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Heather Mitchell Law, LLC, 14001 Quail Springs Pkwy, Oklahoma City, OK (2026)

11/29/2024

Medical Malpractice Lawyer Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Heather Mitchell

When it comes to seeking justice in the wake of medical negligence, having a compassionate and experienced attorney is essential. Heather Mitchell, a trusted medical malpractice lawyer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has built a reputation for delivering exceptional legal representation to those affected by healthcare provider errors. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, Heather Mitchell is the advocate you need to fight for your rights.

Why Choose Heather Mitchell for Your Medical Malpractice Case?

Medical malpractice cases are among the most complex areas of law, requiring in-depth knowledge of both legal and medical systems. Heather Mitchell brings years of expertise and a personalized approach to every case. Here are just a few reasons why she stands out as a leading attorney in Edmond, Oklahoma:

1. Extensive Experience

Heather Mitchell has successfully handled numerous medical malpractice cases, ranging from surgical errors and misdiagnoses to medication mistakes and birth injuries. Her in-depth understanding of medical malpractice laws in Oklahoma enables her to build compelling cases on behalf of her clients.

2. Client-Centered Approach

Heather takes the time to listen to her clients’ stories, understand their unique circumstances, and provide tailored legal guidance. Her dedication to her clients’ well-being ensures they feel supported throughout the legal process.

3. Proven Results

With a track record of securing favorable outcomes, including settlements and trial verdicts, Heather Mitchell has helped countless families recover the compensation they deserve. Her ability to navigate complex medical evidence and negotiate with insurance companies is unmatched.

4. Local Expertise

As an Oklahoma City-based attorney, Heather Mitchell is deeply familiar with the Oklahoma legal system and local courts. This familiarity allows her to provide strategic, effective representation for her clients.

Common Types of Medical Malpractice Cases Heather Mitchell Handles

Medical malpractice can occur in various forms, and Heather Mitchell has the expertise to address a wide range of issues, including:

Surgical Errors: Mistakes during surgery, such as operating on the wrong site or leaving surgical instruments inside the body, can have devastating consequences.

Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: Failing to diagnose a condition promptly can lead to worsening health and even preventable death.

Medication Errors: Incorrect prescriptions, dosages, or drug interactions can cause severe harm.

Birth Injuries: Errors during childbirth can lead to long-term disabilities for both mother and child.

Anesthesia Mistakes: Improper administration of anesthesia can result in life-threatening complications.

What to Expect When Working with Heather Mitchell

When you choose Heather Mitchell as your medical malpractice lawyer, you can expect a seamless and transparent legal process:
1. Initial Consultation: Heather provides a free consultation to review your case and determine if medical negligence occurred.
2. Comprehensive Case Review: She works with medical experts to analyze records and gather evidence.
3. Filing a Claim: Heather will file a legal claim and represent you in negotiations or court proceedings.
4. Fighting for Fair Compensation: She aims to secure compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Contact Heather Mitchell Today

If you’re searching for a skilled medical malpractice lawyer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Heather Mitchell is the attorney you can trust. She is committed to helping victims of medical negligence receive the justice they deserve. Contact her office today to schedule your free consultation and take the first step toward recovery.

Medical malpractice can have life-altering consequences, but you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. With Heather Mitchell by your side, you’ll have a dedicated advocate who will fight tirelessly for your rights. Reach out to her today and experience the difference a compassionate and skilled attorney can make.

Visit our website at: https://hjmlaw.com or call 405-594-6800 for a FREE CONSULTATION

Heather Mitchell, RN, JD
14001 Quail Springs Pkwy
Oklahoma City, OK 73134
Ph. 405-594-6800 Fax 405-594-6810

05/12/2023

Laboratory errors occur in a variety of different ways.

Laboratory errors include pathology errors. This type of error can occur in a variety of different ways. One example is an error in specimen preparation, mislabeling or mixing up another patients tissue or blood with yours or your loved ones. It can also include not accurately reporting the result or not assigning the result to the proper physician or patient.
Imaging example of laboratory errors

Laboratory ErrorsAnother type of pathology error is failure to accurately interpret the tissue on the pathology slide e.g. failing to recognize abnormal cells or cancerous cells on the tissue slide. This type of pathology error can be more difficult to prove because most of us are not experts in cell pathology.

Understanding how to present this evidence to a jury to help them understand the difference between normal cells, abnormal cells and cancer requires an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who can illustrate it an understandable way for lay jurors. Below is one example in a recent pathology error case, the failure to accurately interpret a patient’s pap smear test where the lab reported the wrong type of abnormality. This one exhibit demonstrated the pathology error in clearly visible and understandable way.

Linked is a research article analyzing different laboratory and pathology errors: bm-30-2-020502.pdf (nih.gov)

Understanding the process as to how laboratory and pathology errors occur and knowing how to present the evidence to jury in a clear manner is critical to proving liability in your case.

For more information call Heather Mitchell Law, LLC at 405-594-6800

04/23/2023

Radiology Errors

Radiology errors are sky rocketing. Radiologists are reading and reporting studies (aka films e.g. CT scans, MRIs etc) at an unprecedented pace. They are paid by the study not by the hour. It is a fact, the more studies a radiologist reads the more money they make, and ‘speed reading’ has become an unfortunate norm. The average CT of the head contains an excess of 800 individual images which is why radiology errors are increasing at an alarming rate.

In one of my recent cases, a radiologist missed a critical vertebral artery dissection on a CT angiogram (images depicted). Several images on the CT angio study in multiple different planes clearly demonstrated the dissection, yet the radiologist missed it. Why? After investigation it was revealed that he ‘read’ over 1500 images in 87 seconds which is unconscionable. Why would a radiologist do this? Turn around times. Radiologists are racing the clock by corporate mandate. Hiring an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who understands this ‘corporatization of medicine’ can make the difference in the success of your case.
CT angiogram images with radiology errors
Radiology errors generally fall under one or more of the following categories:
Perceptual errors: when an abnormality is not identified.

Under-reading: when the finding is not detected. It is the most common type of error.
Lack of History: when a finding is missed because of an inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading clinical history.
Lack of search: when a finding is missed because of failure to complete a systematic search after discovering an abnormality. It is the second most common type of error.
Lack of proof reading the report: when a finding is missed because of over reliance on the radiology report from a previous examination.
Location: when a finding is missed because it is outside of the area of interest.
Image manipulation: when a radiologist fails to perceive an abnormality because of an inappropriate window (CT) or pulse sequence (MR).

Cognitive / interpretative errors: when an abnormality or a normal variant is seen but its meaning or importance is not correctly understood, resulting in an incorrect diagnosis.

Complacency / Normal variant: when a clinically unimportant finding was appreciated but attributed to the wrong cause (false positive).
Faulty reasoning: when the finding was appreciated and interpreted as abnormal, but attributed to the wrong cause (a true positive misclassified).
Lack of knowledge: when the finding is correctly identified on the image, but its diagnostic importance is missed because of the reader’s lack of knowledge.
Complication: when the finding missed is a complication from a procedure.
Prior examination: when a finding is missed because of failure to consult prior studies or reports.

Communication errors: when the radiologist fails to effectively communicate the results including errors in the report, in making recommendations and in communicating important findings.
Technique or image acquisition errors: missed because of the technical or physical limitations of the imaging modality. Contributors to these types of errors include staff shortages, inexperience of the staff and inadequate equipment.

Artifacts: imaging artifacts or technical factors might obscure the pathology due to image distortion (false negative) or might mimic pathology (false positive).
Inappropriate study: when the indication of an image test is not correct, and the capability of a particular radiologic technique might not be suitable for the question that is being asked.
Incomplete study: when the indication of an image test is correct, but does not include all the areas that must be studied.

https://www.carestream.com/blog/2017/05/15/increase-awareness-understanding-radiologic-error/

For more information call Heather Mitchell Law, LLC at 405-594-6800

04/10/2023

Foreign object errors consist of surgical items left behind after surgery.

A sponge, a surgical instrument or a piece of a surgical instrument left behind in a patient’s body during surgery should NOT happen. Medicare calls this a ‘Never Event’. Yet, it still does. Despite all the rules and regulations and guidelines and policies issued by AORN, the Association of perioperative Registered Nurses, or the Association of Surgical Technologists which define the responsibilities of scrub techs during surgery, objects are still left behind inside the patients body during surgery unintentionally. This event is often referred to in medical parlance as a ‘retained foreign object’ or ‘unintentional retained foreign object’. This error cause one or more unnecessary surgeries, additional pain and suffering, anxiety and recovery time for the patient—all of which should never occur.

For more information call Heather Mitchell Law, LLC at 405-594-6800

An unintentionally retained foreign object is not the only ‘Never Event’ CMS (Medicare) has identified. Other CMS ‘Never Events’ include (but are not limited to): operation on the wrong body part, the wrong patient, the wrong procedure performed etc. A complete list of ‘Never Events’ can be found at: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/eliminating-serious-preventable-and-costly-medical-errors-never-events
The foreign object error in the photo is a perfect example of negligence.

Depicted is a piece, the tip, of a Stryker Interpulse Lavage device which was left inside a patient during a hip replacement surgery. The tip of the device was inserted inside the patient’s body to irrigate the wound during surgery. The tip became detacted from the device and was left inside the patient for several weeks. The patient was complaining of something popping and moving around inside his hip joint. Follow up x-rays showed the presence of the foreign object, the tip. The patient had to undergo a second surgery to remove the device and had to receive several weeks of antibiotics to prevent infection.

National hospital policies and protocols mandate that providers inspect all instruments and devices that are placed inside and removed from a patient’s body during surgery for intactness. Despite this the hospital and the physician both initially denied negligence and then later tried to blame the other. The case was ultimately resolved favorably for the patient as it should have been from the outset.

04/07/2023

Surgical Errors

Surgical Errors can occur in different ways. Health care providers and doctors refer to these types of injuries as “Iatrogenic” which means caused by the doctor. The question still remains as to whether it is negligent i.e. a violation of the standard of care for the injury to have occurred. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer is needed to help discern the difference between a surgical injury that is a known recognized complication of the procedure and one that is not.

Examples of surgical errors include but are not limited to: injuring a nerve or nearby blood vessel during surgery, removing the wrong organ or injuring an adjacent organ, failing to control bleeding, failing to control fire hazards, or failing to safely position the patient on the table.
Even if the surgical injury is a known complication, the failure to timely recognize, diagnose and treat the injury could be negligent.
Unnecessary surgeries also occur. Several surgeries have been found to confer no benefit to the patient after review and analysis. The Mayo Clinic investigated about found a number of medical practices conferred no benefit to the patient. A Decade of Reversal: An Analysis of 146 Contradicted Medical Practices (mayoclinicproceedings.org)

Depicted is a subacromial decompression procedure. How it should have been performed and how it was performed by an orthopedic surgeon who did not properly identify the anatomy and shaved the undersurface of the collar bone/clavicle into two pieces instead of the under shaving the acromion.

For more information call Heather Mitchell Law, LLC at 405-594-6800

03/21/2023

Caution!! What you should know about Public Hospitals vs. Private Hospitals.

A public hospital is one that is run or controlled by state or local government or a public trust, e.g. Norman Regional Hospital, Comanche County Memorial Hospital, or Oklahoma State University Medical Center. These hospitals and their employees including employed physicians are subject to the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act. This act limits the liability of public hospitals and its employees to $125,000 to $175,000 depending on the population of the county and $200,000 for certain state mental hospitals and university hospitals. In addition, not only are you limited in the amount of money you can recover, but you also have shortened time frame to assert a claim of one year.

Private hospitals generally associated with large healthcare systems e.g. Mercy, SSM, Integris, Alliance, etc. They can also be privately owned surgicenters etc. Private entities are not limited in liability and you have two years from the date you discovered the injury to assert a claim against a private entity.

For example, a father of four minor children is negligently given the medication and dies. In a government/public hospital, recovery is capped significantly and the time frame is shortened to purse the claim. In a private hospital the recovery is not capped and the time frame to pursue the claim is longer. Why would anyone go to a public hospital for care when public/government hospitals do not have to be fully responsible and accountable for their errors.

The Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act starts at Title 51 O.S. 151 and continues: Short Title (oscn.net)

03/16/2023

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical negligence = medical malpractice = medical error, they are terms for the same thing. Medical malpractice occurs when a health care provider (which can be an individual or an entity) neglects to provide appropriate treatment, omits to take appropriate action, or gives substandard treatment that causes harm, injury or death to a patient.

In legal parlance, it is referred to as “violating the standard of care”. The standard of care is established in a medical malpractice case by the testimony of an expert, meaning a qualified physician in the same field of practice at issue.

Types of medical malpractice include but are not limited to:

Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
Unnecessary, incorrect, or improperly performed surgery
Premature discharge
Not following up on testing ordered and results
Failing to order appropriate diagnostic testing
Failing to treat a patient’s condition or postoperative complication

For more information call Heather Mitchell Law, LLC at 405-594-6800

07/04/2022

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Heather Mitchell Law, LLC

11/29/2024

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