If You’re a Victim of Hospital Malpractice, You Need to Call a Lawyer Now
What Constitutes Hospital Malpractice?
Many people do not realize that nurses are employees of the hospital. The same is often true of the doctors who treat you. Because of this employer-employee relationship, the hospital is responsible for their conduct. Therefore, if a nurse is negligent, the hospital is responsible. Unfortunately, nursing errors are very common.
In Arizona, certain hospital chains are now purchasing facilities throughout the state. Instead of hundreds of independently run hospitals, we now have a system where there are only a few mega corporations that run all of the hospitals. This, unfortunately, has resulted in a lower quality of patient care. Instead, the hospitals are putting profits over safety. The outcome for our community is disastrous.
What Kinds of Hospital Malpractice Cause Serious Injury or Death in Arizona?
A report by the Institute of Medicine entitled “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System” determined that approximately 98,000 people are killed every year by medical errors in hospitals. Many more are seriously injured because of hospital malpractice.
For more than 30 years, our lawyers have built a reputation for investigating and litigating medical and hospital malpractice cases. Common mistakes include:
- Failure of the staff to diagnose a serious health condition
- Failure to administer the correct treatment
- Failure to carry out physician orders
- Failure to report changes in patient condition
- Failure to order necessary diagnostic testing
- Failure to correctly read lab results
- Failure to challenge a bad order
- Failure to begin treatment of a serious medical condition in time
- Incorrect administration of medications
- Improper use of medical equipment
- Improper monitoring of patients
- Failure to properly count materials and tools used in surgery
- Failure to prevent postoperative infections due to poorly regulated safety procedures or violated rules of conduct
What Are My Legal Options If I Was the Victim of Hospital Malpractice or Inadequate Hospital Safety?
If you’ve been a patient at a hospital (regardless of the hospital’s safety score) and you feel that you were the victim of hospital malpractice or error, you may be entitled to compensation. To file your claim successfully, you must establish that the hospital or a member of the staff acted negligently—such as using contaminated equipment, failing to communicate with other medical professionals, etc.—and it caused serious harm. It is not enough simply to witness a nurse fail to wash his or her hands—it actually must lead to injury and damages.
Hospital negligence can result in long-term disability for some patients. It can mean additional medical bills, lost time from work, or lost earning potential for the future. It also can cause death in the most extreme cases, robbing a family of a parent, sibling, or partner. It is the responsibility of hospital administration and staff to protect every patient who receives treatment within its walls. It is the hospital’s liability to reimburse patients who have suffered physically, emotionally, or financially as a result of safety deficiencies, negligence, or incompetence of one of its employees.
Damages in a hospital negligence claim may include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- And more
Call Snyder and Wenner, PC, the Phoenix Hospital Malpractice Expert for Help
If you believe you were the victim of a safety error, medical malpractice, or hospital negligence at a Phoenix hospital, we can help you. Call us today at 602-224-0005 to set up a free consultation to discuss your case with a medical malpractice attorney.