The article attempts to discredit the patient’s case
against the doctor’s negligence.
Statistics do not apply to individuals.
I think that's largely true. But this is as much a case against the government bureaucracy as it is against a particular doctor.
You would expect this from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which is merely an appendage of the vast Newhouse multimedia empire. To their way of thinking, government bureaucrats and bureaucracy trump an ex-Republican congressman's personal health problems. It's a no-brainer for them.