In two separate incidents, women died of cervical cancer after their doctors repeatedly failed to diagnose them. Lawsuits were brought against the HMOs and they were ultimately settled for $6.3 million and $3.5 million. These cases eventually led to criminal charges against the medical laboratory. Patrick Dunphy represented one of the plaintiffs who eventually died of cervical cancer.
He said that these errors “Went beyond bad mistakes – cost became more important than quality.”
To read the full story in The New York Times, viewMedical Laboratory Faces Charges in Cancer Deaths.