The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the state of Iowa will pay $365,000 to settle two medical malpractice lawsuits filed by patients who received care in 2004, reports the Associated Press.
The State Appeals Board approved a $300,000 settlement with Melinda Schultz who alleged that anesthesiologists negligently administered pain relief before a knee surgery.
In a separate suit, the family of former patient William Bribriesco will get anywhere between $65,000 to $91,000, according to varying reports from the AP and Iowa City Press Citizen. The family claims negligent treatment following a complicated procedure to treat a heart aneurysm; subsequent infections led to his death the same year.
Both settlements resolve lawsuits that were originally filed in 2007, in which the hospitals and its employees deny wrongdoing, according to the AP.
So far this year, Iowa has paid more than $2.4 million to settle medical malpractice lawsuits involving care at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Meanwhile, a nationwide survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last month found that doctors admit fears of such malpractice suits lead to their patients "receiving too much medical care."
For more:
- read the Associated Press article
- here's the Press-Citizen article