Hepatitis C Scare in Nevada Spurs Changes to Malpractice Caps
The hepatitis C scare in Southern Nevada has played a crucial role in the introduction of an Assembly bill that would remove the medical malpractice caps limiting pain and suffering damages to $350,000 that was instituted in 2004. The bill aims to increase filing time limits as well that will allow victims' attorneys to bring a case to trial in five years rather than two. Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno said that the hepatitis C crisis serves as a reminder that there must be "more effective recourse for lives that have been ... negatively affected by a doctor." The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada is at the center of the hepatitis C scare because of its dangerous injection practices that led to nine people being infected with the disease. An additional 50,000 patients were told to get tested for further infectious diseases according to the Southern Nevada Health District. Health officials say that more than 100 others may have contracted hepatitis at the clinics.
