Doctor Accused Of Failed Diagnosis Continues To Practice
In July, the California medical board accused Dr. Wu-Hsiung Su of five counts of gross negligence and one count of incompetence in the treatment of a Rancho Cordova woman, Ruth Aleman.
The family of Aleman recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Su arising out of his failure to diagnose Aleman’s breast cancer.
Although symptoms of cancer can vary greatly, physicians are required to know the potential symptoms and be able to recognize them in patients. Further, physicians are required to perform routine tests and diagnostic procedures in patients who have symptoms of any type of cancer. A physician may be guilty of medical malpractice when his or her care falls below the “standard of care” established by other professionals.
Here, allegations included a failure to disclose to Su an abnormal mammogram, a failure to order appropriate follow-up studies, and a failure to properly examine a lump in her breast.
Allegations of misconduct are not new to Su. In 1991, the medical board of Rhode Island reprimanded Su for failing to recognize the severity of a patient’s back pain that ultimately led to permanent neurological damage. In 1994, Rhode Island’s medical board disciplined Su for failing to recognize that one of his patients had diabetes. And in June, a lawsuit was filed against Su for wrongful death and medical negligence arising from the care of a developmentally disabled man who was injured and eventually died after a fall at a nursing home.
Su lost his license to practice medicine in California, but it was restored conditionally in 1995 and fully restored in 2001.
Sadly, although most doctors provide quality care it may be difficult to weed out those committing misconduct. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a whopping 17% of physicians reported having direct contact with an impaired or incompetent colleague practicing medicine, but 1 in 3 chose not to report the error.
Further, even for those doctors found to be negligent, a physician’s license can only be suspended after a formal administrative procedure that may take years to resolve.
As personal injury attorneys dedicated patient safety, we see too many cases that are the result of preventable medical errors and doctors who repeatedly make mistakes, putting the lives of innocent patients at risk.
If you believe you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of a medical professional, such as a missed diagnosis – please contact Bostwick, Peterson & Mitchell, LLP to find out how we can help.
