Medical professionals at hospitals are expected to provide competent care to each patient. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. If you or someone close to you was injured due to hospital negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your harm. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, our seasoned Syracuse hospital negligence attorneys can thoroughly examine the facts of your case and determine the viability of your claim. For many years, we have helped New York clients resolve their medical malpractice claims, and we can help you as well.
Hospital negligence is much more common than you may think. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that up to 98,000 people a year die because of mistakes in hospitals. In 2010, the Office of Inspector General for Health and Human Services found that inadequate hospital care contributed to the deaths of 180,000 patients in Medicare alone in a given year. A study by the Journal of Patient Safety estimated that in 2014, between 210,000 and 440,000 patients who went to the hospital for care suffered some type of preventable harm that contributed to their death.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals at a hospital play a critical role in a patient’s treatment and recovery. Any medical professional working at a hospital may be responsible for a hospital error. Some examples of these errors include but are not limited to:
- Emergency room errors;
- Giving a patient the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of medication;
- Performing surgery on the wrong patient or on the wrong body part;
- Improper care in intensive care units;
- Anesthesia mistakes;
- Misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, or delayed diagnosis of a particular condition; or
- Being released too early from the hospital.
Medical malpractice takes place when a medical professional fails to deliver the type and level of care that an ordinary, prudent medical professional in the same specialty would have delivered under the same or similar circumstances. The level of care that is expected and appropriate will vary in each case depending on a number of factors, including the patient’s age and medical history. It is not sufficient to establish that a medical professional failed to use the appropriate level of care; an injured patient must also show that the medical professional’s failure to use the appropriate level of care was a direct and proximate cause of his or her injury.
If you have lost a loved one due to hospital negligence, you may be owed compensation for pain and suffering, funeral expenses, medical bills incurred prior to your loved one’s death (but after the negligence took place), loss of companionship, and loss of support.
Hospital negligence can lead to serious injuries or death. If you or a loved one suffered harm as a result of hospital negligence, our diligent and hard-working Syracuse hospital malpractice attorneys can help. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, we are committed to helping our clients seek the compensation they deserve for their harm. For a review of your hospital negligence case, do not hesitate to call us at 833-200-2000 or contact us online.
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