Kent Hospital Admits Mistakes; Settles James Woods Medical Malpractice Case

After several weeks of trial, the case of  James Woods, et. al. v. Kelli Naylor, et. al. KC-2007-0630 has now settled.  The Providence Journal reports the following.

…Tuesday afternoon, just outside the courthouse doors, a beaming Woods and his mother were arm-in-arm with hospital president Sandra Coletta announcing the withdrawal of the lawsuit and a new joint effort by the hospital and the family to improve patient care.

…“We know we’re not perfect at Kent Hospital,” Coletta said. “Mistakes were made. We can do better.”

The news conference announcing the settlement was an astounding turnaround after weeks of testimony during which Woods’ lawyers sought to prove that Kent staff missed or ignored signs of Michael Woods’ impending heart attack and left him unattended on a hospital gurney in a hallway until he was stricken.

Woods, who said he’d filed the suit two years ago with a heart full of anger and bitterness, Tuesday was almost relentless in his praise of Coletta, calling her “very gracious.”

When reporters began questioning Coletta about whether the hospital had erred in its handling of Michael Woods’ case, she got out the words “there’s no question mistakes were made” when Woods abruptly cut her off.

“Let’s not rub anyone’s nose in anything,” he said. Coletta had already apologized to his family, Woods said.

“They did do it [apologized] and people don’t do it,” Woods said. “I don’t want to put her in the position of saying it twice.”

The Journal reports that settlement talks began when Kent Hospital president Sandra Colleta spoke with both James Woods and his mother Martha Dixon and expressed sincere apologies for the death of Michael Woods.  Thereafter, on Tuesday morning the parties worked out a settlement that included an undisclosed amount to provide for Woods’ son and daughters as well as the payment of $1.25 over a five year period to create the Michael J. Woods Institute at Kent Hospital.

The hospital will spend $1.25 million over the next five years to develop policies and procedures to promote patient safety and improve internal communication about patient care, beginning in the emergency room. The effort will be run by a board that will include a Woods family member. The hospital will hire a patient safety officer to coordinate institute efforts.

The public admissions by Kent Hospital and the creation of this Institute focused on patient safety are great news for patients in Rhode Island who have grown weary of report after report of negligence at Rhode Island area hospitals with.

Defense Begins their Case in James Woods Medical Malpractice Trial

The case of James Woods, et. al. v. Kelli Naylor, et. al. KC-2007-0630 is being heard in front of RI Superior Court Associate Justice Daniel Procaccini in the Kent County Courthouse.  Mark Decof is representing the plaintiff and Dave Carroll is representing the defendants.  The plaintiff is alleging that his 49 year old brother, Michael Woods, received negligent care at Kent Hospital in Warwick when he died in 2006 of what was believed to be a heart attack.

Update #1:  The Providence Journal has a good report on the opening arguments.

Update #2: The Providence Journal reports that four witnesses took the stand and described Michael Woods’ symptoms on the day he presented to Kent Hospital.

Update #3: The Providence Journal reports that the emergency room physician and nurse assigned to Woods when he first presented to Kent Hospital took the stand and testified.

Update #4: Another nurse who treated Woods testified in Court according to this report from the Providence Journal.

Update #5: According to the Providence Journal, plaintiff’s expert witness, Dr. Jeffrey Garrett, a Pittsburgh cardiologist, told the jury that the care Woods received fell below the standard care and that had he received the proper care, more likely than not, he would not have died.

Update #6: The Providence Journal reports that the defendant doctor – Kelli A. Naylor, M.D. – took the stand and testified that she ordered a heart monitor for Woods, but her order was not followed.

Update #7: According to the Providence Journal, plaintiff’s expert – Dr. John A. Schriver, chief of emergency medicine at Rochester General Hospital – testified that the Kent Hospital emergency department did not meet the standard of care when they treated Woods on July 26, 2006.  Schriver also testified that had Woods been on a heart monitor and treated with medications commonly given to heart patients, it is more likely than not that Woods would have lived.

Update #8: The Providence Journal reports that defense counsel engaged the plaintiff’s expert in a tough cross-examination.

Update #9: According to the Providence Journal, the fiancée of the late Michael Woods, Lisa Konopka, testified that she had no independent recollection of any doctors examining Woods during the first hour of his arrival at Kent Hospital’s emergency room.

Update #10: The charge nurse at Kent Hospital’s emergency room the night that Woods died – Vicki Noon – testified that she only became aware of Woods’ condition when he suffered a heart attack while lying on a gurney parked near her hallway workstation according to reports from the Providence Journal.  She further testified, according to another report from the Providence Journal, that it was “irresponsible” for her to reassign Woods’ room to another patient without finding out Woods’ medical status before making the decision.

Update #11: The plaintiff offered additional expert testimony from cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Garrett to assert that Michael Woods’ death was “definitely preventable” had he been given treatment immediately, according to a story in the Providence Journal.

Update #12: The Providence Journal reports that the defense has begun to assemble their case through the testimony of their expert, Dr. Bruce D. Hettleman, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth College’s medical school.  According to the newspaper, Dr. Hettleman testified that the defendant doctor, Dr. Kelli A. Naylor “practiced well above the standard of care” when she treated Michael J. Woods for what became a fatal heart attack in the hospital’s emergency room on July 26, 2006.  Plaintiff’s counsel was able to get Dr. Hettleman to admit that “not everybody dies” from the condition that Woods had on the day he died.

Update on James Woods Medical Malpractice Case

The Associated Press reports that opening arguments begin Monday in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the actor James Woods over the death of his 49 year old brother, Michael Woods, at Kent Hospital in Warwick.  Woods alleges that his younger brother received negligent care when he died in 2006 of what was believed to be a heart attack.

The case – James Woods, et. al. v. Kelli Naylor, et. al. KC-2007-0630 – will be heard Monday in front of RI Superior Court Associate Justice Daniel Procaccini.  Mark Decof is representing the plaintiffs and Dave Carroll is representing the defendants.

Update #1:  The Providence Journal has a good report on the opening arguments.

Update #2: The Providence Journal reports that four witnesses took the stand and described Michael Woods’ symptoms on the day he presented to Kent Hospital.

Update #3: The Providence Journal reports that the emergency room physician and nurse assigned to Woods when he first presented to Kent Hospital took the stand and testified.

Update #4: Another nurse who treated Woods testified in Court according to this report from the Providence Journal.

Update #5: According to the Providence Journal, plaintiff’s expert witness, Dr. Jeffrey Garrett, a Pittsburgh cardiologist, told the jury that the care Woods received fell below the standard care and that had he received the proper care, more likely than not, he would not have died.

Update #6: The Providence Journal reports that the defendant doctor – Kelli A. Naylor, M.D. – took the stand and testified that she ordered a heart monitor for Woods, but her order was not followed.

Update #7: According to the Providence Journal, plaintiff’s expert – Dr. John A. Schriver, chief of emergency medicine at Rochester General Hospital – testified that the Kent Hospital emergency department did not meet the standard of care when they treated Woods on July 26, 2006.  Schriver also testified that had Woods been on a heart monitor and treated with medications commonly given to heart patients, it is more likely than not that Woods would have lived.