Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog | Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

Nearly half of all U.S. doctors fail to report incompetent or unethical colleagues, even though they agree that such mistakes should be reported, researchers said on Monday. They found that 46% of physicians surveyed admitted they were aware of a serious medical error that had been made but did not tell authorities about it.

Doctors are also surprisingly willing to order unnecessary -- and often expensive -- tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Just 25 percent said they were looking out to ensure they did not unintentionally treat someone differently because of their sex or race, the survey found. In 2000, the U.S. Institute of Medicine reported that 98,000 people die each year due to medical errors in hospitals alone.

Doctors also did not always practice what they preached ethically. While 93 percent of doctors said they should provide care regardless of a patient's ability to pay, only 69 percent actually accepted uninsured patients who cannot pay.

If you or a loved one has suffered or died due to medical malpractice in Philadelphia or anywhere in Pennsylvania, please contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis today to schedule your initial consultation.