One of the biggest causes of medical malpractice is a breakdown in communication between physicians, nurses and other hospital staff. Unfortunately, today hospitals commonly outsource things like reading X-rays and CT scans, which means that there furthers the chance of a communication breakdown.

The practice of X-rays, CT scans and MRIs being sent to radiologists in other towns, states or even countries is known as teleradiology. Under this practice, the doctors who physically examine you and conduct your X-ray may never even consult with the doctors who read your scans. Instead, they may just send written reports to back to your doctor. All too often, this lack of two-way communication causes medical mistakes.

Take the case of the 30-year-old woman who went to the emergency room in 2005 with a horrendous and persistent headache. She was given a CT scan at her local Connecticut hospital, and a digital version of the scan was sent to another hospital four hours away in Pennsylvania for review. That hospital then sent the scan to a company that subcontracts radiologists standing by in different parts of the world.

Eventually, a radiologist in Hong Kong who was licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania was sent the scan and found something alarming. The woman had a large mass in her brain, and the contrast dye used in the CT scan revealed that the mass had a ring around it.

The Hong Kong radiologist pointed out the ring in his written report that was sent back to the Connecticut hospital, but he didn't indicate that the ring was likely an abscess of fluid or puss, which is usually fatal if left untreated.

A radiologist at the Pennsylvania hospital, too, had read the CT scan and noticed the abscess, but since he knew the Hong Kong radiologist's report was sent to the Connecticut hospital, he never called the woman's ER doctor.

Ultimately, the Connecticut ER doctor didn't recognize what the abscess meant and discharged the woman. Soon the abscess ruptured and the woman spent the next 11 weeks in a coma. She survived, but with brain damage.

Needless to say, the woman and her parents brought a medical malpractice lawsuit against the six doctors involved. They settled out of court for an undisclosed amount; however, the damage the woman suffered will never be reversed.

Source: MSNBC.com, "Is a doctor reading your X-rays? Maybe not," Katherine Eban, Oct. 26, 2011.