoveries of American medical researchers and clinical investigators have transformed medical care throughout the world.
We are at the threshold of an almost undreamed of understanding and ability to treat disease through breakthroughs in the Human Genome Project. And yet, there is a silent “cancer” eating away at the fabric of our health care system. Despite the successes of American Medicine, we rank only 37th in the world, according to the World Health Organization, in terms of bringing these successes to all of our citizens.
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Ralph H. Speken and Stephanie Z. Speken
Each and every Victim could (and should be free) to tell their own story. Ours is just one. We were unique since we were able to pierce through the cover-up. The details of our case should prove instructive to those seeking solutions.
The treatment delivered by the unsupervised trainees at Columbia was one of light sedation and the heavy use of restraints. This cruel and continuous use of restraints to control agitation was a violation of the Law of New York State as well as the hospital’s own Restraint Protocol.
Read MoreThe 2-page protocol seen by clicking below reveals the rules of The Presbyterian Hospital (including the Allen Pavilion) regarding the use of restraints. In their application of these restraints on Seth, the Hospital broke its own rules.
Read Morethe reader can review the New York State Law governing the use of restraints. This Law was broken in multiple ways. The relevant sections of New York State Mental Hygiene Law that were broken are as follows.
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Our Website, “A Death in the Hospital”, was first published on the Internet in late 1996. It continued to be served until July 8, 1999. We were then forced to remove the site because of a General Release we signed only under duress. After a long series of events we repudiated the invalid contract for silence and re-published our website. We both are in the medical field and have a duty to speak the truth.
“The Devil is in the Details” and the details of our case should prove instructive to those seeking solutions. We make no apologies for the amount of information on this site. The topic is complex. Each and every Victim could (and should be free) to tell their own story. Ours is just one. We were unique since we were able to pierce through the cover-up. The failure to deal responsibly with medical malpractice is a great national shame. It is symptomatic of a healthcare system that is fragmented and at risk of imploding. Safety will only come when we have well-regulated, fair, and universally available healthcare.