Hospital Malpractice
Patients who have suffered severe injury or death may make a malpractice claim against a hospital, medical clinic, and medical corporation or managed care facility for mistakes made by one of their employees. The legal term for this -- vicarious liability -- which means an employer is responsible for the negligent acts of an employee/agent. Medical malpractice in a hospital setting has far more serious outcomes and deaths than outpatient care. A study by Healthgrades found that in the years they studied 195,000 deaths per year may have been attributed to preventable medical errors. The kinds of mistakes that are made in the hospital setting include:
Errors in diagnosis, failure in diagnosis, or delay in diagnosis - Many times doctors will act upon an erroneous lab result or based upon information given by another person.
Errors in record-keeping or misinterpretation of medical orders.
Errors in prescribing or dispensing medications - Sometimes the pharmacist will dispense the wrong medicine or the right medicine in the wrong amount.
Errors caused by overworked and overtired staff.
Errors in administering anesthesia.
Errors in blood transfusion – Giving the patient the incorrect type of blood.
Errors in equipment – Failures in equipment such as intravenous pumps with dislodged valves or defibrillators with dead batteries.
Failing to prevent an injury to a patient -- often this involves a patient suffering a fall.
Hospital-acquired infection including MRSA staph infections.
Often, medical errors are caused by a combination of two or more of the above areas.
Free Consultation
(425) 455-9087
Your Case is Important to Us - Free Consultation
Herb Farber and the attorneys in the network of The Farber Law Group provide a free case consultation to people seriously injured in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. If your injuries are serious and you cannot come to see us, we can arrange to visit you at Harborview Medical Center, Overlake Hospital Emergency & Trauma Center, Evergreen Hospital, or one of the other trauma centers throughout the state. We have represented injured victims for more than 45 years and we believe every injured person should have access to legal advice. For your Free and Confidential consultation, contact us today at (800) 244-9087.