Was $55 million medical malpractice award appropriate?

January 11, 2014

I recently had open heart surgery at St. Luke's University Hospital and the care was excellent. The performance by the surgeon, anesthesiologist and the operating room nurses and assistants was exemplary. They made a scary experience almost pleasant. I am very grateful for the professionalism and the training that brought this team to my assistance for a life-threatening condition.

So I wonder if the exorbitant award of $55 million in a medical malpractice case against St. Luke's helps the family, whose child was harmed during birth, far beyond the costs or, more importantly, does it result in undue harm to the doctors and the hospital?

This facility serves everyone in our community and should be respected for the services it provides. The lawyers should consider the training and expertise that allows a physician to perform these most delicate procedures.

Physicians are human and a procedure may not always have the desired result. In this case, the family certainly deserves compensation, but $55 million? What does that say about the wisdom of judgment imposed by our legal system?

Carl Stolpe

Forks Township

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